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Technology

SF Cab Riders Can Now Surf the Internet 47

Posted by Roblimo from the something-to-do-at-long-red-lights dept.
Ant sent in this SF Chronicle story about Yahoo equipping 10 San Francisco cabs with laptops and radio modems as an ad gimmick. I plan to add this feature to my limo pretty soon - and I'll run Linux, of course, which I'll bet the Yahoo cabs don't. Heh!
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SF Cab Riders Can Now Surf the Internet More

SF Cab Riders Can Now Surf the Internet

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  • us is catching up (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    i was in england in may/june, and half the cabs (hundreds, probably) in london were equipped with uplinks.
  • I'd *really* like to get my cellphone [1] and laptop
    to talk to each other, but it seems that

    1) Cables are very hard to find.
    2) Software is, of course, windows specific.

    Has anyone been able to get this working? How
    fast are the data rates? I actually see a small
    market for a cell phone/ethernet gateway so
    people on boats can read their e-mail. I've
    been told that cellular signals travel pretty
    well over water.

    -- cary

    [1] Sprint PCS (The I****s here in DC shut
    down their GSM system. So Washington DC is
    the only major capitol city where GSM phones [2]
    don't work. Arrg. And remember what a crucial
    role GSM phones played in Cryptonomicon!

    [2] Yes I know the frequency is different, but
    in theory you should be able to swap the identity
    chip from phone to phone. Actually, not in
    theory. I've done it (between Sprint Spectrum
    phones).

    While I'm in rant mode...

    I'm really ticked off about the lack of GSM
    adoption in the US. With GSM, if there are
    competing carriers you can (I think) switch
    between them at the push of a button. And (if
    you swap the chip) they work all over the world.
    Plus you can send and recieve SMS (short text
    messages) to/from the phone.

    The rest of the world understands the advantage
    of standards. Europe is moving from many
    analog systems to a common digital system. The
    US, thanks to big business and deregulation [3]
    is moving from one common analog system to
    many incompatible digital systems. It doesn't
    take a rocket scientist to figure out which
    consumers win and which consumers loose! Arrg.

    [3] I'm not 100% sure I know why this is happening.

    (looking forward to spending 2 hours
    of a wonderfull fall afternoon sitting on the
    phone getting his cell phone switched from
    GSM to sprint pcs. Arrg)

  • It's not 24/7, it's 8am to 6pm according to the page itself. But the story does say it's costing $1200 a week. Which makes me wonder, isn't there anything like Ricochet available for flat rate wireless in New York? A cell modem just can't be the most economical way to run something like this.
  • I bet a phrasebook on www.cabdriverspeak.com would get lots of hits.
    --
  • Lets the cabbies take the scenic route without the
    passengers noticing. :-)
  • I remember about 2 years ago a cabbie in SF had a ricochet modem and a laptop, and was trying to do something interesting with it. Lot cheaper than cellular... and i think the bandwith is better now, too.

    Oh well, some ideas came before their time. In SF, how long are you actually ever IN a cab at once...

    oh well...
  • 9600? Ricochet runs at 28.8k/sec and is ramping up to 128k... And for full T1 over wireless, you're probably going to have to pay considerably more than $30/month.
  • How they allow you to post such shit is amazing, i think the posters on slashdot do a good job, you know this is fucking free dont you? what the fuck do you expect? i think it was brian hook who said at id, " dont bite the hand that feeds you, bitch". frankly im tired of anti-slashdot, anti-linux retouric, come up with something more intellgent, and stop bitching.

    rob
  • I run an 11 Mbps wireless network. True, it helps when you own the hardware. Good thing I am the ISP. No wireless bandwidth charges.
  • Damned keyboard moves around on me. Anyway.

    When I read this, the first thing I thought was that a whole NEW generation can now be familiarized with good ol' Travis Bickle, and that famous line can be altered from wiping the scum from the streets to wiping the spam from the servers.

    Or maybe I've just been up too late watching Raging Bull.

    s#
  • I think you're missing the point. Regardless of whether it is free or not it's still an open forum, and comments on the stories posted are fine. Rob Malda has said in the past "Don't criticize slashdot, criticize me." I think that's a perfectly appropriate request, and the original poster of this comment did just that, chose not to criticize slashdot but rather to mention, rationally and with supporting arguments, that he felt it was an inappropriate and smug comment on a submission. It should also be noted that, while this is a nonprofit, that doesn't mean it is without money. Slashdot was acquired by Andover.Net for $4 million, a hefty sum. Roblimo works for Andover, in their TechSightings section, and so is being paid to do this job, indirectly.

    Given that he is being paid, that he is making money by submitting these stories, don't you think it is fair to offer some criticism?

    I should also note that "quadong"'s post was much calmer, and much more rational than yours, which has the word shit once, fuck twice, and bitch twice. IIRC, quadong even criticized someone else for posting a comment attacking Roblimo in this manner, and I see no reason that you should be afforded any different treatment.

    Calm down.

    Regards,
    -efisher
    ---
  • Actually.. I've got a dtk computer because one of my neighbors got mad enough that he kicked the snot out of it and gave it to me...

    Their web site is http://www.dtkcomputer.com

  • Hi, did i not make myself clear? I am neither anti-linux nor anti-slashdot.

    I love the idea of linux, I think it is great that it exists. However, your average cab driver (and indeed, average computer user in general) has better things to do than to figure out how to install and use it. Let's face it, linux is not intuitive, windows is. I have linux on my system, and I might even use it frequently, except that there are no drivers out there yet for my video and network cards. Once linux becomes as easy to use as windows, then people can feel smug for running it. At the present, running it may make you a more knowledgeable computer person, but it does not make you superior to people who use windows.

    If I was anti-slashdot, I wouldn't take the time to read it and post replies. I was simply speaking my opinion about what I felt was an inappropriate post.

    I should point out that slashdot is free the way televison is free. Both are funded by advertisers. If I cannot critisize slashdot, then logically, I cannot complain about anything on TV either.

    And lastly: "How they allow you to post such shit is amazing" It's called free speech. The system exists as it does so that people can say whatever they want, even to the point of flooding profanity. If you want an open forum, don't tell me what not to say, but instead tell me why I am wrong. Swearing at people doesn't promote the exchange of ideas, but intelligent arguments do.
  • Well, actually... :)

    My laptop runs (debian) linux very happily. It installed more flawlessly then my desktop the year before.

    Its an obscure model of a company I'd never heard of before - and haven't seen since.

    Dtk/486. No network problems. The only thing was the mouse. :)

    But I'm trying to picture these cabs running KDE, who's kfm seems to be allergic to slashdot (both computers I've used KDE on have trouble loggin in to slashdot on the first attempt.).....how can you live without slashdot when you're in a cab?

    Front plate on the cab:

    Powered by Yahoo! Linux! ... no wait....... :)
  • ...does that make it a hack-me cab?
  • ...and if I hack it, do I get to ride free?
  • I, nutt, am now coining a new phrase for the next millenium...here goes: "Backseat Hacking"

    :p

    There are obvious security problems involved... could you imagine the problems with IE5 autocomplete/password store?!?! And since every idiot in the world seems to have AOL, they'll all be checkin http://netmail.web.aol.com [aol.com]... you could hop a cab with a floppy in your pocket, and leave with 10 accounts... LOL

    And yahoo finance....
    Cookies would be a major problem.. these are the same problems that public libraries and such are having...

    Well, good thing linux doesnt have IE.

    Imagine installing Back Orifice on a cab comp... geez!!!!!! woa.
    It wont take long till they all realize this...3...2...1

    -------
  • i was going to say that if some one hadn't yet.
  • Because the message attacks windows - which is good on slashdot. Even tho over 90% of PCs on the planet run Windows, and MOST servers run Windows - it's still cool to announce Windows crashes even though
    1) MacOS crashes even more and noone complains
    2) Windows catches a process crash != Windows crashes.
    3) BSOD FUD is becoming tiresome. Core Dump is more fun.
  • But at the same time, given the speed of the internet and a cab ride, do you think that any one will get more than 3-4 pages on any ride? What would be cool is if they put browsers on busses, so we could surf on hour long bus rides.....

    -- Moondog
  • A service like this is much more plausible in the bay area compared with other parts of the country due to the ricochet modem service. Ricochet's service is a flat unlimited use rate, and the speed is reasonably fast. To cover the entire bay area, Ricochet actually puts their transmitters in street lamps, so they eliminate the huge towers cellular service has to deal with. So, I think Roblimo and other taxi drives will have to wait a while before Internet rides are feasible in other parts of the country.
  • "Help, my taxi crashed!"
  • I have linux running on several laptops and I've never come across a laptop recently that couldn't be made ot run linux. The worst I've seen is the laptop I'm using now, which won't do sound under linux due to the neomagic sound card.

    All these machines are immensely stable, as stable as any desktop I've setup linux on.

    What browser plugs are missing? I have real player, java and flash all working properly on my linux laptop. What else would you add? QuickTime, I suppose, probably an mpeg player, but I don't see how lacking those "ruins" the experience.
  • Hmmm... Net surfing in a speeding taxicab. If you crash, does that refer to the browser or to the cab itself? Or does that depend on what city's cabbies are driving?

    - -Josh Turiel
  • Have you ever tried to get Linux working nicely on a laptop? Even if you get it working, it's a very hedgy thing at best.

    Second, the average joe-schmoe on the street isn't comfortable with X. Everybody knows windows, so they'll feel warm and fuzzy using it, and using it is what they want. They don't want people going "Wow, that LOOKS like netscape, but I don't get any of how the rest of this stuff works..."

    Plus I've yet to see a good collection of browser plug-ins for linux, which can really ruin the surfing experience for someone.

    Nope, this is one of those "Linux not for the desktop yet" issues. For the average user of this service, windows is still the way to go. Don't like it? Fix the problems. :)

  • They'll run FreeBSD, like the rest of Yahoo. ;)
  • Those poor cab drivers will probably need to bone up on their tech if they're running Windows in their cabs. Can you imagine the guy in back asking "Hey, what does this do?" "Why is the screen all blue?" "What's an exception?" That's too much disctraction for the poor cabbies. The ones who don't speak english are better off, actually.
    Hey! They should put a guide in the back. "What to do when the computer stops responding".
  • What a coincidence. Right before I saw this story I heard a segment on CBC Radio's Basic Black [radio.cbc.ca] about a man in Aspen, Colorado who owns and operates the "Ultimate Taxi [ultimatetaxi.com]." In addition to an internet connection, there is fog on the floor and crazy lights, including a laser, all over the place. Apparently the driver also sings and plays music on an in-car keyboard and MIDI drum kit. Don't ask me how he does this while driving -- you'll have to watch the MPEG movie. Geez, and I just wanted to get home!

    Don't you hate it when your /. account mysteriously disappears?

  • Why don't run Linux in the cabs ? (Score:3)

    by Oestergaard ( 3005 ) on Saturday September 25, 1999 @05:13AM (#1660319) Homepage
    I once participated in setting up a box to play MP3s in a bar. It was supposed to be operated by drunk clueless people, and it ran Linux. Why ? Because when it booted, it booted up an X server with a nice background image and an MP3 player. No window manager, no logins, no start buttons, no nonsense.

    By the way, it also booted from the network, so there was no need to fsck if people power-cycled it.

    In fact, it worked really well. There was no way people could minimize/close the MP3 player, and even if they managed to do so, a simple power-cycle would bring the box back up and functional in less than a minute.

    You don't need notepad to surf the web, especially not in a cab. I'd go with an OSS anytime, if I had to set up such a system again.

  • Well, good luck -- but I doubt it (Score:3)

    by jflynn ( 61543 ) on Saturday September 25, 1999 @05:34AM (#1660320)
    It sounds like they thought of theft alright, but I'm not sure they are ready for the abuses that public devices suffer. Looked at a phone booth or bus stop recently? How many drunks tossing their cookies into the keyboard will it take before replacement is required? I won't speak of other sources of bodily fluids.

    Then there are the people who just think it's lots of fun to configure black text on black background and similarly hilarious stunts.

    And the old favorite, lets see who can leave the most disgusting screen for the next customer game. Who may of course be a child. Best reboot 'tween customers I think.

    It also possibly sounds a bit dangerous perhaps. Those who unthinkingly leave cookies might have others using those same services, logged to their account, after they leave the cab. Remember to logout from Yahoo mail, and to *not* check "save password." Remember, this allows console access, so security is meaningless. You need to deal with password catchers and copies of BO2K thoughtully left by customers for the next victim.

    I suspect that after a short time, cabs will provide a place to connect your laptop if you wish, but will make no attempt to supply one.

  • Taxi's and Modems (Score:3)

    by j a w a d ( 66763 ) on Saturday September 25, 1999 @05:28AM (#1660321) Homepage
    On April 16, Wired News [wired.com] ran a story entitled Hailing a Taxi Online [wired.com]..

    This guy [ny-taxi.com] put a Webcam, laptop, and cellular modem in his taxi. Since it runs 24/7, I'm sure that his cell phone bill is through the roof.


    echelon: FBI CIA NSA IRS ATF BATF Malcolm X
    Militia Gun Handgun MILGOV Assault Rifle Terrorism Bomb

  • What Internet-savvy cab drivers say (Score:5)

    by Enoch Root ( 57473 ) on Saturday September 25, 1999 @05:53AM (#1660322)
    10. "Man, Downtown is lagged today..."

    9. "I'm 128-bit encrypted. It's safe to give me your money."

    8. "Fast? My nickname at the cab company is T3!"

    7. (Running Microsoft) "Where do you want to go today?"

    6. (Running Linux) "Watch me ride at the speed of a charging penguin!"

    5. ("In" driver) "W3r r u h3adin???? # pr0b13m0!!!!!!"

    4. "What address? Sorry, lady, that's a 404!"

    3. "I'm gonna try to get to the superhighway."

    2. (Overdoing it) "www.thankyouverymuch.com!"

    And the top reason Internet-savvy cab drivers say...

    1. "Ever heard of the Blue Windshield of Death?"

    "There is no surer way to ruin a good discussion than to contaminate it with the facts."

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