Just to change the subject a bit, and just for a short time I’m sure : – (, but I’m interested in hearing the free wireless sites you’ve found near the EMU campus. Please include the name and location and brief review.
Here’s where you might find me when I’m avoiding campus:
- Beaners, Washtenaw Ave across from Barnes and Noble. Good seats. Goodly number of outlets. Vanilla Bean over Ice is pretty good for a cold coffee drink. I avoid the “treats”. The wireless signal spreads out to the neighboring Chipotles
- Cafe Luwak, Depot Town. Diner-style seats, quite good coffee. Quite excellent food. The signal spreads out to the AAUP office across the street.
- Aubree’s, Depot Town. Love their pizza, but I’ve not actually been in this Aubree’s. I know they have a signal, though, because it also spreads to the AAUP office.
- Panera, on Washtenaw next to Barnes and Noble. Overpriced food and not my favorite bakery, but the wireless is reliable, though it filters content.
Great topic, Susan! I will just put in another plug in for Luwak, for the wireless there is super fast. They also have a computer to use if you just want to do a brief fly by of something.
There is also Bombadills (can’t ever spell it), which has wireless. Nice atmosphere. Lots of nice EMU colleagues on any given day. Right next door to the Ypsi library (on Michigan, in downtown), where you can get free flicks and music. All sorts of lovely in those parts, & not to be missed.
I second Abby’s recommendation of Bombadill’s, which I think is actually spelled correctly. This is my choice for near campus and not at home working wirelessly for free.
My allergist’s office at St. Joe’s has free wireless, and I think that’s free throughout the whole hospital complex. Not that you would go there just to work, but it is free wifi.
Whole Foods has free wifi, and (IMO) better food and coffee than Panera’s.
Espresso Royale locations have free wifi, and that would include the one relatively near campus on Carpenter.
Careful when you use wi-fi in Michigan. See this from cnet:
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9722006-7.html
Michigan man dodges prison in theft of Wi-Fi
A Michigan man who used a coffee shop’s unsecured Wi-Fi to check his e-mail from his car could have faced up to five years in prison, according to local TV station WOOD. But it seems few in the village of Sparta, Mich., were aware that using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection without the owner’s permission–a practice known as piggybacking–was a felony.
Each day around lunch time, Sam Peterson would drive to the Union Street Cafe, park his car and–without actually entering the coffee shop–check his e-mail and surf the Net. His ritual raised the suspicions of Police Chief Andrew Milanowski, who approached him and asked what he was doing. Peterson, probably not realizing that his actions constituted a crime, freely admitted what he was doing.
**snip**
However, Peterson won’t be going to prison for piggybacking. Because he has no prior record, Peterson will have to pay a $400 fine, do 40 hours of community service and enroll in the county’s diversion program.
The Ugly Mug has free wifi, altho its pretty slow.
The Corner Brewery, on Forest a few blocks east of campus, across the river and past the railroad, has lots of customers who use the wireless connection there. Not the largest of menus, but what they have is good, and you can order food for delivery from Ypsi eateries that deliver. Good selection of beers brewed on site.
I used to spend a fair amount of my coffee money at Ugly Mug (in its previous incarnation, Mud House?) — I’m glad to hear they’re connected now.
I’ve been to the Corner Brewery once for a CAC-Sciences meeting. I hadn’t realized they were wireless. Good news. Good beer.
How are things going with the Wireless Washtenaw initiative? I was talking with someone at 20/20 communications a couple months ago, and the expected date for “most places covered” was surprisingly soon (although I don’t recall the month/year).
I’ve heard the same, Brian, but no more. I’ve also heard that it will be relatively slow access to the Web, probably suitable for e-mail checking, and that’s about it…
I heard someplace that this will actually be expensive, too. At least more than cable or dsl.
http://www.2020comm.com/ww/pricing.asp