No, I’m not referring to the local baseball team. I could be referring to my own stupidity, without which the post would have been up some time ago, but I stupidly clicked the “close tab” area on my browser instead of the “Hide Preview” link on my composing window. Grrr!!!
Anyway, I really wanted to mention the Wireless Philadelphia initiative, which is intended to blanket Philadelphia with a WiFi network. The briefing provides you with the necessary PR-type fluff. I have two issues with this idea.
First, the network is to be “based upon the current WiFi 802.11b standards.” In case you don’t know, the “b” standard is the slower of the two standards currently available. The “g” standard provides faster access speeds, and can ratchet down to the lower speeds if needed. So already, this is off to a bad start.
Second, while this is intended to be a “public/private partnership,” the city could be enticing investment in the city’s piss-poor school system or recreational facilities, some of which were closed over the summer (mostly pools) so the city could meet its state-mandated balanced budget (the city almost went bankrupt in the early 1990′s and now has external budget oversight).
My take is that this is more BS, like the “Real World.” You know, take one small example, make it look really nice, and maybe nobody will notice the grit, grime, and corruption behind the scenes. (And for you big-time cynics, the Ron White Death Watch has begun. See this column from The Inquirer for more.)
