naw it's cool. you can use my wireless network becuase I run the system through a large backup machine. essentially everything is recorded. usernames, passwords, cc numbers, you name it. so please use my connection you can thank me by financing my love of shoes through your visa.

Hmm... probably a good thing I know enough not to make credit card transactions over a pirated signal, then. But if it makes you happier, I'll spend my afternoon browsing a lot of porn.

(And yes, I'm joking too.)

fucking sweet!

Actually I ran across your blog last night in the wee hours and had to leave a message when I saw the pirated signal stuff. Thanks for being a good sport. You know, if you really want to let this person know that they are providing an unsecured connection login (192.168.1.1 pass: admin) and turn on encryption. This way they will not be able to login and eventually will be able to get the hint that their shiznit is not exactly secure. So there is that option, the honest option, or you could send hate mail to governmental agencies incognito and blame the owner.

you know, I really should have put a comma between the words "connection" and "login" because it needs to be there. Maybe I'm destined to be a Legislator (Railroad Safety Appliances Act of 1893).

Well, thank you for the advice and welcome. Just as a question, how do you know that's their IP address? (I'm still trying to learn this wireless networking stuff--not in my skill set.)

Ideally I'd like to use something like NET SEND to just message them--actually adjusting their equipment remotely is at the very least legally dubious. Last night I tried doing lots of google searches for 'secure your wireless network', on the hopes that maybe it would show up on some history file for them and they'd wonder how it got there.

That's the default IP for Linksys setup.

Some people leave them open as a favor, of course, but I always doubt that's the case when it's still broadcasting the default SSID. We finally have ethernet (yippee!) so I'll give you our network password, if you're in the area.

Well, that just goes to prove that the apartments are better than the dorms... we've got the hookup, but they're not turning it online for several weeks. :(

I might take you up on that network password thing, Alison, since I had offered to cook for you sometime anyway...

I'm definitely uninformed when it comes to wireless networks, but the word on the street is that Columbia's wireless signal has wacky pockets of wireless in the residential areas, since they're somewhat interspersed among actual school buildings that are supposed to get wireless. . . and there are also a lot of people here with hi-tech equipment and lo-tech knowledge. Most of us just thank them silently and piggyback on their unsecured signals.