Archive for March, 2004

Free Wi-Fi

Monday, March 29th, 2004

Borrowing a page from Ginny’s site, I am writing (although not as eloquently) short reviews of wi-fi hotspots in my area. I will only, however, be covering free wi-fi hotspots. They’re really the only ones worth mentioning (so sorry Starbucks). The following are listed by the order I discovered them.

Quickly, Fremont Blvd., Fremont - I haven’t actually tried their wireless service but I’ve tasted their bubble tea. I don’t see myself hanging out at a bubble tea shop for more than ten minutes anyway. Besides, they lack cozy little nooks where I can quietly surf the net.

Paddy’s Coffee House, Smith St., Union City - Situated in the Old Alvarado neighborhood of Union City, this well-lit, spacious cafe doubles as an art gallery. The internet is free (I asked), but I hadn’t tried it yet either. I’d hang out here more but it’s a bit far.

Newark Java, Jarvis Ave., Newark - this cafe is right next door to my son’s martial arts school. They just added wi-fi service recently and it started off free from the get-go. They’re on DSL so the connection is quite speedy. The place has an adequate amount of chairs and is never crowded. Power outlets are always available as long as you take a table against the wall. One quibble: the cigarette smoke that wafts in through the open door makes the experience less than enjoyable. For some reason, the same smoking patron is there every night my son has a class. Keeping the door closed doesn’t seem to be an option - it’s one of those establishments that like their doors open all the time.

Suju’s Coffee and Tea, Thornton Ave., Fremont - I got to give it to these guys. They recently picked up the tab for the wireless service they provide so their patrons can surf for free. Last Friday, with my credit card in hand, I was ready to pay to get online when upon logging in I was instantly connected. What a pleasant surprise. I looked around and indeed they were advertising their wi-fi service as free. I’ve always liked this cafe. It’s got plenty of tables, it has a couple of cozy couches and their coffee is cheap. Oh and it’s only a couple of blocks away from where I live. One minus: lack of power outlets. They only have one power strip available so only those on the couches and an adjacent table can use it. Better have your laptop juiced up before getting there. Or bring a really long extension cord.

Free wi-fi seems to be the trend at least here locally. I hope Bay Street Coffee, Fremont’s best cafe hands-down, and Depot Cafe, a quaint little cafe on the renovated Centerville/Fremont train station, will follow Suju’s suit and offer wireless service for free (they’re all part of the Surf and Sip network). It would only serve to attract more customers who would pay for their other goods, like a cup of java or a sandwich, for example. I know I have.

Update: I forgot to mention Kinko’s, though their wireless network comes courtesy of T-Mobile, a wireless service one must pay for. Kinko’s free internet is provided through their wired network. You hook up your laptop to an ethernet jack in one of their laptop stations. Be forewarned, these stations are almost always occupied.

I didn’t mention Chess and Tea because the last time I passed by there, they were closed indefinitely.

I have one more place to check out. According to this, there’s a free wi-fi hotspot roughly three miles from where I live.

Update 2: I checked out The Huddle as referenced above and, well, it turns out to be a bar. Why in the world would a bar have wireless internet access? I remember Ben Stiller’s writer character in Duplex bringing his Pismo Powerbook to a bar after normal business hours to finish up writing a book. But still, he didn’t need internet access to write a book. Anyway, I parked in front of the place today and pulled out my iBook to see if I could connect. The Airport status indicator showed two dinky bars. I launched Safari and went to Yahoo. Nothing. I tried to retrieve my e-mail. Nothing. I then checked the network preferences. The wireless hub was not dishing out IPs. Hmmm. They probably make their network available only after Happy Hour.

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Corazon Musical

Wednesday, March 24th, 2004

Unusual sight at the local social services agency today: two female Hispanic TV hosts were taking music video requests from random people, Hispanic and non-Hispanic alike. I got my turn to be asked whether I wanted to be on TV or not. I declined. I wasn’t the only one though. A matronly Arab woman turned it down as well. I asked if I could take their picture instead (the cameraman is hiding his face in the background):

Corazon Musical Talent

Their show Corazon Musical can be seen locally on KTNC 42.

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Laki Sa Layaw

Wednesday, March 24th, 2004

Watch Fil-Am film shorts by Jeproks, Inc., an off-shoot of local Pinoy arts collective Bindlestiff Studio.

[via Heidiologies]

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Jobs & Sculley in 1984

Tuesday, March 16th, 2004

Look at what I unearthed while doing some spring cleaning in the garage several days ago: a BusinessWeek magazine dated November 26, 1984 with Steve Jobs and John Sculley on the cover.

Jobs & Sculley in BizWeek 1984 cover

A year and a half before this issue appeared in the newsstands Jobs lured Sculley from Pepsi to become the CEO of Apple with this line, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?” A year after the issue came out, Jobs stepped down after a boardroom drama had ensued that left Sculley at the helm. Sculley eventually resigned from Apple in 1993 and Jobs, the prodigal son, came back in 1997. Ironically, Steve Jobs is now in partnership with Pepsi to promote Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Hmmm, is that a symbolic sea of “sugared water” behind Jobs and Sculley?

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How Now, BlogPa?

Sunday, March 14th, 2004

Paulo is back from hiatus! He’s now using the sub-domain “hownow” to further strengthen the brownpau brand, among other things.

Did you know that Mr. Ordoveza is my blogparent?* On the fateful day that was Christmas Eve 2002, I met Paulo during his visit to the Bay Area. I was a faithful brownpau.com lurker reader who jumped at the opportunity to meet the most prolific blogger I knew. He was brave enough to meet me at the local Borders (I could’ve been a crazed serial killer, you know). We were having a nice chat over coffee when he encouraged me to start a blog of my own (now you know who to blame). Two weeks later I hurriedly launched my blog on the first day of the year 2003. The rest is history…

*I see familiar names among the siblings list (Ganns and Arnold, we’re brothers in more ways than one!). Teka, that makes Raffy our lolo! :D

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