Back in 1996 and 1997 when Linda and I were roaming the lower 48 states on our year=plus around the country, one of our bigger challenges was in staying on line. When we stayed in motel rooms, getting to the Internet usually was not a big issue: Motel phones usually would accommodate a connection by jack. But not always, and much of the time we were camping. In those days there was no wi-fi, there were no cybercafes (actually, the first of them appeared toward the end of our trip), and option for getting access to a phone line tended toward the difficult.
One of our best options turned out to be something we would never have guessed - truck stops. We'd stop in for a lunch or dinner, and at a significant number of truck stops phones were located at the dining tables. You can see the usefulness for truckers; they were just as useful for us, as we'd play around a bit with the machinery and usually get on line.
Not always, it should be noted, was this regarded favorably by the management: These places are oriented toward truckers. But options were few.
We had to gather the information on which truck stops had phones bit by but. We bought one annual guide to truck stops which provided quite a bit opf help. But would have loved something like Layover.com, which I just spotted on the web. It has a state by state rundown on "computer friendly truckstops," as in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, California, Nevada, Montana.
It not only tells you which stops are "computer friendly" but also how to get the connection - at the dining table, or in some cases just ask the waitress to plug you in (so to speak).
Not a resource to abuse, and probably less critical for most of us nowadays, but something to consider if you've just go to get on line and you have no other good options.
24.11.04
Misconceiving WalMart
You can't make intelligent decisions if you don't stop to think.
This KBCI-TV story was jammed full of misconceptions about WalMart - faulty logic not the fault of the reporter, but in the minds of the people interviewed.
The story concerns a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Sam's Club to be placed in Nampa. Several people quoted were cheering it on.
"I think it's going to be cool because there's not many other places to go shop that are quick and easy to get to," says Nampa resident John Murphy.
Actually, there already are even by including WalMart in that definition - Fred Meyer, KMart and the stores at Karcher Mall are just a few of those in Nampa. But what makes a megastore "easier" to deal with than a smaller one?
A Nampa city spokesman remarked that "what it does is it helps to lower the tax burden for everybody who lives here it brings in a development and that development itself brings in jobs." That's jaw-dropping. There will be some plus, to be sure, in the property taxes on the store buildings, and in the wages paid the construction crews. But the rest constitute a loss. WalMart's low wages/benefits make a joke out of the "all the new jobs" line of jabber: The rest of the community winds up picking up the cost for people who aren't earning a living wage. And the idea that a WalMart coming to town represents an economic expansion is pure illusion. Just think for a moment: WalMart is in the business of selling a variety of goods to consumers. Unless you want to argue that people will be spending more money just because WalMart came to town - an absurd notion - you're stuck with the reality that WalMart's arrival represents a displacement of someone else. That means those low-wage jobs at WalMart are displacing other jobs - possibly higher-wage - somewhere else.
Some people get that point. The KBCI story does quote Debbie Hovde, owner Ma & Pa's Smoke Shop at Nampa, as saying, "if everybody can go to one store and get their shopping done, what's it going to do to us little people."
I think we know the answer, Debbie.
This KBCI-TV story was jammed full of misconceptions about WalMart - faulty logic not the fault of the reporter, but in the minds of the people interviewed.
The story concerns a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Sam's Club to be placed in Nampa. Several people quoted were cheering it on.
"I think it's going to be cool because there's not many other places to go shop that are quick and easy to get to," says Nampa resident John Murphy.
Actually, there already are even by including WalMart in that definition - Fred Meyer, KMart and the stores at Karcher Mall are just a few of those in Nampa. But what makes a megastore "easier" to deal with than a smaller one?
A Nampa city spokesman remarked that "what it does is it helps to lower the tax burden for everybody who lives here it brings in a development and that development itself brings in jobs." That's jaw-dropping. There will be some plus, to be sure, in the property taxes on the store buildings, and in the wages paid the construction crews. But the rest constitute a loss. WalMart's low wages/benefits make a joke out of the "all the new jobs" line of jabber: The rest of the community winds up picking up the cost for people who aren't earning a living wage. And the idea that a WalMart coming to town represents an economic expansion is pure illusion. Just think for a moment: WalMart is in the business of selling a variety of goods to consumers. Unless you want to argue that people will be spending more money just because WalMart came to town - an absurd notion - you're stuck with the reality that WalMart's arrival represents a displacement of someone else. That means those low-wage jobs at WalMart are displacing other jobs - possibly higher-wage - somewhere else.
Some people get that point. The KBCI story does quote Debbie Hovde, owner Ma & Pa's Smoke Shop at Nampa, as saying, "if everybody can go to one store and get their shopping done, what's it going to do to us little people."
I think we know the answer, Debbie.
16.11.04
Sunset
From the front yard, looking over Wennenberg Park toward the Coast Range.
Early in the day, but as pretty as summer, the onset of rainy season notwithstanding.
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