Wow! This is awesome! Doughnuts and warchalking!!!
"Matt,Posted by matt at June 28, 2002 04:57 PM
I'm the CIO of the State of Utah. We network over 250 buildings for 22,000 employees. We're also in the planning phase of deploying Wi-Fi access points at places where cops hang out so they can connect to the net during their shift (they use CDPD for low bandwidth ops, but need a high bandwidth option sometimes). In this kind of environment, warchalking has some important uses beyond finding a free net. I'm hoping to use th warchalking icons to alert employees to the existence of wireless nets in conference rooms and other places.
Given all this, I have to come down in the less is more camp. The icons need to be kept simple and relatively few if we expect them to be used.
I've made references to this on my blog at www.windley.com. Thanks for the inspiration.
Phillip J. Windley, Ph.D.
Chief Information Officer
Office of the Governor, State of Utah
hi
right good idea, with that icons! and itīs also right to keep that icons so simple as possible.
but there shouldnīt be the SSID in it. IT personal of firms could close there wlans if they find there SSID on a building.
cu florian, germany
Posted by florian at June 28, 2002 10:30 PMGot wind of your project from MPR's Future Tense. Language creation is a key interest of mine, as are responsiblities for those involved in developing new symbolic methods of communicating. Your project looks promising. My advice is: keep it simple. I'll keep my eyes peeled for chalkings while bicycling around my home town, Los Angeles, camera at hand.
Posted by Andy at June 29, 2002 07:10 AMthis will go farther than anyof you have realized
Posted by nullcarrier at June 29, 2002 05:06 PMhttp://www2.bc.edu/~benedicw/_misc/warchalking.gif
This is a quick mock up of how I think this whole symbol thing should go down. Simplicity is so so key. Three symbols should be the max. Alpha numerics should have a preferred location, but should be kept optional by all means (along with direction). SSID along the bottom (looks better, makes sense), with maybe the WEP code across the top (where known/applicable). If you want bandwidth on the right and a/b/g on the left, sure, but all of these things are super secondary. The important thing is the IDENTIFICATION OF THE LOCATION. They're just an extension of the Original Three, but (if I don't say so myself) clearer, more unique, and too pretty :) . This whole idea will fly--but I want it to look nice and clean, too.
If the data can be easily put by the symbol, well great. If the only surface is a stone wall face of a coffee shop, best stick with the nice looking simple symbol and the rest can be gleaned with software, or friggin walking inside and asking the story. Direction can be as simple as nothing (you are * here), a clock-compass (noon = forward, 6 = backwards, 3 = right), or a simple map (through the door, down the hall, passed the restroom, door on your right with circular window).
The original symbols are a bit too simple. A circle on a wall is way too ambiguous, as is (though less so) the open butterfly-circle. Combine the two, and it takes on the qualities of a true rune (not that all runs are encased in circles, but that they are obviously intentional and meaningful shapes). The W was always no good. Also, the way these are drawn, the status of the node could be easily updated by erasing or adding a simple line here or there. They're also symbols I wouldn't mind making a cool sign out of and posting in front of my coffee shop or library or whatever...easily transferable to other mediums, but also good-looking (again, if I don't say so myself ;) .
The only thing I would add would be the network type somewhere
ie. B,G,A on the icon somewhere to designate 802.11b, etc.
umm, nevermind.... :)
Disregard the man behind the curtain.
Well I like this, however, how about a database of all the open/closed etc nodes by the city? is there one? I would very much like to find out which coffee shops in Toronto have or are in proximity to open nodes :D
Posted by LninYo at June 30, 2002 04:37 PMthere are enough databases for wlan hotspots out there! but who really needs them? it's much cooler finding a warchalk sign on a wall anyway :-)
Posted by a wardriver at June 30, 2002 05:41 PMhow cool that a state govt's employees would be behind this principle!! Thanks for doing this in general. I'm posting this site's url on a techno-geek's site here in Los Angeles. (Web405:
http://lists.southland.net:81/guest/RemoteListSummary/Web405) I'm going to go chalk up my sidewalk this afternoon. :-)
Great!! I live in Utah, and I must say that it feels good to know that my tax dollars are going to furthur this cause :)
Posted by Daniel at July 1, 2002 05:30 AMChalking the outside of buildings sounds cool & fun - a bit like a treasure hunt or some other game! Nothing wrong with that, but it's also good to see scenarios addressing real people, real usage environments, real needs.
More scenarios please, and less discussions of urban wi-fi clan tags ;-)
Took the liberty of making a free Windows screen saver of the WarChalking icons: www.jetcityorange.com/802.11b
enjoy!
JetCityOrange.com, every Thurs (give or take)
How about taking that net work of 22,000 people and making them an interactive member of the public safety/service community. The attached web page shows how this is possible.
Posted by Ray Costello at July 2, 2002 07:31 PM We can make Utah Wireless in 4 hours and
deliver Distance Learning simo-with "No Pockets!"
all the best.
Posted by Greg Foutz at July 3, 2002 06:46 PM We can make Utah Wireless in 4 hours and
deliver Distance Learning simo-with "No Pockets!"
all the best.
Posted by Greg Foutz at July 3, 2002 06:46 PM