July 27, 2002
NOTICE: Time for a change.

Had a crazy week: loads of email from what's starting to become a real community, and much (maybe too much) press attention.

I have a distinct feeling however that there is something holding us back.

Me.

This blog was first set up as a place to capture comments about the idea and the design, but it wants to evolve into something else... a community where ideas are discussed, news swapped and help given.

A blog that is maintained by one person just isn't the right framework for that sort of partcipation. You've probably all noticed that the postings here are getting less frequent. I've become a real bottleneck, and a burnt-out bottleneck at that. I'm a midwife, not a nanny - I can't keep this going on my own, and I need others to help out.

So - what we need is:


Once we get this sorted out we can get going on some of the requests for features or help that I've been getting in email, and more importantly, we can ALL start talking to each other - instead of you guys talking to me, with me having to read back what you've all been saying to everyone else.

An aside:

In press reports, I've been namechecked as 'the creator', both of this idea and hilariously of the BBC's website. This simply isn't true. This idea was created in concert, initially with 4 people in a pizza joint, and then more widely with all of you. Everything I do at the BBC has been done with groups, often large groups, of amazing people. I can't think of one thing that I have ever done professionally or otherwise, that I have been proud of that I alone could have said to have created.

I just don't think it works that way. I can't work that way.

I find it interesting that the mainstream press, and maybe our culture at large still likes the idea of an auteur - the lone creator inflicting their works on the world.

The way we are all collaborating on this idea means this myth, in this instance, has never been less true. The work of many hands, around the world is making the news, not just me. Let's quickly switch this community to a structure that makes this plain to all, and lets us all collaborate to take it to the next level.

Thanks for everything so far -

Matt

Posted by matt at 01:47 PM

July 25, 2002
The 6 O'Chalk News

We made the BBC's national TV news!!! [realmedia only, stream here]

Posted by matt at 12:20 AM

July 23, 2002
War on War?

Happens to be the title of a great track on the latest Wilco album, and also the subject that Sid Kemp wants to discuss.

"Hello Mr. Jones:

I just read about your idea in the NYT. Congratulations on your notoriety.

I am a computer and communications project manager and author with three books coming out from McGraw-Hill shortly--two of them on wireless.

I think you've got the basics of a very good idea, but, as presently set up, it has barriers.

First of all, warchalking makes people think of war. Yet this could be a cooperative effort. These signs could be posted intentionally, just like signs for handicapped parking spaces, public restrooms, and all kinds of other things. I won't speak about cracking into networks where owners don't want you to use them. But, I think, if we begin with an attitude of cooperation rather than war, we might be able to create an open wireless world. Two generations ago, neighbors came by to borrow a cup of sugar. Why can't they come by now, saying, "I'm out of range for cellular data. Can I plug into your Wi-Fi?" And we can leave a sign at our door: "I'm out right now, but feel free to sit on my porch and use my network."

In that spirit, I suggest the following:

The name: Webchalking (Marking where Web access is)

The card:
add some definitions: what is an open, closed, or wep node. What are ssid, access contact, and bandwidth

Add some samples
If I wanted to connect to each type of node, where would I put these settings on my laptop.

The definitions and samples would bring warchalking/webchalking out of the realm of the techie and into the realm of the everyday user. Internet access might become a free available service, like water fountains, and, where there are no water fountains, glasses of water offered by restaurants.

Please let me know what you think.

Sincerely,

Sid"

I've had to explain the origins of the 'war' in 'warchalking' to quite a few people (mainly journalists). It's basically nothing mroe than a pun on warwalking, trying to give the idea a snappy title; but as Sid points out, it could mask it's basically benevolent intents. I think he makes some great points.

What do you think?

Posted by matt at 12:21 AM
More from LA

Eric writes:

"hullo,

just wanted to share my warchalking experiences and let you know that this
is the best thing to come out of britain since... well, not quite the common
law, and not quite the beatles, but you get the idea.

anyway, i went out warchalking santa monica, ca for a brief bit the other
night. a fun time indeed. my personal favorite was warchalking the
corrugated metal wall of an art gallery. i hope to get some more and find
some truly great spots to chalk.

so here's two pictures of me chalking it up.

http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~ebh194/epics/warchalking1.jpg
http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~ebh194/epics/warchalking2.jpg

unfortunately that lovely apple
laptop is not mine, so my warchalking will be limited to when i can borrow
it. if only there was a warchalking philanthropist out there who donated
laptops to the cause.

so im gonna be chalking up la for now, and when i get back to school, if i
can get a machine, evanston and chicago here i come!

much thanks for the fun."


Thanks Eric. Cool Elvis Costello t-shirt too!

Posted by matt at 12:11 AM
Great stuff from Grenoble

Some fantastic stuff here from Mathias in Grenoble, France - movies, maps and photos of the 'volunteer variation'.

"I've put up a "volunteer" sign in my window in Grenoble, France. Photo's
included. Location maps and video clip on this url:

http://willerup.com/grenoble/

Let's roam,

Mathias
"

Posted by matt at 12:05 AM
Marking Minnesota

Tony Collen writes:

"i'm planning on warchalking the U of Minnesota's twin cities campus as soon as i get my laptop and wireless connection, only i'm going to print up some nice signage based off the PDF on your site:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0100630/2002/07/10.html

regards,

Tony"

Posted by matt at 12:00 AM

July 22, 2002
NoCat nodes

Two NoCat-related suggestions:

One from Pete Ferne:

"Hi Matt

I like the warchalking idea a lot but I think the card needs one for
NoCatAuth portals, so I've done one: http://petef.com/mt/petef/, and I
think it's the cat's whiskers (ho ho). The ascii version is =)(=."


and another from Adam

Posted by matt at 11:52 PM
digital-chalk

m0u53 Tekk puts this question:

"I thought I'd see if there was some sort of central database of access points as well. I know www.geomapping.com has a user-base kind of ASP application that allows them to update access points... a kind of forum thing.

Is this in the cards for warchalking? My point is that chalk washes away
with the rain. If it were chalked and logged, it would give other
warchalkers a knowledge base of what points have already been hit. People
can learn from other people, like when old explorers would leave scrolls in
libraries for other explorers.

The only downfall to that is that if a point goes down, someone has to get
it out of the database or it'll be as blind of a database as an empty street
itself."

Posted by matt at 11:40 PM
Atlanta warchalking

Shelly writes:

" I was trying to figure out how I could use my wireless capabilities to stay connected in London, when I read about the Kynance node and consume.net. (That site could be a great resource, but I find the map obtuse.) Setting up a wireless connection is getting a powerful whiff of things to come. Clearly, wireless usage will be a given before too long, but it really is anyone's guess as to how that usage will evolve. The field is wide open, and you've introduced a fresh angle of approach. One that empowers the little, lone guy before the guys who rake in the cash can take control of the process. Right on. Are there other warchalkings around London yet? Have you seen any? Made any? Used any?

I have attached a picture (with Olive the patron dog of this node.) The chalking faces a bus stop. A bus was idling there when I made it - the window seats watching me all the while. So, I know a decent number of people see the symbol. The wall is the perfect height to afford a seat under the big, shady tree on the corner. Now, what I need is takers.

The symbol for an open node definitely resonates. It makes me think of a cup. "

Edited the mail - but thanks for the encouragement, Shelly.

Posted by matt at 11:35 PM
Beyond wep

Vince writes


"I've put up WEP signs for the wireless nodes around the building,
the user base is building up slowly. I wanted to make two points:

I agree that showing the bandwidth label is not much use.
A channel label might be of use, if there are restrictions on
which channel can be used.

Perhaps this has come up already, but I didn't see it in the
list of posts I scanned. It's well known that WEP is not strong
enough, and there is work going on to create an open 128-bit
encryption standard for wireless. I think people will soon come
to expect strong encryption in certain settings, e.g. private
conference centres.
So I'd encourage thinking about the choice of symbology to
accomodate new protocols. I think the W in the circle is a good
way to go; hopefully the new protocols' acronyms will have
obvious single-letter contractions."

Posted by matt at 11:16 PM

July 10, 2002
Spoofs and spinoffs: roundup

Take your pick:

Spoofs

Spinoffs:

Posted by matt at 01:54 AM
Les warchalks Francais

In French, warchalking becomes Craiefiti!

» Wifi Montauban - Craie Fiti

Posted by matt at 01:44 AM
valuing volunteers

from Tony

"Hello and greetings!

I think this is a great idea.

I was reviewing your current symbols and I had some questions/ideas:


1. Is there a symbol for a voluntary open node?
-The reason I ask is because when I first heard of this idea, I immediately thought about purchasing a Wireless Linksys Router and sharing my internet bandwidth along with marking the front of my building to let ppl know they can use my connection (I live in New York City, USA on the first floor –facing the street). I know this is a security risk but how cool would it be if more people felt the same way! In this case I thought it would be neat if there was a symbol for people like myself who are voluntarily sharing their bandwidth. (I have attached a simple idea for a symbol).


2. Is there a website to find out how many and who is supporting this?

Thanks for your time - DON’T SELL OUT!
:)"


Posted by matt at 01:33 AM
Warchalking pic: central London

This from Matt Sephton:

"Hi there,

I was just walking down Oxford Street at lunch time and spotted this chalk
which i thought was pretty neat. I only read about all this stuff on Wired
PDA on my way home last night.

I logged on without an ssid, but I'm not quite sure what the speed of the
connection provided by the kiosk is.

These i+ kiosks are popping all over London, I'll have to check which of
the others I've seen have wireless antenna.

bye,
matt"

Posted by matt at 01:26 AM

July 09, 2002
radio silence

Sorry for lack of updates. Someone clever moved perl on the machine my blogs live on, and MoveableType didn't like that. Going to clobber the usual suspects later... ;-)

Posted by matt at 02:47 PM

July 04, 2002
American Graffiti

If you're in the USA, happy 4th of July! Why not celebrate your freedom by warchalking!!!

Sporadic to non-existent updates till Sunday/Monday now due to festivities arranged before my life got memenuked. Hopefully when I get back to my computer after the weekend, there will be lots of lovely photos of warchalking adventures, suggestions and improvements from you all! Have a great weekend!

Posted by matt at 12:39 AM
Warchalking in the press: round-up

Non-exhaustive list of articles that have sprung up - some are know moving beyond the initial "hey - chalk! wifi! blogs!" and excruciating pun-headlines, to some more thoughtful stuff - there's some especially good stuff in the Business Week article, IMHO.


In the Wired News article, Glenn Fleishman provides me with my new .sig, my new business card tagline, and possibly what I'll have on my tombstone:
"It's a compelling idea more than a physical reality."
Heh.

Posted by matt at 12:31 AM
Belated happy Canada Day!!!

Magma mails:

"hello,

myself and RT run packetninja.ca, a site all about wireless skanning. a friend of mine sent me a link to your site.. with your permission i\'d like to place the PDF of symbols on our site.. that and link you.

if you\'d like to do the same, cheers. if not, that\'s fine too.

ciao

- Magma"


Very nice URL, Magma...

Posted by matt at 12:02 AM

July 03, 2002
Beautiful

From Sebastian:

"hi matt & all chalkers,

first of all,
thanks to all for the great idea and inspiration

here s a few images from inner noerrebro, copenhagen, denmark,
home of wire.less.dk and superflex.dk
(thought i d have their 'foreigners' poster on the photo,
since they are so friendly to host us and our antennas ...) -

the tags look nice fading in the rain,
being walked or biked over,
colors, fluorescents would be cool,
(they only come out at night ... :)

also, now s the time for more poetic SSIDs -

and while i never was a fan of rotating SSIDs every day -
that could a beautiful way of telling little stories
to your neighbourhood ....

greetings from copenhagen,
keep the site up and networks open"

click for a bigger image
click for a bigger image.


Thanks Sebastian. Very beautiful images.

Posted by matt at 11:52 PM
"what the f*ck is that guy doing?"

John Murden sends us this:

"War Chalking is a great idea! I haven't seen a mark 'in the wild' yet but I'm looking... I marked my open Airport network this morning (in the neighborhood of Belmont in Charlottesville VA), for what that might be worth. I think the neighbors were watching between their blinds - I could almost hear 'em "what the f*ck is that guy doing?"..."


Posted by matt at 11:34 PM
drivers & chalkers

Fred writes:

"Hey I'm the admin of wardriving.com and just got caught up on this, must say very cool. I will post some links on my site, maybe you could
do the same. :) This looks like a bit hit, good looking site!

I just went and bought some chalk.

-fred"


I'd like to hear from more people who have been wardriving for a while, and those who are setting up community wireless efforts. The journalists who have been contacting me have been saying how the warchalking is being viewed with some suspicion by these communities. Is this true? Or are the journos just looking for an angle?

Posted by matt at 11:18 PM
Less talk, less chalk

Trey Dismukes has this to say:

"I had a suggestion for the warchalking icons. Since most open AP’s have their SSID’s set to broadcast on beacon frames, why not have a symbol in the SSID place to let people know that they can just pick the SSID out of the air. This would take much less writing."

I think if all you do is the little guy with his outstretched arms i.e. )( then that's enough a visual cue to get you to fire up the laptop...

Posted by matt at 11:14 PM
The Tao of Chalk

Jacob Jay writes:

"Just came across the site via the Joy of Tech comic
(http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/354.html) and I think this
is a great idea, I'll chalk up my node shortly!

My one concern is the longevity of chalk markings, especially in rain. Are
there any other types of non-permanent (no spray cans) markers that could be
used. It makes sense that there should be a code of conduct: my first
suggestions would be that if you see a marking that is getting faint, you
should re chalk it! Secondly no chalking-up on front doors, stationery
vehicles, rodents...

I also have a vague idea that could have a use should anyone have the vigour
to have a stab at it... Increasingly there are online databases with
information about wireless nodes in particular regional areas (e.g.
consume.net in London), however it's usually just locals who know about
these, it would be great if there was a global database of nodes (especially
useful if you are travelling), the database itself may only hold the
location (especially when noting nodes that you don't own so as to avoid any
legal problems should owners object) and could link through to regional
sites for further information. Whenever someone chalked up a node they could
add it to the database too. Each node could be given a unique ID and this
short hand ID could be included in the chalked up logo - those in the know
could then look up any required information about the node from the global
database. Now admittedly this would require some form of net access to get
that info if you were simply walking around looking for a node... but WAP
and SMS could be used to increase accessibility to that information.

Anyway this whole business of marking out wireless access points could get
as far as (like someone else implied) special Wireless spoken here! signs
with the open access pint logo hanging in public places! That would make
locating connectivity simplicity itself. Dare I mention those faded Rabbit
signs you still see around London every now and then ?!

//Jacob"

Posted by matt at 11:08 PM
Do you know the way to (warchalk) San Jose?

Danny does!

Posted by matt at 11:03 PM
"y'know, for kids!!"

Jay DeBoer points us to an amazing page on his site, where he shares his wardriving set-up, including a hacked in-car navigation system running Netstumbler!!!

In the picture at the top of the page of his warchalking exploits, check out the "wibo" t-shirts on the kids!!!

Posted by matt at 08:28 AM
Making their mark in Maryland

Yay - here come the information architects! Mike Lee writes from Baltimore:


"Doing my bit to propagate the meme, I chalked the computer lab and library building at The Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore today. Then I sync'd Avantgo on my Audiovox Maestro PDA w/Socket card and headed on down the road. I'm loving this stuff! I'm planning to visit a couple other locations this week and will have more pix."

That's a great photo Mike, thanks!!!

Posted by matt at 08:22 AM
Artistic ability

John Keimel writes:

"Hi there. Great idea for the warchalking bit. Kind of cool.

I have to chime in on one matter though. There's some people coming up
with very informative but complex designs. There are people who've
commented that that's good and bad, but here's a reason why it's bad:

Artistic ability.

Don't know about others, but that design by Thomas Pynchon (or the one
with his name on it) is beyond me. You don't want to see what that'd
look like if I tried to draw it. Circles I can mostly make, some
letters, ok. But all those details, eyes? erasers? that's fine if you
can draw, but this is for everyone. Simplicity is necessary for the
artistically challenged like me.

I'd love to see some people making warchalks on the highway. Pull off at
an exit with a warchalk mark on the sign, do a little bandwidth, get
back on the road. Nifty idea. Perhaps something like


ssid
)( 2 ->



for 'open lan, 2 miles/kilometers that way'

IMagine people hanging on the overpass chalking that onto the bridge?
That'd be interesting.....

OK.. well... please make note of the artistically challenged when
deciding what gets on the warchalking cards. :)


I totally agree John. It's only going to take off if every feels like they can do it.

Posted by matt at 08:15 AM
PHP warchalk generator

Sean Munson has been busy:

"Hi,

I took a stab at writing a PHP warchalk symbol generator that follows the
icons on the page. It's at http://www.logicalrealism.org/warchalk.php.
Unfortunately, my server isn't running that new of a PHP build, so the lines
are a bit anemic.

Great concept, we've already put a couple symbols on our campus.

-Sean


Awesome - many thanks Sean!

» PHP Warchalk generator

Posted by matt at 08:12 AM
"it's all so simple!"

From Will Benedict:

"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 left and a/b/g on the
right, sure, but all of these things are super secondary. The important
thing is the IDENTIFICATION OF THE LOCATION. You know all this. I'll do
some more mock ups with ssid/direction and what not (simple and omitable
additions), but I really wanted to send these three simple, core symbols
out ASAP before anything goes "1.0" They're just an extension of the
Original Three, but (if I don't say so myself) clearer, more unique, and
too pretty :) . Please, please be in touch. I think this idea is very
practical, and just cool as hell in general. Designing symbols is what I
do. Your idea will fly--but I want it to look nice and clean, too."

Just something I hacked together as what it might look like some where. 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 good 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), 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 to
ambiguous, as is (though less so) the open butterfly-circle. When
surrounded by a circle, it takes on the qualities of a true rune (not that
all runs are encased in circles, but simply that they are 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...

I'm going to post these somewhere on the web site...not sure where, but
hey. Just trying to contribute. :)


And contribute you have! Thanks Will!

I have a "Hmm" however. Will's designs are certain attractive, but I think there's a balance between them being elegant and "pretty", and how much effort it will be for people to recreate it in the wild. I suspect pretty quickly people would start to get sloppy with Will's beautiful interlocking symbols. We've got to allow for "sloppy"...

What do you think?

Posted by matt at 08:05 AM
Warchalking in Charlottetown

This is one of the most charming examples so far I think from Peter Rukavina:

"Since we installed WiFi here at Reinvented World HQ in Charlottetown a couple of weeks ago, it seems only right to share what we have and pay a sort of techno-homage to my grandfather's generation. So witness our very own warchalking symbol pictured here. It's not made of chalk -- it rains too much here! -- but the message is the same."

» Reinvented.net: "Le Eekay is Oosay le Orchpay"

Posted by matt at 07:57 AM

July 02, 2002
More on pointing out pay nodes

Richard Lotz has this to say:

"I thought I might add a few suggestions.

First, I think bandwidth is almost useless on the signs. Bandwidth is
somewhat arbitrary as it will flucate depending on the conditions at the
site (current traffic, throtteling) and an exact number is unlikely to be
known by the wireless user. Also, some sites may have multiple uplinks
that may or may not apply to the wireless user (like the UW with multiple
outbound connection to both commodity and Internet2 partners).

Instead I think an indication of a free open node vs an open node that
requires pay or authentication would be more usefull. I work and attend
classes at the UW (University of Washington, USA). Or wireless network
works anywhere on capus but to get off campus you must authenticate as UW
staff or student. Similarly there may be an open node that requires you
to pay before outside access is granted.

Perhaps appending a lock (to indicate authentication required) or a
monetary unit (as already suggested) should replace bandwidth's current
position.

Very cool site, I plan on chalking up some sites and will be sure to
submit pictures."

Posted by matt at 11:56 PM
When neologisms collide!!!

Tony Collen wrote and offered as he put it, a random thought:

"geocaching + warchalking = ???"

Posted by matt at 11:47 PM
Wep that smile from your face

Magnus Lander writes:

"I have to say, I laughed for several minutes when I first heard of "warchalking".. and giggled all day long. So, thanks =)

However, I thought the WEP-sign wasn't quite accurate, so here's my
proposal. If the attachment doesn't work, it's also on
http://burkmat.nu/tmp/warchalk-wep.gif"

Posted by matt at 11:43 PM
wi-bohemian rhapsody

Ben Morretti extends the functional-set somewhat :-)

Posted by matt at 11:39 PM
playing catch-up

Apologies for my tardiness in updating the blog or answering your emails - it's been an overwhelming weekend.

I'm about halfway through creating a v1.0 warchalking card, but it seems like most people are getting on just fine without it... I'll try to get it up here as soon as I can though.

The bottleneck that I present to getting this thing more widespread is apparent though, right? Can anybody figure out what might be the best way to carry this forward? What should we do with warchalking.org? What software/structure for participation for the whole community would be best? - cos I'm pretty sure it's not a blog that one person (me!) maintains...

Posted by matt at 11:30 PM