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Sitting at the Gate
You''ve navigated through airport security, snagged a coffee, and now you''re sitting comfortably at the gate awaiting the cattle-call to board the plane. What will you do?
Cell yell
Have you noticed that some people (not you, of course) tend to speak about .ve decibels louder when they''re talking on their cell phones? This phenomenon has been named cell yell and has given rise to a Web site devoted to cell manners (www.cellmanners.com). If you don''t know what cell yell is, you may be a perpetrator. This natural inclination to talk louder when on a mobile phone may come from the days of old when you could barely hear the other person, or maybe it''s from the days of Dixie cup string phones. Talking louder on your phone may help the other person hear you more clearly, but it also helps everyone else within a quarter- mile radius of you know exactly what you''re planning. So, in a word… Shhhhhh! People deserve to not hear your conversation.
This is an excellent time to think once more about the gear you''ve packed. Take a quick inventory of the plugs and adapters you''ll need to stay connected at your destination. If something is missing, the airport gift shop is a great place to pick it up.
If you''ve got all your goodies, relax. Or get some last-minute online time while you wait for the planesend off a few emails, check the weather at your destination, or check the latest headline news. The easiest way to do this is to connect your laptop to a Wi-Fi network. At airports where Wi-Fi is available (see page 22), the process for connecting is surprisingly easythough often not freeand some airlines reserve this convenience for those coveted passengers who have access to the utopian airport lounge.
You''ll find signs at airport Wi-Fi hotspots that let you know where you can log on.
HOW TO GET ONLINE WITH WI-FI
Some computers don''t automatically switch out of Ethernet mode when you want to locate wireless networks. You might need to switch your network settings manually, and your TCP/IP settings, which allow you to connect to the Internet, should allow DHCP (automatically assigned IP addresses).
1.
Choose your wireless card setting in your network preferences and open your Internet connection to get online.
2.
Open your Web browser and attempt to go to a Web site.
3.
The Wi-Fi network will intercept your request and direct you to a "give us some money first" page (or, if you are lucky to find a free service, you might be prompted to enter a name and password, which the provider will supply).
4.
After entering your credit card number and specifying how much time you want, you''ll be connected to the Internet, free to browse to any site, use email, and so on.
In this Apple PowerBook''s network settings, the wireless card settings were selected from the Location pull-down menu, and the green light next to the AirPort selection indicates that the laptop is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
The hottest spots
Some of the most frequently traveled airports now have wireless access. More and more airports are adding this service because customers are demanding it, and it generates a signi.cant amount of revenue for the provider. A few airports that currently offer Wi-Fi access are:
Denver International Airport
Japan''s Narita International Airport
London''s Heathrow International Airport
Munich International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Jose Minetta International Airport
Vienna International Airport
For a global listing of some Wi-Fi-friendly airports, check
