Comments on: Comments on 18034

Post number 18034

srboisvert — Mon, 24 Jun 2002 19:43:56 -0800

Warchalking Collaboratively creating a hobo-language for free wireless networking. Here is the first draft of a warchalking symbol card. [via Boing Boing]

By: sawks

sawks — Mon, 24 Jun 2002 21:43:56 -0800

this rules

By: dhartung

dhartung — Mon, 24 Jun 2002 23:12:12 -0800

In the interests of transparency, of course, system administrators (such as myself, should the industry ever deign to employ me in that capacity again) ought to police their work neighborhoods for these as a security measure. Aha! The boys in accounting grabbed a node at CompUSA!

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 01:05:45 -0800

yeah, just yesterday i was talking about how fucking rad the hobo language was. this is even cooler... because it's MODERN. no, seriously, any sort of hobo language is cool.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 01:35:40 -0800

From an artsy perspective this is cool "Let's chalk up the city!" but couldnt this be more efficiently done by sharing and publishing GPS coordinates, say online? I believe NetStumbler will hook directly into GPS though I guess you're on your own if you are a Pringles Can guy.

By: password

password — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 01:37:00 -0800

It'll be the new "tagging". Cops will be on the lookout for geeks with laptops and chalk instead of magic markers.

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 01:56:17 -0800

that's so...cyberpunk.

By: dorian

dorian — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 03:18:53 -0800

friend of mine recently finished a thesis project about reclaiming wasted urban space (specifically all those useless shite-filled alleyways in manhattan) ...the giantant comment about layering information space on top of physical space has a similar appeal to it.

By: vanderwal

vanderwal — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 04:40:41 -0800

Another great idea from blackbeltjones.

By: scribblative

scribblative — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 05:43:34 -0800

Vacapinta, I was thinking the same thing, until I found this quote on another blackbeltjones page:

"The idea behind Warchalking is that it breaks the cycle of having to be online to get to the pages that give you the free- wireless node info for the city you are in."

Food for thought.

By: majick

majick — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 06:13:19 -0800

There's something about the word "warchalking" that's bothering me. Look at similar words for comparison: Wardialing - dial until you get something Wardriving - drive until you get something Warwalking - walk until you get something warchalking - walk around until you see/make a chalk mark? It doesn't quite fit the pattern. That said, it's a pretty nifty idea.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 06:17:51 -0800

Huh. What a cool idea. I'm sure there's some deep sociological statement to be made about this, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. Follow the link to the Google search on the site, there's a trove of cool hobo language stuff on the 'net, including a font.

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 06:23:39 -0800

So, is sms-speak a hobo language? Warchalking is a great way to show your local isp how much money they're "losing".

By: nedrichards

nedrichards — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 06:37:14 -0800

The GPS style thing is already being done in the UK at consume.net.

By: Mars Saxman

Mars Saxman — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 07:37:10 -0800

I'm running an open 802.11b access point out of my apartment; the network name is "mars network, open for all". Unfortunately I haven't found a way to determine whether anyone is actually using it. Maybe I will go chalk some of these marks on 1st Ave...

By: goneill

goneill — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 08:21:00 -0800

Bad ass, although, it tooke me a long time to figure out what you were talking about. I like graffitti in all of its forms. Hope me administrator.

By: monkeyJuice

monkeyJuice — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 08:38:30 -0800

12 monkeys....

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 12:17:06 -0800

Got it scribblative. Thanks. I still think that this is more artistic than practical. The hobos didnt have many alternatives for an information distribution system. This is not the case today. Here's some ideas off the top of my head: 1. Published lists of locations distributed via an anarchist-type sheet left at coffeehouses. 2. Neighborhood location-distribution hubs which could be telephone poles with the info 3. Once you find one access point on your own, you download a standard document which gives you a map of all the other known points. etc.

By: skallas

skallas — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 12:38:25 -0800

Yeah, how practical is chalk? In a month we'll be saying, "War what?"

By: samsara

samsara — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 12:59:09 -0800

Yeah, if you can get away with it, spraypaint is the way to go.

By: cCranium

cCranium — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 18:28:51 -0800

If something about the network changes though, maybe it gets locked, maybe the T1 gets upgraded to an OC3, chalk is a lot easier to update than spray paint. Also, you don't significantly piss off building managers with chalk.

By: boogah

boogah — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 18:58:24 -0800

i think maybe a set of stencils and spray chalk may be in order. spray chalk can take anywhere from 6-12 rains to wash off so it's not perm but it'd be easy to update. just an idea tho.

By: samsara

samsara — Wed, 26 Jun 2002 08:39:51 -0800

I'm seriously kidding about spray paint. I was seeing a possibly humorous misinterpretation between existing graffiti and warchalk. Well, as for spray chalk... Being in a semi-rural area, warchalking wouldn't be as useful. It would be neat if telephone poles could be used however. Maybe we could staple a missing dog poster to them who's name is the SSID, and whose weight matches the available bandwidth. Posters or stickers with the warchalking designs could work as well. And if laminated would last a bit longer.

By: kchristidis

kchristidis — Fri, 28 Jun 2002 14:13:41 -0800

monkeyJuice, 12 Monkeys is exactly what came to my mind when I read the story..

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Fri, 28 Jun 2002 17:00:14 -0800

Godammotherfuckingsonofabitch. I can't move. I can't twitch. Stick your machine gun in my face............(The OtherMothers) Sorry, seemed relevant. One more spastic twitch toward the Greater Awakening.

By: elpapacito

elpapacito — Mon, 01 Jul 2002 19:20:39 -0800

Elite !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: dash_slot-

dash_slot- — Thu, 04 Jul 2002 01:37:46 -0800

Write here, right now Mefi gets a name check....