Here is a great idea - maybe it will be the way it shakes out in some areas. I just heard of a guy who, while waiting for cable modem or DSL to be available to him, and then getting shocked by the monthly gouge, set up a better idea. He was lucky to have a neighbor who was already leasing a T-1 line (expensive but fast) for a home business, and he had a wireless network for his home office. He and several other neighbors were able to get this 802.11b wireless signal and they could access the web over his line. They contributed to the line charges. Home spun mini ISP?

For those who haven't tried this technology for yourself, it's amazing really. A $50 card in a laptop, or a PC wireless adapter would be all you need to receive. The sender needs an access point which is the base. Even if you have DSL or cable internet service, you could get the next door neighbor to help you pay for it by sharing the connection by wireless. There are antenna and signal issues, but you're all right within a reasonable area.

This stuff is easy! You can just get in the range of a network, say in the parking lot of a business or in a starbucks so equipped, as long as the network hasn't been clamped tight with security (and most have not) you can just jump on and get your e-mail, surf the web, IM, whatever. I just read an article that Home Depot had to shut down their network for a time after somebody tapped into their wireless network from the parking lot. In a city hotel lobby, I found I could 'see' 4 separate networks - I had no idea where they came from. Only one of these did not allow me to log right on the web. And not because I tried anything techie - just clicked on it.