i just got on an commuter train bound for boston. it’s a standard trip for me. catch the ripta 60 bus out of newport, arrive in kennedy plaza, then catch the providence commuter rail to boston. it takes a little bit longer than taking the peter pan bus to boston (about an hour more) and it does require sitting the entire length of the ripta 60 (an ordeal which I believe is modeled in hell) but the train is a luxurious, relaxing, and wonderfully convenient. where the peter pan bus gets me to south station (and therefor requires catching two trains home), the commuter rail actually stops at ruggles, mere walking distance from my boston digs.
now, on top of convenience, a gentle ride, and a pleasant vista, the mbta is offering FREE WIRELESS INTERNET to passengers. FWI! Free Wireless Internet is easily one of my favorite things in the world. it provides a service that i generally consider indispensable, for the price i prefer, gratis.
now don’t go pull up my “girl talk” post and remind me that whenever something is free, i believe in paying for it. that is also true here. i bought a ticket, and i got a sweet perk. if they asked me for a $1 for the internet for my trip, i would also give them that.
just the same, the idea that in the future internet could be this ubiquitous is exciting. hell, the connection in the train (which I am currently on) is perhaps better than my home connection and we are hurtling towards boston at between 60-80 mph.
damn this feels good. it reminds me of the strange moment, while i was taking the ferry from newport to providence on fall afternoon, when i opened my macbook and discovered that for a moment, i had an internet connection in the very middle of newport harbor. i checked my email as we passed under the pell bridge.
and that felt like the future.