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Wireless Networking Hardware

War Kayaking 224

Posted by michael from the batten-down-the-access-points dept.
ptorrone writes "As the summer approaches, we crawl out of our protective wired covered lairs to sometimes partake in outdoor activity. Last weekend, we went kayaking around Lake Union in Seattle, WA and of course, we couldn't help but bring along a lot of equipment and decided we'd hunt for open wireless spots, this friends- was "War Kayaking" we found a ton, charted it with GPS, Wifi finders and we'll show you how we did it for this week's HOW-TO Tuesday. We also shot a video in the kayak, be sure to check that out too."
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War Kayaking More

War Kayaking

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  • Careful (Score:3, Funny)

    by qualico ( 731143 ) <<worldcouchsurfer> <at> <gmail.com>> on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:45PM (#9497816) Journal
    This could become an Olympic Sport!

  • War "Your Favorite Activity Here" (Score:5, Funny)

    by dustinbarbour ( 721795 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:46PM (#9497828) Homepage
    War Hiking
    War SCUBA Diving
    War Mountain Biking
    War Snowboarding
    War Golfing
    War Rock CLimbing
    ...
  • We found a lot of spot to connect up to, some were really strong, some weak,

    I suspect the SSID "dexter202" belongs either to a group of houseboats sharing a wireless LAN [netos.com], or to a pharmaceutical company.

  • War-*ing (Score:3, Funny)

    by garcia ( 6573 ) * on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:47PM (#9497841)
    Wow, you mean you can use a GPS on a Kayak? No way! I am going to start War-biking, War-wirewalking, War-firewalking, War-streetwalking, War-drinking, War-fucking (find all those important porn stores in seedy areas of downtown after War-streetwalking and War-drinking of course), War-Slashdotting (making a page load so slow because even though it shows the same thing as War-flying or War-driving people see "check out the video of us making you sea sick" and then flock to it), and of course, my personal favorite War-iPoding [slashdot.org]! Now you too can find all the iPods tucked away in BMWs and listen to the Universe [slashdot.org] from anywhere!

  • It has to be asked... (Score:3, Funny)

    by TiggertheMad ( 556308 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:48PM (#9497864) Journal
    When you paddled past Bill's house, did you find any open relays?

    • Re:It has to be asked... (Score:2, Informative)

      by Osty ( 16825 )

      When you paddled past Bill's house, did you find any open relays?

      Doubtful, considering Bill's house is on Lake Washington, not Lake Union.

      • True enough, and since he is on the east side of the lake, it is quite unlikely that you could pick up any stray signals from his place at that range. It is also quite likely that his personal network admin (I'm guessing that he has one and that Bill could afford one that knows what he is doing) probably has the network security cranked up pretty high, since getting on the private network of the RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD (Da-du-DUM!) would appeal to less scruplous people. It is aslo possible that I chose t

  • Wifi Detection (Score:5, Informative)

    by mfh ( 56 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:49PM (#9497868) Homepage Journal
    we couldn't help but bring along a lot of equipment and decided we'd hunt for open wireless spots, this friends- was "War Kayaking" we found a ton
    You absolute nerds! Also, why didn't you just use the Smart ID Wifi detector [thinkgeek.com]? It's only $25, and therefore it trumps any pocket PC. Plus you don't risk as much if you get wet: something that tends to happen frequently when I Kayak. :-) (that and getting stuck in the damn thing, upside-down)
    • so-- i had thought about that, but i need: a timestamp, a log and ways to document it. had i just wanted to find wifi then that might be okay, but i wanted to document the time, place, etc...in order to generate the maps.
    • That's cool but, if you actually want to use your wifi connection, you're gonna need to get your laptop out.

    • Re:Wifi Detection (Score:3, Informative)

      by throwaway18 ( 521472 )
      I'v got one of those Wifi detectors [smartid.com.sg]. The detection range is significantly smaller than with a laptop. It's a nice toy and I'v found it usfull to be able to see if a wifi card is transmitting some power when fiddling with drivers.
      It picks up microwave ovens, 2.4GHz cameras and bluetooth as well as wifi though I can tell them apart by the way the lights flash.
    • Well lets see why:
      No GPS data integration
      No SSID collection
      Can only actively detect networks (Kismet does passive scanning, which enables it to find many more networks than say netstumbler, which is an active scanner)
      Can only show you if you are in range of a wireless network or not

      basically this thing is for finding if you're in range. It's the wireless equivalent to a cable tester. War driving is all about finding and mapping networks, not checking if you're just "in range of a network". This thing mig
  • Did I hear any Michiganders say they were going to do this around my neck of the woods?

    Please????

  • WAREATING Take laptop into restaurant and see what WIFI you can pick. Then mayb eyou can find a place with both a good cheese steak sandwich and a decent internet connection. ahhhh paradise!

  • Hmmm... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Paulrothrock ( 685079 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:50PM (#9497894) Homepage Journal
    Two networks with SSIDs of linksys and NETGEAR. How much do you want to bet we already know their admin passwords?
  • Props on using satellite imagery for your overlay. I'm stick of Microsoft's gaudy maps, and I miss MapQuest's aerial views.

  • But.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by jdhutchins ( 559010 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:51PM (#9497912)
    Do they then warchalk their boats to remember where the hotspot was?

  • All they needed were a few plastic baggies... (Score:5, Funny)

    by GillBates0 ( 664202 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:52PM (#9497924) Homepage Journal
    So, with a few plastic baggies, a wifi card, Pocket PC and a free application you too can make kayaking a little more interesting.

    With a few plastic baggies filled up with the right stuff, you can make almost *anything* interesting.

  • I'm still waiting for war-base-jumping. You don't have a lot of time to scan for access points though.

  • War Canoes (quite OT) (Score:3)

    by Embedded Geek ( 532893 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:53PM (#9497942) Homepage
    Hmmm... Technically they're not kayaks, but it appears native Pacific Northwesterners [ic.gc.ca] and New Zealanders [captcook-ne.co.uk] beat you to it with their war canoes.

  • They forgot something (Score:5, Insightful)

    by WormholeFiend ( 674934 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:53PM (#9497950)
    The guys forgot to put some kind of floating device inside the baggies...

    Their PDA maybe protected from splashes, but if they drop it in the water, they'll need to do some war-scubadiving to get it back.

  • Some ideas for using the latest buzzword, war-*:

    war-diving: fumbling through kismet while tumbling through the air at 15,000 ft
    war-gimping: using kismet/gps combo while in a wheelchair
    war-muling: strapping your kismet running lappy on a mule while trudging through columbia
    war-basing: giving a basehead your zaurus with kismet/gps addon card and letting it log the hotspots as it travels through countless hands and finally sits idle at a pawn shop after 22 hours
    war-gerbiling: eh, don't need details here
    and so

  • I take issue with that article (Score:4, Informative)

    by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) ( 613870 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @02:54PM (#9497965) Journal
    It says
    For about $12 per hour you can kayak around one of the most amazing places in the world
    Let me tell you, I've not traveled anwhere as widely as I'd ike to, but I have visited Seattle, and I can tell you for a fact that Lake Union, while it's pleasant enough, is not one of the most amazing places in the world. I don't think it gets onto my top 1,000 list. Probably not on my top 10,000 either. It probably gets into my top 100,000 though.

    • No God? (Score:2, Interesting)

      by anomaly ( 15035 )
      On what authority do you make that negative assertion? I submit to you that it is logically inconsistent for you to make that assertion.

      Disagree? Email or post a reply!

      Anomaly

      BTW - I agree that there are many places on the planet more interesting than Seattle. :)
      • Is it logically inconsistent of me to claim that there is no invisible pink unicorn [demon.co.uk]? On what authority would I make such a negative assertion?
        • Lack of evidence seems to suggest a lack of existence of your theoretical unicorn.

          The order and precision in the universe, along with the complexity of life and biological systems tends to suggest some contribution of an intelligent designer.

          The question is whether you will investigate the evidenc for a designer with an open mind. I believe that the likelihood of an invisible pink unicorn is low given the evidence. Got any evidence to suggest that it *does* exist?

          Respectfully,
          Anomaly

  • I've been War Kayaking before... (Score:4, Funny)

    by blueminder ( 573456 ) <enriques.fastmail@fm> on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @03:00PM (#9498037) Homepage
    My friends and I all went in kayaks and canoes and started to tip each other over in a full-scale war it seemed. You could see many kamikazes flying off their kayaks in order to bring down the large fleets of canoes coming our way. Those with the larger paddles often attacked from below and many people begin to recover their equipment after being detached making this last longer...

    Of course, had we brought our Wi-Fi equipment we would have been screwed.

  • There's an outfit called Woosh Wireless [woosh.com] in New Zealand that looks like it is already looking to serve the kayaking market, as demonstrated by their chief executive, Bob Smith [stuff.co.nz].

    Personally, I whitewater kayak so need two hands on the paddle at all times and would need some seriously waterproof, shock-resistant gear. :-)

  • Outdoors? (Score:5, Funny)

    by dfn5 ( 524972 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @03:05PM (#9498098) Journal
    ...to sometimes partake in outdoor activity

    Where is this outdoors you speak of?

  • Time to start war drinking -- visiting bars with Wi-Fi access. I wonder truly how many variations on this theme we can come-up with...

  • Unencrypted (Score:3, Interesting)

    by JohnGrahamCumming ( 684871 ) * <slashdot@jgc.oERDOSrg minus math_god> on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @03:15PM (#9498209) Homepage Journal
    For the next hour we paddled a little over 3 miles in a variety of different areas- every few seconds or so we picked up a new Wifi spot, our Pocket PC was set to automatically use open Wifi spots so we were able to check email, instant message, log on to IRC (#joiito on freenode) and do everything you'd expect, but all from a kayak.
    Yeah, and since you were using POP3 my "look-at-this -idiot-who-left-his-wifi-open" AP just recorded your username and password which since your ISP uses the same password for shell access has given me a free shell account. Mwah hah hah.

    Seriously, folks, don't go around connecting to any old AP just because it's open unless the first thing you do is set up an SSH tunnel to somewhere and use it to redirect your traffic.

    In another topic, I'm amazed that no one has set up fake T-Mobile or WayPort APs in cities just to grab CC numbers. It would be *so* easy.

    John.

    • Re:Unencrypted (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ptorrone ( 638660 ) *
      although i think a lot of people do in fact do that, i however did not. i'd never send along info i cared about when doing something like, mostly because i'm the same person that would set up a "honeypot" to see what people would do :-]

    • Re:Unencrypted (Score:2, Informative)

      by presmike ( 754040 )
      if you went to defcon last year you would know that this is done already ;) (fake ap's to steal cc's that is.)

  • Yeah, that's why I go kayaking (Score:3, Insightful)

    by kidlinux ( 2550 ) <<ten.xobecaps> <ta> <ekud>> on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @03:16PM (#9498216) Homepage
    Who cares about wifi spots out on the river? I don't jump in my kayak to go browse the web or check my email. I specifically engage in athletic and recreational activity to get away from all that crap.

    Honestly, this kind of thing is getting to be pretty sad. It reminds me of the commercial from Motomaster advertising their portable power supply (like a UPS for the outdoors.) It shows a family somewhere in the middle of a forest with appliances plugged in, and a kid on his friggin laptop playing games. I find myself asking "why did they leave home in the first place?"

    "we couldn't help but bring along a lot of equipment and decided we'd hunt for open wireless spots"

    Why not!? Leave your damn cell phones, PDAs, laptops and assorted other junk at home. Do you really need all that to enjoy the great outdoors? Does it enhance the experience in some way? I'd have a hard time believing anyone who told me as much. Sure, you can take video and thousands of pictures and show all your friends - maybe even do it live with all the hotspots - but you know what? People get so busy trying to "capture" the moment that they forget to enjoy it while they're there. Aside from which, telling a story and leaving it to your friends' imaginations is far more exciting.

    I realize I've deviated slightly from the topic. The point I'm trying to make is that I think a lot of people really need to unplug and discover the world outside of electronics. Leaving all that stuff at home is what really enhances the experience. All you need is yourself and your kayak.

    • Re:Yeah, that's why I go kayaking (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ptorrone ( 638660 ) * <pt@nOspAM.adafruit.com> on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @03:23PM (#9498282)
      i wouldn't say "hey, you should do this and that, bring electronics, never unplug, blah, blah" so why would you want to tell me what to do? i actually like to use technology in lots of places, it's fun for me. i never quite got why people would demand you "enjoy" something in a certain way -their way- and nothing else.
    • I specifically engage in athletic and recreational activity to get away from all that crap.

      Well, bully for you. The whole world must follow in your example? Some of us actually think it's pretty 'neat' to be in the middle of 'nowhere' and have an internet connection. If you wanna be a luddite, fine. But let others enjoy their cell-phones, PDAs, and other assorted toys.
    • I realize I've deviated slightly from the topic. The point I'm trying to make is that I think a lot of people really need to unplug and discover the world outside of electronics. Leaving all that stuff at home is what really enhances the experience. All you need is yourself and your kayak.

      As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I agree in principle. I can't avoid, however, pointing out that they're apparently kayaking in downtown Seattle. Not exactly the great outdoors.

    • I've done the "roughing it" thing a number of times, leaving all the electronics at home. I don't think it really helped me get more out of the experience though. If you're going camping, boating, or what-have-you primarily with intentions of escaping everything else, then sure - it's part of your objective to leave behind communications tools. (The last thing you want are calls or emails telling you to come in to work or something, right?)

      But otherwise, nah - I've actually spent weekends in the "grea
      • ..."Hey, I could have at least gotten items A or B done today, instead of lying in this hammock."

        Honestly, if you feel this way, you need MORE time away from your laptop. Being a human isn't always about getting something done.

        What I think the grandparent's point is is that we should never be slaves to our tech. While it's fun (and even applicable) during outdoor activities, we shouldn't lose an appreciation for what lies out there beyond what a JPG on a screen can give us. There's plenty of time

  • This reminds me of a great Mozilla extension (Score:3)

    by aardwolf204 ( 630780 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @03:33PM (#9498427)
    This reminds me of a great Mozilla FireFox extension [cosmicat.com] that renames by browser to things such as Mozilla FireWorm, SpaceDragon, MoonPony, WaterSpider, or SuperPanda.

    War Dialing was cool

    War Driving was nostalgic

    War Flying was cute

    War Biking, Skateboarding, Parasailing, Hang-gliding, sky-diving, monster-truck driving, walking, chalking, talking, and even steven hawking [pbs.org] were just kind of uninteresting.

    Now if a soldier in Iraq wants to mount an iPaq, Solar panel, GPS, and WiFi card on his helmet and call it War-War'ing, that *might* be cool enough to come full circle and be sweet again.

    Until then, its off to Defcon and try to get a twentyseventhousandmillion mile 802.11b signal going.

  • You can actually see my wife and friend's (co-owned) business on that map, which is on Eastlake. At least their access point didn't show up on your map though. Either because they are too far away (most likely) or because you don't show sites that use WEP.
  • Another misuse of technology: Intel surfboards [bbc.co.uk]

    What next? War Fishing? War Hunting? War Serial-Mudering? :)
  • war criming!
  • This is a lot like the surfboard-camera thing. Sometimes the object of being outside immersed in nature is to...

    be in nature.

    I know, it's a weird thought, but war-hiking, war-kayaking, war-spelunking, and so on are essentially removing you from the environment you're ostensibly in. Think of it this way: If you are in an art museum talking on your cell phone to a friend, are you really able to immerse yourself in the art? If you're out on the water or in the forest, or climbing a rock formation, and you'

    • i still don't quite get why a lot of people demand others enjoy things in a certain way -their way- perhaps kayaking is better for some people that choose to do a project like chart out wifi and then write about, i don't think the author (me) would ever tell anyone "hey, you need to bring a pda with you when you go kayaking" so why would anyone want to tell me how to enjoy myself? last i checked i had a great time, and i'll go kayaking again, sometimes with some tech, sometimes without- whatever makes -me-
      • I apologize if I sounded like I was coming down on you for war-kayaking. I'm not trying to tell you what to do or not to do. The real point of my comment was to raise a question about how our use of technology changes our relationship to nature, even when we're out in it.

        I wonder if in bringing so much of our technology with us as we explore nature, we're failing to appreciate what is around us. As a kayaker you probably appreciate nature quite a bit. Maybe you don't. Maybe I don't appreciate it enough. I

  • Apologies if it's already been said... (Score:3, Funny)

    by cheezfreek ( 517446 ) on Tuesday June 22, 2004 @07:30PM (#9501216)
    Last week I was sure I saw U.S. President Bush war mongering...
    Groan, boo, hiss, I know.
  • who here first thought someone had devised a kayak with ramming spikes, side cannons, and the kayakers armed with lances?
  • Good to see they gave you paddle floats (that is what's under the fore bungees, right?) and a pump.

    If you're going to be fiddling with things in a kayak, you might want a paddle leash - tie about 6' of plain old camping cord to the bungee just ahead of you and to a velcro strap (west marine etc) around the shaft.

    Next time cut some real cellulose kitchen sponges in half and toss one in each of those baggies... Baggies are convenient (hope someday I don't have to explain the pile of them in the glove box a
  • Yeah? Well I went war-pub crawling last week, and one time I was lost at sea after a plane crash, so I went war-shipwrecking with my trusty pda!

    Next week, I plan to have myself buried alive to go war-graving.

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