Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley March 2007 Issue February 11, 2007 Wireless Conveniences… and Risks “Join open network Tom’s Place?” The dialog box on my laptop’s screen was puzzling. Beyond the obvious problem that my name isn’t Tom, something unfamiliar and strange was happening. Why was my computer wanting to join Tom’s Place? Wasn’t my place good enough? Welcome to the convenience of wireless networking. I had turned on my laptop without first turning on my wireless router, so my laptop had automatically searched for any nearby wireless networks. The newest computer operating systems take it upon themselves to locate and join wireless networks, which is much better than the way things were only a few years ago. The downside of this automation had just revealed itself, though. Because I don’t know “Tom” (not the real name, of course), but assumed he must be one of my neighbors, I told my laptop “No” and suddenly another dialog appeared. Did I want to join the network “D...
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