Today is the last day of Gnomedex 5.0, a 3-day “online media” convention. Even though I know things don’t work that way, I can’t help hoping that the added influx of techy geeks to our fair city will help iron out some of my recent tech issues. Kind of like how the entire city gets the flu at the same time.

I have a laptop, and occasionally I like to pretend I’m a tourist, and go out looking for free wifi. I’m no expert, so my method of finding and connecting to wifi consists of opening up the laptop and kind of waving it around in the air, hoping to catch wifi cooties.

On a recent trip into the U-district, I figured I might as well try out the new government-sanctioned free wifi. What could possibly go wrong? I knew from a previous trial at Columbia City that it worked, and I also knew that I was going to be at the crossroads of it: yea verily, almost the corner of 45th and University.

So there I was sitting in Twice Told Tales playing with a kitty, and thought, I’ll whip out my laptop and see what I can get. And I can *see* the free wifi — I just can’t seem to connect to it. Of course, I can also see the chai wifi from across the street, and some unidentified wifi (which I eventually relented and connected to instead).

So, Seattle, what gives? You have to make this thing more idiot-proof!

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