[noamsml]

"I met a guy who lives at 24th and Valencia [Street]. He says the Wi-Fi signal on the buses is so powerful that when the Google bus pulls up in front of his house, it uses all the broadband and his Wi-Fi signal crashes."

That's not really how WiFi works. Chances are his router is on the same frequency as the buses and he can fix this by changing to a different frequency. Even more likely (since one SSID shouldn't make too much of a difference) is that his WiFi router crashes at random and there's some amount of false causation there.

I know this isn't the beef of the article, but this sort of magical thinking that insists on forcing every little thing into a framework of a class war between the upper middle class and the lower/lower middle class is.

[mindslight]

Actually wifi does work that way, notwithstanding the odd word 'crash'. It's entirely possible that so much bandwidth is being used by the Google network that his network has extremely high packet loss and is effectively useless, especially if Google is using better gear (like directional antennas). And you're aware there's only actually three channels, and each bus wouldn't be using the same one, right?

But sure, use a partial understanding of technology to generate a narrative in which this guy has only a self-created problem, and take from him the benefit of the doubt. Then we can turn off our empathy circuits, reject this very dear example, and continue pretending that its workers (and users) are not pawns of a malevolent Google.

[Crito]

> each bus wouldn't be using the same one

Why is that? Do these buses frequently drive next to each other?

(Honest question. I don't live in the Bay Area, nor do I work for Google.)

[diminoten]

I dunno, I find that little anecdote pretty hilarious.

Gives a new meaning to "noise complaint".

Actually, what constitutes "noise" in the context of noise volume laws? Devices have to accept interference as per FCC regulation, but isn't "overpowering" a specific WiFi frequency fundamentally the same thing as blaring music?

[mattsfrey]

Yeah that was literally laugh out loud, I needed that today

[freehunter]

What exactly does "uses all the broadband" even mean?

[adamnemecek]

It probably clogs all the internet tubes.

[gaius]

But why should he have to fix it? Who was there first?

[Crito]

Michael Bolton? Is that you?

His setup is defective. He can either complain and live with it, or he can fix it.

[gaius]

Or Google could tune down the wifi on their bus? How powerful does it have to be?

[Crito]

They could, but realistically that isn't going to happen. Hence the Office Space reference:

  Michael Bolton: Yeah, well, at least your name isn't Michael Bolton.
  Samir: You know, there's nothing wrong with that name.
  Michael Bolton: There *was* nothing wrong with it... until I was
                  about twelve years old and that no-talent ass clown
                  became famous and started winning Grammys.
  Samir: Hmm... well, why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?
  Michael Bolton: No way! Why should I change? He's the one who sucks.

Michael Bolton, the character in the movie, laments that he shares his name with a (real life) signer. He could go by another name, but refuses to because he thinks that the singer is at fault. Realistically Michael Bolton, the song singer, will never change his name, so Michael Bolton, the office worker, is choosing to instead complain and live with it. The humor comes from the ridiculous nature of the office worker's stance.

(Also, assuming the wifi on these buses is not in violation of FCC regulations, this really is this guys problem, not Google's.)

[sliverstorm]

The spectrum WiFi operates in is free for any and all to use, and you don't get squatter's rights.

If you want a frequency nobody else has the right to use, you are going to have to buy your own spectrum.

[gaius]

While technically true, that is clearly a bad way to think about this. It's analogous to someone playing loud music on the bus, and you telling someone, if you don't like it buy your own bus.