We still haven’t decided which internet provider we are going to go with for the new apartment, which is why I haven’t been blogging this week but I turned the computer on this morning and we seem to be able to “borrow” some wireless internet from someone nearby. Yay!
So I apologise for the break in transmission but we are up and running again. The move went really well. Some of my new flatmate’s friends helped us move the furniture last Saturday which meant we had everything in by 1pm and we were pretty much unpacked by 6 that evening, followed by several (read too many) drinks out that evening.
It’s taking some getting used to the new living arrangement. I’d been at the last place for so long that you knew what annoyed other people and you could read their moods and know when to leave them alone. That takes a bit of time but I know I’ll get there with A. He’s a really nice guy and I’m hoping a good influence with my eating habits as he’s very health conscious.
Yay!
Life is better now you’ve returned…
YAY !!! - we missed you.
Missed you this week. WELCME BACK MATE!
Welcome in your new diggs! And welcome back on the wire.
Brenton, I hope you sort your problems out!
I also hope you were joking about borrowing wireless! An admission like that on your site could put you in schtum with the authorities. Use of other peoples’ bandwidth (even if they are not savvy enough to secure their networks, and therefore negligent) is theft and is regularly prosecuted.
But I am sure you were joking!
Cheers, Polomint
PS. I know I’ve posted this twice! I mixed up two posts and responded “as one”. Sorry but I’ve the flu at the moment and am more than usually brain-dead!
Glad you are back and that the move went well….
Well, Polomint…unsecured wireless should be used where ever you find it…that is what it is there for. Theft?…that is ridiculous!
Hmmm, Ojo is being ironic. Consider the following…
I go out and forget to double-lock my apartment. One of the other tenants has propped open the security door, and I leave it ajar. When I get home hours later I find my home has been burgled. I call the police and they say, “Stiff. Your own fault for going out and not securing your home. We can’t charge anybody for taking your property.”
I don’t think so! Taking something that doesn’t belong to you, and without explicit permission from the owner, is theft.
Choice had an article on this a while back (http://www.choice.com.au/printFriendly.aspx?ID=105476):
“Internet leeching has to be detected and reported by the network owner before any legal action can be taken. However, a 2005 study by the University of South Australia Advanced Computing Research Centre found that the misappropriation of bandwidth is generally not reported to police.
“Under the computer crime laws of many countries, it’s illegal to use somebody else’s wireless internet network and there have been prosecutions in the US, Canada and the UK. Punishments range from small fines for pinching bandwidth to more severe penalties for activities such as stealing credit card records and buying pornography using somebody else’s bank account.
“In Australia, federal and state law enforcement agencies regard unauthorised connection to, and use of a network, as illegal activity. Realistically, it may be difficult to identify the person responsible, particularly if it is done from a mobile location using a laptop.
“However, if somebody uses a wireless network for criminal activity, the authorities will investigate. The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) says internet leeching can be used as a base for criminals to launch illegal activity and hide their identity. In 2000, a Queensland man was convicted of using a wireless network to hack into a council’s computerised waste management network.”
Awaiting interesting responses…
Cheers, Polomint
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