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For months now, the Linden Street Coffee House has been an Internet Hotspot, offering free access to the Internet for those with a wireless laptop. Although hotspots are popping up at airport lounges, coffee shops, and elsewhere, they are still not that common, especially those offering free access, much less those in rural communities like Lamoni. This came about after Graceland's Ackerley Scholars (the computer science and technology scholarship students) approached one of the owners, Marcy Biesemeyer, to suggest this and offer support. The owners upgraded their Grand River Mutual service for high speed DSL, the Ackerley program provided a wireless router, and the scholars set it up. Now, customers can browse the Web while sipping coffee in downtown Lamoni.
To take advantage of this, one needs a laptop with a wireless card or a newer model with built-in wireless, like a Centrino notebook or a Macintosh iBook. Technically, the term is 802.11 (b or g) support, but also called Wi-Fi. Some computers automatically connect to a hotspot, but others require some button pushing.
The Ackerley scholars will provide technical support as a service to benefit the Lamoni community and business climate. Contact the Ackerley Scholars Program Director, Jim Jones at jsjones@graceland.edu or 784-5294 with questions or problems. The Ackerley scholars meet at the Linden Street Coffee House most every Tuesday at 5:15 pm (making that a good time for first timers to connect).
In Lamoni Chronicle, Letters to Editor, 1/22/04
Back to the Ackerley news page
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