Just updating in the rain… (apologies to Gene Kelly)

I’m currently in the Apple Store in University Village, making use of the wireless to find some information I need, since I don’t have an internet connection at the apartment yet (nor furniture, though I did make a trip to a Fred Meyer for basics like a trash can and shower curtain). There are 9 wireless networks in range of my apartment, 8 of which are WEP or WPA encrypted, and the 9th appears to be a honeypot. Interestingly, the networks are all piled on top of each other, either on 6, 9, or 11… but none on channels 1-5, which means I’ve got plenty of room for my own network when I get connectivity.

The mall is something of a yuppie-land, full of upscale mall-stores and plenty of well dressed but still vapid-looking people walking around, but there are worse things, I suppose. I may end up working here (interview tomorrow morning), we’ll see how it goes (my biggest concern is that I’ll just be signing my checks over to the store… you know how I am about geekery, and employee discounts are hard to pass up). It’d be an easy commute (straight down 20 to 65, 65 to 25, turn into mall… 10 minutes in traffic, tops. Same route will also take me to the 520 bridge without having to get on the interstate), and assuming it has some basic benefits like healthcare, should pay enough to live on.

Having no connectivity at home has made me realize just how much I rely on an internet connection. It’s my primary mode of communication (email, im, audio/video chat, blogging), it’s my encyclopedia whenever I have a random question, it’s how I find stores and restaurants in a new neighborhood, how I find phone numbers of same, how I check my bank and credit card balances, the games I play are primarily online, the articles and news I read are all via websites. Just… well, damn. I know I’d adjust if the internet suddenly went away, but it really is pretty remarkable how “wired” you can end up without realizing it.

I downloaded a new application the other day to try out… it shows a lot of promise, but I just haven’t had much of a chance to play with it yet. It’s a WRITING app called Scrivener, and has been developed by a writer, with the quirks of writing in mind. Plenty of note taking and organizing capabilities, collecting snippets of story and anything else… so, it’s not necessarily meant to replace the ubiquitousness of, say, Yojimbo, or DevonTHINK, but does have a lot of a similar functionality for given projects. Anyway, I’m going to play with it and write up a full review for my Applegeeks column, and probably link to it here.