Mobile Wireless at Tempe Presidential Debate

badcataz writes "Presidential debate goers in Tempe, Arizona might find a strange looking electric vehicle providing wireless service. WAZ Tempe has modified and Italian Electic car to extend their downtown Tempe network using a 1 Watt Tropos 5110 wireless mesh node."

I'll take one

[erick99]

From an article [www.tian.cc] linked to the original article:

The electric carts are manufactured in Italy by the World Alternative Transportation Technologies Corpration (W.A.T.T. Corp). This particular model is called "Teener E". It is a small, enclosed two passenger electric vehicle powered by rechargable batteris and driven by an electric motor. It can climb up to 18% grade steep hills. It's speed does not exceed 35 mph and has a range of 50 miles. Full battery recharge is 4 hours. It complies with all Federal Motor Safety Standards (ie. seatbelt, roll cage, emergency brakes, etc.)

The WiFi transmit/receiver unit on the cart has range of 1 mile (1.6 km) compare to standard WiFi equipment of 300 - 500 ft. It runs on Linux operating system, able to auto-recognize and auto-configure into local WiFi mesh. Various businesses in downtown Tempe area have given permission to Nasco's group to install WiFi units on their properties.

Nasco is also in contact with city of Tempe to further WiFi coverage, hopefully in next few years the city will be complete wireless.

Now that is an example of folks working well together for a common good. I wish my town would do that. But, they will not even allow a single cell site so we barely have cellular phone service out here much less wifi. Oh, well, to some, the lack of cell phone service is seen as a benefit.

Here is another interesting article about Tropos: Mesh could be the solution to a proposed $1 billion wireless municipal network for New York City emergency workers. [wi-fiplanet.com]

Re:I'll take one

[BoomerSooner]

You should look into the SMART cars they have in europe. They are this car but have a little more space behind the seats (for storage I guess). They are tiny but parking in europe discourages buying a car. I bet this is why you see $280,000 Ferrari's parked on the street, the parking space is worth more than the car!

I love Europe & the UK.

Re:I'll take one

[erick99]

I'm 6'5" so the extra space would be good . . I don't think I could actually get into the one in the article. But, it sure looks cool :-)

Re:I'll take one

[fungus]

"Smart" cars are now available in Canada, and will be available in the USA in 2006, according to the car's website [smart.com].

Smart is owned by DaimlerChrysler.

Re:I'll take one

[HotshotXV]

These cars were also featured in a recent WIRED - cool concept, but the space limitations (both for the driver, and for trunk space) will ensure that I won't be getting one any time soon... need somewhere to stash the bodies. And if you believe that, I have another for you...

Re:I'll take one

[Sircus]

They're all over the place here in Germany, but their absence was quite noticeable on a recent trip to the US. Nonetheless, I did spot one whilst in Carmel, CA. Presumably, some people have been importing them before their official availability.

Re:I'll take one

[Uptown Joe]

Me too. Might as well gake the geek thing to a new level.

Or, otherwise known as...

[datastalker]

...the electronics van for prompting George W. Bush [bellaciao.org]. ;)

uh, any -reliable- sources?

[SuperBanana]

[link to obviously non-reliable "news" source site snipped]

Has anyone actually seen evidence of the mystery earpiece? How about running a frequency scanner near one of his speeches? With a really directional antenna, you should be able to pick up on the heterodyne feedback.

Unless they've got spread-spectrum stuff packed into something that small, which would be pretty impressive.

Re:uh, any -reliable- sources?

[datastalker]

It's called a joke. Laugh. Seriously, don't you think that someone would have done that? Seriously, lighten up. ;)

Re:uh, any -reliable- sources?

[FuzzzyLogik]

While it was a joke I think Salon.com did a brief comment on it today in the Fix and interviewed a tailor who stated that there was no way that the buldge could've been a wrinkle or what have you in the fabric of his jacket. Whether this is used as any type of way to "coach" him i'm unsure. but i wouldn't put it past either candidate. Sorry the two major contenders are both ... shall we say... eh not great choices. I wont' vote for bush so this really doesn't bother me, but i'm debating whether i should vot

Re:uh, any -reliable- sources?

[darekana]

Not sure if this counts as reliable but:
http://cryptome.org/bush-bulge.htm [cryptome.org]

Re:Or, otherwise known as...

[glass_window]

Yes, I'm suprised more people didn't pick up on this over at theregister [theregister.co.uk]

Re:Or, otherwise known as...

[Linux_ho]

He LOOKED like he was being fed information as the debate progressed. He kept getting odd looks on his face like he was getting interrupted, odd pauses, etc. But this is what really moved me into the tinfoil-hat camp: he was talking about his faith, and its ability to seal-ah, heal... or something like that. Sounded to me like he misheard his prompter, said the wrong word, and corrected himself.

Re:Or, otherwise known as...

[mi]

If true, it means, he has a good team around him. Which is fine by me.

Kerry -- wired or not -- gets no vote from me. And I am voting in Massachussetts, where the rest of electorate barely remembers the disaster named Dukakis...

The first Milli Vanilli President

[Linux_ho]

If true, it means, he has a good team around him. Which is fine by me.

You seriously wouldn't care if the President is wearing a wire at the debates... I'm sure business and political leaders at home and abroad would agree with you and continue to take him seriously after finding out he can't think on his feet or remember details accurately, and is effectively a puppet.

Re:The first Milli Vanilli President

[mi]

is wearing a wire [...] is effectively a puppet.

A person wearing a wire is not automatically a puppet. Not of whoever speaks into his ear, nor of anyone else.

Heavens! All these laws requiring hands-free cell-phones were designed to turn the hapless drivers into puppets?..

Re:The first Milli Vanilli President

[Ewan]

Of course you chopped out the phrase "at the debates" with your [...], have you considered making good quotes out of bad ones for hollywood movies - I hear it pays well?

Wearing a wire at a debate would in my opinion make him a puppet of the people feeding him lines.

Re:The first Milli Vanilli President

[mi]

I chopped, what I consider insignificant -- no matter, what the circumstances are, an ear-piece does not automatically make its wearer into "a puppet" -- someone without free will, controlled by the others. We don't have that technology yet.

Wearing a wire at a debate would in my opinion make him a puppet of the people feeding him lines.

How so? Is a special-forces soldier in a jungle with an ear-piece -- to stay in touch with his partners -- "a puppet"? He is in a much tougher spot, than a debating presi

Re:The first Milli Vanilli President

[Linux_ho]

I bet you're the last member of the Milli Vanilli fan club, too

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Or, otherwise known as...

[mi]

I don't think he is a moron now, you thought he is a moron long before he was suspected of wearing a wire...

See you at the polls.

Re:Your vote is meaningless

[mi]

Blame the Electoral College. Massachussetts hasn't gone with a GOP candidate since Calvin Coolidge in 1924. I seriously doubt Bush will win it this year.

For one, my non-Kerry vote will help reduce the "lost popular vote charges". Two, I plan to vote libertarian anyway. I just strongly prefer Bush over this new incarnation of Dukakis, that Democracts are trying to impose on us.

I have no problem with Electoral College -- we are a not a state, but a union of states...

He must be wired.

[hotspotbloc]

That would explain Bush's strange comment near the end of the debate:

"Over the next four years, I hope for A BIG MAC WITH A COKE AND SUPERSIZE IT."

Salon pic

[darekana]

Here is the bush backboard pic on Salon [salon.com].

Do as you will.

What are you doing here at this hour?

[Alwin Henseler]

Presidential debate has begun!

Re:What are you doing here at this hour?

[killpog]

I'm listening to it on the BBC 'net feed while I surf...

Just ended actually and I think...

[gad_zuki!]

We got us a new president.

Kerry got into America's comfort zone in debate one, showed us he can be a fighter in debate 2, and became this "zen master" in debate 3. I really didn't expect such a strong showing from Kerry. Along with his politics I think he just won over the last of the undecideds.

Re:Just ended actually and I think...

[krymsin01]

Kerry is NEO!

It'll be jammed.

[r00t]

Jamming prevents use for setting off bombs.

Re:It'll be jammed.

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

The roads should also be removed for 50 miles all around the debate location. Roads let people bring in bombs.

So does the sky. And pipes. And birds. European Swallows with coconut shaped bombs, oh my!

Re:It'll be jammed.

[r00t]

Hey, they've been jamming cell phones near
the president for ages.

I suppose they figure that terrorists can't
figure out ham radio. The FCC wouldn't give
a license to a terrorist, right?

Well, there's ease-of-use for the bomb maker.
You'd need some funding to wire up your own
radio. It's like trying to pay for flight school.

Re:It'll be jammed.

[mercuryresearch]

I realize this is a joke, but driving in the phoenix/scottsdale area today was insane. The roads and sky were effectively removed, I'm afraid.

As I was driving south in the upper northern area of scottsdale (adjacent to Phoenix) this morning, I saw police cars on EVERY possible right-turn option for more than two miles (streets, parking lots, you name it). I noticed many of the cars had trunks partially opened with barricades inside. On my return trip two hours later I made a point of taking a route that wo

Re:It'll be jammed.

[ackthpt]

Jamming prevents use for setting off bombs.

Yeah, bombs will have to be dropped by the candidates themselves.

of course there could be a bomb that is triggered by a jammer jamming a signal.

Re:Here it comes...

[joelanders]

someone already did...

Re:Here it comes...

[glass_window]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/12/bush_wirel ess_coaching/

Re:Here it comes...

[wicka_wicka]

Why the FUCK would a republican moderate that flamebait, you ignorant fool?

If they had a ham license....

[afternoon_nap]

They could use more power.

KD5ZEF

Re:If they had a ham license....

[Anonymous Coward]

1,500 watts :-) KE3PB

Re:If they had a ham license....

[Deorus]

> 1,500 watts :-) KE3PB

With that much power you'd actually burn things nearby. Remember, 2.4Ghz is in the Microwave [wikipedia.org] frequency.

Re:If they had a ham license....

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I believe you might be aware that a problem with that is that you could not legally use any form of encryption over that signal, be it in the hardware layer like WEP & WPA or in the application layer like SSH or HTTPS. Once you do email, either you are either sending your password in plain text or you are technically breaking the terms of the ham licence.

Re:If they had a ham license....

[Anonymous Coward]

That is 100% correct. No amateur radio transmissions may be encrypted.

KE3PB

Re:If they had a ham license....

[Bryan_W]

What's the point of posting as AC if you put your callsign in your post?

Re:If they had a ham license....

[Jeff DeMaagd]

It would be pretty stupid to have such a high-profile wireless hotspot that breaks the law. someone that is quiet about it maybe.

What is the point in having a HAM licence if you are going to violate its terms?

Nice

[FiReaNGeL]

They actually use these as substitutes when parts of their WiFi network go down... Fast, mobile, cute and powerfull, can we ask for something more? :)

Re:Nice

[mOoZik]

You forgot "Powered by Linux." ;)

God forbid...

[dj245]

...that someone actually uses their small, ultra-energy-efficient vehicles for actually driving somewhere. If the war in Iraq was for oil, and men died over there and you don't use that oil; well, I guess that makes you just as bad as the terrorists.

Re:God forbid...

[Jonah Hex]

...that someone actually uses their small, ultra-energy-efficient vehicles for actually driving somewhere...

Considering it's only got a range of 50 miles per 4 hour charge, and a top speed of 35mph I'd say this is a great use considering those restrictions, puttering around a metro area. I expect to see these types of vehicles used for such things as parking meter cops, etc, in the future.

The real breakthrough IMHO is the electric/diesel combos which use a small constant RPM diesel to charge the batteries

Re:God forbid...

[omahajim]

And for those who say "Your suggesting diesel you heathen"

No problem using diesel - just make it bio-diesel. Congress just passed a biodiesel tax incentive... making its use in B2 to B20 blends all the way up to to B100, a very attractive alternative. Check out http://www.nbb.org/ [nbb.org] .

I want the car

[ModernGeek]

I want an electric car like that one. I would drive it to school everyday. I wish there was a feasable, small electric car that could do at least 70 for interstate driving though :(

Re:I want the car

[mOoZik]

Add more batteries, add a new controller. Done. It looks so dinky, though. I want electric cars that don't look like toys.

Re:I want the car

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, but there is: http://www.acpropulsion.com/tzero_pages/tzero_home .htm

Re:I want the car

[ModernGeek]

yeah, but at that price, it kinda defeats the purpose. I have always adored the Tzero though :) Economy of an Echo, preformance of a Ferari. Too bad it didn't have a cost of about $40-50k and mass produced.

I live close...

[Ibuprofen]

...to ASU. Unfortunately I'm not seeing the network (about 2 miles directly south). Might be time to put the ibook in the bookbag! I have plans to leave in about 10 minutes to watch the Foo Fighters (yeah yeah) anways.

Although, I do own a Fab-Corp Antenna [fab-corp.com] and a Linksys WRTGS router with the new firmware. Any ideas?

Re:I live close...

[Triumph The Insult C]

i was picking it up at 10th/Ash tonight

and

[Inthewire]

(the "d" is silent)

Re:and

[div_B]

(the "d" is silent)

And I suspect the Italian car is eclectic, not electic. ;)

Electic car

[SEWilco]

Electic car

Just the thing for an election.

Italian reliability

[SuperBanana]

Heh, an electric Italian car. Where to begin...do you need to remove the passenger seat to charge it?

Well, on the bright side, at least it wasn't made by Lucas. If it had been, the wifi unit would only work if the handbrake light was blown and the left turn signal was on.

But, dear god, don't pull the handbrake!

if it were star-trek

[Anubis350]

you'd have to reverse the polarity to make it work

::Ducks::

Re:Italian reliability

[AmicoToni]

Well, in case you had forgotten, Italians know a few things about making cars... [ferrariusa.com]

Re:Italian reliability

[thogard]

Lucas and electronics just don't mix. If Lucas had an electric car, you would have to push it into the showroom.

My MG works much better after I put a Bosch alternator into it.

Re:Italian reliability

[radish]

Dunno about you but the first Italian car company which sprang to my mind was Ferrari. Then Alfa Romeo and Lambourgini.

I'd take one :)

i'd use that connection for...

[turkeywrap]

playing doom 3 online while sitting in the debate hall. either that or downloading porn.

Re:1 watt power is legal ?

[FrankHaynes]

Unfortunately, the same mentality that seeks to unwrap the death grip held by such giants as MicroSoft also abhors anything resembling sensible rules emanating from authority figures, even when it makes things better for the masses.

So, by this logic it's OK to squash nearby wireless Net signals with your alligator amplifier. So what if you just took out half the mesh network in the neighborhood? It's (automatic) for the people...or something.

Re:1 watt power is legal ?

[vern]

For what it's worth, the tropos 5110 is FCC compliant. They've got a 1 watt radio coupled with a pair of 7.4 dBi antenae. The math is simple; 1 watt is equivalent to 29 dBi. Add them together and you get 36.4 dBi. The legal limit is 36 but you can count on approx. 0.5 loss per connector and even if they manage to only have one connector, that puts them under the FCC limit.

What's the purpose?

[wingedcorset]

When I was there (approx. 2 weeks ago) the theater had an open wireless network. I spent most of the first act of my show browsing /.

This debate was more of the same crap

[ravenspear]

Both candidates simply recycled their flawed math [factcheck.org] of the previous debates and spewed feel good oratories while managing to avoid the real issues almost entirely.

So, Bush wasn't wired after all

[Space Coyote]

I guess the square thing under his jacket is his 802.11 antenna.

More Pictures

[idiotfromia]

There are more pictures available on Tian.cc, the source of the Gizmodo photo.

• Original Wifi Cart Post [www.tian.cc]
• More Pictures and Information [www.tian.cc]

All direct from a guy [www.tian.cc] living in Tempe.

wiredless

[Doc Ruby]

Tonight's Bush content brought to you by a partnership between WAZ Tempe and Karl Rove's laptop microphone [slashdot.org].

Damn

[drix]

A cursory glance at this story, and I sooo thought someone had blown the lid of the whole Bush wears a wire [isbushwired.com] thing. But it was not to be :)

Wi-Fi enabled

[subzerorz]

It's cool to be able to watch the debate broadcasted on the internet.

rant, etc.

[Quixote]

1. Doesn't anybody proofread these things anymore?
modified and Italian Electic car
What was I thinking? This is slashdot!

2. More pictures [waz-alliance.com] of the electric car w/ antenna.

3. They mention a 1-watt power WiFi box. Is that legal? I thought the power of these devices was limited to 100mW..