The proliferation of open Wi-Fi networks has reached a point where high speed Internet access is free to anyone with a Wi-Fi card in many downtowns, villages, shopping centers, apartment complexes, etc. throughout the country. These networks are being hosted by individuals, cafes, restaurants, schools, corporations, and even local governments. This free access has not only made staying productive and in-touch easier, it has also helped to reinvigorate neighborhood gathering places as people, un-tethered from their desks, choose more social contexts and comfortable venues from which to work. (more…)