So...I was digging into one of the Twitter threads about about BeingBlack While Waiting for a Friend at a Philly Starbucks and I came across this.
THAT is a wifi hotspot in Australia that has replaced a payphone booth.
And you can even make phone calls on the phone, if necessary.
Apparently, you don’t have to move all the way to Australia to find one, either. This is from January 2016
This summer New York City will start replacing pay phones with Wi-Fi hotspots, beginning with 500 hotspots in July, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Eventually plans call for about 7,500 pay phones across the city to be replaced by 9.5 foot tall kiosks offering free, open wi-fi. The kiosks will feature electronic screens displaying advertising and an Android tablet that can be used to get online or make a phone call.
The project, known as Link NYC, is run by CityBridge, a joint venture between the city and three tech companies. The project is supported by the advertising on the side of the kiosks. Over the course of the 12-year contract, CityBridge plans to pay the city $500 million or half of revenue from the ads, whichever is greater. That is well above the $17.5 million the city made in 2014 from its expiring pay phone contract.
And, of course, when something new and innovative comes along, the porn industry is never far behind
Last week, a sex toy company called Hot Octopuss converted an unused phone booth at 28th Street and 5th Avenue into its GuyFi chamber of self-love by adding a black privacy curtain, a chair, and a laptop with high-speed Internet. Clearly playing on the buzz about LinkNYC's upgrades to New York's pay phone infrastructure, Hot Octopuss sent out a press release explaining that this was all about health:
According to Time Out, a remarkable 39% of New Yorkers "self-soothe" in the workplace to alleviate stress. Hot Octopuss has created the GuyFi booth to take this habit out of the office and into a more suitable environment designed to give the busy Manhattan man the privacy, and the high-speed Internet connection, he deserves.
The company reported that at least 100 men used the booth on its opening day last week. Of course, public masturbation is illegal—and a rep from Hot Octopuss told Mashable, "We may be insinuating that these booths could be used in whichever way anyone would like to 'self soothe,' [but] the brand is not actively encouraging people to masturbate in public as that is an illegal offense." No word on how fast the Internet connection was, or whether there would be any efforts to help women "self soothe" at a rate equal to men in the workplace.
I have no idea whether the ‘’GuyFi booth’’ is still there at 28th and Fifth Avenue...but, like, really?
Anyway...yes, I can imagine myself being in a place and a moment where I am unable to use my cell phone (the battery dies, for example) or I lose my cell phone and I would need to use one of these stations.
Something like this might be almost as handy as the ol’ flashlight on the cellphone...and it looks like a pretty cool thing, actually…quite as handy as the ol’ flashlight on the cellphone.
Today’s question: No question in particular but...use your imagination. Think of something...innovative that would also come in handy that you already use or would like to see invented.
RSVPS
1. idlemoments, organizer (kosmail him to connect)
2. Irna Landrum, Daily Kos Activism Staff
3. slapshoe
4. RickNelsonmn
5. mockingjay
6. norselandc
7.
MAYBEES :
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