Diary of a Network Geek

Yes, that’s right.
Papa John’s Pizza is offering a free Blackberry with your on-line pizza order. According to the ad, if you “Just add any Papa John’s side item and two 20-oz. beverages to your online order” they’ll give you a free (after rebate) Blackberry. Some restrictions apply, like signing a two year contract, but, honestly, the contract doesn’t look too bad for what you get:

Consumers will commit to a new 2 year voice and data service agreement for $74.98 per month which will consist of an email data plan at $34.99 per month plus a voice plan for $39.99 which includes 450 anytime minutes, plus 5000 night and weekend minutes and mobile to mobile unlimited calling. Customer will pay $150.00 and will receive a $150.00 Mail-In Rebate with the device. Offer may vary by market and is contingent upon service provider credit. See order page for complete details. Not valid for upgrades. Offer good only in the USA and may not be available in all markets. Early Termination fee applies. Activation fee and applicable taxes extra.

Anyway, it struck me as interesting enough to pop another Friday message at you. Enjoy!

Hmm, this could be fun…
Lately, IBM has been really supportive of Linux. In fact, they have a whole section on their site dedicated to cool things you can accomplish with Linux. The latest of these is an article about how to use Linux to set up a wireless ISP. They suggest setting this up for a neighborhood or office, but I’m sure there are applications far beyond that. They take you through the basics, but, after skimming the article, I sure wouldn’t reccomend this for the Linux neophyte. The article does cover, in brief, all the aspects of this project, including hardware choices, but it focuses on a series of bash scripts written by the author to help you manage your WISP. That’s all well and good, but, of course, limited in scope.
So, why not add all that functionality to a backpack and make yourself a walking “hotspot”. Yeah, that’s not a joke. A guy actually took a backpack with solar panels built into it, added some wireless hardware, and made himself into a roving hotspot.

Now, that’s entertainment! And perfect for a fun, freaky Friday link.