Thursday, May 31, 2007

Wi-Crime

Oh how I miss good old Michigan.. Everyone can sleep tight in Da'Hood tonight.

A Michigan man has been fined $400 and given 40 hours of community service for accessing an open wireless Internet connection outside a coffee shop.

Under a little known state law against computer hackers,
Sam Peterson II, of Cedar Springs, MI faced a felony charge after cops found him on March 27 sitting in front of the Re Union Street Café in Sparta, MI surfing the Web from his new laptop.

Last week, Peterson chose to pay the fine instead as part of a jail-diversion program."I think a lot of people should be shocked, because quite honestly, I still don't understand it myself," Peterson told FOXNews.com "I do not understand how this is illegal."

His troubles began in March, a couple of weeks after he had bought his first laptop computer. Peterson, a 39-year-old toolmaker, volunteer firefighter and secretary of a bagpipe band, wanted to use his 30-minute lunch hour to check e-mails for his bagpipe group.

He got on the Internet by tapping into the local coffee shop's wireless network, but instead of going inside the shop to use the free
Wi-Fi offered to paying customers, he chose to remain in his car and piggyback off the network, which he said didn't require a password.

He used the system on his lunch breaks for more than a week, and then the police showed up."I was sitting there reading my e-mail and he came up and stuck his head inside my window and asked me who I was spying on," Peterson told FOXNews.com.

Someone from a nearby barbershop had called cops after seeing Peterson's car pull up every day and sit in front of the coffee shop without anybody getting out.

"I just curiously asked him, 'Where are you getting the Internet connection?', you know," Sparta Police Chief Andrew Milanowski said. "And he said, 'From the café.'"

Milanowski ruled out Peterson as a possible stalker of the attractive local hairdresser, but still felt that a law might have been broken.

"We came back and we looked up the laws and we figured if we found one and thought, 'Well, let's run it by the prosecutor's office and see what they want to do,'" Milanowski said.

A few weeks later Peterson said he received a letter from the Kent County prosecutor's office saying that he faced a felony charge of fraudulent access to computer networks and that a request had been made for an arrest warrant.

The law, introduced in 1979 to protect Internet and private-network users from hackers, and amended in 2000 to include wireless systems, makes piggybacking off of Wi-Fi networks, even those without a password, illegal.

"It wasn't anything we were looking for, and it wasn't anything that we frankly particularly wanted to get involved in, but it basically fell in our lap and it was a little hard to just look the other way when somebody handed it to us," said Lynn Hopkins, assistant prosecuting attorney for Kent County.

Under the statute, individuals who log on to a Wi-Fi network with the owner's permission, or who see a pop-up screen that says it's a public network, can assume they're authorized to use the network, Hopkins said. If they don't, they could be subject to prosecution.

Peterson was given two choices: He could try to fight the felony charge and face a sentence of up to 5 years in jail or a $10,000 fine; or he could enroll in the diversion program, which would require paying a $400 fine, doing 40 hours of community service and staying on probation for six months.

After consulting two lawyers — both of whom were until then unaware of the law — Peterson decided last week to take the diversion program.

If he fails to complete it, the arrest warrant will be issued and felony charges will be filed, Hopkins said.

"A lot of people tell me I should fight this, but they're not the ones looking at the felony charges on their record if it happens to go bad," Peterson said.

The case has surprised locals, including the owner of the barbershop that initially called police, as well as Donna May, owner of the coffee shop. "He could have just come in the cafe, even if he didn't have any money, I would let him get on it," May said. May said that the wireless connection is free for customers to her cafe.

The barbershop owner defended his decision to call police. "I felt bad about it, but we've had problems in the past," said the man, who declined to give his name. "I'd be safe than sorry."

For Peterson, who's never had a criminal record, the experience has been an eye-opening one. "All over the TV, all the commercials and whatnot you see, they're all trying to get you to buy all these laptops and things that are wireless," he said. "They're trying to get you to buy this wireless stuff because you can go anywhere and still be connected. "Well, they don't happen to tell you that it's illegal," he continued. "And I guess obviously you're just supposed to know that." It's up to the consumer to figure that out, said Hopkins, the prosecuting attorney."When you buy a Wi-Fi equipped device, it's your responsibility to find out what you can and can't legally do with that device, just as it would be if you were buying a radar detector or any other piece of electronics," she said.

But don't look for a flurry of prosecutions anytime soon. "We're not going to be running stings to go out looking for people who do this," Hopkins said. "But people should be aware that if we come across them, and it is a violation of the statute, then we will enforce the statute."


Thanks for the story Paul....

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Hot-Off-The-Presses

Even after 15 years, Amy is still making the hometown rag… Am I the luckiest man alive or what!!!!!!!

Amy’s maiden name is Bradfield

Monday, May 28, 2007

Gator Bait

Sunday we took the opportunity to drive inland to the Everglades and take an airboat ride looking for gators with our friends Bryan and Michelle (fellow fellows).

After the airboat ride we had “free” tickets for the gator show.. All we found was this
broad that would wrestle you for $5.. Unfortunately, after the airboat ride and 16oz beers, we didn’t have enough for Amy to wrestle her too.

As an added bonus.. We did get to spend the day in the hart of white trash Florida during the first jewel of the White Trash Triple Crown (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day)..

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Diving from the 21st Floor

Here's a view from our room (21st fllor). It's a little over cast today, but warm. I'm hoping later to get over to The Hard Rock Hotel. That's the place Anna Nicole OD'd..

Pri$e H2O

We are in Hollywood, Fl this weekend. In our hotel room you can have this bottle of water for only $7.00.. And people complain about gas @ $3.25a gallon...

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

CruzinCooler

My friend Paul has suggested that this cooler could help me get to my cylinder index goal….

39cc 4-Stroke
Weight 50lbs.
Cargo Capacity 24 - 12oz cans + an 8# ice
Top Speed up to 15 mph
Rider capacity 250 lbs. Tested to 540
Range up to 15 miles
Size 24" long, 17" wide 18" tall
Box Size 28"long, 17"wide, 19"tall
Excellent personal transportation

EPA Approved

Pretty Cool!!!!!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Cylinder Index

This weekend we where discussing the cylinder index and I didn’t realize how close I am to my goal..

You must own more cylinders than your age. The rules are: You can only count running cylinders, size doesn’t matter but the bigger the better, and yes your spouses cyinders count (if you maintain them and you "helped" picking the item out)…

8 Lincoln
6 Porsche
6 Jeep
2 Harley
2 Snowmobile
2 Snowmobile
1 Dirt Bike
1 Lawn Mower
1 Lawn Mower
1 Snow Blower
1 Snow Blower
1 Chainsaw
1 Weed Whacker
1 Leaf Blower

That's 34!!! I’m 1 away…… Not bad for not having a boat…..

Monday, May 21, 2007

Thank you for the Sunny Day..

Today is the one year anniversary of my father passing. I miss him. I miss talking to him about life, work, and what toys we want… I miss the feeling that he’s taking care of me and my mom. Although, he did do a great job getting us ready to be on or own without him because I can hear his voice in my head when every time I need his help (and sometimes when I don’t need his 2 cents too…)

I think he would be proud of my mom and how strong she has been over the past year. She’s made the house they had only spent a couple of days together in, into a welcome home. She’s made lots of new friends in addition to all of the friends and family that she already had there.

Also, I would like to thank everyone that has been so kind to my family. Some have dug in and helped my mom get settled in, others have listened when we needed someone to listen, and others have just extended the respect that they had for my father to all of us. Thank you……

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Rich on the Ranch

Amy and I spent this weekend in West Texas with all of her fellow fellows and their spouses (wives) at the Rocker b Ranch. The Rocker b is a 173,000-acre ranch that straddles the Irion and Reagan County line in West Texas (thats bigger than Rhode Island). The Rocker b is a working Ranch with Cowboys working over 1,000 head of cattle. The Rocker b also has a very successful game farm. The game farm offers Mule Deer, Prong Horn Antelope, Doves, Quail, and a few other regional sporting opportunities.

The hospital that Amy works for (Texas Scottish Rite) became associated with the Ranch when Texas Senator William A. Blakley purchased the ranch, originally known as the Bar S, in 1954 from the Sawyer Cattle Company, which had operated it for more than 70 years. When Blakley took over, he changed the brand to the Rocker b. Before his death on January 5, 1976, Blakley deeded the entire ranch, as well as the San Cristobal Ranch in New Mexico, to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. It was decided that income from the ranch would go into an endowment to be used for the care of children served by the hospital.

It was really cool to see that every employee of the ranch wearing the Scottish Rite logo and how each of them takes great pride in knowing that their hard work goes directly toward helping the children that seek care at Scottish Rite. I always brag on how hard Amy and her peers work but it was really interesting to see other individuals making sacrifices and putting forward their best efforts for the same goals.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Beers ToGo......

Gotta love Texas... Where else can you buy 16oz Nat Light singles from an open ice chest in the middle of a gas station... Oh and nice touch with the limes....

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

What’s all of the Squawking About?


Amy and (her twin sister) Tracy are 33 years old today!!! I can’t believe how old these chics are getting.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Flower Power


I was in Rochester this weekend and took the opportunity to spruce up the yard. Saturday my mom and I went to Sargents, a terrific local nursery, and picked flowers to plant in the window boxes. I think my mom has helped Amy or myself almost every year since we moved to Rochester.


I think I turned out pretty nice, but as you can see we really need some landscaping, paint around the windows and a new roof..