Probably the most commonly asked question that shows up in my Inbox concerns Decatur’s wifi.  Some people mistake me for the city and ask if they can advertise on the homepage (yes, please send cash to…), while others don’t understand how/where to sign up (HERE is the answer) and empty-handed reporters write to me for possible contacts to talk about the service.

My own experience with the service is limited, since the wifi polls on my street aren’t that close to my house and because of all the trees in my neighborhood, I can only get a really weak signal out on my front porch (nothing inside).  And before you ask…no, I haven’t tried ordering a wifi modem from Get The Speed to see if the indoor signal would improve enough to rule my Comcast Highspeed Internet obsolete.

So what does this all boil down to?

Well, I’m curious to know who out there is using Decatur’s new citywide wifi regularly and what you think of it.  I’d love to hear from the folks that use the free 128k signal and the “high speed” signal, both inside their home and out on the town.  Thanks in advance!

OK, I know only runners, dog-walkers and people that walk get excited about crosswalks, but this one could be the “wave of the future”.

Over on The Decatur Minute, Catherine discussed the new crosswalk being installed across Ponce at East Courthouse Square, and how the city will close the street on Sunday evening (around 7p) to do the work.

Though Catherine’s post said that the new crosswalk would be more visable, I was curious to know what physical changes would be made.  So I followed up with Catherine and she told me that the new crosswalk would be textured with “faux-brick pavers”  and be slightly raised (though still handicap accessible) in an effort to make it more visible to drivers.

I’m pretty sure that this is a pretty tried and true method for making crosswalks safer for pedestrians.  A slight rise in elevation combined with the texture forces drivers to slow down and take note of us walkers.  Even so, the city will test it on Ponce before applying it more widely throughout the city.