The story of homeless bloggers

Wired News today has a story about homeless bloggers and their efforts to find WiFi hotspots, laptops, and the efforts of shelters to provide the homeless with e-mail addresses:

Many of those now living without a permanent roof over their heads have cell phones in their pockets or laptop computers at their hips. While people living in shelters and alleys have found it difficult to cross social divides, the digital divide seems to disappear on the streets. Nearly all homeless people have e-mail addresses, according to Michael Stoops, director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “More have e-mail than have post office boxes,” Stoops said. “The internet has been a big boon to the homeless.”

Helping the homeless get e-mail addresses has been a priority for years at shelters across the country. And in an age when most every public library in the nation offers internet access, the net has proven a perfect communication tool for those without a firm real-world address.

“Because of technology, people are able to keep in contact with their families,” Stoops said. And perhaps most importantly, they are able to get some footing in society regardless of how removed from it they may feel.

source

1 thought on “The story of homeless bloggers

  1. Anonymous

    Not even a comcast customer. My nieghbor wanted comcast, the signal box is in my backyard. Knock on my door, "We need to get to the signal box", he opened it and said to me the box recieves no signal, it was a contracted worker.With this I thought fine done, but no about a week later another comcast contract worker shows up asking to get to the box, I inform him that the guy was there a week earlier and said the box was not getting a signal, with this he told my neighbor that he couldn't install thier cable. about another week goes by and My neighbor, we'll call him tigger, says to me "why arn't you letting them into you backyard?", I explain to tigger that I have and what are they telling him they can do, he says "Nothing".With this i get on the horn with the corporate office, very nice I explain the situation, she's explains to me that a local superviser will call. With this I inform her that if the box doesn't work, please remove it. With this she said no problem, sorry for the incovienience and a local supervisor will call. If a new box is neccesary then they will put it in Tigger's yard. A few hours later the local supervisor calls, stating that he owns the last 4 feet of my backyard and they can do what they want. I make an appointment for the next morning. They arrive early, 2 p/u trucks one comcast van, all comcast vehicles. I meet the supervisor, we'll call him stupid, before he says a word I ask the question "2 Weeks ago when the first guy came out, why wasn't anything done then?" His answer "I don't know". With this i inform him I will be video taping him in my backyard, he refuses and calls the cops. The cop was nice and I had no problem letting them in my backyard, In which tyhey go ahead and replace my existing box with a new one, which is opposite of what the corporate stated the day before, "If the box need to be replaced, we'll put it in tiggers yard". So with all this I'm the one that had to get comcast's head out of there butt and get them moving to hook up tigger. And the ultimate insult is a comcast sales rep shows up about an hour after the trucks leave and ask's do you want comcast? Also, tigger had too wait another 3 hours till the contracter showed up and finally got him hooked up. So 3 comcast trucks and a supervisor, cannot connect his cable?Anyway, I did comcast's job, helping tigger get his cable, and I'm traeted like the bad guy. Comcast sucks and Mr. Brian Roberts will talk too me, and I will not relent.

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