Quote :

"link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700AP_Wireless_Campus.html CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- In another time and place, college students wondering whether the campus cafe has any free seats, or their favorite corner of the library is occupied, would have to risk hoofing it over there. But for today's student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that kind of information is all just a click away. MIT's newly upgraded wireless network - extended this month to cover the entire school - doesn't merely get you online in study halls, stairwells or any other spot on the 9.4 million square foot campus. It also provides information on exactly how many people are logged on at any given location at any given time. It even reveals a user's identity if the individual has opted to make that data public. MIT researchers did this by developing electronic maps that track across campus, day and night, the devices people use to connect to the network, whether they're laptops, wireless PDAs or even Wi-Fi equipped cell phones...."

http://senseable.mit.edu/
http://ispots.mit.edu/ --> http://ispots.mit.edu/real-time/allmaptrack%20ver2.swf

has potential, though privacy is the biggest concern.

11/4/2005 12:17:12 AM

11/4/2005 12:18:00 AM

interesting

11/4/2005 12:32:14 AM

eh...i don't really see any major advantages for the students...instead, seems like MIT just wants to show the students they're less anonymous than they were...not digging it

11/4/2005 12:40:34 AM

well they can choose not to reveal anything if they don't want to...

11/4/2005 4:25:55 AM

omg...1984...it was all true!!

11/4/2005 7:42:29 AM

Quote :

"It also provides information on exactly how many people are logged on at any given location at any given time. It even reveals a user's identity if the individual has opted to make that data public."

So, this is new technology? Hardly. What network can't tell which computers are and are not connected? If you can associate personal info to an IP address then sure. Nothing to see here.

11/4/2005 8:17:55 AM

Quote :

"MIT researchers did this by developing electronic maps that track across campus, day and night, the devices people use to connect to the network, whether they're laptops, wireless PDAs or even Wi-Fi equipped cell phones....""

i took that to mean they are tracking actual exact positions of people and making them public as oppose to just knowing who was logged into what access points

11/4/2005 9:15:48 AM

the happiest stalkers in the world go to MIT

11/4/2005 9:36:32 AM

Quote :

"seems like MIT just wants to show the students they're less anonymous than they were"

nah, they just did it cus they can. you know how those MIT kids are

11/4/2005 11:55:56 AM