An open wireless network led to a Danish police investigation of a stolen credit card. The police wanted to confiscate the authoris computer. When the authoris roommate agreed to also let the police look at her first generation iMac, they were frustrated because they thought the iMac was just the screen. They wanted to know where the actual computer was and got rather heated about finding it, according to the author of Rottini in Denmark.
The police were equally confused when the poor fellow tried to explain that even though his personal computer was only two weeks old, he was reading his Web e-mail from November, trying to figure out where he was on the dreaded "night of the 15th."
Even worse, however, was this tragic dialog with the police.
- iWe have your roommateis permission to confiscate her computer,i the Ichabod Crane one said.
- iWhatever,i I said. They had already assured me that we would get our laptops back that afternoon, so I figured the damage had already been done. Ichabod started rooting around under her desk.
- iWhereis the computer?i he said.
- iOn the desk. Thatis the computer,i I said.
- iNo, the computer.i
- iThatis the computer, dude.i
- iThatis the screen.i He had lapsed into the voice you use when you explain to your 6-year-old cousin how the toaster works. iI mean the compuuuuuter. Understand?i
- iDude. Thatis the whole computer. Right there. The blue object the size of an armadillo.i
- iNo. Where the daaaaata goes. The computer part.i
- iThat is the computer. For Hell!i Danish swear words arenit as satisfying.
- iSo thatis the entire computer, right there?i
- II was standing there with a look on my face like I was watching a dog walk on its hind legs.
- iNew technology, huh?i he said.
- I blew the dust off the keyboard and handed it to him. iDo you mind if I check your badge again?i
The police were also very confused about how a neighbor could log onto their open, wireless network. "The internet doesnit work that way," was the officeris response.
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