Turning The Homeless Into 4G Hotspots

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I'm not even going to touch this one, I'll let you guys read it and tell me what you think instead.

It sounds like a headline from The Onion, but it's true: A project called "Homeless Hotspots" is turning homeless Austin residents into mobile wireless hotspots outside the South by Southwest convention center. It's part marketing stunt, part genuine charitable initiative -- and it's generating lots of double-takes and chatter from those who pass by.
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I was listening to NPR yesterday and they had the creator of this Homeless Hotspot on there. At first it seems just as negative and disgusting as the title implies. The goal is to have the homeless and regular society interact. The point was made that the homeless "internet carrier" will not release the password to the recipient until that listen to the homeless person's life story. All money goes to the homeless person. I still don't know how exactly i feel about it.

Just an FYI - these same homeless people create their own newspapers and sell them for profit too, so it's not like they're not used to this kind of interaction at their expense.
 
I wonder if you could trade food for the code... or other things...?
 
Brilliant marketing. Love it.

Homelessness sucks... And in case you think you are above it, reality is, all over the world, and the good old USA, many hard working men have lost their homes.
 
I moved from TX a few years ago and all this controversy sadly informed me of the passing of Leslie.

As for the issue itself - doesn't bother me at all, it employs and empowers those that need it while performing a service the rest can use - just like any other job.
 
SpeedyVV said:
Brilliant marketing. Love it.

Homelessness sucks... And in case you think you are above it, reality is, all over the world, and the good old USA, many hard working men have lost their homes.
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Some homelessness sucks. You have homeless making a career out of it too. I work downtown Chicago and in the past 5+ years I've worked here you see the same guys on the same corners everywhere. They don't even try.

I do feel sympathy for those who lost their jobs and are having a hard time finding new ones because of the economic conditions, but not for those who aren't trying.
 
Not going to turn this into a homeless thread, but our homeless are rich compared to other countries. I know the ones in our city are fed 3 meals a day.
 
I see a guy that holds a sign that says "I bet you can't hit me with a quarter." on a corner every morning. I have seen him in pizza hut on several occasions. I guess he gets enough quarters for the buffet.
I also see people handing cash to them also. They just stand there! That really bugs me. The people doing the hotspots though, that are actually kinda doing some kind of work? Not bad at all. Earn your money. I was always taught that. Nothing is free, nothing is handed to you. I've been busting my ass trying to find a job the past few months, and they get cash handed to them daily. /rant
 
I honestly can't see a problem with it. It gives the homeless person a chance to make some money and more importantly to network some. I can't see anything negative coming out of this for them and it is a far cry better than panhandling or washing your windshield with a dirty rag.
 
Can't wait for the first person to get mugged while pulling out their credit card to give a donation to this program...

Otherwise I have no problem with this, as long as it's not funded by tax dollars. The main problem I see with this is that data is so expensive, that I'm not sure how profitable it can be long term. Maybe BBH Labs is selling ad space on the initial landing page when you log onto the hotspot?
 
It took more than 3 years but the promised jobs are finally here! Hail the 2009 Stimulus for now we can all have jobs and nobody has to pander on the street! Anyways, I can't wait until ACLU steps in and start suing the company for allegedly causing cancers to homeless people due to WiFi radiation!
 
scojer said:
I see a guy that holds a sign that says "I bet you can't hit me with a quarter." on a corner every morning. I have seen him in pizza hut on several occasions. I guess he gets enough quarters for the buffet.
I also see people handing cash to them also. They just stand there! That really bugs me. The people doing the hotspots though, that are actually kinda doing some kind of work? Not bad at all. Earn your money. I was always taught that. Nothing is free, nothing is handed to you. I've been busting my ass trying to find a job the past few months, and they get cash handed to them daily. /rant
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Yea I know right! Heaven forbid some out of work poor dare eat at a Pizza Hut just as you or I could!
 
Hamish Campbell said:
Yea I know right! Heaven forbid some out of work poor dare eat at a Pizza Hut just as you or I could!
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I don't mind that he eats at pizza hut, as long as he EARNS the money. He just gets handouts. That's what I don't like. He didn't earn the meal. He just got pelted with enough quarters to eat, instead of try to get a job, and EARN his food.
 
scojer said:
I don't mind that he eats at pizza hut, as long as he EARNS the money. He just gets handouts. That's what I don't like. He didn't earn the meal. He just got pelted with enough quarters to eat, instead of try to get a job, and EARN his food.
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It is a kind of a job. After all, what's really the difference in being pelted with quarters on the street corner for laughs or telling jokes in a comedy club? Dancing for money?
 
scojer said:
I don't mind that he eats at pizza hut, as long as he EARNS the money. He just gets handouts. That's what I don't like. He didn't earn the meal. He just got pelted with enough quarters to eat, instead of try to get a job, and EARN his food.
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Well..by this logic people who play; Survivor, Fear factor and other reality type shows didn't earn their money either. :rolleyes:
 
They do this in Mexico, only with stay dogs and spray paint.
 
I doubt that the homeless people who benefit from this arrangement are complaining about it or feel humiliated (as some people on other sites have commented on this story). Those concerns probably left their minds some time ago when they became more focused on practical matters like how to get some food.
 
Azhar said:
Some homelessness sucks. You have homeless making a career out of it too. I work downtown Chicago and in the past 5+ years I've worked here you see the same guys on the same corners everywhere. They don't even try.

I do feel sympathy for those who lost their jobs and are having a hard time finding new ones because of the economic conditions, but not for those who aren't trying.
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They're organized here, and are assigned corners. Next they'll probably have their own union.

At least when I lived/worked down south they sold roses and such, so in a sense they had a "job", and you got something for your money.
 
There are a lot of people that are professional beggars that are not homeless. Those people are just parasites. Those who are homeless due to life dealing them a bad hand and who are trying to get back on their feet deserve all the help they can get. If this helps the latter kind out, then I'm all for it.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Well..by this logic people who play; Survivor, Fear factor and other reality type shows didn't earn their money either. :rolleyes:
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If you are talking about the shows themselves, then yes they did. They brought an audience and allowed advertising.

If you are talking about the participants. They also did, they did stupid shit for the entertainment of others, which allows the show to make the show good enough for people to watch, and therefore have a base to advertise to.
 
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