High-speed rail, highbrow comedy
James Fallows, it turns out, is not a liar: The Amtrak Acela running between Washington and New York does indeed have wireless internet. And it's fast, and it's free (for the moment, anyway). It all felt very European.
Incidentally, I'm up in New York today because I'm on "The Colbert Report" tonight. Tune in!
By
Ezra Klein
|
March 8, 2010; 2:03 PM ET
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Posted by: thehersch | March 8, 2010 2:33 PM | Report abuse
Damnit! On the night I have tickets to the Daily Show. Could you coax someone into a double appearance?
Posted by: jwellington1 | March 8, 2010 2:38 PM | Report abuse
I gave the wireless on the Acela a shot a couple of days ago, it was pretty slow but there may have been a lot of people on. I may stick with my air card for a while, tho I'll continue to try.
Posted by: bdballard | March 8, 2010 3:07 PM | Report abuse
Are you the regular guest, or sort of a second act mini-guest?
Posted by: MosBen | March 8, 2010 3:19 PM | Report abuse
Looks like mini-guest, unless they're bumping Tom Hanks to interview you. I believe it.
Posted by: MosBen | March 8, 2010 3:22 PM | Report abuse
"James Fallows, it turns out, is not a liar"
This time, Klein. This time. Fallows is still going on about how frogs supposedly do change their behavior in response to shifts in ambient temperature. Nobody believes that nonsense.
Posted by: slag | March 8, 2010 5:08 PM | Report abuse
--"The Amtrak Acela running between Washington and New York does indeed have wireless internet. [...] and it's free"--
In Klein's foggy world, two point six BILLION dollars a year forced from the working people of the country is "free".
Posted by: msoja | March 8, 2010 5:17 PM | Report abuse
The Massachusetts Commuter Rail has free wifi as well, with pretty decent speed.
Posted by: burndtdan | March 8, 2010 5:28 PM | Report abuse
--"The Massachusetts Commuter Rail has free wifi as well, with pretty decent speed."--
Isn't it amazing what one can buy with other people's money?
Posted by: msoja | March 8, 2010 6:20 PM | Report abuse
"Isn't it amazing what one can buy with other people's money?"
Yeah. Highways, schools, police stations, fire stations. They're amazing.
Posted by: slag | March 8, 2010 9:38 PM | Report abuse
slag - You'd be more amazed what you could buy with your own money, were you free to dispose of it as you wished.
Posted by: msoja | March 9, 2010 12:20 AM | Report abuse
Yup, and I'd be super amazed at how fun and easy it would be to build my own roads, educate my own children at home, hire a guy to police my yard and another to put out my house if it caught fire.
But yeah, having some more money would be nice. Well, except that we'd get overrun by the first country that tried since we wouldn't have a military. Oh, you evil taxes!
Posted by: MosBen | March 9, 2010 7:06 AM | Report abuse
--"Yup, and I'd be super amazed at how fun and easy it would be to build my own roads, educate my own children at home, hire a guy to police my yard and another to put out my house if it caught fire."--
Yeah, just like you have to build your own computer, grow your own food, and bake your own bricks for your home.
Posted by: msoja | March 9, 2010 10:42 AM | Report abuse
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The Acela goes all the way to Boston, not just New York.