> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Bob Taylor Santa Monica The downlow on downloading
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/bob-taylor-santa-monica-the-downlow-on-downloading-editor/
- Published: 2008-01-26T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T18:12:54.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Downtown, #archive-import

*By James Zeruk, Jr. Santa Monica*

A day in the life of a person trying to use Santa Monica City wi-fi service at the main library or on the (Third Street) Promenade: 1\. Click city agreement page... wait 5 minutes for warning about unsecured network to appear. Click “Yes.” 2\. Wait as much as 10 minutes for city home page to appear. Click to your own home page. 3\. Wait usually 3-5 (sometimes 10) minutes for Yahoo or other home page to appear. Begin your work. 4\. Close lid on laptop and take the machine with you to get coffee or use the restroom. 5\. Come back to the table, click refresh on your home page only to be greeted by Santa Monica wi-fi “Agreement Page” again. 6\. Repeat steps 1-3 again (and each subsequent time you close lid). 7\. Write e-mail in Yahoo, click “Send.” Lose all you have written and stare helplessly at Santa Monica wi-fi “Agreement Page” again. 8\. Repeat steps 1-3\. 9\. Repeat step 7\. 10\. Repeat steps 1-3 11\. Lose more work, agree with stupid city page, complain to library staff and get head shrugs, or e-mail the library wi-fi tech and get ignored, or told your brand new, top-of-the-line machine must be the problem (funny how my problematic PC never has a problem with any other city wi-fi in places like Brentwood, downtown L.A., New York, Chicago, Denver and Minot, North Dakota). 12\. Follow suggestion of city staff — use ethernet cable. Gee, only half as slow, and I only lost half my work when I hit “Send.” Yep, much better!

Finally, send letter to Santa Monica Daily Press editor by first having to write text in Word and then paste into Yahoo e-mail account because first try resulted in having to repeat steps 1-3.

You guys are a joke.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 26, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012608.pdf?ref=smdp.com)