Why-Fi?

Why-Fi?

by David Hopkins翻译：寒星

有的时候，若能关闭无线网络，只管坐下来静静阅读、细细品味书中的世界，也是一种幸福。

You can fnd a Wi-Fi signal almost anywhere, at bars, coffeehouses, libraries and bookstores. Some cities make free Wi-Fi available to everyone.

However, the mere existence of Wi-Fi can change the culture of location. For people who care about digital1)over-saturation, the challenge is to determine where are the2)sacred spaces within a3)bustling city, places where we lose the signal. We need that.

For me, it begins with a bookstore.

Wild Detectives is an independent bookstore, café and bar located in a4)renovated house. I love this place, not only for what it is—a very cool hangout spot with books—but for what it tries to be: a literary center. The5)homey setting gives it the feel of a salon, the kind of place where people gather to talk about philosophy, politics and poetry.

Some coffeehouses are going without Wi-Fi and even banning6)glowing screens. It’s part of a trend, a7)pushback against those who camp out all day at the table in front of their laptops. In the process, it’s also8)fostering a greater sense of community. Business improved, and the owner reported the overall mood of his café became much friendlier. For many independent coffeehouses, the free Wi-Fi was originally offered to compete against Starbucks. But now, some people are going to coffeehouses because they don’t have Wi-Fi at home.

Wild Detectives decided to seek middle ground.

Starting last November, Wild Detectives tended to go without Wi-Fi on the weekends, creating one place with Wi-Fi and one without. It presents an ideal case study to see how a wireless signal can affect such an establishment.

To investigate, I visited Wild Detectives on a beautiful Thursday afternoon. I sat at the bar. It was quiet, peaceful. I counted seven people total: three on laptops, one student with a textbook, a couple sitting near the front windows, and me. When I turned around again, there was another person on his laptop. He asked the woman behind the bar, “Hey, what’s the Wi-Fi password?”

At a certain point, the laptops made Wild Detectives look more like a co-working space than a bookstore. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t inspiring either.

I returned on Saturday, same time as before, to a Wild Detectives without Wi-Fi. Theplace was slightly more crowded. This Wild Detectives felt different than on previous weekends, back when the Wi-Fi ruled. Friends sat in pairs drinking coffee and talking. More people were9)browsing the books. A couple sat across from each other at a small table, each reading a book.

Set the laptop aside.10)Surrender your tablet.11)Pocket the smartphone. For just an hour, maybe two, you don’t need it. You have friends and books, a light menu and heavy drinks. I even12)advocate staring13)blankly at a wall for a few minutes. Believe me, the experience is about the same as scrolling through social media. Take a deep breath and enjoy your weekend. Make it last longer by slowing down.

1) over-saturation过度饱和

2) sacred ['seɪkrɪd] adj. 神圣的

3) bustling ['bʌslɪŋ] adj. 熙熙攘攘的

4) renovated ['renəveɪtɪd] adj. 经修整的

5) homey ['həʊmɪ] adj. 舒适的，自在的

6) glowing ['gləʊɪŋ] adj. 发白光的

7) pushback ['pʊʃbæk] n. 后推

8) foster ['fɒstə] v. 培养

9) browse [braʊz] v. 浏览（书刊）

10) surrender [sə'rendə] v. 舍弃，交出

11) pocket ['pɒkɪt] v. 把……装进衣袋

12) advocate ['ædvəkeɪt] v. 提倡，主张

13) blankly ['blæŋklɪ] adv. 茫然地，呆呆地

你几乎能在任何地方搜索到无线网络信号，在酒吧、咖啡屋、图书馆，还有书店。一些城市还设立了免费无线网络供民众使用。

然而，仅仅是无线网络的存在就能改变一个场所的文化。对于那些在意数字信息过度饱和的人来说，他们所面临的挑战就是要找到繁忙都市中的净土—那些接收不到信号的地方。我们需要它。

对我而言，一切都始于一家书店。

狂野侦探开在一所翻新过的房子里，是一家独立的书店、咖啡馆和酒吧。我喜爱这个地方，不仅是因为它的性质—一个有书可看又很酷的聚会地点—还因为它正努力去做的事情：成为一个文学中心。温馨的布置让人感觉它像个沙龙，是那种人们能聚在一起谈论哲学、政治和诗歌的地方。

有些咖啡屋开始不再提供无线网络了，它们甚至禁止携带电脑。这是一种趋势，对那些在外一整天却只是坐在桌子前看着手提电脑的人来说有着后推作用。这种趋势的形成过程同时造就了一种更强烈的社区感。生意由此得以改善，店主称咖啡馆的总体气氛也变得更加和睦了。许多独立咖啡屋提供免费无线网络的初衷是为了与星巴克咖啡馆竞争。不过现在，有些人去咖啡馆是因为他们家里没有无线网络。

狂野侦探咖啡馆决定寻找出一个中间地带。

自去年11月，狂野侦探咖啡馆开始尝试不在周末提供无线网络，以此营造一个有无线网络和一个没有无线网络的地方。这为研究无线网络信号如何影响一个场所提供了理想的个案。

为了调查此事，我在一个晴好的周四下午来到了狂野侦探咖啡馆。我在吧台前坐下了。这里挺平和安静的。我总共算到有七位客人：其中有三个人在使用笔记本电脑，有个学生在看课本，另外有对情侣坐在前门窗户附近，然后还有我。后来我再次转过身，看到还有一个人在使用笔记本电脑。他询问吧台后面的女士：“嘿，无线网络的密码是什么？”

从某种意义上说，店内的那些笔记本电脑让狂野侦探咖啡馆看起来更像是一个联合办公地点，而非一家书店。这并没有让人感到不悦，但也不太令人振奋。

周六，跟上次一样的时间，我再次来到了狂野侦探咖啡馆，而此时并没有无线网络。店里的顾客会稍微多一些。这时的狂野侦探咖啡馆与先前周末在无线网络统治下的感觉不太一样。好友们成对坐着，一边喝着咖啡一边聊着天，而更多的人是在浏览书籍。一对情侣在一张小桌前相对而坐，两人都在专心地看着书。

把笔记本电脑放在一边吧，交出你的平板电脑，将智能手机装进口袋。就一小时，或许两小时，你不会用到它。你已拥有朋友和书籍，还有一份简餐和一杯浓郁的饮品。我甚至提倡你花上几分钟时间盯着墙壁发呆。相信我，这种体验几乎跟翻看社交媒体无异。试着深呼吸，好好享受你的周末吧。放慢节奏，让时间变得长一些。