I can't speak for any of you but the only thing worse than going to a coffee shop and not being able to find a seat because the mid-1990s fad of 'free Wi-Fi' in there made slackers hang out all day has been, in 2010, having them talk on their cell phones while we order the coffee to go.
Have you been to Spain? You will get shot doing using a laptop and talking on a cell phone in a coffeeshop there. Sitting in a Spanish cafe for two hours and drinking a tiny espresso while girl watching is a time-honored ritual and one of the only things we should emulate about Spain.
Apparently, coffeeshop owners in the US see that too and they want to 'reconnect' with their customers by disconnecting the network. Translation: The cost in maintenance and bandwidth is not worth the hassle and, like in public transportation, the people who use it the most may discourage the people you most want to see.
Coffeehouses have always attracted bookish deadbeats who stayed too long and bought too little. But suddenly these shops were teeming with electricity- and table-hogging laptops, leaving trails of tangled power cords and hard feelings.
Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco not only has no Wi-Fi, it has no power outlets at all - except a fake one spray-painted on the wall by the owner. There's a coffee shop I can visit.
