I feel Robert Cringely's pain. I live a bit southwest of his area, and I'm in the same situation...too far out for DSL. No cable Internet access. But I can see Santa Rosa from my backyard. And I'd also like to tap into the magic of 802.11b to bring fast access. I know very little about wireless, but I'm willing to learn. And when you can make some of the equipment you need, it doesn't have to be as expensive as Robert's setup. Now if only I could make a wireless network card with standard household items...