With all the digital writers in the audience, we know many of our readers are writing on laptops in coffee shops, parks, libraries, and other places. When searching for a WiFi signal, you have probably seen a connection entitled “Free Public WiFi” and clicked. Stop clicking!

NPR has a special report explaining how the  “Free Public WiFi” network works (see an example in that photo by zcopley). The “free” option is actually a Windows XP bug that spreads from computer to computer. While it won’t wreck your laptop, it does leave your computer vulnerable. So stop clicking on “Free Public WiFi”  when working at your favorite coffee shop!

Here’s more from NPR: “Free Public WiFi isn’t set up like most wireless networks people use to get to the Internet. Instead, it’s an “ad hoc” network — meaning when a user selects it, he or she isn’t connecting to a router or hot spot, but rather directly to someone else’s computer in the area. … It does, however, provide an access point for hackers to come in and check out the user’s files.” (Via Lifehacker)

eReaders are great travel companions. The ability to carry 50 books in one little device is a weightless alternative to lugging around a backpack full of books, especially when you are on the go. eReaders can also serve as tour guides themselves as you can buy guidebooks and audio tours right on the devices.

Travel expert Rick Steves points out the benefits in a piece in The Seattle Times today: “You can effortlessly carry hundreds of e-books, which is great for long, multi-destination trips. And with built-in wireless, you can buy books from anywhere, convenient for spur-of-the-moment detours.”

Steves also points out the audio tours are becoming more popular: “An audio tour you can run on your iWhatever is the one technology I’m excited about. More and more tourist offices and museums are offering these for free or at low cost.”

Still, eReaders are not perfect for travel yet. Steves reports: “Though they work well for novels, they remain clunky for guidebooks. It can be difficult to find the information you’re looking for; flipping from page to page can be awkward; and maps – often designed to run across two pages – don’t always appear correctly. An ebook reader is expensive, and if you lose it, you’re out hundreds of dollars.” Watch out in New York City.

Apparently, not all TSA officials know about the news we reported recently about iPads, eReaders and especially netbooks not needing to come out of our bags for airport scanning.

At least they haven’t heard about the new rule in Denver, Colorado, where this blogger was forced to have his backpack rescanned after a TSA officer who said “we didn’t get that memo” took his netbook out of his bag for rescanning. Though his iPad went through without a hitch.

Alas, the dream of easier air-travel remains a dream, for now…

In the interest of security, airports have become the site of heartbreaking indignity for travelers, who must practically strip to get into the terminal. But the Transportation Security Administration wants to spare us one frustration: removing our eReaders, iPads and netbooks from our bags before putting them through the scanner.

The TSA annouced this news yesterday on its blog (did you know the TSA had a blog? Did you want to know that?). Here’s an excerpt:

Not only are [E-readers, Net Books and other small gadgets] essential to those who need to stay connected and work or study on the go, but they are also fantastic time killers, which makes these gadgets extremely popular carry-on items. I’ve read many a post from people wondering if these items should be treated like a laptop and removed from their carry-on bags for checkpoint screening.

Great question! Electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop should not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. It’s that simple.

This news almost makes the airport fun again!

Time Out, the publisher of city-based entertainment magazines and travel books, is preparing some of its city guides for eBook release. The initial set of eBooks will be guides to London, Venice, Barcelona, New York, Cape Town and Paris, with more guides to follow later in 2010, according to the travel tech Web site tnooz. The guides will be available directly from Time Out‘s site, as well as other online retailers, according to the site.

The e-guides will be interactive, with Web-linked maps. The guides will cost £12.99. eBookNewser is still looking into whether and for how much they will be available in the US. The article also reports that the guides will be formatted for eReaders, Blackberry, Web browser, and PDA. What’s a PDA? Is that like a VCR? Do people still use those?

Also interesting is a comment made by a self-identified “scribe” for travel books, who takes issue with the idea of a publisher re-purposing his content for use in eBook editions. This yet another issue raised by eBook publication of content originally intended for print. Do you think a company like Time Out owes its old contributors money for e-content, or did writers legitimately sign away those rights?