Why are folks passionate about Wi-Fi? I've been pondering for years why people are so passionate about Wi-Fi. Does anyone, except Bob Metcalfe, have emotional feelings for Ethernet? Ethernet is a pal, a friend, a strapping buddy who has put on more muscles over the year, and treats you with affection. But Wi-Fi is your lover, your confident, your partner.

One speculation: everyone feels like they found Wi-Fi, not like Wi-Fi found them. Your radio waves met across the room and it was true love, and true zealotry. So many people who have "discovered" Wi-Fi, including myself, have such strong feelings for it, that we pimp it and encourage its promiscuity.

Have many partners! Have an open relationship! Be indiscriminate and fast! More, more, more, we cry, urging the love of our flashing LED lights on. The more you share Wi-Fi, the more Wi-Fi loves you.

Truly, our love for Wi-Fi comes in part from our hatred for our ex's, who we have to see every day: the telcos and the cable companies. The wirelines. Oh, do we hate the wirelines. They treated us poorly, but we stuck with them, because we'd made such an investment in the relationship. We finally broke up with them, and we found that we couldn't move out and we still had to pay rent. How we hate them.

Wi-Fi (and soon WiMax) is that special someone who came to us in our hour of need, who filled us with data in a way that we never thought we could be filled -- the wirelines told us there was no way that we could ever have that kind of relationship with anyone but them, and they weren't ready to commit.

Yes, we love Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi loves us. The question is, how big will the family become? And when we can we truly kiss that skank wireline's shiny metal ass goodbye?