It would be disingenuous of me to ignore the new-fangled disruptions to my dinosaur world that I critique. And so, I type from my Airbnb in Cambridge, Massachusetts, rather than my usual hotel of choice. Of course, my usual hotel jacked up the nightly vig four times its usual, which wasn’t cheap to begin with, because this is graduation weekend.
There was no way I was going to miss graduation weekend, no matter what the price, so it was the perfect opportunity to test the new waters of the new sharing economy. It might not be less expensive, but at least I could get a house rather than a room.
Why am I telling you this? Because there will be no regular posts today at SJ. Because I can’t get WiFi on my computer. Because, as it turns out, an Airbnb place isn’t quite the same as a hotel. There is no front desk to call when the WiFi doesn’t work. There is no concierge to speak to, or bitch at, as the case may be.
So I’m left to tap this out on a cellphone (what you kidz call a smartphone, because that’s entirely different), and these old thumbs don’t tap as fast without the other digits. My tolerance for typing on a tiny keyboard is extremely limited, and I don’t use emojis. I don’t have a clue what emojis are supposed to mean even if I was inclined to use them.
So what is my Airbnb like? It’s a slightly less expensive way to have somewhat more space in a place with stuff you would never buy, stuff you don’t quite know how to use, stuff that isn’t really to your liking, but close enough to adequate to make you feel as if it would be unfair to complain. There is a coffee maker. It’s a remarkably cheap and crappy one, but it’s here. There is a TV, but since it’s on a different cable network, I have no clue how to use the clicker, so I can’t watch it.
And the WiFi doesn’t work. I tried everything to make it work, short of calling up Xfinity. The owner apologizes, but isn’t in a position to do much about it. The owner is a fine person, and I have no gripe about her. She did what she could from where she is, and was very accommodating. But I still have no working WiFi.
If the WiFi worked, would it be fine? Well, yeah. Pretty much. It’s reminiscent of my apartment in college, which adds a certain humorous irony to being here. But it would just be fine. And by fine, I mean tolerable. It’s a roof over my head, a bed, basic stuff, held together by spit and glue.
No doubt there are better Airbnbs around. There are likely fabulous Airbnbs. But you won’t know until you get there. The pics online make them all look fine, but it’s hardly a guarantee. You can pick a hotel by the number of stars it has, the amenities provided, and the price it charges. Some hotels lie about their quality too, but you can go to the front desk and beat someone up if they do. There is no Airbnb equivalent, beyond leaving a review about it afterward.
So is this disruptive? Perhaps. It obviously disrupted me, as I’m tapping out this tripe rather than a post about something significant about law. But it’s disruptive in the way that pervasive mediocrity is disruptive. This ain’t the Ritz. And one would be hard pressed to go to an Airbnb and demand the Ritz, or be disappointed if it turned out to be slightly sub-Ritz. That’s the nature of joining the sharing economy. You get what you get.
Can I suck it up and live with it? Sure. This is an observation, not a complaint. I realized that this was a risk, that I might end up in a disgusting dump rather than the Ritz. The observation, however, is that the new-fangled disruptors aren’t intended as a replacement for excellence, but a deep dive into mediocrity. You get what you get, and you suck it up, realizing that you have no right to expect the Ritz because you went steerage.
And yet, all you kidz want to be the Airbnb of law? You aspire to be disruptors? You want to look like Clarence Darrow on a computer screen, and when you over-promise and under-deliver, you expect your clients to suck it up. After all, they didn’t pay for the Ritz. They paid for you. And that’s not only good enough for you, but you’re proud of being cutting edge?
There is a place for Airbnb. There is no place for lawyers who aspire to be mediocre. We’re not Airbnbs. We’re not Ubers. Stop trying to be something you’re not. Stop wanting to be mediocre.
It seems I’ve tapped out a longer post than I thought I would. Boy, are my thumbs tired.
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Now you know why the cutting-edge hipster barristers office at Starbucks: Free WiFi.
Plus, I had to make my mocha frappucino in a Black & Decker coffee maker.
You poor thing. I do hope the fridge was amply stocked with soy milk.
I could almost hear the “Survivor” theme music as I read that.
Really? I was hearing that whistling from “Bridge Over the River Kwai.”
The last word of that film is so descriptive of much of what we read here. (It’s the best last film word ever.)
“One day the war will be over, and I hope the people who use this bridge in years to come will remember how it was built, and who built it.”
Or who blew it up and why.
Congratulations on your son’s graduation. The power of the ring of is proportional to the distance from Cambridge.
SHG,
Please remember that Airbnb-like accommodations are always available in Lincoln, Nebraska (with WiFi to boot) should Dr. SHG and you ever need to attend a graduation at UNL where N stands for “knowledge.” Enjoy and congratulations.
All the best.
RGK
Thank you.
Google “how to enable phone wifi hotspot”. Basically turns your phone into a WiFi hotspot so you can connect your other stuff to the internet via the phone. Data charges will apply.
This is just a tip – go ahead and delete the comment.
Also I don’t suck at math. eight + 2 does equal 10.
Someone always provides such helpfully obvious ideas because I’m such a moron. Thanks.
Those unicorns dancing on rainbows would have taught you to tether your phone and make it your own wifi hotspot,
Oh cool. Another person who thinks I’m a moron.
Sheesh, it’s as if you care more about your crappy Airbnb than you do about your son’s graduation from MIT! ‘-) Congrats on the latter, and I happen to know that there’s plenty of good and free WiFi on campus.
Oddly enough, put enough people in a small space, all using Internet bandwidth, and there isn’t enough.
How to make your ___________ phone a hot spot with ____________ carrier.
Ask some of the kids on the street for some help if your thumbs get in the way.
P.S. Jeez….Only you could find something to “bitch” about during such a celebratory weekend.
Take a few days off, enjoy the parties, and soak up your son’s milestone achievement and thank Thor and Lokie your boy didn’t decide to go to law school across town.
Who knows, with any luck he might be able to afford a hobby tractor with a big enough cab to install a Black and Decker coffee pot, one of these days in the not too distant future, after he settles in on his path and gets about building his own castle.
Cheers! You did good!
You’re way down the list. You don’t even get a decent insult.
I’m trying to remember one of your decent insults.
Some smartphones allow you to use them as a hotspot. You connect to its wifi from your laptop, and you get internet access via its cell connection. Not awfully fast, and it can play merry hell with your data allowance, but it might be worth looking into rather than going cold turkey.
Really? Well.
I’m surprised you’re not using voice recognition to do your smartphone typing.
The sharing economy isn’t the problem, it’s the solution! We just need an “airbnb of internet connections”. Borrowing your neighbor’s wifi could really disrupt the broadband industry.
That would be wrong. And it’s password protected.
Forget the WiFi. You’re in Cambridge so got have dinner at Oleana on Hampshire or Craigie on Main, or just grab a burger at Mr. Bartley’s. If you don’t mind a short trip on the T, Oceanaire in Boston (Court St.) is one of my favorites. Their Bloody Marys are excellent.
I’m here pretty regularly, and had dinner at Craigie on Main last night. Pig’s tail.
Congratulations to the new graduate and you.
Only thing I wanna disrupt is the Prosecution’s efforts to put someone in jail or even give them a criminal conviction of any type.
Heh. Our Mr. Coffee is likewise remarkably cheap. We used to have a really fancy coffee maker, but it took up way too much counter space, and I usually drink coffee at work during the week and the Mrs. primarily drinks tea anyway.
But visitors to Chateau de Maupin do enjoy google’s gigabit fiber, so there’s that.
Congrats on the kid’s milestone!
Congratulations to you, Dr. SJ, and especially your graduate. What’s next? Ice cream sundae night! Of course.