More on Apple's Airport and DSL: In my quest to create a wireless network that puts my Dell PC on the network as well as my new Mac G4 12" laptop, a pal (and the whizziest Mac whiz I know) emails me thusly:

The router/ethernet schools shouldn't really be an issue... The airport base station is a router. There's a socket to plug in an ethernet DSL modem, and a socket to link machines by ethernet, as well as by wireless. It can route out to the WAN link (ethernet connected DSL modem, or switch, or other router), or the modem (which doubles as a super handy dial in PPP server if you need access to your home network from somewhere), (not to mention the extremely handy USB print server...).

There're two problems. 1) connect the wireless network to the DSL connection. 2) make the PC part of the network. Solving the 2nd involves getting either an ethernet card or a wifi card for the PC. Options for using the DSL connection wirelessly are:

* connect the base station to an ethernet DSL modem, and the clients to the basestation wirelessly or via ethernet. adv: the "right" way. doesn't require both machines to be on. allows more machines to access things trivially later. gives you all of airport features. dis: involves expensive new modem.

* connect the USB modem to one machine, enable internet connection sharing on it, connect to internet from either machine, as long as the one connected to the modem is on... adv: cheaper (in equipment) dis: opens sharing machine to attack, ESB non-trivial...

* abandon the whole wireless thing and plug in the modem when needed. adv: none dis: completely misses point.

That might help others in the same boat and clarify some of the capabilities of the Airport. It's a router! Cool!

Leaving the rest of us speechless...:

CLEVELAND - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia banned broadcast media from his speech yesterday at the City Club, where he received the organization's Citadel of Free Speech Award. Television reporters were allowed to see him accept the award before his remarks, but the justice did not take any questions from reporters. The City Club usually tapes speakers for later broadcast on public television, but Scalia insisted on banning television and radio coverage of his speech, the club said. ''I might wish it were otherwise, but that was one of the criteria that he had for acceptance,'' said James Foster, the club's executive director. (AP)

You couldn't make it up.