Tough week for remote work

Remote work banned in Boston? Not quite, but getting close. Plus, the best budget laptop for AI use and, for the paying folks, a QR code extension.

According to a story in Axios, Boston cafes have drawn a line in the sand for remote workers: order something or go. Or we just won’t offer Internet access at all. Check it out.

Why it matters

I’m old enough to remember when cafes charged for Internet access. With inflation, impending tariffs, rising minimum wages, many have decided opening up a laptop rather than eating, drinking, coming and going is not good for business. Hence, they are making it difficult to do so.

A compromise?

Another organization, Shy Bird, is offering “guilt free” remote working. They offer some home office amenities—mouses, monitors—for a “nominal” fee.

Going deeper

My own journey into this abyss came last week when taking my senior mother to urgent care. Dealing with a glacially slow wifi connection was bad enough. Their server would not let me use ChatGPT. Fortunately, Co-Pilot still worked.

What about you?

Do you still find businesses welcoming to remote workers in your neck of the woods? Please leave a comment below.

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Best budget laptop for AI

At least according to LaptopMag.com. It’s the Acer Aspire 14" WUXGA Touchscreen AI Copilot+ PC Ultra 5-226V 16GB RAM 512GB SSD Steel Gray. Check it out!

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