Okay, so going wireless is glamorous. Thanks to all those images of surfing the net while sipping espresso at some overpriced coffee shop. Or of rough riding on a mountain bike while chattering with a loved one over a Bluetooth headset…

But I still love wires. And for good reason. Wires are still a faster, more energy-efficient and more secure way of getting your devices to communicate. Which is why, despite having both Bluetooth and infrared connectivity, I still prefer to link my phone to my PC via a USB cable. The battery lasts longer, and it’s a faster link.

And just a few days ago, my Bayantel DSL has been upgraded to 896 kbps. EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY SIX! Ten years ago, that would have been enough to feed the whole of Asia… and it’s all going into my home PC!

Try getting 896 kbps over a wireless link.

Sure, wireless networks are becoming ever faster. We have, after all, been moving through the 802.11 alphabet, from a to g, and there’s now the promise of WiMax. But whatever speed they can toss at the wireless world, the wired world can outmatch. As Nicholas Negroponte notes, the trouble with aerial broadcasts is that your frequencies are limited, while the wired world offers unlimited potential. Your cable getting congested? String a new one and you’ve just doubled your capacity.

So I still love my wires, my USB cables, my DSL line…

Of course, with all that spaghetti, I eventually had to get myself a Bluetooth headset to keep me from strangling myself…