Pull up a chair, folks. That seems to be the thinking among a certain segment of the population that has discovered the LinkNYC devices and is literally doing just that — pulling up a chair. The LinkNYC project is taking its show to Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, having started its parade with dozens of Links installed on Third Avenue. Links are multipurpose digital depots offering free Wi-Fi, phone calls, Internet access, and other services. They are funded entirely by advertising revenues, and all digital services ofered are 100% free. As more Links are installed and as word gets around indications are that sidewalks will start becoming a lot more crowded as individuals bring their comfortable chairs to the curb and make themselves at home.

The gentleman in the photo above appeared to be watching NBA highlights on YouTube. The fellow in the picture below was charging his mobile device at a 57th Street/Third Avenue Link. I first spotted him at about 12:30pm. I passed again about 4 hours later, around 4:30. He was still sitting there.

This man had no chair on which to sit, but made himself comfortable anyway, charging his phone and possibly using the Link’s free Wi-Fi signal while lounging against the Link at 57th Street and Third Avenue.

This man also had no chair but he knelt down on the sidewalk, apparently praying at the altar of a Link at Third Avenue and 43rd Street. He was playing some music, and while it was audible through the Link’s built-in speaker I was unable to distinguish what that music was. I was curious to know because he was insanely excited to hear it. He was screeching at times as he sang along, drawing quite a bit of attention to himself. I might have attempted to record video but he was making me nervous.

This gentleman took a break from his delivery job to have a seat on his hand truck and plug in to a Third Avenue Link. He was there for quite a while, holding his cell phone to his left ear and talking while streaming music from YouTube into his right ear. Hello, world!

It’s well and good that free Internet access and telephone calls are being made available to people who might otherwise have limited access to such services, but the new behaviors created by these Links prompt an obvious question: Who will be the first to complain? And what will be done to address concerns about loitering and noise? The music playing through these LinkNYC speakers might be easily absorbed into the noisy soundscapes of Third Avenue and Eighth Avenue, but what annoyances await residents of quieter residential neighborhoods as these devices appear right outside their bedroom windows?

It is ironic because one of the more enduring complaints about traditional payphones was the type of behaviors they attracted. Links, which are systematically replacing those old phones, appear to be a breeding ground for the 21st century version of people hanging around by the payphone. An old-style payphone of today offers little reason for anyone to just hang around nearby. They cannot accept incoming calls. Neither can Links but these devices offer substantially more distraction.

The person on the right was using a Third Avenue Link to make a phone call as his increasingly impatient partner paced around nearby, smoking a cigarette.

This woman was also using the free phone call feature of an Eighth Avenue Link, which is actually something I have not seen too much of. Most people I’ve seen who use a Link’s on-board services seem to gravitate to YouTube for music and video.

The woman in the above photo seemed to be having much better luck than I did when I tried to use Links’ VOIP phones. Either she somehow got a better connection than I did, or the person she was talking to had more patience than the people I called. In my attempts to use Links for phone calls I found that the person I called sounded fine on my end, but to them I sounded like R2D2. This woman was talking quite loudly, which substantiates my hunch that the best way to have conversations through these things is to yell. I am not much of a yeller but a carefully placed bullhorn might suffice for making calls from Links more balanced.