My college daughter moved into an off-campus apartment complex and we fired up her computer. There were 7 available wireless networks available and 5 were totally open.
It's amazing how many access points you can find if you try. Coffe shops, malls, etc... even entire cities. Manhattan Beach, California has free wireless internet access for the entire city.
If anyone here needs it I can write up a quick synopsis if what you'd want to do to easily lock up your network. A method that also makes it simple to allow a new computer (such as a visiting friend's laptop) onto your network without password hassles.