“So, who died and made you ‘Ping Tut?'”

With the launch of The Wi-Fi Guy blog in 2004, the question arose. “What gave someone the credentials to criss-cross the country, and opine about Wi-Fi hotspots – calling himself “The Wi-Fi Guy?'”

Well — plain and simple — no one else had done it yet, at least not on the scale of The Wi-Fi Guy. That wireless travel blog covered 18,000 miles, road tripping alone in a politically incorrect SUV, beaming up information from 43 major U.S. cities.

It is said, “Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.” That trailblazing blog’s success is perhaps most evident in the other “Wi-Fi guys” who now populate the blogosphere and YouTube.

But … “been there, done that.” No more guy. Let them be the guy.

This time, the blog is PingWi-Fi.

The PingWi-Fi blog searches for all things wireless, mixing in generous servings of music, film, art, sports, travel, attitude, culture and good old Americana.

“Who is this person they call Ping?”

D. Kent Pingel is a road weary, caffeinated pioneer of the Blogosphere. Previously, he enjoyed a sizeable following, albeit that was back when a Starbucks cup of coffee was more expensive than a gallon of gas. In the media coverage of his blog, he was proud to be called “a digital Jack Kerouac.”

Pingel resurfaces as PingWi-Fi, and his mission is the same – to seek out wireless connectivity and to sample cultural “places-to-be” … while mixing in more than a few ellipses and smileys.

As a journalist, Ping(el) completed his first TV reporting gig at the age of 12. Later, he won his first journalism award – A Hearst — for a feature written about Stanley Marsh 3, the owner/curator of Old Route 66’s Cadillac Ranch. This world famous monument to roadtrips, The Cadillac Ranch was the launching point for the travels of The Wi-Fi Guy in 2004.

The blogger also is the editor of and a major contributor to the sports collectable NOLAN RYAN: The Authorized Pictorial History. In addition to Ping, the book’s roster includes submissions from a U.S. President and a Pulitzer Prize winner.

High atop his virtual mantle, the blogger rates his exclusive one-on-one interview with Joe Strummer (the legendary frontman of The Clash) as a crowning achievement. Pingel tends to post that interview on-line at the drop of a hat, and he hopes to one day host an Internet radio show featuring the taped conversation. He also has interviewed and written about artists ranging from blues giant Willie Dixon to fellow Texan, the late Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Ping resides in Fort Worth, Texas and traces his roots back to a tiny shack of a farmhouse, halfway between Amarillo, Texas and the New Mexican desert. His hometown Vega, Texas has been featured in not one, but two reality TV shows and an independent film … alas, the expat Vegan didn’t make the cut.

Be forewarned. Do not ask Ping about his family toiling with their own hands to build the first telephone line – a five-mile stretch — to link their remote farm with civilization. He will tear up and wax philosophically hours on end about the legacy. This true story of course instilled in him an insatiable desire for connectivity, 24/7.

Ping is a music fan, tends to ride his mountain bike around heavily trafficked metropolitan areas, and is prone to digress.

Ping us. We will Ping you back.