That's an interesting idea. However, Covad has been my CLEC for all 6 DSL ISPs I've had, and I've only had this problem with SpeakEasy. I've also heard from others who are having SpeakEasy do the same thing to them. We'll see how the next ISP fares...
It was a corporate minion from SpeakEasy who contacted me.
Repeatedly.
For 2 hours at a time, sometimes, trying to "talk me out of" being who I am (a habitual downloader since the 1980s.)
I did not have this problem with my previous 4 or 5 DSL ISPs (one went out of business, one I did not choose and was thrust into, two flat out didn't work, and one I left but shouldn't have - patriot.net).
And their reasoning was quite simple: I was downloading too much. They said my 250G in a month was more than thrice anyone else in the D.C. area POP . . .
SpeakEasy.net sold me 1.5M/768K DSL for $90/month. They told me people usually pay them twice the going rate for a given speed because of their excellent service. Their network was indeed excellent, and the reason I went to that company was because of their promises of "unlimited bandwidth" and "a provider designed for power users to use".
I even had a conversation with the online sales staff to ensure that yes, I could download at 100% of my rate 100% of the time if I so chose (something I have done on and off for several years now). Screenshots of the conversation is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/76331315/
And what happened? Later they told me that I need to curb my usage, or be terminated. After months of bickering, they finally told me to "keep it to 100 megs a month". That wasn't really possible for me, however, as they didn't even give me a month of time before terminating my service.
I was very lucky that Verizon & Covad actually didn't screw it up, and my new DSL came only 6 days later. And because the termination date was a friday, I got usage until monday (25 gigs baby!).
So: Don't believe your ISPs lies. I'd advise going with a smaller mom-and-pop shop than a big corporate ISP like SpeakEasy or EarthLink.
Buyer beware.
(They tried to use a $300 cancellation fee to bribe me out of writing about this, but I'd rather pay $300 if it saves someone else from my experiences. I can't be bought off so easily...)
Honestly, I've finally gotten to a point where I'm tired of the "freedom of speech doesn't mean you can run into a crowded theatre and yell fire".
I actually think that should be protected speech. If the idiots in the theatre trample each other in a mad rush from a fire that doesn't even exist, it was their own stupidity and lack of clearheadedness that killed them, not the person shouting fire. If someone tells me there is a fire, I am going to at least look for smoke so I can figure out what direction to flee. But trampling people just to get out when there's no actual fire? Simply because of a panic? I think that's far worse than yelling 'fire'.
But I know I am unique in my opinion AND it has little to do with the conversation. But I think painting speech as potentially physically harmful has a chilling effect: Just look at the whole Cartoon Mohammad thing for an example of that. "Words can hurt, so you can't say words that hurt." Words don't hurt people. People hurt people.
Uhh... Google does that too, bub.
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Google Calendar
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Before you waste your time writing a post, you might want to check that it is true. Google sends cell phone reminders. Clearly you are a Yahoo fanboy if you are spouting such false statements without making a judgment for yourself.
No, traffic jams are created by the demand for road bandwidth exceeding the throughput of the road. It's simple traffic theory and the same theory that is applicable to the roads is applicable to internet backbones. At least, this is what some of my wiser coworkers at the MCI Internet Engineering department said (Vint Cerf used to be my boss's boss's boss). The problem is that when you create extra bandwidth, be it road, or internet backbone, that simply by the bandwidth being there, people will use it. You can wide a highway to 12 lanes, and the highway will cause business to build up near it, and people to decide to start working there, ultimately creating a demand that will cause the road to be over-used. Part of why even the 12-lane roads in california are arguably worse than anywhere else in the country. But I digress. No cascading domino effect causes this. There are cars as far as the eye can see in both directions. This is not caused by a lack of orderliness, but you can project your blame on that if it makes you feel better by providing a mascot for you to direct your anger at. However, it should really be at your local Dept of Transportation. The Virginia Dept in particular really, really sucks. My crackpot theory on the matter is the good traffic theory specialists end up working in the heart of the internet (Reston, VA) instead of at the D.O.T. (Richmond, VA -- a comparative shithole).
Using trucks as an example to follow is the most laughable aspect of this debate yet. You mean like the truck that hit me, when I happened to be passing on the right, because there was a sign that said you had to get over to the right and i followed it. I mean, you'd think if the truck was in the right, he wouldn't have given a false name and license plate to the officer, including the name of an insurance company that didn't exist. I'm sure that is what people who are in the legal right do. And I'm sure the officer gave me a ticket for breaking the 'legal definition' of passing. Except he didn't, because there is none. Using truckers as an exmaple is like the NAACP endorsing Rodney King as an example of a good citizen. Get real. You become more fuller of it by the minute. It is as if your local Dept of Transportation is creating extra lanes in your brain by which bullshit may travel. And of course, as always, "if you build it, they will come", and it looks like plenty of bullshit has started to take advantage of the easy commute to the speech center of your brain.
I have yet to see where being in the left lane has created a traffic jam. The jackasses that try to get ahead on the left lane still face the full brunt of rush hour traffic right in front of me. Sure, they can get ahead of me if I left them by, but there's still a line of cars in the left lane as far as the eye can see. Shall the seas part, Moses?
And outside of rush hour, there is more than enough road to go around. I'm not stopping you. Your own stubborness is stopping you.
And I've never found convention or tradition to be a good reason to do anything. (Except slavery, and keeping women veiled and out of the voting booth, of course.)
And, the traffic school of my state instructed me on these facts. I am far more inclined to believe them than you.
I also refuse searches from police, vote 3rd party, have annoying bumper stickers, don't buy CDs, don't iron my clothes, don't go to bars, grocery stores, restaurants, or movie theatres, have an open relationship with my bisexual wife, and do a variety of other things without regard for tradition. (Like getting married upstairs in our house a year after we purchased it, in front of a Rugrats poster that was coincidentally hanging around.) Fuck tradition, and fuck societal mores.
If it's not 'work' (I wasn't talking about physical work, OBVIOUSLY. What a troll!), why do YOU mind it so much? Go around me if I'm in your way. You're in a vehicle. With a steering wheel and everything. The world is your oyster. You can get on with your life, or focus on the distractions along the way. I know which one of us will enjoy the experience more.
You misunderstood me. Getting in front of someone and slamming your breaks on *is* attempted vehicular homicide. And people *do* get charged for that if any damage is done.
And, although you misunderstood me, I did in fact understand your comment about lateness. I know (and knew) that you were talking about ME being late. My response stands. If I am late it is due to poor planning on my part, and no, the seas of the highway should not just part because I deem so. It's everybody's road and I no more have the right to expect people to get out of may way out of the kindness of their heards than anyone else, including you.
Again, you are not understanding what I am saying. "And the right lane is specifically NOT for passing." No, there is NO FUCKING LAW that says you can't pass in any goddamn lane you want. And I was talking about an interstate highway (specifically the Washington D.C. Beltway). Passing to the right is the *middle* lane, so again your comment still misses my point. But that is to be expected.
And NO, passing does not have an "on the left" legal definition. You made that up.
And, for reference, I am very punctual and have never been late to an interview or first day on the job, except for the time that cop pointed a gun to my head for daring to try to ask directions. . . And I drive in the D.C. beltway area which is one of the most congested areas.
So suck it up -- people like you will have to emotionally suffer due to people like me. Meanwhile, I will take great joy and your suffering will increase my emotional energy. And that's the way it's going to be.
You, sir, seem very eager to tell people what to do. Perhaps you should take a position in Homeland Security? There's better things you can be doing with your life. Why don't you join a Department Of Transportation and get them to actually build roads at the capacity they need to be at?
I used pine from 1992-2004 then switched to gmail.
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And I've never been happier.
Of course, I can still login to my machine and view my inbox with pine. It probably has 10,000+ messages in it right now:) I set up a procmail replication filter to replicate the emails to gmail.
In case I ever change my mind, I can go back.
If anyone needs an addressbook converter, I wrote one in Perl.
Gmail kicks ass and I wouldn't dream of going back to pine-only unless I had to. But the backup has come in handy when I've accidentally deleted (really deleted) a recruiter message that was in my spambox. . .
If you need to speed illegaly to get to your important event, considering the fact that I almost always drive 10MPH over the speed limit ANYWAY, well -- it must have not been that important, because you did plan accordingly OR leave in time to get there. You fucked up. It's not my job to change MY habits to accomodate YOUR half-assedness. Leave in time to get there, foo'.
Basically, if you want to get ahead of me, do it yourself. I'm not stopping you from passing me. You want to get ahead? You want the gain? Then you go to the right lane, pass me, and get back to the left lane. If you think that *I* have to move to accomodate *YOU*, because you are too lazy to do exactly what you are asking *ME* to do -- get in the right lane for 3 seconds -- then you are the self-absorbed asshole. Changing lanes is work. You do your own work, I'll do my own work. I always let people in, if they signal, and am actually a kinder driver than most. I don't expect you to believe this.
The rest of your pathetic flame is not worth responding to. I mean, really. You're a better human being than to really wish that, I'd hope. But I've said similar things too.
That's attempted vehicular homicide, and in the same class they said they charged a guy for doing that. Flashing your lights will drop my speed by 20MPH. I've followed people with MY brights on for 30+ miles, I can win any stubborn contest if you want to play it.
It's for through traffic. You're a self-righteous asshole. When I was 16 and got a reckless driving ticket for driving 54 in a 25, one of they things they taught us is: You have absolutely zero legal requirement to go a single MPH over the speed limit OR move out of the left lane, if you don't want to. And I will sit there and not let you pass, as long as I am going at least 1MPH faster than the next lane. Tough shit for you.
Unfortunately Microsoft has a policy of nuking your machine, if you connect a modded machine to Xbox Live. Even if you're playing a purchased game. So, I guess, truly, my comment, FOR ME, was PS2-specific, but for OTHER COUPLES was not specific.
I guess the answer is: Halo on an X-box.:)
That still doesn't let us play online in DDR, Amplitude, or a slew of other games, however.
Could I not host 1000s of files disguised as mp3s, that aren't really? Then when they sue me, they find out the files weren't real, and they wasted their time and money.
If 100,000 people did this, it would severely hamper their operations. And, although IANAL, I don't think it's obstruction of justice because it's civil, not criminal.
Thoughts? Ideas? Is there a group I can join? (No, not EFF)
Sure, I can play split-screen against my wife.... But.... Can we both go online split-screen? Nooooooooooo.
So I never play online because I never play alone. Apparantly this really IS for people with no friends. But my wife plays video games with me, and damnit, it would be nice if we could both go online.
I also didn't like having to purchase three copies of Quake3, so that us-and-a-guest could go online and play. We're one family, one set of income(s), having to pay thrice did not sit well with me.
However, at least it is possible for us to join a Q3 server on both of our computers. What are we supposed to do for the consoles, however? Buy another Xbox? Buy another PS2s? (Both of mine are modded so the 2nd ones would need to be too, probably... Even more money, but I do enjoy playing Atari 2600 games on my Xbox! But I digress...)
Actually, that is just for geographical reference. I live in Fairfax County, norhtern Virginia -- which is nothing like the rest of Virginia. My 2nd wallet was stolen within 30 minutes from where I work, a government building in a well-to-do business district where a one-bedroom condo runs $700K (I shit you not). The other wallet was stolen in an empty parking lot at a hospital, but it took me 2.5 hrs to make it back there.
So it really had nothing to do with the "peace" levels of D.C...
In the context of "unlimited downloads", and in the context of the pre-sales staff specifically telling me "Yes you can download 100% of your rate 100% of the time and you will not get in trouble with us"?
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You're absolutely right, Lorax. The Other guy is a flaming asshole.
That's an interesting idea. However, Covad has been my CLEC for all 6 DSL ISPs I've had, and I've only had this problem with SpeakEasy. I've also heard from others who are having SpeakEasy do the same thing to them. We'll see how the next ISP fares...
It was a corporate minion from SpeakEasy who contacted me.
Repeatedly.
For 2 hours at a time, sometimes, trying to "talk me out of" being who I am (a habitual downloader since the 1980s.)
I did not have this problem with my previous 4 or 5 DSL ISPs (one went out of business, one I did not choose and was thrust into, two flat out didn't work, and one I left but shouldn't have - patriot.net).
And their reasoning was quite simple: I was downloading too much. They said my 250G in a month was more than thrice anyone else in the D.C. area POP . . .
I even had a conversation with the online sales staff to ensure that yes, I could download at 100% of my rate 100% of the time if I so chose (something I have done on and off for several years now). Screenshots of the conversation is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/76331315/
And what happened? Later they told me that I need to curb my usage, or be terminated. After months of bickering, they finally told me to "keep it to 100 megs a month". That wasn't really possible for me, however, as they didn't even give me a month of time before terminating my service.
I was very lucky that Verizon & Covad actually didn't screw it up, and my new DSL came only 6 days later. And because the termination date was a friday, I got usage until monday (25 gigs baby!).
So: Don't believe your ISPs lies. I'd advise going with a smaller mom-and-pop shop than a big corporate ISP like SpeakEasy or EarthLink.
Buyer beware.
(They tried to use a $300 cancellation fee to bribe me out of writing about this, but I'd rather pay $300 if it saves someone else from my experiences. I can't be bought off so easily...)
I actually think that should be protected speech. If the idiots in the theatre trample each other in a mad rush from a fire that doesn't even exist, it was their own stupidity and lack of clearheadedness that killed them, not the person shouting fire. If someone tells me there is a fire, I am going to at least look for smoke so I can figure out what direction to flee. But trampling people just to get out when there's no actual fire? Simply because of a panic? I think that's far worse than yelling 'fire'.
But I know I am unique in my opinion AND it has little to do with the conversation. But I think painting speech as potentially physically harmful has a chilling effect: Just look at the whole Cartoon Mohammad thing for an example of that. "Words can hurt, so you can't say words that hurt." Words don't hurt people. People hurt people.
Before you waste your time writing a post, you might want to check that it is true. Google sends cell phone reminders. Clearly you are a Yahoo fanboy if you are spouting such false statements without making a judgment for yourself.
What I've read seems to indicate that yes, sex is a bit less pleasurable. And no one had the right to take that away from me, not even my parents.
And yes -- I like it just fine. But knowing that the best thing could be even better? That's a damn shame, and an affront to my biology.
Being happy in situation X is no reason not to strive for X+1...
It made me reconsider. Now I'm actually angry at my parents.
^^^ That is what we should be doing. Forget crashing a tiny craft into it, we should be nuking it.
Using trucks as an example to follow is the most laughable aspect of this debate yet. You mean like the truck that hit me, when I happened to be passing on the right, because there was a sign that said you had to get over to the right and i followed it. I mean, you'd think if the truck was in the right, he wouldn't have given a false name and license plate to the officer, including the name of an insurance company that didn't exist. I'm sure that is what people who are in the legal right do. And I'm sure the officer gave me a ticket for breaking the 'legal definition' of passing. Except he didn't, because there is none. Using truckers as an exmaple is like the NAACP endorsing Rodney King as an example of a good citizen. Get real. You become more fuller of it by the minute. It is as if your local Dept of Transportation is creating extra lanes in your brain by which bullshit may travel. And of course, as always, "if you build it, they will come", and it looks like plenty of bullshit has started to take advantage of the easy commute to the speech center of your brain.
And outside of rush hour, there is more than enough road to go around. I'm not stopping you. Your own stubborness is stopping you.
And I've never found convention or tradition to be a good reason to do anything. (Except slavery, and keeping women veiled and out of the voting booth, of course.)
And, the traffic school of my state instructed me on these facts. I am far more inclined to believe them than you.
I also refuse searches from police, vote 3rd party, have annoying bumper stickers, don't buy CDs, don't iron my clothes, don't go to bars, grocery stores, restaurants, or movie theatres, have an open relationship with my bisexual wife, and do a variety of other things without regard for tradition. (Like getting married upstairs in our house a year after we purchased it, in front of a Rugrats poster that was coincidentally hanging around.) Fuck tradition, and fuck societal mores.
A (p align=left) tag would really help about now.
If it's not 'work' (I wasn't talking about physical work, OBVIOUSLY. What a troll!), why do YOU mind it so much? Go around me if I'm in your way. You're in a vehicle. With a steering wheel and everything. The world is your oyster. You can get on with your life, or focus on the distractions along the way. I know which one of us will enjoy the experience more.
And, although you misunderstood me, I did in fact understand your comment about lateness. I know (and knew) that you were talking about ME being late. My response stands. If I am late it is due to poor planning on my part, and no, the seas of the highway should not just part because I deem so. It's everybody's road and I no more have the right to expect people to get out of may way out of the kindness of their heards than anyone else, including you.
Again, you are not understanding what I am saying. "And the right lane is specifically NOT for passing." No, there is NO FUCKING LAW that says you can't pass in any goddamn lane you want. And I was talking about an interstate highway (specifically the Washington D.C. Beltway). Passing to the right is the *middle* lane, so again your comment still misses my point. But that is to be expected.
And NO, passing does not have an "on the left" legal definition. You made that up.
And, for reference, I am very punctual and have never been late to an interview or first day on the job, except for the time that cop pointed a gun to my head for daring to try to ask directions. . . And I drive in the D.C. beltway area which is one of the most congested areas.
So suck it up -- people like you will have to emotionally suffer due to people like me. Meanwhile, I will take great joy and your suffering will increase my emotional energy. And that's the way it's going to be.
You, sir, seem very eager to tell people what to do. Perhaps you should take a position in Homeland Security? There's better things you can be doing with your life. Why don't you join a Department Of Transportation and get them to actually build roads at the capacity they need to be at?
Of course, I can still login to my machine and view my inbox with pine. It probably has 10,000+ messages in it right now :) I set up a procmail replication filter to replicate the emails to gmail.
In case I ever change my mind, I can go back.
If anyone needs an addressbook converter, I wrote one in Perl.
Gmail kicks ass and I wouldn't dream of going back to pine-only unless I had to. But the backup has come in handy when I've accidentally deleted (really deleted) a recruiter message that was in my spambox. . .
Basically, if you want to get ahead of me, do it yourself. I'm not stopping you from passing me. You want to get ahead? You want the gain? Then you go to the right lane, pass me, and get back to the left lane. If you think that *I* have to move to accomodate *YOU*, because you are too lazy to do exactly what you are asking *ME* to do -- get in the right lane for 3 seconds -- then you are the self-absorbed asshole. Changing lanes is work. You do your own work, I'll do my own work. I always let people in, if they signal, and am actually a kinder driver than most. I don't expect you to believe this.
The rest of your pathetic flame is not worth responding to. I mean, really. You're a better human being than to really wish that, I'd hope. But I've said similar things too.
That's attempted vehicular homicide, and in the same class they said they charged a guy for doing that. Flashing your lights will drop my speed by 20MPH. I've followed people with MY brights on for 30+ miles, I can win any stubborn contest if you want to play it.
It's for through traffic. You're a self-righteous asshole. When I was 16 and got a reckless driving ticket for driving 54 in a 25, one of they things they taught us is: You have absolutely zero legal requirement to go a single MPH over the speed limit OR move out of the left lane, if you don't want to. And I will sit there and not let you pass, as long as I am going at least 1MPH faster than the next lane. Tough shit for you.
Still, it would be nice if I could just do what I want, when I want. Anyone know of a small country I could take over?
I guess the answer is: Halo on an X-box. :)
That still doesn't let us play online in DDR, Amplitude, or a slew of other games, however.
If 100,000 people did this, it would severely hamper their operations. And, although IANAL, I don't think it's obstruction of justice because it's civil, not criminal.
Thoughts? Ideas? Is there a group I can join? (No, not EFF)
So I never play online because I never play alone. Apparantly this really IS for people with no friends. But my wife plays video games with me, and damnit, it would be nice if we could both go online.
I also didn't like having to purchase three copies of Quake3, so that us-and-a-guest could go online and play. We're one family, one set of income(s), having to pay thrice did not sit well with me.
However, at least it is possible for us to join a Q3 server on both of our computers. What are we supposed to do for the consoles, however? Buy another Xbox? Buy another PS2s? (Both of mine are modded so the 2nd ones would need to be too, probably... Even more money, but I do enjoy playing Atari 2600 games on my Xbox! But I digress...)
It's a shame when something good gets tainted.
Ironically, it is now one day past my termination date, and I still have a connection.
I think they gave me until midnight the final night, which fell on a weekend, so looks like I'm going to finish that torrent after all :)
So it really had nothing to do with the "peace" levels of D.C...
In the context of "unlimited downloads", and in the context of the pre-sales staff specifically telling me "Yes you can download 100% of your rate 100% of the time and you will not get in trouble with us"?