I get a bit upset when they tinker with a classic tale to just be politically correct, or controversial, etc.
The old characters were just fine as they were.
If they want to create new tales and do gay characters...why not?
But there's no need to do what they did to B&B. They didn't need to make a black orphaned Annie. The classics were just fine as they were. If you want to have diversity for the sake of diversity, just make new tales that are inclusive of characters that are written originally as those types of minorities or life choices.
Normal people use a laptop or tablet these days to watch TV grandad.
That's fine if you're out on the road traveling, or maybe having a meal out by yourself....
But geez, why would anyone watch on a tiny screen when you have a nice HD or now becoming prevalent 4K televisions....60" or so?
I mean, those things are bought by people (usually with real jobs of a few years), and I know that I'd much rather watch a good movie on my large screen TV with a quality surround system I have in my living room.
Not everyone is a college student with no money and can only watch on a tablet or laptop.
Some people work and have disposible cash and actually buy things to enjoy with it....
I find it difficult to get a bunch of friends over for beers and gather 6-8 of us around a tablet or laptop to watch a game or movie....?
It is expanding into new genres such as children's fare, reality TV and stand-up comedy specials
PLEASE Netflix, don't go down the route of fscking "reality tv"....please....
If it gets overrun by reality crap, I"ll drop netflix.
Hell, if they ever syndicate something awful like the existing kardashain shit out there, I"ll possibly pull the plug on NF.
I like a lot of what NF is doing, I do wish they'd get back a little more of the commercial movie stuff, but in all I'm fairly happy with their offerings.
But geez, "reality" tv type stuff has ruined what used to be good networks.
DIY...dead to reality stuff, no longer DIY stuff.
Cooking Channel and FoodTV...I rarely see a show on there where someone actually cooks recipes to show and educate the view...it is some fucking contest or reality type cooking thing.
More and more seems to fall to this crap and it makes me sick.
The latest victim I've heard about, is the show I really used to like to watch, Wheeler Dealers on the Velocity channel.
The main part of the show, was with Edd China doing the mechanical work and explaining what was going on.
Well, apparently a US company has bought them off, and was going to cut the actual "meat" of the show drastically....and I envisioned, having Edd and Mike argue like the fucking Tuttle's did on that chopper show...?
I respect Edd...who QUIT the show. I'll not be watching it anymore.
So, Netflix...keep up the good work and leave the CRAP reality/contest shows to the regular networks that are rapidly becoming non-relavent anymore to anyone that wants to view something worth watching.
What color is the skin on their code? It all looks the same on my IDE.
Well, the original article is alluding to the fact that indians (dot not feather) are so cheap over in India, but that their actual skill, professionalism and all is severely lacking.
In general if you say that about a race of people in general, you'll get immediately attacked.
Sure, one brush doesn't paint everyone, BUT...in my experience to date, in MANY years in IT...the indians that come to the US, while many can do rote coding, if the requirements are very well and specifically spelled out, they just cannot in general seem to innovate or come up with code or processes that require individual thinking, creation and invention.
I dunno if it is how they are taught over there, or something to do with culture, or what...but that's what I've seen over and over again.
I won't even go into how badly many/most of them I"ve see treat women in the work place. It seems they get away with it too, whereas I'd be canned in a moment if anyone heard me spouting some of the stuff they say not very quietly.
Is the issue "protecting the loved ones" or evading social responsibility?
Err...exactly what social responsibility do I have to live up to, when it comes to my decision on where to live, where best to raise my kids, where best to invest my housing dollars for best resale?
This "social responsibility" is some kind of new concept you just came up with.....?
and I have some of the best dark skies in the country. Most people have never seen a dark sky, and underestimate its value.
Oh man, I envy you there.
I'm wanting to try my hand at some astral photography, but I dunno when I'll get a chance to find somewhere to go that isn't trashed with urban light pollution.....
It was just before Katrina, when I went with a girlfriend to a little beach house type thing in Mexico, well away from the large cities, that I last saw a nice, unpolluted nighttime sky.
I'd forgotten what a beautiful display a black night full of stars and planets looked like.
We got there and just sat on the deck with a couple beers that first night (and most nights afterwards) just staring into the night sky and marveling how wondrous it was...
Right now, as a retiree, urban suits me because we don't need or want a large footprint and we don't want to be driving into town for most of the things that we need and want to do.
I can see your point on this for sure.
However, with SO many things now being able to be delivered at a reasonable price to your home door....even living out more suburban, you don't have to drive quite as much for shopping, etc....and with things like Uber, you can cheaply let someone else drive.
So, things like that might make living out of the urban areas even more attractive to some.
If you like your car/motorcycle/doctor, you can keep your car/motorcycle/doctor. Just because there will be more options in the future doesn't mean you have to give up your motorcycle.
The reason I ask..is that I'm foreseeing that if self driving cars become the norm, they will then be mandated and human driver vehicles will not be allowed to occupy the same roads as driverless.
IMHO, a very real possibility and I'd hate to lose that option....
I don't know why you are downmodded troll. The demographic trend has been going on for this reason for over 50 years. Most Americans want to avoid a life of ignorance, violence, and fear.
Well, in general, you do see less violence in the suburbs than the densely populated urban areas, and the school systems are often much better away from the inner cities.
You can't blame people for wanting to try to raise their families in a much healthier environment.
That's hardly the entirety of the decision. Aside from the pros/cons of renting vs buying, if that apartment is 30 minutes closer to work, you just saved 250 hours a year of your personal time. What's that worth?
Well, of course there are trade-offs for everything.
I personally cannot STAND sharing walls with people.
I have a pretty high end sound system, and I like to crank it up from time to time for music or maybe just watching the Flintstones at concert volume....without having to worry about people complaining.
And too...many of us enjoy having a bit of room in our own yards to stretch out..have a nice patio. I love to grill on my Big Green egg....or fire up my smoker and do BBQ (slow and low for up to about 18 hours or so).
I might want to fire up the big pot outside and have a crawfish boil with friends.
You can't keep a stack of smoking wood, that many cookers or even often use a grill with real fire on an apartment balcony.
I also like to have my own garage or carport for my car(s).
Sure there are trade-offs between living in the greater metropolitan/urban areas, you have to decide about your lifestyle and what suits it best.
Where I live, people engage in a LOT of the things I just mentioned, I won't even go into the number of people that have boats at their houses they take out quite often for fishing, skiing, etc. You can't do that stuff readily in an urban setting.
I have friends that like to be even more out, almost rural...that's not me, but I do like to stretch my arms out a bit in my own house and yard.
Good thing it takes longer to work someone to death if you're paying them a little bit. Slavery is for suckers.
The thing is....NONE of these "gig" jobs are there for you to make a living on...that's not their purpose.
They are there to allow you to make some money on the SIDE, when you have free cycles.
Not every single job out there is one meant to make a career and living from, when did this thinking come about?
Am I supposed to pay the neighborhood kid a living wage, offer a 401K and health benefits for just mowing my fucking lawn...?
If someone is stupid enough to think they can earn a living doing "gig" work like these, I think the problem isn't the job, it is somewhere between their ears.
Hell, go wait tables, you can make a LOT more money that way if you have to have a job between "real" jobs. I did it. Hell, depending on the market, be a bar tender, you can make some good money that way that people actually live on.
But trying to do fiver or lyft or the like for a living just shows a person that isn't thinking straight.
Not every job out there, is meant to support you for a living.
Great for you. Not everyone is as awesomely brilliant as you. But that's their tough shit, right?
I don't even remotely consider or promote myself as brilliant.
I do tend to act like an adult when it comes to my working life, and I am responsible for myself.
I expect the same from other working adults....you should be responsible for your life, work and family...and we really don't need any MORE govt. intrusion.
If you are an idiot and can't be an adult..well, then yes...fuck'em.
You gotta grow up some day, its a big old world that doesn't give a shit about you and you have to compete.
I tend to try to rely on multiple sources of income and am always looking for new revenue streams.
The point of the study is that the "gig" economy is "you can work as little or as much as you want" is a way around labor laws, things like 40 hr weeks, paid time off, overtime.
No, it is a little something that has gone on for a LOOOONG time, but apparently many people somehow don't know about it these days...
It's called contracting...aka independent contracting.
It is perfectly legal and it has been around for a long, long time...
Now...not every contract gig is something you make a living off alone. Many people make a living off of multiple contracts.
With the exception of one W2 "gig" in the middle for a couple years, I've been working 1099 contracting and making a healthy living off it for the better part of 10 years or so.
Now, do I take every "gig" I can? No. But the ones where I can negotiate a bill rate, and I do make big boy decisions as to how much I need...to cover paying my insurance, fund retirement, and yes to cover 3-4 weeks a year vacation/sick time off I allow myself (no work no pay, has to be calculated in)...I accept those contracts.
I can assure you that I am not the only person out there doing this for a living...especially in IT.
So, are you saying this should be done away with entirely? That just because some people mistake side gigs for full time employment, that those of us who can do and prefer to make our own decisions, work our own hours, work what jobs we want...should have this capability removed, so as to cater to the lowest common denominator?
That's what I seem to hear you saying. Because a contractor, is a contractor, is a contractor....doesn't matter the duration of contract nor the bill rate.
I consider myself the same work category as a Uber/Lyft or other contractor type work relationship, I just happen to make more money at the contracts I enter into.
If I wanted, I could do Uber on the side too...I just don't need to.
But I VERY much enjoy the freedom I have to make my working, investment and retirement decisions myself.
I'm not aware of people saying "gee, I really don't want that nine-to-five job, I want to be an uberer/fiverr/lyfter". They* are taking those jobs because they don't have anywhere else to go
Nowhere else to go?? Really? Who's holding them back? There are PLENTY of jobs out there.
Why not try waiting tables or bartending? I made a living doing that before I got a "real" job?
There's work to be done out there, may not be your "ideal" job that gives you self esteem, but you can work and earn a living till you get that job, and it does not have to be 'gig' work...although doing some gig work on the side can help supplement your restaurant job.
Whether they were intended as full-time work originally or not, they most certainly have morphed into that.
So,we should do a way with, ban or regulate out of business, those companies that offer this choice of a side contract gig...just because some people are too stupid to realize that it is not a primary source of income.
We have to cater to the lowest denomination because some people can't make correct decisions with regard to employment?
Hell, should we do away with contracting in general? It works for me, but because others don't know how to negotiate, manage money and paperwork, I shouldn't be allowed to either because others might get hurt or do things wrong?
I'm sorry, I cannot see your arguments here, until I see the gun being held to someones head forcing them to do this gig work....
Good thing it takes longer to work someone to death if you're paying them a little bit. Slavery is for suckers.
The thing is....NONE of these "gig" jobs are there for you to make a living on...that's not their purpose.
They are there to allow you to make some money on the SIDE, when you have free cycles.
Not every single job out there is one meant to make a career and living from, when did this thinking come about?
Am I supposed to pay the neighborhood kid a living wage, offer a 401K and health benefits for just mowing my fucking lawn...?
If someone is stupid enough to think they can earn a living doing "gig" work like these, I think the problem isn't the job, it is somewhere between their ears.
Hell, go wait tables, you can make a LOT more money that way if you have to have a job between "real" jobs. I did it. Hell, depending on the market, be a bar tender, you can make some good money that way that people actually live on.
But trying to do fiver or lyft or the like for a living just shows a person that isn't thinking straight.
Not every job out there, is meant to support you for a living.
With american cellular plans starting to offer reasonable amounts of "unlimited*" data, it's getting easier to actually cut the cord.
Well, that's just fine when you're out and about or traveling and want to watch stuff....
But when I'm at home, I want full quality and no limits....
I didn't buy 55" OLED 4K tv's to just watch them at low rez, and have to worry about data caps/slowdowns hitting...
I suppose if you watch your media on nothing ever bigger than a 8" screen, then this would work, but for many that made a reasonable living and have nice TVs at home, you need a larger, more dependable pipe...
I was about to suggest folks look into seeing if they offer business internet in their area.
I've had a Cox cable account for a LONG time at $69/mo. No caps, I can run servers (no blocked ports)...etc.
Granted, my plan is so old, it isn't offered anymore to the public, but I"ve checked and the ones offered currently are still comparable in price and possibly more in speed.
It's not like you have to show a lot of proof you are a "business"....
I happen to need mine as that I work from home. When I cut the cord, I didn't calculate it into the mix. But prior to this, I had UVerse U200..was about $115 or so here a month.
I ditched that, put up an OTA antenna hooked to a tivo and tivo minis to each room for DVR and watching my local HD channels, and paired with with amazon FireTv units on each tv that stream Playstation VUE for $35/mo, which also has DVR capabilities and provides all my "cable channels".
I only lost 2 channels I used to kinda watch, Velocity and AXS....but I'm doing fine without those.
So, cutting the cord, I went from $115/mo to $35/mo.
But do look around and look into business connections and you should be able to find internet for a reasonable un-bundled rate.
I admit it's been a while since I was in the US (since the TSA idiocy started to spread like cancer, to be exact), but I sure hope you don't consider Bud or Miller "beer".
The part of me that's Bavarian would like a word with you if you do!
OH goodness no.
Sure they still sell a LOT of the Bud type beer, but there are TONS of independent, smaller and craft brewers around the US.
The Shiner one is in TX..but those listed are just a very FEW of the many in my immediate area...and each area on the US has their own good breweries. Some have product that is only available locally, but others are nationwide.
It's been a couple of decades since you had to drink crappy beer in the US.
I'm not arguing VM vs IM. IM is better for almost everything.
Per my earlier post, I turn IM fucking OFF....it is a constant intrusion on my concentration...pops up, blinking on tray...ugh.
And..people seem to bug you on it for more innocuous reasons "Hey, what's up?" I'm as sociable a person as can be when not working, but when I'm trying to concentrate, leave me the fuck alone unless there's a fire somewhere.
I turn it off, and only turn it on when I need to hit a meeting where there is screen sharing, or an emergency after someone emails or calls me.
I prefer email...is asynchronous, it doesn't pop up and bug me...and it provides a better CYA paper trail of a conversation, IMHO.
I know...the ability to "interrupt" is a horrible one.
I've been working from home for a few years now, and I even turn off the damned IM products they have tried thrusting upon us...latest one, Lync.
I can't get a damned thing done without someone trying to annoy me on lync, and it usually is NOT something that is a priority item.
I will fire it up and join a meeting when needed, or desktop sharing is absolutely required, but for 99% of my time, I do not need it and it is detrimental to my work and concentration.
Fortunately, I've been around long enough where no one really presses me on it like they do others...but I find email to be best way to work, it is asynchronous, and AND...I think it leaves a much better paper trail for CYA when needed at future times.
Slashdot Mirror
I get a bit upset when they tinker with a classic tale to just be politically correct, or controversial, etc.
The old characters were just fine as they were.
If they want to create new tales and do gay characters...why not?
But there's no need to do what they did to B&B. They didn't need to make a black orphaned Annie. The classics were just fine as they were. If you want to have diversity for the sake of diversity, just make new tales that are inclusive of characters that are written originally as those types of minorities or life choices.
That's fine if you're out on the road traveling, or maybe having a meal out by yourself....
But geez, why would anyone watch on a tiny screen when you have a nice HD or now becoming prevalent 4K televisions....60" or so?
I mean, those things are bought by people (usually with real jobs of a few years), and I know that I'd much rather watch a good movie on my large screen TV with a quality surround system I have in my living room.
Not everyone is a college student with no money and can only watch on a tablet or laptop.
Some people work and have disposible cash and actually buy things to enjoy with it....
I find it difficult to get a bunch of friends over for beers and gather 6-8 of us around a tablet or laptop to watch a game or movie....?
There...fixed that for you....
PLEASE Netflix, don't go down the route of fscking "reality tv"....please....
If it gets overrun by reality crap, I"ll drop netflix.
Hell, if they ever syndicate something awful like the existing kardashain shit out there, I"ll possibly pull the plug on NF.
I like a lot of what NF is doing, I do wish they'd get back a little more of the commercial movie stuff, but in all I'm fairly happy with their offerings.
But geez, "reality" tv type stuff has ruined what used to be good networks.
DIY...dead to reality stuff, no longer DIY stuff.
Cooking Channel and FoodTV...I rarely see a show on there where someone actually cooks recipes to show and educate the view...it is some fucking contest or reality type cooking thing.
More and more seems to fall to this crap and it makes me sick.
The latest victim I've heard about, is the show I really used to like to watch, Wheeler Dealers on the Velocity channel.
The main part of the show, was with Edd China doing the mechanical work and explaining what was going on.
Well, apparently a US company has bought them off, and was going to cut the actual "meat" of the show drastically....and I envisioned, having Edd and Mike argue like the fucking Tuttle's did on that chopper show...?
I respect Edd...who QUIT the show. I'll not be watching it anymore.
So, Netflix...keep up the good work and leave the CRAP reality/contest shows to the regular networks that are rapidly becoming non-relavent anymore to anyone that wants to view something worth watching.
Well, the original article is alluding to the fact that indians (dot not feather) are so cheap over in India, but that their actual skill, professionalism and all is severely lacking.
In general if you say that about a race of people in general, you'll get immediately attacked.
Sure, one brush doesn't paint everyone, BUT...in my experience to date, in MANY years in IT...the indians that come to the US, while many can do rote coding, if the requirements are very well and specifically spelled out, they just cannot in general seem to innovate or come up with code or processes that require individual thinking, creation and invention.
I dunno if it is how they are taught over there, or something to do with culture, or what...but that's what I've seen over and over again.
I won't even go into how badly many/most of them I"ve see treat women in the work place. It seems they get away with it too, whereas I'd be canned in a moment if anyone heard me spouting some of the stuff they say not very quietly.
These aren't a bunch of white guys...you can't take this way about them or their talents.....
Err...exactly what social responsibility do I have to live up to, when it comes to my decision on where to live, where best to raise my kids, where best to invest my housing dollars for best resale?
This "social responsibility" is some kind of new concept you just came up with.....?
Oh man, I envy you there.
I'm wanting to try my hand at some astral photography, but I dunno when I'll get a chance to find somewhere to go that isn't trashed with urban light pollution.....
It was just before Katrina, when I went with a girlfriend to a little beach house type thing in Mexico, well away from the large cities, that I last saw a nice, unpolluted nighttime sky.
I'd forgotten what a beautiful display a black night full of stars and planets looked like.
We got there and just sat on the deck with a couple beers that first night (and most nights afterwards) just staring into the night sky and marveling how wondrous it was...
I can see your point on this for sure.
However, with SO many things now being able to be delivered at a reasonable price to your home door....even living out more suburban, you don't have to drive quite as much for shopping, etc....and with things like Uber, you can cheaply let someone else drive.
So, things like that might make living out of the urban areas even more attractive to some.
The reason I ask..is that I'm foreseeing that if self driving cars become the norm, they will then be mandated and human driver vehicles will not be allowed to occupy the same roads as driverless.
IMHO, a very real possibility and I'd hate to lose that option....
Will they also be able to drive out out of the city and go off roading?
Will they be able to pick up your boat and drive it to the launch, drop it in and then park with the trailer to wait for you?
Does this do away with motorcycles? Geez, I'd be hard pressed to want to give up the freedom and fun my motorcycle affords me on my days off....
Not everyone uses a car/vehicle strictly to go to/from work or other mundane, utilitarian usage.
Well, in general, you do see less violence in the suburbs than the densely populated urban areas, and the school systems are often much better away from the inner cities.
You can't blame people for wanting to try to raise their families in a much healthier environment.
Well, of course there are trade-offs for everything.
I personally cannot STAND sharing walls with people.
I have a pretty high end sound system, and I like to crank it up from time to time for music or maybe just watching the Flintstones at concert volume....without having to worry about people complaining.
And too...many of us enjoy having a bit of room in our own yards to stretch out..have a nice patio. I love to grill on my Big Green egg....or fire up my smoker and do BBQ (slow and low for up to about 18 hours or so).
I might want to fire up the big pot outside and have a crawfish boil with friends.
You can't keep a stack of smoking wood, that many cookers or even often use a grill with real fire on an apartment balcony.
I also like to have my own garage or carport for my car(s).
Sure there are trade-offs between living in the greater metropolitan/urban areas, you have to decide about your lifestyle and what suits it best.
Where I live, people engage in a LOT of the things I just mentioned, I won't even go into the number of people that have boats at their houses they take out quite often for fishing, skiing, etc. You can't do that stuff readily in an urban setting.
I have friends that like to be even more out, almost rural...that's not me, but I do like to stretch my arms out a bit in my own house and yard.
Ok, while I've never heard of this before...what exactly is the problem with this? I mean, this *is* still the United States of America, right?
ANY day is a good day to display and be proud of the country's flag...
Flamebait...seriously?
This is a legitimate question....
Was this a typo and they meant "Mom"?
I don't even remotely consider or promote myself as brilliant.
I do tend to act like an adult when it comes to my working life, and I am responsible for myself.
I expect the same from other working adults....you should be responsible for your life, work and family...and we really don't need any MORE govt. intrusion.
If you are an idiot and can't be an adult..well, then yes...fuck'em.
You gotta grow up some day, its a big old world that doesn't give a shit about you and you have to compete.
I tend to try to rely on multiple sources of income and am always looking for new revenue streams.
No, it is a little something that has gone on for a LOOOONG time, but apparently many people somehow don't know about it these days...
It's called contracting...aka independent contracting.
It is perfectly legal and it has been around for a long, long time...
Now...not every contract gig is something you make a living off alone. Many people make a living off of multiple contracts.
With the exception of one W2 "gig" in the middle for a couple years, I've been working 1099 contracting and making a healthy living off it for the better part of 10 years or so.
Now, do I take every "gig" I can? No. But the ones where I can negotiate a bill rate, and I do make big boy decisions as to how much I need...to cover paying my insurance, fund retirement, and yes to cover 3-4 weeks a year vacation/sick time off I allow myself (no work no pay, has to be calculated in)...I accept those contracts.
I can assure you that I am not the only person out there doing this for a living...especially in IT.
So, are you saying this should be done away with entirely? That just because some people mistake side gigs for full time employment, that those of us who can do and prefer to make our own decisions, work our own hours, work what jobs we want...should have this capability removed, so as to cater to the lowest common denominator?
That's what I seem to hear you saying. Because a contractor, is a contractor, is a contractor....doesn't matter the duration of contract nor the bill rate.
I consider myself the same work category as a Uber/Lyft or other contractor type work relationship, I just happen to make more money at the contracts I enter into.
If I wanted, I could do Uber on the side too...I just don't need to.
But I VERY much enjoy the freedom I have to make my working, investment and retirement decisions myself.
What's wrong with that?
Nowhere else to go?? Really? Who's holding them back? There are PLENTY of jobs out there.
Why not try waiting tables or bartending? I made a living doing that before I got a "real" job?
There's work to be done out there, may not be your "ideal" job that gives you self esteem, but you can work and earn a living till you get that job, and it does not have to be 'gig' work...although doing some gig work on the side can help supplement your restaurant job.
So,we should do a way with, ban or regulate out of business, those companies that offer this choice of a side contract gig...just because some people are too stupid to realize that it is not a primary source of income.
We have to cater to the lowest denomination because some people can't make correct decisions with regard to employment?
Hell, should we do away with contracting in general? It works for me, but because others don't know how to negotiate, manage money and paperwork, I shouldn't be allowed to either because others might get hurt or do things wrong?
I'm sorry, I cannot see your arguments here, until I see the gun being held to someones head forcing them to do this gig work....
The thing is....NONE of these "gig" jobs are there for you to make a living on...that's not their purpose.
They are there to allow you to make some money on the SIDE, when you have free cycles.
Not every single job out there is one meant to make a career and living from, when did this thinking come about?
Am I supposed to pay the neighborhood kid a living wage, offer a 401K and health benefits for just mowing my fucking lawn...?
If someone is stupid enough to think they can earn a living doing "gig" work like these, I think the problem isn't the job, it is somewhere between their ears.
Hell, go wait tables, you can make a LOT more money that way if you have to have a job between "real" jobs. I did it. Hell, depending on the market, be a bar tender, you can make some good money that way that people actually live on.
But trying to do fiver or lyft or the like for a living just shows a person that isn't thinking straight.
Not every job out there, is meant to support you for a living.
Well, that's just fine when you're out and about or traveling and want to watch stuff....
But when I'm at home, I want full quality and no limits....
I didn't buy 55" OLED 4K tv's to just watch them at low rez, and have to worry about data caps/slowdowns hitting...
I suppose if you watch your media on nothing ever bigger than a 8" screen, then this would work, but for many that made a reasonable living and have nice TVs at home, you need a larger, more dependable pipe...
I was about to suggest folks look into seeing if they offer business internet in their area.
I've had a Cox cable account for a LONG time at $69/mo. No caps, I can run servers (no blocked ports)...etc.
Granted, my plan is so old, it isn't offered anymore to the public, but I"ve checked and the ones offered currently are still comparable in price and possibly more in speed.
It's not like you have to show a lot of proof you are a "business"....
I happen to need mine as that I work from home. When I cut the cord, I didn't calculate it into the mix. But prior to this, I had UVerse U200..was about $115 or so here a month.
I ditched that, put up an OTA antenna hooked to a tivo and tivo minis to each room for DVR and watching my local HD channels, and paired with with amazon FireTv units on each tv that stream Playstation VUE for $35/mo, which also has DVR capabilities and provides all my "cable channels".
I only lost 2 channels I used to kinda watch, Velocity and AXS....but I'm doing fine without those.
So, cutting the cord, I went from $115/mo to $35/mo.
But do look around and look into business connections and you should be able to find internet for a reasonable un-bundled rate.
OH goodness no.
Sure they still sell a LOT of the Bud type beer, but there are TONS of independent, smaller and craft brewers around the US.
Examples:
Abita Beer
NOLA Brewery
Second Line Brewing
Lazy Magnolia
Shiner Beer
And here's a wiki media of the rest of the LA breweries here down south....
Linky
The Shiner one is in TX..but those listed are just a very FEW of the many in my immediate area...and each area on the US has their own good breweries. Some have product that is only available locally, but others are nationwide.
It's been a couple of decades since you had to drink crappy beer in the US.
Per my earlier post, I turn IM fucking OFF....it is a constant intrusion on my concentration...pops up, blinking on tray...ugh.
And..people seem to bug you on it for more innocuous reasons "Hey, what's up?" I'm as sociable a person as can be when not working, but when I'm trying to concentrate, leave me the fuck alone unless there's a fire somewhere.
I turn it off, and only turn it on when I need to hit a meeting where there is screen sharing, or an emergency after someone emails or calls me.
I prefer email...is asynchronous, it doesn't pop up and bug me...and it provides a better CYA paper trail of a conversation, IMHO.
I've been working from home for a few years now, and I even turn off the damned IM products they have tried thrusting upon us...latest one, Lync.
I can't get a damned thing done without someone trying to annoy me on lync, and it usually is NOT something that is a priority item.
I will fire it up and join a meeting when needed, or desktop sharing is absolutely required, but for 99% of my time, I do not need it and it is detrimental to my work and concentration.
Fortunately, I've been around long enough where no one really presses me on it like they do others...but I find email to be best way to work, it is asynchronous, and AND...I think it leaves a much better paper trail for CYA when needed at future times.