Category: thoughts

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Communications thoughts

California Network Showdown #1

I have both AT&T and Verizon data plans now. It may seem crazy to some, but I really like bandwidth, and love the opportunity to see which offers more value for the money in my real world situations. Also, my AT&T contract is almost up, so I don’t plan on keeping it this way forever.

I stopped to get fuel on a roadtrip to and from Redding, CA and did a network speed test at one of the last stops at a Chevron just off of interstate 5

AT&T on the Edge Network

Well, there is not a lot of room for a slower connection than this.The good news here I see is that there are a solid five bars of signal strength, but only one kilobit per bar ratio for download speed. I suppose if I were to really thouroughly test this, I should have tried to make a call, but I had to attend to the pump, since the trigger released itself for some reason. Karyn does not have a lot of patience for my experiments going longer than a commercial break, especially when we have to get back on the freeway and make good time.

AT&T on the 3G Network

Not too bad. This is usable. I have no idea why it took four minutes to find the 3G signal, but I am glad it did. I did not turn off the 3G setting to get the first edge reading above, it just happened this way, oddly. I guess the edge network is what one uses to talk on while surfing the net with 3G?

Verizon on the 3G Network

Wow! This was way beyond
my expectations. I had to double check my network settings to be sure I was not connected to some other courtesy network. Nothing else around but freeway and grass besides this pump station.

Chevron Food Mart Location

Karyn was getting a few Gatorades at the food Mart, and I was not quite filling up our tank, besides doing these ‘geek tests’

MiFi on my dashboard

Today Verizon wins by an embarrassing landslide. I have never had a speed test result this high done from my iPhone while not on my home WiFi network

Categories
thoughts

Make it Right

Truth can hurt, but it is still the best path for solving a problem that starts with dishonest acts or words. It can’t get any better delaying the truth.
It is like when I realized I was going too fast downhill (35mph) longboarding and dove off and got hurt, but didn’t die or break any bones like if I were to wait until the board got even faster (45-50mph) and flew out from under me with speed wobbles. It was a scary situation that made me feel dumb that I got into it, but it was gonna hurt either way. It just would have had worse consequences if I didn’t have control of the timing in how it was made right.
This is advice I offer to anyone who gets into a predicament caused by selfish goals that displace common sense.

Categories
thoughts

To Draw

I have been thinking alot about drawing and the creation of art in general recently. When I go to work and come home, eat and sleep and socialize with wife, kids and friends, I am reminded about some of the unique talent I have and have not been really using as much as I should. I have a lot of fine art supplies in the garage, but they are dried up and corroding. I need to develop my skills again in the digital realm, so that I can get back to progressing creatively and find my way back to making my business profitable. I have invested plenty in my business, and now it is time to promote it and make some money in the process.

Categories
My Kids thoughts

Everyone is sick

I was sick the other week. I am glad not to be still, excepting the occasional cough. My wife, Karyn still has a ways to go before she is back feeling 100%.
Josiah feels a little sick, but he says he is feeling better.

Categories
thoughts

Limitations of Social Networking

My boss asked me yesterday what my YouTube video meant when referencing “Vegan bacon” in a short skit the youth at my church made and I published on my YouTube channel. I said, “I get the teens in the youth group to do a skit to advertise an unlikely product in a humorous manner” and did not really know what he was getting at. I wondered if he was a vegan, and happened to not find it to be humorous. He said he was just wondering.
The day after that, he said he was on facebook and wondered If I had a profile. I said I didn’t, and that I had deleted my myspace account recently (which is true). I mentioned that I use Twitter, and he seemed to have no idea what that was.
I pondered what it would be like to have my boss among the friends on a social network profile, commenting and writing on my wall, constantly wondering what insight he could get into my mind through what I may post from time to time. I don’t know exactly what to think, but I guess I don’t have anything to hide- it just seems odd when social lines get crossed suprisingly. We have photography in common, and that seems more comfortable to relate at that level.
I suppose everyone involved in a social network gets a false sense of intimacy while posting stuff to a worldwide publicly available space. It’s not just those who comment back who are reading my posts and watching my videos. That’s a meal for thinking.

Categories
News thoughts

Power Corrupts?

I hope this isn’t true.

AT&T screwing its EDGE iPhone users? | 9 to 5 Mac:

Karyn has been having problems with her first generation iPhone (specifically the voice quality and ability to receive calls) ever since she got it. She tells me that she likes the phone and she has text messaged like crazy in a way that she never has before, and used the internet and browser like she never has before in any other phone. The big problem is that she is always having people who try to call her say that it goes straight to voicemail, without her hearing it ring, or seeing any indication that she has missed a call. I have the 3g iPhone, and have had a pretty great experience since 30 days into my contract, when 3g arrived in Antioch, CA. the first 30 days, I had service quite like Karyn gets.
My hope is that if this is true, that the provider makes it right (buys back 1st generation iphones and releases affected customers from their contracts) and acknowledges it. If this is ignored, and proven to be conscious neglect, then this will be an example of power corrupting a business to make decisions for it’s own interests against the good of the customer. I would like to see all wireless devices not locked to any one carrier in the near future, to foster healthy competition.

Categories
thoughts

Mobile

First post. I like technology when it isn’t a pain. I have a laptop which is very powerful, and replaces my previous Desktop. Now I have a Phone which replaces my PDA, iPod, and Treo 700p. At last my pockets are closer to empty than they have been on quite a while. The only thing better was empty pockets. No car, insurance, or keys to carry. Freedom is traded for Responsibility, and Time is traded for priviledge.
My computer will replace my TV, and someday I hope my mobile connection will be fast enough to replace my ISP.
I am not so hopeful that my ideas will replace my work, and my projects will inspire my culture.
My God will replace the corruption of this world, and his holiness will erase my lacking. Understanding will replace confusion and growth will again replace entropy. I look forward to that day.