Of Pens and Swords

Now, with most of the projects completed, or at least my part done, I’ve hopefully got a little free time coming to me again. Means more studying, more getting the small things done, and not being so tired.

In about 2.5 weeks, we go pick up the kids :) I’m pretty excited about this. Even though it’s going to be a busy time, and fairly expensive, it’ll be worth it. We’ve got a few activities that should be fun lined up for the kids, and just having them around will be nice.

Today is Jessica’s birthday. I’ve been bugging her for a couple weeks now about her gifts I got. She’s been tearing up the house searching every nook and cranny to find them, though she doesn’t know what she’s looking for:) I haven’t given her a clue as to what they are hehe. It’s a bit mean :) but after last Christmas and her guessing what she got, I figured no clues is better than a seemingly arbitrary one hehe. I just hope she likes them…

I’d tell you how old she is, but I’m just not sure anymore. She’s started to regress in her age now, and in a few years I’ll be with a teenager…I told her that at that time there may be certain legal issues we’ll have to face, or move to Arkansas…

Well, I have a little work to do.

I want to encourage everyone(the 4 or so people) who reads “Not so geeky geeks” to learn as much as possible about the concept of Network Neutrality and about the new Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE) which is frighteningly anticipated as being passed by congress.

The shorthand of the situation is this: the internet benefits from network neutrality. The telecom companies, ISPs(sorry, Internet Service Providers)and Cable Companies (Also ISPs but more diversified)can not discriminate against any data, traffic or programs running on their network. Everyone gets a fair shot and no special treatment. EUs (sorry again…End Users) can reach all websites without hindrance or interference from their service provider(s). It allows the playing field to be level and encourages innovation.

But the telecom companies, and some in congress, want to change this. The new COPE act cuts out net neutrality. If the act passes, then the people who connect you to the internet get to decide which websites you see or don’t see. They control which programs you can use over the net. They can determine how fast you get to certain websites. They control what the end user does and doesn’t get to do on the internet.

If Google does not pay your service provider a fee, it could take you longer to reach their website than a competitor who did pay the fee. Worse than that, you could end up just not reaching Google at all or be redirected to the competitor’s site instead.

Looking beyond blogs and personal entertainment what truly makes me feel threatened is how this new COPE act could affect our using utilities, reaching the bank, finding a doctor or a hospital, really important things.

I mean, I just don’t see how this could pass. If you were Google, would you pay the telecoms? These telecoms are trying desperately to stay alive. Google and Microsoft have more money than the telecoms do. If it came down to it, wouldn’t they just buy up the telecoms?

And shouldn’t you be more pissed at Congress than the telecoms about this whole thing? I thought that government was supposed to be there to serve the people. How could this possibly serve the people? It’s so sad how these lobby groups can just push our elected leaders around. Where is the pragmatic leadership we need?

the COPE act in short, as gathered from Stop The COPE Act!
The COPE Act, as it presently stands, would do two main things:

(1) It would place violation of non-discrimination principles of “controversial” or unprofitable internet content under the enforcement jurisdiction of the Federal Communication Commission.
The COPE Act would allow the FCC to enforce neutrality, however, the FCC would not be required to do so. The FCC has said that it would abide by neutrality principles, but the FCC has historically been more a servant of Big Media rather than an angel of the public interest (just look to broadcast TV as an example). Hence, this could well mean that Big Telecom could be allowed to discriminate against internet content that they couldn’t in the past.

(2) It would allow a single national video franchise precedent — first going for telecom companies (remember: video by telephone connections are increasingly widespread). Then other industries get the same privileges. That is, instead of having to negotiate for video (and funds) like cable does on a city-by-city basis, it would allow industries to negotiate once. This would give telecom companies (and other media companies they merge with) the ability to prioritize content on a national scale over more local content.

It seems to me that we as a community need to do what WE can do to stop this act from passing.

Granted this brings me to another point, one that echoes through time really. Why are the people who are unwilling to accept things that make us free put in charge of the laws that can take away our freedoms? Because the Electoral process of the Democratic United States has become a Fashion/Money show. He who has the money to get on TV, The Money to have huge corporate or extremely wealthy Private help, and a nice head of hair and good charisma put in charge when they more than likely aren’t the smartest people on the planet. George Bush is a good President for war, but is he a good President because of his speaking ability? I would say that is a resounding NO. President Bush was elected through politics, the clever manipulation that the average person does not recognize. Which to me is the fact that who would you choose? It is like an adventure book, you have to choose the lesser of the two idiots. Now the thing is as I think back to the various things that are what I consider world changing events (9/11, War on Terror, Iraq) I would not have wanted Kerry as President Of The United States. Kerry is a good guy, I don’t doubt that, I do however doubt his ability to actually have a spine. I hated George Bush as Govenor of Texas, I hate George Bush as President, but I respect his ability to make a stand and stick with his convictions. Congress is the same way. Recently with the High Gas price talks? How many congressmen drove away n Hybrid cars around the block to their SUVs? How many decided to walk when they noticed the press? Even though they were about to climb into their SUVs? They pass laws every day just to give themselves jobs for christs sake. Congress states that they do things FOR THE PEOPLE” but they do not listen to the people when making choices for them. Why you ask? Because we as a people do not MAKE them listen to us.

Do yourself a favor. This one time? MAKE THEM LISTEN!

07 Out

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Posted by Archangeln to Not so geeky geeks. at 5/16/2006 07:02:00 AM

I did work tech support for over a year and a half. Let me tell you about the most thankless job job in the world. Even when you do a great job, all you get is another call, and another and another. I averaged 60 calls a day (the highest average). 99.99% of the people who called ranged from computer illiterate to O2 thieves. In that mix, you have people who refuse to listen, who click on everything but what you tell them to, who argue with you about what they think you should be telling them to do. You have to solve problems in more than 2 minutes but less than 7 (that was our goal).

After a year and a half, averaging over 1100 people a month I talked to, I started to just hate talking to people. My customer service, while still at the top, was wearing thin. I had more of a ‘get to the point’ attitude with customers, and though I never lied to them, I did have my own stipulations for helping them. Things like “If you don’t want to listen, you can search google.” or ‘If you don’t do what I say, I can’t and won’t help you”. I also know that if I talked to someone more than about 10 minutes, or if I had to re-iterate something more than once, I started getting short with them.

Now, where I work, 8 of my sites that I’m responsible for are no closer than 2 hours away, all within a 4.5 hour bubble though (weather depending). There are times that I have to talk the users through issues, since I don’t get much funding to get out to these sites. The last trip I made, it looks like I’ll be paying that myself, over $100. anyways…I have to talk to the customers through issues that if I were there, I could take care of in about 10 minutes. 15 tops. The call I’m on now is going past the 1.5 hour mark. Though she’s a nice lady, she isn’t listening to me, asking me the same thing I have said 10 times, yada yada yada. In over an hour, I’ve gotten about 5 minutes of work done with her. It’s pissing me off.

Since I’ve been on this call, I’ve had to piss the whole goddamned time, I’m out of coffee, I’ve missed two very important conference calls, I’ve lost 1.5 hours of work that again I was hoping to get done (only been trying to get this shit done for two months now, whats another few hours).

I hate doing tech support.