Just Isn't The Same

I had disconnected from the 'net, then decided I'd go get my Bings Rewards points and opened up my Edge Browser (a few more points by using it) and got this error message.

It's good to know they think the web isn't the same without me, but to be truthful, I'm not the same w/out the web.  I've tried all kinds of vices in my life and never had any real problems with any of them (except smoking) and could lay them down, quit without much problem, but I really do miss the Internet when I am offline. 

I *might* have a problem, but AFAIC, it's not all that bad.  Sure, I waste a LOT of time online, but it's not ALL wasted;  I can honestly say I learn something new each and every day.

Besides that, all my friends live in my computer!

I know I'm not "connected".  Otherwise I'd have friends named Big Pussy, Sal and Tony and a good no-show job for the local waste management concern.

Feeling Nostalgic?

Thank goodness for high-speed Internet!

Remember "the old days" of dial-up?  Relive that time with Dial Up Sound.

I used AOL a time or two when money got tight and I couldn't afford my service provider monthly charge, but I disliked the AOL browser, so I would minimize it and use Internet Explorer.  I remember hooking up my first computer, using the directions I had got when I went down to the ISP office and arranged for service...it was a thrill hearing this sound, knowing that in just a matter of seconds I was going to be able to surf the World Wide Web!

My connection isn't nearly as fast as some, but at least I can now watch a YouTube video and have most pages load in a second or two.  I used to keep a book or magazine by the computer to have something to do while I was waiting on my email messages to all come up.

Dial Up Sound

Forbes Haiku

I was looking for some financial-related information and saw a link to Forbes.com and thought I could probably trust the information I would find there since I've read a lot of other articles on the site and it's all been good advice.  They have a "splash page" before the link, the content of which I don't see because of my ad blocking add-on on my Firefox browser.  I have to wait on a countdown clock for a few seconds before I can proceed to the article, but it's no problem, much less annoying than an advertisement. 

Yesterday, though, I got this message on the splash page:

I'm fairly certain that doesn't fit the definition of a Haiku, but that's not my complaint; rather, it's trying to shame me in such a "cutesy" fashion.  Sorry Forbes, I hate to deprive you of ad revenue, but many sites go overboard with their adverts, slowing the page load times even with my fairly fast connection and often having multiple flash ads which sometimes hangs up my browser.  I also don't like places like Facebook following me all over the 'net...that's why I use an adblocker.

I wrote a reply, not in a Haiku, but a short verse.  I can't post it because I have a few words in it that rhyme with "Haiku".  It DOES have a little bit to do with "love", though.

Bitly 404 Page

I was trying to view a recipe posted on the Foodgawker Facebook wall, but kept getting a 404 page.  They said they had fixed the link, but didn't.  That's the problem with using these link-shortening services - far too often something happens in the conversion of the link and it's invalid or they make a mistake in copying...either way, it's a broken link.   Here's a screenshot of what I got:

Still, the Bitly 404 page is a pretty cool one - funny and animated, with a seagull flapping its wings, clouds floating across the sky and waves bobbing a dead pufferfish? up and down.  See it for yourself. (put your cursor over the water to make waves-I don't think anything else is interactive)

Your Crock I Block

Since I've been using various adblocking extensions and social media and content blocker on my Firefox browser, I've been getting these types of messages on the pages:

(click for larger view)

Sometimes I get a "guilt" type message "This website exists because of the revenue we get from ads, so please disable your adblocker."

Well, 'scuse me, but I wouldn't mind a banner ad or two (or three or even four) placed within the page, but it's when you serve up several dozen ads and scripts that slow the loading down to a snail's pace...and I have an above-average fast connection...well, that's when I begin to get annoyed.

As the above graphic shows, sometimes the extensions and add-ons I use do interfere with the videos, so I disable them for a one-time viewing of what it was I wanted to see, the re-enable them before I leave the page.  I don't mind them trying to make a buck off their website, but I DO resent having to wait a minute or longer to see what it was I came to the site to see.   I also don't like it when a video auto-plays.  I have used a script blocker before to stop that, but while I can whitelist sites I regularly visit, it gets old going to new ones and having to adjust the settings.

I'm resigned to having Facebook follow me all over the 'net, but I draw the line at other social media scripts and image bugs you put on your pages, not to mention the zillion ads you seem to think you have to have to pay the bills.    

DOES TYPING IN ALL CAPS

REALLY, REALLY ANNOY YOU?

IF SO, THEN YOU SHOULD JUST GET THE HELL OFF THE INTERNET!

Seriously, I just saw - for at least the ten thousandth time since I've been online - someone getting angry at someone else for posting in all-caps.  There can be several explanations; they could be posting with their phone and that's the only way they can see it or maybe it's too much trouble to capitalize just the first letter of a sentence or maybe they have vision problems and that's the only way they can see what they're typing (I know several people like that) or...and this has happened to me...they have a faulty keyboard on their computer and it's stuck on Caps Lock.  

The only reason I can think of to legitimately complain about is that perhaps the person simply wants to draw attention to him or her self...but how would you know that, so it's best to just shut the hell up. Maybe they're suicidal and want someone....ANYONE...to listen,  want to feel as though they're not totally worthless and that life really is worth living.  What if your complaining about them typing in all caps drove them over the edge, how would you feel then?

You probably wouldn't give a crap, though, would you?

So, if you have to be so anal and butthurt and waste your time and everyone else's in pointing it out, maybe you have more problems than THE PERSON TYPING IN ALL CAPS!!!!

Surely you can find something better to bitch about - the economy, the environment, the way your favorite team has been playing, which ever party is the opposite of the one you generally vote for...hell, you can whine about this rant for all I care, but good grief, quit complaining about someone typing in all caps.

GOT IT, YOU SNIVELING LITTLE ASSHAT?

Is It Down Right Now?

After a few attempts at accessing my Feedly reader, I decided I'd check the site to see if the problem was mine or was with the website.  Using the Is It Down Right Now? site, I found out there was a problem, but it wasn't on my end.  Searching the news, I saw Feedly Hit With Denial Of Service Attacks with some person or persons attempting to blackmail Feedly.  I hope the perps are caught and prosecuted.  Personally, my own form of punishment would involve a hatchet and their hands, but that's just because I'm a savage, callous knuckle-dragger who is sick and tired of spammers and scam artists taking over the 'net. 

That said, Is It Down Right Now? is a great resource.  From the site:

"Is It Down Right Now" monitors the status of your favorite web sites and checks whether they are down or not. Check a website status easily by using the below test tool. Just enter the url and a fresh site status test will be perfomed on the domain name in real time using our online website checker tool. For detailed information, check response time graph and user comments.

Is It Down Right Now?

yawp

yawp [yawp, yahp] verb (used without object)

1. to utter a loud, harsh cry; to yelp, squawk, or bawl.
2. Slang. to talk noisily and foolishly or complainingly.
noun
3. a harsh cry.
4. Slang.
a. raucous or querulous speech.
b. a noisy, foolish utterance.

---

That's a great term for most comments under articles here on the 'net.

Just a Quick Note

To say if I don't post for a while, it's because the power keeps going out.  I've also had problems w/ my internet connection.  I'm just waiting to see if it sorts itself out because I've done everything here on my end that I can.  I've run a troubleshooting tool, changed settings (and changed them back), rebooted the modem and done the ubiquitous "clear cache and cookies".  I KNOW it's not on my end, but AT&T refuses to admit that there's something wrong on THEIR end.  No, they'd rather go through the sham of sending someone out and then charging me for a visit.

Oddly enough, the connection plays up at nearly the same times every day...that's why I don't think it's anything to do with my wiring.  Sick of it, wish I had never "upgraded" my connection because the old DSL, while slower, was much, much, much, much more reliable. 

/rant off (but to be continued)

They Love Me, They Love Me Not

If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.
- Ronald Reagan

(image courtesy of The Caricature Zone)

---

Sorry, RR. That's impossible.

To be fair, I bet he said this before internet forums and msg. boards were even dreamed of.

testmy.net

Take a "truly accurate speed test" at testmy.net.

From the site: TestMy.net is the first and only fully HTML5 & PHP driven speed test online. Unlike other connection speed tests that require third party applications like Flash or Java, TMN uses only your web browser. This makes TestMy's speed test more sensitive to browser misconfiguration and is an excellent way to highlight performance differences between browsers. Users of TMN can see all browsers are not created equally.

Why Should I Test My Speed?

Simple, to make sure you're getting what you pay for. This speed test is useful if you feel a connection slow down or want to see how your Internet is performing. This isn't like any other broadband speed test. TestMy's proprietary method is proven to help identify issues other speed tests fail to detect. The TMN Speed Test shows your true speed.

testmy.net

Data Usage

A few months ago, I received a warning that I had gone over the 150GB limit AT&T had imposed upon people using their Internet service. I was warned that they would give me three warnings and after the third one I would be charged an extra $10 for each 10GB over the limit. The very next month I got another warning, saying I was within 65% of the limit. The email gave a link to a page where I could view my data usage, but it didn't work.

They did give examples of what that amount of data could be:

(click for larger view)

 

I saw what they were trying to infer, that no "normal" person - the average Internet user - would use such huge amounts of bandwidth.  There was also this explanation:

AT&T has experienced a dramatic increase in the amount of data that is sent and received over its wireline broadband networks. This dramatic increase is driven primarily by a small fraction of our customers. In fact, the top 2% of customers use about 20% of the total capacity on our network. A single high-traffic user can utilize the same amount of data capacity as 19 typical households. Lopsided usage patterns can cause congestion at certain points in the network, which can slow Internet speeds and interfere with other customers' access to and use of the network.

150 GB is far more data than most customers ever use in a month. Our average AT&T High Speed Internet customer uses only about 21 GB per month.

What they were not-so-subtly saying was that slobs like me were responsible for the restriction, not only for myself but for others.  Nice try, but no cigar.  I understand that the company can change their policies - I don't agree with it, but I understand how these large corporations operate.  I didn't agree to it when I signed up for it, but I'm sure there was some wording in the "contract" I "agreed to" by using their service that the agreement can be changed at any time without notice to me.  I resent that, but I also resent being made out to be the bad guy.

After having connection problems for nearly a year and not being able to get satisfaction from AT&T, I finally took matters into my own hands.  Without going into details (because I'm sure I broke several company rules) I finally managed to get my problems sorted out.  After getting my promised speed back, I made up for lost time, downloading all sorts of videos, movies and music.  (acquired legally)  I could finally view the videos and listen to podcasts from the Dallas Cowboy website, catch up on YouTube videos I had bookmarked and watch all sorts of programming such as movies on Hulu, program episodes I had missed on Discovery and The History Channel and other network websites.

(in case you're thinking that my usage STILL seems excessive, just let me add that just an audio only mp3 podcast from the Cowboys site can be 40-50mb with the videos being in the 2GB range.  During the season, the site would have two radio shows and sometimes 6 or more videos posted each and every day, plus interviews and highlights after games.  I also bought quite a few mp3 albums from Amazon, d/l a few movies I had been wanting to see from the same site.  A fairly low-resolution movie on Hulu can be 4-500MB.  As you could tell from the graphic posted above, 25HD movies can account for a significant part of the entire total.  That can add up, maybe not in a hurry, but over the course of 30 days it can be a significant amount.  I would also make the mistake of leaving my Internet radio on even when I lay down to sleep)


I've not received another warning and since I've signed up for U-Verse, the cap has been raised to 250GB. I also found out the bandwidth meter is working for me now.  Here's a screen shot of my data usage history over the last few months: (I've snipped out my phone number)

Anyone else notice the similarity between the graph and a certain obscene gesture? It's pretty much my sentiments towards AT&T.

U-Verse Woes

If I don't have a post for a while, it's because U-Verse is playing up again. I was without internet for a good bit of yesterday evening and I finally called tech support and a recorded msg. told me the outage had started up again and to NOT reboot my modem. So, I didn't.

After being without Internet all day today, I called again and got a real-live person who told me to reboot my modem. So, I did.

All was well for a while until about an hour after getting back online when I was knocked off again. I did the modem thing again and so far, so good.

Yesterday I got an email about my telephone bill.  It was nearly twice the usual amt. and I was floored.  I went to the AT&T site and paid my last month's bill (not due for a few more days) and tried to find out why it was so high, but the site is really hard to navigate (for me), esp. trying to find detailed information about the bill.   I made yet another call and yet again had to wade through the computer prompts to find out what the deal was. 

After being put on hold - again, for the umpteenth time this week- (I think I've spent more time on hold than I have online since Friday) I got to speak to another real-live human.  I voiced my displeasure as politely as I could (my tongue is still bleeding from biting holes through it) and found out I had been charged $49 for service connection and $100 for the modem.  I was not told about either when I signed up for U-Verse.  I mentioned "Deceptive Trade Practices" and "Duplicitous" several times and reminded them they were "not the only game in town", telling them I could get phone, Internet and cable from the cable company for about what they had been charging just for phone and 'net PLUS they offered much greater speed. I  managed to get a credit for twenty bucks for the outage and half the service connection fee reduced off the bill.

During the brief time when I was online, I did some research about the outage and AT&T is blaming it on a software upgrade that "only" affected 1% of their customers. I was in that 1% but it didn't make me feel special.   I read a post by a woman in the AT&T forums that said she had been offline, surprising to her because she had had U-Verse for three years and only been knocked offline a couple of times.  Me?  I had had U-Verse for six days and been offline for four.

They'll not be getting any recommendations from me.

Across the U-Verse

"Oh boy!" I thought. Twice the speed for half the cost. That's what I was told by the AT&T representative and I believed her...and for one brief day, it was true.

Then came the outage.  At first it was annoying, getting knocked offline, then after an hour or two, all the lights on the modem were green and it was clear - and fast - sailing again.  Then came Black Monday (which started late Sunday afternoon into the early parts of today) when I didn't have any access at all.

AT&T spokespeople and techs are being deliberately vague about what's causing the problem; some articles I've read are blaming it on various conspiracies, while others say they think it's the work of hackers angry at the "Six Strikes" policy.  I don't care WHAT is causing it, but I just want my Internet.

I guess I'm lucky; I only have U-Verse for my Internet;  others have also been without their cable TV and phone if they've signed up for the complete package.  Made me glad I decided to hold off on that for the time being.  At least I could get on the phone to complain and although my cable is outrageously expensive for what I get, it was good that I could watch TV while I was offline.

I even took the time during a short window of opportunity when U-Verse was up to go register on the AT&T website forums to see if there was a workaround;  I saw a few and will try them if the outages persist.  Reading a HUGE thread of complaints on the subject - well, I didn't read ALL of the complaints, but was glad I skipped to the very last posts in the thread - and saw this.  One holier-than-thou jerk said this, a message I've seen at least a hundred times before in some form or fashion:

(excuse the caps, that's the way it was written)

BACK IN MY DAY WE HAD TO USE DIAL UP, TOOK 5 MINS TO LOAD IT UP AND COULDN'T TALK ON THE PHONE WHILST ON THE INTERNET, YA'LL AINT GONNA DIE NOT HAVING INTERNETS FOR MORE THAN A DAY, QUIT YA GRIPING, BELLYACHING, AND MOANING AN GO OUTSIDE YA VARMINTS!

The outage has almost been worth getting to read the reply to it:

Look. No internet, TV, or PHONE. OK? Couldn't even call 911 if there was an emergency. It's 6 degrees outside. So why don't you go out there?

Anyway, this is the tune that used to go through my head when I'd see anything about U-Verse;  if the outages persist, it will be AC/DC's "Highway to Hell".

Across The Universe - The Beatles

404 Error

Kept getting this error page earlier on a video site - it's one of the more humorous ones I've seen lately.

(click for larger view)

Not sure what a broken TV has to do with a website, but I got the gist of it. Actually, that's how I often feel after watching the Dallas Cowboys play.

How To Fix a 404 Not Found Error

35 Entertaining 404 Error Pages

Startpage

Are you concerned about your privacy using Google? If so, use the Startpage^TM search engine, the new private way to search Google.

From the website:

Startpage offers you Web search results from Google in complete privacy!

When you search with Startpage, we remove all identifying information from your query and submit it anonymously to Google ourselves. We get the results and return them to you in total privacy.

Your IP address is never recorded, your visit is not logged, and no tracking cookies are placed on your browser. When it comes to protecting your privacy, Startpage runs the tightest ship on the Internet. Our outstanding privacy policy and thoughtful engineering give you great search results in total anonymity. Here are some of our key features:

•     No IP address recorded.
•     No record is made of your searches.
•     No identifying or tracking cookies used.
•     Powerful SSL encryption available.
•     Free proxy surfing available.
•     Praised by privacy experts worldwide.
•     Twelve-year company track record.
•     Third-party certified.
  
  

Startpage^TM

SMOSH Visitors

The Feedjit widget hadn't been showing up for me over the last few days and I finally got it figured out. (after getting code for a new one!) I checked, and it showed up in my Opera browser, but not in Firefox.  I thought it might be the AdBlock Plus add-on, but disabling that didn't help;  then I checked my Do Not Track add-on - voila!  That was it!

I've never been overly concerned about the number of visitors, but it is interesting to see what brings them here.  I noticed several visitors from SMOSH, a cool looking site I just might have to subscribe to in my reader.  They were going to an old post from a few years back that brings in a few hits each week, The Short Bus. The hits were coming directly from this page - 20 Lesser Known Transformers - but none of the photos were mine.  The first photo on the page was of a "short bus", but no comments referenced or linked to this site. I finally checked the link under the bus photo and saw that it linked to here.  Strange.

One of the comments was wondering why "ambulance" was spelled backwards on the front of the vehicle.  The reason is so that people can read it in their rear-view mirror. 

Guess I don't belong on the short bus after all, huh?

Problems With Quiz

Well, more problems than I usually have. Most of the other can be chalked up to stupidity and ignorance, but this one is beyond my control. (come to think of it, so are the others) I tried to play earlier and got an error message that said the site was too busy. I waited an hour, then tried again and got this one:

Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, root@localhost and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

---

I hope that the clock isn't still running after one of my first attempts; it looked as though the site was going to load, but after about a minute or so, I gave up. I will try again later.

---

Update: I just tried again and got this error msg.:

FunTrivia.com We are temporarily experiencing some technical issues. Please try back later. We apologize for any inconvenience!

---

I had gone to Down or Not just to make sure it wasn't something on my end. When it said FunTrivia was up, I went to the site (not ToTG Trivia Tournament) and got the above msg. Oh well.

Job Offer

Checking my spam folder, I saw a mail with my full name as the subject line.  I get those now 'n then, but they usually just say "Mike" ("check out these hot women!" or "Mike, want a bigger...? Well, you know.) I opened it up to see this job offer:

Tricia Casey
geCaseyTisricruia@hotmail.com

Greetings.

Available opening: Payment Manager
Location : any place within the United States
Terms of compensation: percentage + bonuses
Work-at-home job only (no office positions are offered)

Basic information about company:

Our financial company is one of long-time leaders on the investment, online payments and finance management markets for the last few years. Top quality standard and level of services we provide have gained us the highest ratings both from individuals, and from large businesses and corporations that operate in various fields. We work in different business industries, that is why we look for initiative and goal-centered people who may not possess specific necessary skills to join our staff. The majority of our customers until this point were situated in Europe and Asia Our headquarters is located in London. In the coming years we will enlarge our branch network to America and Canada as well.

General description of the opening:

Your duties will include providing support to our financial department. This is a remote free schedule job, which will demand not more than 15 hours weekly. We offer very competitive salary. You will get your compensation in your account; it will be available immediately on the payment day. We cover all extra expenses that may appear during the transactions processing.

Our requirements:

- Computer and access to the Internet, MS Office or compatible office software;
- No criminal record;
- Confidentiality and discretion;
- Attention to detail;

We would like you to become a member of our staff. We are confident that the terms of employment and the salary that we offer to our employees are very competitive and will persuade you to make the best decision.

To apply for this position: Please reply to this message and we will get back to you within the next 48 hours.
-------------
I did a search for Tricia Casey and found several listings.  Of course, that's not an unusual name and I found several different people with that name. Checking a LinkedIn profile, I discovered that this Tricia was indeed a personnel mgr. for a company that seemed similar to the one described in the text of the spam mail I received.  I also went to her Facebook page and thought about messaging her, but decided I wouldn't because I'm convinced it's a scam.

What makes me think that?  Well, for starters I would think that a company which had its own website would also give its employees email accounts with their domain or company name.  I have known of companies that used Hotmail for their commercial business, but that's been ten years ago.

I've also never applied for a job online, never given my current employment status to any site. (When filling out surveys, I always check "prefer not to answer" on most of the personal details.)

I'd also think they would have named the company. Wouldn't a legitimate offer include who wants to hire you?

The job offer sounds good though...almost too good to be true. (and you know if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't good or true)  Who wouldn't want to have an easy job working only fifteen hours/wk?

The clincher that it's a scam is in the sketchy financial details. I'm sure if I had replied to the email that I would have been asked to fill out a form w/ my SS# and then I would have been immediately "hired" and in the next email, asked for my banking details so they could "deposit" my earnings.  Yeah, sure...more like drain my account, ya reckon?

I'd bet a hundred bucks someone has "appropriated" this woman's name and did enough research to make this unnamed company sound similar enough to the company that employs her just to make it sound legit. 

I hope no one falls for this scam, but I'm sure there will be some gullible folks who will.  What with how the economy is, there will probably be thousands of applicants.  I have a little sympathy for those thick enough to take the bait, but get furious at those low-lifes who take advantage of the desperate.

It's a good thing I'm not King - if I found someone doing this, I would have - or do it myself - their fingers crushed with a hammer so they couldn't get on a computer until they healed up.  Next offense - if they had the audacity to do it again -  they'd be gutted with a dull knife and thrown in a shark tank.

Three strikes are for baseball;  two strikes are more than enough for scam artists.

Why Didn't I Think of That?

Actually, I have, but didn't figure it would pay.

Man quits job, makes living suing e-mail spammers

I DID have cruel fantasies about chopping off their hands, though.