Category Archives: Writing

Weighing in on Netflix Neutrality

The idea of neutrality is an aspiration to equality.  Just like all equality, its currently a myth when mixed with human nature.  In this scenario the idea of Neutrality (net specifically) is that an internet service provider provides a lane-an avenue to reach a certain destination.

Just like Verizon/AT&T/Sprint/T-Mobile  doesn’t have anything to do with your Samsung/Apple/LG/Motorola phone, only the call service your receiving.  Short of illegal content, Verizon/Comcast/Time Warner shouldn’t have anything to do with the websites or services you use.  Seems simple enough, right?  I pay Verizon over $100 a month, so long as I’m not searching for child pornography or breaching private networks- the services that I use on their advertised speeds should be irrelevant.

Sadly, that’s not the case.

Verizon (among other carriers) customers recently have seen drastic quality issues using Netflix (among other things).  Why?  Well, they know you’re streaming Netflix and not their own OnDemand services, and they lower your bandwidth for that application.  Everyone up to speed?

Interestingly- there are ways around this.  AppleTV (sorry Apple Haters) for example, either doesn’t identify what its pulling data for, or specifically earmark as “Netflix” and thusly is not throttled.

Other ways around this throttle- go to Comcast, where Netflix has partnered (read: paid a higher premium to not get penalized by their service.)  How is this legal?

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Fail at updates

I’m certainly a failure when it comes to updating this thing… although that probably falls into self doubt as to why anyone would want to read it.  Also- people I work with are finding my twitter, which makes me uncomfortable for the rest of my sites/social media.  Not that there’s anything necessarily bad, or unhirable on any of them, but there’s certainly some material I’d rather keep separate from my professional life.

In an effort for content, a few tirades:  First, why do women (particularly 40+) have absolutely no concept of their surroundings or the use of peripheral vision when in public environments?  Grocery Stores, Movie Theaters, Museums, Why Am I Capitalizing Everything?

Without fail, married and cat-lady alike will come to a full stop, leaving the populace behind them to clack skulls down the row as this self indulged bitch calls all-stop on the progress train.  Usually its to read a text message, or this weeks circular, or whatever else.  My personal favorite is when they do it in the little entrance/exit vestibule where theres no space to get around anyway- and they’re fishing their car keys out of a purse so big, Bear Grylls could carry a deer carcass in.  Today, I witnessed a woman back it on up into another woman who was checking her text messages in the main checkout thoroughfare.  It was like dividing by zero.

Not to make this racial, but its almost always caucasians.  But every single time its women.  Its gotta be some left over monkey or hunter-gatherer mentality, where they never had to worry about stumbling into a hungry jaguar or something.

Next up on things none will support me on:  Kids.  Whats up with that, eh?  You have 7 of them in the movie theater entrance, running around like Gymboree, you don’t have a leash in your hand, let alone on your little monster, and I’m supposed to think its cute?   Newsflash: Not everyone is into kids.

Last week was super busy- I had to go to New Jersey (north), back to West Chester, PA, then to Connecticut, then down to DC.  Interesting little zig-zag of the mid atlantic seaboard.

This week its western Massachusetts, then eastern, then north New Jersey for the end of the week, then Nevada on Sunday.

Scattershot

Net Neutrality Verizon looks to have crippled Netflix on computers and PS3. Doesn’t seem to have affected AppleTV.  So I’m only partially outraged.  (isn’t that like the department of transportation saying you can only drive Hondas and all other cars will have horrible traction?)

My coolant pump (#waterpump?) has gone out again (2nd full replacement, 3rd issue) on my GTI.  While Volkswagen has been amazing every time (this time I got a 2014 Passat with only 300 miles on it), 3 issues in less than 60k miles concerns me.  They tell me its a new hardware type that should reduce issues.. still concerned.

$MJNA has raised from 14c (where I bought) to 31.5c.  $GDX Gold Miners is up .48c since I got the recommendation.  I’ve $5k to invest immediately and want a quick return… Gold looks key.

Can we all agree, Skyfall was the best shot movie, if not the most complete James Bond film in the last 5 years (if not the prettiest film) in the last 3?

I travel constantly- Podcasts are my only sanity.  Huge fan of James Bonding – Heres my problem:  Goldfinger- the QUINTESSENTIAL Bond film: and they employ the most annoying feminists to comment.  First: Bond is not conducive to feminists.  Sorry.  Second:  They completely derail and lose topic entirely.  This is the same scenario for all the Brosnan Bonds and some Connery.  Matt Mira is awesome in every Podcast he does- but God Dammit stay on topic or stretch it to 2 episodes….

I need to do a Podcast called “Here’s my problem”…

Severine, in Skyfall dies too fast…

Work has been difficult.  My gut reaction is to base it upon weather, traffic, snow, and all things February on the East coast.  My second thought reaction is that is weak- and to demand more.  Either the best of employees or the worst of employees.  I was offered an alternate position in my same company.   This fell through because it would be “too expensive” to transition.  I can’t see how its more expensive than I am now… So I estimate I’ll be a sales rep at my old company in the next 14 months.  I sold out long before you knew my name… weeeeeeeeeee

 

 

 

 

Brooklyn Followup

For those anyone that was waiting for the findings from that $115 Brooklyn ticket- see the below measurements.  A reminder: $115 fine for parking within 4 feet of a fire hydrant.

For those that are scared by modern magic like “math”- and 

2014-01-17 16.44.33 copy

confused by complicated jargon like “numbers”, each white strip is 14″ (as measured by the distance from one point in the wheel to the opposing (see inset).  Still with me?  Good.  Even over assuming distance and perspective on the sidewalk rather than the tail of the car (which is further)- there are 5 of these units between my car, and the furthest point of the hydrant.  For those keeping score- that is 70″, or 5.83 feet.  

Fuck yeah, America.  So I go online to contest this farcical abuse of my tax dollars, which I find is not yet loaded into their systems.  

Must be the government shutdown.  

I go on to read; one must enter any disputes within 30 days (not working days.. 30 days) of receiving a ticket.  BUT the ticket won’t load into the system until 7-10 business days (which is potentially 16 earth days, 17 since tomorrow is MLK day).  That’s fair.  

Well- if I wanted to make a difference, I’d have voted, right?  (I don’t live there, btw- my vote doesn’t matter; also, i’m not a corrupt politician, teamster or otherwise crooked Union member, so my vote in New York politics wouldn’t have mattered either.)