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story category Friday Open Thread
That's right, let it all out...
06:23PM Friday Jun 06 2008 by Karl Bode
tags: BBR-News
It's Friday, so take off your shoes, put up your feet, and empty your head into your comment section below. As an aside, I'm hoping to write a little something about the effectiveness of ISP network status pages and how they do/don't impact support costs, and would like to ask our users: does your ISP network status page actually work? Is it reliable?

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TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast

UK regulator OFCOM wants BB speed transparency

The equivalent of the FCC in the UK is OFCOM. They have an agreement from most of the ISPs there to voluntarily follow certain guidelines. They now want to add these new guidelines to the agreement. They involve giving customers more accurate info on real speeds and not just the announced marketing claims.

»news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7437097.stm
It wants companies to publish accurate estimates of the maximum connection speeds people can expect before they buy broadband packages.

Some 32 internet providers, covering more than 90% of UK broadband customers, have agreed to the code.

There are several steps that fixed-line internet service providers (ISPs) - ones that use cables - are required to take under the voluntary code.

These include

* providing customers with an accurate estimate of the maximum speed that the line can support, whether in a shop, over the internet or on the phone
* resolving technical issues to improve speed
* offering customers the choice to move onto a lower speed package when estimates given are inaccurate
* providing consumers with information on usage limits
* alerting customers when they have breached usage limits

--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page

funchords
Robb
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Hillsboro, OR

Re: UK regulator OFCOM wants BB speed transparency

It's a toothless wonder.

N3OGH
They both suck, we're so screwed
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
·Verizon Online DSL

I'm getting Tased....

Well, I've got to get Tased for work tomorrow...

I'm not looking forward to it but hey, ya gotta eat, right?

And NO, I won't be making a You Tube video of it....

"Don't Tase me, Bro"

OW!!!OW!!!OW!!!
--
Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power…
xplornetsuck

join:2007-02-22
BC

Re: I'm getting Tased....

Hopefully you don't die.. The United Nations has declared Tasers to be Torture weapons.

Defibrillator standing by..

N3OGH
They both suck, we're so screwed
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
·Verizon Online DSL

Re: I'm getting Tased....

Yeah, thing Is I don't even want to carry the damn thing.

Everyone has to be trained on it, reasoning being you might be working with someone who is carrying it, and you have to know how it works, blah blah blah.

Basically if I refuse the training, I'm off the schedule.

I should have been a HS teacher....
--
Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power…

hayabusa3303
Over 200 mph
Premium
join:2005-06-29
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
·QuantumVoice
·ViaTalk
·Vonage

Re: I'm getting Tased....

said by N3OGH See Profile :

I should have been a HS teacher....
Might not be too long before they give them to teachers with how bad the kids are.

Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Verona, PA

said by xplornetsuck See Profile :

Hopefully you don't die.. The United Nations has declared Tasers to be Torture weapons.
The UN also thinks it's ok to have Libya in charge of the Human Rights Commission, so I wouldn't exactly take anything they say seriously on it's own.

Either way, would you rather be shot?
--
"Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of thy times"

N3OGH
They both suck, we're so screwed
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
·Verizon Online DSL

Re: I'm getting Tased....

Well, I took my hit at about 10 AM today.

Interesting experience. The effect is both instantaneously incapacitating and instantaneously dissipating.

3 seconds after I got hit, I was doing push ups on the floor to burn off the adrenaline. I wasn't even sore afterwards.

After experiencing it, I would hardly call it a torture weapon. It is certainly incapacitating, and the effects are VERY unpleasant when it's deployed.

The number of discharges are recorded by the device, and are downloaded afterwards. The results go directly to the manufacturer and become a permanent part of the incident report filed when it is deployed.

After completing the training, I have to say I can see where this could be a very useful way to take potentially physical encounter, and instantly de escalate it.

My suggestion to ANYONE on the receiving end of one of these things, do what they tell ya' it ain't worth the experience...
--
Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power…
Scoot_NJ

join:2007-09-25
Budd Lake, NJ

I am having a garage sale tomorrow.....

...so if you are in Northern NJ, stop by!

»newjersey.craigslist.org/gms/710052307.html

Be there or be square pants!

TScheisskopf
World News Trust

join:2005-02-13
Belvidere, NJ

Re: I am having a garage sale tomorrow.....

What do you have in the way of interesting computer gak?
Scoot_NJ

join:2007-09-25
Budd Lake, NJ
No 'puter stuff...but others in the 'hood have that,
Smith6612
Premium
join:2008-02-01
united state

Wow....

It looks as though DOW had a massive stock drop today.

TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast


edit:
June 6th, @06:47PM

Does your ISP network status page actually work?

Comcast's works sometimes and sometimes not. Unfortunately, when there are real problems with the network, that is when the system seems to have the most problems pulling up the status page.

Here is the Comcast status page:
»online.comcast.net/networkhealth···eck.aspx

Staus in my area right now:


The alert is not very useful. It says something is wrong, but not what.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page

supergirl

join:2007-03-20
Pensacola, FL
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southeast
·magicjack.com
·Skype

Re: Does your ISP network status page actually work?

I just do a speed test. And, if the phone works, I already know the HSI works fine.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
In my experience, no. They either say "Everything is fine" or sometimes something is up but never any info like you note.... no workarounds, timetables, ETA on outages, etc

Karride
Slower Traffic Keep Right
Premium
join:2000-04-17
Germantown, TN


edit:
June 6th, @06:43PM

Big change for me

Click for full size
Will she say yes? :)
I'm asking my girlfriend to marry me this weekend!

drew
World's Best Boss
Premium
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs:

Re: Big change for me

Are you serious?!

Congrats! Let us know how it goes

Karride
Slower Traffic Keep Right
Premium
join:2000-04-17
Germantown, TN

Re: Big change for me

said by drew See Profile :

Are you serious?!

Congrats! Let us know how it goes
Lol, yeah I'm excited and scared shitless all at the same time!

drew
World's Best Boss
Premium
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs:

Re: Big change for me

Man, I was about to pee my pants when I asked my wife (then girlfriend of course) to marry me.

Ebolla

join:2005-09-28
Dracut, MA
hope she doesnt read BBR

good luck

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
Good luck!

TScheisskopf
World News Trust

join:2005-02-13
Belvidere, NJ
She's too attractive for you.

Best wishes for the both of you. If you really work at it, you will hagve a happy and rewarding life together.

Karride
Slower Traffic Keep Right
Premium
join:2000-04-17
Germantown, TN

Re: Big change for me

said by TScheisskopf See Profile :

She's too attractive for you.
I keep telling her that, but she doesn't listen

drew
World's Best Boss
Premium
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs:

Re: Big change for me

I said the same thing to my wife, but she doesn't listen either.

Oh, and did you fall for that total racket of needing 2-3 month's salary for an engagement ring?

TScheisskopf
World News Trust

join:2005-02-13
Belvidere, NJ
·Sprint Broadband D..

said by Karride See Profile :

said by TScheisskopf See Profile :

She's too attractive for you.
I keep telling her that, but she doesn't listen
If you think she doesn't listen now...BWAHAHAHAHA!

drew
World's Best Boss
Premium
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs:

Re: Big change for me

LOL, very good point.

Jeffrey
Bye George, 1937-2008
Premium
join:2002-12-24
Edgartown, MA
clubs:
Good luck!

N3OGH
They both suck, we're so screwed
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
If she says yes, you're a lucky man. She's beautiful....

tp0d
yabbazooie
Premium
join:2001-02-13
Carnegie, PA
clubs:
·Verizon FIOS

Re: Big change for me

I want my damn femtocell already!

I live on a mountian in Pittsburgh, close to a bunch of cell towers, you would think I have good signal.. NOT! I drop calls more than yo momma drops her fake teeth! lol

Gimme my femtocell verizon!!! fawk

tgif

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Good luck!!!!

A P CC
Premium
join:2003-07-26
..
·AT&T Southwest


edit:
June 7th, @07:24AM

said by Karride See Profile :

I'm asking my girlfriend to marry me this weekend!
hope you thought of SOME Unique way of asking her,
when I asked my late wife to marry me,

we invited my parents to come visit in Tx, (from florida) and i asked & had my Employer show on the ARRIVIAL screen

FLT Arrival Dep Status
1973 7pm yr 2025 Holding
then
SHE SAID YES

Fellow Employees,passengers,parents & future wife LOVED & enjoyed it.
--
It is well,when judging a future friend,to remember
that they are judging you with the same GODLIKE superior impartiality feelings & thoughts that you are judging them by.

mcmillan

join:2001-04-15
West Bloomfield, MI
Good luck!!!

Maccawolf
Premium
join:2001-02-20
Hillsdale, NJ
Congrats!
I hope she says YES....

drew
World's Best Boss
Premium
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA
clubs:

No ISP Status Page

Karl: My ISP, Wave Broadband, has no Network Status page. Heck, I have to call or email them to request additional email addresses, so I doubt a "network status" page is in the near future!

TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast

Fly Derrie-Air. And pay by the pound. Thin people love it

»news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_···ke_ads_5


Readers of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News opened their papers Friday to see ads for a new airline called Derrie-Air, which purportedly charges passengers by the pound.

But the new carrier will never get off the ground. It's a one-day advertising campaign about a fake airline by Philadelphia Media Holdings, the papers' owner, and Gyro ad agency.

In light blue banners throughout the papers — as well as on their Web site, Philly.com — Derrie-Air cheerily trumpets its policy: The more you weigh, the more you pay. The ads direct readers to the Web site »www.flyderrie-air.com.

Derrie-Air's sample rates range from $1.40 per pound to fly from Philadelphia to Chicago to $2.25 per pound to fly from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.

Those who scroll to the bottom of the home page find out the truth behind Derrie-Air.

A disclaimer labels the ad campaign "fictitious" and says it is designed "to test the results of advertising in our print and online products and to stimulate discussion on a timely environmental topic of interest to all citizens."

"In other words," it says, "smile, we're pulling your leg."
I don't know, flying by the pound may be a good idea.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
Mr Matt

join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

Re: Fly Derrie-Air. And pay by the pound. Thin people love it

Did you see the footnote on their brochure: To save our passengers money, we recommend taking a good crap before being weighed.

fatness
subtle
Janitor
join:2000-11-17
fishing

Host:
Earthlink DSL
TekSavvy
Forum Feature Requ..
Need Site Help?
Sports Chat
Did you read about the (supposed) founder of Derrie-Air on their site? »flyderrie-air.com/#mission

quote:
Dick Derrie was born in Salamander, Missouri, a tiny hamlet on the banks of the Mississippi. (Salamander is small, so small that you won't find it on any map.) His father was a fisherman. As a child, Dick ate nothing but line-caught Mississippi fish. This unusual diet flooded his brain with Omega-3 fatty acids, to which he credits his remarkable business acumen.

As a boy, Dick did whatever he could to save money. He dreamed up rising up from the life of poverty he was born into. He held down all kinds of jobs-building rafts, hunting wild boar, guarding prisoners at the nearby correctional facility. By the time he graduated high school, Dick owned a chain of pinball machines in local juke joints and had a net worth of some $5 million. Over the next ten years he would attend business school, open Missouri's third-largest plant for the bottling of generic cola, and multiply this small fortune one hundred times over.

Dick's longing to plunge into Derrie-Air began in 1994, when he sent his first express package. "Heck," he reasoned to himself. "These sons-of-a-gun are making me pay by the pound! Now what if we ran an airline the same way..." The idea lay dormant until 2005, when Dick saw a popular film on global warming. He began to worry that if he didn't do something to cool off the planet, his grandchildren might never know the joy of hunting alligators on his marshy wetlands from the back of a two-ton truck.
--
Female monkeys often utter loud, distinctive calls before, during or after sex..

TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast

Re: Fly Derrie-Air. And pay by the pound. Thin people love it

said by fatness See Profile :

Did you read about the (supposed) founder of Derrie-Air on their site? »flyderrie-air.com/#mission
The people who wrote this funny ad have a real talent. I could have sworn Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn were best pals of Dick Derrie.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page

fatness
subtle
Janitor
join:2000-11-17
fishing

Host:
Earthlink DSL
TekSavvy
Forum Feature Requ..
Need Site Help?
Sports Chat

Re: Fly Derrie-Air. And pay by the pound. Thin people love it

It's well-written satire, I agree.

quote:
What amenities will your jets offer?

First of all there will be no class distinctions inside of a Derrie-Air jet. Every passenger will be treated like royalty. Every seat will be first class. There will simply be too many extras and treats on our flights to list here, but highlights will include: gorgeous air hosts and hostesses, golden-age Rat Pack films, top-shelf vodka Martinis, on-demand video blackjack, spacious private washrooms outfitted with porcelain fixtures and gilded faucets, gourmet snacks, on-board masseuses, loofah scrubs and, of course, digital cable!
--
Female monkeys often utter loud, distinctive calls before, during or after sex..

BabyBear
Keep wise ...with Night-Owl

join:2007-01-11

Re: Fly Derrie-Air. And pay by the pound. Thin people love it

Wow. Can't wait to hear how they got Cable on a plane.

Hmm, no mention of seat power outlets.

Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs:

Comcast...

It's their fault, no matter what, it's still on them!

tpac_support

@telepacific.net

Yaaay

I got a new wireless headset for work today.
I always thought this company was too cheap for that stuff.. well shit I'm suprised.
yt

join:2008-06-03

Re: Comcast...

Comcast made it rain today... Bastards!!!

TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast

Amazon.com out for a couple hours today

...and that means big money lost. The person/persons responsible for their computing problems might be looking for a new job on Monday.

»news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-99624···1_3-0-20
A two-hour Amazon.com outage is over. Now on to the post-mortem: what triggered the problem?

Amazon declared itself clear of the problem this afternoon. "The Amazon retail site was down for approximately two hours earlier today beginning around 10:25 a.m. The site (is) back up," the company said in statement.

But as to the explanation, the company only hinted that its complicated computing infrastructure was, unsurprisingly, a culprit.

--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
NY Tel
Premium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
·VOIPo
·Verizon FIOS

Friday.......Sigh! Thank Goodness

I am sitting on my deck in the midst of many trees, many chirping birds just smelling the fresh clean air thankful that I am on the right side of the grass....
I look forward to the HOT weekend here because I will be doing absolutely nothing taxing on my body. Nothing.

As I sip my McSorley's Black and Tan and eat my dinner, I contemplate my next two business trips coming up.
One is to the San Francisco Bay area and Seattle and Portland Oregon. Will be there for a week.

Great time of year to be in those parts of the country.

Looking forward to travel "not on my dime"......

TScheisskopf
World News Trust

join:2005-02-13
Belvidere, NJ
·Sprint Broadband D..

Re: Friday.......Sigh! Thank Goodness

Hot tips:

San Fran food delights: There are a lot of Vietnamese Restaurants. They are affordable and the food is great. Brandy Ho's in North Beach for Hunan/Szechuan. Japantown for Japanese.

Cracked Dungeness Crab. They serve it in heaven, too.

As a woman told me once: In San Fran, if you are a guy and straight, you are an instant 7. There is some truth to that.

Seattle: Lots of great Thai places, some of the best Sushi in the US. And of course, the stuff they use as a blood replacement there: Coffee. Pike Market is a must see. Watch the flying salmon. If you get hit with one of them, it could leave marks.
NY Tel
Premium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY

Re: Friday.......Sigh! Thank Goodness

Thanks for the restaurant choices. I've been there many times but always like to try new things.

As for being a 7.....if my wife ever got found out, I might be "cut back" to a 3.5 or even less.....lol

Owlbet
Tower ready
Premium,MVM
join:2002-09-24
Palmer, AK
clubs:
·MTA Online

Just putting this.....out there!

Twice in ten days, I gave self-proclaimed "homeless" veterans a few bucks....

Yesterday, myself and a stranger rescued a "cute-as-hell" dachshund from wandering in rush hour traffic. The stranger had her kids with her and she couldn't offer any further assistance with the wayward hound. I was going to take said hound to the pound, but he shook so bad in my truck that I took him home instead.

Said hound gets along a little too famously with my dog. I have an ad on Craigslist, but I'm going to keep the little bugger if no one comes forth to claim him.
--
Team Discovery

NY Tel
Premium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
·VOIPo
·Verizon FIOS

Re: Just putting this.....out there!

said by Owlbet See Profile :

Twice in ten days, I gave self-proclaimed "homeless" veterans a few bucks....

Yesterday, myself and a stranger rescued a "cute-as-hell" dachshund from wandering in rush hour traffic. The stranger had her kids with her and she couldn't offer any further assistance with the wayward hound. I was going to take said hound to the pound, but he shook so bad in my truck that I took him home instead.

Said hound gets along a little too famously with my dog. I have an ad on Craigslist, but I'm going to keep the little bugger if no one comes forth to claim him.
All I can say that there is a special place in heaven if you believe for doing that.

The world needs more people like you.

I am truly touched by your actions. See, there are still some nice humans left on the planet.

Jwobot

join:2002-08-14
Utica, MI

The Cup is back in Hockeytown!

The Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup a couple days ago. Estimated 1.4 million people went to the parade today.

TScheisskopf
World News Trust

join:2005-02-13
Belvidere, NJ

Re: The Cup is back in Hockeytown!

And you cannot find any raw octopus any closer than Topeka.

djrobx

join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T CallVantage
·Time Warner VOIP
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME


edit:
June 6th, @08:15PM

Network status pages

Click for full size
RR Network Status
Time Warner's network status pages are a huge mess. It's like they're showing users some bizzare query against their ticket system, so it's absolutely flooded with meaningless and outdated issues.

On the plus side, in all of that mess, they do sometimes give some unexpected detail as to the sorts of network maintenance going on. For instance, we could easily see when certian areas were being upgraded to "1GHZ C-COR NODE"s. We're made aware that there is a "bandwidth expansion project".
--
Laser eye surgery rocks! I love frickin' laser beams.

snipper_cr

join:2002-01-22
Wheaton, IL
clubs:

ATI HD4780

I cant wait for it! I have a system I am going to build but am waiting on that! I know its suicide buying a graphics card the moment it hits the street but Im ready for this one!
--
Serenity Day - June 23rd 2006. You Can't Stop the Signal

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest

Re: ATI HD4780

said by snipper_cr See Profile :

I cant wait for it! I have a system I am going to build but am waiting on that! I know its suicide buying a graphics card the moment it hits the street but Im ready for this one!
Time to Google...
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!)

snipper_cr

join:2002-01-22
Wheaton, IL
clubs:

Re: ATI HD4780

said by KrK See Profile :

said by snipper_cr See Profile :

I cant wait for it! I have a system I am going to build but am waiting on that! I know its suicide buying a graphics card the moment it hits the street but Im ready for this one!
Time to Google...
Exactly what do you want me to google?

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

Re: ATI HD4780

No I meant time for ME to Google

snipper_cr

join:2002-01-22
Wheaton, IL
clubs:

Re: ATI HD4780

said by KrK See Profile :

No I meant time for ME to Google
Ah ha. touche' my friend.
Actually, be bary bary careful... some time ago some very fake results were posted on a web site and people started taking them for fact. Essentially saying one 4870 was better than a 9800GTX by nVidia.
Most people played the BS card so we are just going to have to wait and see.

MicrotoastXP
A State Of Trance

join:2001-06-05
Bayamon, PR
clubs:

ah man :(

The day was ok until I thought about how broke I'm right now...

Mr Rant

@verizon.net

Random Thoughts About Broadband Access and P2P

Cable companies are the largest aggregators of video content in the US (for now). They are also the largest providers of residential broadband internet access (again, for now). As speed creeps up due to competition, the broadband internet service becomes a self-created threat to the older, but still profitable video business. This is called the "over the top" threat by the industry and what they mean is everything from straight P2P to professional subscription internet video services that aggregate video content like cable companies.

They've built their own Trojan horse.

What makes it really scary is that technology like the slow-to-roll but interesting SlingCatcher and similar devices that sling content from a PC to a TV with better and better fidelity are close to reaching the market. It will be just a matter of time before a for-the-masses user friendly tool hits the streets that will let non-gadget geeks stream SD and even HD quality video from the internet to their big screen TVs and home theater projectors.

Who gets there first? Apple, Google, TiVO or a combination of two of them?

Many of you on DSLR probably already do this with hard drives and gadgets and that's great. But what scares the crap out of the industry is when Joe Schmo goes to Best Buy and buys one for $300 complete with monster hard drive, DVD burning/archiving capability and the ability to stream 480p, 720p and 1080i directly to the video device like a cable or satellite source.

And finally, there is the interactive programming guide - the interface we all love to hate on the cable or satellite box. This control over the user experience is one of the pieces of sinew that holds us, bonds