Here's a recent quote from the conservative Washington Times:
"Obama avoids providing firm stance on gay marriage."
"When gay supporters at a New York fundraiser pressed President Obama on whether he supports same-sex marriage, he said “gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple” but avoided giving a definitive answer."
If the only difference between gay marriage and the President's position amounts to terminology, then that is nothing more than a quibble.
It is very good that New York has passed gay marriage. I hope that the misnamed DOMA is struck down during Obama's first term in order to fulfill the promise of this initiative.
The politicians of the South are likely to stand in the way of civil rights progress. History repeats itself. One would think they would be ashamed of being on record against civil rights once again. All they are doing is reinforcing the South's reputation and confirming the opinions of many people around the world.
I am looking forward to a day when sexuality will be a non-issue. I honestly think it is an absurd thing to have to worry about. Homophobes greatly exaggerate the issue of sexuality. It is just the same with racists that exaggerate the importance of skin color. How easy it is for human beings to jump to the conclusion that all members of an arbitrary group are inferior in some way. That style of thinking is defective and leads to serious errors.
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
New York Daily News on Gay Marriage
I disagreed with a recent opinion piece on the New York Daily News on gay marriage, so I registered in order to leave a comment. Their registration process is lengthy. Twenty questions are asked. They want to know how much money I make, what kind of job I have, and my birthday. Do they really deserve all of that information? In the past, newspapers were content if a letter-writer signed his first and last name, address, city, and state (zip code optional). NY Daily News also had a lengthy checklist for newsletters--every topic under the Sun. Are people still reading emailed newsletters?
I entered a valid email address, received the registration email, clicked on the link, and attempted to log in, only to be denied with an error message: "your email address is invalid." My foot. Looks like the New York Daily News needs to focus more on debugging their computer software and less on political issues that do not concern them. Why are there so many quarrelsome troublemakers in the world that want to interfere in the lives of others? Whatever happened to "live and let live?" In the end, the troublemakers will find solutions for one another.
I gave up on registering. Communicating with fools can be a fool's errand. Sometimes silence is best. My blog is good for venting, as always, if nothing else. And in Google News, I click on that wonderful new feature, "Show Less of..." in order to reduce the number of instances of New York Daily News. Using that feature has already eliminated several other media sources, such as Fox, from the headlines for me.
Bigots that defend DOMA would change their tune in a skinny minute if their own lives were impacted. A taste of their own medicine would do them a world of good. They need to experience firsthand an intrusive law that burrows into their own personal lives and causes them a multitude of hardships. They like pointing the finger at others, but when they point that finger, three are pointing back at them.
I entered a valid email address, received the registration email, clicked on the link, and attempted to log in, only to be denied with an error message: "your email address is invalid." My foot. Looks like the New York Daily News needs to focus more on debugging their computer software and less on political issues that do not concern them. Why are there so many quarrelsome troublemakers in the world that want to interfere in the lives of others? Whatever happened to "live and let live?" In the end, the troublemakers will find solutions for one another.
I gave up on registering. Communicating with fools can be a fool's errand. Sometimes silence is best. My blog is good for venting, as always, if nothing else. And in Google News, I click on that wonderful new feature, "Show Less of..." in order to reduce the number of instances of New York Daily News. Using that feature has already eliminated several other media sources, such as Fox, from the headlines for me.
Bigots that defend DOMA would change their tune in a skinny minute if their own lives were impacted. A taste of their own medicine would do them a world of good. They need to experience firsthand an intrusive law that burrows into their own personal lives and causes them a multitude of hardships. They like pointing the finger at others, but when they point that finger, three are pointing back at them.
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Jackals
The jackals of the mainstream media are busy today patting themselves on the back. Their prolonged propaganda campaign against California's Proposition 19 appears to be paying dividends.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
British Media
Of British news sources, I prefer the Guardian, the BBC, and the Telegraph, in order of preference. I learned today to avoid the Mirror, because that infernal web site disables the "Back" button on my internet browser.
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Chilean Miners
I have been impressed by reports of the thirty-three trapped Chilean miners organizing their activities and living environment and deporting themselves with courage and common sense. I was disappointed that their story was bumped off the headlines of Google News today. I would rather read about them than about the latest Republican shenanigans.
I find it difficult to imagine how I would fare trapped in a subterranean cavern for four months without sunlight and with a high heat and humidity (85 F by one report, 95 F by another). I am glad that the miners have each other for emotional support and that they seem to get along well with one another. A single bit of bad blood could change the situation. Having worked together for a long time must have resulted in a cooperative spirit among the miners. Other positive aspects are that the miners have access to artificial light and have three lifelines to the surface, through which rescuers pour food and water.
These miners are really cool. Here's a great article on what they're doing.
I find it difficult to imagine how I would fare trapped in a subterranean cavern for four months without sunlight and with a high heat and humidity (85 F by one report, 95 F by another). I am glad that the miners have each other for emotional support and that they seem to get along well with one another. A single bit of bad blood could change the situation. Having worked together for a long time must have resulted in a cooperative spirit among the miners. Other positive aspects are that the miners have access to artificial light and have three lifelines to the surface, through which rescuers pour food and water.
These miners are really cool. Here's a great article on what they're doing.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Comments on Mainstream Media Sites
The Comments section on mainstream media web sites, such as the New York Daily News and many other newspapers, television and radio stations, express base sentiments. Armchair generals advocate lynching, beating, and torture for every conceivable misdemeanor. The reaction to any irritant, domestic or foreign, involves wielding the club. Men not far advanced above chimpanzees express racism, homophobia, sexism, and every other variety of hatred. They would be ashamed of their own words if called upon to defend their thoughts in front of a live audience. The Comments section gives the incorrect impression that idiots are the majority, and that nobody bothers thinking matters through in any depth. Maybe it is a mistake to have a Comments section where the lowest common denominator inserts its less-than-two-cents. Note that I am only talking about MSM sites, not my own, where comments have been pretty good as a rule, with two exceptions, a spambot fluent in Chinese, and a drunkard who remains nameless for the moment*.
Nowadays it is possible to jot down an errant thought without delay. The lack of delay discourages reflection. Brute impulses may be transmitted straight from the amygdala. When writing, I try to let the prefrontal cortex remain in charge. The animal-nature betrays a writer and will never win any support from individuals that operate at a high level of thinking**.
If the writing process required a quill pen, parchment, postage, and a messenger-boy, the correspondent might trouble himself to compose a message containing ideas rather than threats or deprecation. Only those that felt their words had weight would trouble themselves to sit down and write a letter in longhand with a quill pen.
I am old enough to remember a time when a personal letter, whether from a friend, acquaintance, or stranger, was of great importance, enough to make me stop everything that I was doing and devote my whole attention to the message, written in longhand of course. That the letter would be of a certain minimal quality was almost certain.
Writing should be superior to the spoken word. When it is not, I know that I am dealing with a lazy writer who cannot be troubled to proofread. If the writer will not proofread his message, then I will not read it. Proofreading catches grammatical, structural, and organizational errors. It is like the error correction protocol used in many of our technological devices. Without proofreading, errors of every variety are likely to betray the writer, making him look like a fool. I do not know anyone who can pump out sterling prose without revising their text many times. If there is such an exceptional individual, then he might make a good President or Prime Minister, assuming he is not really just a plagiarist.
My goal on this blog is to write nothing that I would regret later. If I write something that I later regret, then I delete it. I have done so at least a hundred times. Sometimes when I go to bed, one of my posts troubles me. I sense that something is amiss, even if I am not sure exactly what it is. When I wake up in the morning, I review the message. If the message has only a minor fault, such as a grammatical error, I edit. If the message appears beyond redemption, I delete. Sometimes I am too quick to delete. I miss some of my old posts that are gone forever. Partial remains of these victims to my internal critic can be found via a Google Search, but they are not to be found on this blog. Even so, I think quality control is a good idea for any blog. There is no predicting which post a reader may begin with. Each post may be my one and only opportunity to make an impression.
Nowadays it is possible to jot down an errant thought without delay. The lack of delay discourages reflection. Brute impulses may be transmitted straight from the amygdala. When writing, I try to let the prefrontal cortex remain in charge. The animal-nature betrays a writer and will never win any support from individuals that operate at a high level of thinking**.
If the writing process required a quill pen, parchment, postage, and a messenger-boy, the correspondent might trouble himself to compose a message containing ideas rather than threats or deprecation. Only those that felt their words had weight would trouble themselves to sit down and write a letter in longhand with a quill pen.
I am old enough to remember a time when a personal letter, whether from a friend, acquaintance, or stranger, was of great importance, enough to make me stop everything that I was doing and devote my whole attention to the message, written in longhand of course. That the letter would be of a certain minimal quality was almost certain.
Writing should be superior to the spoken word. When it is not, I know that I am dealing with a lazy writer who cannot be troubled to proofread. If the writer will not proofread his message, then I will not read it. Proofreading catches grammatical, structural, and organizational errors. It is like the error correction protocol used in many of our technological devices. Without proofreading, errors of every variety are likely to betray the writer, making him look like a fool. I do not know anyone who can pump out sterling prose without revising their text many times. If there is such an exceptional individual, then he might make a good President or Prime Minister, assuming he is not really just a plagiarist.
My goal on this blog is to write nothing that I would regret later. If I write something that I later regret, then I delete it. I have done so at least a hundred times. Sometimes when I go to bed, one of my posts troubles me. I sense that something is amiss, even if I am not sure exactly what it is. When I wake up in the morning, I review the message. If the message has only a minor fault, such as a grammatical error, I edit. If the message appears beyond redemption, I delete. Sometimes I am too quick to delete. I miss some of my old posts that are gone forever. Partial remains of these victims to my internal critic can be found via a Google Search, but they are not to be found on this blog. Even so, I think quality control is a good idea for any blog. There is no predicting which post a reader may begin with. Each post may be my one and only opportunity to make an impression.
* On Memorial Day, I received three comments in one day to three ancient posts of mine. None of the comments addressed the substance of the posts, which seemed to be picked at random. The comments were nothing but insults. My first thought was of a spambot, but instead it was a hatebot, an insulting drunkard who left anonymous comments, afraid to reveal his identity. Nothing that he wrote is worth repeating. I removed the Anonymous Comment feature due to this example of its abuse. It makes me smile to imagine all of this advanced computer technology put to the service of conveying the screeching of baboons.
[**] A fascist will respond by saying he does not care what the liberals think, because he is only preaching to others like himself, lazy armchair generals addicted to anger, who watch FOX News 24/7 and believe everything they are told.
[**] A fascist will respond by saying he does not care what the liberals think, because he is only preaching to others like himself, lazy armchair generals addicted to anger, who watch FOX News 24/7 and believe everything they are told.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Older Gays Coming Out for the First Time
With all the media attention focused on younger gays, it is refreshing to see an article in the Associated Press about elderly people who are coming out for the first time.
I have had a bad experience with linking to AP articles. Typically, after a month or two, the links become defunct. I hope this one lasts. If not, search for "Gay seniors come out late, start second lifetime," by Matt Sedensky, reporting from Miami, Florida. It is quite a good read.
I think I had better read more about this "Male Lesbian Complex" mentioned in Sedensky's article. Hmm. I do wish the psychological establishment could render a more pleasant-sounding description than "Complex". Is it really so complex? Of course, psychologists use the word "complex" in the sense of a structure, which begs the question, how was the structure built--and why? The word "Complex" has a bad reputation due to its association with the Oedipus Complex. In my opinion, the word should be abandoned altogether, because it is a superfluous noun appended to self-sufficient phrases. If one thinks of a man as being a kind of male lesbian, why not call him that? Why the "Complex?" I think the word is used for show. "Complex" has scientific connotations in the realm of molecular chemistry. Psychologists are painfully aware that psychology is far from a science, and their desperate yearning for scientific credibility tempts them to borrow scientific terminology, whether necessary or not, in order to improve their standing in public opinion.
The media does a fairly good job reporting on gays these days, far better than in the paranoid past, when we were maligned as everything bad under the sun. I do remember those days, as I was a child and teenager then and grew up with the sense that the world was against me, because it was so written in the local newspaper, in magazines, on television, and everywhere, and reinforced in school and at home.
The strangest thing of all is how widespread a slur against a group of people can become, so that almost everybody, however educated and intelligent, believes in it. The lie detector in many people is not very advanced at all. Evil-doing on a vast scale becomes possible when many people cling to falsehoods. Therein lies the potential for the self-destruction of our species.
I have had a bad experience with linking to AP articles. Typically, after a month or two, the links become defunct. I hope this one lasts. If not, search for "Gay seniors come out late, start second lifetime," by Matt Sedensky, reporting from Miami, Florida. It is quite a good read.
I think I had better read more about this "Male Lesbian Complex" mentioned in Sedensky's article. Hmm. I do wish the psychological establishment could render a more pleasant-sounding description than "Complex". Is it really so complex? Of course, psychologists use the word "complex" in the sense of a structure, which begs the question, how was the structure built--and why? The word "Complex" has a bad reputation due to its association with the Oedipus Complex. In my opinion, the word should be abandoned altogether, because it is a superfluous noun appended to self-sufficient phrases. If one thinks of a man as being a kind of male lesbian, why not call him that? Why the "Complex?" I think the word is used for show. "Complex" has scientific connotations in the realm of molecular chemistry. Psychologists are painfully aware that psychology is far from a science, and their desperate yearning for scientific credibility tempts them to borrow scientific terminology, whether necessary or not, in order to improve their standing in public opinion.
The media does a fairly good job reporting on gays these days, far better than in the paranoid past, when we were maligned as everything bad under the sun. I do remember those days, as I was a child and teenager then and grew up with the sense that the world was against me, because it was so written in the local newspaper, in magazines, on television, and everywhere, and reinforced in school and at home.
The strangest thing of all is how widespread a slur against a group of people can become, so that almost everybody, however educated and intelligent, believes in it. The lie detector in many people is not very advanced at all. Evil-doing on a vast scale becomes possible when many people cling to falsehoods. Therein lies the potential for the self-destruction of our species.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Schizophrenia Claim, Revisited
The mainstream media is in a tizzy again over research that appears to make an association between cannabis use and schizophrenia.
NORML smashes the lies to bits.
I find NORML to be one of the better blogs on the Internet in terms of writing, research, focus, and persuasiveness.
Schizophrenia has always been a problematic diagnosis in psychology. Some people do not believe that it exists, or that the definition is too broad. There are too many variables at play in the human brain. "One size fits all" seldom fits anyone. The media seems to be unaware of any such difficulty, reporting on schizophrenia as though it possessed as firm a definition as herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). However, the main problem with mainstream media stories on cannabis is that they confuse association with causation, a common error by novices who do not understand how very difficult it is to ever really know something.
Here is the crux of the matter in regard to the cannabis-schizophrenia association documented by researchers in various countries. Those content with their life are unlikely to try inebriating substances of any variety. Those who are not content turn to medicine to heal what ails them. Some turn to traditional caregivers, such as doctors. However, a lack of health insurance causes many to seek remedies of their own. Many turn to alcohol. Others may turn to herbal medicine. Or they may pop pills, legal or not. Many resort to cannabis use, because cannabis is known to have few side effects in comparison to alcohol. Thus, when studying a large group of cannabis users, or for that matter, any class of drug users, one is bound to encounter a higher percentage of those with a different psychology, for example, what traditional psychologists term "schizo," whatever that means (there are conflicting ideas on this topic). Those who sought illegal remedies to self-medicate are unlikely to be receiving much help from the medical profession. Therefore, their prognosis is bound to be poorer than those who refrain from non-prescribed medications. It would be a step in the right direction for writers at popular media outlets to grasp at a minimum the logic contained within this paragraph before attempting to cover scientific research on this topic. But the media is more concerned with grabbing eyeballs to increase revenue, rather than printing anything that approximates the truth. The only news I ever watch on television anymore is "The Daily Show," which comes closer to reality than any of the other shows.
In the past, the media has reported that cannabis caused male sterility, homosexuality, pacifism, aggression, communism, violence, "amotivational syndrome," and a myriad of other supposed malignancies originating from the paranoid fears of the prohibitionists. Prohibiting a benign substance due to unfounded, outlandish fears is in itself a symptom of paranoia. It is the prohibitionists that exhibit signs of paranoid schizophrenia, rather than the cannabis consumers. One transparent delusion after another issues forth in their frantic defense of the indefensible, a counter-productive drug war costing billions of dollars per year with no end in sight.
This is what I believe. Sobriety is the preferred state, the one with optimal efficiency and awareness. Habitual, daily cannabis use is detrimental, although not more so than daily alcohol use. I will not go into all the reasons why, because others have walked that road before me, and I think it is self-evident. Cannabis does not seem to be a good medicine for those suffering from severe mental illness and should not be used for that purpose. However, due to its effects on memory, it may be a potential therapy for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or memories of abuse. Those suffering from social anxiety may receive a benefit from marijuana as well. I would be interested in reviewing the research on targeted therapies for specific dysfunctions.
Substances are not always a good answer for moderate depression. Instead, cultivating adaptive strategies to stress is the key. Here is my game plan for attacking the demon of melancholy.
1. Elimination of toxic social contacts and augmentation of positive social contacts. Sever contact with psychic vampires, but increase contact with good people. There are good people in the world, but sometimes one has to go out and find them.
2. Physical exercise, particularly walking.
3. Improved nutrition, with limits placed on sugar and caffeine intake, and an increase in fruits, vegetables, seafood, and whole grain bread.
4. Interruption of negative thoughts habits, such as brooding, by changing activities/schedules. It is easy to turn into a "creature of habit," but habits must be broken if they are detrimental. For example, if participating in an online message forum is a big downer, due to trolls and hostile internet bullies, just stop doing it. Sooner or later the trolls will find themselves all alone together, and they will find solutions for one another in due course. Their solutions need not involve you.
5. Cultivation of pleasurable activities, such as new hobbies and outlets for creativity. Remember, pleasure is good. Those institutions that teach that pleasure is bad are culpable of maintaining the individual in a permanent state of depression. There are powerful forces in society that actively seek to promote melancholy, bitterness, anger, division and hatred in the world. The influence of these forces must be minimized in an individual's life in order for there to be a possibility of happiness.
NORML smashes the lies to bits.
I find NORML to be one of the better blogs on the Internet in terms of writing, research, focus, and persuasiveness.
Schizophrenia has always been a problematic diagnosis in psychology. Some people do not believe that it exists, or that the definition is too broad. There are too many variables at play in the human brain. "One size fits all" seldom fits anyone. The media seems to be unaware of any such difficulty, reporting on schizophrenia as though it possessed as firm a definition as herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). However, the main problem with mainstream media stories on cannabis is that they confuse association with causation, a common error by novices who do not understand how very difficult it is to ever really know something.
Here is the crux of the matter in regard to the cannabis-schizophrenia association documented by researchers in various countries. Those content with their life are unlikely to try inebriating substances of any variety. Those who are not content turn to medicine to heal what ails them. Some turn to traditional caregivers, such as doctors. However, a lack of health insurance causes many to seek remedies of their own. Many turn to alcohol. Others may turn to herbal medicine. Or they may pop pills, legal or not. Many resort to cannabis use, because cannabis is known to have few side effects in comparison to alcohol. Thus, when studying a large group of cannabis users, or for that matter, any class of drug users, one is bound to encounter a higher percentage of those with a different psychology, for example, what traditional psychologists term "schizo," whatever that means (there are conflicting ideas on this topic). Those who sought illegal remedies to self-medicate are unlikely to be receiving much help from the medical profession. Therefore, their prognosis is bound to be poorer than those who refrain from non-prescribed medications. It would be a step in the right direction for writers at popular media outlets to grasp at a minimum the logic contained within this paragraph before attempting to cover scientific research on this topic. But the media is more concerned with grabbing eyeballs to increase revenue, rather than printing anything that approximates the truth. The only news I ever watch on television anymore is "The Daily Show," which comes closer to reality than any of the other shows.
In the past, the media has reported that cannabis caused male sterility, homosexuality, pacifism, aggression, communism, violence, "amotivational syndrome," and a myriad of other supposed malignancies originating from the paranoid fears of the prohibitionists. Prohibiting a benign substance due to unfounded, outlandish fears is in itself a symptom of paranoia. It is the prohibitionists that exhibit signs of paranoid schizophrenia, rather than the cannabis consumers. One transparent delusion after another issues forth in their frantic defense of the indefensible, a counter-productive drug war costing billions of dollars per year with no end in sight.
This is what I believe. Sobriety is the preferred state, the one with optimal efficiency and awareness. Habitual, daily cannabis use is detrimental, although not more so than daily alcohol use. I will not go into all the reasons why, because others have walked that road before me, and I think it is self-evident. Cannabis does not seem to be a good medicine for those suffering from severe mental illness and should not be used for that purpose. However, due to its effects on memory, it may be a potential therapy for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or memories of abuse. Those suffering from social anxiety may receive a benefit from marijuana as well. I would be interested in reviewing the research on targeted therapies for specific dysfunctions.
Substances are not always a good answer for moderate depression. Instead, cultivating adaptive strategies to stress is the key. Here is my game plan for attacking the demon of melancholy.
1. Elimination of toxic social contacts and augmentation of positive social contacts. Sever contact with psychic vampires, but increase contact with good people. There are good people in the world, but sometimes one has to go out and find them.
2. Physical exercise, particularly walking.
3. Improved nutrition, with limits placed on sugar and caffeine intake, and an increase in fruits, vegetables, seafood, and whole grain bread.
4. Interruption of negative thoughts habits, such as brooding, by changing activities/schedules. It is easy to turn into a "creature of habit," but habits must be broken if they are detrimental. For example, if participating in an online message forum is a big downer, due to trolls and hostile internet bullies, just stop doing it. Sooner or later the trolls will find themselves all alone together, and they will find solutions for one another in due course. Their solutions need not involve you.
5. Cultivation of pleasurable activities, such as new hobbies and outlets for creativity. Remember, pleasure is good. Those institutions that teach that pleasure is bad are culpable of maintaining the individual in a permanent state of depression. There are powerful forces in society that actively seek to promote melancholy, bitterness, anger, division and hatred in the world. The influence of these forces must be minimized in an individual's life in order for there to be a possibility of happiness.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Fox News Versus Time Warner Cable
Fox News wants Time Warner Cable to pay $1 per subscriber for its content.
On this particular issue, and possibly no other, I'm on the side of Fox. Fox News is little more than the propaganda organ for the Republican party, but on the other hand, I'm not a big fan of cable companies, either. They enjoy near-monopolies in most markets and charge outrageous fees while shortchanging the content providers. I would like to see cable companies get the squeeze and stop intruding into areas where they lack competence, such as the Internet and VOIP. Leave VOIP to experts like Vonage. When cable companies venture outside their core competence, customers are the ones who suffer.
I subscribed to Charter cable and received abominable Internet service. I didn't know how bad it was until I switched to AT&T and experienced 99.99% reliability for the first time. Over the eight years that I was subscribed to Charter, they made one substantial investment in the service. They installed a device beside each house to filter the television signal from the Internet signal, so that subscribers like myself could no longer pick up both television and Internet, but were compelled to subscribe to each of the services separately. My Internet became unavailable while their technicians were working and remained unavailable for many days afterward. No one notified me. This was just another in a long series of rude interruptions from Charter. I was grateful, because it made my decision to cancel their services an easy one. I remember going for a entire week without service, because of an unexplained technical difficulty. No adjustments were ever made to my bill for the dozens of unannounced outages, although the CSR's at the help desk would always promise to adjust my bill to reflect the downtime. They lied.
Every two weeks, Charter still sends me marketing fliers in the mail offering me "television, VOIP, and Internet for $69.99 a month." Their fliers are deposited in the trashcan without being opened. I received an email from a Charter Representative once, in response to a blog post of mine, that recommended that I log onto the Charter web site and provide my address so that they won't mail me fliers anymore. Why should I take time out of my day to do that? I do not care whether Charter wastes its money mailing fliers to me. Maybe it helps the Postal Service, which seems to be struggling financially these days, according to media reports. I like the Postal Service, because they provide a useful service in a reliable fashion at a modest price.
On this particular issue, and possibly no other, I'm on the side of Fox. Fox News is little more than the propaganda organ for the Republican party, but on the other hand, I'm not a big fan of cable companies, either. They enjoy near-monopolies in most markets and charge outrageous fees while shortchanging the content providers. I would like to see cable companies get the squeeze and stop intruding into areas where they lack competence, such as the Internet and VOIP. Leave VOIP to experts like Vonage. When cable companies venture outside their core competence, customers are the ones who suffer.
I subscribed to Charter cable and received abominable Internet service. I didn't know how bad it was until I switched to AT&T and experienced 99.99% reliability for the first time. Over the eight years that I was subscribed to Charter, they made one substantial investment in the service. They installed a device beside each house to filter the television signal from the Internet signal, so that subscribers like myself could no longer pick up both television and Internet, but were compelled to subscribe to each of the services separately. My Internet became unavailable while their technicians were working and remained unavailable for many days afterward. No one notified me. This was just another in a long series of rude interruptions from Charter. I was grateful, because it made my decision to cancel their services an easy one. I remember going for a entire week without service, because of an unexplained technical difficulty. No adjustments were ever made to my bill for the dozens of unannounced outages, although the CSR's at the help desk would always promise to adjust my bill to reflect the downtime. They lied.
Every two weeks, Charter still sends me marketing fliers in the mail offering me "television, VOIP, and Internet for $69.99 a month." Their fliers are deposited in the trashcan without being opened. I received an email from a Charter Representative once, in response to a blog post of mine, that recommended that I log onto the Charter web site and provide my address so that they won't mail me fliers anymore. Why should I take time out of my day to do that? I do not care whether Charter wastes its money mailing fliers to me. Maybe it helps the Postal Service, which seems to be struggling financially these days, according to media reports. I like the Postal Service, because they provide a useful service in a reliable fashion at a modest price.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Which If the Following...
I've been taking practice tests all week. In the "Reading Comprehension" section, a brief article on aromatherapy was given, followed by several questions to test reading comprehension, such as this lovely little jewel:
"Which if the following is a likely reason why some people choose aromatherapy as a type of treatment?"
If, indeed. If only test-takers could grade test-makers. And remember: 60 divided by 12 is 50%. And there are a thousand centimeters in a meter. I've been learning all kinds of wonderful things.
"Which if the following is a likely reason why some people choose aromatherapy as a type of treatment?"
If, indeed. If only test-takers could grade test-makers. And remember: 60 divided by 12 is 50%. And there are a thousand centimeters in a meter. I've been learning all kinds of wonderful things.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Misprints
While grading a self-test today, I discovered the following errors in the answers.
1. Express 60/12 as a percentage.
(A) 0.5%
(B) 5%
(C) 50%
(D) 500%
The answer key said (C).
2. How many centimeters are in 56 meters?
(A) 56
(B) 560
(C) 5,600
(D) 56,000
The answer key said (D).
I am not sure what sort of boneheads are working as proofreaders at the publishing company these days, but factual information is difficult to come by even in mainstream newspapers, TV shows and magazines. A recent news article in "The Week" claimed that 60% of Americans feel like Sarah Palin is misrepresented by the media. That sounded odd, and I wondered whether it might be so until I saw the byline: Fox News.
1. Express 60/12 as a percentage.
(A) 0.5%
(B) 5%
(C) 50%
(D) 500%
The answer key said (C).
2. How many centimeters are in 56 meters?
(A) 56
(B) 560
(C) 5,600
(D) 56,000
The answer key said (D).
I am not sure what sort of boneheads are working as proofreaders at the publishing company these days, but factual information is difficult to come by even in mainstream newspapers, TV shows and magazines. A recent news article in "The Week" claimed that 60% of Americans feel like Sarah Palin is misrepresented by the media. That sounded odd, and I wondered whether it might be so until I saw the byline: Fox News.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Advice for News Junkies
If you are addicted to reading and absorbing the daily world news, it may be helpful to employ the following technique. Before reading, make a mental note, prefacing each headline with the phrase, "Although the rest of the world was productive, harmonious, and good, we found the following unusual exception:", because the headline almost certainly contains bad news. I believe the media has a philosophy. News is not news unless it is bad. Bad news is, however, the exception, not the rule.
This technique should help counteract the overall negative impression of the world that is put forth by the media. The world is not so bad, dear old thing that she is. The common perception of the world is in need of repair. If you pause to consider the advantages, unique to our knowledge, of Earth, and of H. Sapiens, then the world is a grand and blissful place, akin to Heaven. Think upon the lot of the amoeba that know nothing save food and death. We perceive and sometimes understand, and that is all good.
This technique should help counteract the overall negative impression of the world that is put forth by the media. The world is not so bad, dear old thing that she is. The common perception of the world is in need of repair. If you pause to consider the advantages, unique to our knowledge, of Earth, and of H. Sapiens, then the world is a grand and blissful place, akin to Heaven. Think upon the lot of the amoeba that know nothing save food and death. We perceive and sometimes understand, and that is all good.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
A Tale of Two Stories
Two stories are making the rounds in the media. Both concern individuals who claim, with different degrees of validity, that they were attacked because they are gay. Which receives the most coverage? Guess.
The former Survivor celebrity garners the most media attention by a ratio of 50:1.
The former Survivor celebrity garners the most media attention by a ratio of 50:1.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Computer Problems Can Be Life or Death
This article on CNN demonstrates that computer problems can make the difference between life and death.
What was the precise nature of the "computer problems" in this legal case? It would be interesting to know. Other professionals could then take measures to prevent a similar scenario from arising in the future. Too often the mainstream media makes the assumption that nobody cares about the technical details. Details matter a great deal in this technological world of ours.
I'm reminded of the media's handling of scientific research papers. Often they provide just the conclusions of the researchers. Such conclusions may go too far. In order to evaluate scientific research, readers require additional information about the experiments performed. Not all research is created equal, and just because a new scientific finding issues forth from a prestigious institution does not make it golden.
The New York Times has superior writing than any television-oriented company like CNN, where I found the article above. This is why I prefer to click on articles that are from newspapers, rather than television. I'm not sure why newspapers make their content available free of charge on the web, but I'm glad that they do. I hope that a system can be developed whereby quality newspapers like the NYT can survive and be profitable.
What was the precise nature of the "computer problems" in this legal case? It would be interesting to know. Other professionals could then take measures to prevent a similar scenario from arising in the future. Too often the mainstream media makes the assumption that nobody cares about the technical details. Details matter a great deal in this technological world of ours.
I'm reminded of the media's handling of scientific research papers. Often they provide just the conclusions of the researchers. Such conclusions may go too far. In order to evaluate scientific research, readers require additional information about the experiments performed. Not all research is created equal, and just because a new scientific finding issues forth from a prestigious institution does not make it golden.
The New York Times has superior writing than any television-oriented company like CNN, where I found the article above. This is why I prefer to click on articles that are from newspapers, rather than television. I'm not sure why newspapers make their content available free of charge on the web, but I'm glad that they do. I hope that a system can be developed whereby quality newspapers like the NYT can survive and be profitable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)