05
Aug
2009
Lift Off
Okay. Valve and Tull t-shirts packed, technical pdf’s lined up for reading en route, computers synched. Next time you hear from me, it’ll either be from Worldcon or after (depending on whether I can find some spare bandwidth— am I the only person who finds it outrageous that every cheap-ass Motel 6 on the planet offers free WiFi, while every place that charges over a hundred bucks a night feels entitled to gouge its laptop-toting patrons for another ten or twenty?).
I leave you with the three most recent search strings that have led people to this site:
- “constant fear of prosecution” anxiety
- “scary women in black leather with whips”
- “Who is ‘Finster Mushwell’?”
I may know what’s going on with the last one. The others, not so much. Unless the Internet has not only become self-aware, but telepathic as well…
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*Finster Mushwell waves hanky from the dock*
*ship blows long low note*
*ship departs*
1: Read your comments.
2: Association with Amanda Palmer.
I find it outrageous:
1. that in North America our DSL speeds are so slow and so sucky that they are measured in kbps, whereas in podunk backwaters like Spain and Estonia DSL customers expect and receive on the order of 10-12 Mbps;
2. that in North America there is still no free wireless in most major cities.
But maybe I should be grateful that we are saved from the scourge of creeping socialism, or something…
So this is where all the fans of scary women in black leather with whips are. I’ll have to tell Laurel.
Have a safe trip.
North American bandwidth has lagged behind Europe for precisely the same reason that North American highway construction led Europe in the 40s and 50s. North American countries are large and cover far more area than European countries. North American drivers demanded the capability to drive longer distances than European drivers, so highway technology surged. But North American bandwidth providers have to cover large areas than European bandwidth providers, and hence they have larger necessary capital outlays. Thus there is a tendency towards much larger coproations, excuse me, corporations being in charge, with monopoly-like powers that retard development.
In “Gladiator At Law”, Pohl & Kornbluth wrote that most progress is generated by corporations in bankruptcy. This may be overstating the case, but it seems true that Comcast only advances the art when its revenue is threatened.
I too gnash my teeth over nice hotels that charge me for internet. I assume it has something to do with expense accounts and business travels. Nonetheless, I find it aggravating beyond reason. (But I secretly do relish the freedom from e-mail.)
I read some of your stories Mr Watts and I am appaul be that atrocities.If you did nothing wrong,than you have nothing to fear my friend.MORE power to you!WARMEST REGARDS!