Comcast is Gone

Posted on by Mike 2 Comments

The 1.8 year old TiVo HD finally started to look like it was recording, but actually dropping programs around the 1 minute to 11 minute recorded mark. I wasn’t sure whether it was the hard disk in the TiVo, the external hard disk, or Comcast signals. Not wanting to spend a bunch of money to find out, we switched from Comcast to Dish. Since the DVR service with Dish is less than the TiVo service, and the actual Dish service is cheaper than Comcast, we’ll be saving the big bucks.

I also switched our high-speed Internet service from Comcast to CenturyLink. It’s no longer required that  you subscribe to local phone service in order to get DSL. Good deal. The DSL will be about the same as cable after the discounted price expires after a year.

So far things are working superbly and we’re learning the new system.

I’m officially retiring the static page titled “Comcast Saga” effective immediately.

Inflation

Posted on by Mike 1 Comment

Last month Comcast changed their bills to full color. This month they raised their rates. 1Perhaps to pay for the full color. I guess they figure if they look cool we won’t notice the rate increase.

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Perhaps to pay for the full color.

Begging The Question

Posted on by Mike 4 Comments

One thing that irks me is talking heads completely butchering the English language. Many times they take a term that means one thing then use it incorrectly to mean another. For example, the word momentarily means for a moment. How many times a day do you hear an announcer say, “We’ll be back momentarily?” The announcer means in a moment but is actually saying for a moment.

One phrase that talking heads misuse that really annoys me is begs the question to mean asks the question. In fact, begging the question is a logical fallacy wherein the arguer tries to prove a point by relying on a premise 1 something assumed or taken for granted that proves the point. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say on the topic.

In logic, begging the question has traditionally described a type of logical fallacy … in which the proposition to be proved is assumed implicitly or explicitly in one of the premises...

In contemporary usage, “begging the question” often refers to an argument where the premises are as questionable as the conclusion.

In popular usage, “begging the question” is often used to mean that a statement invites another obvious question. This usage is stated to be incorrect in The Oxford Guide to English Usage, 1st edition; “raises the question” is suggested as a more appropriate alternative. Improper usage of the term may to some observers make the user appear uneducated; this is presumably the opposite effect the user intends by using the term. [Emphasis mine]

Are you surprised the talking heads get stuff like this wrong?

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1  something assumed or taken for granted

American Idol

Posted on by Mike 3 Comments

The new season of American Idol begins tonight with four hours of programming over the next two nights. Mrs. Major and Son Major enjoy this show. I use the show as an opportunity to read or fool around on the computer.

Kevin McDonough, in his column “Tune In Tonight,” sums the program up very well:

With its endless hours of idle chatter and forgettable patter, “Idol” was made for the fast-forward button. I tend to speed over the obviously horrible performances, the banal travelogue and practically every segment featuring Ryan Seacrest. Technology can be a wonderful thing.

I say, “Just saying, ‘no,’ can be a wonderful thing.”