I have a cell phone, which is turned on when I'm away from the house. It allows family to contact me if an emergency arises. Beyond that, it's for MY convenience if I need something - roadside assistance, for example. Don't use it hardly at all otherwise, but it's there if I need it. Minimal number of minutes on a plan that no longer is offered but which I am allowed to keep, and low cost.
Matt
About four years ago we had a pretty serious blizzard hit the city. White out conditions, buses stopped running, schools closed.
As it turned out, not only was every citizen on their cell trying to sort out picking up the kids, etc., but the emergency responders had decided the cellular system was the way to go for communications in an emergency.
Every radio station in town was asking people to stay off their cell phones so the cops and firefighters could use the circuits!
Idiots...
I second that. What the he** was wrong the VHF/FM radios used successfully for the past 40 years? Let me guess, some shill for the telecom industry sold some bribe-taking pink-handed paper-shuffler on the idea...
Greg G.
On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:56:26 -0500, the infamous Greg G. scrawled the following:
I hate cells, too, but I spend $100/year on one anyway. I keep it in the truck and only use it when some idiot client has given me wrong directions to get to their house out in BF Egypt. I got a $15 Tracfone and get the annual update for $89. After 3 years, I still have 600 minutes left of the 800 minutes I got the first year.
AFAIC, cell technology sucks and still, after decades, is NOT ready for Prime Time. I have yet to receive a call from a cell user where I have not had to say "What? I lost you there for a few seconds." or have them c all back after they went in a tunnel and the line was dropped. Not frackin' ONCE have I ever had a decent call! Effit!
Absolutely! Uh, wait a minute...did you say "$100 dinner"?
-- When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary. -- Thomas Paine
I'm not just arguing but there is still a fair amount of phone service above ground. I would agree though that while cell service is getting much better in our rural area, it might be iffy in a serious weather event.
However, I had the occasion to call 911 a couple of months ago during a hell of a thunderstorm. In addition to 5+ inches of rain in 2-3 hours we took one VERY CLOSE lightening strike. Lit up the entire interior of the house WHITE. I saw sparks and debris flying out of a GFI receptacle in our kitchen and grabbed the phone immediately. The call went right through.
We ended up with about $2,000 worth of electronics and electrical damage not including all of our internet provider's wireless equipment.
However...........This string of messages has given me reason to think about good reasons to have a land line.
Hhhhmmmmmm.
RonB
On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:10:26 -0800, the infamous "Lew Hodgett" scrawled the following:
Amen! Since when did people deserve the right to annoy you at all hours of the day, no matter where you were or what you were doing? When I sit down with a client to talk, I ask them to first turn off their cell phone so we weren't interrupted.
I have a phone in my room, but the ringer has been turned off for 35 years now. The office phone (dcom) ringer is turned off, but the ringer in the living room is on. It's less annoying that way but I still hear it. The other office phone (hagh) is turned way down. Ditto the one in the living room.
I've learned not to jump whenever the phone rings, too. About 75% of the time, it's some asshole marketeer or idiot Indian programmer who wants to sell me something. The real calls get returned promptly.
When I see (caller ID) a call come in from an unknown number, I immediately ask if it's a sales call, then proceed to tell them to put my number on their Do Not Call List. I don't sit through their crap at all any more. And when they continue to talk after I have said my short, sweet little spiel, I hang up on them. High pressure people suck and don't deserve a second of my time.
-- When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary. -- Thomas Paine
On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:31:02 -0500, the infamous Greg G. scrawled the following:
Battery powered HAM. Almost anyone can get a HAM license nowadays since they took out the keying requirement. You no longer need to know Morris (_or_ Morse) code. The little handheld units are selling for under $100 everywhere. I'm tempted, but so far haven't jumped. My buddy sent me a CD with all sorts of info on it.
Iffen it's a toe tappin' dystopian scenario you're wanting, me boyo, listen to King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man". It's my Fripp and Wesson.
-- When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary. -- Thomas Paine
On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:37:16 -0600, the infamous Dave Balderstone scrawled the following:
Proof to Naily that CA isn't perfect! This is wonderful news. ;)
My buddy in LoCal works for the emergency guys, RACES, in San Diego County, CA, USA. They were able to convince the local idiots not to do that same thing your guys did, so the fire, police, emergency crews can now, finally, all talk to one another. Even during emergencies, _and_ all at once! I don't recall the details, but it really helped during the fires in recent years in SoCal.
-- When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary. -- Thomas Paine
They've gotten better about eating pre-paid for minutes, never wanted one enough to sign a contract. Girl I work with insists that I need one, especially when on a road trip, which after Citi left me standing on the dark streets of Miami earlier this year trying to buy gas, is tempting.
Well, I started at $50, but thought that sounded too cheap. Not often. Hell, picked up McDonalds for three people last week and it was $25! An $80 bar tab in Key West just about floored me as well. Hanging around with them Sheilas ain't cheap. That's why I'm here. Can't afford to go anywhere anymore. ;-)
Greg G.
If, by "toe tappin'" you mean a song where the band sounds like it's running down a long and randomly winding staircase while they're playing their instruments, then yeah, it's a toe-tapper all right! What glorious chaos. :-)
On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:48:27 -0500, the infamous Greg G. scrawled the following:
I bought the cheap phone and a single year's worth of airtime for $90 or so. It's worth that, when all the 30 minute/month cells around here start at $30/mo, after you buy a phone. Anyway, that works out to under $9/mo for the cell and my minutes roll over so I'm never without. But I still hate the damned finicky things. Feh! If it's not the dead batteries, it's the lack of signal to call out or the lost signals during a conversation. The newer digital phones are even worse. Instead of bad s/n ratios, they have zero connection.
You hang out with the wrong Sheilas. Find one who treats you to meals or one who cooks well. I used to trade off with my last girlfriend. I think I cooked better than she did, but she had the sweetest...(ahem.)
I eat at McDognuts all the time. In the summer. (They have $1 ice cream cones. That's -all- I'd consider eating from those places.) For food, I prefer Taco Bell or the lousy-but-infamous Jack in the Box tacos, but that's only on workdays for lunch IF I forgot to make one.
Nah, if I'm going to spend money, I'll go to a steak joint who actually flame broils their beef. I'll wolf down a large salad, stuff myself on their garlic bread or rolls, and take half my steak home with me for a couple more meals. (steak & eggs + a lunch sammy)
-- When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary. -- Thomas Paine
You would have to know the area I live in. Severe shortage and any that look worth a s#&$ have 3 kids by 3-ex bubba husbands (and a current), and want money or at least the Peggy Bundy life. New England and CA were a different story. Cook? Are you kidding me? My ex couldn't make Jello.
I don't, and in fact miss the time when I went 20 years without eating at one. But all the places around here suck beyond belief, and it is the lesser of evils. The Taco Bell is dripping with grease. The real Mexican restaurant is OK, but $7 for lunch? The Steak and Shake went down the crapper last year during a management change and now has the worst dishwater chili around. It's a rip. They closed the Wendy's. We don't have salmonella Jacks here, nor Wa Was, nor WhatABurgers. Or Applebees, or Bennigans, or Fridays, or any independents either. It's
12 miles to the nearest pseudo Italian. It's chain burgers and bad BBQ.I miss the Ponderosa that used to be down the street, and the salad bar with all the trimmings. It shut down, as did the Chinese restaurant. Didn;t hurt that my brother in law managed the place.
I have to drive so far to get decent food I just eat crap at home mostly. (12-20 miles) And I live 10 miles from downtown.
Greg G.
Had the LP. It's gone. King Crimson, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, BOC. Although toe tapping isn't the first thing that comes to mind... Even Swingman would like the mixes on the Steely Dan stuff. Smooth, layered, harmonic depth. Horns, back melodies, lyrics of sorts. No wall of excruciating sound. Back when producers had ears.
Greg G.
AT&T is the same story. I am referring to residential telephone service.
Ask around to anybody under 30 yrs old, if they have a land line.
DSL is currently delivered by the same tired old copper lines that folks used to talk on.
At some point, wireless will deliver most internet service, not quite there yet but soon.
Most major trunk lines are fiber these days.
Which service do you think they prefer ???
$12 per month for single line service. $80 per month for a couple of mobiles.
Le>> Verizon management has acknowledged that the land line business >> is gone.... >>
We keep one of each. Fire before last, the cell towers burned down. Last fire, the phone wires (poles) went. Great stuff. comm whiz, jo4hn
There's no need for that. You can enjoy better food at home than you can buy in any franchise junk shop - and you can waste less time (and spend less) on it than you would spend driving to and from any place more than a mile away for junk...
I hate to cook and love to eat - and on consulting stints usually ended up in an apartment and discovered with a little help (actually a _lot_ of help) from co-workers that I could eat really well on the cheap and not need to spend more than about ten minutes on preparation. I'll be glad to share a couple of favorites if you don't mind a couple of non-spam (pun intended) e-mails.
I'm seeing an opportunity to get even for the software you sent. :)
So share already.
Lew
In the best of woodworking traditions, tools are required. In this case a crock pot that will cook for a pre-set time and then go into "keep-warm" mode. I bought mine at Wal-Mart in Newton, Iowa for (IIRC) about US$25. It was money well spent.
This recipe was a group response from the guys in the Maytag R&D Software Group. Do NOT attempt to make this when you will be home all day! If you do, it'll make you crazy - but it's great to come home to.
Before you go to work...
Into a crock pot (in this order):
A half cup of water. A good (heaping) handful of small (washed) potatoes. A small cut up onion. One smashed garlic clove. A couple or three cut-up carrots. A couple or three cut up celery stalks. A 3 - 5 pound chuck roast. Light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Put the lid on the crock pot, turn it on to cook for five hours and go to work.
Prep time should be between five an ten minutes. Wash hands before and after prep to keep healthy and not smell like onions/garlic all day.
After the first time, adjust the recipe to suit your own likes. It's actually pretty difficult to screw up.
A five pound pot roast won't last as long as you might think. :)
Don't get the idea I eat potato chips and beer at home. I keep a half dozen varieties of beans and peas, potatoes, rice, cheeses, breads around. Things with a short shelf-life don't make it often. Sometimes I'll make a large batch of spaghetti or lasagne and freeze it in meal sized blocks. Sometimes I don't feel like messing with it at all and eat a to-go burger. Eating out could be the only predictable social life I would have otherwise. :) I'd never leave the house. Hey, I even have Raman noodles. ;)
I'm always open for something easy and good. (Like THAT ever happens.) But when traveling you gotta go out just to meet the locals and such. I hate to cook, and eat to live. Mostly. If could take a green pill each day and dispense with eating I probably would for most meals. But I can make biscuits that are fairly edible, and great popcorn! One reason I avoid cooking is that while waiting on something or another to steep, boil, or bake, I'll get distracted by a project or book or... and whatever I was preparing burns to a crisp. Less of a problem now with electronic times and such, but if you only knew... Besides, isn't that women are for?
Where do you live? Seminole, Florida or the Sierra Nevadas? That's a lot of fires...
Greg G.
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