Warning: Coarse language.



  1. Number33 says:

    This is why I come to this Blog!

  2. noname says:

    Welcome to Ronald Reagan it’s morning in America!

  3. Hmeyers says:

    Sarcasm used to be something rare that standup comedians like George Carlin practiced like an art form.

    This video was “not good” and reeks of the entitlement that people in the USA — or as Mexico would say “our well-fed neighbors up north” …

    Who have few real problems compared to the rest of the world.

    Or even few real problems by even recent historical standards.

    So these people without real problems invent some imaginary minor inconveniences to whine about as a “big deal” because they are bored.

    • Porky Rottenham says:

      How old are you psychologically? At least a a dozen con artists would pay real money for your address.

      • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

        Well said, but wouldn’t a real con man use counterfeit money?

    • Supreme Ultrahuman (I see the comment system is still designed for retards.) says:

      Oh, hush. As Americans it’s our *duty* to have more than everyone else.

  4. MikeN says:

    High speed internet just enables outsourcing. People are taking jobs away from local phone company workers to spend their money on a foreign VOIP company, though it’s possible it is now at least somewhat American after being bought and sold a few times.

  5. Sea Lawyer says:

    I love all these smug dipshits comparing the average broadband speed of a country with 48 mil people and 99,720 sq km of land area to one with 326 mil people and 9,826,675 sq km area; as if the technical and resource challenges are remotely similar.

    • noname says:

      Wow, what amazing deductive logic?

      Is that why Rhode Island and Delaware has “better speeds at lower prices as freedom reign supreme in the ISP space.” and Texas and California the worst?

      • Guyver says:

        Is that why Rhode Island and Delaware has “better speeds at lower prices as freedom reign supreme in the ISP space.” and Texas and California the worst?

        Apples to Oranges.

        If you’re going to compare states of the U.S. to another country, then you should be using that country’s state.

        • noname says:

          Hum, let’s really see this works:

          California’s economy is the eighth largest economy in the world (2011) when compared with other countries. Within the U.S.A, California ranks 12th among the 50 states in terms of GDP per capita.

          Which other country’s state has a comparable kind of Economic Impact? Academically, economically, …more accurate to describe California as a microcosm of the nation, then as a state!

          Why are REPUK so damn dumb, birth defects! REPUKs must have grew up in a low TAX state where education was privatized and medical access was limited.

          • Guyver says:

            California’s economy is the eighth largest economy in the world (2011) when compared with other countries. Within the U.S.A, California ranks 12th among the 50 states in terms of GDP per capita.

            Hmmmm,

            So you’re trying to sound intelligent by trying to make the case of government spending of other people’s money is the same as spending in the private sector?

            Why are REPUK so damn dumb, birth defects! REPUKs must have grew up in a low TAX state where education was privatized and medical access was limited.

            My condolences. You sound like a victim of government-run public education. 🙂

    • Dip Stick says:

      Funny how places like Kansas City can have those GIGABIT “European” speeds and at lower costs when someone other than the usual ISP thieves are serving them.

      If you’re in the U.S.A. you really have no idea how good it COULD be since you’ve NEVER HAD IT!

      It might also be interesting to see JCD chime in here (since it is his blog and all) to maybe re-post his rant about “dark fiber”.

  6. tcc3 says:

    I’m really enjoying all the apologist corporate bootlickers on this post.

    “Shut up plebes! Who cares if youre being overcharged for poor service? Thats how it is. Complaining is communism!”

  7. spsffan says:

    I still can’t abide how so large a portion of the population continues to pay big dollars to cable companies. They are renound for their bad service and high prices.

    Heck, back in the 1970s, my cousin made a good living installing roof antennas for rich people with cable, just so they could get decent pictures on local television stations.

    These days, with digital broadcast TV, I get far better programming than I see on regular cable. Of course, I’m not into sports 24/7 nor do I need to see naked bodies and explicit murder scenes all day long either. Television is NOT something I’m willing to pay for.

    I refuse to loose my land line phone, as it is the only thing in my world that has continued to work flawlessly for 50 years. So, since I’m stuck with the telephone company, I use Verizon’s DSL. I think I’ve had 2 or 3 outages of less than an hour over the last 10 years.

    • Guyver says:

      I still can’t abide how so large a portion of the population continues to pay big dollars to cable companies. They are renound for their bad service and high prices.

      It’s quite possible a part of those high prices are users pre-paying for upgrades that others are whining about that they don’t have now.

      These days, with digital broadcast TV, I get far better programming than I see on regular cable.

      I get about 19 digital channels OTA… all the local affiliate broadcasters in HD. That said, I will say that standard def is atrociously bad both on cable and satellite.

      If you’ve ever watched a DVD on a very good DVD player through to your HDTV, the picture quality is actually pretty impressive… enough so that I don’t feel a real need to pay for HD. That said, it also angers me how the cable and satellite providers multiplex and over-compress SD signals in order to get people to buy into HD.

      That all said, this may be of some interest to the readers of DU:

      Intel Said to Be Nearing Media Deals for Pay-TV Service: http://tinyurl.com/d7tm8ua

  8. bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

    I see McGuyver is taking a day off from work to favor us?

    Kinda making the Pedro Error there McGuyver. Just way to loose and conflicting and “Anything I don’t like I call communism.”

    EVERY economic system has pros and cons about it. EVERY economic system fails in its pure application.

    IN THE REAL WORLD, every country has a mix of all the economic systems. The closer to one perfection or another they get, the quicker they fail. Look at the USA today===RIGHT NOW===as we have moved closer to DARWINIAN CAPITALISM (if not Corporate Feudalism) the more rapidly we are digging our own grave.

    Amusing….. if you care more about some ideology rather than WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS.

    Pragmatism. A killer of faith.

    Try it. You might like it.

    • msbpodcast says:

      IN THE REAL WORLD, every country has a mix of all the economic systems.

      Damn, Bobbo, that’s what I’ve been claiming all along.

      The closer to one perfection or another they get, the quicker they fail. Look at the USA today===RIGHT NOW===as we have moved closer to DARWINIAN CAPITALISM (if not Corporate Feudalism) the more rapidly we are digging our own grave.

      I whole-heartedly agree.

      Cable companies have been taking advantage (and ripping you off in the process,) of the geographic monopoly they granted themselves by colluding with the FTC, the FCC, the governments of the day, and some back-room negotiating to prevent competition.

      The TelCos aren’t any better since, if it wasn’t for the cable companies offering telephone service, you sucked syphilitic cock for twenty years before you ever saw FiOS, despite the fact that you were paying for it since the 60’s.

      • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

        I know you do Mpod. As the richest person with the highest IQ on this forum, I have always admired your postings.

        I know early one I made some quibble that upset you. Rich High IQ people often don’t like being quibbled with. I love the quibble—as long as elephants are not loose.

        Wifey’s IQ is higher than yours. I am but a moron compared to you two. Pisses her off she can’t out argue me.

        There is a point in fact where money or IQ or physical dominance has a diminishing return where those farther down the scale can perform just as well at some larger task.

        Should make us all a bit more humble.

        Yea, verily.

  9. Guyver says:

    “Anything I don’t like I call communism.”

    Pretty big jump to call “classless society” as anything.

    EVERY economic system has pros and cons about it. EVERY economic system fails in its pure application.

    I never said Capitalism was perfect. However, we live in a quasi-Capitalistic state.

    Look at the USA today===RIGHT NOW===as we have moved closer to DARWINIAN CAPITALISM (if not Corporate Feudalism) the more rapidly we are digging our own grave.

    IMHO, we’re moving towards Corporatocracy due to SOME but not most corporations. Capitalism would fix this but since we’re using a quasi form, it won’t happen.

    • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

      Hey McGuyver==you must really be bored?

      Pretty big jump to call “classless society” as anything. /// Ha, ha. I can only guess you think you have scored a point? Yes BY DEFINITION: every “thing” is a thing. Like communism or classless society. And its YOU who call “any” (meaning every thing that is a thing) thing YOU DON’T LIKE—communism. You missed the garbage scow out of town down the slow lazy river on that one. I’ll bet that kind of talk does confuse them at the bingo game.

      I never said Capitalism was perfect. However, we live in a quasi-Capitalistic state. /// Revealing you still start by putting Capitalism on the “perfect” scale? Yes, yes–you never said that. What a weak quibble. IN CONTEXT–you were claiming the regulation of Capitalism was Communism. I never said you rode a donkey.

      IMHO, we’re moving towards Corporatocracy due to SOME but not most corporations. Capitalism would fix this but since we’re using a quasi form, it won’t happen. /// I agree. But that is the Capitalism we have and those who call trying to remove its worst drawbacks as Communism are a big part of the reason we have precious close to the Corporatocracy you think you want to avoid. IT DOGMA Guyver. Capitalism must be regulated, well regulated, to gain its rewards. Perhaps regulations aimed at a classless information society ((who was that guy that was born and raised on an isolated sheep ranch in New Zealand–some big science/physics guy of 150 years ago)) can go too far, or not far enough————–but its not Communism.

      Go for a little more balance? A little more christian charity for your bothers who can’t afford to live in the city? You know, stop being so covetous.

      You can do it.

      • Guyver says:

        And its YOU who call “any” (meaning every thing that is a thing) thing YOU DON’T LIKE—communism.

        LOL. I’m afraid not. But you’re more than free to tell Wikipedia (a source I’ve not been fond of in the past due to bias issues) to completely remove any references of “classless society” being part of a series on communism.

        IN CONTEXT–you were claiming the regulation of Capitalism was Communism.

        From your perception. But I’m not the one who calls anything communist as you seem to believe.

        Perhaps regulations aimed at a classless information society ((who was that guy that was born and raised on an isolated sheep ranch in New Zealand–some big science/physics guy of 150 years ago)) can go too far, or not far enough————–but its not Communism.

        There’s your definition of “classless society” that you and others want to try and rationalize as being distinct from the common / academic sense. That’s your prerogative.

        Go for a little more balance? A little more christian charity for your bothers who can’t afford to live in the city? You know, stop being so covetous.

        I had no idea Agnosticism is Christian. That explains why you you’re rationalizing that classless society isn’t communism.

  10. bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

    The Guyver, unresponsive ever since I crossed his line says:
    3/29/2013 at 1:32 pm

    There is not enough market competition in this industry for people to “vote with their wallet”

    U-Verse // Nope
    FiOS /// Nope
    Cable /// Only Comcast
    DSL /// Not in my Zip
    Satellite /// Big Eucalytus in my way. Neighbors all around me can get a signal, but not me.
    OVER THE AIR–I get 4 of the 30 channels claimed. I do live in a “dip” beside a creek. Pros and Cons to all we do—until the water rises.

    Sounds enough to me. /// One choice in a Capitol City? But the point is even with 5-6-7 choices, in an oligopoly, no real choice exists. Aren’t all the services you list basically the same? All the same channels, different tiers to force you to pay for channels you don’t want to get those you do? WHERE IS A REAL ALTERNATIVE????–like pure on demand or ala carte selection.

    Some people only have access to one ISP (if that), based on their geographic location.

    And those people live out where exactly? Are they worth the time or trouble for a private company to put in an infrastructure for a handful of people living out in the boonies figuratively speaking? /// 20 Miles from Capitol City. The suburbs. I think most people here do have 5 major choices==but all the same.

    Should government tax the heck out of everyone so those few people who choose to live / stay out in the boonies to build an internet infrastructure out there? /// I basically agree. Lets not build a classless society where densities below OUTRAGEOUS PROFIT cannot be extracted. I didn’t complain when they cut Broadband….then mail service…then emt….and so forth down the line. But yes–with DSL and satelite I could see giving Cable a break===if they weren’t raping bastards otherwise.

    Few people have more than one, but strangely they all cost the same, and have wildly different levels of service.

    Sounds like they did their homework and know what some people will be willing to pay for to have Internet access. //// Ha, ha. Complaining about the vagaries of the Communist Economic System and you congratulate the workings of an oligopoly? TELL ME IT AIN’T SO!!!!!!!

    “Competition” in this case is not providing better service at cheaper prices.

    Probably because so many people have gotten fat and lazy off of being entertained off the Internet that they can’t “go outside and play” these days. /// Complete non-sequiter.

    Gee McGuyver. I’d stick with religion too.

    • Guyver says:

      There is not enough market competition in this industry for people to “vote with their wallet”

      This isn’t a life and death matter. Quit whining or suck it up. This isn’t a necessity.

      But the point is even with 5-6-7 choices, in an oligopoly, no real choice exists. Aren’t all the services you list basically the same? All the same channels, different tiers to force you to pay for channels you don’t want to get those you do? WHERE IS A REAL ALTERNATIVE????–like pure on demand or ala carte selection.

      Then don’t get anything. I personally am on OTA because I did not like being coerced into channel bundling or how I had to get an “ultra” tier package just for a single channel I preferred.

      I basically agree. Lets not build a classless society where densities below OUTRAGEOUS PROFIT cannot be extracted.

      Then don’t be a willing participant. If less people kept buying their services at their “ridiculous” prices, then they would be forced to have less “outrageous” profits to stay profitable.

      Ha, ha. Complaining about the vagaries of the Communist Economic System and you congratulate the workings of an oligopoly? TELL ME IT AIN’T SO!!!!!!!

      I’m merely pointing out they get away with it because people somehow “can’t live without it”.

      You can vote with your wallet (unless you put these service on such a high pedestal that by not having it will kill you).

  11. The0ne says:

    funny and true.

    I can already see tons of you dipshts going at it and crossing to religion and stupid, moronic, useless subjects to justify your inadequacies (yea, mine’s bigger than yours hehe).

  12. deegee says:

    If you ‘Mercans think you have it bad, come on up to Canada.

    Our government (in other words: the taxpayers) gives $millions to the telecom companies so that they can build the infrastructure to “provide better service to the large rural population”, which never comes even years later (I still have some family members on 33.6k dialup).
    Why aren’t the telecom companies paying for the infrastructure and hardware themselves?

    And on top of the people paying for the infrastructure and hardware, then each subscriber gets to pay $60+/month (including taxes and fees) for 6mbps ADSL and 100GB data cap.

    • msbpodcast says:

      I know. The ex-wife lives near Wakefield, PQ, a half hour commute from Ottawa.

      She loves her work, for the Federal gummint, because she gets multiple T1 switches to deliver up her web searches.

      At home, she’s on dial-up and that sucks.

  13. MikeN says:

    Better to live in the UK, where you have to pay money to the BBC every year, just for owning a TV. Doesn’t matter if you have cable, just the privilege of owning the TV means you must pay up. They have roving vans to find you.

    • bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

      and yet you can download all their shows to your computer legally because you already paid for them.

      Pros and Cons.

  14. CrankyGeeksFan says:

    Will cellular data plans ever be competitive?

    What about Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) as a way to get internet? There were some trials a few years ago, but I haven’t heard anything lately.

    DSL is disappearing in my neighborhood and throughout the U.S.A. The local phone companies aren’t required to share their customer lines so that independent ISPs can use DSL. It’s been that way since cable companies won the Brand X decision in 2005 in the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that the cable companies didn’t have to share.

    I am in a major Verizon FiOS area, and will probably get that in the future. Verizon wants to pull out all of its copper phone lines.

    Verizon also stated that it will not expand its FiOS areas beyond the regions that FiOS is currently in. That plus the fact that DSL won’t work over 18,000 feet of wire – and then at barely 1Mbps – hurts rural consumers even more.

    There are supposed to be changes in the next few years to the Universal Service Fund which was always supposed to help poor and rural areas.

  15. Glenn E. says:

    These guys are a new contender for replacing the ones who use to do the political JibJab videos (but quit when Obama got elected). And remind me a bit of the guys who did the Microsoft Surface promo parody video. “A Big Ass Table”. But I seriously doubt you’ll ever see this clip being shown on any Tv network. Not even very late at night, with the rude language bleeped out.

  16. McCoy Pauley says:

    Have ANY of you people EVER gotten laid?

  17. Glenn E. says:

    They should teach the meaning of words like “Oligopoly” in the primary schools. But I seriously doubt that they do. I don’t ever remember learning it, until my adult years. And “Monopoly” wasn’t anything the schools dwelt on either. They just don’t want to arm the kids with to much significant knowledge, before college. So they won’t be prepared, to avoid being screwed. And unless they’ve radically updated the schools’ curriculum in the last few decades. They also don’t teach them out to avoid many of the pitfalls of common financial transactions, like loans, mortgages, rentals, job contracts, etc. Heaven for bit they should get one up on military recruiters. eh?

    Yeah, keep the kiddies ignorant, and healthy with plenty of sports. And fill their heads with world history of wars. But don’t teach them how to balance a check book, or manage a credit card account. And by the time they can vote. They won’t understand WTF they’re even voting for. Because politics is just a popularity game in high school.

    • CrankyGeeksFan says:

      “Oligopoly” and another word “duopoly” describe many business practices from the last quarter of the 20th century to the present.

      In junior high history, I was taught monopoly, trust and holding company around the time the course covered the presidency of Theodor Roosevelt. I was never taught oligopoly and duopoly in school.


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