There's big news in Texas as it has been officially confirmed that Time Warner Cable will be testing out new rate plans that include pay per byte transfer. Think about it as if Time Warner Cable were a cellphone company that charges per minute. If you like to watch videos online (YouTube is your tube) or you occasionally enjoy downloading a song from iTunes, you will be forced to pay a premium charge for being a "high bandwidth" user. That free amateur video you like to share with your friends...well, that's going to cost you some serious change each and every single time you watch it. And guess what, the person that recorded the video gets absolutely nothing. Time Warner will send the bill, collect the check, and take all the money laughingly to the bank.
The "new" cellphone provider style rate plan is purely experimental...for now. Time Warner is mostly testing to see whether people will protest with furious outrage over this sleezy manipulation of leverage. So far the math works for Time Warner. They just need to see if people will actually let them take advantage. You get charged a minimum fee, and they guarantee substantial profits regardless of you barely ever using the service. When you do decide to log on to the internet, you will be essentially paying a TAX on every single electron that passes through the network...with or without your consent. God forbid that this pay per electron rate plan becomes common practice!
You are getting screwed a lot harder than the way cellphones do you over. Cellphones are very controllable in the amount of information that gets passed through the system. Taxes are per minute...and you always have a sense of how long you've been on the phone. The internet is a HUGELY different story. You simply are never aware of the vast amount of data that is swimming through the networks, despite a seemingly simple looking website. Mainstream news sites like the NY Times have at least 6 dedicated services pushing information to your computer just on the front page. Most of the services relate to advertising...to which YOU will be paying an EXTRA TAX on. I downloaded the front page of the NY Times and the single html file was over 700kb!!! That's like listening to almost one-third of your favorite mp3.
The biggest problem I have with Time Warner Cable's change in billing strategy is the detrimental economic impact it will have. There are four big industries that can substantially sway us into deeper recessions or higher inflations: Telecommunications, Water & Power, Oil, and Cable. When they raise their rates, you have less money for food. Increases in your phone, water & power, and gasoline bills have already stabbed a deep wound in your pockets. It looks like Cable is working to deliver the final blow. I wouldn't be bold enough to forecast economic depression...but with lower salary raises, higher prices, a panicky stock market, and less jobs becoming available, we can definitely see some dark clouds in the sky.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay informed. Share your thoughts. Protect your rights, or no one will. And if need be, remember the movie line "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!!!"
Time Warner Cable says you MUST Pay per Electron
Down with Verizon Wireless and Similar Service Imprisonment!
The following content contains strong language and is intended for mature/intelligent audiences. Reader discretion is advised. With that alluring disclaimer established, I shall commence my hate-filled rant about Verizon Wireless and like providers.
I hate products that are limited and locked, intentionally jailing you into a specific business' services. It's like buying a toaster and finding out you can only toast Wonder Bread. Fuck that shit! I don't want a fucking pillow that forces me to insert quarters just so I can sleep on it. And I don't want a stupid cell phone that locks out everything except the carrier's mediocre services. It's outrageous how we even tolerate the fact that cellphones are completely non-transferable to different carriers (given that you do NOT want to pay extra money to use your buggy cellphone with another provider).
Before the debut of the iPhone, Apple Inc. had discussions with Verizon Wireless about teaming up with their cellular services. The reason why the talks went nowhere was because Verizon Wireless wanted to lock the iPhone and Apple Inc. into using Verizon's crappy interfaces, applications, and VCast system. This is why Apple said, "screw your shit...we actually want people to LIKE our phone and NOT forcibly shove a corporate dick up their asses."
Why do we tolerate this insanity? Seriously! Why the fuck do we put up with this shit?! Cellular service providers such as Verizon Wireless earn over $2,000 a MINUTE. Believe it fellow naive consumers! These companies literally sneeze dollar bills. They control all of the words that come out of your mouth, they are earning total control of the information you hear, and soon they will control all of the information that you watch and read. If we remain submissive and compliant with the ridiculous demands of corporations, our world will move from corporately motivated anal molestation to full blown corporate raping and pillaging.
I spoke with a Customer Service Representative at Verizon Wireless and she told me that they will charge me $2 per megabyte if I use their internet/data service. I didn't have a problem with the rate until she told me that they round UP the usage charge by the megabyte. Fucking completely outrageous! Look at the math:
1 MegaByte = 1,000 KiloBytes = $2
likewise, 1 KiloByte = $2
aka 0.001 Megabyte = $2 = 1 Megabyte
If you accidently use 1 KiloByte (which equals 0.001 MegaBytes, aka 0.1%), Verizon Wireless will charge you for a full megabyte. You will get slapped in the face by a full $2 service charge for using a total of 0.1% of the available service. You will still be charged for the remaining 99.9% of available service that goes unused. They will round up to ONE THOUSAND PERCENT ABOVE what you actually used.
Imagine going to a gas station and shelling out the full price for a gallon when the nozzle only farted fumes into your car.
Imagine going to your favorite restaurant and forking over the full dinner price when they only gave you half of a single french fry.
You might be thinking to yourself, "well...i'll just use more kilobytes. i'm not going to use just 1 kilobyte..." If that thought crapped in your brain, for shame you ignorant consumer. Verizon Wireless is counting on the fact that you will actively use the service more with the intent of getting the full value of your money. The truth is that you will never average even close to 80% of the usage you pay for. If you use 1 kilobyte, they will charge you $2. If you use 1.0000001 megabytes, they will charge you $4!!!
How many people do you think would accidentally use 1 kilobyte a month? If we estimate that about 0.5% (that's half of one percent) of all Verizon Wireless' subscribers will accidentally use 1 kilobyte per month, Verizon will charge a total of $637,000 every month in accidental usage fees. Assuming these people comply and pay the seemingly small $2 fee...Verizon Wireless will earn over $7.6 MILLION per year in revenue. That's a heck of a lot of pocket money coming from accidental slips of the finger.
And once again, the worst part is that we willingly imprison ourselves with shitty services like Verizon Wireless. It's not like someone can have their calling service provided by T-Mobile, their messaging service by Verizon, and their internet service provided by AT&T. This is why telecom companies make over $2,000 a minute and will gradually progress towards higher profits at the expense of us consumers. We are literally getting fucked. California has issued a Bill of Rights for consumers regarding telecom companies, but that document just states that we have the right to get screwed without being completely raped.
I'm tired of getting fucked by big business. We all have the power to change the rules. If you don't fight to protect your rights, no one will. We all need to exercise our American right to complain. America is ruled by whiners...and the community that best whines in harmony wins.
Why Men RULE the WORLD
Women. Simple, eh? Inspiration sparks perspiration for elevation. We call it the "women effect." Just looking at beauty from a distance can inspire us men to achieve great lengths in life. The most palm-sweatingly, nerve racking experience we men ever go through is melting a smile onto an Ice Queen's stone face. Once we accomplish that, quantum physics becomes a breeze.
Great achievements in history were all possible because of the women effect. Consider the world's most famous equation E = MC^2. Albert Einstein intended it to be understood as Esteem = Masculinity * Chivalry * Courtship, but the celibate scientific community translated the equation into some stupid theory about energy and relativity. If their pocket protectors didn't have the side effect of also being female repellent, these scientific geniuses might have been able to properly deduce Einstein's intuition.
This women effect can also be seen in great works of art. Moments before his brush struck the canvas, Da Vinci asked Mona Lisa if she would be interested in sharing his Focaccia with a goblet of Merlot (i know, i know...it's like he was daring her to spring her girdle on the spot). Despite not being quite the charming romantic, the evidence of his indecent proposal is decoded from Mona Lisa's infamous half-smile. All of us socially awkward men have seen similar half-smiles; it's the coyly flattered reaction we get from women when we bashfully ask for a date.
A strange phenomenon is how insecure women are about their power over men. I just don't understand it. I understand why a woman would want to stay home if she's morbidly obese with a face like beef jerky. But the beautiful ones have the power to sway the world. It's seriously perplexing at times. If just one of my nipples had the power to change opinion, there would be no limit to the abuse of my power.
For women to rule the world, females need to start objectifying us men. Be a bit more shallow ladies and allow a man's naked body to spark inspiration rather than the typical humorous humiliation. Holler and whistle at me whenever I walk by Victoria's Secret. Gawk and drool at the modest bulge in my denims. Let my plumber's crack motivate you to get that salary raise.
Posts
