Can you imagine what life would be like if public utilities like electricity and water were run by U.S. Internet and wireless companies?

Anyone want to sign up for a watt-hour plan, or would you care to buy water in bulks of 100 gallons? We already buy tired wireless data plans. Some countries also provide Internet like this too.

How about selecting from a variety of amperage plans, or subscribing to a certain flow rate of water into your home? We already buy Internet at various connection speeds, or have throttled wireless plans.

I can guess that most people would say an emphatic “no” to those options. So why do we put up with it from Internet providers and wireless companies? Or, why don’t we switch other utilities over to the Internet/wireless business models?

(Now, while you can store electricity and water, you can’t really store “the internet,” or more accurately, a connection to it. That being said, with some exceptions, like a water heater, most people don’t store large amounts of electricity or water at home, so I think this is a valid comparison.)

So what do I have against paying for bulk or flow?

Paying for Bulk

This is a rip off. Can you imagine paying for watt-hours or gallons based in bulk, but not being able to keep anything you don’t use? While buying in bulk encourages consumption, this model inherently discourages consumption by making it difficult to fully use what you have bought. Therefore, this business model is designed to fully maximize the company’s profits at the expense of consumer benefits (what you don’t use is profit for the company). Think: Groupon, when people forget to use their purchased Groupons.

For example, you might think you are getting a good deal with paying $10/GB from AT&T, but you are really paying down to $10/GB (for the 3GB and 5GB plans). For the 300MB/month plan you are actually paying down to $66.67/GB. If all you used was 1MB, you still would have paid the same as if you had used your entire plan. I wouldn’t call these particularly great deals.

The problem with paying in bulk is that you can never really use all of what you pay for, unless:

• You monitor your usage very carefully and plan out your data usage (a meticulously ridiculous notion),
• You are cut off once you use your data plan fully (I believe that isn’t an option, as most companies “conveniently” automatically charge overage fees), or
• You are allowed to rollover your plan’s unused data (which would actually return customer utility to paying for bulk; think about how some mobile companies provide rollover mobile minutes)

However, if you provide rollover capability you mind as well switch over to a per MB rate. The big difference would be in a bulk rollover model you get more money up front for unused data, while in a per MB model consumers would pay you after they have used data so you wouldn’t get as much money upfront.

Paying for Flow

Paying for the guarantee of up to a certain Internet connection speed is like guaranteeing a home up to a certain amperage, or number of gallons of water per hour. The problem with this is you are guaranteed up to a certain rate, but in periods of peak demand you will end up having to conserve usage. Think about summer heat waves and the possibility of brownouts, or mandatory water conservation efforts in drought prone areas. I can’t think of an utility that doesn’t have variation in demand, and the Internet is no different.

Even worse, you can overpromise on your deliverable goods. Imagine if a company sold 100 people Internet connections at 15MBPS but could only deliver up to 1GBPS? At maximum demand, someone is not going to be getting what they are paying for, hence why you pay for up to a certain connection speed. Companies shortchange consumers by not charging based on actual network usage.

It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Paying Per Use

There is a reason why utilities like water and electricity have a per use business model.

Ultimately, business models based on paying for bulk or flow fail to represent a consumer’s usage of a fixed resource. The per use business model better accomplishes this than current Internet/wireless business models. Furthermore, the per use business model is more likely to encourage conservation during peak hours by increased prices to suppress demand. Were access to Internet and wireless run on a business model like other utilities or natural monopolies (that are more heavily regulated), it would better account for supply and demand. (Then again, even these models can get rather complicated.)

Until we base paying for internet and wireless on actual supply and demand, someone is subsidizing someone else, and companies are ripping consumers off.

Can you imagine what life would be like with pay-per-use Internet and wireless?

“Soldiers Saving Puppies * Puppies Saving Soldiers”

The above header is the slogan of The Puppy Rescue Mission (TPRM), an organization whose slogan describes its mission perfectly. TPRM assists soldiers serving abroad bring their companions back home with them. However, the process can be expensive and so TPRM helps soldiers by collecting donations and assisting in the process.

I came across this organization from the user 33peace posting a shout-out for help on Reddit, under the self-post Im in Afghanistan and trying to bring my best friend back home later this month. Reddit, you might be my last hope.

A quick online search reveals quite a few organizations aimed at bringing pets home to veterans. Having a dog myself, I can see how companion pets help people that have experienced traumatic and stressful experiences.

Canine Therapy

Information online seems to suggest that companion/assistance pets do assist veterans in coping with PTSD, TBI, and other disorders.  While far from being comprehensive, here are a few sample articles I found that made a good case for companion/assistance pets.

4-legged prescription for veterans’ stress

By John Koopman, Chronicle Staff Writer, September 27, 2008

[A] pilot program – veterans at the [PTSD clinic at the Veterans Affairs health center in Menlo Park] would train canines to become assistance dogs to aid disabled veterans, those who had lost limbs or are confined to wheelchairs.

Some of the benefits of the program:

Yount said handling and training dogs is valuable in the treatment of PTSD because the animals help the veterans connect with their emotions. The dogs counteract feelings of isolation. They have to take the dogs out into the community, he said, and other people inevitably want to pet the dogs and talk to the person handling them.

Finding Solace in Companion Dogs

By Jessica Slider, VAntage Point, Dispatches from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, July 15, 2011

[A] new pilot program at the Marion VA Medical Center in Illinois that’s moving beyond the idea that dogs are only for guide purposes. The focus has shifted to their companionship and therapeutic potential. The dogs-in-residence will be trained by the non-profit This Able Veteran.

Benefits of the program:

[S]tructured residential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or other disorders. Visit RRTP to find out more.

Bringing Happiness Home

So what am I inferring from the above?

That the benefits of pets go beyond treatment for clinical diagnoses and that some pets serve the same role for veterans as they do for any other person. That the dog becomes part of the family, and doesn’t have to be a guide/assistance dog to have a positive impact on a veteran’s life.  To quote from TPRM,

“It’s so funny how something as simple as a puppy can make even the hardest, toughened soldier melt upon a few kisses to the face.”

~Anonymous Soldier

I am interested in seeing scientific data on the effect of veterans owning pets, so if I find any professional studies I’ll be sure to add them below.

Problem

A file called [User Name] attempts to open after starting up Windows 7.  Selecting WordPad opens a document, where the first words read “Interface List.” My [User Name] file said (with some characters removed):

==========================================================
Interface List
14…[characters removed] ……Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
12…[characters removed] ……Broadcom 4322AG 802.11a/b/g/draft-n Wi-Fi Adapter
11…[characters removed] ……Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
1………………………Software Loopback Interface 1
17…[characters removed] e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
20…[characters removed] e0 Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
18…[characters removed] e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
==========================================================

Determining the Causes

First, I Googled “windows 7 interface list” and found I keep getting Interface List on start up, which described my problem exactly.  However, it was useless in solving the problem. I didn’t find any other useful links in this search.

Second, I Googled “windows 7 interface list file” and found Windows 7 startup, open unknown file, which also described my problem exactly. A user by the name Mosquito555 suggested the following coures of action:

The startup folder can be accessed via the start menu. Click on the start orb, all programs, you should be able to find the startup folder there.

Additionally, type “msconfig” on the start menu’s search field. Navigate to the “Startup” and/or “Services” tabs and check if you can find anything related there.

This file is somehow related to your wireless/ethernet adapter. You could try reinstalling their drivers and see if that helps.

In any case I suggest keeping a backup of this file until you determine if it’s needed or not.

However, this information didn’t provide any means to solve my problem (although would be crucial in my solution, below). There were no other useful links in this search.

Third, I Googled “windows 7 interface list start up” and found Interface list popup at startup after installing GTalk for Windows, which described my problem almost perfectly.  A user by the name cornell-undergrad provided the following solution:

Go to Start…Run… Type ‘regedit’ and press enter to enter the Registry Editor in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Select the googletalk entry there, right click, and select modify to insert quotes to specify the correct file path

Example:

Change C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Google\Google Talk\googletalk.exe /autostart

To ”C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Google\Google Talk\googletalk.exe” /autostart

By inserting the quotes to specify the file path, which was left out for some reason, where (username) is where your Windows User Name would be (probably with spaces, which caused the entire problem). Hope this helps!

The only problem is my Google Talk didn’t reference my [user name] so this solution didn’t work for me. However, this solution, with some minor adjustments, would be the basis for my own solution.

Solution

Editing the registry seemed to have been successful for a very similar problem, so I looked for a pattern. Using the suggestions from Mosquito555 and cornell-undergrad, I came up with the following solution:

1. Select Start and run MSConfig
2. Select the Startup tab and sort the list by Command
3. Look for Startup Items that begin with C:\Users\[user name]
4. MusicManager, by Google, should be the culprit (and almost an exact match for cornell-undergrad‘s solution, just changing “Google Talk” to “Music Manager”)
5. Run RegEdit
6. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
7. Right click MusicManager and select Modify
8. Change C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Programs\Google\MusicManager\MusicManager.exe
9. to “C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Programs\Google\MusicManager\MusicManager.exe“

My mystery file no longer attempts to open at startup.  Furthermore, Music Manager is now correctly autostarting (a problem I hadn’t noticed earlier). Let me know if you have any insights into why this happened, or corrections to my solution.

Sources

• I keep getting Interface List on start up
• Windows 7 startup, open unknown file
• Interface list popup at startup after installing GTalk for Windows

In my mind I wonder, why did you say to me, “get your bike out of the parking lot you white motherfucker”?

Why did you feel it was necessary to add “you white motherfucker”?  Did it displease you that I was biking through that particular parking lot?  Did you feel uncomfortable by my presence in your neighborhood?  Did your accompaniment by three of your friends embolden you to be so cowardly in your words to others?

Perhaps there were other cyclists in the parking lot and you used “white” as a necessary descriptor to distinguish between us?  I’m not omniscience so I guess I could have missed that.

I wonder what caused you – my fellow Chicagoan, Illinoisan, American, and human being – to say such a thing.  While I biked my last mile home I tried to imagine your life.  I tried to justify the use of that racist language.  I wondered to myself, “has racism played a heavy role in your life?  Where did you grow up?  What has life been like for you?”  I tried, but I could imagine no scenarios that would justify the use of such words.

While racism does not impact my life very often, when it does it leaves a sick and disgusting taste in my mouth.  It is you – the user of racist language – that is to blame for disparaging other cultures and ethnicities.  I fear that your choice of epithet will separate you and I from sharing a real human connection, and I lament that.

Although we may never meet again, I still want to know why you felt that it was okay for you to shout at me, from across a parking lot, “you white motherfucker.”  I believe that there is more to you than your poor choice of language, and so I will give you the benefit of the doubt when you gave me none.

Jumper Cable Instructions

Jumper cables seem to match the color convention of car batteries. Red for positive, black for negative. The clamps are colored to ensure that you match positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative. However, in (my) instructions the black cable in the diagram represents the red jumper cable and the white cable in the diagram represents the black jumper cable. In other words:

• Black (diagram) = red (jumper cable)
• White (diagram) = black (jumper cable)

Now, why in the world would anyone in their right mind create this potential for confusion? Well, the answer makes surprising sense. In the diagram, the black cable represents the hot wire and the white cable represents the neutral/grounded (Kuphaldt, 2007).

But, then why are the jumper cables red and black? Well, when there are two hot wires it is common practice to have one wire black (negative) and the other red (positive). Therefore, the red jumper cable is rightly positive and the black cable is rightly negative. However, because you ground the negative cable to the engine block of the car with the dead battery the diagram illustrates a negative grounded DC power system (Kuphaldt, 2007). Thus, both the diagram and the jumper cables are correct.

However, I can only assume that the diagram shows the positive cable as black because it wasn’t printed in color. It seems that the diagram should have indicated the positive cable as red, as black suggests a positive grounded circuit (Kuphaldt, 2007).

So, what happens if you follow the instructions and make the erroneous assumption that black in the diagram is negative? Well, the jumpers smoked and the positive cable melted through right at the positive clamp that was attached to the good battery . Take a  look (hint: the red clamp on the left).

Destroyed Jumper Cables

Final word: let me know if I’ve made any technical errors, as I am not an electrical engineer and this information is gathered primarily through sleuthing.

Reference List (and for more information), in order of importance:

• Wiring Color Codes
• Electrical wiring
• NFPA 70: NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE

Electrical Wiring: Colour Code. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_wiring#Colour_code

Kuphaldt, T. R. (2007, April 19). Wiring Color Codes. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from All About Circuits: http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_5/chpt_2/2.html

NFPA 70: NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2011, from National Fire Protection Association: http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?DocNum=70&EditionID=765

Bikkit the Drive

Although thunderstorms were in the forecast, the inclement weather held off just long enough for Bike the Drive.  The heavy fog created an otherworldly feel down Lake Shore Drive and created a beautiful landscape to bike through.  The Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry both looked quite amazing engulfed in the fog, and were my favorite sights of the south route (I didn’t get a chance to ride the north route).  All in all, the ride was quite pleasant.

However, there was at least one accident that looked pretty bad.  I didn’t see what happened, just another ambulance arriving at the scene (right before the exit from the south LSD route, around 9 a.m.).  The injured person (guy?) was on a gurney, covered up to mid-chest with a white sheet, and looked to be unconscious.  There was a towel nearby his head that looked to have been used to stop bleeding.  It was a somber reminder that accidents can happen even in relaxed and (fairly) controlled environments.  Hopefully he’s okay, and I’ll update this if I find out any other information.

Overall, Bike the Drive was a lot of fun and I definitely plan on being back next year for the north LSD route.  If you’re interested in being more involved in promoting walking, biking, and public transit, check out the Active Transportation Alliance.

Finished Bike Build

(Building a Road Bike, Part 1: Why?)

It took me much longer to get around to Part 2 than expected, and so it is going to be a bit shorter than I originally intended.  However, I think this will make my explanation on “How?” more concise and poignant.

The first thing I did, having no experience with building a road bike, was a lot of research.  I compiled a list of parts and the tools that would be necessary to install them.  There are three advantages to doing this:

1. you determine what your budget looks like prior to buying your equipment,
2. it reduces the potential for unwelcome surprises, and
3. you have a list of all your parts that you can refer back to in case you need to replace them.

Second, I researched proper sizing and technical details on my list of parts.  For this I used Google to look around for best practices on sizing, and also referred to some guides (such as Bicycle Maintenance & Repair, by Todd Downs).  One thing that was important to remember is that there are a lot of “rules of thumb” when it comes to sizing, but it comes down to comfort.

Third, because I decided to buy most of my parts and tools online (better discounts) I bought them through a retailer that also has physical stores in Chicago.  Because some of my sizing questions were not easily answered online (stem length) or would have been more difficult to do myself (cutting the steerer tube and installing shifting/brake cables), having a local bike store to turn to was really helpful.

Finally, putting my bike together was a process of details.  I made sure I read the instructions that came with every piece of equipment.  This allowed me to double check for any discrepancies between OEM installation instructions and best practices suggested online and in bicycling guides.

Be forewarned: patience is required.  I did have to return a couple items after deciding they weren’t the right size for me.  Thus, expect there to be a delay in building your bike.  If you aren’t doing it for the enjoyment of the process, you might want to consider going to your local bike shop and getting a ready-to-ride bike.  Don’t forget your helmet.

A couple websites I found quite useful at the time were:

• http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
• http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/
• http://www.bikeradar.com/

Problem

Microsoft Outlook 2007 has been sending email twice from my Gmail account (IMAP).

Causes

Some online forums suggested it was related to having more than one account synced to Outlook. Since I had both my UIC and Gmail accounts synced through Outlook, I removed my UIC account. However, this  didn’t solve the problem.

I then also removed my Gmail account from Outlook, and then added Gmail back from scratch. The same problem continued to occurred, so it wasn’t related to multiple accounts in Outlook.

I added my UIC account back,  and sent my Gmail account an email through Outlook from my UIC account. Low and behold, the duplicate emails didn’t occur. This suggested the problem was related to my Gmail account settings.

In Outlook, I sent my UIC account an email from Gmail and then searched for which folders the emails were being sent. I discovered that my UIC account only received one email, and my Gmail account was getting two copies of the email in my Sent Folder.

So, what was it? While my UIC account won’t receive a copy of sent emails without selecting a folder for them to be saved in, Gmail apparently does this automatically.  By selecting a folder for sent-email I had inadvertently set Gmail to receive two copies of each email I sent, creating a ghosting effect. As a result, using the web-browser threaded-view in Gmail, it would then appear as if duplicate emails were being sent.  Outlook was sending two emails, but only one was sent to the recipient.  The second email Outlook was sending was to my sent-email folder, and was a duplicate.

Solution

When I changed my Gmail account settings to “Save sent mail in the Outlook Sent Items folder” (under Folders, More Settings) this corrected the error of sending emails “twice.”

Unfinished Bike Build

“Why in the world would anyone decide to build/put together their own road bike?” That is the first question. The close second is, “how?”

Part 1 is dedicated to “why?” and Part 2 is dedicated to “how?” and will probably have some sections titled “WTF is that?” and “can I return this part…?” and answers to other questions that I came across along the way.

The Back Story

Back in 2006/2007 I started commuting to work via bicycle. I lived down in Urbana-Champaign, and got a Diamondback Maravista Hybrid from Dick’s Sporting Goods. It was a solid bike, not very expensive, a bit heavy, and sufficient for short distance riding. Fast forward in life: I moved to the suburbs, and then eventually back to the city of Chicago. Needless to say, not a lot of time was spent biking in those years.

I slowly resumed biking in 2010 and eventually realized one simple fact: I both hate and love biking. My commute to UIC from home is 8 miles, and my thoughts go something like this:

1) “Why the F**K do people do this? This is stupid…”

To be honest, I still start out my ride hating it a little. The notion of quitting is outweighed by my disdain of duplicated effort. I push on because going home now would be a waste. I usually grimace a couple times during this part as my mind is racing faster than I am on my bike.

2) “This is sort of nice…”

By now, I’m passing city automotive traffic at the busy intersections. Having driven in Chicago for many years, a deep hatred of traffic sooths my soul as I swiftly bypass all those cars waiting in line. As I get into the rhythm of biking, my mind starts to slow down.

3) “Man … this is nice.”

Having cursed more than usual by now, my mind is actively working out anxieties, regrets, and other thoughts that weigh heavy on my mind. I got angry, peddled faster, and by now conclusions are forthcoming and I understand why those feelings were there. Biking becomes cathartic.

4) “totally worth it….”

At this point, I’m usually nearing or am at my destination. I am hot, sweaty, and a little exhausted. My mind is mostly empty, and I’m feeling quite good from the exercise. I feel productive and have a sense of accomplishment from the bike ride. This reinforces my love of biking and makes getting back in the saddle easier.

The Answer

“But wait,” you might say, “that was why you like biking, not why you decided to put your own road bike together!”

Oh … good point. Well, the answer to that question is quite simple:

1. My hybrid is heavy.
2. I like doing things the hard way.
3. I don’t like feeling like a poser.

Now, I’m not saying that people who buy (expensive) bikes are posers. Dropping a fair amount of money on a good pre-built bike just didn’t feel right. If I were racing and needed a bike specifically for competitions I’d probably shell the cash out for a professionally built and maintained bike. But that isn’t what my road bike is for. In my case, I feel more connected to my bike by having built it up myself. It is also a great way of learning how to replace, repair, and maintain my bike.   By building the bike myself, I feel like I earn the bike.

My reasons for building a bike aren’t that different from riding a bike. Both requires effort, and that effort yields satisfaction. Putting together a road bike is a task that requires considerable learning (if, like me, you’ve never done it before) and effort (to do it right, and hopefully not screw up along the way). The process of building a bike itself is rewarding.

Finally, my hybrid is pretty heavy and that contributes to decreased biking enjoyment. Although it is in good shape, it was meant for shorter distances than what I need. My road bike is designed to fill this need: the right tools for the right jobs.

The Point

So, the lesson from Part 1 is this: you will know if want to build your own bike. Your reasons will probably different from mine, but once the urge to do it strikes make sure you do your research. If, during your research, that passion builds rather than diminishes, and you are not deterred by the cost and efforts required in the process….

Well, odds are if you really want to build your own bike you’ll ignore any advice to the contrary, and then do it anyway.

So, sally forth! If you for wondering what I learned while building my road bike, then keep reading!

Building a Road Bike, Part 2: How?

(edited after finishing Part 2)

Recently, my AT&T phone has been practically useless. I might as well make a cardboard cutout of a phone, try to make a call, use the internet, or attempt to use GPS. At least when my fake phone experiences “performance issues” I could get the satisfaction of watching that baby burn, with the knowledge that all I’m losing is the 5 minutes it took to make it (I didn’t want a crappy fake after all) plus one match. Rather, I’m stuck with an expensive PDA with a camera that on occasion does act like a smart phone.

However, my greatest fear is that in the moment of a true emergency (the single most important factor in my owning a mobile) I will find out that I have no reception, no 3G access, and no GPS to alert anyone to where I am. Horror movies might as well just have all those nubile teenagers using AT&T; at least it would be believable when they can’t call for help. Yet, AT&T was not always as useful as shit on a stick.

Before July 2, 2009, I would have hands down recommended AT&T to anyone looking for a phone. Their service in Chicago had been very solid, 3G was pretty decent, and my new Nokia E71X was working admirably. Then, on July 2, for about an hour or more, I lost complete service. I mean everything: no data, no texts, no calls. I tried my other older phone, my trusty Cingular 8525 (yeah, I’ve been with AT&T for a while); no luck. And, all this happened the only hour I actually needed to make calls for business. So, I wrote an email to customer service, and got a fairly quick response. Here is a copy, sensitive information redacted, of my email to customer service first, and then the response:

Q1:Enter the wireless number associated with the account you’re inquiring about
A1:[redacted]

Q2:How long did your call last before it dropped?
A2:immediate disconnect

Q3:Where did the call drop?
A3:no connection established

Q4:Do you seem to drop calls in this particular area or does it happen in different areas as well?
A4:Reception seems fine, rarely ever dropped calls before this afternoon.

Q5:How long have you had your existing phone?
A5:2 months, also happens on my other AT&T line, I’ve had that phone for 2 years.

Q6:Enter your question concerning Dropped Calls below:
A6:It is ironic that this happens the one time during the day when I actually really need to make calls. The fact that it is a consistent “connection error” does not make me feel any better. I understand if circumstances are outside of the company’s control, but I pay a good sum of money and expect continuous and unabridged service.

Thank You. Sorry if I seem grumpy, the timing just was terrible for lost service.

Obviously, I was a bit cranky…. The response:

Dear Mr. Angel,

Thank you for contacting AT&T about your issue with dropped calls. I apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you. My name is [redacted] and I’ll be happy to help you with this.

We have reviewed the coverage area based on your home address and showed we did have a couple of tower outages that began 7/2/09. The issue is being worked currently. We plan on have the towers restored within 24hrs. [emphasis added]

Mr. Angel I hope that the information provided has been helpful and has resolved all of your questions. Should you have additional concerns or questions about this issue please reply to this email. If you need to contact us again regarding a new issue please send us another email via the contact link through your online account. Again, my name is [redacted], and I thank you for being a valued AT&T customer over the years. We will do our best to ensure that your wireless experience is a success.

I encourage you to visit our web site (www.att.com/wireless) often to view current and previous monthly statements, make payments and to shop for new product and service offerings.

Sincerely,

[redacted]
AT&T
Online Customer Care Professional

Anyhow, service was restored, and all appeared to be right in the world. Except, I began to notice periodic periods of pitiful performance by AP&P … er, AT&T. It kept happening and from my limited inquiries to friends and family with AT&T since then, I am not the only one having the AT&T “experience”.

So, I would be walking around my neighborhood, go inside a restaurant, be not 20 feet from the street, and BAM, no reception, no 3G, no GPS, no nothing. Same thing would happen occasionally at home. Now, maybe you’ll give AT&T the benefit of the doubt. “But, David,” you’ll say, “some of those are older buildings, made of brick and mortar….” Point granted, but here’s the thing: before that major tower outage, I got reception in those restaurants and at home. I got signal, could make calls, send texts, use 3G and GPS. I got game, soul, the bat signal … whatever, you get the point. AT&T didn’t always suck, and now they do.

So, on July 21 when it happened at home, I sent another email to customer service, and it went like this:

Q1:Enter the wireless number associated with the account you’re inquiring about
A1:[redacted]

Q2:How long did your call last before it dropped?
A2:1 minute

Q3:Where did the call drop?
A3: Outside

Q4:Do you seem to drop calls in this particular area or does it happen in different areas as well?
A4:don’t travel, same area

Q5:How long have you had your existing phone?
A5:3 months, about

Q6:Enter your question concerning Dropped Calls below:
A6:Reception, signal, and 3G use to be very solid in my area, [redacted], but recently it has been very poor, crappy actually. Areas I use to get full signal is now 3 bars at best, areas I use to get moderate reception now has none. Has something changed recently to cause such a degradation in the AT&T network?

A bit more polite this time around, after all I had a pretty good explanation the last time it happened. I got a response, but it was a request for an exact address. I provided it, and here was the subsequent reply:

Dear Mr. Angel,

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail AT&T regarding coverage. My name is [redacted], and I am happy to help you with your inquiry. I am sorry for the frustration not having good coverage has caused and I understand the urgency of having good service.

I have reported a network issue for the addresses of [redacted] and [redacted]. I am showing that there are several towers in the area at this time that are having issues. The service on some of the towers should not be service effecting and the others should be back up [emphasis added], but since you stated you are still having troubles in these areas I have reported the network issue so they will know you are still having troubles with the service.

If you continue to have troubles with the service in these areas please call customer care from a landline phone while in a troubled area and then they will be able to troubleshoot further.

I hope that the information provided has been helpful and has resolved all of your questions, Mr. Angel. Should you have additional concerns or questions about this issue please reply to this email. If you need to contact us again regarding a new issue please send us another email via the contact link through your online account. Again, my name is [redacted], and we realize you have many choices for a wireless service provider. I want to personally thank you for considering AT&T as your choice for wireless service!

I encourage you to visit our web site (www.att.com/wireless) often to view current and previous monthly statements, make payments and to shop for new product and service offerings.

Sincerely,

[redacted]
AT&T
Online Customer Care Professional

So, it seems that there are some towers having issues, but they should not be service affecting.

It then happened again, and again, and again, and again. I’ve simply stopped complaining about it to AT&T, as prompt as their customer service is. After all, if I report this is not a localized event, that it happens throughout a full city block, why must I report every single address? So, I am simply going to keep track of when and where I have the AT&T experience, and I’ll just send one massive email. That is, if my phone is able to get reception….

Anyhow, if you are having issues with AT&T, send customer service an email, just be sure to include exact addresses. Oh, and I did a side-by-side comparison of my phone to a piece of poop on a stick. To be honest, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference. After all, only one is supposed to stink, and the other one I’m seriously considering flushing down the toilet.