Out of the Blue

I called Verizon to see if I could get that new double-speed DSL dealie they are offering, but I am too far from the C.O. to get the increase over my copper wiring. They did tell me they could triple my upstream bandwidth for free, though, so that's something (though the speed upgrade hasn't kicked in yet).

I started up the BlueTruck and the check engine light came on... I guess at 40-something thousand miles, I should expect a few things to need replacing, in this case, some sort of solenoid in the transmission, which was naturally not in stock. I headed off (again) to the rent-a-car place, where the counter lady rented me a Ram truck for their compact car rate, so I guess damaging her Pacifica didn't ruin our friendship. Anyway, in spite of her apologies over it not having a hemi engine, that's exactly what it does have. My normal ride has more pep than you would imagine a vehicle that large would have, but this thing is an insane tire-burning monster, truly a pick-up with pick-up. Vroom!

Link of the Day: Explore Tokyo's Sky City. Thanks Bunko.
Stories of the Day: Pup shoots man, saves litter mates. Thanks Dave and James.
Shakespearean text lives online.
Tracking down the 'jungle yeti'.
Science!: Bacteria Turn Toxins Into Plastic.
High-Tech Ice Cream.
New ring discovered around Saturn.
Follow-up: Genesis scientists try to salvage solar dust.
Thanks Mike Martinez
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53 Replies. 3 pages. Viewing page 1.
Newer [  1  2  3  ] Older
53.
 
Re: Resident Evil 2
Sep 11, 2004, 12:32
Enahs
 
53.
Re: Resident Evil 2 Sep 11, 2004, 12:32
Sep 11, 2004, 12:32
 Enahs
 
Milla Jovavic = yummy
She's fucking up my Christmas
if you do not get this reference, you must watch every episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, then deside to check out "Mc Chris" "rap" album and listen to the song "fucking up my christmas".

ATHF FOREVAR!


_____
Enahs
That’s a deep kiss too, like the Europeans. You know the French they have to unhinge their jaw to show love.
I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
- W. C. Fields
Avatar 15513
52.
 
Re: ok Halsey
Sep 11, 2004, 12:17
52.
Re: ok Halsey Sep 11, 2004, 12:17
Sep 11, 2004, 12:17
 
Now I know why the critic from Seattle said this film brings out the stupidest people.

But Dude! Two hot, scantily clad babes straining to fight off hordes of zombies. Does that not sound like the greatest movie ever made?

51.
 
Tokyo's Sky City
Sep 11, 2004, 10:39
51.
Tokyo's Sky City Sep 11, 2004, 10:39
Sep 11, 2004, 10:39
 
Our first archology?!

Avatar 18712
50.
 
Re: ok Halsey
Sep 11, 2004, 05:29
50.
Re: ok Halsey Sep 11, 2004, 05:29
Sep 11, 2004, 05:29
 
way to troll bait me with negative reviews of a flick you KNOW iam going to love ( i love ALL zombie movies ! ....except that "House of the Dead" , that one actually killed some brain tissue ) but iam not going to flame you cuz.... iam not drinking yet ( i have to drive my 13yr old to the movies )

Um, wtf? I don't know you from Adam or anything about you and could really care less if you'll love or hate the film. What was said by the critics is funny as hell, and if you can't see the hilarity in it I'd strongly encourage you to start drinking.

Now I know why the critic from Seattle said this film brings out the stupidest people.


"We only came to kick some ass. Rock the fuckin' house and kick some ass."
- Tenacious D
"And then, suddenly and without warning, it turned into a real-life case of hungry, hungry hippos."
- Stephen Colbert
49.
 
Galactic Conquest .4
Sep 10, 2004, 23:45
49.
Galactic Conquest .4 Sep 10, 2004, 23:45
Sep 10, 2004, 23:45
 
If anyone is lurking around here bored, they just released GC.4 on http://www.galactic-conquest.net/index.php . Looks like they have a few mirrors up as well as a torrent file. Just finished dl'ing it myself. This BF42 mod looks to be a good one.

48.
 
Re: Resident Evil 2
Sep 10, 2004, 20:26
WarPig
 
48.
Re: Resident Evil 2 Sep 10, 2004, 20:26
Sep 10, 2004, 20:26
 WarPig
 
Milla Jovavic = yummy

-------------------------------------------------------
What the hell, it's 5:00 somewhere.
Avatar 1750
47.
 
ok Halsey
Sep 10, 2004, 19:09
47.
ok Halsey Sep 10, 2004, 19:09
Sep 10, 2004, 19:09
 
way to troll bait me with negative reviews of a flick you KNOW iam going to love ( i love ALL zombie movies ! ....except that "House of the Dead" , that one actually killed some brain tissue ) but iam not going to flame you cuz.... iam not drinking yet ( i have to drive my 13yr old to the movies )

Avatar 14092
46.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 17:06
46.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 17:06
Sep 10, 2004, 17:06
 
Zathrus had it right. And QoS was the term that I was looking for. Here's the link for you too, to find Sveasoft's firmware for the Linksys WRT54G router (which I use, also). http://www.sveasoft.com/modules/phpBB2/index.php
I use the last free version that they offered, now I believe they are charging $20 for new versions of the software.

Oops. Sorry.

Someone at work was saying any ordinary switch or router would help me because they give higher bandwith earlier today. That's why I had the lengthy explanation (if only partially correct) ready for posting.

Again, sorry. I might actually look into it, so I can squeeze as much out of my connection as physically possible.

Thanks, and sorry,
Chris


"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."
-Fry, Futurmama
"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."
-Fry, Futurama
45.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 16:25
45.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 16:25
Sep 10, 2004, 16:25
 
Are you sure that they needed new wire?

Yes. About two months after we bought our house I ran into a Comcast guy surveying our area.

He gave me the low down I related earlier. I work out with a guy that works for Comcast - maybe I'll bug him and see what I need to do to force the issue. As it is they are cheaper than my telco even though I'm not a Comcast customer.

-TPFKAS2S
http://www.braglio.com

http://www.shamings.com
-TPFKAS2S
Avatar 10139
44.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 16:08
44.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 16:08
Sep 10, 2004, 16:08
 
Zathrus had it right. And QoS was the term that I was looking for. Here's the link for you too, to find Sveasoft's firmware for the Linksys WRT54G router (which I use, also). http://www.sveasoft.com/modules/phpBB2/index.php
I use the last free version that they offered, now I believe they are charging $20 for new versions of the software.

QoS is explained as:
Quality of Service (QoS) refers to the capability of a network to provide better service to selected network traffic over various technologies, including Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Ethernet and 802.1 networks, SONET, and IP-routed networks that may use any or all of these underlying technologies. The primary goal of QoS is to provide priority including dedicated bandwidth, controlled jitter and latency (required by some real-time and interactive traffic), and improved loss characteristics.

You can find more exacting technical information about it at: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/qos.htm

Though for the average consumer, you just want to be able to set it up for your router.

43.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:50
43.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:50
Sep 10, 2004, 15:50
 
I know they haven't buried a new loops so...

Are you sure that they needed new wire? Unless they had some really archaic crap in there then all they needed to do was change out equipment at the head end. And they're doing that on an ongoing basis anyway. The premium channels don't like being put on analog cable anymore (too much piracy), and the cable companies prefer going digital for numerous reasons (mainly because they reduce the varying kinds of head end equipment they have to support). It's worth swapping out that crap even on a small loop like yours, if only for support reasons.

And, of course, eventually the cable cos would like to ditch the analog signal entirely. Can't do that unless everyone in their service area is capable of digital. Along with all the additional services they can provide over digital, it also means they get to charge you for each and every TV you have connected to cable... even new TVs with built in QAM decoding need an access card from the cable co to decrypt the signal. And they'll charge just as much for that card as they do for a set top box.

42.
 
Resident Evil 2
Sep 10, 2004, 15:50
42.
Resident Evil 2 Sep 10, 2004, 15:50
Sep 10, 2004, 15:50
 
Was looking at some of the critical blurbs about the film, heh....

"... might be justified as 'mindless fun' if it weren't for the acute lack of fun in its 93 minutes."

"It's okay but just slightly catatonic."

"If you are in the mood for leggy heroines blasting down zombie armies with absurdly large automatic weapons, the film gives very good value for the money."

"...best enjoyed by keeping in mind the latest cinematic proposition that apocalyptic disaster doesn't bring out the worst in people, only the stupidest."

LOL!


"We only came to kick some ass. Rock the fuckin' house and kick some ass."
- Tenacious D
"And then, suddenly and without warning, it turned into a real-life case of hungry, hungry hippos."
- Stephen Colbert
41.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:44
41.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:44
Sep 10, 2004, 15:44
 
So, in these painful situations where we each need to download something big from the Internet, we're each stuck with 1/3 of the DSL bandwith, meaning we each download at like 30k/sec.

Yeah, but I think you missed his point.

If you get a hackable router (like the Linksys WRT54G wireless router) and load some alternate firmware on it (such as that which he suggested) then you can implement QoS rules and ensure that there's always a certain amount of bandwidth available for certain activities (like VoIP or online gaming). If those services aren't being used at that time then the bandwidth will go to downloads or whatever -- the bandwidth isn't permanently set aside.

In any case, there's absolutely no reason why a 1.5 Mbit DSL link couldn't support 3+ people gaming (as clients; no servers please!) unless your upstream bandwidth is utter crap (like 64kbps or lower). What kinds of problems are you seeing when you and your roommates all try to play a game at the same time -- just lag, or disconnects? The former indicates bandwidth problems, the latter router/software problems (some really inane games (like, oh say, CS) use hardcoded client side ports for no good reason; this is a problem with multiple people playing behind a NATing router to the same server).

A better router/router software won't help the underlying problem you mention while downloading, as you noted, but it should solve all the other problems you're having.

40.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:34
40.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:34
Sep 10, 2004, 15:34
 
Can you drop your land line, and keep your DSL?

No. I'd need to keep a minimum service. The long distance issue is not as big a deal as it used to be. As most of my family and friends are in construction one way or another 90% of us have Nextel. As annoying as they can be unlimited direct connect is as free as you can get. Esp. considering that most of us have phones provided through work.

-TPFKAS2S
http://www.braglio.com

http://www.shamings.com
-TPFKAS2S
Avatar 10139
39.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:31
39.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:31
Sep 10, 2004, 15:31
 

I'd think that in your line of work you'd be familiar with the PUC officials... since water and sewage is often run by the same or similar government offices.

The PA PUC is very utility friendly. There won't be much help there - believe me.

I just checked Comcast again and they are now showing the service is available - I'm going to call them this afternoon and see what has changed. I know they haven't buried a new loops so...

-TPFKAS2S
http://www.braglio.com

http://www.shamings.com
-TPFKAS2S
Avatar 10139
38.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:27
38.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:27
Sep 10, 2004, 15:27
 
The worst part is just about every phone call we make is long distance. My office is roughly 12 miles from home and THAT is a long distance call. My parents live one township over (2 miles max) - long distance because they are Verizon customers.

Can you drop your land line, and keep your DSL? I'd advise you move all your calls to cell phone, where you can get bundled long distance into your plan.

Does TWC have any sort of presence in your area? They're majorly branching into the VoIP business...
Beauty is truth; truth beauty - that is all ye need to know on earth...except TCP/IP.
37.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:25
37.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:25
Sep 10, 2004, 15:25
 
Isn't this what the whole QoS system was meant to be used for? To allow for intelligent management of network services? Thus anyone playing a game (which probably only uses 5-10k/s of data) wouldn't be flooded by someone utilising 150k/s for downloading if the game was allowed a set % of available bandwith.

Admittedly QoS is for a single PC but I would be suprised if noone had come up with similar software for use in a soho/home router

36.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:16
36.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:16
Sep 10, 2004, 15:16
 
Kannibal, you can get a router to share that bandwidth more efficiently so one person won't dominate all the bandwidth. You'd be able to have three people playing online at a time while downloading stuff. I forgot what the technical term is for the router software, but it was designed so you can have Voice Over IP while using your internet... so downloads don't cut off your phone conversation.

We have one, you are partially correct.

A router will help with bandwith more than a hub, but only when distinguisihing between different traffic origins / destinations.

Example:
2 PC's (A and B) are transferring a large file; PC A -> PC B.
PC C is accessing the Internet; Internet -> PC C.

100MBit hub: all 3 people share the total bandwith of the hub. So, PC's A and B are taking up some of the bandwith that PC C would be using for downloading, because the bandwith is shared amost all of them. Likwise, PC C is using up some bandwith, so the data transfer between A and B is slightly slower than it can be.

Router or Switch: PC's A and B can comminucate at full speed, without any interruption from C (or without C interrupting them). Everyone gets their max available bandwith for what they need. This is because the 2 different streams of communication (Internet -> C, A -> B) do not share any endpoints.



NEW Example:
PC's A, B, and C are each downloading different large files from the internet (movie, iso, warez game). (Internet -> A, Internet -> B, Internet -> C).

Router or Switch: PC's A, B, and C are sharing a common endpoint: the Internet. No matter what, the DSL connection can only handle a certain amount of kbytes per second. Therefore, it's split evenly. Each person would get roughly 1/3 of the bandwith.

A pipe is a pipe, a router or switch at one end is not going to make the pipe any fatter or let it move more units per second that it normally would.

A router or switch WILL handle different traffic paths more efficiently than a hub, allowing each distinct stream to operate at full speed as long as each path has unique end points. Otherwise, each path sharing an endpoint will be reduced that number of times.

So, in these painful situations where we each need to download something big from the Internet, we're each stuck with 1/3 of the DSL bandwith, meaning we each download at like 30k/sec.



"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."
-Fry, Futurmama

This comment was edited on Sep 10, 15:20.
"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."
-Fry, Futurama
35.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 15:08
35.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 15:08
Sep 10, 2004, 15:08
 
My telco has me by the throat and I see no way out, other than moving

Start raising a ruckus at your local township/city/county PUC. You should be able to get an alternate service provider for your telephone now... if that's not possible then someone's not following the law. This is why the Feds deregulated the telecom industry in 1996 (that and to get poor Judge Greene out of the loop... poor bastard). No matter how rinky-dink a telephone company, they must provide access to other providers now. For both DSL and local phone service.

Similarly, raising a ruckus at the PUC could get the cable company to get off their ass -- or at least do something about the fact that they're almost certainly raising your rates and cutting your service.

I'd think that in your line of work you'd be familiar with the PUC officials... since water and sewage is often run by the same or similar government offices.


Edit: Oh, the LD thing would really piss me off. But that's because I've lived most of my life in the largest (geographically) toll free dialing area in the US. Thank you Southern Bell (now Bellsouth). All of 404 (now 404/770/678) is toll free.
This comment was edited on Sep 10, 15:10.
34.
 
Re: Don't you wonder?
Sep 10, 2004, 14:55
34.
Re: Don't you wonder? Sep 10, 2004, 14:55
Sep 10, 2004, 14:55
 
Are you talking US Dollars?

Yes I am.

But I'd seriosuly researching alternatives. If you're in the US, there HAS to be a way to get DSL for cheaper.

Nope. My phone company is a little rinky-dink outfit in the middle of verizon country. As I said before, Comcast is out of the question. My house sits on the 'inner loop' of my development. The cable runs in a circle in the 4 acre open space shared by all houses on my side of the loop (does that make sense?). There are maybe 10 houses that share the loop and Comcast has no intention of laying new cable to give 10 people high speed internet and comcast on demand. So they are out.

My telco has me by the throat and I see no way out, other than moving.

The worst part is just about every phone call we make is long distance. My office is roughly 12 miles from home and THAT is a long distance call. My parents live one township over (2 miles max) - long distance because they are Verizon customers.

It really stinks.

-TPFKAS2S
http://www.braglio.com

http://www.shamings.com
-TPFKAS2S
Avatar 10139
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