In addition to the quote posted
...from this article, the writer goes on to say, "Not that they are about to displace the main organs of journalism. I don't think any serious blogger would make that claim."
Spoken like a true self-preservationist, suckling on the teat of journalism's main organ.
Journalism is a joke in most of its present propagandized incarnations. It is so bad in fact that I don't think any serious journalist would actually claim that as a title. He'd probably have a weblog and call himself a blogger.
Good journalism is out there to be sure, but too many so-called journalists are nothing but ad copy writers, which is in itself an honorable profession -- writers must make a living too. But when ad copy is passed off as journalism, and when the stuff being hawked is political manipulation -- the basest of snake-oils -- that my dears is called propaganda. They can call themselves whatever they want if it helps them swallow their own saliva without retching. But if you won't tell me the real stories, which I find almost exclusively by reading weblogs, then you might as well be lying.
I have to post weel qwick like a bunny -- my dsl is dropping like pellets this morning.
I thought it might be nice to have a dependable connection again, so I asked Speakeasy to help. They responded fast but, alas, they probably won't be able to help me. Actually they responded so fast that I was forced to restate (and rethink) what it is I want from them. In the interest of getting this posted in the tiny window of connectivity which I am now enjoying, I paste from my e-mail to Speakeasy:
2. I do not want a new DSL installed, I actually just want to preserve my current DSL connection, which has begun bouncing me with increasing frequency lately. People at Rhythms (they installed it) say they can't help me because I ordered my DSL through MSN and that I have to talk to MSN about it. That would make sense, except MSN says they aren't providing my DSL, that my MSN account is a dialup and has never changed. That too is plausible, except for the fact that my DSL has been connected for over a year and is still connected right now at 864(down)/364(up) kbps. Nobody has ever billed me for my DSL connection -- not MSN, not Rhythms.
In a nutshell, I want Speakeasy to take custody of my existing DSL connection. It is not because I feel guilty about getting it for free, it is because I need to know who I can call if it goes down again, and doesn't come back up. Theoretically, this transition could be done at the CO, without any rewiring here, and without any outside line work by the phone company. I realize this may not be possible.
[tedious end of e-mail omitted]
Oh my, but when it is fast, it is FAST. See that little delicious detail in this morning's FTP session log? 2.25Mbps. Oh yeah, I'm hard. But I fear it won't last long, and that is why I am typing like a fiend to get this posted, like the last wave of a swimmer in distress.
This is certainly not a complaint about Speakeasy. Indeed I have heard nothing but good things about them. But the logistics (and other details of which I am not aware) of DSL procurement in the cutthroat DSL market is prohibitively complex. I am expecting too much if I want them to reuse a perfectly good, tested, and working connection loop, and my router, and perhaps even the DSLAM at the CO. That would require too much of a departure from the polished routine which they have perfected, of getting people hooked-up and online fast. I guess I just want it my way.
I have been amazingly lucky -- DSL for free for over a year. This is not unappreciated here, especially now. DSL is my ONLY connection with the outside world; no phone, no cable, no TV. But I am addicted now, and I will do just about anything they want to stay connected via DSL -- even if it doesn't occasionally reach 2.25 megabits per second.