Off By One

(I just sent in this letter to the editor) Regarding “Web superhighway likely to be toll road” (Jan 30):

There are two issues in connection with this issue that I would like to address. First, and most visible to all subscribers of the ISP services, is that — despite their claims to the contrary — companies like Shaw and Rogers lie to their customers when asked about the use of software that specifically restricts the speed of certain types of traffic (“Traffic shaping” software). From personal experience, I can tell you that this leads to frustration from the side of the customer, especially when I’m experiencing service delays with my competing VOIP service. This is a major issue, since Shaw is competing with Vonage for VOIP services, but Shaw is in a position to severely, and adversely, affect the quality of Vonage VOIP, something that is currently affecting me.

Secondly, the issue of network cost. The claim from Shaw, Telus, and Rogers is that their users are getting something for free, which is patently absurd. We PAY for the service that they provide, which is not e-mail and web, but is in fact a connection to the internet, which may include those services, as well as others, such as VOIP or streaming video to name two. The ISPs, if they want to get into the business of selecting which content providers should be permitted, should stop claiming to sell “unlimited” internet access.

Update

Nope, no luck. It’d have been great to be published, but it appears that I’m not witty enough. Bummer.

As of today, sometime around noon, I finally got to bid Telus fare-thee-well from my finances forever. Or, so I hope.

Vonage is the carrier of our phone service from here on out, which means that, well, we’re early adopters. So I appreciate any and all consideration of the limitations of our current service when you get calls from us that have glitches and fuzziness. But on the whole, I expect it to be good.

W00t!

At last, our phone was hooked up today. Net cost to Char and I? $0.

Apparently the previous owners of the house (or the last Telus repairman in here) decided that since there was only one line anyway, why not just disconnect the other one completely? Seemed logical at the time, I guess.

Wankers.

Anyway, our number hasn’t changed. And now, it works!

Just finished my last shift at $(COMPANY) yesterday, and i’ve taken away some valuable lessons about work in the lower echelons of the big companies. It seems, for reasons i don’t fully understand, that $(COMPANY) is not really interested in investing in its future employees. Now, in the non-technical end of the organization, where i was employed, that doesn’t surprise me. I can not fault them for short-sightedness, given the rapid turnover of their current employees - when someone’s only there for a year, don’t waste the investment effort.

Where i can fault them, though, is in the short-sightedness of the internet unit. While the helpdesk is not a technical job in any real way, it is related. And despite this, they focus their hiring exclusively on non-students. Once again, i’ve been rejected for employment specifically because i am trying to better myself. It’s frustrating to me. $(COMPANY) is a big part of the technology field in Alberta, and i’d like to keep it in mind for my future employment. But i get the powerful feeling that i’m not going to even look at it when i job hunt, because i know all too well that their priorities do not match mine. I value education, and $(COMPANY) does not.

In an industry that moves this fast, wouldn’t it seem to be the case that getting hold of the workers of the future is a wise investment? Wish somebody would tell $(COMPANY) that.

Sorry, i know i haven’t been posting anything. I’m busily working at school and with Telus, and it’s really damned draining. Between the long hours at work and the long hours at school, i barely get any time to myself, which means i’m less communicative than i should be.

Hope things are well for the lot of you - updates will follow soon, once midterms are more over.

That went remarkably well, i think. I had an interview this morning with ATS out at the International Airport, and basically got told that i can A) have my cake and B) eat it too. The upshot of the interview this morning was that i would train with ATS early next week, starting monday. Then, on the 16th i would start with Telus, informing ATS of my schedule from Telus. Then, lastly, when the employment with Telus is up, i’d start working part time at the airport. Best of both worlds! I now have a permanent part-time job, and a temporary, seasonal one that pays better for December.

W00t!

So, feel free to pat me on the back, tell me i kick ass, all that other good stuff. You know i deserve it