White House report says Internet is a 'core utility' just like electricity http://t.co/7CqKD87jTl pic.twitter.com/6cResOMcGT
— CS Monitor (@csmonitor) September 23, 2015
Sure, one can survive without internet access, but try getting even a high school degree — or applying for a job. Kudos to President Obama and his team for making it official.
Speaking of access, we’ll be taking off for a long weekend (the Spousal Unit, a Viking-American, is gleeful; as an aspiring agoraphobe, I’m… resigned). My laptop is coming along, so either my posting quality will improve because I’m not working through the proxy site, or I’ll disappear for another few days. Pray to Murphy the Internet Trickster God for the outcome that best matches your mood.
Apart from oversharing, what’s on the agenda as we wrap up another week?
henqiguai
Gettin’ through it. For me, worst-case seasonal allergies have kicked in; hence working remote today.
Why’s he gleeful at getting away for the weekend? A special destination, or just congenital wanderlust (something I fully understand and appreciate, and I make no claims to Scandinavian blood).
Punchy
Finished the work aspect of this Australian trip. Now comes a week of pure vacay. Booyah.
OzarkHillbilly
Granddaughter coming for the wkend. My plans are to do whatever she wants. Should have nice weather to do it in, low 70s both days but probably cloudy.
I can get itchy in crowds too, Anne. Keep your chin up.
Major Major Major Major
Good for the WH! Strong net neutrality is important. Very.
Just gonna sit here watching Netflix and not scratching my tattoo. Might have a friend over to occupy my time later. Not legally allowed to operate anything faster than my own feet so my options are limited atm.
Mustang Bobby
Made it through the first monthly training session I do for the district at the new site and everything worked; the Adobe Connect, the webinar, and no one fell asleep as we tracked the wily Time & Effort certification to its lair.
I also got an e-mail from a bookstore in Stratford, Ontario, telling me they’d sold copies of my plays and wanted to know where to send the cheque. Yip yah.
Major Major Major Major
@Mustang Bobby: congrats!
Baud
If Bush does become the nominee, it’ll be interesting to see if all that passion that was directed at the FCC on net neutrality was real or not.
Baud
@Punchy:
I love Australia, except for the long flight.
Baud
@Mustang Bobby:
Not having people fall asleep is huge.
Thoughtful Today
from-the-confuse-right-wingers-dept
At the inevitable Holiday dinner, explain to your conservative relatives that all of the Internet billionaires’ wealth was built by our socialist government’s investment/creation of the Internet.
Then go pop some popcorn.
Baud
This amateur photo of Andromeda is stunning
cnet.com/news/jaw-dropping-andromeda-galaxy-photo-comprises-37-hours-of-exposure/
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: Never been to Aus. though I’ve flown halfway there(Tahiti).
ETA: I spilled Diet Coke on my NEW keyboard and it’s fucked up now.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Some amateur astronomers are really just unpaid professionals. It is amazing how much science is contributed by these people. More than a few comets and other celestial objects are first discovered by people who spend hours and hours staring up at the sky thru homemade telescopes night after night. Homemade is not derogatory. My wife works with a guy who has built his own, it cost him more than $11,000 to do it.
OzarkHillbilly
@Mustang Bobby: Congrats, you’re royalty.
BruceFromOhio
Today will the fourteenth business day in a row and the 19th of the last twenty that I was able to ride the motorcycle to work. This makes going to work an enjoyable endeavour, in contrast to the wretched slouch on public transportation that it usually is. And a good thing, too, as the old T&C van is probably sporting a blown head gasket, and has been sitting in the driveway while MrsFromOhio gets to drive my Fit. The stretch of splendid weather simply cannot last, as the Throners say, “winter is coming.”
But not today. Today is a nice ride, then Friday night lights and the marching band, then one last warm run to the beach tomorrow, and then the Sunday immersion in the concussion league contests.There is a major tailgate for the Browns/Raiders, these are some of the best because of the weather, it gets tougher from here.
I’m digging this New Diet Pope, my ultra-conservative Catlicker in-laws can’t figure out what to do, what to do.
Mustang Bobby
@OzarkHillbilly: Thanks.
sparrow
@Baud: I do astronomy professionally, and, um, WOW. Amazing. I don’t have to get the raw data myself. Major props to all the amazing amateurs out there…
Fred
@Baud: Thanks for that link. Just beautiful.
We plan to move to a place away from street lights soon. I look forward to getting a good look at the night sky.
For the last three decades I’ve lived out in the country at two locations. In both places I somehow ended up across the street from big buildings with all night security lights on their parking lots. Grrrrr! No doubt when I move some civic minded people will provide the neighborhood with the benefit of street lights. That or the farmer across the street will open a 7-11 so I can buy overpriced milk and hot dogs at 3:00 in the morning.
Kudos to the WH for proclaiming the obvious. If you don’t have broad band you just can’t be a part of the world as we have come to know it. Street lights I can live without but internet is the road to the world.
BruceFromOhio
@Baud: From that link I found this to be … unnerving.
Awesome picture, btw. That may be the new wallpaper on one of the servers before the end of the day..
OzarkHillbilly
Duggar family show to return to TLC months after molestation scandal
There really is life after death. Either that or zombies.
Mustang Bobby
@BruceFromOhio: Growing up near Toledo, I remember nice warm days up until about Canadian Thanksgiving, then began the slow but inexorable greying of the sky and the chill wind coming out of the north. Enjoy the ride.
David Koch
CNN New Hampshire Sept. 17-23
Trump……………..26
Fiorina…………….16
Rubio……………….8
Carson……………..8
Kasich………………7
¡Jeb!………………..7◄
I mention this because pollsters find the “who will win” question to be predictive of the actual outcome; more so than who may be temporarily leading a poll.
bemused
Finland was the first country to make broadband for every citizen a legal right.
Funding to create access to broadband in rural areas is a big issue in Minnesota. High speed internet isn’t just for playing videos. It’s vital for businesses to grow or starting new businesses. Of course, you’ve got the usual idiots who do have high speed internet whining they see no benefit whatsoever to themselves for their tax money should be spent in outstate areas. Hello, what about outstate highways and bridges they travel on?
From Up North Report blog, Star Tribune, Aaron Brown writes, “The political roadblock to rural broadband is, pure and simple, control issues. Some simply refuse to acknowledge that the people, by way of their government, have an important issue in fostering access to the modern internet. These slow actors will have lots to talk about with the politicians who opposed rural electrification 100 years ago when they get to Heaven for Dummies.”
Mustang Bobby
@OzarkHillbilly: Their ratings will go through the roof; nothing sells like a sex scandal, and they have been forgiven by the Baby Jesus.
I wonder, though, will TLC pick up the bills for the years of therapy those kids are going to need?
bemused
@OzarkHillbilly:
Ugh. The family must really be dependent on the TLC paychecks. I’m picturing a lot of begging and groveling to get back in.
BruceFromOhio
@Mustang Bobby: Thanks MB, and you called it. The wind comes north, and the sun disappears until sometime in March or April. But not today: Summer is giving up her fight, slowly, and it is simply splendid.
Patricia Kayden
@OzarkHillbilly: I read the article as two specials involving the two Duggar daughters who were molested versus the entire clan. I doubt TLC could get away with reviving the show given that the controversy with Josh is still ongoing.
Patricia Kayden
@David Koch: Wow. Carson has really dropped since the second debate. I guess those anti-Muslim remarks didn’t help him out too much.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
Wonkette has an entertaining story and interview with Carl Loser – a Libertarian candiate for the Virginia Senate.
Good laughs, in an OMG did he really say that? And he’s running for office? kinda way.
The Virginia election is November 3. It would be so nice if the houses were to flip to the Democrats… :-(
Cheers,
Scott.
OzarkHillbilly
@Patricia Kayden:
You dear lady, are a very brave person, far more courageous than I.
BillinGlendaleCA
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: When I was in high school a group of us went to the state debate tournament in Fresno, CA. There were lots of signs for a particular candidate for sheriff, “LAWLESS FOR SHERRIF”.
Kay
@Baud:
I only have one one example, but my son is involved in it I think it is real. They know a lot about it and they call Congress. They seem to have that single issue focus that is effective. I don’t follow it or understand it other than in a very basic way but they have specific House members they mention and that to me always indicates a level of engagement beyond generalized complaining :)
Once you’re at “Mary Smith in CA 6” or whatever you’re really diving in.
Raven
@Mustang Bobby: We started using webex and it has an “attention tracker” for our online seminars. We disabl d it.
Cervantes
@Punchy:
Good for you!
Savor every moment!
Safe travels.
OzarkHillbilly
@bemused: Back in ’10 (part of the Obama stimulus) they laid pipe for fiber optics in a great big loop thru Washington Co, including the entire 16 miles of the state road I live on. When it first got laid the local elec coop had a page on it and how it would help boost our rural economy. Lord knows it would certainly help my wife avoid the long commute to STL. About 6 months later that page disappeared and I could find no one with any info on it. 5 years later that pipe remains empty. ANYTHING to do with Obama is DOA out here.
That’s why we can’t have nice things.
Cervantes
@OzarkHillbilly:
That sounds like a great plan!
Enjoy.
Kay
@Patricia Kayden:
Kasich should be doing in better in NH so I’m glad he’s not. That’s his “break out” state. His campaign floods Ohio media with happy talk and that has been wildly successful as far as driving (in-state) coverage but it won’t last forever. To me the big question is whether Trump supporters will vote. Whether they’re registered voters who show up. I did two Democratic events at a county event and I know Trump supporters are supposed to be “base” GOP voters but I met about 20 of them and if they were supporting a Democrat I would have asked them if they were registered. There are people who are really combative about politics in a public setting like that who don’t fit the general profile of “voter” and they were all people like that. They don’t know anything. I was standing with the Democrats- signage all over the place, ect. and I was getting serious inquires from Trump supporters on whether I had bumper stickers.
Cervantes
@Baud:
Shouldn’t you be selling your soul to donors instead of staring at M31?
Mustang Bobby
@Raven: For the online folks, I try to keep it entertaining, but I wonder how many of the folks who were showing as signed in were in reality playing Angry Birds or whatever the current game fad is. I wouldn’t blame them; it’s tough trying to make financial processes amusing and engaging, even when I’m quoting Marx… as in Groucho.
Dmbeaster
@Baud: For all those who love this image, bookmark APOD and get your fill daily.
It’s supposed to be 100 today in Thousand Oaks so a good day for my sea kayak trip to Anacapa.
Elizabelle
Good morning all. TGIF. Rain en route for VA and DC area; maybe the fall leaves still need it for forming color ….
satby
For some reason the teens were up until almost 12:30 last night, and we all have to get up by 6 to leave for school. So I’m having my second cup of coffee and waiting to drive them in 10 minutes. Going to be a long day.
Edited to add, forgot to hit post, so the above happened an hour ago. Now for my third cup of coffee.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay:
I have been saying for a while that I don’t see Trump’s present popularity translating into primary victories. Hell, I don’t see it keeping him afloat to Iowa/NH.
David Koch
Patricia Kayden
@Kay: Good question about Trump voters. There is always the possiblity that he will run independently if he loses the Repub nomination. He’s so erratic that I can see him plunging the Repub Party into chaos if he’s not their nominee. Fun times!
Matt McIrvin
@OzarkHillbilly: Professional astronomers book time on big telescopes that are so much in demand that they need to make a scientific case for a particular target well in advance. That leaves it to the amateurs to just keep watching the skies.
Things have changed a bit in recent years with the rise of survey telescopes and space missions dedicated to watching the whole sky, but amateur astronomers still discover a lot of new things.
satby
@OzarkHillbilly: same thing happened here in Michigassippi. They hate taxes and complain bitterly how their roads are falling apart and flooding.
Honestly, seeing stars really well at night doesn’t make up for the epic stupid of living in this area during the day.
Elizabelle
@satby: Thank Dog your guest teens have you instead of some other host, then.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
DeLong on Peak Horse. He’s right that this time may be different, at least in the developed world.
But it doesn’t have to be. We control a good part of the way things play out, if we’re willing to think and vote.
Cheers,
Scott.
MrSnrub
Just trying to get through the day and get home before Pope-Ageddon clamps down on the Philly area.
We live in the burbs and don’t expect it to be so bad, but level of Security Kabuke Theater is off the charts. I hear it’s similarly bad in NYC.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
We’ll see. They’re so good at polling I assume they’re calling actual voters but when I was talking to them I was getting the kind of responses you get from people who don’t vote regularly- a lot of them were skipping past the primary completely and that sometimes means they don’t know there’s a primary. I was telling a really young Sanders supporter that Ohio has a “closed” primary (in response to taking his voter reg) which doesn’t mean that much as far as exclusion he just needs to confirm his registration, find his polling place, show up and ask for a Dem ballot. I got follow up questions from the Trump-curious that sounded to me like they don’t understand it but won’t say- like telling me they live in a different county than the Sanders guy, which has no bearing on anything :)
satby
@Elizabelle: We have fun and they’re great kids. But they’re 15 and 17, so flighty is part of the package ;)
Elmo
First day of vacation! I always cheat and start on the Friday before, because what work am I going to get done in the Friday before vacation anyway?
So naturally I have a conference call scheduled at 9am. But that’s it! Other than responding to emails and handling emergencies as they come up. Other than that.
Vacation!
OzarkHillbilly
@Elizabelle: Why do you think they got “stuck” with her as there were no other alternatives?
debbie
@Kay:
The fawning (and extensive) coverage by local media borders on embarrassing. You’d think Kasich’s presence is the source of the GOP’s undeniable (in the media’s eyes) integrity and excellence. And of course Kasich’s presence is the sole reason for the presidential debate taking place at Wright State.
I hadn’t thought it possible, but the wall-to-wall coverage of John Kasich is even more annoying than the endless breathlessness of Ohio State football coverage.
debbie
@Dmbeaster:
APod’s my first online stop every morning. I can barely see Venus where I live, so it’s a real treat to see billions of stars and galaxies. Really puts me in my place (in a good way).
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
Poll workers are allowed to discern which ballot they want – so the person can say “Donald Trump” and get a Repub ballot, so if they’re registered and show up they’ll be fine.
OzarkHillbilly
@Matt McIrvin:
And they are gathering so much data they are outsourcing it on the internet so that amateurs can help do the basic # crunching and looking for anamolys, that the pros can then do more in depth analysis of and book time on the big scopes if needed. Exoplanets being one of the more obvious examples.
Central Planning
@Baud:
Upper deck is the only way to go on that flight.
I think your run for President could capitalize on that: No More Coach!
bemused
@OzarkHillbilly:
Same thing in MN. May article how the legislature is cheating greater MN on broadband. At least 2 companies, CenturyLink and USInternet began installing fiber optic in metro area and under Obama stimulus program, hundreds of miles were buried in corridors through the state. Former GOP Rep Dorman left House in 2009 and now executive director of 3 year old Greater Minnesota Partnership with 80 members, incl 10 MnSCU campuses and 10 chambers of commerce advocating for Greater MN issues. Dorman says that technological ignorance and politics have intertwined. He’s seen this firsthand in 8 years in House. “In general, Republicans don’t like to spend money. If they can find a reason, any reason, not to spend, they’ll cling to it no matter what”.
Kay
@debbie:
It’s good though, because the governors falter when they get real national coverage so if they’re able to promote him nationally we’ll get a real test.
If you think media coverage of Ohio state football is annoying, you should attend a couple of pretrials in a county court with Ohio lawyers. We have the obligatory initial ten minutes of football. I gave up a long time ago. I use the time to think about something else while appearing to be awake. My favorite magistrate is an absolute fanatic but he’s also aware of his surroundings and a nice person so he makes jokes about whether I need something to read while I wait, etc. :)
My husband loves sports so I;m maybe more sympathetic than I would be otherwise. It’s hard to hate something he clearly enjoys so much. I think of it as harmless.
debbie
@Kay:
I used to do graphic design work for Ohio State’s parent association. Once, I submitted a design for a fiesta-themed event that included Mexican tiles (the kind that are lemon yellow and cobalt blue). You’d have thought I had committed treason! The mere thought of using Michigan’s colors!
Not even thinking about what those colors represented probably proves I don’t give a shit about football.
Chris
@bemused: Out here in the rural hinterlands of NC the local electric cooperative (Go FDR!!!) got 20 mil of the sweet Obama “failed” stimulus cash and promptly strung fiber optic willy nilly all over the place…I had neither DSL (just beyond the 5k ft limit from a DSLAM) or cable internet but NOW….I have fiber optic 50MB data to my little rural slice of heaven. Thats exactly the kind of thing that the “failed” stimulus failed at. Viva Obama!!!
Steeplejack
@BillinGlendaleCA:
I hate stuff like that. I have been extremely lucky in my long computing career. I do keep my coffee cup or drink at arm’s length down the desk from my computer.
My ongoing worry is the housecat shedding her fur into the innards of my keyboard. Her workstation is right next to the notebook and separate keyboard, and occasionally she oozes her head over onto the notebook to help and get a better look at the screen. She puts out an amazing amount of hair for a shorthair.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Dmbeaster: You’re from TO? I grew up there.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Steeplejack: First for me as well, I’ll let it dry out and see if it works later today.
bemused
@Chris:
Congrats!
I’d like to slap broadband expansion naysayers, the IGMFY crowd. People in small towns of only 9,000 with fast enough internet service don’t see why people just a few miles out of town complain so much, why can’t they just buy satellite service. As one commenter replied, “It rains and snows”.
Conservatives just plain don’t want anyone else to get anything that might involve government monies, even if it’s their own family or friends.
ThresherK
This is a no-brainer decision.
And it’s a great chance for some of the creative class to add to these Lester Beall posters, made necessary by FDR.
designishistory.com/1940/lester-beall/
bemused
@ThresherK:
Wonderful.
boatboy_srq
@Mustang Bobby: Woo-hoo!
For me, today is tying off all the projects I’m working (so either they’re good to hand off or they’ll keep running on their own), and going home and packing. Off to the wilderness for two weeks! Net access will be spotty, so I’ll be keeping a low profile here and elsewhere until I get back.
boatboy_srq
@Chris: The stimulus only “failed” because the money didn’t go into Job Creators’ pockets.
boatboy_srq
@Thoughtful Today: don’t forget that they learn about all that on their DARPA-initiated personal computers and smartphones, and they can get to the places where they hear about Eeeeevil Soshulism using their gummint-designed-deployed-and-maintained global positioning system devices in cars riding on Department-of-Transportation created/maintained roads…
Tom
Looks like I’m not teaching as soon as I thought. I had to give up one of my classes because apparently I exceeded my hours. It means that I have a bit more time to do my other stuff but I’ll miss the money.
So it’s back to working on this course design which currently consists in writing the lab setup documentation for the first module.
Tom
@Mustang Bobby: Nice! We use Adobe Connect for our online courses to do weekly ‘live classroom’ sessions. I’m well aware of the issues that can crop up. (Ex. when the session recording turns out to have no sound.)
Emma
@BruceFromOhio: It’s my desktop wallpaper right now. It is gorgeous, gorgeous!
maurinsky
There is a candidate who runs in Rhode Island who has the perfect male porn star name: Rod Driver.
I am getting married 2 weeks from tomorrow, so I will be doing arts and crafts this weekend, decoupaging old film on to vases for a table setting for a film themed reception.
Tom
you don’t get a ‘degree’ from high school…..you receive a diploma
Brandon
If these “Internet of Things” yahoos get their way, nothing in your house will operate without internet (with requisite corporate/NSA surveillance). Therefore, it is (or very soon will be) just as important as electricity.
J R in WV
@OzarkHillbilly:
I have a cousin who built his 17 inch telescope, ground the lens/mirror, the whole shooting match. He can point it at invisible to the naked eye deep space objects without using any instrument.
Odd duck to say the least. Won’t go into grimy details, but restraining orders.
mclaren
If the internet is a `core utility,’ then why isn’t it socialized and regulated like water and power and sewer service?
America doesn’t let a private water company come into town, buy up the local waterworks, then declare themselves a monopoly, demand $1000 a month for delivering water and tell customers if they don’t like the prices they can do without water.
Why does America allow the same kind of gross abuses with internet service?