Saturday, July 08, 2006

The Dial-Up Gods


Some of you know this already from my comments but I'm pampering the Dial-Up Gods these days! In the week before we drove up to Michigan last week, our phone line and DSL got fried in a thunderstorm. The phone was up when we got back on the 4th but the DSL was on its last leg just after my previous post. Bell South, bless them, will supposedly take 10-15 days to replace the circuit. In the meantime, Dial-Up!



By hook or by crook, I WILL show you more family-cottage pics, little by little! Those itty-bitty gods know I'm determined. But this is what I've decided (with no offense to those same gods): Amy taking a photo of the lake on her cell phone vs. me taking it with my digital camera is a good comparison between dial-up and DSL.



Likewise, Amy sending a text message on her cell phone vs. our daily Instant-Messaging on our computers is like the difference between dial-up and DSL.

For those of you who only have dial-up at home, I'm so sorry. My son Mark told me the other day it blows his mind that there are actually new computer users out there who have never experienced dial-up (kinda like those rotary phones, I guess!). Guess it helps the appreciation factor for me right now!

You get the point. So this is actually a test of sorts. If this post actually takes, I have homage to pay. And all this while Mercury has a heyday with his retrograde!

10 comments:

  1. Great comparisons. I started on the internet in 1991 or 1992 so I've seen super slow and so different. Then when I finally got to Switzerland in 2002, well things really changed.

    But wait, it was 1998 when I started working for a company making high speed DSL. That was the fastest computer I ever had... so impressive. I still don't have that speed today yet...

    Well maybe you'll be back up before we get back from vacation. :)

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  2. ET, it actually was not difficult getting this post done, which may mean I can be a guest on your blog after all while you're on vacation :)

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  3. Sometimes, I have to use the dial-up system at my work... It's darn slow! But even more rapid than sending all me reclamations by mail. (Not e-mail, the regular one, with a stamp)... Sometimes, we should take our time. Not be so impatient. Loosing a rapid gadget... Maybe we have to learn something when it happens! :) I certainly have to....

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  4. So sad but true, MP. I'm the first to admit that Patience is NOT one of my virtues :(

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  5. I loved that comparison. We have become so impatient, that's true and sad, I agree. Everything just seems to speed up to "make our lives easier". Not just technology-wise, but deadlines at work are always shorter, expectations are higher and the workload isn't lesser. We all live in the fast lane and should maybe learn to slow down and appreciate what surrounds us and what we have. I know I should do that more :)

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  6. I am still on dial-up at home! I have a rapid connection at the office and so, don't feel the need to change soon.

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  7. Mr. Fab: Those were definitely the days, my friend! We thought they'd never end :)

    CS: Truer words were never spoken. And let me tell you--it doesn't get any better once you retire! Ay caramba.

    Mei: That's the same for Amy. That just means she uses her home computer minimally. Donica and I use our home computers a lot and at the same time! On dial-up we can only use one pc at a time :(

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  8. I can totally relate to this. At our cabin in the woods, only dial-up is available. Impossible to post, nearly impossible to even leave a comment b/c all the blogs I visit are graphic intensive w/ photos and such. I admire your determination!

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  9. Neat photos; I especially like the first one.

    I would hate to have to go back to dial-up. But it would be better than nothing.

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  10. Mad: Exactly. The blogs that also keep more than 7 posts on their front page are nigh impossible to download! UGH. Interestingly, I haven't had any problem publishing posts :)

    Tim: Yes, it IS better than nothing, you're right :)

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