Collective technology

Well, I'm finally receiving, and legitimately paying for an internet connection of my own.

I'd been glomming onto a wireless signal free-O'-charge since early this year. But the arrangement was fraught with difficulties of varying degrees. Holding my laptop above my head to reconnect was one thing, but going without a connection for entire weekends at a time was quite another. And obviously, without even knowing the origin of the free signal, it's not like I could call and complain when it was down.

After yet another web-less weekend, I decided that "free" was no longer "easy." So yesterday I went right to the devil's den (aka, the local Charter Communications office) and signed up for their lowest-priced internet service. The price of which will more than double in six months mind you, but by that time I'll either be gainfully employed or flat ass broke. Which I guess means I'll either be able to pay the higher price, or won't have the money to pay the lower price. Que Sera Sera

At any rate, when I went to Charter I specifically asked about getting a wireless connection. The lady at the counter told me that the self-install package she was sending me home with would have "one of both." I asked, with an incredulous lilt, "one wireless and one non-wireless?" Thinking that didn't sound right. But she said "yes, you choose one or the other."

Huh. Again, it didn't sound right to me, but truthfully, having never owned a modem before I didn't really know enough about it to argue the point with her right then and there. In retrospect, it did seem like she was sending along an awful lot of wires, cords and cables-- far more than I would have expected a wireless connection to require. But hey, I figured she might actually know what she was talking about, and since I clearly didn't, I had no choice but to take her on her word.

When I got home it became clear that I did not, in fact, have the equipment required to achieve a wireless connection. As near as I can tell, the "choose one or the other" scenario described by the counter lady appears to mean that I could choose to connect my computer to the modem they gave me using the Firewire USB cord (a type of wire) or the Ethernet cable (another type of wire) included in the kit.

So much for sleek and sexy. My "wireless" enabled MacBook currently looks like it's on life-support, either that or it's being assimilated by The Borg. Come to think of it "Resistance is Futile!" pretty much sums up Charter's customer acquisition strategy.