The Lesser of Two Evils: ISP Caps or ISP Snooping

I recently read an article posted on PCWorld.com titled "Comcast's Cap May Mean Less Snooping on Your Net Browsing". In it, author Erik Larkin comments on the latest news about Comcast and the bandwidth caps they are starting to enforce on their customers. He states since they have caps, there won't be any reason for them to snoop on the use of your internet traffic because it won't matter. As soon as you hit the cap, you'll be done until next month. Why snoop and shape shift the data if everyone has the same bandwidth to use.

I think there's a few reasons to question whether such a "policy" would happen with Comcast or other ISP's for that matter.

1) ISP's make money off of that data
- Would you give up a revenue stream of around $5 per user?

2) ISP's need the data to market their own products
- We already know other companies pay for the data, why wouldn't Comcast keep the data and figure out how to make it work in their favor. They already get it for free.

3) There are other entities that seem to have "legal" interests tied to the data
- Governments, the RIAA, Hollywood

Although the discussion about whether Comcast will stop snooping because of this cap is interesting, I think it's really missing the bigger picture. The real issue is, the cap is really going to stop consumers from realizing and utilizing the innovative products and tools offered on the internet. Web sites like YouTube and Hulu and Netflix will go unwatched while intensive web programs will go unused. Web based companies will have to adapt, maybe causing quicker sites and less intensive programs, but possibly less quality.

If ISP's like Comcast want to keep consumers happy and continue to promote innovation on the internet, caps need to lifted and the full potential of the internet can finally be realized.

Obama Continues to Use Internet Buzzwords on Google

I have to thank my twitterfeed again for finding this. User @chownage notes that when you google the word twitter, it comes up with the popular micro-blogging tool first, but then the second link is to Barack Obama's twitter page. I would think this might confirm Obama's campaign includes paying for better page ranks in search, especially since the same thing was happening when you searched Facebook last week and now it's gone. I guess it could be popular enough to make it to the top.



I'm still a little torn on whether it's a great idea or just over the top. Not that anything illegal is happening. It just seems like polotics is all about association and if you're associated with up and coming internet companies and buzzwords like Facebook and Twitter, it's probably better than being associated with oil companies and an old regime.

Can You Be a Casual Internet Junkie?

I was pondering this question over the last few days while I thought about my interests in the web 2.0 'sphere. Can you really be a junkie if you only have the time for it to be a casual interest? Sometimes I don't feel like I have time to keep up with the internet. I am signed up on so many sites that I don't have time to use. I just signed up for Freindfeed just because I heard it was cool. I could spend hours reading through feeds, writing reviews, updating a blog, or tweeting it up. I sign up for sites that I just hear about, I'm not even sure if I'll use it or not.

It really leads me to my next question. Why do I enjoy web 2.0 so much? Well, I think it comes down to contribution and interaction. I want to be able to learn and share with others. I want to have fun and intelligent conversations about technology, local issues, the economy. I want to learn what's interesting to other people that have the same (or sometimes differing) interests. That's what makes it so great. You don't have 1 site to check for news or opinion, you can see the ebb and flow of what's important to people everywhere.

For now, I think I'll be a casual junkie. I'll get to the computer when I can. It's a hobby. Maybe some day it will be more than that, but that's definitely not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for opportunities to open my mind and to contribute to the greater cloud of the web.

What I Really Look Forward to Reading Online...

If you've taken any notice to the Google reader shared articles feed, I probably read a blog called TechDirt the most. It keeps me up to speed on a lot of different things that are going on with media, patents, business models, and how it affects consumers, businesses and the world as a whole. Their articles encompass a lot of different subjects. They also post around 10 times a day, so there's always something new. I took a little break from content for about a month, so I'm trying to catch up to today's posts. Only 80 more to go. If you really want to keep up to date on what's going on in the technology world, with some great commentary and discussion, I suggest you check them out.

How to Make Friends and Influence Air Travelers

So, I'm currently sitting in the Rochester Airport waiting for a 5PM flight. Now, what do I do with my 4 hours of time before I'm ready to board. I could buy a book or a magazine. I could grab a bite to eat. I could people watch (I don't think I'll ever stop doing that in an airport). Or, I could take my laptop out and get some work done or surf around on the internet.

Here's my dilemma. Why do I need to pay $9.99 for 24 hour time slot to get on their network? I'm not paying for the internet at that point. I'm really just paying for the convenience of using their connection to the internet. As a result, I actually found a wireless network called "linksys". More than likely one of the offices or vendors in the airport have a router opened up.

Right now you're probably thinking I'm either really cheap or I'm stealing internet. Well first, I am cheap. I'm going to look for a bargain when I can. If I really wanted to get on the internet, I'd probably pay the $9.99. On the other hand, why isn't their competition? Why should 1 company have the right to charge? Secondly, I'm not stealing anything. Whoever owns the router decided it wasn't important enough to keep the public off of it.

So vendors, want to get on my "companies I like" list while I'm traveling? Open up your network so I can get on the internet. Even better, let travelers know you have free wi-fi and they just might stop in for a bite to eat. And to the airports who think it's a good idea to sign a monopoly contract with these ISP's. Don't. You'll have happier travelers and less complaints. Trust me.

Are Annoyances on the Internet Worth It?

I wanted to see what the top stories were over at the Detroit Free Press web site, and an animated flying bee went over the page and eventually landed on a banner ad on the right of the screen. Thank you to the programmer who just pushed me to never come back again. I'll go ahead and use Google Reader from now on. Try going to weather.com without some animated pop-up on your screen or having to see some animated dancing silhouette. Thanks to Firefox, I can now block them with ease.

Do you want to know why I use Firefox and RSS Readers like Google reader and I hardly have any applications added on Facebook? Because I think the internet is really annoying sometimes. Things like unsolicited pop-up ads, invitations, and busy sites just don't appeal to me.

I guess those are the things I will have to continue to deal with on a "free" internet. It's one of the biggest reasons I won't come back to a site. Unless I really need the info, I'll look elsewhere.

I understand ads (as you can see some of the ones on my own blog), but give me a reason to come back to your site or I'll continue to use tools that make my experience with the internet better.

Elton John is Not A Fan of the Internet

Apparently, Elton John isn't a fan of the internet. A post on cnet's news blog reported on an article in The Sun where he states he thinks:

"...it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole Internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span."

While I understand he's advocating the arts can be so much better when there's physical collaboration, I think it's a bit close-minded to believe the Internet should be shut down because it has changed a medium of expression. Think of the information and convenience we would lose if we no longer had the internet. I mean, are you saying I would actually have to talk to people in person that I couldn't communicate with on Facebook?

Update Aug. 12, 10:09PM: Elton John has a pretty nice website for someone who hates the internet.