Drifting Through

Somebody else called today to tell me that the Microsoft Windows Corporation has shut down the services on my computer, the same one I'm using to type this. I should answer one of those calls some time and record it. Of course, I should take acting classes first, so I could properly express my anguish over such a tragedy. "Oh, I can't believe [sob] this is happening to me. [sob] I sent Bill Gates fan mail in 1996. I thought [sob] we were frieeeeends![bursts into tears]" I would go on to beg the person to contact Bill for me and remind him of my email from 1996. I know he remembers it. It was really heartfelt. And suddenly, I'm off their call list.

The excitement this week was a little black bear knocking over the garbage. It wasn't a baby but was relatively small. I saw it as it escaped into the woods. The other "excitement" was a mold outbreak caused by rising humidity. Last year the humidity didn't break in September and led to mold. This was some I had missed but was in remission during the winter. I haven't been feeling good this week, especially since it's right after that tooth infection. Mold killing primer is amazing by the way.

It was a bad week on the writing front and the French front. I kind of drifted through.

Have a great weekend.

Oh, the Hypocrisy

Some in Hollywood have been throwing a tantrum over Georgia's heartbeat bill. The bill would prevent further genocide against unborn babies who have a heartbeat. It would save an untold number lives in Georgia. The irony is that the people in Hollywood who are speaking out against Georgia are the same people who film in countries that ban abortion, execute homosexuals, abuse women, etc. Hollywood doesn't seem to care about any of that at all. Georgia does none of those things.

I was thinking about Hollywood this week, and something occurred to me. Hollywood liberals are living the ultimate Republican lifestyle. They're as rich as Republicans and invest like Republicans. They're living the ultimate capitalist dream while preaching radical socialist values for everyone else. How can they look themselves in the mirror?

Something that gets lost in these liberal tantrums is this: Do people in California really have the right to tell people in Georgia how to live? Is it really any of their business what people living in any other another state do? I question whether they even have the right to open their mouths. If people in Georgia started boycotting California for something, Californians would be outraged and start screaming about their "rights" to live however they please. Counting local governments, California is trillions of dollars in debt. They're past bankrupt. And yet that state spends hundreds of millions of dollars per year to "make sure everyone feels equal".  A state that can't even govern itself should not be making demands of others.

The Civil War was a fight of states rights versus federal rights. The south believed in the rights of the states as defined by the constitution. The north wanted the federal government to be the top dog in charge regardless of the constitution. Georgia fought on the side of states rights. California fought for big government. After all these years, the battle continues.

Have a great weekend.

A Break From the Heat

Summer in the south is a time of high temperatures and dreadful humidity. Usually, by June it's a struggle to get to the solstice, when the days begin to get shorter. From there it's a long struggle through July and August to get to around September 15th. The humidity starts to drop after about the middle of September. Every summer I keep the 15th in mind as goal to reach.

This year there was a small heat wave in May. It looked like it was going to be a hard summer. This week there was a cold front with dry air. It was amazing for this time of year. It felt like autumn. According to my thermometer, it was 48 degrees(8.89C) this morning. That's a winter temperature. Summer must have been on spring break this week.

Temperatures will be getting back to normal by Sunday. This year, instead of slogging through four months of brutal humidity, I have a 90-day countdown to autumn. Psychologically, it feels more refreshing.

The sad news was that I had a serious gum infection and had to go to the dentist this week. Even after a week of antibiotics, I didn't feel that good. It was all due to two broken fillings. The dentist also discovered a chipped filling on the other side of my mouth. I had to sit through three teeth fixes. So, unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy the weather to the best of my ability.

Despite the dental problems, I still was able to get some more of the comma fixes done. I'm still tired, but I seem to be getting some energy back.

Have a great weekend.

5G Internet is Coming

I've talked before about my woeful internet service and how I'm trapped in an area with only one provider who won't upgrade the switch on I'm from 1.5Mbps speed. That's not a typo. We're stuck at 1.5Mbps. I've also blogged about how my ISP, Windstream, was forced into bankruptcy after treating another business the way it treats its customers. I've also mentioned that I'm less than a mile from a fiber line with speeds up to 1,000Mbps, but the provider for that doesn't service my road. Hold onto your hat. All that is about to change.

5G internet is available in limited areas as is 5G home internet. Verizon, a company I'm not a fan of but could work with, is providing 5G home internet now. It's $70/month for speeds up to 300Mbps(compared to a max of 100Mbps from Windstream) with no contract and no cell phone requirement. In comparison Windstream charges $98+/month for 1.5Mbps. Theoretically, I could go from 1.5Mbps to 300Mbps and save almost $25/month for switching. Needless to say, I'm not in a 5G area, but according to one of the articles I looked at, Verizon is supposed to be offering 5G nationwide by 2020 or 2021. I don't know whether they'll make that goal or not, but either way Windstream's days are numbered.

Here's what I'm thinking. At some point we're likely to see 4G home internet packages, too, and cheaper than 5G. Straighttalk Wireless already has a 60GB 4G data plan for $55/month for cell phones only. More and more people switching to 5G will free up the 4G network for other uses, assuming it's kept running. It's already built. Why not make money from it? If 4G internet becomes available as an alternative to 5G internet, it's all good. 4G internet would likely be here first. I'd jump on that in a heartbeat. That wold give me a minimum 3Mbps speed and maybe a bit higher. I could live with 4G speeds for a while.

AT&T also has a 5G internet plan, but it's $70 for 15GB of data. ROFL. Verizon's plan is supposed to be unlimited data. AT&T has announced they're going for a tiered approach and thus a limited number of customers. The more you get the higher the price. Verizon seems to be going for a lower price but available to everyone.

It won't happen overnight, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. All I have to do is keep an eye on 4G data plans and Verizon's 5G timeline.

Have a great weekend.