Category: Geek Stuff

Coffee Talk #348: Internet Bandwidth Caps Revisited

As I mentioned in March, AT&T has started bandwidth caps for its DSL and U-Verse Internet services. On the cable side, Comcast is still using the same cap it introduced in 2008…as if its network hasn’t improved.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, “Sugar” Shane Mosley running away from the smaller Manny Pacquiao, Phil Jackson’s future, or the latest episode of Game of Thrones, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As I mentioned in March, AT&T has started bandwidth caps for its DSL and U-Verse Internet services. DSL customers are now capped at 150GB per month, while U-Verse customers are now capped at 250GB per month. The typical (BS) reasons of “network management” and “avoiding congestion” were the reasons given for the caps. The reality is that AT&T will make money from overage fees. Conveniently, the caps also help protect the company’s U-Verse television service from Internet streaming services like Hulu and Netflix.

On the cable side, Comcast remains capped at 250GB per month — you know, the cap that it introduced in 2008. Internet use has only gotten heavier since then, with streaming video and downloadable games really taking off over the last few years. Meanwhile the cap remains the same. Certainly Comcast has improved its network capacity, throughput, and efficiency, but for some reason it hasn’t increased its cap.

If you’re an AT&T or Comcast customer then you should be pissed off by these bogus practices. If you’re not, you should be pissed off by the trend. Bandwidth caps stifle innovation in Internet services. If you like being able to download a full Xbox 360 game as an impulse purchase or want to maximize the value of your Netflix subscription then you should act. Write your Internet service provider and your congressman about AT&T’s caps (pure money grab) and Comcast’s laziness. Let’s start of Monday with some righteous anger and kick this week’s ass!!!

Gran Turismo…the Clothing Line

If Konami’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker clothes aren’t your style, then perhaps the Gran Turismo Boutique has something that’s more you. Touted as “custom made performance wear exclusively developed for Gran Turismo enthusiasts”, this clothing line is as sleek and expensive…just like the cars you see in Gran Turismo 5.

If you have a moment, check out the Gran Turismo threads. Any of you interested in picking some up?

Source via Joystiq

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker…the Clothing Line

Konami has announced a line of clothing inspired by Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The threads go on sale April 11, 2011 and encompass a wide variety of products. Sadly for the ladies, it’s a men’s clothing line. Here are some details from the press release:

Available for purchase online in US and Canada beginning on April 11, 2011, the collection, featuring well-known Peace Walker images, will include coats, sweatshirts, pants, t-shirts and hats, all inspired by clothing worn by characters in game. Additional items in the clothing line will be released quarterly and surrounding certain special events throughout the year.

The clothing line was created in partnership with musterbrand LLC, a global design group focused on bringing digital creations to the real world.

It’s a good thing Konami didn’t send this press release out on April 1 because I would have dismissed it as a joke. As it is, I want to know if you would proudly wear some Peace Walker branded threads. Perhaps I’ll grow a Solid Snake mullet to complete the look.

N8R’s Nicotine-Dust Filled iMac

Ever wonder what the insides of an iMac look like when they’re covered with nicotine dust? Thanks to RPadholic N8R, you won’t have to wonder any longer. Here are some nasty pictures of the gruesome effects of smoking…on an iMac.

Ever wonder what the insides of an iMac look like when they’re covered with nicotine dust? Thanks to RPadholic N8R, you won’t have to wonder any longer. Here are some nasty pictures of the gruesome effects of smoking…on an iMac.

[nggallery id=51]

Happy Birthday Twitter!

Twitter turned five-years old yesterday. It’s crazy how fast the service has grown and how influential it has become. People use it to follow their favorite celebrities, athletes, and verbal entertainers. People use it to track their favorite news sources in real time. People use it to stay informed about global disasters (Haiti, Japan) and make sure their loved ones are safe. People use it to spread news on the latest political revolutions (Egypt, Libya) as they happen. In retrospect, it’s hilarious that pundits initially dismissed Twitter as a web site about nothing.

As for me, I use Twitter to follow news, keep in touch with friends, see what some of my favorite writers are up to, promote RPad.tv content, communicate with readers, and more. It’s my favorite social media tool, by far. I love its quickness, brevity, and ease of use.

What do you think of Twitter’s growth over the last five years? Are you impressed by what it has become? Do you enjoy using Twitter? For those of you that are down on it, what don’t you like about Twitter?

Mozilla Releases Firefox 4

Hot on the trails of Google Chrome 10 and Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla has released Firefox 4. The browser offers a number of interesting features and a huge speed improvement. I’ve been playing with the browser for about an hour and I’m very impressed with it. In terms of speed, it seems quite competitive with the latest Chrome and IE products. That said, I don’t see it displacing Chrome as my primary browser.

Have any of you downloaded FF4 yet? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Mozilla’s latest and greatest.

The NY Times Announces Laughable Digital Subscriptions

The New York Times is one of the most popular and respected newspapers in the world, but it has its head up its ass when it comes to digital subscriptions. The company unveiled the pricing for its digital offerings. Users can read 20 articles each calendar month on NYTimes.com for free. After that the costs for unlimited reading are:

  • $15 every four weeks for NYTimes.com + smartphone app
  • $20 every four weeks for NYTimes.com + tablet app
  • $35 every four weeks for NYTimes.com + smartphone app + tablet app

That’s frickin’ hilarious! Considering all the free (i.e. ad supported) and excellent news sources available online — for PCs, smartphones, and tablets — I can’t imagine anyone paying these prices. This business model is so ’90s. I can’t see it being anything other than a complete flop.

Then again, I could be underestimating the power, reach, and demand for The NY Times. What do you think? Will this subscription model be successful? Or is it just ridiculously outdated?

Source

Internet Explorer 9 Released, Get Free Stuff

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 9 for Windows 7. The browser offers numerous performance and features enhancements that make it more competitive with Google Chrome and Firefox. To help promote the browser, the company is running some promos that work with the browser’s pining and jump list features. Free goodies include:

  • Slacker. A free monthlong subscription for customers who pin the Slacker site to their taskbars
  • Groupon. $5 in Groupon Bucks when making a first purchase from the Internet Explorer 9 Jump List
  • Hulu. A free month of the Hulu Plus subscription for users who pin Hulu
  • eBay. Offering coupons or eBay Bucks for bids or purchases made using the Internet Explorer 9 pinning and Jump List features
  • Gilt. A series of product bundles for customers who make purchases of specified amounts via the Jump List

Have any of you downloaded IE9? If so, please let me know what you think. Any chance it’ll become your new default browser?

AT&T To Start Capping DSL and U-Verse Internet in May

Any of you use AT&T for your home Internet service? Well you better start paying attention to your usage because it looks like the company will impose data caps on its DSL and U-Verse Internet services. According to DSL Reports, DSL users will “enjoy” a 150GB monthly cap, while U-Verse users will get 250GB. Users will be charged an overage fee of $10 per 50GB, but only if they’ve exceeded the cap three times.

While some people feel that these caps are pretty lenient, I believe that’s just short term thinking. Data caps get in the way of innovation and restrict what users can do with the Internet. Streaming HD games, movies, and television is becoming more common all the time. The value of services like Hulu, Netflix, and Onlive takes a dive if customers can’t take advantage of their unlimited offerings due to data caps.

When you throw in the American telecom industry’s general lack of competition and carriers unwilling to spend money to fatten their data pipes, the caps seem even more bogus. Having said that, I know that most users aren’t aware of their usage and don’t care about bandwidth caps or shaping. What do you think of AT&T’s upcoming practice? Is it outrageous? Or are you fine with it?

Source