TechyDad, Author at TechyDad

An Internet Monopoly Problem

March 1, 2016 TechyDad Internet

We have a problem. For many nights, over the last few months, we’ve tried to stream TV shows or movies only to get perpetual loading. Ten seconds of video will play followed by ten seconds of loading screen. Needless to say, this makes streaming virtually impossible. It’s not just streaming either. Normal web browsing will slow to a crawl and sites will become unreachable. I would run speed tests and, at times, got download and upload speeds much less than what we were paying for.

At one point, Time Warner Cable sent a technician over. (Important detail, they scheduled an appointment after we complained in a tweet but didn’t @ them. They didn’t even consult us, they just looked up our information based on previous correspondences and messaged us as to when our appointment was.) The tech came over and examined our network. Everything seemed fine to him. Unfortunately, the problems didn’t stop, but got worse. One night, while watching Hulu on our Roku, we were subjected to persistent "loading messages." We’d get twenty seconds of show followed by ten seconds of a loading screen. This wasn’t our wireless network, mind you. The Roku is connected via a wired connection.

The problems got so bad that B, in sheer exasperation, wanted to just cancel our account with Time Warner Cable and see alternatives. That’s where the big problem lies, however.

You see, Time Warner Cable is a monopoly in our area when it comes to high-speed, wired Internet access. Sure, there are some alternatives, but they are all so slow and/or expensive as to not be a real alternative. Not convinced? Well, here’s a breakdown:

Time Warner Cable Internet: Our current provider. We’re paying about $35 a month for 15Mbps Internet access.

Verizon DSL: Verizon is actively trying to ignore/ditch DSL in favor of the much more profitable mobile market. I had to wade through page after page about FIOS which isn’t available in my area before their website directed me to a page on DSL Internet. Finally, I found an offer for 15Mbps for $30 a month. Sounds good, right? Well, there are some little details. First off, this is part of a series of speed ranges. The whole offering is 1.1Mbps – 3Mbps, 3.1Mbps – 7Mbps, and 7.1Mbps – 15Mbps. When I actually hit "Order now", I was told it would be 3.1 – 7Mbps. Also, the price went up to $35. Also, this requires you to get a Verizon home phone line. Lastly, this price was only good for one year (and would doubtlessly include "taxes and fees" to increase our rate). So in the end, Verizon wants us to pay more than TWC for half the speeds.

Satellite Internet: Some people suggested satellite Internet. I had heard that it was very expensive, but people said it had come down in price, so I looked into it. HughesNet wanted $60 a month for 10Mbps of Internet access or $130 for 15Mbps. Not only that, but there were caps involved. Currently, our TWC connection has no caps. HughesNet, however, claimed to be giving between 60 and 70 GB of data to use per month. At first glance, this might seem like enough. My own rough estimate of our Internet usage suggested that we use about 50GB per month. The problem is that the 60GB of data per month is "10GB Anytime allowance PLUS 50GB of Bonus Bytes (2am-8am)". The 70GB plan was 20GB anytime and the rest for 2am-8am. Yes, the cap is really 10-20GB during the times when you’re most likely to use your data (8:01am – 1:59am) and the rest for the early morning hours when almost nobody is on. So, for our usual usage, we’d be facing an effective 10-20GB cap for at least double our current price.

Wireless Internet: For the most part, wireless plans have obvious shortcomings: They tend to be more expensive and they have lower data caps. I wondered, though, whether Verizon Wireless would even sell us a 50GB plan. If so, maybe it would be worth our while. After some digging, I found a plan for 50GB a month that should get us the data that we need. Unfortunately, it would cost $375 a month! Even a data-only plan with equivalent amount of data cost $335.

The other options (dial-up, going without Internet) just are not compatible with a modern web developer. Who would want to buy website work from someone without the Internet access needed to make changes?

Competition is healthy for businesses and users. It makes companies improve their services and lower their prices. Businesses, knowing that their customers could defect at any moment, do everything possible to retain users. You can see this in areas where Google Fiber becomes available. After much complaining, the entrenched ISPs begin improving speeds/service and lowering prices. Unfortunately, since Time Warner Cable is a monopoly in our area (something that is true in many locations), they can feel free to let their network quality decline while raising their prices. Since the alternatives are worse then TWC, sadly, Time Warner Cable will continue to get our monthly payments and we’ll have to brace for spotty Internet access for some time to come.

Inspired To Write

February 25, 2016 TechyDad Uncategorized

Growing up, I loved writing. I’d come up with a premise, invent summer characters, get them in interesting situations, and then see how they got out of it. The words would flow from my fingers as if the characters and story itself were alive and guiding me. I wasn’t so much the writer as the conduit for the story to escape into our world.

At some point, I stopped writing. It might have been after I submitted a story to a science fiction magazine and it was rejected. I didn’t handle it well and to shield myself from future rejection I figured that writing wasn’t as important a thing to do.

Over the years, I’ve caught the writing bug off and on, but never for too long. Recently, though, I’ve gotten hooked on writig again and it’s thanks to JSL.

JSL, like me at a young age, loves writing. He also loves drawing and will write/illustrate his own books. I was inspired by him and decided to write one of two stories that have been kicking around my brain for a few decades. Unfortunately, those stories are going to be extremely long tales and I figured that – much like stretching before you exercise – I should start on a shorter tale. Once I had the smaller story under my belt, I could take on the longer story.

Luckily, one of my tales was ripe for side stories featuring different characters. Not only did I not have to invent a new world, but I could make this short story a lead in to my larger tale.

In the past, my writing was limited by my computer time. I could bring a notebook with me but I write better on a computer than with pen and paper. Luckily, technology has advanced and I can use Google Docs to compose my story. I can make quick edits on my smartphone while waiting or whenever a story idea strikesinterested component of writing is editing your own works. You write some text, revise it, change it a dozen times, and then take it out entirely because something else flows a lot better. One of the best ways to do this is to read your work aloud. Luckily, when JSL heard I was writing a story, he begged me to read it to him. Reading him the story helped me to fine tune my words.

At this point, my story is getting pretty long. I originally figured it would be ten pages tops, but my “character gets into the main situation” section took a good eight pages alone. Now he’ll need to deal with it before I can even think about a resolution. At this point, it might be up to fifty pages when I’m done.

As far as publishing goes, a lot has changed since my college days of submitting to a magazine. I could release the whole thing online for free or I could publish a portion and charge for the rest of the tale. Self publishing had never been easier.

Has anyone else written stories before? What process do you use when writing? How do you publish your works?

The Future of Cord Cutting

February 18, 2016 TechyDad Television

Cord cutting is on the rise, but is it inevitable? As much as I’d love to shout out "Yes it is! The big cable companies are going down!!!", I don’t think it is. In fact, I envision three different scenarios playing out in the future.

The Pessimist

The pessimist in me sees the cable companies already implementing data caps/overages and trying to strike down Network Neutrality. These efforts are aimed at using their Internet monopolies (in many areas, they are the only source for wired, high speed broadband) to keep Internet video companies at bay. If they can set a limit that essentially says "you only get 1 hour of Netflix/Hulu a day or else you pay a ton more" then they can convince people that their cable TV services (which conveniently aren’t subject to caps) is less expensive.

The pessimistic future sees caps/overages becoming the norm and the government turning a blind eye thanks to massive cable company political donations. Some people might cut off entirely from video services or rely on purchased/rented/borrowed discs, but most would go to the "cheapest" option which would be cable TV thanks to the cable companies stacking the scales.

On the content provider front, content owners could keep their content off of streaming services. This would turn Netflix into "some great original content but otherwise a wasteland of second-string stuff." Time Warner already has said it wants Hulu to stop showing shows the day after they air on TV – Hulu’s biggest draw. A concerted effort by the content companies could force people to choose between not watching shows at all or only watching them on cable TV. While some would jump ship, most would move back to cable TV. (Or pirate – not a valid option to me, but one that many people would find acceptable. Personally, I’d be more likely to just go without.)

In this scenario, the cord cutting phenomenon would essentially die as the cable companies and content providers tighten their grip on the market and our wallets.

The Optimist

The optimist in me recognizes the problem of ISP monopolies and content owners holding back and sees them as temporary speed bumps, not show stoppers. In the optimistic scenario, the government does what they’re supposed to do – ensure that companies with monopolies (e.g. the ISPs) don’t use their monopolies (e.g. Internet access) to push other, non-monopoly services (e.g. TV) over their competitors (e.g. satellite TV or Internet video). Data caps would be banned and overage fees would be a thing of the past. Without being able to rely on their monopoly to prop up cable TV, more and more people would flee to Internet video.

This would cause the content providers to realize that they NEED to have their content on Internet video sites or they won’t survive. Some content providers will opt to make their own streaming services (see: CBS All Access) and some will form exclusive deals with other streaming companies. As the market forms, content providers will see that it is in their best interests to have their content on as many services as possible. Not only does this give them a wider reach, but it prevents any one streaming service from getting powerful enough to dictate terms to the streaming service.

The more that legal content is available via streaming services, the less that cable TV attracts people to it. The less it attracts people to it, the less necessary it appears. The less necessary it appears, the less people subscribe. It becomes a vicious cycle until cable TV winds up as a story that grandparents tell to their grandchildren.

The Realist

The previous two scenarios told the tale of one side or the other winning, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t think it’s going to be that neat and clean. Instead, we’re likely to get a combination of the two. The TV and content providers will fight to maintain the status quo – using the power that they’ve amassed over the years to slow the tide of cord cutting. They will attempt to frame it as a fringe group and not a growing movement. They will be successful in the short term. Over the long term, though, cable TV might just survive with Internet Video offerings alongside as part of the new status quo. They will be competing services the way cable TV and satellite TV coexist while competing against each other. Cable TV would be just one of many different possible video offerings that people might sign up for.

In the end, the cable companies might be able to delay the spread of cable cutting, but I don’t think the Pessimist scenario is likely in the long term. It would be very hard for cable companies to stop cord cutting completely. There is a massive change coming down the pike. The younger generations don’t see cable TV as a requirement or even something to be desired and they are quickly approaching the age when previous generations would normally sign up for cable TV. These "cord nevers" consume online media and other forms of entertainment and don’t rely on scheduled videos with ads. The cable companies’ only hope for survival is to adapt to the upcoming new reality. Unfortunately for them, it is extremely hard for a company to simultaneously protect an entrenched interest while launching a product that disrupts said interest. This is why past cable company efforts have failed. However, as cable TV declines, the companies will find themselves in an innovate or die situation. This might be enough to push them to actually create useful services to secure their futures.

Putting Too Much Trust In Google Maps

February 8, 2016 TechyDad Smartphone/Tablet Apps, Smartphones/Tablets, Technology

I’ll admit it: I have an awful sense of direction. While my father seems to instinctively wind his way through strange streets to discover previously unknown shortcuts, I can take wrong turns going to destinations that I’ve been to a dozen times. Thanks to the age of smartphones, I’ve come to rely on Google Maps to get me to my destination. While it can be reliable most of the time, when it fails me, it fails spectacularly.

A few months ago, we were trying to get to a local trampoline park for a birthday party. We plugged the address into Google Maps and let it be our guide. After a series of twists and turns, it declared that we reached our destination. We could even see the trampoline park on our right. There was only one problem: We were on a major highway with no method of going into our destination. Apparently, Google wanted us to park in the middle of the highway and walk over to the trampoline park. After passing it, Google recalculated and we eventually arrived.

A couple of nights ago, though, NHL and I topped this tale. A classmate of NHL’s was celebrating his Bar Mitzvah. We had printed directions and B implored me not to use Google Maps. Of course, this meant that I insisted on using Google Maps. Google didn’t fail me right away. We wound through some dark main roads that I’ve never been on before but Google insisted we were closing in on our destination. Then Google said we arrived. Except there was nothing there but residential driveways. I figured that the entrance was likely a dark path that we passed so I went straight until we reached a street to turn on. I noted that the street has a sign that said "Henry Hudson Park." (This will be important later.)

We slowly drove back along the road but couldn’t find an entrance. I pulled into a closed down store to figure out our next step. Looking at the printed directions, I noted the road just before our destination and put that into Google. Bingo! Google said it was close by. Google had us turn onto an even darker road. From the start, I got the feeling that this was a bad idea. The road was a dark, unpaved, single lane with no room for turning around and bare trees growing all around. I felt like we had stumbled onto a horror movie set. I half expected the car to die and a man with a chainsaw to run out at us.

After winding our way up the road, we passed by a house. By this, I mean we drove along their driveway, around the rear of their house, and back to the front. We likely spooked them in the process. Eventually, I conceded that we were lost. We stopped at another house, I rang the doorbell, and asked for directions. The man who answered was very nice and agreed that Google often mistakes their private road for a public access way. He knew exactly where I was trying to go to and gave me directions.

Of course, my sense of direction being what it is, this isn’t the end of the tale. I took another wrong turn, had to turn around twice, and ask one more couple for directions. By this point, we had closed in on our destination and were only a minute or two away.

We arrived (with many cars coming from the opposite way on the street) and NHL had fun at the party. When it was time to leave, I decided to try the path that I saw the cars coming from. As we reached the end of the street, there was a sign: Henry Hudson Park. Yes, this was the street we turned around on. Had we gone up 400 feet more, we would have seen the entrance. Instead, we went on a three mile scary detour.

Thank you, Google Maps!

When Batteries Die… Keeping Your Data Safe

February 3, 2016 TechyDad Smartphone/Tablet Apps, Smartphones/Tablets, Technology

Recently, NHL suffered a technological tragedy. His beloved Galaxy Tab 2 tablet died. NHL plays many games on his tablet and, over time, had accumulated quite a bit of progress. The idea that all of this could be lost was quite upsetting to him. After much troubleshooting, including contacting the company and exploring sending it in for repairs, we got it working again.

Though we found a solution, let’s be honest. No device is going to last forever. At some point, something will happen that will mean the device can no longer be used. With that in mind, how can you protect your child’s data/game progress?

Let’s deal with the data first, since that’s the easy one. Some tablets and phones support microSD cards. If your tablet does, you can host photos, videos, and other important data there.

If your device doesn’t have a microSD card slot, or if you want to protect against a failure (like theft) that includes the microSD card, there is the cloud storage option. You can back files up to Google Drive, Dropbox, or other online services. There are also apps you can use to automate this process. (I’ve tried a few but haven’t found one I really like just yet. They exist, though, and when I find a really nice one, I’ll post about it at length.)

What about the games, though? If your device dies and you get a new one, you’ll reinstall your apps only to find yourself staying from square one. What we need is a way to back up the app’s data to be restored on a new device.

Unfortunately, there is no single solution to this problem. Each app is different. Some connect to your Facebook account (or another online account). For these, you merely need to log in on your new device and your game progress will transfer to the new device. Of course, this does present problems if the game to be backed up us for a child. Facebook limits accounts to people 13 and older. Even if they allowed younger people to join, I’d hesitate to put my young children in social media without any preparation merely to save a game.

For other games, there might be a support code in the app. Write this down somewhere safe and should you need to restore the game to the new device, you’d just send them this code in a support request. Of course, this process’ effectiveness will vary depending on the game company’s responsiveness and how old the game is. Some will respond quickly while others might not reply at all.

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