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Friday, September 29, 2006
Zoom zoom.
Monday, September 25, 2006
License to Drive
56K and counting!
Weird Al
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Arrr!
Arrr!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Great Weekend
6r0c3ry H4x0r
Friday, September 15, 2006
Another Day at the Office
Information Superhighway, here we come!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
3 MPH
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Something funny
Something evil
You meet cool people in The Valley...
Something awesome
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Piggly Wiggly
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Die Sonne
Present Tense!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Something interesting
Explanation for "Something interesting"
Mac Tip
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Facebook Update
Status
So I got a few new friends today, and finally logged back into Facebook. So I have to ask, what's with the new cluttered layout that came with the introduction of the News Feed feature? Sure, I'm all about feeds, but as far as I can tell, this doesn't offer RSS (so you still have to be on the website to see it), and there's no way to turn it off! There's so much going on when I log in now that it looks like I've accidently followed a link to a MySpace page!
Payday
I don't watch TV
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Passersby
Skype
Blue Man Group on Friday, Nov. 3 — NOT!
"The closest I've ever been to a cow is a quart of milk."
Speaking of Segways
John Young's away message
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Comcast is closed. Oh, and How to install Comcast Internet without Internet Explorer!
Friday, September 01, 2006
Mail
What a cowboy state
Zoom zoom.
Are you ever on a web page with an embedded video
that you want to quickly watch full-screen without having to leave the page?
Well, if you have a Mac and a scroll wheel (or trackpad with two-fingered
scroll), it's really easy.
First, make sure you're running Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later. Choose "About this Mac" from the Apple menu to check. If you're running 10.4.x, you can update using Software Update.
Then, hold down the control key and scroll up. It should then zoom in and, follow the cursor wherever you move it. To zoom out, scroll down. You can adjust this feature in the Keyboard & Mouse section of System Preferences.
First, make sure you're running Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later. Choose "About this Mac" from the Apple menu to check. If you're running 10.4.x, you can update using Software Update.
Then, hold down the control key and scroll up. It should then zoom in and, follow the cursor wherever you move it. To zoom out, scroll down. You can adjust this feature in the Keyboard & Mouse section of System Preferences.
Monday, September 25, 2006
License to Drive
I just got my California driver's license in the
mail and it's flimsy compared to my PA
one.
This is how the electronic signature pad interpreted my autograph:
When I got carded at dinner a few weeks ago, the waitress looked at my PA license and said that it looks cool. I wasn't fast enough to actually say it to her, but as soon as she walked away I came up with, "Thanks, I made it myself."
This is how the electronic signature pad interpreted my autograph:
When I got carded at dinner a few weeks ago, the waitress looked at my PA license and said that it looks cool. I wasn't fast enough to actually say it to her, but as soon as she walked away I came up with, "Thanks, I made it myself."
56K and counting!
I love the Internet.
Weird Al
The first audio CD I ever owned was Bad
Hair Day. I got into music pretty late in the game, and now almost
everything I listen to is from the '80s.
But that doesn't matter, I'm just posting so I can link to this.
But that doesn't matter, I'm just posting so I can link to this.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Arrr!
Arrr!
Arrr!
Arrr, it's two in t' mornin' and I just got out
o' bed t' edit a blog entry. Looks like I'm back in t' me old bloggin'
groove/obsession again. Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day, sprogs!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Great Weekend
Now, I'm
not one to brag, but I had a pretty spectacular
weekend.
The weekend kicked off early with a party at work, to let us wind down after important meetings in the laser tag arena and on the go-kart track. Then, on Saturday, I totally socialized with people. In person. We had game night, which, if you haven't tried it, is pretty much the coolest kind of night ever. I always thought movie night took that prize, but now that I think about it, most of the time at movie night is spent trying to decide which movie nobody has seen recently.
The first game of the evening was Boggle. There were three other players; one was smarter and way cooler (she's totally in a band*), one was the self-titled "Boggle Queen," and the other a linguistics major, so I had no chance. The winner walked away with over 50 points, while I was the only one left in the single digits with nine. But the tables turned when we played Balderdash. We played an edition with 5 categories: Words, People, Initials, Movies, and Dates. Thanks to my previous experience in coming up with hilarious things that sound real but aren't, I took an early lead and was even able to maintain it as my brain suffered through a headache, and at the end of the game emerged the victor.
So game night was awesome. But guess what I did on Sunday! I totally geeked out and drove to San Francisco, where I met up with someone I met at the grand opening of an Apple Store, watched Segway Polo, rode a Segway, and met Woz!
Some things I learned:
The weekend kicked off early with a party at work, to let us wind down after important meetings in the laser tag arena and on the go-kart track. Then, on Saturday, I totally socialized with people. In person. We had game night, which, if you haven't tried it, is pretty much the coolest kind of night ever. I always thought movie night took that prize, but now that I think about it, most of the time at movie night is spent trying to decide which movie nobody has seen recently.
The first game of the evening was Boggle. There were three other players; one was smarter and way cooler (she's totally in a band*), one was the self-titled "Boggle Queen," and the other a linguistics major, so I had no chance. The winner walked away with over 50 points, while I was the only one left in the single digits with nine. But the tables turned when we played Balderdash. We played an edition with 5 categories: Words, People, Initials, Movies, and Dates. Thanks to my previous experience in coming up with hilarious things that sound real but aren't, I took an early lead and was even able to maintain it as my brain suffered through a headache, and at the end of the game emerged the victor.
So game night was awesome. But guess what I did on Sunday! I totally geeked out and drove to San Francisco, where I met up with someone I met at the grand opening of an Apple Store, watched Segway Polo, rode a Segway, and met Woz!
Some things I learned:
• Golden Gate Park is
huge,
especially if you're walking through it and have no idea where you're supposed
to go.
• Learning how to ride a Segway is
incredibly easy. In my opinion, it's even easier than walking, which is good,
because sometimes I suck at walking.
• Yes, it's true, Woz is a really nice guy,
and really good at Segway Polo. He took quite a spill during the final chukkar,
and when I asked him about it, he said that he likes to fall! When I told him
that I just received my shipping notice from Amazon for his autobiography, he
said, "I just got my notice too. I can't wait— I haven't even read it
yet!" That's right, Amazon treats Wysz just like
Woz.
Yep, this weekend pretty much ruled. It may be over, but at least tomorrow's Talk Like A Pirate Day. There's always something to look forward to.
Yep, this weekend pretty much ruled. It may be over, but at least tomorrow's Talk Like A Pirate Day. There's always something to look forward to.
*Probably my first MySpace
link
6r0c3ry H4x0r
I'm pretty sure I've non-maliciously hacked the
club card system of a certain grocery store chain so I can now save anonymously
and also not get junk mail. I'm totally l33t.
Hint: This hack does not require the use of a computer nor the borrowing of someone else's card/phone number/account.
Hint: This hack does not require the use of a computer nor the borrowing of someone else's card/phone number/account.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Another Day at the Office
I raced go-karts and played laser tag at work
today. Today was a good day.
Information Superhighway, here we come!
Michael Wyszomierski:
haha i am watching TV and on the show a
character meets someone on
"Facespace"
vi: lol! nice
9:05 PM
Michael Wyszomierski: ok wow, and then someone said "welcome to the information superhighway"... umm yeah, haven't heard that in 10 years
vi: hahahaha
vi: what show IS this?
Michael Wyszomierski: it's called "close to home" on cbs
Michael Wyszomierski: never seen it before
Michael Wyszomierski: but i dont have cable here so i just have the networks
Michael Wyszomierski: i've been watching so many shows i've never seen
Michael Wyszomierski: and let me tell you
Michael Wyszomierski: there are a LOT of cop shows
Michael Wyszomierski: everyone on tv is some sort of detective now
9:10 PM
vi: haha
vi: all i watch now is Iron Chef
Michael Wyszomierski: haha
Michael Wyszomierski: oh ok they just showed the site on tv, it is called "favespace" not "facespace"
vi: heh
vi: facespace would have been so perfect tho
Michael Wyszomierski: it would have been awesome
Michael Wyszomierski: and this isn't surprising, it exists http://www.facespace.com/friends/index.php
Michael Wyszomierski: favespace goes to warner brothers, i guess they produce the show
9:15 PM
vi: hehe
vi: goodness
vi: lol "mr.gangster" is a featured member
vi: lol! nice
9:05 PM
Michael Wyszomierski: ok wow, and then someone said "welcome to the information superhighway"... umm yeah, haven't heard that in 10 years
vi: hahahaha
vi: what show IS this?
Michael Wyszomierski: it's called "close to home" on cbs
Michael Wyszomierski: never seen it before
Michael Wyszomierski: but i dont have cable here so i just have the networks
Michael Wyszomierski: i've been watching so many shows i've never seen
Michael Wyszomierski: and let me tell you
Michael Wyszomierski: there are a LOT of cop shows
Michael Wyszomierski: everyone on tv is some sort of detective now
9:10 PM
vi: haha
vi: all i watch now is Iron Chef
Michael Wyszomierski: haha
Michael Wyszomierski: oh ok they just showed the site on tv, it is called "favespace" not "facespace"
vi: heh
vi: facespace would have been so perfect tho
Michael Wyszomierski: it would have been awesome
Michael Wyszomierski: and this isn't surprising, it exists http://www.facespace.com/friends/index.php
Michael Wyszomierski: favespace goes to warner brothers, i guess they produce the show
9:15 PM
vi: hehe
vi: goodness
vi: lol "mr.gangster" is a featured member
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
3 MPH
It usually takes me ten minutes to get to work.
This morning, thanks to an unnamed technology company, it took me an hour and
fifteen.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Something funny
Someone passed along this link at work today, and
it made me laugh. Because it's
funny.
xkcd: "Search History"
xkcd: "Search History"
Something evil
Those lengthy terms of service documents,
especially if they're put in a ridiculously small text box, making it obvious
that they don't want you to read it.
You meet cool people in The Valley...
I totally know someone who is friends with the
guy who created UrbanDictionary.
Something awesome
Today's Apple announcements have already been
repeated thousands of times across the Internet, so here's my short & sweet
& obligatory post on what went down. If you're pressed for time, read the
bold.
I approve.
1. New iPods with longer battery life, gapless playback, and a brighter screen, iPod games available on the iTunes Store, iPod nanos have twice the storage, are thinner, and come in colors, and the iPod shuffle is even smaller. Prices are better than you'd think.
2. iTunes 7 features a new interface. I remember trying out CoverFlow a while ago and am glad to see that Apple purchased it. Videos in the store are now 640x480, and you can download older movies for $10, new releases for $15, and new new releases for $13.
3. In 2007, Apple will release a box that connects to your TV via HDMI or component video (with digital or analog audio) and plays movies/TV shows/videos, music, and pictures. It's like Front Row. Right now it's referred to by its code name, iTV, it's $300, and I plan on getting one as soon as it's available.
A couple of lingering questions from the video geek in me:
When will the downloads be HD?
When will the iPod be widescreen?
If you have time, I suggest watching Steve's presentation. He is back to his awesome self in this one.
I approve.
1. New iPods with longer battery life, gapless playback, and a brighter screen, iPod games available on the iTunes Store, iPod nanos have twice the storage, are thinner, and come in colors, and the iPod shuffle is even smaller. Prices are better than you'd think.
2. iTunes 7 features a new interface. I remember trying out CoverFlow a while ago and am glad to see that Apple purchased it. Videos in the store are now 640x480, and you can download older movies for $10, new releases for $15, and new new releases for $13.
3. In 2007, Apple will release a box that connects to your TV via HDMI or component video (with digital or analog audio) and plays movies/TV shows/videos, music, and pictures. It's like Front Row. Right now it's referred to by its code name, iTV, it's $300, and I plan on getting one as soon as it's available.
A couple of lingering questions from the video geek in me:
When will the downloads be HD?
When will the iPod be widescreen?
If you have time, I suggest watching Steve's presentation. He is back to his awesome self in this one.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Piggly Wiggly
I'm thinking about moving to the South just so I
can say that I'm going to the "Piggly Wiggly" with a straight face.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Die Sonne
I remember reading about this Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant project a while ago, with one of the main points being that it
is nearly impossible to design something indicating danger that doesn't also
have a pretty good chance of being misinterpreted as "Hey, check this out!" Now,
I'm no scientist, but if someone asked me what to do with our nuclear junk, I'd
say pack it up in a spaceship and send it into the Sun. Just make sure you don't
mess up the launch. That could be bad.
Present Tense!
Wow, Amazon has a new video download service,
let's check it out!
Neat! You can download a TV show for free! I'm going to order the pilot episode of MacGyver.
I've selected my credit card info and now it's saying something about downloading software. It's Windows-only, but I have a Mac. Better cancel the order.
Hmm, I can see the order in my account; it's labeled "Pending" since I never received it, but I can't cancel it. I think I'll give Amazon a call at 800-201-7575. I'm connected to a live person who tells me I can do it from the "My Account" section of the website under "Recent orders." I tell him that I already looked there, and it didn't work. He tells me that he can't help because they are upgrading their systems, and he doesn't have access to any account information. When will the upgrade be complete? He doesn't know. Try calling back tomorrow!
At least I finally got my credit back for that Amazon.com Prime thing.
Neat! You can download a TV show for free! I'm going to order the pilot episode of MacGyver.
I've selected my credit card info and now it's saying something about downloading software. It's Windows-only, but I have a Mac. Better cancel the order.
Hmm, I can see the order in my account; it's labeled "Pending" since I never received it, but I can't cancel it. I think I'll give Amazon a call at 800-201-7575. I'm connected to a live person who tells me I can do it from the "My Account" section of the website under "Recent orders." I tell him that I already looked there, and it didn't work. He tells me that he can't help because they are upgrading their systems, and he doesn't have access to any account information. When will the upgrade be complete? He doesn't know. Try calling back tomorrow!
At least I finally got my credit back for that Amazon.com Prime thing.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Something interesting
televisionarie:
wysz wysz
wysz
televisionarie: tell me something interesting
Michael Wyszomierski: umm someone i work with almost got hit by steve jobs on the way to work today
televisionarie: i think you would be the one person to be completely ecastatic if you were hit by steve jobs
televisionarie: tell me something interesting
Michael Wyszomierski: umm someone i work with almost got hit by steve jobs on the way to work today
televisionarie: i think you would be the one person to be completely ecastatic if you were hit by steve jobs
Explanation for "Something interesting"
Michael Wyszomierski:
you are being blogged
btw
televisionarie: ....about the comcast thing?
Michael Wyszomierski: no
televisionarie: oh good
televisionarie: oh haha
televisionarie: i like it
Michael Wyszomierski: yeah it makes it look like you are actually funny
televisionarie: i have no comeback for that
televisionarie: people at work think i'm pretty funny
televisionarie: i don't understand the abstract
Michael Wyszomierski: oh, it is something that happened at work today
Michael Wyszomierski: i went to get something to drink
Michael Wyszomierski: and asked if anybody wanted something, because i am really really nice
Michael Wyszomierski: and one of my co-workers asked for a "half and half", and said that it was "near the nantucket nectar"
Michael Wyszomierski: so, i went to the refrigerator, and saw the nantucket nectar, but no half and half
Michael Wyszomierski: until i looked closely, and saw that one of the types of nantucket nectar was "half and half"
Michael Wyszomierski: so i brought it back to the cube and complained
Michael Wyszomierski: half and half btw is iced tea and lemonade, not the thing that you put in coffee
televisionarie: right
Michael Wyszomierski: the combination is also known as an arnold palmer
televisionarie: i see
televisionarie: i don't like iced tea
televisionarie: i think it's gross
televisionarie: i've only recently defrosted to hot tea
Michael Wyszomierski: is that a sentence?
televisionarie: well, i haven't warmed up
televisionarie: so i figured the next thing was defrosted
televisionarie: ....about the comcast thing?
Michael Wyszomierski: no
televisionarie: oh good
televisionarie: oh haha
televisionarie: i like it
Michael Wyszomierski: yeah it makes it look like you are actually funny
televisionarie: i have no comeback for that
televisionarie: people at work think i'm pretty funny
televisionarie: i don't understand the abstract
Michael Wyszomierski: oh, it is something that happened at work today
Michael Wyszomierski: i went to get something to drink
Michael Wyszomierski: and asked if anybody wanted something, because i am really really nice
Michael Wyszomierski: and one of my co-workers asked for a "half and half", and said that it was "near the nantucket nectar"
Michael Wyszomierski: so, i went to the refrigerator, and saw the nantucket nectar, but no half and half
Michael Wyszomierski: until i looked closely, and saw that one of the types of nantucket nectar was "half and half"
Michael Wyszomierski: so i brought it back to the cube and complained
Michael Wyszomierski: half and half btw is iced tea and lemonade, not the thing that you put in coffee
televisionarie: right
Michael Wyszomierski: the combination is also known as an arnold palmer
televisionarie: i see
televisionarie: i don't like iced tea
televisionarie: i think it's gross
televisionarie: i've only recently defrosted to hot tea
Michael Wyszomierski: is that a sentence?
televisionarie: well, i haven't warmed up
televisionarie: so i figured the next thing was defrosted
Mac Tip
Evan Vanderveer:
a lady is telling me she is getting an arrow
in the baseball diamond looking thing, aka the airport logo up in the upper
right, what does that arrow
mean?
Evan Vanderveer: and how do i make it go away?
Michael Wyszomierski: the arrow means that she is sharing her internet connection over airport
Michael Wyszomierski: go to system prefs
Michael Wyszomierski: click on sharing
Michael Wyszomierski: click on internet
Michael Wyszomierski: disable internet sharing
Evan Vanderveer: your AWESOME
Michael Wyszomierski: this is ture
Michael Wyszomierski: ture
Michael Wyszomierski: ruer
Michael Wyszomierski: ture
Michael Wyszomierski: rure
Michael Wyszomierski: ture'
Michael Wyszomierski: rure
Michael Wyszomierski: true
Evan Vanderveer: wow
Evan Vanderveer: and how do i make it go away?
Michael Wyszomierski: the arrow means that she is sharing her internet connection over airport
Michael Wyszomierski: go to system prefs
Michael Wyszomierski: click on sharing
Michael Wyszomierski: click on internet
Michael Wyszomierski: disable internet sharing
Evan Vanderveer: your AWESOME
Michael Wyszomierski: this is ture
Michael Wyszomierski: ture
Michael Wyszomierski: ruer
Michael Wyszomierski: ture
Michael Wyszomierski: rure
Michael Wyszomierski: ture'
Michael Wyszomierski: rure
Michael Wyszomierski: true
Evan Vanderveer: wow
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Facebook Update
This is slightly embarrassing that I'm joining
Facebook groups and then blogging about it even after I've graduated, but
whatever. Here's the latest
group to have the privilege of my
membership.
Status
So I got a few new friends today, and finally logged back into Facebook. So I have to ask, what's with the new cluttered layout that came with the introduction of the News Feed feature? Sure, I'm all about feeds, but as far as I can tell, this doesn't offer RSS (so you still have to be on the website to see it), and there's no way to turn it off! There's so much going on when I log in now that it looks like I've accidently followed a link to a MySpace page!
Payday
I need to log in to things I belong to more
often! I just found out that for some reason people are buying items from my
Cafepress
store, so look for new products in the next couple of weeks. I have
plenty
of ideas for items... I just need time to actually create them! Don't expect
anything until after this weekend though; I'm busy.
I don't watch TV
Me: I'd
like to cancel my video service but keep the
Internet.
Comcast: Oh, do you have another provider?
Me: I have an antenna.
Comcast: Oh, ok. So you don't watch TV.
Actually I do watch TV; I just prefer to watch it using my HD antenna instead of on unamplified analog cable. And I didn't end up canceling the TV service because I was told that if I did, my bill would be higher than it is now, and my connection speed would decrease. Once this six month promotion is over I may seriously consider purchasing a WiFi modem and taking advantage of this town's free WiFi.
Comcast: Oh, do you have another provider?
Me: I have an antenna.
Comcast: Oh, ok. So you don't watch TV.
Actually I do watch TV; I just prefer to watch it using my HD antenna instead of on unamplified analog cable. And I didn't end up canceling the TV service because I was told that if I did, my bill would be higher than it is now, and my connection speed would decrease. Once this six month promotion is over I may seriously consider purchasing a WiFi modem and taking advantage of this town's free WiFi.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Passersby
I just heard a newscaster say "passerbys." Common
mistake for most people, but I think it's used enough in news reports that he
should know better.
Skype
Two things I like about Skype, besides the fact that this year
it's free to call anyone in the US and
Canada:
1. I use it about once a week to locate my cell phone.
2. Like iChat, it silences iTunes during a call, but as a bonus, it brings the volume back gradually after the call ends.
1. I use it about once a week to locate my cell phone.
2. Like iChat, it silences iTunes during a call, but as a bonus, it brings the volume back gradually after the call ends.
Blue Man Group on Friday, Nov. 3 — NOT!
Michael
Wyszomierski: THIS
IS AN INFORMATION ONLY EMAIL-PLEASE DO NOT
REPLY!!!
Reference: INFORMATIONAL
Hello, this is Ticketmaster Customer Service with an important alert for your upcoming event. Blue Man Group, scheduled at HP Pavilion at San Jose on November 3rd had the wrong day on the ticket. The show will be on Friday, November 3rd not
If you have any questions, please contact us online at:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/h/asktm.html
Thank you for using Ticketmaster. We appreciate your business!
Reference: INFORMATIONAL
Hello, this is Ticketmaster Customer Service with an important alert for your upcoming event. Blue Man Group, scheduled at HP Pavilion at San Jose on November 3rd had the wrong day on the ticket. The show will be on Friday, November 3rd not
If you have any questions, please contact us online at:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/h/asktm.html
Thank you for using Ticketmaster. We appreciate your business!
"The closest I've ever been to a cow is a quart of milk."
That's my favorite random quote from that guy in
Telluride who just says stuff to you.
Speaking of Segways
Evan Vanderveer:
but i want
one
Evan Vanderveer: so i dont have to walk anymore
Michael Wyszomierski: haha
1:55 PM
Michael Wyszomierski: well there is very little walking in the future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdF1yPFRJ9s
Evan Vanderveer: i have decided your brain is actually the internet
Michael Wyszomierski: haha, everything reminds me of a website
Evan Vanderveer: its actually freaky, i mention anything, even the most obscure thing in the world, and i get a link
Evan Vanderveer: so i dont have to walk anymore
Michael Wyszomierski: haha
1:55 PM
Michael Wyszomierski: well there is very little walking in the future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdF1yPFRJ9s
Evan Vanderveer: i have decided your brain is actually the internet
Michael Wyszomierski: haha, everything reminds me of a website
Evan Vanderveer: its actually freaky, i mention anything, even the most obscure thing in the world, and i get a link
John Young's away message
A missing sock almost ruined my weekend... but i
tracked it down.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Comcast is closed. Oh, and How to install Comcast Internet without Internet Explorer!
Before we get started, here's the tip in case you
came here for that reason and want to move on without reading my complaints. If
you don't want to run their "wizard" that comes with the self-install kit, you
don't have to. This is a good thing, since many of us would like to configure
the computer's network settings on our own thank you very much, and we wouldn't
even think of installing IE, which the wizard requires, even on a Mac. So, how
do you get around this? It's actually pretty easy; just follow the following
five steps.
1. Call Comast and get to tech support.
2. Tell the technician that you won't use the wizard. Say you're having problems with it or your dog/significant other ate the CD if you have to.
3. Ask the tech if you can just provide the modem's model number and MAC address. This info should be on a label somewhere on the modem.
4. The tech should be able to connect the MAC address to your account, registering you as the "owner" of the modem. Try to get online while you're still on the phone (renew your DHCP lease if you have to) and you should be all set.
5. Pass this info along to any friends who get new Comcast service.
Now time for the complaint:
I don't really have any problems with Comcast's cable and Internet services, but their customer service, as any customer is probably aware, sucks. So far I have confirmed this in Pennsylvania (bad installation experience), Maryland (being billed for service I didn't have, and not even being able to cancel that), and now, California.
I called their 24/7 1-800-COMCAST number tonight to cancel the basic cable TV service that I had only signed up for so I could order the Internet service at Circuit City. When I first called, I was placed on hold for probably about 20 minutes before I gave up and ended the call. A few minutes later I tried again, and after going through a few menus was told that the offices were closed. What happened to 24/7? The funny part was at the end when I was randomly selected for a survey about my experience with the non-existant representative.
Of course my initial installation didn't go so well either. I was first told (by the apartment complex, not Comcast) that I didn't need to be present for the installation, so I made an appointment while I was at work, only to have Comcast call me that day with the "Hey, idiot, you missed your appointment" message. After the TV service was installed the next weekend, I got started on the self-installation Internet kit, which in the year 2006, in the middle of "Silicon Valley," should take a maximum of five minutes, including time spent searching for scissors to cut those plastic thingies off of the cables. Instead, it took over an hour. First, the installation "wizard," which I was forced to use, required me to install Internet Explorer in order to run. After that, it wanted to mess with my network settings, and asked me to authenticate with my administrator name and password, which I was then told was incorrect, even though the OS X authentication window cleared just fine. So I called Comcast, only to be told that I had to call a different number because I was in California (and this was at the end of a 14 minute call), when I was finally connected to a tech who was able to activate my service just by getting the MAC address of the modem, which means that I never had to run that stupid "wizard" in the first place. At least I know that for next time. Oh, and a week later, they called me at 6:30 AM and asked me if I was ready to schedule my installation.
1. Call Comast and get to tech support.
2. Tell the technician that you won't use the wizard. Say you're having problems with it or your dog/significant other ate the CD if you have to.
3. Ask the tech if you can just provide the modem's model number and MAC address. This info should be on a label somewhere on the modem.
4. The tech should be able to connect the MAC address to your account, registering you as the "owner" of the modem. Try to get online while you're still on the phone (renew your DHCP lease if you have to) and you should be all set.
5. Pass this info along to any friends who get new Comcast service.
Now time for the complaint:
I don't really have any problems with Comcast's cable and Internet services, but their customer service, as any customer is probably aware, sucks. So far I have confirmed this in Pennsylvania (bad installation experience), Maryland (being billed for service I didn't have, and not even being able to cancel that), and now, California.
I called their 24/7 1-800-COMCAST number tonight to cancel the basic cable TV service that I had only signed up for so I could order the Internet service at Circuit City. When I first called, I was placed on hold for probably about 20 minutes before I gave up and ended the call. A few minutes later I tried again, and after going through a few menus was told that the offices were closed. What happened to 24/7? The funny part was at the end when I was randomly selected for a survey about my experience with the non-existant representative.
Of course my initial installation didn't go so well either. I was first told (by the apartment complex, not Comcast) that I didn't need to be present for the installation, so I made an appointment while I was at work, only to have Comcast call me that day with the "Hey, idiot, you missed your appointment" message. After the TV service was installed the next weekend, I got started on the self-installation Internet kit, which in the year 2006, in the middle of "Silicon Valley," should take a maximum of five minutes, including time spent searching for scissors to cut those plastic thingies off of the cables. Instead, it took over an hour. First, the installation "wizard," which I was forced to use, required me to install Internet Explorer in order to run. After that, it wanted to mess with my network settings, and asked me to authenticate with my administrator name and password, which I was then told was incorrect, even though the OS X authentication window cleared just fine. So I called Comcast, only to be told that I had to call a different number because I was in California (and this was at the end of a 14 minute call), when I was finally connected to a tech who was able to activate my service just by getting the MAC address of the modem, which means that I never had to run that stupid "wizard" in the first place. At least I know that for next time. Oh, and a week later, they called me at 6:30 AM and asked me if I was ready to schedule my installation.
Friday, September 01, 2006
The people who used to live in my apartment have
been sent two big scary envelopes from the FBI. And a copy of AARP magazine.
Retirement looks like fun.
What a cowboy state
Driving is a bit different here. Three
examples:
1. When you get a new car, you just drive around without license plates for several weeks before the DMV mails them to you. You don't even get one of those temporary paper thingies.
2. Motorcycles are allowed to drive in between lanes legally.
3. At almost any given intersection, a car making a U-turn is just as common as one making a left or right.
This would never happen in the civilized world.
1. When you get a new car, you just drive around without license plates for several weeks before the DMV mails them to you. You don't even get one of those temporary paper thingies.
2. Motorcycles are allowed to drive in between lanes legally.
3. At almost any given intersection, a car making a U-turn is just as common as one making a left or right.
This would never happen in the civilized world.