Modern Communication

I'm blogging and on hold with Cox Cable at the same time.  Multitasking, thy name is Lark.

I'm on the phone because my second foray into OnlineTechSupport Chat was futile just as the first was, although much less rude.  The woman on the other end reset my whole cable box, but to no avail.  The INPUT button still doesn't work, and now the ON DEMAND button has stopped working, too.  Really all I want from this conversation is a repair guy to come here and give me a new remote.  I've been on 10 minutes so far, let's see how this goes.

Anyway, since we're talking about communication...

Remember that wedding My Husband and I went to, the one with his best friend from college?  And his dad has cancer and his brother spewed his personal hatred of the bride all over me pre-ceremony?  According to Facebook, they're (the bride and groom, not the dad or the brother) pregnant.

When did it become OK to announce major events...IE engagements, pregnancies, etc...over the Internet without first attempting to call all your friends?  When My Husband proposed, I called all my closest friends, my sisters and my parents.  All the engagements that have happened since, I've gotten no phone calls.  Not even from the girls I called personally.  Not a fan.

And my poor Husband, this is the second time this has happened to him...where a close friend is having a baby and he finds out through Facebook.  Not even a personal Facebook message, mind you...just a random announcement for all to see.  Doesn't that cheapen the event a little, that you can't even pick up the damn phone?  Or am I some kind of anti-Internet fuddy duddy?

Does it reiterate the fuddy duddy idea if I've now been on hold for 20 minutes?  I feel pretty geriatric about it.

Anyway, I was always under the impression Facebook and Twitter were supposed to accent one's life, not take it over.  It's like the Internet has become everyone 'smouth instead of their eyes and ears to a larger world.  We're all connected now...so why do I feel so cut off?





*In case you were wondering, I did get my tech support appointment (29 minutes and 42 seconds after beginning this post).

Vent Central

I'm taking a little time for myself to vent about some recent technological issues.

First: Cox Communications

The only reason we signed up for Cox Cable is because there were no other cable providers servicing our area.  We had to.  AT&T is starting to get its tentacles in around here, but unless you want satellite (yeah right...I can see our dish flying away in the latest windstorm now...) Cox is your only option.

We have phone, Internet and special HD service (since they stopped offering HD with their basic cable package and demanded you upgrade in order to keep it last year).  For some reason, our universal remote does everything except change the INPUT setting on the TV.  So in order to switch the Source Setting (Video for DVD, Component 1 for the Wii, etc.) you have to press the INPUT button on the television.  The input button DOES work on the old Insignia remote, which I'm glad now I didn't toss.

Anyway, I contacted Cox's Live Agent Chat to deal with the problem.  Some guy named Leo came on after about 10 minutes and after I explained my issue, told me to reset the setup codes for both the TV and the Cable Box.  When I couldn't find the setup code for the cable box he sent me four links to the Cox website to "help" me locate it.  Then, before I could type that I'd found the right code and I was still having a problem, he sent me some kind of standard "Thanks for choosing Cox" bullshit and logged off the session!

I think that is the equivalent to a telephone operator hanging up on me mid sentence, and I told Cox so on the email I sent immediately afterward.  What the Hell?  The only reasons I used the Stupid Live Chat are 1) I'm decently computer-savvy and I'd rather save the telephone help for people who need it and 2) The issue seems relatively simple and not worth wasting some poor repairman's time to fix.

And of course I feel incredibly stupid because I can't get a lousy button on my remote to work.

Second: Verizon Wireless

Besides that, Verizon ended its $29.99 per month unlimited data plan.  Now, I've been seriously considering signing up for that since I'd love to be able to check my email from my phone like everyone else does, but spending $1 per day for 2GB of data with a $1 per GB overcharge after that is ridiculous!

My Husband and I have been with Verizon for 7 years now and I'm slightly wary of breaking up with them.  We're both due for a phone upgrade but there's like, no choice in handsets unless you get a data plan.  And of course I'm the one who has to deal with all these issues since My Husband is 100% hands off when it comes to household details.

These are the times I want to say "Fuck it," go completely off the grid and do nothing but read books and raise alfalfa in the Montana wilderness.