frustratedHow many people, do you suppose, would have the same opinion of their ISP if their ISP didn't allow them to do what they wanted to do with their Internet connection. Somewhere in my pursuit of "hacking" my way thru life, I stumbled on the statistical information that 99% of att "worldnet" customers are using a residential account (as opposed to a business account). What is the difference, you ask? Fuck if I know. Get this, everybody. If you're as website privvy as I am and you like the idea of building your own personal web page (PWP), then you might already be familiary with your ISP's free 5 megabytes of memory for their "PAYING" users' to use for their web page.
Let's establish one thing here. The "free" web page that some ISP's provide their customers allow these:
- Guest book
- mailform
- password protection
- Security buy
- webring
AND MORE!!!
So here I come, with a simple request as to why my ISP has a firewall that block "my" port 80 (incoming). What that means is, if I build a website and save it on my computer's hard drive, the only way people can see it is if they have access to port 80. Apparently, my ISP's solution to the website inquiry is, "use our hosting service to build your website." In other words, don't save your website on you hard drive, save it to the virtual memory that we provide for you.
Yesterday, the company technician stopped by and we got to talking. I bring up my current project: trouble shooting forwarding my domain name to my computer. His helpful suggestion is that I probably have a dynamic IP address, whereas I should be seeking ways to make my IP address static. That's easier said than done. (WHERE'S MY MOTORCYCLE, PLEASE!!!)
So today, I decide to give at&t a call to ask them about WTF is going on with my external IP address that I cannot use it for incoming traffic. They tell me It's no fucking wonder that telephone companies are still in business. Fuck that 800 toll free bullshit! If (800) numbers were really toll free, then people in other countries would be able to use them too. For starters, whenever I want to speak to anybody at worldnet, you have to go thru the fucking automated system (and background ugly fuck-ass music). Press 1 if you are calling from the telephone linked to your account… press 2 if you prefer this call in spanish. F-U-C-K Y-O-U !-!-! SINCE WHEN IS IT ILLEGAL TO CURSE OUT A ROBOT! Fuck. I do, and, besides giving me the run around which ties me up on the telephone for several hours, they conclude that the billings department can only give me a price comparison for residential accounts. I'm like, WTF? Is it because I live in a house? I mean, if my house were in a commercial district of town, would I then be treated differently, not transferred, placed on hold, given the run-around (one of the direct numbers I was given as the line to the department I was being transferred to happened to be a dating service)? etc. OMFG, I understand why people now cancel their Internet Service Provider for something else. I discovered I'm paying $10 more than the local ISP charges, and I don't know why. WHAT IS THE FUCKING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "ATT WORLDNET" AND "ATT LOCAL"? $10.00.
At least I get to speak to somebody all the way in India, you say? Well, you are probably right. At least, when I become angry, it isn't because I'm speaking to an at&t representative who doesn't give a shit because he or she is American. It's because the at&t representative doesn't give a shit because he or she is all the way in India and WTF am I going to do about it? SOB. What a wasted first half of my day off.
I have to admit one thing, and one thing only. While I was waiting on hold for the bullshit the at&t representative was handing me while she or he sought further information from higher ups, I couldn't help thinking that this country was going to hell in a handbasket. I mean it. I'm currently reading a controversial book on an American journalist who's hayday was during the McCarthy debale on communism and I honestly felt that communism was sneaking right up to us. American's are stupid that way. Oh, they'll say "Everything is fine. I love capitalism. I have my cell phone, my car, my house, my HDTV, my video games, my pets, my computer and MY FUCKING INTERNET!" but when it comes to the bare bones of the situation, all those mega corporations see their customers as statistics, and they don't really give a hoot about them. They can hold on the telephone for a live person all day, nobody will ever be the wiser. I hate at&t and I will create a personal web page (PWP) dedicated to my opinion that at&t world sucks!!! I will also advertise at&T worldnet sucks!!! They in turn will do one of two things. They will ask me to take it down, or they will take it down for me. That's one. And two, they will treat me like the scum of the earth. In other words, they will treat me even worse than they do their regular customers.