I am the only one left ...

AndyM · Jan 24, 2004

( You can thank the politicians for most all the extra $$$ on your phone bill.
My Basic local service is $10.03 but my monthly bill gets up to $19.71 due to all the fees, charges, surcharges and tax. Yes they even charge taxes on the fees,charges, and surcharges.
)

My phone comapny offered me one heck of a deal--
Local phone service with all the bells and whistles (caller ID, call waiting, etc), unlimited long distance (everything we call is long distance), and DSL service. Total cost was $89 per month.

I was floored when we got the first bill-- it was $120 with all of the fees and taxes! It doesn't seem like as good of a deal as they made it sound like!

Knight9 · Jan 24, 2004

Lets see...

Rabbit ears on the TV = 4 channels
Dial up internet = 52kbps connection speed
Touch tone phones but not "powered" = phone capable with the power out

We moved to the acreage to spend time outside...except of course the TBN time /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Kevin

OkeeDon · Jan 24, 2004

I watch maybe 2 or 3 hours of "normal" TV a week, usually some program my wife wants to see. But, the TV is on almost all the time, often in the background. I don't understand what is meant by "nothing good" on TV. I watch PBS and Bravo for the arts, Discovery, The Learning Channel, the History channel, National Geographic, the various financial networks, a smattering of the cable news channels (CNN, MSNBC, Fox) to see what's going on in the world (and to cheer or jeer when it's opinion); and, of course, I'm a C-Span junkie. S-Span is the best thing that's happened to TV because it's just an eye and an ear -- you make your own judgments.

I can always find something worthwhile to watch, without ever seeing sports, a movie, a sitcom or any of the inane broadcast channel shows.

How can you vote without watching debates? How can you judge the factors that affect you unless you learn about them? I'm not talking about 11 PM news "sound bites"; I'm talking about the in-depth coverage that's available if you know when and where to look.

thcri · Jan 24, 2004

I am not much for TV anymore either. But with kids it is kind of a must to have internet for school and the TV and DVD players all come with it I guess. But three years ago I made a threat to my kids and told them if they don't quit watching TV some I would disconnect it. They didn't believe me and I disconnected it. You would be surprised what happened. Yep they started reading books. All three read over 20 in a months time and the youngest read 50. So now when I tell them to back off, they do.

murph

yellowsocks93 · Jan 24, 2004

The internet does help a little but as a student I much prefer going to the library to get the books in hard copy since you know the info is correct and not made up. I have normal antenna TV and dial up internet. I don't wish I had them any different though. I think it is a waste of money. I would rather spend it on stock, cars, and tractors.

DIYGuy · Jan 25, 2004

I would not use the phrase "only one left". It sounds like you're questioning yourself, and that is something only you are qualified to do.

For myself, I'm on the compete other end of the spectrum. I've had a digital TV for 5 years now, and just upgrade to a DLP from Plasma.

We watch movies (DVD Widescreen only) in full 1500 watts of surround sound in a room tuned for that purpose. I use a DSL connection to maintain 5 of my own websites and a commercial site. (www.trekstop.com)

My wife uses DSL to connect to work and conduct e-conferences between her development team in England, ******, and Chicago.

I was a technology worker for over 2 decades (retired, now a simple carpenter) and am still fascinated by new technology. My wireless LAN in the house is 4 years old and it replaced a 10 year old UTP ethernet set up.

My next home technology project is to put a PC in my car to control the stereo such that I can pull into the garage and have my wireless server upload new MP3 encoded songs to my stereo before I even shut the car off.

I get less than one telemarketing call a month, and haven't gotten a spam email in weeks. Just a matter of never handing either out and not posting it directly. Here at TBN it's an indirect listing.

Junk snail mail is a whole 'nother beast.

If the technology is working for you, great. However, if you had high speed internet access, you would not wait for any of the TBN pages to load.

thcri · Jan 25, 2004

( The internet does help a little but as a student I much prefer going to the library to get the books in hard copy since you know the info is correct and not made up. )

I would rather them go to the library also. However, some assignments tell them to get information only from the internet. I don't know why the teachers do that but they just do. Not all of them but quite a few.

murph

OkeeDon · Jan 25, 2004

When we were kids, one of the primary reasons for writing reports was to teach us to use the library. Information, and knowing how to access it, is essential.

Today, there is almost nothing you can't find on the internet. Knowing how to use it to find information is an essential skill. It's still important to be able to find things in a library, but if a teacher didn't introduce the internet, students would be woefully unprepared.

RobertN · Jan 25, 2004

The internet can be a powerful study tool. But, it is so hard to know if it is fact or fiction. Who wrote it it? Will the link still be there tomorrow? Is the data accurate?

With the library or a book, you can proof it out all the way to the Library of Congress number. Papers usually have the full author/source attached, along with bibliographies. And, they are usually there tomorrow too.

Now, there is still the debate about whether the info/data is accurate. Anyone who wants to spend the money can get published...

I think of it kind of like email vs USPS mail. email is a powerful yet informal tool. It is good for a note, or for sharing something. But, for formal notice or important stuff, a document printed, signed, and mailed USPS or courier is still how a formal important document should be done.

A balance of both is good. Start research on the web, find applicable resources, and then refer to the printed info.

cowboydoc · Jan 25, 2004

I have all of those things but I would sure like to go back about 150 years in time. Some of my best memories are from being out in the middle of nowhere in linecamp. It's like going back in time. No phones, electricity, vehicles. Just horses and cattle.