tombrennan.org

Make sure to check out this cool site I’ve been into lately, AddPile.com.

written by tom

A&P Supermarkets have filed a lawsuit against two brothers who worked at the store and shot a video called “Produce Paradise” while working.  The supermarket chain sued the former produce workers with defamation.

A&P claims that the video starring Mark and Matthew D’Avella have disgusted at least one customer enough for that one customer to boycott the supermarket.  This is due to “repulsive acts” in the video.

How much is one customers boycott worth?  The Montvale, NJ based chain is seeking $1 million in damages and are also demanding the video get pulled off the internet.  A&P claims the video “contains numerous false and defamatory statements that are injurious to the reputation and livelihood of A&P.”.

I for one plan on boycotting because A&P is suing these kids.

written by tom

In the days of super-high speed internet access across the country there are still millions of people in the US that lack broadband access.

This is no mistake.  Cable and other high-speed providers must answer to analysts and stock holders.  The cost to run lines to rural areas in the country are too high for companies fighting for survival in these competitive times.  Since the telecommunications industry is mostly unregulated there is no mandate to handle the requests of potential customers in many suburban and rural communities.

That leaves some people in rural areas without service.  There have been reports that even if a customers offers to pony-up for the bill to have the cabling pulled to their homes, companies are refusing to provide the service.  In one case a New Hampshire resident offered a $7,000 bill and the local cable provider refused to perform the installation.

The next step for people is to start up a T1 service, which can run on average $450 a month, that’s about 10 times what the cable company would have charged for similar service.

About 17% of rural homes have broadband service, leaving the US in 15th place, worldwide, in broadband penetration.

written by tom

The Mythbusters take on a “Bull in a china shop”.  So what does a bull in a china shop really do?

written by tom

Comcast, provider of cable, telephone (VoIP), and broadband internet has sent out letters to subscribers of it’s high-speed internet services with a warning.  The warning is to throttle back their downloading or face a 12 month suspension.

One of the issues that face subscribers is that the telecom giant never specified how much is too much.  Years ago the company offered “unlimited access” to the internet.  Now, in a 23 part terms of service agreement, that seems to have changed.  As stated in the contract a vague sentence looms…“levels of traffic sufficient to impede others’ ability to send or retrieve information.” That is what a breach of contract looks like to Comcast.

Some customers who were legally using the service (one to trasfer large files to his son) have now started a blog called “Comcast Issues“.  Another customer was accussed by Comcast of downloading 200-300 GB of data in month.  That number is too far out of reach, even for the heaviest of users.

written by tom