Re: In other news

On 09.08.2023 14.19, Merlyne wrote:
> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]: 
> 
>> On 01.08.2023 13.32, Merlyne wrote:
>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>
>>>> On 27.07.2023 15.32, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 22.07.2023 17.21, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 18.07.2023 13.24, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On 12.07.2023 13.22, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 08.07.2023 17.01, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 05.07.2023 14.14, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 02.07.2023 16.29, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> BeH <[email protected]> wrote in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> news:[email protected]: 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 28.06.2023 13.31, Merlyne wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I got a new phone and a better plan.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Why are cell plans so much more expensive in my
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> country vs the US? 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CAPITALISM! It's always capitalism. We've been over
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> this. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sure. Are you sure that it's not related to population
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> base? 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you pay the same country-wide and you the same
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> coverage in sparsely populated areas (I know you have
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> some of those), then maybe. But most likely capitalism.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ugh!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I got a new S21 and 20GB of data for $47/month taxes
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I pay a base fee of ~$4/month (deducted from
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> consumption) with slightly higher per-minute charge
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and no free data. But then I only use data in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> emergency (which haven't happened yet) and make maybe
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> two calls and two texts/month. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I used to have a prepaid cell for like $10 a month back
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in 2003 when it was my emergency phone.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Once I started using it all the time, it was more
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cost-efficient to have a plan with unlimited talk and
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> text. I would say that I am most frequently contacted
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> by text than by other modes i.e. voice call or email. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On the other hand I still pay for a landline (IP) even
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> though it hasn't made a sound (or call) in several
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> years. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I also have a landline. My Dad calls it and a few
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> places where I keep forgetting to change my contact
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> info to my cell. I think the landline isn't VOIP it's
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> whatever came before that but after rotary dial phones.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Analog... (rotary dials relied on counting the impulses
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> - one for each digit passed on return; pushbutton
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 'dialing' relied on the frequency of the tone
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> correspondig to each digit/button) 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> They will probably phase it out eventually.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Like they did with teevee signals, thus making everyone
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> get new teevees... 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I thought I got a new tv because the old one stopped
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> working. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> That may be, but lots of people got new tvs because their
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> old one couldn't receive/decode the digital signal.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> The cable company gave out digital conversion boxes to
>>>>>>>>>>>>> people. 
>>>>>>>>>>>> Can you still get one of those. To use on an old teevee that
>>>>>>>>>>>> you buy at an antique shop?
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I doubt anything would work on a tv that old.
>>>>>>>>>> In theory it would. It would require a digital to analog
>>>>>>>>>> conversion and probably a granularity reduction from HD to PAL
>>>>>>>>>> or [whatever the American format is called]. An old cable
>>>>>>>>>> converter might just work if one could bypass the subscription
>>>>>>>>>> bit. 
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> It could work from an antenna. Some channels are in the air. In
>>>>>>>>> HD even. 
>>>>>>>> That's what I meant, using the antenna as input for the box. A
>>>>>>>> really old TV will probably make a mess of an unaltered HD
>>>>>>>> signal. 
>>>>>>> I can imagine.
>>>>>>> It would probably make a mess of SD signals too.
>>>>>> And if by some miracle it could be made to work, there probably
>>>>>> wouldn't be anything good on anyway.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Nonsense! There are always quality programming available like those
>>>>> reality shows were a farmer needs a wife.
>>>> Grrr! No matter when I look it seems to be all American 'Married at
>>>> first sight' or some survival show...
>>>
>>> There's now a couple of them on about finding a spouse for farmers.
>>
>> And some where they put couples in an isolated spot and see how long
>> it takes for people to cheat on their partners. *sigh*
> 
> And how long does it take? I need closure.
Sorry, I don't have that information. I don't watch that type of
programming. It's detrimental to my health.

> I see that Big Brother is back for it's 25th season.
> Ugh!
But of course it is... It's what the people want.

>>>> They do show Colombo (again) but late at night and I still remember
>>>> all the plots from last time.
>>>
>>> I don't remember all the Columbo plots. Doesn't matter since they
>>> show you who did at the beginning of the show.
>> Yes but Colombo is more about howdonit than whodunit... and Colombo
>> pretending to be dumb but really being very smart of course.
>>
> And one more thing...
Oh yeah, it must have slipped my mind for a moment...

>>>>
>>>>> I have Acorn and BritBox now so I can catch up on all my British
>>>>> murder mystery shows. I feel with the writer and actor strike that
>>>>> there may be a long tv show drought.
>>>> I get BritBox as well (on that streaming service). They have Yes
>>>> Minister/Prime Minister.
>>>
>>> I never watched that one.
>> It's a good introduction into how gubbernment *really* works... sort
>> of. 
>>
>>> I'm going to finish Good Omens and then watch the latest season of
>>> The Witcher. The next season of The Wheel of time starts September 1.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I did see a Canadian police series in french. It had all the right
>>>> characters:
>>>> - a neuro-divergent sketch artist with 'amazing' abilities,
>>>> - a wheel-chair bound, female chief always wearing a baseball cap,
>>>> - a young arab gay forensic investigator,
>>>> - a semi-alcoholic older detective who broke all the rules
>>>> (violently) - a middle aged female researcher, who was a former
>>>> elite hacker. And that was just the Good Guys(tm).
>>>>
>>>
>>> I don't know that one. I used to watch 'District 31' when I was on 
>>> language training.
>> 'Portrait Robot' in Canadian. ('The Sketch Artist' in 'danish').
>> I don't know 'District 31' but I do have a Belgian series of all
>> things, all about sex-crimes.. in Flemish language.
>>
>>>>> And speaking of programming, I wrote a Python program today without
>>>>> taking a course.
>>>> I had no idea you were a parseltongue.
>>>
>>> Well, I had to do something after I failed out of wizard school.
>> Is that even possible. I thought you would just have to take the year
>> again. Or become Key Warden or something.
> 
> But eventually they found out that I'm too stupid to be a wizard.
Is that even possible? I thought it's an innate ability for those whom
it is gifted.

>>
>>>> One of these day I'm gonna install the ADA pre-compiler for gcc
>>>> again and think of something to code in it... Something with a lot
>>>> of things happening at the same time.
>>>>
>>>
>>> No, you won't.
>>
>> I will. Some day...
> 
> Right after you build that water feature in your yard, I'm sure.

Well I won't be able to work on the water feature in winter, so I could
do the installing then.

-- 
BeH

" We are trapped by language to such a degree that every attempt to
formulate insight is a play on words." - Niels Bohr