Wednesday, May 02, 2007

How DSL can improve one's life

Today I wrote two stories and 11 captions, totaling 2330 words, formatted 11 photos to the tune of 25 megabytes, interviewed three people, and made appointments with two more for tomorrow.

I researched "There's Hope for the Hungry" food ministry online and read the Portland Press Herald Online as well as The Monument, the Banner Herald, and Google news. I am up to speed.

I checked my PO box mail, sent a birthday card to my sister, and delivered the paper to a friend, who is featured in it this week. I dropped off money I'm donating to a local church for their food ministry, and got information from the Pastor about some other things going on.

I also ate two healthy meals and drank 6 glasses of water.

I did all this because I have DSL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just got it last night!

Because I don't have to drive around the entire county looking for an available fast internet teminal!!!!!!!!!! And grab something to eat on the go! And miss phone calls! And chew through gas!

Dial up sucks.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

DSL is Fabulous! Those wonderfully 'laid-back citizens' in Georgia; {and Dial Up} must be delighted for Modern Technology! Glad it's available to you.

Elizabeth Prata said...

it has taken a good many years to ger DSL into the rural areas.It has been available inside the city limits, and there's a T-1 line at the library, but as for many of us, if we live beyond 18,000 feet from a substation fogeddaboudit.

Until Tuesday! The phone company has realy listened to people yelling about DSL, maybe the loss of so many customers to satellite internet and cell phones is what did it.

A realtor friend of mine said he's been here four years and his area still doesn't have it! He suits in the local WiFi cafe a lot.

Anonymous said...

Hey, it's the morning of town meeting! How does it feel not having to go into Newbegin this morning?

Enjoy. I'm going, because of sidwalk issues, but honestly, if the folks do what they did last year and use that loophole to move money from one thing to another?

I'll probably conclude that it's time to eliminate town meeting.

Do they have town meetings down south?

Elizabeth Prata said...

Hi Jeanne!

I am thrilled I do not have to go. It's the first time in 7 years and boy am I happy to sip coffee at home, on this rainy morning, and leisurely surf the net, pay my bills, and read.

Here they have county commissioners, who represent you if you do not live within the city limit. If you do live in the city limit, the councilors represent you. And wherever you live, the governing body sets the budget and the millrate and votes on it. There are public hearings for the budget and one on the night they set the mill rate but that's it for public input.

That leaves folks at risk from bad governance, but it's no more of a risk than small groups co-opting town meeting. Here is what happened here in 2004, when taxes went up 30% and people suspected the assessor of sales chasing (setting rates based only on neewly built homes, artificially inflating things)

"But many county residents don't understand the sudden spike in their property values -- and thus taxes -- and it's made folks mad enough to call at least one public meeting to talk more about the issue and to flood the tax assessor's office with 1,500 appeals."

So the people do have a voice.