Cutting the Cord

Today was the day I finally rid myself of Comcast.  Well sort of.  TV services that is.

Some background, I have been a Comcast Basic cable user for over ten years.  The bundle I started with was internet which tossed in basic for the same value if I had without.  At some point the digital HDTV revolution occurred, flat-screens were purchased and I was hooked on something called QAM tuning.  It was great, I get my local TV, without the fuss of an antennae.  Aside from that, some odd ball channels would show up too, such as food, history and fox news.  Assuming it was a trial to get me hooked, I never took it too seriously when they disappeared.  Trial over I guess.

Now, I'm not 100% on this, but I had been under the impression, they had to give me non-encrypted basic service if I was a basic subscriber.  Law and stuff.  But at some point that law was phased out (lobbyists in action) and Comcast was green lit to encrypt the basic service, killing QAM across the country.

Its been a slow wave, but it happened last week for me.  The Lansing area QAM was encrypted, leaving residents to either hook up a decryption box (Free for a limited time) per TV or residents could brave the -10 weather (-30 Wind Chill) erecting an antenna.  Great timing.

Luckily, thanks to social media, I knew this day was near, and had done some preliminary research.  The result, antennas are not a hassle at all (that is, if you have warm weather).  I opted with a plugin amazon window type, which seems to get me all the local stuff, with a little breakage with FOX.  It'll do until the snow melts.

Why not just use the box?  1) I have 3 TVs so I would have been hit with a rental fee, 2) I have a home built PVR.  3) Principle; they say its for my own quality of service ...WTF?!?  4) Modern ways to consume media (Netflix, Library, etc).  Regarding the PVR, trying to get my system to work with a encryption box just seemed horrendous, better things to spend my time.

In the end, Comcast went with the choke hold.  $3.00 processing fee, and they tacked up my rate another $3 per month, because its not part of a "bundle".  The result, $57, down from $79, plus I'll be able to skip the "other TV fees" which totaled $3.00.  Huh ..$3; no coincidence there folks!

Next up, shopping for other internet options, though I'm not high hopes on this front.

PART II - Comcast Strikes Back

Storm Damage

Pumpkins 2013

Pumpkins 2012

Pumpkins 2011

Playful Marketing

Setting up a playset for my kid this weekend. This pic is the "demo" pic from the Gorilla website:


First thing you see, when opening the instructions are several pages of safety warnings.

Here's a sample:

Unit Capacity: This playset is designed for the use of 4 occupants on the elevated floor, 3 occupants on the swing area, for a total Unit capacity of 5 occupants.
So, I count seven rug rats in the pic.

On-site supervision is required.
Someones gonna have to tell little Billy in the purple shirt, he'll need to break that toddlers fall when the kiddo jumps, as there's no way an adult is going to make it in time.

Protective Surfacing: Asphalt and concrete are unacceptable. Similarly, grass and turf should not be used.
That looks like grass turf to me.

Yes, yes, I know this is simply a stock photo for marketing. But considering the photo is on every delivery box, the least they could have done was abide by their standards.

2010 Pumpkins

Pumpkins 2008

I've recently heard that Obama is the Anti-Christ. So I went with a truly scary carving-

The wife went with something more traditional-

Land of Two Suns

Flooding from the remains of Ike.

Winter Kitchen Renovations

The joys of a middle class income, is that you never really get to finish a project all the way. This goes true for our kitchen. While we archived relocating the hanging cabinets, new window coverings, painted doors, new hardware on doors, new outlets (also added GFCI), cream color paint replacing white, inset lighting over stove counter, and new ceiling fan; the floors and counter top will have to wait for another day.

Before (click for larger image):

After:

Frosty Grass

I'm really disliking weather these days. After a beautiful week last week, we now have frost advisories. Yet, my grass is complaining about needing to be cut. The result...I cut the darn grass with gloves and earmuffs...but no coat.

O Tannenbaum

This is the first year we're putting up a Christmas tree. Mostly because we had a tree donated to us. Course, the problem now is we have no decorations and it would seem there's some rule that says that all the ornaments have to match. Geez.

Summer of Creatures

This summer brought a good amount of creepy creatures we did not see our first year. I suppose this is related to living in the pseudo-country. Here were some of them (click on image for larger pic):
The Praying Mantas family. I saw at least three of these guys. Er, I think she's eating one of em. Fun watching them grow larger over the weeks.

Toads er Frogs, er Toads. Okay, not really creepy...until they all decided to die in my pond. Eww.

Garner Snakes. Found many of them living under the rocks when I installed the pump in the pond. Given that their not poisonous, we're letting them live...though, it will force me to rethink the fountain. Also had stepped on one with my bare feet. Again, makes me rethink how I walk outside.
The Argiope Spider. Saw two of them this year. Simply the most beautiful spider I've seen, yet creepiest at the same time. Their not lethal to humans, so again we let them live...Although I did get one with the lawn mower. Looked like a broken egg on the pavement.

Lastly, We had some type of black beetle (no pix) that seemed to creep from under the basement carpet. They only lasted about 2 weeks, but man was the vacuum busy during that time.

Oh, almost forgot the 1,000 some bees. No pic...go figure.

Save the Bees

Well, we tried anyways. I've known for a while that Honey bees recently have mysteriously been dying off for no apparent reason. So when we found a few dozen bees flying around our house, we thought very little of it. Well, that was until we had a few hundred swarming around the other day, doing the classical tornado maneuver, block out the sun, that you see in those cheap B movies. After watching some horror clips on YouTube of amatures trying to kill the bees, we decided it was time for a professional.

We were able to get a hold of a beekeeper that was willing to relocate the hive for free. After he suited up, he discovered that there were probably a few thousand...in the wall of the house. Meaning, there was no way for him to get to the hive to capture the queen. So our choices are poison, let them bee and let winter take care of them, or tear down the wall. Because we fear insect infestation from the sweet honey, we're probably going to go the poison route.

For those that are in the Williamston area, On Germany road, keep an eye out for a honey sign. Your not gonna find honey fresher then what the beekeeper has to offer. If your in the Lansing area, and you have a honey bee swarm, call the tri-county area wildlife group for a reference. Keep the bees alive, as we need them to sustain our agricultural needs.