Networking & Communications

I feel what bothers myself and where something should be done is the poor service as opposed for the service contract one pays for cell phone contracts.

Dropped calls, or no service. ( I can see in remote areas, but what one pays monthly, that is unacceptable)

Customers service, who's seemingly primary function is not service but to sell you up grades

ID Theft, Very convenient to do your transactions over the internet/cell, but what a price to pay if its compromised.

The now generation as well as older generations who puts their current communications above all else. (I am primarily talking about drivers on cell phones)

Please learn something, anything before complaining.

I think the current trend in communications has already been too invasive on the public. It's no longer a question of convenience and speed, but it's the sound of cash registers every time we use a "modern communication device. The gigantic communications networks didn't exist 30 years ago. They learned that the revolution in communications technology could mean big bucks to these companies. More and more, customers see their communications bills continue to rise as the latest and greatest devices have been released to the wireless hungry public. All this technology come at a high cost and not everyone needs or even wants it. I think the cell phone is where we should stop. Along comes the Iphone, Itunes, Ipod, etc and the companies are raking in the profits. I'm sorry, but I can't see the ability to buy something off an on-line merchant while traveling to my job or school or whatever needs to be done in this fashion. It just adds cost to a public bombarded from all sides with the latest money making technology. I'm sure you may remember when TV and radio was free. Today, we have to pay some TV service for the priviledge to watch some mediocre program and pay extra to see a premium program. I can remember watching the super bowl free on TV many years ago. Not anymore; you have to pay now to see it. The communications companies are calling the shots. We no longer have much say as to how we communicate.

I think the current trend in communications has already been too invasive on the public.

I have to disagree on that one. I pay 15 bucks a month for 2 cell phones................for emergencies only. 10 cents a minute for calls. I very rarely use it.

It's the public hunger for more, better, faster that pushes the technology, not the other way around. As long as people want this stuff, the companies will keep churning it out. I don't blame them.

You sound as though it's the companies' fault for pushing this stuff on us, when we're the ones that demand more, and happily pay the big bucks for it.

Don't fall into the, "Big companies are bad", trap.

People are stupid.

I have to disagree. High tech companies create the demand. They introduce a new high tech product, promote it at millions of dollars and get he public hooked. It's the same as drug dealers giving away free dope to newbies. Once hooked, they are hooked forever. The companies know that their business will grow only if they can produce new and wonderous products. Sure the demand is there, but who created the demand in the first place? I think the cell phone is great, but I can live without Iphones, Ipads, blue tooths and all the other things that are supposed to make our lives better. It just makes others richer. You may have heard of the latest inequality of income between the rich and not-so-rich. In the past two years, the top richest in the country have increased their wealth something like 4x and during the same time, everyone else has gotten poorer. I think there is a connection there. People are spending money for fancy high tech gizmos and making themselves poorer; but the companies that produce these gizmos are getting richer and richer. I don't base any of this on facts, just a gut feeling and yes you are right that "people are stupid". They fall for anything the companies want you to buy.

High tech companies create the demand.

Wrong

It's the same as drug dealers giving away free dope to newbies.

Wrong. I'm still watching tube TVs, and my cell phone doesn't take pictures, it's the cheapest I could find. Where's my free stuff to get me hooked?

Once hooked, they are hooked forever.

I'm hooked on power tools. It's all I can do to not go out and buy the latest and greatest thing. Are those companies evil also?

The companies know that their business will grow only if they can produce new and wondrous products.

Really? Doesn't that describe any company that creates a product? Ben & Jerry's continually works on new and wondrous ice cream flavors to increase demand and profits. Are they evil too?

In the past two years, the top richest in the country have increased their wealth something like 4x and during the same time, everyone else has gotten poorer. I think there is a connection there. People are spending money for fancy high tech gizmos and making themselves poorer; but the companies that produce these gizmos are getting richer and richer.

Yes, that's true. Henry Ford envisioned making high tech gizmos, fast enough, and cheap enough, so that even the lower class people could afford one. He also got extremely wealthy in the process. Was he an evil man?

I'm sick and tired of this class envy, socialist crap that being spewed. Stupid people, climb in their cars, drive to a store, willingly spend money on high tech junk......................and somehow, because the companies that make the junk are profitable, it's their fault that there's a widening gap between rich and poor. Bullsh*t!!

As long as companies and individuals are operating within the law, it doesn't matter how much money they are making...........................and no one else is entitled to it.

Are there unfair loopholes within the law that should be changed? Sure.

But let's not forget, these loopholes were created by our elected politicians, which have become nothing but whores. Get mad at them...............attacking the wealthy will accomplish nothing.

The real threat to our society, is not the high tech companies and rich people.............................it's people like you being lured into the belief that everything that's wrong is their fault.....................that will ultimately destroy us.

The rich get richer because they don't spend all their money on useless junk. The poor get poorer because they want everything NOW, and go into debt so they can have it NOW, whether they need it or not. The poor are consumers. The rich are savers, and know how to plan for the future...

Any way, that's how this particular poor man sees it.

There is considerably more greed on the low end of the economic scale than there is on the upper end. Gates and Buffet are not the first to give their fortunes to charity- think of the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, Mellon University...How many poor folks are building universities and libraries?

All of this talk is scary enough, but to hear it coming from ron.........................................I don't know. A person of his generation should know better.

Nothing personal ron. I have to wonder though, when you look around at everything you own, how much of it can be attributed to the fact that you were able to work for profitable companies that were run by rich people?

The current attitude takes everything that made the US an economic giant and turns it on it's head.

My question is, once we've leveled the playing field and brought the corporate titans and rich people to their knees..............................then what?

commerce does not happen in a vacumn

the infrastructure that makes our consumer market possible needs to be maintained

in any organization maintenance is never a profit center

we need balance

there is no right to make money, access to our consumer market continues to be undervalued

I don't understand what you're getting at.

I do understand that if we took the time to disseminate almost any problem that exists in the US, we would find that the government is at the root, in some way, shape or form, of most all of them.

We're going way off topic here, but following my little rant yesterday, I went into a hypothetical exercise. In my exercise I decided that I wanted to start my own business, buy a hot dog stand, and sell hot dogs in the closest city to me, Raleigh, NC.

I quit when I came up with 5 separate state and city agencies that I would have to satisfy and pay,(just reading the online rules for each agency would take a full day)..........................I didn't even get to the required insurance, federal tax ID #, etc......................and this is to sell a hot dog, I can't imagine trying to start a manufacturing facility. I'm sure most "would be" entrepreneurs simply find that they can't afford it, or that it's just not worth it.

If we want to level the playing field, it's not about punishing the rich, it's about creating an atmosphere where guys like you and me can build, sell something, and have the freedom to get rich too if we feel so inclined.

I don't agree that you will find the government as the root problem

the rules didn't appear out of thin air

they were a reaction to some abuse of the market

as a consumer I would rather eat hogs that have less rat shyt in them, which is why you end up with USDA at the hotdog plant

if all the meatpackers acted responsibly throughout history, there would be no need for regulation

if some dumbass vendor hadn't stored his dogs in tepid water & made a bunch of people sick there wouldn't be time & temp regs

we can keep going down the list to figure out the origin of the rules...

the question is how do we reduce the duplication of efforts amongst the regulators & increase the efficiency of the overall systems?

There you go slipping off track again. I think the USDA is a necessary evil, for the exact reasons you pointed out.

Back to my hot dog cart. The fees for my little business will go toward keeping a minimum of 3 state and city entities running..................that's before taxes, insurance and overhead. Taxes will include city, county, state and federal.

At the end of the day, no one is going to be making sure my hot dog water is hot but me. Since I'm interested in making money, and not making people sick, I'm going to buy the best hot dogs I can find, and make sure they're hot and delicious. I want people to know me on a first name basis and come back day after day...........................................it's not going to happen though, because by the time the various government entities are done picking me clean, it won't be worth it.

the county health department is probably the ones who will inspect you for safe operation

on some issues they defer to the state, who will also be collecting taxes, so you will need their approval, which will possibly require a federal tax ID number [people were not paying their taxes & brought that about]

the city is probably the ones issuing a business license & zoning, where you will be allowed to operate, which came about because the restaurants, weren't thrilled by the competition & your lack of overhead

you will probably be using propane [or a really long extension cord] so there will be some approvals required [one of your predecessors blew up & brought that about]

when it comes to the fees you pay, they probably don't cover the expenses involved, so your cart is being subsidized...

there are too many agencies involved, the regulation scheme isn't coordinated & comprehensive enough,

too much duplication, every little pain in the butt step in the process, came about in reaction to some jackwad trying to get over on the rest of us

the NASCAR effect, if there are rules, people will push the envelope to try to gain an advantage

Yes. Throughout every business, the bad apples will screw it up for everybody.

At what point though, do we regulate ourselves into absolute stagnation?

Our government is setting itself up to regulate everything to the point that all potential business owners start off as bad apples. Punishment is imposed before any wrong has been committed.

My answer would be to relax the regulatory restrictions, use laws that make sense, and make the punishment so severe on the bad apples that no one in their right mind would try to game the system.

That way the honest people would stand a chance of making an honest living.

Right now everything has become so convoluted, that only the bad apples are able to thrive. Politicians, lobbying and votes are expensive.

The government works for us. They are our employees. It's time to remind them of that. They have forgotten....................if we forget, we're finished.

Right-left, black-white, gay-straight................it doesn't matter. If we willingly cede our ability to think for ourselves to the government in the name of staying employed, staying safe, staying fed, etc...........................we we all be equal alright......................equally screwed.

getting off topic. I agree with the greed part. Late 90's it seem that most average joes thought they were finaciail genius. And worked right into Bernie Madoff parlor. I reluctantly but fortunatly listened to my dad and survived the gutting.

What I'm trying to get across is: companies like Apple introduce Ipads and all the other Ixxxxx products. Sure they can do fantastic things, but after a while, you will run out of applications amd have to pay to access the applications. That little Iphone that cost you $100 will now cost you hundreds a month for the applications. The same thing with satelite TV; For a basic fee of $19.95/month, you will get a few programs, most that are not worth watching. If you want to watch a boxing match, basketball game, the latest movie, showtime, etc, you will pay extra, a lot extra. I mentioned the superbowl earlier. Anyone who wants to watch a game that was previously free now must pay or do without. High tech companies have realized that they can up the ante, once the public gets hooked. This applies to media companies as well. Tv has gotten to the point, at least for me, that I can't afford it any longer. I would get rid of it entirely if it wasn't for the missus. I live on a fixed income and every penny has to be accounted for. A simple thing like watching TV becomes too expensive. I too am a tool junkie, but I haven't bought any new tool for many years now. Fortunately, I acquired all my tools many years ago, when they were of good quality and I was part of the work force.

I have been around much too long to not see how the world has changed and how it affects people like me. I don't expect the youngsters to understand. It will be many years before they see the effects on their lives. I am not cheap, but frugal. I was brought up with a work ethic and waste was not a word in my language. Over the 77 years, I have learned to live within my means. I never bought the latest and greatest, never flew first class and never drove a car costing more than $30K

We're on the same page here ron.

Tv has gotten to the point, at least for me, that I can't afford it any longer.

TV has got to the point, at least for me, that it's no longer worth watching. Fortunately, I've never been a sports junkie, so that doesn't come into play in the least.

People will always make and sell things. People will buy them..............remember the pet rock.......................that guy's still laughing.

The trick is, not to get hooked in the first place. I don't buy any of this junk. The things that always mattered to me, still matter.

Quiet

Working with my hands

Spending time outdoors

Cooking

Hanging out with friends

Just because the multimedia crack pipe is available, doesn't mean we have to take a hit.

"the top richest in the country have increased their wealth something like 4x and during the same time, everyone else has gotten poorer. I think there is a connection there. People are spending money for fancy high tech gizmos and making themselves poorer; but the companies that produce these gizmos are getting richer and richer."

So, who is making the choice to spend the money on more crap they don't need? It isn't the developers and manufacturers that are twisting the arms of people to buy their products. People make the choice on their own as to whether they will spend money they don't have, on a depreciating value item, and on something they don't really need anyway. It just goes to show how weak we are mentally in this society.

That is part of what makes the disparity between the haves and have-nots so great. The people with money think about their finances differentlly and buy toys, trinkets, etc. with the money from investments, not from their capital. Poor people buy crap they don't need with money they don't have because they think it is their right, they deserve it or they simply want it. They then find leveraging (interest) working against them at exorbitant rates.

It isn't necessarily people who make a good income who are getting richer, it is simply people who live on much less than they make and handle money wisely. Read The Millionaire Next Door and see the difference in how people view money.

I know there are exceptions and that there are people who don't make much, live frugally and still have a hard time making ends meet. My heart and my money go out to them when I know they are doing the best they can.

So, who is making the choice to spend the money on more crap they don't need?

True, its actually has to do more with economics. Supplying the costumers needs.

The question comes back to, what drives the market; the manufacturer of goods and services or the consumer?

I say it is primarily the consumer who drives the market. One example of this is sheetrock that has come into production in the last number of years. In residential and many commercial construction sites there are lots of ceilings with a height of 9' so they started producing 54" wide SR to eliminate some additional joints to finish. The consumer drove the mfgr. to produce a new product.

The manufacturer can make all kinds of goods but if the consumer doesn't need it, want it, they fail with that product. An entrepreneur can visualize a need for a product and produce it and maybe the consumer will buy in or not.

The purpose of much advertising is to help/lead people to be dissatisfied with what they have and want something new. And, maybe in that way the mfgr. does drive the market, but the consumer is the one that votes with their feet and money. No one can force them to purchase goods or services. The community of consumers will determine whether the mfgr. has supplied a good product.

... I think we agree on this.

How will government, privacy, and entertainment change?

Three questions in one.

A. Government will not change- it will continue to attempt to insinuate itself in every aspect of your life, with the intention of controlling everything you do.

B. Privacy has been an illusion for many, many years.

C. Entertainment options increase- after all, we now have CR4 to while away the hours...

Will most people benefit from the changes? How?

People will benefit in whatever ways they chose. Or not.

Can society control what the future will bring? Should it?

Society can control only that which the individual allows it to control. Some people need more external control than others. It is really your choice.

I use a 5 year old cell phone that I purchased for something like $30.00, and I have no "contract"- I buy minutes as I need them. I don't really need anything else. It works. I know people who have $500 smart phones that don't work. They borrow my cheap phone to make phone calls in emergencies.

I hardly ever watch TV. We subscribe to Cable TV because the wife likes to go to sleep with the TV on. I usually wait until after she falls asleep and I can turn the TV off before I join her. Then I wake her up...Later, she turns the TV back on till she falls asleep again...I move out to the balcony until she falls asleep again...Yes, life is more complicated with TV, but I can live with it.

Over the last few years, I have found it harder and harder to find decent books worth reading. This may have something to do with the fact that I live in a non-English speaking community. Looking at what is generally available in e-books, I don't think e-books will improve the situation, though. So I haven't invested in a Kindle...