esrosedotblog

OOOMPH RETURNS

I am pretty much back up on full internet power.

We have had three days of low energy on the cable.

Slow. Recalcitrant.

Today. I talked to my neighbor who also has TimeWarner Cable and happens to be a computer tutor. He says he had the same thing and so did many of his clients.

He explains that it is the result of the extreme weather that we have had here for two weeks.

Wind, sand, a lot of water.

The TimeWarner equipment is built for urban temperate environments.

The long periods of heat break down the system slowly and continually.

Then, when the rain comes and the sand gets into the system everything goes to hell.

The phone company is the same.

Not only do they put 'normal' equipment in an abnormal environment, the installers figure that no rain means no caulking or sealant. Careless work.

Then comes the deluge and we are out all over.

The other factor to consider is that when the electrical power goes off everything about cable gets fucked up.

It has to reboot itself and when it gets dirty and wet that becomes even more difficult.

He said that the TimeWarner modem is notorious for reboot problems after power failure.

A hint about what to do when we get a blackout. Pull the cable on the modem and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then reboot.

I am skeptical about this latter idea. It is an extension of the notion that letting an appliance rest will help it repair itself.

The computer fixer I used and has now moved to Mexico was a big fan of turning things off and letting them sit.

There is some merit to this if there is a static charge that needs to work its way out but I don't really think that is an issue any more.

So that is the theory but I don't believe that either. But I do let the machines rest when I turn them off or restart them. Who knows? There are a lot of things I have not believed that turned out to be true.

Labels: internet, technology