Don't Back Down

So I saw how Jeremy tested his cellular connection at the DSLReports speedtest site, and I figured I would do the same. No, not test my cellular connection, but test my standard cable connection. I think Time Warner advertises it as 3Mbps, but I'm not certain. It's always just been "fast enough".

I tried each of the three test sites, and found that I pretty regularly get about 350Kbps upload speed.

The download speed, though, varied wildly, and was very dependent on the site selection. At Speakeasy, for instance, I regularly received reports of over 4Mbps downloading! Meanwhile, at Megapath, I received numbers ranging from 468Kbps to 766Kbps. Naturally, I also tried the Linkline site, and it gave me absolutely no confidence in any of the tests, by providing results squarely in the middle - at 2500Mbps. End result? I have no idea of my download speed. Anyone know of a reliable speed test?

Barry Bonds is all up in arms (again) about the use of steroids in baseball. Others are all uptight about the sanctity of records from a time when there were no steroids in baseball. Frankly, I don't see why we care.

Obviously there is a call for steroid use. If there wasn't, why would anyone do it? Why would these guys be pumping up - be it on their own or with some assistance - if there was no call for the results of their actions? And that's the problem. You don't want steroids to tarnish the game, fine. Be content to sit around and watch a handful of hits and the occasional rarity of a home run.

You want to go to the ballpark and watch 'em hit into the seats with some regularity, you know the cost. Deal with it already.

Social Security may or may not be worth saving. Much as with Girl Scout Cookies, the issue is probably one of framing.

To be quite clear: The Social Security program isn't an investment. I think that's the most difficult concept for me to get through my head. I'm not socking away money so that I'll have it later when I retire. I'm providing it so that the government can give it to someone else.

While I don't necessarily have a problem with giving to those less fortunate, I really dislike that we're absolutely forced to do so. You simply cannot opt-out of Social Security. On occasion, you may be able to get off a spammer's mailing list. Not Social Security. Once you're in, you're in for good.

I can understand the concept behind the program - providing a safety net of sorts for people who are unable to provide their own. What really torks me, though, is that it's one more example (in a growing list of them) of how our country is governed to the least common denominator.