[Tim]

I’ll have to catch up to the language. From a previous post I learned my use of the phrase “answering machine” was wrong and apparently the correct phrase is now “voice mail”.

For example I always thought the word “copy” applied to getting data or music or whatever from one source and putting it on another but then I found out copy is not a good word anymore because it has been replaced with “rip” and “burn”.

So here I am learning “surfing the web” apparently does not only mean looking up stuff on the internet, it apparently also means using the internet to see movies.

To prove my Neanderthal status I have not yet embraced the concept of using a phone for anything other than talking to someone. I use a camera to take pictures, a computer to access the internet, and a garage door opener to open the garage door. I actually use the GPS feature in the car or bus for navigation, not a phone.

I do occasionally binge watch Netflix and it enters my house on a Comcast cable which is my home internet connection. However I have a business account so I get three phone lines (sometimes referred to as landlines) and unlimited very high speed internet connectivity with NO LIMITATIONS.

Cars are no longer cars and my new car proves it. Everytime it is started it says I have a WiFi connection. As if I care.

[Archived]

Good info on Netflix Andy, didn’t know it was adjustable.

As to my usage, we don’t do any streaming when in the bus, but having 5 devices using data, it goes in a hurry and I can’t determine where and why. I’ve tried all kinds of settings on the devices with no success in reducing usage. The blood suckers at Verizon are no help.

[Larry & Diane]

From personal experience with Verizon they will spend hours trying to accuse you of being the reason your data usage is high. When my fuse got so short I was becoming highly pissed off I started going up the food chain to talk to someone with a brain.

Verizon has a moat built around the people who are supposed to provide support. I even went to a Verizon store and asked someone there to get information to confirm my Jet Pack had gone bad and we literally waited for 45 minutes before a customer support person came on the line.

By then I had been logging all my internet activities and had times when the device was on, data usage, and when it was off. I was accused of downloading movies, computer updates and leaving the Jet Pack on at all times. The final factor in Verizon agreeing the Jet Pack was bad was when they saw it use about 1G around 3 in the morning when I was asleep and the device was turned off. Even after they went back 2 or 3 years and saw I never came close to using 5G they still insisted the high use was my fault.

The starting point to verifying your data use is to record the data every time you complete what you are doing. Turn the device off every time you are done. If the device is your phone, you are screwed unless you have the strength to turn your phone off until you want to use it. It was my usage logs that tipped the scales in my favor and made whatever excessive usage totals go away.

[Archived]

As to my usage, we don’t do any streaming when in the bus, but having 5 devices using data, it goes in a hurry and I can’t determine where and why. I’ve tried all kinds of settings on the devices with no success in reducing usage. The blood suckers at Verizon are no help.

Depending on the websites you’re visiting, you may be able to identify the data hog culprits. I’ll use CNN.com as an example:

If you’ve navigated to CNN.com to simply read a story, you’ve probably noticed that a companion video of the story automatically begins playback. This video is most likely preceded by an advertisement that may or may not be skip-able. This is streaming video and it consumes data. Even if you press pause, in some cases the video file needed for playback has already been downloaded. Understanding that the quality of the video can automatically increase based on your connection speed, it could use more data than you would expect…after all, you simply wanted to read a story, not watch a video. Not to pick on CNN.com, other websites are just as guilty of this practice. Yes, it’s about generating income to the web publisher. Follow the money.

The solution is not one that I would recommend and that’s using ad-blocking software. The reason that I don’t recommend them is that it can punish the smaller, independent free websites such as this one. If you block the ads, you are cutting off their ad views and revenue stream. This revenue can be what keeps them operating without charging the users.

I’ll add that I have found that different browsers handle the auto-play video in different ways. For example, for Mac users, the latest version of Safari seems to be much more user friendly when it comes to reducing the amount of auto-play videos. This can result in a noticeable reduction in bandwidth usage.

Here’s another culprit that could explain 3am mystery charges. Sometimes devices in our bus require an internet connection. In my bus, I have a Tivo OTA (Over the air) DVR. This device updates the grid guide listings and does so during the wee hours. While the data is minimal, there are software and firmware updates that are periodically automatically downloaded…these can be large files. The same holds true if you’re on the bus when a computer update is needed or required. Sometimes these updates can be postponed, and sometimes (when they are security related) they cannot.

I hope this helps understand how data usage can accumulate when doing everyday tasks.

[Archived]

Then as a digital dumbass I have intuitively minimizing data usage. I don’t go to sites unrelated to my email or various bus related groups unless I need to gather information. I avoid the news because most of the time it pisses me off.

I don’t watch movies, I don’t go to sites with videos, I don’t do utube or fakebook and except for personal emails my activities are almost exclusively business oriented.

The amount of emails I get beyond those that filter spam is staggering and I am brutal in trashing them without opening them. That is not a fear of eating up data, but fear of infecting my computer. We cancelled USA Today and our local newspaper a long time ago and the amount of solicitations to re-subscribe just to those is astounding. Add that to emails from everybody and anybody you have ever done business with or visited their site and my email box gets filled.

I bet since buying the new car I have 20 or 30 emails from Chevy, OnStar, Sirius XM, the Ron Fellows driving school and others. It seems I spend my life unsubscribing.

[Fred F.]

I bet since buying the new car I have 20 or 30 emails from Chevy, OnStar, Sirius XM, the Ron Fellows driving school and others. It seems I spend my life unsubscribing.

You may want to open the emails from Fellows!

[Archived]

I’m already signed up for 3/20 and 3/21 for Ron Fellows.

BTW, I just disconnected my OnStar because when a voice came on in the car to advise me of the maintenance status I got mad, but when I got an email from OnStart with a report of my driving I considered the invasion of privacy (all via the internet) crossing the line.

Others may embrace technology but the potential to work against us is starting to outweigh its value to me in certain areas.

[Archived]

Jon’s preferred travel mode.

[Roscoeapproved]

I’m with Jon when it comes to Onstar. I disconnected it for the very same reason.

---

Jeff and Lindsay

91 Marathon XL

[Jim/Chris]

I know this is thread drift, but technology is becoming intrusive. I wanted to buy a new Grand Cherokee but the model we liked had a lane change alert, an adaptive cruise control that would apply the brakes if we tailgated or more importantly if someone passed us and pulled in too close and it would back into a parking space for you. Di hated those features because her concerns is what would happen if something failed.

The deciding factor however was the engine would shut off at stoplights or in stopped traffic to save fuel.

Despite the fact there are ways to turn off every one of those features, even if it meant buying a device to plug into the OBD connector both of us were concerned about hacking or a computer malfunction.

Too bad because we like the new cars but they are going too far.

[Rob]

As a side note, when you unsubscribe from any email list. Those list owners have been known to sell your email address.As the unsubscribe request validates the address..

If you notice an increase in junk emails after you unsubscribe, you will know you got sold.

[Archived]

I agree Jon, I have always been annoyed by anything that I am supposed to be in control of that I cannot. One of the very earliest examples is how when you push the window washer button it sprays then wipes 4 times. Most times 2 wipes is enough and 3 and 4 just smear and streak the window. Another example is traction control. It is so frustrating to be sitting on an inch of snow going slightly up hill and the traction control takes over. If you could just spin your wheels a bit to build up some heat and move some material you could move. Looking back these were the beginning of the trend. The features that you eluded to are the next evolution of how technology is hijacking our control of our machinery. In my opinion technology is going backwards in terms of meaningful improvements in the quality of our lives.

[Walter]

I know this is thread drift, but technology is becoming intrusive. I wanted to buy a new Grand Cherokee but the model we liked had a lane change alert, an adaptive cruise control that would apply the brakes if we tailgated…

When a distracted driver is in your rear view mirror and skids to a stop just short of your car, be glad that vehicle was equipped with a collision mitigation system.

It works for us as well. Let’s face it, as folks get older, reactions slow..it’s a fact of life. While we may not be looking at a phone, should a car in front slam their brakes, there’s comfort in knowing the vehicle may have quicker reactions than a human and reduce the chance of an injury.

[Andy]

I’m with Andy – no matter how good I think I am, I’m not quicker than the Mercedes collision system … if the situation arises, I know the car will stop faster than I ever could. Because it will recognize the closing distance faster than me. And I’m not old yet (at least…. not compared to you guys!)

Could it fail? Sure…. but I should have hit the brake myself. All of the current systems are a great extra backup…. but you’re still the driver…. there isn’t any fully automated driving yet (for us consumers anyway.) Without a system… there is no backup.

I’d rather have the backup than not. I suppose it’s no different than I’d rather have a spare than not.

[Jim/Chris]

I hope I am not stating the obvious or pissing off the tailgaters among us but here is a clue guys.

The best defense against being rear ended it to allow a lot of room in front of your vehicle. That way you will be able to come to leisurely stops and if the jackass that is tailgating behind you doesn’t have to jam on his brakes because you do you have avoided a problem. When I think someone is inattentive and tailgating I make my brake lights come on early, slow down gradually and if necessary or able just change lanes to avoid the moron.

I am not going to wait for every moron that isn’t driving to have a car equipped with automatic braking.