Rural Connectivity

As I mentioned a couple of posts back, one of the biggest drawbacks to living in the country is having to put up with slower speed connections. As we discussed this move, one of my big reservations was having to deal with limited Internet connectivity. I am an Internet addict and it is the one link that I have with the world in general. Not having Internet here would be, well, unimaginable.

My only frame of reference was when I lived in this area many years back. I was a system administrator for a small ISP that covered a large geographical area. At that time, 56k modems had just entered the market. In most places, 9600 was about as fast as you could run, regardless of the modem upgrades. Usually it was less. The facilities were simply not in place for data communications. Needless to say, we had unhappy customers because they had just bought the latest and greatest 28.8 or 33.6 modem and their connection was just as crappy as with their old 14.4 modem. That's another story, though.

So I investigated options, satellite being the one option that seemed to be the only alternative to slow dialup. However, this also caused a monumental problem, because one of the contracts I had obtained required VPN connectivity. Satellite and VPN are two things that do not go well together, as you probably already know. Plus, satellite is terribly expensive and very few people that I have talked to who have it have much good to say about it.

So I was talking with some people who live out here, and they told me that there is DSL available. I was completely shocked, it had not even entered my mind. Of course, the local phone company did not have any information on their web site, so I had to call to get the details. I was still a little skeptical, but since the house we were going to live in was a short walk from the local switching office, I knew I would have a good chance of a fairly decent connection.

After it was all said and done, we ended up with DSL. It is much cheaper than satellite, running about $35 per month. During the evening hours, I easily can go over 1.5MB, but during the week day, I am lucky to sustain 700k. Not that I'm complaining, I'm still amazed that this is even possible in an area this remote. I also found out that the network admin for the phone company is a person I used to know quite well. He has also been helpful in throwing some business my way.

I was working on a computer the other day for a person who is in an even more remote area. That connection was pathetic, 21k reliably over dialup. As we talked, I learned that the phone company was trying to upgrade some equipment in some of their stations and that DSL may become a possibility for them. It is worth noting that the local phone company, like the electric provider, is a cooperative. Basically, they're not the evil phone company that many of you may know. When you call the office, a real person answers the phone. Hard to imagine, I know.

I must admit, that I'm not too savvy on the whole DSL world. We have always had cable access, and have explored that in depth. Sometimes enough to get a letter from the provider(s). Anyway...

I am hoping, as I have some time, to learn more about DSL and how it is implemented in the rural areas such as this. I would think that if it can be done here, that it must be being done in other areas similar to this. So for those of you considering what I have done, you may not have to give up the high speed internet. Granted, it's not 5MB, but it's certainly better than dialup and has not been a hindrance whatsoever with any of my projects.

Receipt Checkers

Something that has been a minor annoyance has seemed to get more common lately. This is checking receipts at the door as you leave a retail establishment. I am not talking about places like Costco or Sam's Club, where the receipt check is part of the membership agreement. At least in those places, I know that it is required and that to become a member requires I allow their employees to search my purchases.

Two days ago, I was at Wal-Mart and purchased three items. I stood in line well over ten minutes and watched as the receipt checker carried her duties to the extreme. What bothered me more than her looking in women's purses, opening up items people had bought and just generally being way too zealous, was that these people were watching and consenting to this. As I watched this happen, I became aware that this apathetic attitude toward invasions of our privacy are the reason we will soon be a country completely willing to let anyone do anything to us. As long as it fights terror or keeps the prices low on chinese crap at Wal-Mart, people will put up with just about anything.

As I watched her go about her job, I knew it was going to be a fight. The last time I was at this particular Wal-Mart and the receipt checker was out, I purchased a bag of dog food. On that exit attempt, the woman actually got in front of me, and stopped me from leaving. Normally I just say "no" and walk past them when they ask to see my receipt and there are no problems. But she was actually preventing me from leaving. So I said no, and she just stood there, a battle of wills. So I asked her, "are you accusing me of stealing this?" She seemed taken aback and just said "no." But she did not move. So finally, I had to show her the receipt to leave. And I have regretted not taking a stand ever since.

As I continued to watch her, I also noticed she wasn't checking everyone's receipt. The "random" check appeared to only affect those who did not have items in bags -- even if they were too large to fit in bags. Oh yeah, and minorities, even if they did have stuff bagged. All of the women who had to have their purses examined were minorities. Unbelievable.

So as I'm leaving, she comes running over and tells me that she needed to see my receipt. I just replied, "no, you don't," and kept walking. I did not look back and she said something to me, but I did not hear it. From there, I went straight home and wrote a letter to Wal-Mart, both the store and their corporate office, explaining how violated and insulting this is to customers. I felt better, but I doubt anything will change.

What they do not seem to understand, or at least acknowledge that they understand, is that by asking to see a receipt, they are by default accusing that person of stealing the item. Why people are not insulted by this and just let it happen exasperates me.

So why would I feel that this is anything of concern? Call me paranoid, but this is how people are conditioned to accept and comply with unreasonable requests. If you could go back in time and tell airport travelers ten years ago that they would have to take their shoes off and not have any liquids to fly on an airplane in a few years, what do you think the reaction would be? People complain about this all the time. Scientists have commented on the likelihood of destroying an airplane with liquids. Yet we all still put up with it.

Wal-Mart is large part of many people's lives, whether they choose it or not. For many people across this country, Wal-Mart is the only source of media, food and other essentials because everything else is gone. And when people will accept this treatment from a minimum wage worker at Wal-Mart, it will not be hard for them to accept having it done by a person in authority, such as a police officer on the street at any time. Every day, I am more and more apprehensive about the future of our nation.

The Country Life

So when I talk about country life, I am not exaggerating. We are extremely remote and the nearest civilization with a gas station is 30 miles away. The nearest library, 40 miles. This was a big adjustment for us, since we have been used to having everything available virtually a few minutes away for the past few years. Not to mention, a much larger income.

I grew up in this area, so if one is to call a place "home," this is one of the two places I would classify in that category. Like most hackers I had a very difficult time in school. For one thing, there is no way to be different in a place like this. Everyone participates in activites. Since sports are the only activities, well, that's what you have. Since I am not a sports person, I'll leave your imagination to figuring out just how much fun life for me was.


All of that aside, it is truly an amazing and unique place to live. The solitude and peace are unmatched. While there are many more scenic rural places one could live, we have a unique opportunity in this place. First of all, the rent is the right price, free. I live in the house I grew up in and trade keeping up the place and improving it for staying free. Second, there are not technology services available for 60 miles in any direction.


This last part was what was the motivating factor of this move. I had no desire to be a business person, but my job was going to kill me. I want to make enough money to survive, maybe do some fun things and anything else is just extra. We knew when we made this move that money would be tight, and we have not been wrong. However, we are now almost eight months into this adventure, and I am busier than I ever imagined.

Web sites, cleaning up spyware infections, technical support, writing for local media, and a variety of other tasks have taken a large part of my time. And the trend seems to continue, as I have received some grants to design some more web pages for communities. It is starting to take off, and, frankly, I'm nervous about my time in the upcoming months.

Save for the limitations of high speed internet access, people here are very receptive to technology and fascinated with the knowledge that I have brought with me. So, when I look out my window at night and can see the stars, I know something about this place that I did not see when I lived here in my youth. It's no better or worse than anywhere else, just different.

A New Beginning

There has been a long lapse in time since I have posted any thoughts here on this page. It has entered my mind frequently over the past few months, and the easiest way to break the ice is to just post. An explanation is in order, I believe. I doubt that anyone reads this with any great frequency, but for the one or two people who may take a look at this, I apologize for this absence.

A lot of changes have happened since this posting. Some major life changes and internal exploration have brought me and my family to the point we are today. Long story short, we have moved to the country and I am now a hacker in the country. And I'm not talking about suburban "country," I am talking about 80 miles from a city of reasonable size.

For those of you who have ever thought of packing it all up and living in the country, it's really not that bad. Having grown up in a rural area, I guess I have a point of reference, but there are advantages to both types of living. I'm going to be sharing some stories over the next few posts, and hope to take this project to a level of sharing some experience or offering expertise.

Until a later time, thanks for visiting.