rambling

like none of my other posts do that. I'm driving home from work and stopping at the last stop sign before my street. This car is pulling out of a drive, and the driver (a woman) gives me this look and points to the stop sign mouthing something to the effect of 'you have a stop sign'. Really? Is that why I'm sitting there waiting for her slow ass to pull out of the way? Seriously, was she secretly hoping that I would get mad and hit her so she could collect insurance money or something? Does she think I would hit her even if I didn't see the stop sign? It's not like I'm driving the 'ole 1988 Cavalier I had forever anymore. She's lucky I had more important things to do with my evening than tail her around. Like fry some sausage (buy one, get one free!), play nintendo, and congratulate my roommate on a cool promotion at work.

Charter is an insane company. For those of you who don't know, they are a cable company that serves St. Louis among other markets. My roommate's brother in law works there, and we've been pretty happy with them. And they won big points with me when they fought government attempts to force them to reveal personal data about internet consumers. I think some of the litigation is still ongoing, but my brief google didn't unearth it. But alas, all for naught. You see, they want to charge us about $90 a month for basic cable and high speed internet. SBC will sell me a local phone, DSL, a satellite connection, and my cingular service for about $100 a month. Hmm, which one will I do? I have talked with three different people at Charter, and it's like they have a gun to their head because I get the same scripted "there's nothing I can do for you, this is the regular price" spiel.

Now, Charter is a private company, and they essentially can charge whatever they want. Their two risks are 1) doing enough crappy things to cause people to complain to the city and hence lose their license here, or 2) drive away customers on an individual basis. My apartment is wired for cable, I have a cable modem, and I am currently paying for services. Why on Earth would a company with virtually no marginal cost to providing service to me want me to leave? When SBC makes a story on BusinessWeek's website for their pricing moves ($14.95 for DSL Express) does Charter really think people will pay $39.99 a month just so they don't have to go to the effort of calling SBC to sign up? (And don't quote me their promo rate of $26.99--I'm not eligible for "90 days" as I was told repeatedly). And our basic cable package is almost $50 a month. I still don't understand why no cable company has caved in to consumer demand and offered per channel pricing. I would think there would be a huge first mover advantage in terms of market share and loyalty. But it's a good example of how monopoly power trumps even obvious consumer demands. Cable companies know that if you could stop paying for the crap you don't watch, you would stop paying for the crap you don't watch. Not exactly rocket science. And I'm happy that SBC uses Dish Network rather than DirecTV (owned by News Corp), although Fox News Channel does make good late night TV. I will almost miss it.

So all this means that I will soon be leaving my charter email account. <ndempsey@wustl.edu> will always forward to whatever account I use, and my gmail account is <nsdempsey@gmail.com>.

That's about all I have for now. Enjoy my personality. I think I'm the most INFP, but I've never taken any of the more involved tests to figure that out. What do you think? This is how personalitypage.com describes INFPs in relationships. That sounds pretty much like me. At least as much as any of the other categories that have made those Myer's Briggs dudes famous. Jung kinda got the shaft there. Maybe he's famous overseas. Or was it a she? I don't even know; I'm so uncultured.

Your #1 Match: INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity. Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is. You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience. You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

Your #2 Match: INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

Your #3 Match: INTJ

The Scientist You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems. Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized. You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others. Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you. You would make an excellent scientist, engineer, or programmer.

What's Your Personality Type?