It has been something like ten years since I had an AOL account.  It was in my dialup days, and I found AOL marginally useful, that is, until they discontinued a couple of services I found interesting (the ONLY features I found useful) because not enough people used them.  I kept the account even after this because I thought the occasional surf might be of value.  It was then that one of my sons discovered AOL on my computer (I think he was around 13), and in one month managed to rack up over $175 in connection charges (my previous record had been $20 or so).  Of course, I went ballistic, and decided that AOL was no longer of any value to me, wahtsoever.  So, I attempted cancel it.  Oh, my word!

I kid you not, when I called up the "customer service" rep on the other end of the line told me that accounts could only be cancelled within a few days before their "monthiversaries".  This event in my case was not to take place for another couple of weeks, so I would have to call back in two weeks, I was told.  I was a little incredulous, but I let myself be persuaded to go along with this.  Naturally, I forgot all about it until the next time AOL charged my account.  When this happened, I did a Homer Simpson "doh!" and resolved to call them up at the proper time in a few more weeks.  Hah.  It took me about four months before I finally followed through, and during this time I did at least uninstall the AOL software and never used it again.  When I managed to call up at the "right" time to request cancellation I got a very big song and dance, but it only took about twenty or thirty minutes to exhaust the "customer service" rep's repertoire of delays and stick vs carrot routines before he finally agreed to cancel the account.  I thought everything would be OK after this, but of course the comedy didn't end there: the next month there was an AOL charge again.  I called them up and had to go through all kinds of gyrations to get them to recognize that my account was supposedly cancelled, and to make it take effect this time.  Of course, I was still charged the next month.  To make a long story short, the only way I managed to finally get them off my back was to have my credit card issuer issue me a new card with a new number, and then their attempts to charge me failed.  Long story still not short enough: they continued to accrue the charges for my account for about three months, sending me dunning letters threatening my credit rating before I finally wrote them a letter telling them that I had no intention of paying them a single cent ever, in my entire future life, and that if they sent me one more dunning notice or attempted in any way to affect my credit rating they would be hearing from my lawyer.  That finally silenced them.  But I swore in my wrath that I would never, ever, have anything at all to do with AOL.  And I haven't.  And no, I didn't then, and I still don't have a lawyer; but I bet I could find one, if I needed one.

This was over ten years ago, and if I thought AOL had changed its ways since then, that thought has gone out the door after hearing the audio on the following link.  Enjoy!

http://www.break.com/index/aolhell.html

7/3/2006 6:20:09 AM UTC      Comments [0]Trackback

I can't believe I'm writing this.

Yesterday was my last day of training in Seattle, and that was a magic week in some respects.  I should write all about it (and I will, perhaps backdating the entries to make them seem like I was writing them at the time).  But one of the first things I did this morning was to look at the various other blogs I follow (and sort of follow), and wouldn't you know it, Dooce had a semi-profound -- no, make that actually profound -- entry.  Dooce's blog contained a link to The Alpha Mom, something I had never heard of before, which is a motherhood (or maybe parenthood)-related website, and she is apparently some sort of columnist for that site.

I am not a fan of Britney Spears.  Although I actually think she sings beautifully, and I don't mind listening to her songs when they come on the radio, my primary attitude toward this young woman, seen apart from her music, was disdain and looking-down-the-line-of-my-nose disapproval of her lifestyle, or of what I knew of her lifestyle, which since I really didn't follow it, wasn't much.  I particularly did not like the way she dressed, inspiring young girls to go out and dress like tarts.

But Dooce has changed at least part of my attitude about Ms. Spears.  I won't pontificate any further on it.  Just go read it:

http://www.alphamom.com/site/dooce/2006/06/28/post_3.html

7/1/2006 5:11:52 PM UTC      Comments [0]Trackback

I have never ever been to Pike Place Market.  Amazing, isn't it?  I took my lunch break today walking around downtown.  One vague goal was to possibly locate the Market.  I walked down Union and at the bottom looked both ways on 1st Ave and decided to go left (to the southeast).  It was a coin toss, and of course I lost.  No Pike Place Market.  Lots of interesting places, however!  There was this Irish Pub and Grill called Fado'.  http://www.fadoirishpub.com/  I was theoretically on my lunch break, but walking around and looking at things was more interesting, so although I walked into Fado' I didn't get anything to eat there.  Nobody else in there seemed to be eating, either, actually, as the whole place was watching the World Cup Soccer match between France and Spain, on TV's strategically placed all over.

6/28/2006 2:05:12 AM UTC      Comments [0]Trackback

Actually, it might seem unduly harsh to say that the US education system was deliberately set up to produce the results we see.  If the Gentle Reader prefers, than I submit Jerry Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy (see Wikiquote) as a way out of the apparent malice:

Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representatives who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions.

While the above may still seem to be somewhat malicious, I will carry the point further and remind everyone that it is better not to ascribe to malice what may just as easily be ascribed to incompentence.  Or, for that matter, the Law of Unintended Consequences.

6/27/2006 7:18:42 AM UTC      Comments [0]Trackback

One of my favorite Microsoft programmers is Harry Pierson.  Harry blogs, and his blog is very worthwhile to read, for programmers.  Occasionally also for non-programmers.  One of Harry's recent blog entries had to do with schooling.  He wrote, in Against School, that

I've long had issues with the education system (I'd say "of this country" but it's fairly universal) but I couldn't ever articulate them. I've been known to say stuff like "a diploma is evidence of attendance, not intelligence" and "never let school stand in the way of your education". I got better at understanding the problem after reading The Third Wave. Toffler points out the need for an industrial society to have a mass education system to turn children into factory workers. But Toffler doesn't really get into the downside of the mass education approach the way Gatto does. Note to self, pick up Gatto's book The Underground History of American Education.

Which is a wonderful sentiment.  The entire entry and its links are worth following up on. 

Incidentally, Mrs. Pierson, who is by training a school teacher (ironically enough), also blogs as The Techie Wife.  Her blog happens to be one my frequent stops on the Information Superhighway as well.  Harry and she have two cute kids and Mrs. Pierson's true tales of domesticity are fascinating.  Due to the subject of education coming up on Harry's blog, Mrs. Pierson (I'm sure she has a first name  but I can't remember if I've ever seen it written) felt compelled to get up on her Education Soap Box.  She writes:

My husband has had an education chat going on his blog for some time. Many people are touting that the current school system, well the Uited States Education system on the whole really, was designed after an indistrialization model thereby creating a society of working class obedient people. It was designed to teach people to follow, not lead. Designed to create a class of people that could be lead by the few who could either afford a better private education or somehow because of their brain and tenacity rise out of the trenches of the public school system and lead anyway.

Which restates her husband's case.  She then goes to describe her history as a teacher, and it is clear that she is passionate and devoted to the profession.  All of which is very very admirable -- and I would have wanted such a teacher as she to teach my children, that is certain.  Unfortunately, I didn't often get that kind.

But though she restates Harry's position, Mrs. P never actually answers it.  She describes the many problems in the nation's public schools, and in the end seems to hold parents (and society) responsible for not holding up their end of the task of education, and for expecting the school system to take over their own responsibilities.  This is an old charge, and The Techie Wife is not the first to raise it.

But what is going on here, anyway?  Educational saints like Horace Mann and others back in the 19th century worked tirelessly to that very end of taking the responsibility for education away from parents, to place it into the secure, reliable hands of the state.  And over time, the state education authority has continued the fight to make parents more and more bystanders with regard to their children's education. 

Take one example, that of sex education.  Supposedly, parents said to the schools: "You teach the kids sex ed, we are too busy working and dont have time! Teach them wrong from right while you are at it, ok? I am busy."

But is this what happened?  I know my parents weren't lobbying the school board to teach me sex ed.  My Dad told me the essentials somewhat before the elementary school put me and my classmates through some gender-segregated sessions concerning The Period.  I remembered about that, but I don't remember if they talked about wet dreams with the boys (I doubt it).  They certainly did not make a single mention of the sex act.  It was too early for that.  I don't mean that it was too early for us, age-wise, but too early for society.  That had to wait until our day.  If you want to change the culture, radical steps are the wrong way to go. 

This gradual taking over was not occurring because parents or society were getting lazy and expecting school to do it for them, but because social mechanics and engineers wanted to "fix" society.

Think I'm blowing smoke?  Check out:

The Educational System Was Designed to Keep Us Uneducated and Docile

In which it is written:

In 1888, the Senate Committee on Education was getting jittery about the localized, non-standardized, non-mandatory form of education that was actually teaching children to read at advanced levels, to comprehend history, and, egads, to think for themselves. The committee's report stated, "We believe that education is one of the principal causes of discontent of late years manifesting itself among the laboring classes."

and:

The famous philosopher and educator John Dewey wrote in 1897:

Every teacher should realize he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of the proper social order and the securing of the right social growth.

Read the entire referenced article in which these appear.

Mrs. Pierson is one of a greatly admirable group of professional educators who really do want to make a difference, and if given the chance WILL make a difference.

But the system is deliberately set up to foil the efforts of the most dedicated professionals; this is why the system "works" the way it does.  And why it will continue to function in the exact same way.

6/27/2006 4:51:11 AM UTC      Comments [1]Trackback

I am in Seattle all this week for training.  The subject matter is ASP.NET 2.0, and I am taking two classes.  After the first day I can say that this class is going to be very worthwhile.  It is not lecture format, but hands on.  I have learned a lot today.  I am looking forward to tomorrow!

6/27/2006 2:45:53 AM UTC      Comments [0]Trackback

It looks like fun for the entire week next week!

I'll be spending the entire week in-training at NetDesk.  Two classes, both on ASP.NET 2.0, and the class will be in Seattle.  I'll be away from work, but able to post here still, so I hope to record my experiences both in class and out of class.

6/26/2006 3:35:46 AM UTC      Comments [0]Trackback