Sometimes I like to write bits and pieces about things we all encounter. I enjoy remarks from my readers and once in awhile they give me ideas to address.
Recently, I read about a new electricity use offer. The article stated electric companies are considering offering variable use charges based upon the time of day usage occurs.
Is this idea new? I recall my childhood home had two electric meters. I’m not totally sure how they were set up but my parents paid close attention to the time of day hot water could be used for baths. There was also a time of day favorable to use electric stoves and ovens. Apparently the cost varied by the time of day the use took place. Sure seems just like what’s being offered as new today.
Infinity is the new spin on cable I guess. The company claims the way cable is delivered now is government mandated. This may be true but it is also very helpful to the cable companies. It gives them total control of every channel received by their customers. In order to get a specific channel you wish to view, you have to buy a group plan of channels you don’t want. I was told this was the new way cable service was provided. There is also a new way repair of your TV is provided. You talk to people in foreign countries who direct you through steps to perform your own service. Yes – this is new. We are all becoming TV repair people!
With all the “cable upgrades” that have occurred, we have one we could have done without. The constant notices flashing across the screen telling us the cable company has found a problem with our service. No kidding, why do they find it necessary to interrupt programming to deliver this message? Why does it happen almost daily? This actually is new and what happened last week was new; after the notice was posted the TV, Internet and any other related cable service was out all day and into the night.
The cable box we were told was free is old, previously used. The idea of the box was around years ago and upgraded as no longer necessary. The new free box, up to three per household, has now become a new added cost as a digital adapter appearing on everyone’s bill. If you turn your service off when you leave the area, you are charged $20 a month to store the box for them. That is new.
Someone told me if you just cancel your service when you go on vacation for an extended time, when you return and sign up again you get all the new customer perks. Does that really work?
OK that was longer than a bit.
How about items that state they are 100 percent fat free? Does that mean you get free fat? If you read the ingredients you will really wonder about that fat and how some items can be marketed as “all natural” like ice cream. The “all natural” includes a long list of preservatives. Many ice creams now are referred to as frozen deserts. Unlike ice creams of the past, these frozen deserts,pretending to be ice cream, have a “best by” stamp dated over a year from purchase. Next time you pick up your ice cream check out the ingredients list, ugh.
Where does E. coli come from? Can we smell it? I only ask because our beaches were doing fine all summer with no problems until recently. When the liquefied cattle waste was sprayed on the farmlands last week the smell was terrible, especially in a resort vacation area. Shortly after we could take a breath safely, our beaches were closed due to contamination.
Is there a connection?
My list continues but my space is gone. More later.