Blog on news
I read an article titled “ISPs create tangled Web of sneaky fees” by Bob Sullivan. The article is about how a DSL broadband company Verizon snuck hidden fees into its customer’s bills because the government tax to the internet users was dropped so Verizon applied a “Supplier Surcharge”. Instead of forwarding that charge, the company would just pocket the fee. In my opinion, this is very unethical action. The majority of customers do not know a lot about computers and the internet, and that is not justification for internet providers to take advantage of the customers’ ignorance. They tried to send a cozy letter explaining the situation about the dropped tax, and said their fees would be slightly decreased, but did not explain the new surcharge. Many careful bill readers caught this, but competition is supposed to keep companies honest, and I don’t see how that can fit into this situation. The article makes a point that consumers really don’t know what they are paying for, and that creates a sort of apples-to-apples mentality. Each company has a pro and con, which makes them equal. Companies make up for this mentality by lying about how fast and efficient their product is. I like how the writer uses the example of how car companies say that their newly produced car gets 45 mpg, but with the normal driver it really only gets 30-35mpg. Internet providers have many problems with their product, but usually avoid losing a customer by blaming the problem on their computer.
Blog of Choice
For this blog of choice, I have chosen to talk about a very big interest of mine; running. I got into in my sophomore year of high school, and haven’t stopped yet. I decided to run cross country in my senior year of high school. We ran about forty miles per week. At times it was hard. Running six miles a day in 90 degree heat was the hardest, but going to meets every weekend and having my family, friends, and coaches cheer me one was the best part of it. I made varsity in the middle of the season and got to become a much better runner. I made a lot of friends on the team, some that I am still friends with. I got to run in the regional race, and I did pretty well, but our team didn’t go onto states. I had two goals that year. One goal was to make varsity and the other was to graduate with a 4.0 gpa, and I completed both. I was very proud of myself that year. Running is really the only time I can think things through the best way, and the way I can totally clear my mind. One lifetime goal I have is to complete a marathon before I die. I am currently training for a half-marathon, and after that I will start training for a marathon. Not to mention running is the best form exercise, and you can avoid certain injuries if you run smart.