Living in the US, we expect a level of privacy, freedom, and security. We fight for INDEPENDENCE... personal, family, city, state, and country at different levels for everyone. We even have a document created nearly 250 years ago stating our cause around this idea. We don't always remember how truly precious are this independence and freedom.
In Poland, a country that has existed as a recognized nation for the greater part of 1000 years (yes, it was founded as a country in the mid-to-late 900s), there is a lot of pride in the heritage and recent fights for freedoms the US has taken for granted.
Poland was the starting point for World Wars I and II, was ruled by the Soviets and Nazi governments during World War II at different times (Germany and Russia were allies before Hitler turned on Stalin, causing Russia to join the Allied country), then ruled in Communism by the Soviet party for 45 years. The people learned that freedom is something you have to fight for and can never take for granted.
As in all situations, the recent history becomes distant. Distant history seems less relevant. Irrelevant history becomes legend. Legendary history becomes forgotten.
The Poles who lived through the terrors of WWII and suffered through the Communist party's control know this as recent history. The younger generation who grew up in Communism still understand how much worse was life during Communism, but they only experienced the horrors of WWII through the memories of family, so they are moving from recent to distant history... it will be years before WWII becomes legend and forgotten (as with the September 11th attack on the US, may this never be forgotten).
The people are justified maintaining mistrust and suspicion of everyone around them... neighbors, police, government, politicians (okay, maybe this is universal), and foreigners. During WWII, all of these groups betrayed the people of Poland... even neighbors turned in friends out of fear for their own lives and the lives of their family.
Coworkers visiting Poland have commented on the stern, unhappy, and untrusting look of many people they see. I was told that once game shows came to Poland, the contestants had to be trained to look happy that they were winning prizes and money... we see the people jumping and hollering on US game shows and think they must be a little crazy, but they are winning money and excited... the Poles were still suspicious.
I was also told that once the barriers are broken and friendship begins, the people are very warm, supportive, and engaging, but you would not know that by the general outward appearance of the people you pass on the street.
Decades of experiences and freedom lost lead to this cultural shift.
The US can learn from Polish history since US freedom has been mostly challenged from within. When freedom is challenged, we debate, argue, legislate, but rarely truly have to FIGHT. Poland lost independence during WWII and lost freedom to Communism, but they fought when standing up for freedom could mean death, they fought at the "round table" to gain an honest election to determine the future of their country, and they stood and were counted when the Solidarity party gained controlling positions within the government.
Everyone should keep a little mistrust and suspicion and remember to fight for freedom because it is not FREE, but do not let this keep you from enjoying the fruits of those freedoms otherwise it is in vain.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Internet Inequality
All things being equal, they aren't... where media rights and internet access are concerned.
Our expectations of the highly interconnected world with ubiquitous internet access providing higher speeds and bandwidth than ever before falls short when old media industries are afraid and controlling. I am all for businesses protecting their product and making money through ads, sales, and licensing agreements. That is the only way they can/will make new content we will enjoy.
Living in the US has many privileges and services that much of the rest of the world does not get to experience.
- I loved Netflix and playing content through my Roku device directly to my TV. It was a very convenient way to pick movies to watch any time, even movies I had sitting in the DVD player already. Other video services, like Hulu, Crackle, and Amazon video are also available to watch content on a whim.
- Online audio streaming services, like Pandora, let you create your own radio station to listen to and discover a wide range of music without owning it.
- Favorite shows could be watched on the network's web site or other video services, allowing you to catch up on episodes you missed or when you learn about a new show several episodes into the series/season.
Living in Poland has given me a greater appreciation for what I no longer have available to me.
... entertainment anytime, anyplace, and any type... "The Future is HERE!" (not!).
I access Pandora and get a message saying "We can only play content to users in the US". I now can watch Netflix tell me "Sorry, you are accessing from a country that we are not licensed to play". I try to watch CBS shows and they reject my loyalty.
I pay for Netflix. It's not like I am trying to access a service with ads supporting it that cannot have meaning to me (which is the case for Pandora). I tried Amazon's video service, ready to rent or buy episodes and movies... to pay USD on a US bank card, but it needs to be delivered to an IP address in Poland.
Steve Jobs and Apple Computer changed the music industry with iTunes music store and $0.99 individual songs because the rationalization that people were stealing the music by ripping it to MP3 audio files and the music industry got nothing, so they might as well sell the music on iTunes and get something.
The world's internet has created many alternate solutions to get this content, sometimes not legally. Just like ripped CDs years ago leading to MP3 players holding 1000s of songs... people will find ways to enjoy their entertainment in ways they want to consume across devices regardless of the industry restrictions.
Region encoding has been introduced on disk media to prevent people from watching a movie (on disk) in a country it was not sold... really? I can buy a disk in Europe and not watch it in the US?
Fortunately, my team in Poland is a group of bright and resourceful techno-geeks and know how to make the internet work for them in Poland.
For streaming music, I now use Grooveshark.com... even better than Pandora in that I can create my own play lists along with random songs. I have not found a Netflix replacement yet (at least not one that appears legal), but I am sure something exists.
Ironically, Grooveshark is not available in Germany because of licensing restrictions... so it is not perfect, but it works for me.
I can rip movies and music from the media I own (not always legally, thanks to the US Government's restrictive laws) to play on different devices. I can use VPN and proxy systems to bypass these restrictions. I know how these restrictions work and how to circumvent them, but I should not need to do this, nor should others who are not as technically trained.
Give me Internet Equality. Or give me services I pay to use. It's a simple request, I think.
Our expectations of the highly interconnected world with ubiquitous internet access providing higher speeds and bandwidth than ever before falls short when old media industries are afraid and controlling. I am all for businesses protecting their product and making money through ads, sales, and licensing agreements. That is the only way they can/will make new content we will enjoy.
Living in the US has many privileges and services that much of the rest of the world does not get to experience.
- I loved Netflix and playing content through my Roku device directly to my TV. It was a very convenient way to pick movies to watch any time, even movies I had sitting in the DVD player already. Other video services, like Hulu, Crackle, and Amazon video are also available to watch content on a whim.
- Online audio streaming services, like Pandora, let you create your own radio station to listen to and discover a wide range of music without owning it.
- Favorite shows could be watched on the network's web site or other video services, allowing you to catch up on episodes you missed or when you learn about a new show several episodes into the series/season.
Living in Poland has given me a greater appreciation for what I no longer have available to me.
- I used to listen to Pandora at work, at home, on my phone anywhere.
- I watched Netflix on my computer, on my phone, and on my TV.
- I watched "Big Bang Theory" on CBS's website.
... entertainment anytime, anyplace, and any type... "The Future is HERE!" (not!).
I access Pandora and get a message saying "We can only play content to users in the US". I now can watch Netflix tell me "Sorry, you are accessing from a country that we are not licensed to play". I try to watch CBS shows and they reject my loyalty.
I pay for Netflix. It's not like I am trying to access a service with ads supporting it that cannot have meaning to me (which is the case for Pandora). I tried Amazon's video service, ready to rent or buy episodes and movies... to pay USD on a US bank card, but it needs to be delivered to an IP address in Poland.
Steve Jobs and Apple Computer changed the music industry with iTunes music store and $0.99 individual songs because the rationalization that people were stealing the music by ripping it to MP3 audio files and the music industry got nothing, so they might as well sell the music on iTunes and get something.
The world's internet has created many alternate solutions to get this content, sometimes not legally. Just like ripped CDs years ago leading to MP3 players holding 1000s of songs... people will find ways to enjoy their entertainment in ways they want to consume across devices regardless of the industry restrictions.
Region encoding has been introduced on disk media to prevent people from watching a movie (on disk) in a country it was not sold... really? I can buy a disk in Europe and not watch it in the US?
Fortunately, my team in Poland is a group of bright and resourceful techno-geeks and know how to make the internet work for them in Poland.
For streaming music, I now use Grooveshark.com... even better than Pandora in that I can create my own play lists along with random songs. I have not found a Netflix replacement yet (at least not one that appears legal), but I am sure something exists.
Ironically, Grooveshark is not available in Germany because of licensing restrictions... so it is not perfect, but it works for me.
I can rip movies and music from the media I own (not always legally, thanks to the US Government's restrictive laws) to play on different devices. I can use VPN and proxy systems to bypass these restrictions. I know how these restrictions work and how to circumvent them, but I should not need to do this, nor should others who are not as technically trained.
Give me Internet Equality. Or give me services I pay to use. It's a simple request, I think.
Friday, February 17, 2012
From Cold to Snow, which is better
We have broken out of the extreme colds with lows of -25C / -13F and highs hovering around -17C/0F. We now see the temperature running around -1C / 30 F and we are getting SNOW... about 5-7 inches (13-18 cm) on Wednesday and another 2+ inches (5 cm) today.
Because of these temperatures, the snow is quite wet... and there is wind.
In the extreme cold, noses and cheeks really felt the frost set in. With the wet snow and wind, I feel the elements pelting me in the face as I walk around.
During the extreme cold, the ground was still covered with the snow/ice from a month before and it was packed pretty solid, but at least nothing new covered the walkways that were already clear. Walking to the bus Thursday morning left me trudging through snow that was almost calf deep. Thanks to Patrick (and a nudge from a txt'ing father) for shoveling a pathway from the house to the front gate so that I could walk up to the house without carrying a pile of snow with me.
I am not sure which I prefer from the extreme cold or the falling snow... but it is definitely better being indoors with a cup of something hot to drink.
Because of these temperatures, the snow is quite wet... and there is wind.
In the extreme cold, noses and cheeks really felt the frost set in. With the wet snow and wind, I feel the elements pelting me in the face as I walk around.
During the extreme cold, the ground was still covered with the snow/ice from a month before and it was packed pretty solid, but at least nothing new covered the walkways that were already clear. Walking to the bus Thursday morning left me trudging through snow that was almost calf deep. Thanks to Patrick (and a nudge from a txt'ing father) for shoveling a pathway from the house to the front gate so that I could walk up to the house without carrying a pile of snow with me.
I am not sure which I prefer from the extreme cold or the falling snow... but it is definitely better being indoors with a cup of something hot to drink.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
This is Siberia Cold
I finally have real internet connectivity at home after 2 1/2 months in Poland. We had been using a 3G cellular modem that usually dropped to EDGE speeds (or no connectivity).
My home is only serviced for wired internet connectivity by TP (basically "Telecommunication Polska"), which goes back to the Communist days and still thinks like a monopoly: You want it our way and with our timing!
I had intended to contract with TP for a pretty good speed package (including TV service and VOIP), but they determined I lived too far from the junction box to get the speed I wanted, so they cancelled my contract... without telling me... with a lot of delay getting information to me... not even telling me why until my landlord called them. Frustrating.
Needless to say, I was fed up with TP and sought other options: Radio. We had a radio provider come out and confirm service levels and create a custom offer for symmetric bandwidth (same speed up and down). The custom offer for 6M/6M was 4x the cost as their 6M/1M plan... I opted for the 6/1 unless I truly find I need the higher upload speeds.
Yesterday, the provider come to my house to setup the radio antenna and route wiring to my wifi access point... we now have real internet access at home.
During the installation, we were at one of our coldest DAYs in years (not overnight low): -18 C or 0 F. It has been this cold for about 6-10 days... and colder days coming.
The guy installing the antenna... standing on the top of the house for a good 30-45 minutes... told me "This is Siberia Cold".
I had pity for him, but I wanted my internet setup and did not want to wait another 2+ weeks before it warms up significantly.
It is February and I leave for Boston in 2 days, where I will be going to warm up... WARM-UP in BOSTON in FEBRUARY!!!! Something is wrong with that, unless you come from "Siberia Cold".
My home is only serviced for wired internet connectivity by TP (basically "Telecommunication Polska"), which goes back to the Communist days and still thinks like a monopoly: You want it our way and with our timing!
I had intended to contract with TP for a pretty good speed package (including TV service and VOIP), but they determined I lived too far from the junction box to get the speed I wanted, so they cancelled my contract... without telling me... with a lot of delay getting information to me... not even telling me why until my landlord called them. Frustrating.
Needless to say, I was fed up with TP and sought other options: Radio. We had a radio provider come out and confirm service levels and create a custom offer for symmetric bandwidth (same speed up and down). The custom offer for 6M/6M was 4x the cost as their 6M/1M plan... I opted for the 6/1 unless I truly find I need the higher upload speeds.
Yesterday, the provider come to my house to setup the radio antenna and route wiring to my wifi access point... we now have real internet access at home.
During the installation, we were at one of our coldest DAYs in years (not overnight low): -18 C or 0 F. It has been this cold for about 6-10 days... and colder days coming.
The guy installing the antenna... standing on the top of the house for a good 30-45 minutes... told me "This is Siberia Cold".
I had pity for him, but I wanted my internet setup and did not want to wait another 2+ weeks before it warms up significantly.
It is February and I leave for Boston in 2 days, where I will be going to warm up... WARM-UP in BOSTON in FEBRUARY!!!! Something is wrong with that, unless you come from "Siberia Cold".
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