Eric Duncan : Friends and Family, Personal

Why do we pay for Texting?

Eric A. Duncan — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 23:16:00 GMT

SMS, aka "Texting", aka "Text Messaging" on cell phones. Why do we pay for this?

Europeans have been texting for years now, with an extremely lost cost. Hell, even Singapore allows several hundred text messages a month before charging.

I went out and did a little research. To sum up this article, I agree that the U.S. has other advantages such as free phone-to-phone calling such as these Family plans and PCS-to-PCS. They talk about the usage of texting in several counties. The US, very low.

In 2001, Europe got smart and started discouraging cell-to-cell calls by allowing for several hundred text messages a month, free - you didn't even have to ask for it. You got it.

Here in the states, it's considered somewhat in-expensive with text messages ranging from $0.05 to $0.10 each. And many providers, such as Sprint, include a certain amount for free (with the higher end packages such as Vision). A little math will tell you that the $5.00/mo you are paying for 100 text messages comes out to $0.05/mo, you are paying, if you use them or not.

But why do we pay for these?

Let's look at this another way. Voice calls are the cell companies Achilles Heel as such as they must have X number of free lines to carry the bandwidth of these calls, where ever they provide service. Given voice calls are now Digital instead of the old Analog days, so the compression is much higher and clearer.

According to the article above, text messages max out around 140 Bytes. That's Bytes people. The average SprintPCS digital call is 244 Kbps (if I recall from reading on the spec, my memory is old). That's about 30 KiloBytes a second.

Compare 30 KBps vs. 140 bytes for a single text message, that 218 Text messages you can send PER SECOND to match the bandwidth (and effort) of the cell phone companies must use for their Voice lines.

218 Text messages at $0.05 each = $10.90 PER SECOND we are ALL charged to match the same bandwidth we would use with a single Voice line PER SECOND.

That math just doesn't add up. Actually, yes it does. To the Cell Phone companies making a butt-load of mula from us texting.

So why do we pay for 20, 50, or even 100 messages?

Sprint just started offering 500 messages for $8 instead of $5 last month. That's a cost of almost two pennies per message, if you send 500 text messages.

I don't see why we must pay for these. It unloads the cell networks by not utilizing 30 KBps bandwidth, SAVING the cell companies money.

Just my two cents. No, wait. My $0.05 worth. And if we were to total number of bytes from this Blog Post and charge $0.05 per 140 Bytes (160 characters), it's actually my $0.79 cents worth of information to you - for free (cable modem service).

How was your Turkey Day?

Eric A. Duncan — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 02:19:00 GMT

Well, ours went as expected. Spent a lot of time with the family. Got stuffed. Needed nap.

Went out for a few drinks with some friends. I haven't been to the Martini Lounge downtown Chattanooga in years and neither have they. So we ended up there and it was pretty busy with the occasional on-lookers here and there, several people hanging out, etc. Nice place to be.

Anyhoot, 2 hours later and we all leave with Joey trying to bite Jessica (settle down now!) It's amazing how just one shot of Jaeger can effect someone that can't handle it. Hehe.

Relocating to Dallas, TX - TelligentSystems

Eric A. Duncan — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 19:20:00 GMT

Rob Howard and the guys at Telligent have offered me a position that I could not refuse with Telligent Systems. And what a great blog post to start off my "Career" category here.

I will be relocating to Dallas, TX, where the business is homed, in the next coming months.

Some might think picking up and relocating at such a distance, to start a new life is very overwhelming. Besides the guys I've come to know at Telligent being extra nice and making me feel at home being a big plus, I have no family of my own (at this time) besides my parents in Chattanooga, TN. I haven't lived in Chattanooga since 1994 for when I left for college. So being single, I think this is the best time of my life to take on new adventures. I'll miss my friendships here, yes. But it's as much as I miss my Atlanta buddies already. It just means longer road trips in the Hot Rod. lol

Besides, this is my 3rd round of relocations. I did it back in 1997 for Hayes Microcomputers in Atlanta. I did it in 2000 for the State of Tennessee.

Now it's time, in 2005. The Lonestar state being my new home once and for all.

To say I am ecstatic is to put it mildly. Wish me luck!

BlueTooth - Making life too simple for everyone

Eric A. Duncan — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 23:56:00 GMT

Let me put this into perspective.

You can:

Answer cell calls with a BlueTooth headset.
Answer office phone calls with the same BlueTooth headset.
Talk in PC Video Conferences with the same BlueTooth headset.
Talk with VOIP for things such as Gamers and Vonage, using the same BlueTooth headset.
With a laptop, connect to the Internet via 256+Kbps DUN anywhere that has SprintPCS coverage (i.e. on road trips or no WiFi hotspots, < 2s to connect).
Newer Sprint phones are suppose to support up to 1.2Mbps download rate (like the one mentioned below).
Especially with Sprints Nights @ 7pm, it's free all night and weekend long.

With three devices:

Sprint MM-A940 2.0 Megapixel cell phone (or any BlueTooth cell, just sprint provides faster data xfer)
Plantronics Voyager 510S BlueTooth System for Desktop (DON'T BUY FROM THAT LINK! Search the net, much cheaper versions). If you don't want the Office Phone functionallity, get just the headset for $60)
BlueTooth-enabled Laptop supporting DUN and Audio/Voice BlueTooth profiles (or a $50 USB adapter if it doesn't)

And you can do this without removing the cell phone from your belt or pocket, or lifting your handset on your office phone. That's just too cool. Just imagine, riding along on a road trip or in the car pool to work in the morning. Flip open the laptop and connect to the Internet, without removing the phone from your belt clip.

I've spent a long time researching these devices, and finally the day has come. They are on order.

Now if I can just get them all to work...

"Keep the Change" - Coin Jar Cont

Eric A. Duncan — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 03:20:00 GMT

And the winner from a previous post about me emptying my coin jar is... Riley. He used a formula, boo. Cheater. Hehe.

Total? $851.51

Not bad. But 8 years investing...

Humm. Makes you think about all of those times you said, "Keep the Change" eh?

Taking bets - Coin Jar Emptied!

Eric A. Duncan — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 17:00:00 GMT

So I have this old Bud Light coin jar I got as a house warming present from a friend when I moved to Atlanta back in March of 1997. I had a rule (briefly) that when people visited, they must keep the Coin Jar Gods happy and contribute their loose change upon arriving (like I said, didn't last long).

It's been about 8.5 years since I started this, and yesterday I decided it was too full (you couldn't fit another penny in it). I took it by the bank yesterday and they are cashing it for me. I'll know Friday how much it held.

So does anyone want to take a guess?

I'll go first. Based on the amount of coin I started this jar with, I'm going to take a conservative guess and say $1,633.81.

Get it cashed, for free!
Oh on a side note, do not take your change to Kroger or use those automated "cashing" machines. They charge an arm and a leg. Instead, go by your bank and ask for "Coin Bags". These are specially re-enforced and sealable coin bags you can fill up. They will take 'em, sort 'em, count 'em, and deposite 'em into your account - for free!

Black and Blue

Eric A. Duncan — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 16:13:00 GMT

Last Saturday while playing coed flag-football for a sports league here in Nashville I felt a sharp pain in my left hamstring. I tend to have a high threshold for a little pain, so I kept on playing nursing my left leg (jumping off of my right now). Well, after a complicated reverse to get a tackle caused another such pain to go through my right hamstring.

Thinking I could stretch them out, I sidelined myself and stretched a bit. Was a bit sore, but got back into the game.

We won 41 to 0 (a shutout).

Limping around we took the other team out for a few beers to calm the soreness. I got home, but was still in pain. I laid around resting for the night. Sunday I awoke to some horrible pain. "This can't be good", I thought. Limped in to see the PTs at the YMCA Monday and they assure me it's nothing torn, just a sever pull in both hamstrings.

Today after the current round of heat-n-stretching excersises, I noticed a little bruising-like colors on the back of one leg. After I was done witht he stretching I examed them in the mirror. OUCH. It's like someone took a baseball bat to the back of my legs!

I don't think I'll be playing this Saturday.