Re-installing my life: the perils of keeping everything online

For more than a year, I have been moving my data online as part of an experiment to make the network my computer. With the telecoms disruption caused by a recent earthquake in Taiwan, my world crashed.

As I write this, the Globelines Broadband connection I have at home is still horrendously slow. It is a 7.8 mbps line to nowhere. I was giddy upon seeing for the first time the notification that my connection to Globelines is 7.8 mbps (it used to say 2 mbps). Now, the notice feels like a taunt.

It takes about as much time to load pages with Globelines Broadband right now as it would take a Sinulog contingent to finish a dance. To say the connection is as slow as molasses would be to overstate the viscosity of the substance.

It was a good thing that I use Gmail for mobile application in my phone, a Sony Ericsson k750i using a Smart pre-paid subscription. I can open my GMail messages faster on my phone than I could using Globelines in my home PC. Half of the time, I couldn’t even get past the Gmail login screen when I use the Globelines connection.

With the service disruption, I could no longer access my tasks lists and calendar items–all saved online. I could not access Google Calendar and my activeCollab installation.

I keep all my tasks in my activeCollab installation and without Internet access at home, I felt lost. I could still access these data at the office but I do a lot of work at home and for several days I gave up on trying to connect I cut my surfing hours and chose to spend the time watching documentaries on the Gnostics, Knights Templars, early Christians and other esoteric topics on religion. The holidays seem to bring out all these documentaries on the various aspects of what we now know as Christianity.

When it’s really important, I use the PLDT WeRoam account assigned to my wife but the signal is weak at home and I frequently get disconnected and half of the time, I don’t get optimal speed.

With the Internet connection woes, I decided to re-install applications I ditched earlier in favor of online solutions. I also tried new applications for notes keeping and tasks management. I will be writing about these pieces of software in the coming days. At least the service disruption has spurred me into trying out pieces of software I would have ignored in my bullheadedness to keep everything online.

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7 responses

  1. So Globelines is still uber slow in your area. My connection has improved since yesterday, on selected times of the day though.

    I guess, it’s still wise to keep part of one’s data offline in situations like these.

  2. I felt the same way you do Max when I went to Iraq. Either no connection or no time for connection. It sucked but I learned just a tiny bit more about my laptop.
    Hope your connection picks up again soon.

  3. Jhay,
    Still very slow. I couldn’t open any site in my home PC a few minutes ago. I had to boot up my laptop and use WeRoam just to browse right now.

    Christopher,
    Thanks. It really sucks but at least the horrible connection made me try one great piece of software that I’ll be writing about soon.

  4. glenn 89D Avatar
    glenn 89D

    Bai. Kumusta. been reading your posts tday. nice job. keep up the good work. might consult you in a few things regarding tech.
    FOR THE GREATER GLORY

  5. Brod Glenn,
    Just send me an email :-). Ayo-Ayo sab.
    Max 94-B-Sunoi
    For the greater glory!

  6. Hi Max! I am just new to your site but I have already read a lot of your post. Anyways, this particular post reminded me of myself on a similar experiment years back! It ended up with missed deadlines and and a low salary appraisal 🙁 Not quite the result I expected.
    Now years after I left my work and my laptop (which came with the job), I am into portable applications. Those tiny programs you can carry with your USB stick. So far after a year, still no hassle!
    BTW, I know it several months past january so I do hope your connection is already at it’s peak!

  7. icon shop Avatar

    i hate globe broadband.. my download speed at this moment is only 4kbps suppose to be 398kbps. really sucks!

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