Time Warner Metering

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I keep seeing articles about Time Warner beginning to test the implementation of metered internet and figured that maybe it was time to give a call to Time Warner and let them know what I think. It took be about an hour and a half before I was finally able to talk to someone who was able to help me, but I think it was absolutely worth it.

Now, the reason that I am writing this blog post is because I want everyone who enjoys being able to watch their favorite movies and TV shows on line, enjoys the luxury of working from home over a VPN, enjoys learning about some of the most obscure stuff you can find, enjoys downloading software packages, and enjoys doing anything else the internet has to offer to call your ISP and tell them that you will be taking your monthly business elsewhere if you are forced into using metered internet. It doesn't matter if you have no other options in your area, it doesn't matter if you don't live in Beaumont, Texas (where Time Warner is currently testing their metered internet service), and it doesn't matter if you won't be affected by the metering because you would be under the cap anyways (in fact, it is extra important that people in this situation call). Just do it. My actual phone call only took half an hour and that was after they put me through a series of redirects. It's not hard, and it is helping take a small step forward to keep our ISPs from taking a giant step back.

Here is the Time Warner phone number to call:

• 877-317-7766

If you call that number, you are going to have to have an account with Time Warner or RoadRunner, tell them that you are calling because you have a service complaint about metered internet, they should send you to someone in accounts or accounting or something like that. All you have to say there is that you are concerned about the possibility of Time Warner going to a metered internet model. When I called, after I told them why I was concerned the lady asked me a simple question: "If Time Warner forced you to use a metered layout, would you continue using our service?" I gave her a simple answer back... "no." Thats all you need to do. So is it worth it to you?

If you have another service provider and want me to add their number to the above list, please let me know and I will get it up there right away. Likewise, if you know any extensions that go straight to any high ups at these places, let me know and I will add those too.

Thanks for reading. I hope you decide to do the right thing and act.


----- UPDATE -----
Someone on Reddit provided a list of some providers and how to get straight to talking with someone. I have no idea if any of these work, but if your ISP is listed, it might be worth a try.

• America Online F 800‑827‑6364 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.


• AT&T Worldnet F 800‑400‑1447 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.


• Bellsouth FastAccess DSL F 888‑321‑2375 Press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 1; at prompt press 2, ignoring messages.


• CompuServe F 800‑848‑8990 Press 1211.


• Earthlink F 888‑327‑8454 Press 1; press 0 at each prompt thereafter, ignoring messages.


• Hughesnet F 866‑347‑3292 Press 2. Juno F 888‑839‑5866 Press # at each prompt, ignoring messages.


• MSN F 800‑386‑5550 Say "agent" at each prompt, until offered a representative; say "yes."


• Netscape F 866‑541‑8233 Press 000.


• NetZero F 866‑841‑1442 Press #### at each prompt, ignoring messages.


• People PC F 800‑736‑7537 @ Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.


• SBC DSL support F 877‑722‑3755 Say "sales".


• Sprint Broadband Direct F 888‑996‑0001 Press 00.


• Time Warner Road Runner 877‑318‑8333 Direct to human.


• Verizon DSL F 800‑567‑6789 Say "agent" at each prompt, ignoring messages.


• Verizon FiOS F 888‑553‑1555 At prompt say "operator"; at prompt say "yes"; at prompt say "operator"; at prompt say "yes."

I know some of these ISPs aren't currently thinking about metering, but it might still be worth a call to tell them you don't want to see them rolling it out or letting them know you appreciate the fact that they are not considering it.

Review: Corsair Flash Voyager 32GB

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Not that long ago, people were transferring files between computers on small capacity floppy disks. These floppies were then replaced by CDs and DVDs, and now flash storage. Flash storage has been around for a while now and has always been increasing in capacity. Flash drives have many benefits, including speed and size, and open new doors like putting live bootable operating systems and very large files on them. The possibilities are endless with this much space.

The Corsair Flash Voyager 32GB is absolutely huge. Corsair's Flash Voyager series has gained a large following because of how rugged they are, and they come in a large variety of sizes. They are also water resistant so you can do a large range of activities and be assured of your data's safety. With a flash drive this big, you can always have your information with you wherever you go.

Review: Vizo Mini Ninja Notebook Cooler

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

A lot of people these days are getting laptops instead of desktops. While a laptop has many benefits over the desktop computer, it also has its drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is heat. A desktop computer has plenty of room to allow air to flow around all the components and enough room to house a large heatsink. Laptops on the other hand, have very limited space because of their mobile nature. This limited space in turn limits air flow, which causes the temperature inside the computer to rise, causing unstable conditions for your laptop.

Devices like the Vizo Mini Ninja have been made to help combat these rising temperatures. These devices typically raise the laptop off the surface of your desk and have fans to increase the airflow around the bottom of the chassis. These combined measures can do wonders to drop the temperature of your laptop, but some do better jobs at it than others. Lets see how the Vizo Mini Ninja performs.

Review: Vizo Propeller System Cooler

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

All computers since the beginning of their history have had to face the problem of heat. This heat can force computers to run at a slower speed or less efficiently than they otherwise might, and in extreme cases, could cause the computers to stop functioning all together. Knowing this, people who build computers, and even more so people who overclock computers, need to be conscious of this heat and take steps to reduce the heat in their systems. Many products have been made to help with this.

One of these products is the Vizo Propeller. The idea with the Propeller is not a new one but is still a pretty cool idea. It works by occupying an empty expansion slot in your case and then uses a turbine style fan to expel air out of the case. The design is very similar to a scaled down version of what is seen now on high end video cards.

Review: Gigabyte GA-EX38-DQ6

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

There are many components that are included in a complete computer system, all of which are required for proper operation. However, there is one component that allows all of the other parts to interface with one another. This component is, of course, the motherboard. Motherboards allow the RAM, CPU, video card, hard drive(s), and everything else to talk to each other. As time has gone along, certain improvements have been made to motherboards, such as using solid capacitors, including power saving features, and providing the ability to modify almost any setting that controls voltage, bus speeds, etc.

The Gigabyte GA EX38-DQ6 is one of Gigabyte's higher end motherboards that uses Intel's X38 chipset. The motherboard has many features, including Blu-Ray and HD DVD audio support (and 7.1 + 2 channel output), 2Gigabit LAN (via Teaming), Ultra Cool Silent Pipe technology, ultra durable capacitors, chokes, and MOSFETs, and dynamic energy saving. Specially designed for 45nm processors, the EX38-DQ6 can run any Core 2 processor and can push the FSB up to 1600MHz and will push DDR2 RAM to 1200 MHz. In this review I am going to go through and look at and test every part of this motherboard thoroughly so you can know if it is the motherboard for you.

Review: Rosewill Notebook Cooler RNA-7000W

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

Laptops are amazing machines that pack a lot of punch in a small package and as a result, they get very hot. Depending on how much you know about computers, you may or may not know that heat can cause your computer to run in a very unstable way and reduce the life of the many components used to make it run. To combat this in a traditional computer, people can buy heatsinks, water cooling systems, or increase their airflow through the case. However, none of those solutions are very practical on a laptop, so an alternate solution has surfaced. This solution is to place fans underneath the laptop to increase airflow around it. This is in the hope that this increased airflow can move the old, hot air out of the way, for cooler air to come in contact with the chassis and cool the components inside.

The Rosewill RNA-700W Notebook Cooler does just this. With two small fans that are powered by USB under a solid aluminum stand, air flow can be increased to the bottom of the chassis, cooling it the laptop and the components inside. Also, the notebook cooler is tilted at a slight angle which allows for the Rosewill to serve a second purpose, which is to improve the ergonomics of the keyboard. Lets take a closer look at the Rosewill and see how much the temperatures drop.

Review: Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse

Link to article (Overclockersclub.com)

When it comes to playing a FPS game or taking advantage of the UI elements of your operating system and programs, a standard mouse is what most people use. They have been around forever and, to most people, are nothing special. However, to the enthusiasts and gamers, a mouse can mean a lot. Factors like DPI, number of buttons and the ability to customize it, are meaningful terms that can make the difference in your mouse choice. Although those are all important, companies that produce mice don't talk much about real world performance and comfort in a realistic way, and that is exactly what this review intends to do. Hopefully by reading this review, you will get a good idea of the real world performance that this mouse provides.

The Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse is one of Saitek's new high end gaming mice. Saitek claims that this is the first 3200 DPI mouse - a very impressive feat. The GM3200 also sports many features along the lines of user customization; for example, the weight of the mouse can be changed by adding or removing small weights and the amount of friction can be changed by flipping the feet of the mouse over. These features sound pretty exciting and will be looked at in-depth over the next couple of pages.