The wonder of VOIP

[Lasthorseman]

Today at work I made a phone call. I know our phone service was converted to a digital format. Only one town away yet Mike sounded like he was on the moon. There was a noticeable delay, a sort of echo chamber high tech sci-fi movie effect. This is landline, not cell. So much for progress.

I also get calls from trade magazines. Most of these of course are based way far away, India is my first guess. Ah, yes, I think I can hear the NSA guys in the background in the breakroom.

http://www.sensorsmag.com/sensors/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=390789
This is one of my trade magazines. The electronics industry is simply salivating at the profit margins available in the wake of the "global war on terra". Sensors of all types, wireless,low power consumption, the stuff Orwell never even dreamed of, it's all here. Now maybe some of it could be used for good and noble purpose but statistically speaking the trend is much more Machiavellian. I did in the last year use that very term in conversation with a twenty year old. He was educated in the US in the "track" of a tradesman, is twenty-two year old and he had zero idea of what Machiavellian meant.

Anyway the parent company, Questex also runs trade shows and industry events. Twenty years ago most of these events were in the US but now it seems they need an office in Sao Paulo Brazil. I remember one of our installers commenting about waking up to automatic gunfire in Brazil, can't remember the year but I do see this and get furious about the rate of CEO's compensation rates in the wake of NAFTA and the "free trade" era.