Comcast invades privacy.

After trying to renew my Internet service today because of an error, I have been rejected because of the fact that they need my Social Security number. Due to Comcast’s really bad customer service, but the fact that their Internet is so good, many people flock to it anyway.

This is an example of Comcast’s hegemony over the Internet service provider industry. Not only does it allow fast Internet uploading and downloading speeds (exceeded by only that of T1, which is a whopping $350 a month and mainly used by large corporations), but they also provide telephone and television service.

I see Comcast as a necessary evil in my life, just as Catholics see war as a necessary evil. We don’t like it, but we must live with it. There have been numerous reports about Comcast’s customer service being bad (and I don’t mean bad as in “this sucks”, but bad as in “I want my money back” and “You just lost a customer” bad). The reason is that we must basically sell our customer rights to Comcast in order to use the Internet, namely because there is really no other good alternative other than T1, and as we all know through the financial crisis, we aren’t made of money.

Thankfully, most cable companies and ISPs do not do this. But why does Comcast require SSNs? They use the guise of the Patriot Act. It was necessary after 9/11, but it is really not necessary right now.

So what does this have to do with Media Technology and Culture? Well, the Internet is a media technology and it does have a culture, but that’s beside the point. What I am saying here is that Comcast holds a death grip on its customers, trying to suck out whatever is left of our privacy that hasn’t been already sucked out by the Patriot Act.

It’s lame, really.

Holy Trinity of Non-Sequitur-ness

I own all four Sony systems. Not pictured: Sony PSP, which was in my pocket at the time of this photo.

Me owning Charles Barkley on TNT.

The entrance to the Forbidden City. I don’t know which entrance, though.

PlayStation photo: This shows Sony’s hegemonic rule over my life. I have collected these systems over ten years. The original PlayStation was released in 1995, the PlayStation 2 was released in 2000, and the PlayStation 3 was released in 2006. This shows that Sony has successfully marketed their products in America, despite Sony being a Japanese company. Japanese media has permeated the American market in a huge way, especially in the field of electronics.

Me at the Warriors game: This indicates that people are hailed by the success of the Golden State Warriors that year (2006-07 season). Charles Barkley called the Warriors “midgets” in the last game, so I created this sign as an oppositional code to Barkley’s commentary on TNT. This is an example of Althusser’s theory of interpolation. When the Warriors were not that good, attendance was low, and now that the Warriors were successful, they successfully hailed consumers to that game. (That game I attended was sold out.)

Me in China: This indicates the past Chinese hegemony over the entire country. If it was not for the end of the Cultural Revolution, this structure would have been destroyed. This interpolates the Chinese to remember their history and the culture before the Cultural Revolution.

White Centers: A Critical Analysis

 

Basically, the all-"I need six more fouls off the bench" team.

First row, from left to right: Shawn Bradley, Robert Swift, Joel Przybilla

Second row, from left to right: Chris Kaman, “The White Center Bunch” in red text, Greg Ostertag

Third row, from left to right: Bryant Reeves, Chris Mihm, Eric Montross

A critical analysis of white centers? Basically what I’m trying to say is that white centers are the most amusing players to watch in the NBA. They get posterized and they give you six more fouls off the bench. But seriously, this shows how African-Americans (and to a point, Eastern Europeans) have hegemony over the NBA. Everyone notices how great LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul are, but what makes them so famous is the fact that they dunk over white centers.

Honorable Mention: Rik Smits. Except he was good and these guys aren’t. He’s also immune to getting posterized.

Honorable Mentions Not Named Rik Smits: Andrew DeClercq, Rasho Nesterovic, Sean Marks 

Honorable Mention That Isn’t A White Center: Andrei Kirilenko. Baron Davis (the traitor who bolted the Warriors for more money) posterized him so bad he ended up playing more like Andrew DeClercq.