5 Questions, Including one about Starlink - Before Sunset on OT Season
Mates,
OT season is about to end. We all know there will be a flurry of terrible posts (maybe even worse than this one) in the next couple of days but I thought I'd try and sneak this post in. As before, 5 questions testing your psychological condition, very, very scientific. Trust me, super-duper scientific, and that includes one somewhat serious one about Starlink. So here goes:
1. How many games will the Lions win in the regular season this year?
2. You are granted the ability to put a cottage on any body of water (lake, river, ocean, etc) that you choose. Where would it be?
3. As of now, MgrowOld owes me a $1 because I said Harbaugh was staying this season and I was correct. As a man of character, he gracefully and publicly admitted defeat the other day and offered to send me the money. However, I told him to hold on to the $1, 'double or nothing', on whether Harbaugh stays after this season. Who wins this double-or-nothing bet?
4. Name one or two of the very best character traits of your spouse/significant other
5. We live in the boonies, far, far from cable. Our internet was out most of the day and has done that literally uncountable dozens of times. I'm sick of that and thinking about Starlink. For those who might know and have used Starlink (I did do some online reading) what do you say about the service? Worth it?
Hope you are all well. Highschool football is only a day away. Some college football soon, too.
Go Blue,
XM
*And a big Huzzah! for Seth's son coming home today. Great news.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:26 PM ^
Also live out in the boonies. Starlink was largely underwhelming. It works well when connected, but is very fickle because it requires a direct line to the satellite - unreliable. I would recommend using Starlink as a last resort if you can afford it, but try something else first:
We elected to get T-Mobile Home 5G for $55/mo and it works exceptionally well - just mount it in an upstairs window for the best connection. I frequently stream, work, and type shitposts on MGoBlog with it.
I usually avoid the phone but highly recommend taking a call with them. Their sales reps are in the U.S. and do all the work for you, even setting up free shipping. Here is the link.
Verizon also has a 5G in-home option and my in-laws love it.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:47 PM ^
My boonie issues are that neither AT&T nor Verizon home internet is available in my location (40 minutes SW of Denver). I have found EarthLink which provides 10MBs service. that is it, outside of another higher speed service which is capped at about 3 streaming movies a month. StarLink is not even available there yet. One suggestion i was given was to get StarLink Roam until the time that the regular Home service is available. This whole internet process is pretty frustrating. I'd like to hear more about the problems you are having with StarLink.
August 24th, 2023 at 9:23 AM ^
Are you close to 285?
August 25th, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
Starlink has been very reliable and fairly fast, even though Starlink shows our area as one that may not get a good signal. They should be able to tell you by your address how good of service you should expect.
August 24th, 2023 at 9:25 AM ^
TMobile home is pretty good. Their coverage area us terrible though. Get off a main road and you can forget coverage for calls or data. But if you can get it where you live, go for it.
August 24th, 2023 at 9:56 PM ^
This is kind of misleading in regards to Starlink. Starlink requires complete open view of the northern sky. Anything, and I mean anything, in its field of view with the sky will obstruct your connection and you'll have issues.
If you have a clear view to the sky the service is quite good. A full, clear view you can get 200 Mbps down and 50 up with 30ish ping. It's not amazing but it's serviceable for almost all normal home use.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:45 PM ^
1. Enough to titillate fans, but too few to make the playoffs...again.
2. Any calm, serene lake where I can watch the sun set or rise, within a few hour's drive.
3. I bet you both $1 that despite him stating, twice now, that he'd stay as long as the school will have him, he won't keep his word and we'll go through the stupid again.
4. She has put up with me since our first date in 88 (we went to AA Huron together) and even finds me occasionally endearing.
5. Starlink is good and improving. There are some things to consider when ordering, like do you need wired connections, can you live with the wifi signal from wherever the antenna gets placed, and how much snow do you get. I think the current crop of antennae still have to be able to move some to track the satellites (they do this automatically, but can't if buried in snow). Musk is the wildcard here, as he seems to be getting increasingly odd/unstable/Mercurial. Thankfully he's currently occupied turning $44,000,000,000 into near-zero over at Twitter (oops, X), and doesn't seem to be screwing up Starlink, at least yet.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:54 PM ^
Starlink?! Triggered!!!
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:39 PM ^
See BornInA2's post as an example.
August 23rd, 2023 at 10:57 PM ^
1. The Lions win 10 games.
2. The Pacific Ocean, along Chuckanut drive near where I live in Bellingham, WA.
3. After winning a National Championship... he's gone and nobody should blame him.
4. She passed away, but I admired her ability to listen to people and every single one of them felt like they were her best friend.
5. Don't know much about Starlink. Everything you do will probably be interspersed with adds for Teslas and investment opportunities in Dogecoin.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:12 PM ^
1. 9
2. Grew up on a lake. Love lakes
3. Unfortunately I think Harbaugh leaves after this year
4. 1) when we fight, she stays on topic and doesn’t hold any grudges - when it’s over, it’s over, and 2) the top priority in her mind, at all times, is the quality of our life together
5. N/A - I wouldn’t trust an Elon Musk company, but gotta have internet
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:16 PM ^
1) 9 Games
2) Lake Michigan, West Grand Traverse Bay, Probably Near Bowers Harbor/Neahtawanta
3) You win, Harbaugh will stay
4) Considerate & friendly
5) Check here https://www.allconnect.com/internet first to see if there are possibly any fiber providers in your area (rural coverage is expanding quickly), if not Starlink is probably your best bet. It's pricey and there is some latency, but it is reliable and the speed is good overall.
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:46 PM ^
1. 10
2. Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay
3. You
4. A gentleman never tells
5. F’ck Elon
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:57 PM ^
9
Huron River Ann Arbor and Blake Lively
OldXM. Who knows with Jim at this point
I’m happily single (happiness and single life does exist)
Never heard of Starlink
August 23rd, 2023 at 11:58 PM ^
1. All of them
2. No cottage for me. I’m starting a nonprofit and getting a lighthouse for free from the federal government. I’ve always thought it would be awesome to watch a sunset over the water from the top of a lighthouse.
3. You better start thinking about what you’re gonna do with those two dollars you’ve earned.
5. Can’t help there. Hope you find a solution.
August 24th, 2023 at 12:05 AM ^
- 13
- Lake of the Clouds
- ?
- She's fun and shes a terrific mom
- No idea
August 24th, 2023 at 12:45 AM ^
1. 9
2. upper torch lake area. still relatively unpopulated land left so you could do a cottage and some acres
3. harbaugh stays (I hope)
4. loyalty, patience, devotion to family
5. no idea. had it back in 2008 when I lived on a farm on the side of a mountain in appalachia (TN) and it sucked
August 24th, 2023 at 9:32 AM ^
Starlink didn't exist in 2008! It's first satellites weren't launched until 2018...
August 24th, 2023 at 11:54 AM ^
what was that shitty satellite service back in 2008 then?
August 24th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
HughesNet?
August 24th, 2023 at 1:52 AM ^
Starlink works awesome down here in Mexico. I use it in a rural area (summer house) and get much better service than the one I get at home. Been downloading at speeds up to 200 mbps.
August 24th, 2023 at 2:18 AM ^
4. My cute wife is an amazing mother to our kids, is very kind hearted and easy to be around, and for 44 has a great body with awesome jugs. I got extraordinarily lucky, and will continue to live up to that realization.
August 24th, 2023 at 5:43 AM ^
1. Lions win 10 games.
2. Lake Michigan near Ludington or Mackinaw City. Already live on a quiet small lake.
3. Hope he stays, but the NCAA is a headache versus the NFL.
4. Let's me be myself. Works hard at her career.
5. I looked into StarLink once and they didn't have coverage by me at that time.
August 24th, 2023 at 6:54 AM ^
1. I don't follow the lions, so no guess from me.
2. Lake Arenal, Costa Rica
3. You're going to have $2
4. Committed
5. We are switching to starlink (residential) in about a week. We were on a waitlist for about a year and a half. We've been very happy when out traveling with my brother-in-law's starlink roam service and have gotten consistently high speeds when out in the middle of nowhere with no cellular service. This is so long as you have clear line of sight (which you do at your place) . We've had spectrum for internet, but they're raising their prices in a month so it'll be cheaper for us to use starlink anyway. We almost opted for roam when we made the reservation, but spectrum was cheaper and we didn't want to overpay for non prioritized service.
Advantages for roam starlink service is that it's available as soon as you order it (no waitlist) and you can turn it off whenever you want and only pay for the months you want/need service. I would consider going that route if I were you and maybe confirm that you could switch to residential service without changing your hardware if you opted to be placed on the waitlist for residential (my understanding is the hardware is the same). I don't know if that's possible but that gives you internet asap while you wait for residential which seems like the better plan for you.
Oh, you have to answer your own questions!
August 24th, 2023 at 7:23 AM ^
do you/can you write off the starlink as a business expense since connectivity is a big deal for an office like yours?
August 24th, 2023 at 7:37 AM ^
Yes (at least my accountant doesn't have a problem with it).
August 24th, 2023 at 12:07 PM ^
5. Second this summary. I'm in a broadband coverage hole in Leelanau County and signed up for the roam service in December to avoid the wait-list. As someone mentioned there are minor latency issues but the speed is great and the connection is reliable. I haven't noticed whether clouds or storms impede it. The charge recently increased from $135 to $150/month.
August 24th, 2023 at 7:28 AM ^
I really think the lions win at least 11 games. They will almost certainly make the playoffs unless someone in the division surprises us.
Any body of water? Man, the Indian Ocean sounds pretty tempting, tropical climate and all that.
Mgrowold wins this one.
most caring woman I’ve ever met and a great mom.
not used nor know anyone that has used Starlink. It seems like a great idea, and as long as it can deliver good speed it would probably be worth it. The question is really around reliability. Can you stay in constant contact with a satellite?
August 24th, 2023 at 7:58 AM ^
10
A lake. IDK which one yet.
Harbaugh stays
My wife has so many wonderful characteristics, it is hard to narrow it down. She is brilliant, creative, a great companion, and a fantastic cook. And a awesome mother even now that our children are grown.
I have fiber internet, which is amazing. Move closer to a city?
August 24th, 2023 at 9:38 AM ^
If the choice is between internet and the farm, farm wins 10/10.
August 24th, 2023 at 8:05 AM ^
1) 12. Get me another hit of the Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid.
2) In terms of a summer home I would choose Lake Michigan.
3) Sad to say MGrowOld is going to win this next year. This feels like the end of the Harbaugh regime. Why? For one, this is going to be his best (last?) chance to win a National Championship. Two, next year is going to have some elements to of a rebuild - I am not saying they will go 7-5 but the talent on offense next year is going to take a massive hit. I could go on about other things but I think you get the idea.
4) My wife is a very hard worker when it comes to her career. She also let me get a good man-cave setup.
5) I have never used it.
August 24th, 2023 at 8:16 AM ^
2. Anywhere? Blue Lake, New Zealand. But in reality (cant build on/swim in Blue Lake), it would for sure be south Torch Lake. I take Torch Lake over Tahoe because Torch is not as friggin ice cold - you can actually enjoy swimming in it. Although the Tahoe and its surroundings are absolutely stunning.
August 24th, 2023 at 8:18 AM ^
Not sure why some of the Starlink reviews are so-so, but it is life changing for us. If you set it up correctly and have no obstructions we have had zero downtime. We cut the cord and stream everything...YTTV, Netflix, kids gaming, kids on youtube etc. I was on Beta from the start...round dishy.
August 24th, 2023 at 8:24 AM ^
1. 11
2. On the ocean in the Carolinas
3. Stays
4. She's the ying to my yang. Her strengths are my weaknesses.
5. Don't know much about it.
August 24th, 2023 at 8:29 AM ^
1. 11...why not?
2. A river somewhere out west or on the Mediterranean just about anywhere in Greece.
3. MGrowOld no longer owes you $
4. Her deep thinking to understand where current events/choices align with her/our values.
5. I know nothing about Starlink, but we've got the TMobile that's not good beyond the room it's in. We got a wi-fi extender ($50 on amazon with decent reviews) and that helped.
August 24th, 2023 at 8:32 AM ^
End of OT is like seeing the parking lot where your car is after a long hike in the wilderness. It's hard not to be excited over our prospects this season, but there is an echo of concern that Lucy Van Pelt is holding the football before kickoff. What can I say, too many trips around the sun will do that to you.
As for your questions:
1) 10-11 games, and that only because they play in a dreadful division.
2) Somewhere along the eastern shore of the south half of Lake Leelanau, ideally with 5+ acres and a sandy bottom on my shoreline.
3) If you'd asked me last week, I'd have said Harbaugh would be staying, i.e. you win, XM. But with Warde selling him out with this self-imposed suspension BS, I'm afraid MGO wins the two dollars. Jim's heart is with the school and it's traditions, but I believe his brain despises the politics of big-business CFB wrapped in the tortilla of academic politics.
4) my wife's empathy and the clarity that gives her perception of other people. I tend towards my own thoughts and she helps me remain tethered to the rest of you lunkheads.
5) Never used Starlink, but I like the concept. Is their enough bandwidth? Can it support more subscribers? Those would be my concern.
August 24th, 2023 at 9:46 AM ^
1) 12 games and NFC North winners
2) Lake Michigan, near Charlevoix
3) After winning the National Championship this year, some NFL team will hire him for next season
4) Empathy, and her love of animals. Those traits are both special and enraging, at the same time.
5) They're now launching the 2nd Gen satellites that more than double bandwidth and tracking, so coverage will only continue to improve. You can say a lot of things about Elon Musk, but SpaceX and Starlink are feeding each other and will only continue to grow.
August 24th, 2023 at 9:52 AM ^
I havne't logged in for a while but with season coming and these HAWT Lions takes I decided it was necessary. Give me the Blue Kool Aid both ways!
1. 8
2. Ausable River
3. Harbaugh Gonzo
4. Never plays games if she needs me to do something she asks for that specifically. Loving and a great mother
5. No Clue
August 24th, 2023 at 10:11 AM ^
Here you go...
1. Not really an NFL or Lions fan so...
2. Tried putting a house on a body of water and this happened...
3. I think Harbaugh will be at Michigan until he retires completely. Talk MGrowOld into increasing the bet. Talk him into a C note at least.
4. Her ass, but I'm not allowed to upload any pics of that. Oh, you wrote character traits. Her patience with my inanity.
5. Starlink? Go for it. Elon is our generations' Henry Ford, Nikola Tesla, Wright brothers and Thomas Edison all rolled into one.
