Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for July 21, 2023

How’s the WiFi at your home? Or even — G-d forbid you have to find out — at your office?

Maybe he should submit that from home instead of a cafe. Among other things, he won’t have to put up with “baristas.”

The theory of relativity, sort of

It’s a hard, cruel world.

amazing how jaded we become to amazing

First world problems.

We pay about $3.50/day for our home internet. And though we don’t, lots of people pay order of the same price for their phone and data. That’s actually less than the cost of ONE cup of coffee at a place such as pictured above. I always knew those places were a rip off.

Typical freeloader for ya. They is want everything for free and then they is gripes.

It’s not magic, it’s photons!

If it’s that important, PAY for a network. I have it on it iPad and it costs I think $20 a month and stop leeching

Just wondering – does the character Angry Bob ever appear in ths strip anymore?

Every now and then, I like Rat even more.

Rat must have been my IT support twin from a past life…. This is the kind of thing I always wanted to say to impatient clients

Louis CK did this bit better.

Rat’s a hypocrite. We’ve seen him upset by far more trivial things.

https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2004/07/23

But the info it gives me on anything I want is crap. I’ve had to go out and buy actual books to get that stuff!

My internet must be broken. :(

I work from home and have gigabit fiber (1g down/1g up) but unfortunately the VPN cuts that to about 20/6. But still beats going into the office.

There is a message here. Read and learn from Rat.

Touched a nerve here—I don’t recall ever seeing this many comments.

we can send a space craft out of our freakin’ SOLAR SYSTEM, but these great " engineers" can’t even design a reliable communication system here on earth. I HATE my "smart " phone. And don’t even get me started on traffic "engineers ", who think it’s funny to bring us to a screeching halt with their know how on traffic light timing. I’d like to kick them all in the face.

Appreciate what you have!

Bob, you think that’s bad? I remember when you had to pay a dime to use the toilet!

Now do air travel: “My flight from New York to Vancouver was delayed an hour!” A hundred years ago that trip would have taken at least a week.

Oh the magic of the wireless…

How slow can that internet be? It can’t be any worse than McDonald’s Internet.

I think the second panel left off the last two words of Rat’s sentence. “For free”.

It is a two-edged sword, though, isn’t it? Sometimes I think Information Technology should be called Noise Technology because it’s massively increased the noise and decreased the peace. Oh, the noise. Oh, the noise, noise, noise, noise.

Neighbor Bob needs a session in the Total Perspective Vortex.

I am constantly amazed at the wonders of our modern world. Sure, we’re just now getting “flying cars” to work, but even without the advanced “electronal marvels” that have appeared since the middle of last century, we live with luxuries that emperors couldn’t obtain throughout history — hot and cold running water on tap, central heating (and without the fuss of a coal furnace like the one we still had when I was a kid), foods of all sorts preserved in various ways, including refrigerated and frozen (without the ice blocks my folks remembered), “magical” devices providing sound and even “moving pictures” (so advanced over the “magic lantern” I’ve operated as nostalgic edutainment), beds and other furniture for common folk that the princess in “The Princess and the Pea” would envy… yes, we should praise and thank God and the creative men and women who came before us every day!

First world problems are still problems.

Woe is me …

Pffftttt – that’s nothing. Yesterday, there were no more vanilla cake donuts with sprinkles. Now THAT was troubling!

AMEN

Iffy WiFi

And it’s FREE Wi-Fi, so shut up!

My WiFi at home is great. Quit whining, guy, and go home to connect. Or go to work and try to connect.

Ooooh the humanity….sloooow WI-FI!

Took almost a second for Pearls to download this morning…is the internet broken?

Since when does Rat… add perspective to one’s life?

Boooo, perspective!

Neighbor Bob, I’m a tech expert. The Wi-Fi signal is not slow. If you are willing to pay for my services, I will help you.

First, turn on the Wi-Fi on your device. Second, pair your device to the Wi-Fi.

You were using your cellular service. That will be $1,500.

A first world problem for sure.

I can help you, but first answer a few questions: What is your PCs buss speed and Processor serial number; Do you have a separate router and modem; What are their model numbers and serial numbers; Who is your ISP and their CEO’s middle name; What is your app to slow down the boogie man; Do you use a VSP and where are its Servers and all of the dewpoints between you and them; Have you verified all voltages on your mother board; Finally, I’ll just need your Social Security and Credit Card Numbers and Mother’s Maiden and Middle names; Just one more—CLICK CONNECTION DISCONNECTED BY COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY….

What we need is an Internet version of the US Mail, Rural Electrification Administration, and federal highway system. In the 19th Century the US government brot paper mail to every residence in America, regardless of how remote. In the 20th Century it provided roadways (almost all public) to everywhere, electricity where needed (public-private partnership), and virtually universal telephone service (all private). Now we need to do the same with the 21st Century equivalent necessity of modern life.

For the first time ever, I agree totally with Rat. Been working with the Internet, IT, etc since 1993. Had this chat with many folks who think it’s all just magic and should happen right now. IT’S NOT AND IT ISN’T ALWAYS IMMEDIATE!

The problems of today ! It is to laugh .

That sounds like something Goat would say.

I’ve always found that coffee shop WiFi gets slower if the place is busy. But the public library’s free WiFi? Never seems to slow down, ever. And at the library, I’m not required to buy an overpriced beverage that I can make better at home.

Who is Rat to presume to add perspective to anyone’s life?

Please don’t post “first world problem” unless you never complain about any such thing. This guy’s complaining about slow Wi-Fi, but the guy who calls him out on it might have just complained about his commute taking 30 minutes instead of the usual 20! Poor baby…sitting in his air-conditioned, late-model SUV while listening to his custom sound system while sipping his Starbucks latte…how dare he be inconvenienced by 10 whole minutes!!! But at least he’s not complaining about slow Wi-Fi… ;-)

Louis CK did this joke first.

1st World problems…

California?

That’s nothing. Sometimes, when you’re not the least bit prepared for it, the wifi uses Ludicrous speed.

Use that slow upload time to take a sip of coffee and inhale a few deep breaths, neighbor Bob.

Rat’s perfect put-down of a pretentious Neighbor Bob. (I think “Neighbor Bobs” are made on an assembly line run in Cartoon-Boy’s basement….)

I take Rat’s point, but at the same time, the fact that these miracles are commonplace will have led Neighbor Bob’s superiors to expect much more of him. If more legwork on Bob’s part we’re required to submit this video, they would be more patient, but it’s not so they aren’t.