I've said it many times during the past months. Internet around here is the worst in Latin America. You can look up for the statistics and be sure I'm not whining without a reason.
Of course, this has affected my interactions in HIVE. Scarce comments, and posts. I haven't even gotten to play or practice mandolin because I knew I wasn't going to publish anything. Let alone upload a video. I've trying to keep myself busy with reading and other things. I've have had some busy weeks finishing some luthier projects. But still the shadow on connection loomed above my head.
It isn't about FOMO. I've never understood that thing. For years, we missed a lot of things. They weren't important. If they were, well, news would get to us. Our parents and grandparents know more about these times. Maybe some of you are old enough to understand this. But the advent of social media and the Era of Communications has wrought new problems for humanity. The access to information and not always a way to filter said data is a problem. Let's not digress into something different.
I don't fear missing things out. I've been missing a lot since I was a child and there's no chance that would change. I try my best to keep myself informed and hope for the best. But this internet thing was already getting on my nerves. I mean it's been more than 2 months and still there was no response about this issue.
Last time a technician came by, he told me that he didn't know when they would fix this situation. He added that it was a problem of a whole sector of the city. There's some strange ideas about giving comfort talking about others having the same problems. It makes no sense at all. The poor neighborhoods don't take this problems lightly. If this were to go on for more time, it wouldn't surprise me to find out some technician were murdered while checking the cables on posts.
So, this week started as bad as always in the situation, but then the internet came back. I took my chances to do everything I could as fast as it would let me. And then, I was surprised when it went off and came back again. It didn't stop. There was a power cut. And when electricity came back, so did the internet. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Yesterday, some guys from the cable company came because my father filed a lot of reports about the situation. The asked about the internet. Then, they said that the problem had been solved. And as fast as they had arrived, they departed.
Today, as I was working on an instrument, some other guys from the cable company came. They wore a different uniform. They asked about the internet. But they told me some other people in the neighborhood had some problems with slow connection. I told them we were ok and they went off. Later, while I was taking a shower, they came back and my mom had to go and see what it was.
Apparently, these guys are actually the ones in charge of cutting illegal connections. They were checking they cables and found there was something fishy. There was a cable with the serial U-19 that they couldn't identify. They came around again because we live at U-16 asking if our connection was new. Long story short, it seems somebody had been stealing internet and cable for a long time and they weren't aware of it. The U block around here ends in 17.
This made me think that perhaps this whole mess with the internet has been a case of someone stealing the signal. Something that wouldn't surprise me. Since all things have been going to their worst, people are slowly descending into this advantage mindset. It doesn't matter if they are screwing someone else. All that matters are the benefits. It is a dangerous things for a society to follow this path. But if the State is the one doing it, people must think it's fair game.
Let's see how all this resolves. For the moment, I'm happy to be back and have the chance to post daily and comment and reply. But I can't help to think what would be my next petty problem. Gasoline seems like a big one. Gasoline shortage in an oil producing country. The joke tells itself. For now, my life has a respite in my little extended weekend.