DSL, baby.

One of the crappiest things about living in a relatively isolated area is the lack of certain amenities we take for granted when living in the city. Thanks to Dave, I now know that we can get Verizon DSL in the southern-most end of Carbondale. We are too...dependent on MSN Premium to give it up, but I was not and would not be jazzed about the idea of paying for DSL and then paying again for MSN. Our apartment is only three years old, and it's already wired for a local DSL provider. Now, I have nothing against local or regional businesses, which I like to support whenever I can. But I am not going to pay more money for less service, i.e., no 24-hour support, no free hardware, etc. Getting a cable modem was out of the question -- too tempting to get cable networks and watch too much television. So, we are getting the same service we already have (which I have been happy with for three years and in two states), much faster, and it will cost only coffee-and-a-treat-for-two more a month than we are paying now. Delicious.