"Shannon Jacobs" <shanen@cashette.com> wrote in message 
news:4441a5a1$0$209$44c9b20d@news3.asahi-net.or.jp...
> In spite of the overwhelming evidence that y'all have pretty much 
> succeeded in killing this newsgroup, I'll go ahead and include a copy of 
> this query here. Reminds me of the kind of tiny bar that's basically 
> 'owned' by a couple of drunks. I know it's wasting time to attempt to 
> reason with drunks, but if the bar had more business, then maybe the owner 
> could lower the prices? (Though in those situations, the owner is usually 
> the leading drunk.) As it applies here, if you weren't such aggressively 
> witless pricks, there might be a few more readers and more general 
> information flow. Of course, you'd need a *LOT* more readers if you're 
> hoping to find much appreciation for such low wit as traditionally 
> predominates here. Actually, the next part includes a comment about 
> English support, and this newsgroup is an excellent example of why they 
> should not bother to offer it. Some markets just aren't worth it. Anyway, 
> here's the cut-and-paste, even though this newsgroup is barely worth that 
> much effort and even though I have very little expectation of any 
> informative responses here:
>
> Currently my communications costs in Kanagawa are running about 8,500 
> yen/month. This includes regular phone service, an ISP, a linked ADSL 
> service, and a mobile phone, but it still seems somewhat expensive. There 
> are various 'extended' options including cable television and fiber optic 
> services and various wireless networks. Just the small bit of information 
> that has actually been translated into English is already pretty 
> overwhelming, and none of my Japanese friends and coworkers have been able 
> to provide 'definitive' clarification--even the ones that are working in 
> related areas. I feel like I've already been deluged with data, but I'm 
> not finding much in the way of useful information, and it's quite 
> difficult to even formulate the query in a encompassing way. The simple 
> summary of goals is that I'd like to minimize my costs while maintaining 
> "sufficient" service, but that notion of "sufficient" is difficult... Last 
> year I was hoping to consolidate everything on a wireless network, but the 
> wireless network I'm using now is so slow that it can barely handle 
> streaming audio, and the faster networks are priced by the bit at 
> apparently prohibitive rates. (Well, if I want to watch Jon Stewart 
> videos...) Yahoo BB looked interesting, but like my current ADSL and 
> mobile phone providers, English support is an afterthought. I can get by 
> on Japanese, but it's enough of a nuisance that I've been uninterested in 
> Yahoo BB so far... E-Access is supposed to have an interesting wireless 
> offering, but it's still unclear just what that will be and when.
Whew,
I really enjoy Jon Stewart too.