PNW Bloggers

Adding a regional element to this Blog, I've decided to begin adding "Bloggers in the Pacific North West" (PNW) to my sidebar.

If you are a blogger in the PNW, or if you know a blog which promotes RKBA & the shooting sports, and whose host lives in the PNW (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana ... any other suggestions?), please email me at jerrydgeekblogs at aol dot com and I'll take a look.

I'm especially interested, of course, in Oregon bloggers. I've not included range-related websites as they aren't blogs, and besides I've already included most of those of which I am aware, either directly or as links to links I've included.

Blogs which provide a link to Cogito Ergo Geek, of course, are already linked in the sidebar. However, if you find a website which links to me I would appreciate notification so I can include them, regardless of their regional origin.

OTHER BLOG NEWS:
In case you haven't noticed, I've returned to weekly archival. I had originally archived monthly, but it was FAR too long for convenient loading via modem. I couldn't, in good conscience, provide much large-file content (such as photos and action-GIFs) because they took so LONG to load.

There was a period last month, when BlogSpot had hardware problems, when I went back to monthly archiving in an attempt to help alleviate bandwidth overloading. (It seems odd to me, that I am becoming increasingly concerned about bandwidths. Members of the Unofficial IPSC List may recall that I have offered sarcastic comments in the past about 'bandwidth' in regards to mailing lists. Believe me, the concern is much more immediate in a Web Log.)

However, now that the BlogSpot problem seems to have been resolved, I am implementing all measures available to make access much more convenient for those of us who connect via modem.

SPEAKING OF MODEM ACCESS:
... I am looking at BroadBand access for my home computer. The 56KB modem I'm currently using is adequate for many purposes, but it is inconvenient when I am researching an article. Recently I have received some criticism for having performed inadequate research to support an article. This spurs me to place a higher priority on access speed.

I don't have cable, so Comcast (the dominant cable provider in Oregon) which seems a logical first choice) is not attractive. I not only have to pay for broadband internet access, but also for TV cable subscription as well.

I have QWEST as my landline provider (used almost exclusively for AOL dial-up ... I have Verizon Wireless for my most commonly used telephone access), but their broadband access is not attractive. PEAK.COM has some attractive support, but QWEST already takes too much of my monthly bill-paying time and my preference is not to support a vendor which has proven to provide less than stellar performance.

I've been advised to use WIFI, because many people in my immedicate geographic neighborhood are using WIFI and it has been suggested that I 'piggy-back' on this immediate availability. However, my research shows that they may not be sufficiently secure, and 24/7 access depends largely on whether a transient bunch of college students are reliable providers.

Phone, Cable TV, unregulated and quasi-anonymous WIFI time ... all present drawbacks.

Has anyone a suggestion to an alternative provider of broadband access? I don't much like the idea of spending over $100 per month for Internet access convenience, and of course it must be secure ....