Even a Geek Can Be Stupid

After being fed up with my DSL provider and their raised price, I switched to the now-faster local cable internet provider on Singleness Awareness Day (that's February 14, to the uninformed). My internet wasn't working for the previous several days, so it was great to be back online at home. The technicians connected the line, adjusted some things, and then got me back on the internet. I promptly reactivated my wireless router and turned my home networking back on (yes, I need home networking for this single guy and five Wi-Fi connected devices). But something was acting weird. It started shortly after the guys left. I decided to go upstairs and get a drink. When I returned to my computer, the internet wasn't working. I restarted the modem and the router, and stuff was working again. Then I decided to work on my notebook PC from the comfort of my couch. I go back upstairs, wake my notebook, get connected to my wireless network, and the internet isn't working again! I start thinking that maybe the internet's series of tubes were being clogged by my desktop PC. So I go back downstairs, check things on it, restart all of my equipment again, and then return to my notebook PC. Again! The internet wasn't working! This time, I remote controlled my desktop to test it's internet, and although it had just worked, it wasn't working anymore. Even the router's admin interface was reporting no internet connection. In frustration, I go back to my desktop to try to figure this out. Low and behold! There are no problems! Then I realized the problem. I had plugged my cable modem into the power outlet affected by the light switch. So every time that I left the room, I had turned the modem off with the lights. Every time that I returned, I turned it back on. To make up for my "great moment in stupidity" (I originally heard that in the "old" Garfield cartoons, in case you were wondering), I have used my powers ("the Geek is strong with this one") to figure out how to unscrew the light bulb (it only takes one of me) when I leave the room, so that I don't turn off the modem. Smart. Very smart. (Magnavox) And in case you're wondering, here are my SpeedTest.net comparisons between my former DSL and new cable: (The Hopkinsville server hasn't been working lately.)