January 2, 2008
Morning Roundup: The Horrible Truth Sets In
Good morning, Washington. Well, this is it: the holidays are finally, tragically over. You're once again sitting at your desk. And now we begin the slow, terrible death march toward spring, with only brief, inadequate celebrations of Presidents' and MLK Day to sustain us. Stay strong, D.C. — we'll get through this.
Can You Hear Me Now? Hello? Hello?: The ball dropped, the phones came out and... nothing. "Y2K8 Bug" doesn't sound very catchy, but that seems to be what Verizon Wireless customers experienced in the first few hours of 2008, as WTOP reports. A software glitch affected some calls and text messages until around 4 a.m. on New Year's Day.
Virginia Considers Mining Uranium: Walter Coles' family farm in Pittsylvania County sits atop what is thought to be the largest deposit of uranium on the East coast — enough to power the nation's reactors for two years. But up until now he hasn't been able to do anything about it: as the Post explains, uranium mining has been banned in Virginia since 1982. Now Coles is undertaking a lobbying effort to have that changed. Although the landowner claims that he's avoided selling the land so that he can ensure the mining process proceeds safely and with a maximum benefit to the community, critics say that Coles is motivated solely by money and that uranium mining can't be conducted safely in Virginia's moist environment.
String of Stabbings in Virginia: The Post reports on three separate incidents that occurred yesterday and overnight in Northern Virginia. A man was found stabbed in Falls Church; another in Reston; and three people sustained knife injuries after a man was barred from a party in Franconia. The Falls Church incident resulted in the victim's death. Police say the incidents aren't related.
Briefly Noted: Maryland property assessments rising despite falling home prices... Third Democrat considers running for Tom Davis' seat... Union Station was briefly evacuated yesterday due to a french fry fire, lower level will remain closed today... Arlington chairman pledges to support affordable housing, pursue smoking/trans-fat ban and keep county pro-immigrant...
This Day In DCist: One year ago Mayor Fenty was taking office, Washington was paying its respects to Gerald Ford, and the Post was cozying up to local bloggers.
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Oblivious Dude
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Thanks Verizon! There is nothing like being woke up half...err.. still drunk a 4am to a billion text and voice mail messages…it must be the network right?
Well, of course everybody's going to be stabbing eachother in Virginia. They've got mandatory 5-year sentencing for felony handgun posession. Assault with an edged weapon will earn you a pat of butter, some toast, and a Paula Deen video.
"Y2K8 Bug" is a little melodramatic. Try "Every single Verizon user in the Eastern Time Zone, all trying to simultaneously dial out".
In a completely unscientific survey of partygoers at around 12:20 a.m. Jan 1, it appeared as though T-Mobile and AT&T customers were experiencing the exact same problem -- SMS was totally broken, but you could still send email through your phone.
Yup, I had the same problem with my AT&T service. Couldn't text anyone right after midnight. Whoops.
Don't be knocking Paula Deen. I've eaten at her restaurant in Savannah and it it's great. They even have a defibrillator on hand just in case the food's a bit too rich for some hearts.
probably saved some people (me) from those embarassing drunk dials and misspelled texts. thanks verizon!
Well, that's the idea. Give the stabbing perp enough butter and Paula Deen and the "problem" takes care of itself. Unless they survive the heart attack, in which case the prison has to provide them free health care. And by "health care" I mean "Velveeta Spamwiches deepfried in pure lard."
Wow, I had that same problem. People kept asking why I texted them at 4 am saying that a message was deleted.
Horrible Truth? WTF?!? Thank god the holidays are over. Now I can finally get my life back: no more family commitments, holiday visitors, required binges, alcohol poisoning, christmas songs being thrust upon me from every conceivable direction...
I'm definitely ready to celebrate the end of the holiday season.
The texting problems were just a product of the large amount of traffic; it was completely expected.
If the mobile companies can't handle a high volume of texts at New Years, what will they do if a national emergency strikes? Even large protests and street fairs seem to result in texting troubles.
I love phone companies, they moan that they need major incentives to maintain their infrastructure, but when it comes down to it, they obviously haven't invested where it's needed.