ARRRGGGGHHH!!!!

I've been having major problems with my cable modem connection since last Wednesday or so. I called Comcast and screamed at their poor customer service kid, and they scheduled a tech for next Wednesday.. I mean, this is a world wide cataclysmic disaster. I can't play WoW! I keep expecting the military to swoop in with relief supplies..

So, I went looking on the Comcast tech forums and read about cable modem power levels, and signal to noise ratios, and so on.. and something caught my eye. It mentioned splitters, and I thought.. hmmmm... splitters.. I'm using one. It's a little known fact that you can get a cable modem, run a splitter off it, and get basic cable for free, which is what I was doing. So I disconnect the splitter and plug the cable modem directly into the wall jack, reboot it, and woah.. it seems to be working normally.

I'm now pounding my head on my desk for not trying this when the problem first popped up. But.. now I'm going to need to subscribe to some sort of TV service. I could get basic cable for pretty cheap, or I could go with a high end digital package with a TiVo (or something like it) for a bunch of money. I'd like to get a dish and a PVR, but I don't know if that can be done since my cable modem is using the coax cable in my house..

I'm not a real big TV watcher, but if I can't get my Southpark fix, I'll go mad. My head is starting to swell from beating it on my desk and now I have a headache.. Damn those big cable companies for stopping me from stealing their tv service. I already pay $60 a month just for a cable modem.. and now they want more?