Ed Stoffel

So now that I've had both, which is better... DSL or Cable? On price, it depends on the current offer and whether they're forthcoming about it. Based on their best offers (which you hear about when you call to cancel), Embarq's DSL here is 3Mbps for $34.95/mo., and 5Mbps for $44.95/mo... but then add $4 for taxes and regulatory fees to those prices. Adelphia's price here for 4Mbps service is $42.95/mo., plus their summer promotion offered me the first 3 months for $21.95/mo. At the end of that promotion however, they billed me for 50-days at a cost of $70.66. Both companies like to do this sort of thing, slamming you with a higher-than-anticipated bill.

As for speed, Adelphia's high-speed internet here is slower than a year ago. At that time, my typical download speeds were usually around 3.500Mbps; today, download speed test results were 1.673Mbps (ToastNet) and 1.572Mbps (DSL Reports)... quite disappointing. Last time around, cable speeds exceeded advertised rates. DSL speeds were consistently close to the advertised rates, usually testing at 100Kb under the rate purchased. That was with the 3Mbps service; I don't know if the same holds true with the 5Mbps DSL service.

Since returning to Adelphia in June, our connectivity has failed three times... twice for over an hour. DSL failed at about the same rate, though early in our service, it was out for over a day. I no longer use VoIP service, but recently, I used it on Adelphia cable and its quality was about the same as DSL. Installation of cable service has gone smoothly both times while DSL installation missed deadlines and I had to deal with multiple billing errors.

So which is better? While it could be a hassle to arrange, DSL service may now be better... because I have slow cable internet. But if I switch back to DSL, it may have become worse and cable could get better. I guess the other man's broadband is always greener.

UPDATE: When testing an hour later to insert a screen grab of the test, my download rate was much higher... so that's how much the speeds vary on cable internet.

While our pastor was on sabbatical, I was asked to write a column for our church newsletter's Q&A section. The question: John 4:24 states "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." What does John mean by this, and what is the practical application for us?

My good friend Robert Ogburn makes big time news with his story in The Seoul Times:

Ex-Adoptee Returns to Seoul as US Diplomat

Robert Ogburn Begins Job as US Embassy Spokesman

Former adoptee has returned to Seoul as a US diplomat. He changed his job from bank official, author, editor, producer, and to diplomat in the United States. South Korean-born US diplomat Robert Ogburn started his duty as a spokesperson at the US Embassy in Seoul Aug. 23, 2005. His Korean name is Woo Chang-Jae. Born in a rural village north of Seoul in 1959 Ogburn was adopted to the US when he was just 10 month old. He grew up in the east coast of the US.