Sitting at home minding my own business this evening when a couple of folks from AT&T came along "conducting a survey of internet usage patterns in the neighborhood" and letting me know that they have recently expanded fiber internet service to my area (18Mbps dedicated for $52/mo, which I'm actually happy to hear about, despite the fact that I won't be shelling out for it anytime soon, and that I normally can't abide door to door salespeople with misleading marketing practices). After answering a bunch of intrusive questions about my internet usage habits and service (I access the 'net for free using my work phone as a hotspot), I illustrated to them how the NPV of the income stream they are requesting for their $52/mo service was nearly half the value of my $40k house, and also mentioned to them that the internet could be accessed for free at the library. "But think of how much gas you would spend driving back and forth to the library all the time!" said the senior sales rep. At this point, mildly amused, I stepped out of my house onto my front porch, and said, "Come here, let me show you something," as I walked around to the side of my house, salespeople in tow. I pointed to my bicycle in the driveway, and said, "See that thing there? It doesn't require any gas to get to the library and back." The senior sales guy then smiled, shook my hand, and said, "I can see you've got it all figured out, and we're not going to sell you anything today. Have a great evening." I wished him the same, and we both walked away smiling.
