magnetonic

I'd like to think of myself as a technology enthusiast. I'm a geek. I like computers and games and gadgets and all sorts of things. I'm what people like to call an 'early-adopter'. I grab things as they come out, when I can afford it. I have a first-generation iPod. Optical mouse. Now defunct pre-MS Hotmail. Eight-digit ICQ. Napster. Always the latest version of software.

However, there are a few notable instances where I've been lagging. Usenet was one of them. Two: IRC. I think I went online once. And yesterday's revolution: BitTorrent.

I tried it once many, many months ago, but I failed to download the thing that I had wanted. I grew frustrated. Of course, I hadn't RTFM, so I had no idea what I was doing, what to expect, or what to configure tweak set.

I lost interest quickly and wondered what all the hype was about. I was happy with whatever P2P was in fashion at the time, because only rarely did I want to listen to a new song. And I had Usenet for my other entertainment/productivity needs. So I mistakenly dimissed BitTorrent right then and there as all talk and no action.

Until yesterday. I read on Slashdot about some Linux thing or another (those guys are geeks). Anyway the ISOs were available by torrent as well as the standard FTP/HTTP. So I wondered. If these guys are doing it why aren't I?

Then I looked for more information, as a technology enthusiast is wont to do. I found it here (same link as above).

I quickly downloaded the client software and was off.

The speed was mind-bogglingly baffling. There were times where I was getting over 400 KB/s. But these sorts of speeds are nothing new. I can get that on my Usenet server (which has been disappointingly slow of late). It was my upload speed which blew my mind.

I woke up this morning to check my downloads. They were finished, of course, but I was seeding the subsequent files and my computer was uploading at a rate of—get this—1.5 MB/s. Yes, those are megabytes.

I guess my ISP was not lying when they claimed 10 Mbits.

Suffice to say, I'm wondering why I've been spending so much money on that news service and am about to cancel it. Granted, it seems a bit more reliable, but at US$12 for 10 GB, it's a bit pricey when I've got such a fat pipe.

May the swarming ensue!