A group of (probably fake) engineers (that may or may not be) associated with Fake Steve Jobs plan to bring down AT&T’s mobile network on Friday, December 18. Consider this an indirect invitation to participate in mischief a warning if you’re an AT&T customer. Things might get funky if people take this mission seriously and/or it comes to life through various nerd networks. Here’s the memo:
On Friday, December 18, at noon Pacific time, we will attempt to overwhelm the AT&T data network and bring it to its knees. The goal is to have every iPhone user (or as many as we can) turn on a data intensive app and run that app for one solid hour. Send the message to AT&T that we are sick of their substandard network and sick of their abusive comments. THe idea is we’ll create a digital flash mob. We’re calling it in Operation Chokehold. Join us and speak truth to power!
Most people are dismissing Operation Chokehold as a publicity stunt by Fake Steve Jobs, but there’s a good chance that it will take a life of its own. Fake Steve has a lot of real fans, many of whom are disgruntled AT&T customers. For its part, AT&T has acknowledged Operation Chokehold as a real threat and the company isn’t happy about it. An AT&T told Cult of Mac:
We understand that fakesteve.net is primarily a satirical forum, but there is nothing amusing about advocating that customers attempt to deliberately degrade service on a network that provides critical communications services for more than 80 million customers. We know that the vast majority of customers will see this action for what it is: an irresponsible and pointless scheme to draw attention to a blog.
I’m so curious to see what happens on Friday. Half of me expects it to be a total non-event, like Y2K, but if enough people use data-heavy apps on Friday then Operation Chokehold’s message will be heard by millions. Will nerd apathy or nerd rage win out?!?
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i always liked skeletor, but i think trap jaw was my favorite
@smartguy – but doesn't Sprint offer one rate for everything? The simply everything plan?
Unlimited internet, text, and talk to any cell carrier at any time for $99.99. after losing lots of customers can you really say that's not competitive pricing?
@Shockwave: This is the stuff I think up at 4:15 in the morning when I can't sleep. It's the insomniac equivalent to how potheads suddenly all get great ideas for world peace when they're high, which all seem to revolve around legalizing pot.
@ Nightshade
The local rock radio station here proved your theory.
There are two DJ's on the morning show. A dude and a chick. The dude has a stupid looking, long ponytail. Last year they put out two donation bins. One for the dude to cut his hair for Locks for Cancer, and the other for the chick to walk topless down a major road. Either way, all proceeds were going to some charuty but the chicks bin over quadrupled what the other guys made when in fact, if you donated to him, more charity would have actually been given.
In the end, "topless" was the name of one the other DJ's dogs. She walked his dog down the major road.
@ Nightshade
EXCELLENT IDEA!
I bet AT&T would be an AWESOME network, all we gotta do is legalize pot!
@shockwave
$100 per month? Isn't that about what it costs everywhere else?
Without my family plan/school discount my ATT bill is roughly $84 per month.
@Shockwave – the difference between my point and yours is the word astounding. The point of this excercise is to create that loss by making the average person feel it and possibly push them away.
@Nightshade – I love the boobies! In fact, we buy pink whenever possible. I was just throwing the idea out as more of a neutral party for the otherside, I could care less about protests like these, but it's always good to be able to understand both sides.
@shockwave
oops, that includes unlimited data, text, and voice. At least unlimited voice for me. I have rollover.
@N8R
Brilliant!!
As for big companies, there has to be a reason for them to both acknowledge a problem and hurry the fix. Think back to Fight Club and the narrorator's job in insurance. In order for a recal to be issued, the cost of getting the cars back plus fixing the issue has to be less then the cost of fighting the law suits, or else it doesn't happen. Same thing here, the cost to fix the network has to be less and equal more then simply sitting on some bad publicity.
@Smartguy – I guess it depends on how you look at it. at ATT unlimited minutes costs 99.99 + Text $20.00 + internet $30.00. so $150 for the same plan as Sprint.
Granted my iphone plan is $60 for 450 min, 30 for internet and $20 for text but still I'm getting a lot less for my $110
@N8r: Mind you, at 4 in the morning my mind doesn't account for indecency laws and prudes. lol.
@Shockwave and everyone else – don't ever be afraid of offending me, especially by disagreeing. It would take something exceptionally flabergasting, or incredibly stupid to even come close to hitting that nerve, and I don't think anyone in this site has it in them
(though I encourage you to try the first and avoid the second).
@Larcenous – you're right, Sprint was an exception but still a notable one. It's easier to be stubborn than right but lots of stubborn companies go out of business.
@smartguy – ya, with rollover I'm practically unlimited too. I don't use many minutes honestly. probably less than 250 per month excluding nights and weekends. I do appreciate rollover in the event of a high month
@Smartguy: In relation to post #49, people are generally willing to pay for a superior service. And using MS and Sony as a comparison isn't fair, because 2 party competition is very different from 4,5 or 6 party competition.
So If everyone goes to Verizon, and Verizon chooses to raise their prices, they'll still have a superior service to AT&T. Then it's up to you as the consumer to decide which is more important to you, price or quality. This is where the MS/Sony model is a fair comparision.
However, if the customers go to many different companies, they're not all going to raise their prices. AT&T might falter under those circumstances, but the other companies still would need to be competitive with each other.
AT&T is the American Ninja of networks.
Sorry, American Ninja on the brain.
@Larcenous – Ya it's hard to offend me too, even if I disagree I appreciate a good debate. and I'm always open to the other side.
I'd say the closest anyone came to pissing me off was RROD on G4TV but I think we all know he liked to stir the pot in those forums quite a bit
@ Larcenous
I pass wind in your general direction.
Your father was a hamster, and your mother smelt the vilderberries.
@ Smartguy
We should have an RPad.tv American Ninja screening party.
@N8R – No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
@ Shockwave
Everybody has their particular favorite parts of that movie. The Black Knight, The Bridge keeper, the Knights who say neep… mine was always that french guard on the tower.
Set it up on xbox live. We will party up and watch it.
My god the horror. I will need some beers.
@N8R – I always appreciated the fantasy of Sir Gallahad, the pure. other than that I really like the witch accusation and the swallow discussion, the white rabbit and tim were so good. The whole french castle scene is great too. especially the large wooden rabbit.
I guess the whole movie is awesome.. haha
@smartguy – actually that's a good idea
@ Smartguy
I don't have a credit card i.e. Netflix.
Even if I had a credit card, I wouldn't get Netflix because they make you enter a credit card no matter what. You can have gift cards… doesn't matter. Must enter a credit card.
From the casting session for American Ninja:
"Well Mr. James, we're not quite sure if you're right for the role of Curtis "token" Jackson yet… Here, take your shirt off and hold this completely unrealistic RPG launcher…. congratulations, you got the part."
@Larcenous
"the point of this exercise is to create that loss by making the average person feel it and possibly push them away."
The average consumer would even feel it if it weren't for a group of morons trying to attack the network. I have no service issues with AT&T. I have been with them for 14 years now (not including my very brief switch to Altel when AT&T shutdown shop in my area)
@N8R – hrumph! It's a flesh wound. Come back here!
@ Larcenous
Don't make me use the holy hand grenade.
@Slicky – I have been with them since '99 and in my area I have no problems as well. However, we are informed and are aware that others are having problems. This kind of attack is aimed at the uninformed consumer, attempting to bring their knowledge of the services problems to light so they can be as pissed as the Nerd Continum running the attack.
Besides, don't you know by now that if a techie is having a problem, that means that everyone is having that same problem but is too in the dark to realize it!
@N8R – I would like you to know that some call me… Tim *bush explodes next to you*
@Larcenous – you do have a point but unfortunately most of the other people out there could care less about our "techie" gripes. I want a perfect network too but I think there are probably better ways to go about it.
Casting session for Dudikoff
Caster: Can you stand there and just stare?
Dudikoff: ……
Caster: Okay, you get the part.
@Shockwave – completely agree. That's why I could care less about it. I am the last person to suggest what amount to a terrorist action to get my point across anywhere. I do see where they are coming from though. Can neither condone nor approve of this is all.
Caster: "Secretary, we can't afford Ricardo Monteban, so get me a list of people that look just like him. We also need the asian equivalent to Burt Reynolds."
"And if you can find me a jeep that explodes at the slightest touch, it would be helpful."
Caster: "We need a little musical number that sounds horrible, but will play everytime Dudikoff does a ninja move"
Composer: " You got it!"
Do you remember when Jackson was fighting that bigger Asian guy and after he put him down…he reached down to the ground to pick up some bullets…but had no gun? LOL
Hrmm… I need a main character, but I don't want him to have to do or say much… maybe give him amnesia…
*aid pipes up from the back* But how will he know how to fight then?
… give him amnesia… but he remembers his karate moves!
Do you think that Dudikoff decided not to do American Ninja 3, or that he was on vacation during the 4 days it was filmed between AmN2 and AmN4?
@Larcenous
Question 1: Someone watched the Bourne Identity mini series
Question 2: Very plausible
"We need a bald asian karate master that the audience will know is going to die and create a dramatic story arch as soon as he appears on screen."
Director: "With all these ninjas in black, I can't tell who's who. Dudikoff's characteristic stare in to space is completely lost in the shuffle… WARDROBE! get me a red sash for his waist and give the old asian master some red MC Hammer pants you can see through the puff of smoke he magically appears in."
Director: "Our female lead needs to be typical. I want her bitching and complaining about being rescued from Ninjas and asians with machine guns. She needs to keep reiterating she can take care of herself"
@Smartguy – I was just talking about American Ninja, but I am amazed at how well that also describes Jason Bourne. I prefer the free running though.
Asst. to the Director: "Boss, if he has amnesia, how does he remember how to work on cars? And if the Sgt. assigned him to the motorpool, couldn't he look on his driver's liscense and see what his real name is?"
Director: "The audience paid to see Michael Dudikoff, they aren't gonna ask questions like that!"
Asst to the Director: "How does someone who doesn't know their name or SS number get in to the army anyway?"
Director: "He's Michael Dudikoff… did you see that bike jump?"
@Shockwave562 It's more of a problem in cities with a concentrated area than anywhere else since it's more people per tower. AT&T's biggest problem areas are Manhattan and downtown San Francisco. The former has more people per square foot than anywhere else in the country, while the latter might have more tech nerds per square foot anywhere else in the country.
#Everyone This was a really cool discussion with great points from different sides. Yes, it's not cool that someone might be without mobile service on an emergency on Friday. Yes, it's cool to bring mainstream attention to AT&T's failures, especially when the company PR is trying to blame it on the iPhone and getting newspaper/television spots to preach this falsehood.
The bottom line is, thanks for keeping the discussion civil!!! As Hrolf pointed out, we've talked about history vs. religion without becoming a flamewar. We talked about Adam Lambert's homosexuality without it degrading into nonsense. I love that we can have great discussions here!!!
@N8R
Asst to Director: "You mean the bike jump that should have killed him because we showed the dumby's head going through the wind screen?"
Director: "Yes. Next you are going to tell me that the audience questions our Ricardo Montaban ripoff villian for having his illegal business put on the side of his delivery trucks!"
@RPad- I'm glad it was civil too. The city thing makes sense I guess I'm just glad I live in a city that is relatively smaller than most. traffic is my least favorite thing, weather it's in cars, lines, or general crowding. I guess it's the same on cell phones.
In regard to the stuntmen in that movie… those dudes really did have balls. Many of the stunts I saw were completely unnecessary risks.
Writer: If I were in jail and trying to avoid an attack by ninjas… what would I do?… (time to think long and hard… day or 2 complaining of writer's block)… EUREKA! Pillows under the bed covers!"
Producer: "Are you sure nobody is going to question Dudikoff laying on top of the exhaust pipes while under that truck? Those things get very hot."
Director: "We will have him do a hard stare, that will sell the scene"
Asst: "Sir, don't you think the ending is a little ominous."
Director: "Did you miss where the helicopter explodes? How could you miss that?"
You know that movie could have been a silent movie and you wouldn't have missed a thing. Dudikoff conveys so much in his staring.