The Slooooow Wait & The Top 89%

Remember dial-up? Remember when your 14.4 modem just screamed in comparison to the earlier one? Remember when you used to watch the status bar as a small file downloaded?

I still remember the magic of the first file arrival, as it came into my computer over the local Datapac dial-up phone connection. Truly amazing at the time.

But I also remember this:

Interlacing is an option to this day. But for a lot of folks today, their connection is fast enough that images load all at once. Boom.

But not everyone has a fast connection. While this little display is contrived via the magic of an animated GIF (137 horizontal while lines, covering the image and removed at the rate of one per frame, with various intervals thrown in for realism and to evoke memories of the olden days, and short-term frustration), the Speedtest badge is real. My buddy Doug used to send these to me regularly, as we both have the same ISP, and would compare our download specs on bad days. Typically Doug’s stats would be similar to the one above. Grade: F, slower than 89% of Canada. Mine typically sits at around Grade C or C+, with roughly 52% of Canada enjoying a faster download.

How would YOU like it if your Internet connection were this slow? Or stopped working for hours on end?

Doug recently moved up to the new 4G service, and he tells me that the speeds are better, and more consistent. But now he has to watch that he doesn’t download too much data within the month and incur fees for going over. I’ve been there. Not fun.

Created for GIFestivus2012, this is my second submission for Ben Rimes’ “Hurry Up and Wait” Animated GIF Assignment 864.