Pull Plug and Wait Fifteen Seconds…
We have cable internet, or we do most of the time. Every now and then, about five or six weeks apart, our internet goes out. TV still works, but cable internet is out. The first few times this happened I called our cable provider and they asked me to unplug the cable modem for about 15 seconds and then plug it in again. Most of the time that worked. 
Not too long ago… six months, maybe? … we had our cable go out. TV was up, cable was out, so I climbed up on the table to reach the modem (had I known I would be doing this all the time I would not have placed it on the top of the bookshelf) and unplugged it. I stood there, trying to make sure my head was clear of the ceiling fan blades, and then plugged it back in. Confidently I climbed back down to my desk.
Wha…. no Internet. So I called again.
This time they asked me to not only unplug the power (to reset the modem) but to disconnect the coax cable from the wall. When I asked why, they said over time a charge can build up on the connector and it impedes the signal. Huh.
After unplugging both cables and waiting for the required 15 seconds I plugged them both in. Voila, Internet.
I think I then yelled at the person on the phone. Well, “yelled” is probably too strong of a word, but I was fairly forceful in telling him just what I thought of the completely stupid design for cable connectors and modems and their products in general that required me to climb up to the ceiling, risking decapitation from a ceiling fan once every six weeks just to maintain my Internet. He was sympathetic… of course he was, he was on the other end of the phone from the raving lunatic customer. 
Fast forward to today. The Internet goes out. TV works, but google is MIA. I climbed up and unplugged the modem, waited, plugged, climbed down. No Internet. But I remembered the last time, so before calling I climbed back up… again… and unplugged both cables. This is a bit trickier as I want to make sure I don’t drop either of them down behind the bookshelves; that happened last time.
Plug in the cable.
Plug in the power to the modem.
Watch the lights do their fancy startup dance.
And we have Internet.
So what do I do? I sign on to my blog so I can bore the rest of you with my sad, sad, tale of woe.