Voice Over IP
By MARK DAVIS, General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co.
For those who have never heard about the potential of VoIP, be prepared to radically change the way you think about your current long-distance calling plan. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is very simply, a method for making and receiving phone calls. The calls are sent over the Internet.
So what? Well, for those of you who are already paying a monthly fee for an Internet connection, this means that you can use that same connection to place free long distance phone calls. This process essentially circumvents phone companies and their service charges. At $30 per month, VoIP is comparable in price to traditional phone service. But, VoIP providers usually include unlimited long-distance within the U.S. and Canada. This is great if you make lots of lengthy long-distance calls. For those who make fewer calls, most VoIP services have a plan that allows for 500 minutes of calls per month for around $14.95.
You’ll need a broadband connection to the Internet to be able to use VoIP. Over 50% of the Internet uses in the US now have a broadband connection.
You also need a VoIP adapter that connects a telephone to your broadband modem. The adapter digitizes the signal from your telephone so it can be sent over the Internet.
Carriers generally provide the adapter at no cost, and will charge about $10 for shipping. There is usually an activation charge as well, usually around $30.
The VoIP adapter allows you to connect one telephone to the broadband modem. Your phone must be connected to the adapter.
Traditional telephone jacks located around your house won't work. There is a workaround. Use an expandable cordless telephone system. With these, a base unit plugs into the VoIP adapter. The phone extensions receive a signal from the base unit. They don't need to be plugged into the adapter.
Cordless phones can reach between 200 and 500 feet. They are available at your local electronics store. You'll pay about $80 for the base unit and $50 for additional phones.
You also can rewire the house's telephone jacks so they go through the VoIP adapter. Instructions can be found online. This isn't a job for the faint-hearted. For more information, do a Google search for: “wire home for VoIP.”
A word of caution: Think twice about plans with limited minutes. You'll have to keep track of the number of minutes you use.
If you go over your monthly allotment, you'll be charged 3 cents per minute or more for every call. And it doesn't matter if it is a local or long-distance call.
Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS,
General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co.
home.commspeed.net/on_the_web.html
Vice President, Prescott Computer Society
www.PrescottComputerSociety.org
Special note from the editor - Use these links at your own risk. Some sites may not be suitable for young adults and may content spy ware.
Interesting & Bizarre Sites
By MARK DAVIS, General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co
.
In previous articles, I’ve dealt with some serious issues – spam, pop-up ads, etc. Let’s take a break and explore some fun stuff. Here’s a collection Websites you might consider visiting:
www.artofjamesbond.com – Explore the Art of Bond, James Bond
www.switchzoo.com – Create your own animals
www.eccentricamerica.net – Bizarre roadside attractions
www.amusingfacts.com – Over 5,000 verified amusing facts!
www.lupec.org – Ladies Society for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails
www.hungover.net – Find a cure for the hangover you got from site above
www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/vtour – Tour a Florida State Prison
www.filmwise.com – Test your knowledge of movie trivia
www.northern-lights.no – Watch the Aurora Borealis
www.maxmatic.com – Check out the bumper sticker section
www.repairclinic.com – Learn how to repair your broken appliances
www.lileks.com – A huge nostalgia trip
www.metmuseum.org/collections – Take a trip through the history of art
www.delphion.com/gallery -- Be amazed by obscure patents
www.freakydreams.com – Interpret your dreams
www.sandcastlecentral.com – Build a castle in the sand
www.wackyuses.com/uses.html -- Wacky uses for everyday products
www.oxymoronlist.com – Amuse yourself with oxymorons
Want MORE? Go to www.weirdwebbed.com for links to weird Websites. The archives contains hundreds of them. HAVE FUN!
Special note from the editor - Use these links at your own risk. Some sites may not be suitable for young adults and may content spy ware.
SHOPPING - Finding the best deals online
By MARK DAVIS, General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co.
www.pricegrabber.com
There are plenty of sites that will give you comparative prices on different types of goods ranging from electronics to clothing to tchotchkes. But PriceGrabber is worth visiting, not only because of its scope -- you can look up anything from Starlight Fairy Barbie to digital cameras to a 50-cent pair of scissors -- but also because of the extras you get in each item's listing.
You'll get the standard rundown of online retailers who carry whatever it is you crave, whether it's in stock, and peer ratings of the merchants and the item in question. But you'll also see a unique bottom-line price, based on your ZIP code, of the base cost plus tax plus shipping.
You'll see listings by people who have used copies of whatever you're looking for, and you can sell your own stuff for a fee.
You can sort the results by any column you like -- seller rating, bottom-line price, and so on. And you can quickly get details about the thing and a rundown of reviews it was given by other visitors. In fact, the whole site is a quick, easy way to get the basics for something you're thinking about buying. It belongs on your shopping list.
Other comparison shopping sites are worth a visit:
www.BizRate.com
www.NexTag.com
www.PriceScan.com
www.MySimon.com
www.PriceGrabber.com
www.fatwallet.com -- The Internet is a huge hit with shoppers, a place to share tips about sales and good buys and the latest coupons. People looking to get the best deals from national stores have been flocking to sites like Fat Wallet for the latest intelligence on what items will be on sale at what stores. That's the kind of info this site and others like the Deal of the Day - www.dealofday.com - post every day.
HAPPY SHOPPING!
Special note from the editor - Use these links at your own risk. Some sites may not be suitable for young adults and may content spy ware.
Stroll Down Memory Lane
By MARK DAVIS, General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co.
The Web has many sites dedicated to nostalgia and history. You can click your way down memory lane at the following sites.
NostalgiaCentral.com - A journey through three decades of music, movies, television, and pop culture. Looking for a blast from the past? If it's from the 60s, 70s or 80s you'll find it here.
HistoryBuff.com - focuses on how newspapers covered major, and not so major, events in American history.
Nostalgia.com - More than 40,000 original movie posters and related ephemera are on sale.
YesterdayUSA.Com - Listen to old radio broadcasts such as Abbott and Costello, Amos and Andy, Burns and Allen.
Biography.com - A&E's award-winning television program on the Web. More than 25,000 biographies and 2,500 videos. While you're at it, also visit HistoryChannel.com.
TheHistoryNet.com - This comprehensive site is laden with historical information, personality profiles, eyewitness accounts, interviews, photographs, and more.
FiftiesWeb.com - Stroll on over to this site if you remember sock hops, poodle skirts, circle pins, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and the Mouseketeers.
ComedyoRama.com - Snippets of time captured from the golden age of radio and television. Includes profiles, scripts, audio and video clips and discussion groups.
Scriptorium.Lib.Duke.edu - The Library at Duke University preserves thousands of items available for online viewing. Check out Ad*Access, where you can view over 7,000 advertisements printed in newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.
Mcadams.posc.mu.edu - If you remember Nov. 22, 1963 or would like to learn more, visit the "Kennedy Assassination Home Page."
Nostalgia-Unlimited.com - A site selling everything from poodle skirts to carhop trays to dashboard hula dolls.
Want more? Find other sites by going to Google.com and doing your own search. Suggested searches - Burma shave signs, nostalgia, and historical websites.
Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS, General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co.
Smarter Searching
Have you ever tried to find something on the Web, and been overwhelmed with the number of links a search engine returns? For example, typing Arizona Maps at the Google site find over 2.8 million sites!
How do you narrow down your search to get what you need? That's the topic for today.
Most search engines include tools called Boolean operators. Taking the time to learn how to use them can significantly improve your search results.
An example of the power of the Boolean tools is the use of the word "and" in narrowing down your search area. It could actually mean the difference in receiving 10,000 returned results and only 100.
The Boolean tools are so powerful at doing what they do, a number of search engines are automatically incorporating them into their searches. In other words, if your using one of these search e-sources to search for "maps,Arizona" what your actually searching for is "maps and Arizona". This can be a good thing. Without the "and" in your search in the above example your results would include thousands of unwanted "map" sites. With the inclusion of the "and" your results will only contain map sites with Arizona included.
At the same time if you're unaware of the Boolean tools use of the "and" in your search it can just as easily filter out results that are 100% pertinent to your query. An example of this would be a search for "maps, Arizona, topography". This could be a very legitimate search if you were doing a paper on the areas of poverty in Africa. Unfortunately if the search site you are using is also automatically using Boolean tools, your search results will all have to contain the words "maps and Africa and poverty" thus narrowing your results down far beyond anything you really wanted. (see the list of automatic Bolean search sites at the end of this article).
What does all this really mean for you and your searches? It actually means quite a bit. If your unaware of how the search site is looking for your information you'll probably not get all of the most pertinent information available.
If you are aware of the power of the Boolean tools your searches will now be a much less painful experience. You'll spend far less time searching, and you'll return far more relevant results.
Automatic Boolean search engines are AltaVista, AOL Search, Google, HotBot, Lycos, MSN Search, and Northern Light.
7/05
Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS, General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co.
Faxing Using the Internet
The traditional method of sending and receiving faxes (using a fax machine and a phone line) has been around for nearly 25 years. With cell phones and broadband Internet, many people are dropping traditional landline phone service. One might think this leaves no way to send or receive faxes. Fortunately, Internet services are stepping up to fill the void.
Internet fax services provide many benefits. A phone line is unnecessary. You can send or receive faxes anywhere there's Internet access. You have an always-on fax that never runs out of paper or ink.
There are many Internet fax services at differing price points. You'll need to choose a plan tailored to your needs. Here, we will review some of the more popular Internet fax services.
www.efax.com - Subscriptions begin at $12.95 per month, with a $12.95 activation fee. Pay plans offer either a toll-free or a local number. With a toll-free number, the sender does not have to pay, and you are charged 20 cents per page received. If you go with a local number, the sender pays any toll. Local numbers aren't charged for the first 150 pages per month. After that, it's 15 cents per page. eFax charges 10 cents per page to send faxes in the U.S. Faxes can be sent from eFax's Web site or via e- mail. Additionally, you can download eFax's program, Messenger. It will send your fax, in addition to providing editing options.
www.Send2Fax.com offers plans beginning at $1.95 per month, with a $4.95 setup fee. At the low end, you must also make a $20 prepayment. When your balance falls below $5, you're charged $20 to refill your account. Faxes sent or received are billed at 15 cents per page. You can send faxes from the Web or via e-mail. Also, if you use Outlook, you can send directly from Microsoft Word. For $7.95 monthly, you get 100 incoming or outgoing pages. There's no setup fee and no prepayment. Extra pages are 10 cents each. With either account, you can choose a toll-free or local number.
www.myfax.com provides Internet fax service for $10 per month. There's no setup fee, and you get a toll-free number. The plan includes 100 outgoing and 200 incoming faxes. MyFax allows you to send faxes from your e-mail account or from the Internet. You can access your incoming faxes via e-mail or online.
To learn more about Internet faxing and listings of other services, check out www.savetz.com/fax or www.faxbeep.com.
8/05
Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS, General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service Co.
Tips to Help Protect Your Computer During the Monsoons
Here in Arizona, the monsoons often bring electrical storms. We have seen hundreds of computers damaged by local storms during past monsoon seasons.
There are two very important pieces of advice you should follow to help prevent damage to your precious equipment:
Unplug during storms, and
Get an adequate surge protector.
1. Unplug During Storms - When you see a big storm coming, if possible, turn off your computer and unplug it from the electrical outlet. In addition, unplug any connections to your CommSpeed wireless modem and antenna. If you have a dialup connection, unplug your phone line from the modem. This routine is the only guaranteed method of complete protection from electrical storms and it's FREE!
2. Get an Adequate Surge Protector - A surge protector should prevent a power surge or spike of electrical energy, but you should not mistake a power strip for a surge protector - they are not the same thing. If you paid less than $30 for your power strip or surge protector, it's probably not going to provide adequate protection. Get yourself a better surge protector and plug all equipment into it.
Sources for Surge Protectors - You can buy them at many local stores, such as Staples. CommSpeed also offers an excellent surge protector made by APC. It includes 11 power outlets as well as network and telephone protection. Call CommSpeed for additional information
Select option #1 when you call in.
CommSpeed Management Team
Prescott Tri-city areas 772-1111
Verde Valley 340-1111
Flagstaff & Williams 233-1111
Let’s hope we get LOTS of rain!
Mark Davis, CommSpeed
9/05
Websites for Kids
The Internet is loaded with resources for kids. Parents – take some time with your children to visit the sites listed here.
www.ala.org/parentspage is a good starting point. “Great Web Sites for Children” is sponsored by the American Library Association. The site is organized by subject, and contains hundreds of links to useful sources of information for kids.
www.bandwidthmoms.com can be used by dads too! This site will help you to help your children with their homework. It’s indexed by age group, from pre-school through college.
www.yahooligans.com is like the standard Yahoo! index to the Internet, only it’s designed for kids. Yahooligans is an excellent “home page” for your kids.
www.ajkids.com – Ask Jeeves for Kids is similar to Yahooligans. Like the grown up version of Ask Jeeves, you can ask questions and Jeeves will find the answer for you. Try “Why do I need to sleep?”
www.thinkquest.org/library contains more than 5,000 web sites, every one built by kids for kids to use and learn.
www.kids.gov – Our tax dollars are at work here. Kids.gov has links to THOUSANDS of government agency sites designed for kids. Most of them are really well done, too.
www.nick.com – The official site for the Nickelodeon TV channel.
http://kids.discovery.com is produced by the folks from the Discovery Channel.
www.beritsbest.com is another “portal” for kids, with links to hundreds of great sites. I like this site because it’s comprehensive and contains no advertising.
Other portal sites worth a visit include
www.4kids.com
www.kidsites.com
www.greatsitesforkids.com
www.netsmarts.org
www.surfnetkids.com
There’s more, but I ran out of space!
Editors note: To view other information about / for our youth, click here.
Click on advertisers in blue to be redirected to their website or email account, right from here. Use these links at your own risk.
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© 2004 Lonesome Valley Newsletter, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
DEC 2005
Last update - Dec. 22, 2005. Newsletter comes up around the middle of each month. Please check back for December’s website updates within the next few days. To view things submitted after the current month’s printed version, go to the Updates tab on left. If this page doesn’t display properly, click here as to why.
