Here is a follow up to yesterdays post….
If you are having trouble signing up for or converting to AT&T’s “Dry Line DSL” by calling the main DSL support #,
•Call the AT&T Dry Loop department directly at 888-800-4095
•Ask to switch to “DSL direct”
•If they give you a hassle, say it’s a retention offer (you are going to cancel your service otherwise)
//Kevin
Dear Friends,
This Update is dedicated to low cost / more efficient Internet service options.
** Big announcement: You can now get AT&T’s DSL service WITHOUT home dial tone service. It was always theoretically possible. Now it’s a reality. Perhaps you live off of your cell phone only or you still have 2 home phone lines that you have been subscribing to from the days of dial-up service. Furthermore, it could be that you don’t want to pay $48.95 per month for an unlimited long distance package with AT&T and want to try an IP based phone service like Via Talk (a better alternative to Vonage).**
Here is a run down on the pricing for AT&’s “Dry Line” DSL:
1.5 mbps DSL – $23.99 / mo. Express package.
3.0 mbps DSL – $28.99 / mo. Pro package.
Each of these price points represents a $4 increase over the “regular price” of DSL if you did have home phone service. Still, these choices represent an important breakthrough in the evolution of the Internet. You now have the opportunity of buying unbundled broadband Internet service at a reasonable price. In comparison, Comcast charges $52.95 for their standard high speed Internet offering if you do not have cable TV service. This is $10 on top of the “premium” price they normally charge – $42.95.
Thinking on a similar wavelength, some of you out there probably feel that you are “paying for more Internet capacity than you really need.” I hear you. The following information is intended for the age 60+ and light Internet usage population.
If you have / plan on keeping your existing AT&T phone or Comcast cable service, but don’t like what you’re paying for Internet….
You can get 256 kbps DSL service from AT&T for $10.00 (not a typo!!) and 768 kbps DSL service for $14.99 per month. To refresh your memories: dial-up Internet speeds top out at 56 kbps.
Comcast offers an Economy Internet plan at download speeds of 384 kbps for $24.95 per month. While this price point doesn’t match the value of the low cost DSL offers, it may be an acceptable alternative for existing cable customers who don’t want to change their @comcast.net email address, but don’t like the idea of paying $42.95 for the 6.0 mbps service. I’ve read that say Comcast is planning to increase the download speed on the Economy plan to 768 kbps, thus making it a much more appealing option for consumers. This projected change change is not set in stone yet.
If you have any questions on Internet choices, please e-mail me. I would be happy to give you some personalized advice.
Forever yours,
Kevin
Dear Friends,
Feel special….
You’re getting the 9/20 update a few hours before it will post on http://www.theacronym.com
1. J.D Power and Associates released their annual survey on broadband Internet. You can check out which companies had the best service in various areas of the country on your own, but what was surprising to me is that the average price of a broadband connection in the U.S. is $44.09 per month. Wow!! I thought with some of these low-ball DSL offers that have been floated around over the past 2 years, the average would be much less. Maybe the buying public isn’t as one dimensional as I thought…. See for yourself….
2. I may expand on this in a future edition of the print Acronym, but I just want to say that I wrapped up a very difficult adventure in troubleshooting with a customer recently. The customer was really great about the whole thing and handled the matter much better than I would have. However, their DSL provider was not playing on our side for most of this experience. My client really got the “buffet treatment” of Internet trouble. Every possible problem was included in this headache. Not only was the phone wire corroded going into the pole nearest to their house, but the phone wire going from the pole to their home was also defective. Their DSL modem needed to be replaced and their router which was given a manual IP address (a programming technique rarely utilized) by a Linksys representative from Mumbai had to be reset. Ultimately, we think now that the case is closed…but we are taking a wait and see attitude. What bothers me most is that I got actively involved in this matter on 9/3 and it was not finalized until yesterday. I have not seem something Internet related to this terribly wrong since AT&T Broadband (not to be confused with “the new at&t”) changed from @Home servers to their own servers in the fall of 2002. 2 points and a star for the day, if you lived through that and are still a Comcast HSI customer today.
3. Reader request: if any of you has a college student in the family majoring in computer science or perhaps a relative who is a Comp. Sci. professor — have them e-mail me. I’m looking to conduct an interview for a future edition of The Acronym about a very specific topic and it is one that I do not have much expertise in.
Thanks for your support,
Kevin
Dear Friends,
I was going to write a very impassioned Update on Tuesday in remembrance of 09-11-01, but I know you folks only have so much time to read e-mails. These Updates are meant to be bursts of thought and information…not carbon copies of the print version of The Acronym. So I will summarize my feelings of remembrance into 3 main points:
1) I WILL NEVER FORGET (could be cliche, but so true)
2) About 9 months after 9-11-01, I became unemployed for a period of time due to health issues and was able to read constantly. One topic that I concentrated on was Islam. I consider myself an “unaccredited scholar” in Islamic Studies. (I can hear you pounding your desk now.) I have met many Muslims over the years who tell me “you know more about my religion than I do.” I chuckle. LOL! If there are any questions you ever wanted to as about Islam, but were too shy to ask or short on time to see the local Imam — feel free to ask me. Please understand that if subjective interpretation is called for, I will answer from a Christian, Biblical world view.
3) For all of the terror that the perpetrators of this event tried to cause, I believe that more good has come out “the day the world stopped” than bad. No matter how much our public schools try to drain every ounce of patriotism from our children and discourage American pride, many youths (and you older birds..) truly felt like citizens of the United States of America for the first time on that day. Whatever happened to “Out of many, ONE”, aka. known as E Pluribus Unum ?
I am an avid radio listener. Recently on WRDC 1360 AM, I heard a representative from HBO discussed a documentary they made in 2002, called “In Memoriam: New York City 9/11/01″ (Website: http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/9_11/ ) This film will be playing at the historic Bantam Cinema (Website: http://www.bantamcinema.com ) in Bantam, CT this Sunday, Sept. 16. @ Noon. One day only!! If you would like to see this film, you have to call and reserve your seat. Phone: (860) 567-1916. Note: A special presentation will be given by an artist who had a studio on the 91st floor of the North Tower.
And that’s about it. I am working on the October edition of The Acronym. Readers are entitled to submit a free, text-based ad in the print newsletter, similar to those you have seen this year, for your business or service. Please e-mail your ad to me or give me some basic info so that I can create one for you. Paid advertisements and sponsorship of an issue are also available to you.
Technically speaking,
Kevin
Labor Day 2007
Dear Friends,
I know you are probably busy enjoying a day off or just getting back from one last weekend excursion, so I will make this update short, witty, and relevant.
From the Financial Times of London…
Swedish newspaper cartoonist stirs up controversy by drawing Muhammad’s head on the body of a dog..
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/378268b0-567b-11dc-ab9c-0000779fd2ac.html
My reaction: As you can see, Islamic radicals are protesting the Swedish embassy in their respective countries. Top Iranian officials are blaming the Jewish people — like they do, day in and day out. I don’t think that a World War against Iran is the answer, and I don’t think it would take something this sophisticated to spark change over there. A large segment of the Iranian population does not support President Ahmadinejad. He may never succeed with his goals, but he has a dark vision for the world. He believes that 7th century Imam will return to the earth, called Mahdi (as most Shiites do), and create a caliphate – one world government – under which people will be forced to convert to Islam or die. If you think these folks will never succeed at their dark aims, I surely hope so, but they will die trying….. trust me on that!
** On to the lighter side of the news**
For those of you who aren’t aware, our lovely town of West Hartford, has a RAT problem. These are not your creepy neighbors or some Republican / Democrat involved in a scandal, but actual 4-legged rats!!! Ewww!! I knew something was funny when I saw a small mouse or rat following me down Oakwood Avenue a few weeks go. This story from the Hartford Advocate proves that we have a “crisis” in the streets.
http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=2766
Labor Day…. kind of a meaningless holiday for me and a lot of us. I’ve never been part of a labor union, nor have ever had a strong liking for organized labor. However, I do have fond memories of this day. For me, Labor Day will always mean watching the MDA Telethon and host, Jerry Lewis (fighting back tears) singing You’ll Never Walk Alone at the event’s end. The lyrics of this famous tune, covered by the likes of Elvis and Barbara Streisand over the years, ring so true in my life. With this new found purpose and calling my life…. I know that I’ll never walk alone either. Enjoy these two video clips of Jerry Lewis singing You’ll Never Walk Alone from 1985 and 1992.
1985 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP0gKgqo1nI
1992 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0nFKAx_uPM
May You Be Blessed,
Kevin
