Re: Way OT - Tech question

"Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:150n16-fog1.ln1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What's his phone carrier?

I can't remember offhand but my first guess would be AT&T. Or Verizon. I know it's one of those. So the technology is available at some cost. They are in an urban area so there are options but that would be WAY more change than he could handle. Even if I did all the work. If everything didn't go 100% smoothly, I'd hear about it daily for months. (But hey - at least I'd be able to talk with him!)

Qwest handles quite a lot of the
West. You can also order a "measured service" line in some areas
that is super cheap and there's no charge for INCOMING calls but
charges by the minute for OUTGOING calls.

The exact opposite of what you would want for a dedicated computer line.

Do not immediately
dismiss a 2nd phone line as too expensive until you have checked it
out.

I'm going to check out the second phone line cost. I've told my brother to do it but he almost certainly won't find the time. So *I* will the next time I'm up there and can check the carrier.

Speaking as someone who ran modems since the early 80's dialing
into mainframe terminal servers, (my first modem was a 300 baud
job, less than 1% of my current DSL speed, Missy!) if your running a
modem for Internet access a 2nd phone line is a requirement - unless your
Internet access consists of 1 10 minute e-mail session a day.

Or unless you don't care if people can't get through to you.

You CAN try the instant-messaging route, assuming he is connected
most of the time.

I've avoided IM myself. I only carry a cell phone in my pocket when I'm away from home because of ill parents. Otherwise, I don't need to be that available or connected. And it wouldn't work for the majority of the calls that I need to get through. My other brother may be trying to call to check in between his patients or I may be calling from a weekend dog show or a doctor's office may be calling. Mostly people who don't have easy access to IMing him.

The slowest speeds of DSL are DIRT CHEAP and there's no
excuse to not get it. In fact your ISP and phone company both
want you on DSL it's cheaper for them.

Apparently he doesn't need an excuse. I've tried to convince him to at least check into it. I think he's intimidated by any change.

Oh, and the next logical way was to get cable into the house and include internet access. He talked once with a Time Warner Cable guy who told him all sorts of terrible things about how they treat their employees so now he refuses to consider letting Time Warner into the house. Since my mother couldn't handle TV cable anyway (although I thought it would be a nice thing for my brother), I haven't pushed it.

The temptation
to play with the new system will suck him in.

Nah. It probably won't. You are thinking as if he were a "guy". He's not. He was born an old grandmother. Even my mother (who has dementia) says so.

I sent him an e-mail yesterday telling him that *something* is going to happen. I gave him the basic choices - the callwave.com, a second phone line or changing the setting on his computer so that he'll get kicked off every time the phone rings. I may add the possibility of finding a cheap DSL option. He hasn't answered me - that's his normal way of saying "No". But it's going to happen. After all, if I call and arrange for a second phone line and plug his computer into it, what's he going to do? Unplug it and plug it back into the first line? Refuse to pay the bill? I suppose he could have them come and remove it but I don't think he'll do that. Whereas *I* can claim nothing but the best intentions getting the line installed, taking it out would be a declaration of war and he won't go there.

Ah. Enough of my soap opera. Back to your lives. Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

Judy

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: I am returning to WoW soon.
    ... I might be able to play WoW for 15 hours straight on the flight to the ... doesn't mention the cost associated with using the internet ... In which case you've paid much less to play WoW than most players out ... AA's $12.95 per flight internet access fee. ...
    (alt.games.warcraft)
  • Re: Looking for solutions
    ... If only it were that simple, but DSL never worked for me. ... Anne Vasquez wrote: ... > Dee, ... > internet access, through SBC, and it's been very reliable. ...
    (sci.med.transcription)
  • Re: Internet Access When Traveling
    ... I have DSL at home. ... One place you can get internet access is any Kinkos Copy Center, ... When I first got SBC Ameritech dsl, I was disappointed that their dialups ... Yahoo, they have nationwide dialup, and dsl and a dialup can be up at the ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Configuring internet load-balancing through multiple ASPs in debian
    ... I'd like to broaden my internet access by bringing additional DSL ... Debian, ... To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ...
    (Debian-User)
  • Re: Some questions
    ... Talk to a tax advisor about this. ... I use cingular wireless for my telephone and internet access. ... The cost is $59 per month unlimited. ...
    (misc.transport.trucking)