NetBloke.com - Truckin' Along
Publication Date: 15/08/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
Publication Date: 15/08/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
G'day!
I have had numerous emails over the past week correcting a reader's quote in the Credit Crush issue. How was I to know the Amusement Park near Sandusky, Ohio is Cedar Point (not Cedar Island as I incorrectly quoted)?
Richard Holliday who just got back from Disney World wrote this little tip for visitors to the park:
"I'm just now checking my email after getting back from Disney World, and I never had to wait more than 30-45 min for a ride. Also, they have something called a FastPass, which lets you get a ticket for a later time, so you can come back and be rushed through a special line. Very quick and easy".
Then I had a very interesting letter from Jennifer Fowler who works for the CheckFree Corporation (http://www.checkfree.com):
"When I saw your NetBloke Tip about Internet Banking, I decided I had to write to give you and your readers a bit more info. You see, I work for CheckFree Corporation, which is a national payment clearing house (or something like that). Basically, we provide the back-end functionality and payment processing for tons of banks that offer Internet banking (online banking and payment), EBill (get your bills delivered over the Internet), and other variations of the same.
These days it's super safe to do your banking online. Most banks offer online banking/payment either through a web site or through a PFM (personal finance manager) like Intuit's Quicken or Microsoft's Money. If your bank doesn't offer these services, you can still sign up for online payment directly through CheckFree.
I've been doing online banking and payment via Quicken and my bank for 4 years. I'm addicted to it! It's worth a try if you're looking to ditch the stamps and start doing your bills in record time."
I found this very interesting. It is nice to know how secure these sorts of transactions over the Internet are.
This week I thought I would focus on some of the resources we (Karissa and I) have used to get the best deal possible for our big move to Des Moines. Now it doesn't matter if you are moving across the country or across the town, the Web sites in this week's issue will come in handy.
Also as regular readers will know already I love using MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com) to map out my route to wherever I am going. (Aussies trying to get around use http://www.whereis.com.au)
I have had to cut down on this weeks issue and drop a couple of sections. I just don't have enough time with moving in a couple of days and still having to work! Next week I hope to be back up to speed in my new home with a cable modem for Internet access! I'm excited!
So until next week seeya later!
Nathan Allan
With all long distance moves comes the question of whether to handle the move yourself or get the professionals to do it. For us it was an easy choice. We don't have hardly any possessions so we thought we would cram it all into a truck and move it.
So the search began for the cheapest deal. The first thing we found out was a 4-day rental was pretty standard for a move from Earlington to Des Moines. Then mileage came into account (we are luckily under the maximum for our trip, otherwise a per mile charge would have come into effect). Finally you have to look into the insurance on the truck. Our normal auto insurance didn't cover the truck rental so this became the deciding factor for us. All of the companies matched up on rental price but the comprehensive insurance charge varied by over $100.
In the end with all the pro's and con's considered we went with U-Haul. We saved some money that will go towards our stopover in Illinois.
U-Haul
http://www.uhaul.com
Penske
http://www.Penske.com
Ryder
http://www.Ryder.com
Budget (Australia)
When I moved back in Australia I used Budget. I only needed to rent a truck for the day, and I only needed to drive it for about an hour or so. Boy life was easy living in the big city!
http://www.budget.com.au
Here is a long and detailed question that some of you techie people might have a spin on for Ismail Hansdot, who sent it in:
"Recently, I installed Windows 2000. I think the program is top of the line and a vast improvement over the other Windows OS's. My problem lies in the hardware support it offers. Like who knows how many other surfers, I own a 3Com/US Robotics 56k INT Winmodem. Of those I wonder how many have run up against the corporate apathy of both Microsoft and 3Com. Win2k will not install the correct driver. It insists on installing a driver for the 33.6k modem. So, I now connect at 28.8, or 31.2k where previously (Win98) I connected at 42666k. I paid good money for both the modem and the software but seem to be left out in the cold.
If anyone knows where I can find the 56k drivers for the WIN2k drivers, I am all ears.
More info about modem:
Windows 2000: loaded 3com Windows Modem ISA ADI drivers with the installation
Windows 98: loaded US Robotics 56k voice win with installation.
I took out the modem from the PC and these are the references on it:
3Com US Robotics 56k voice Winmodem
1.020.0724.00
608236
bd800 0hk
dk98022630
f198615038
Using this:
http://modemupdate.usr.com/infinity/setup.exe
I have loaded win98 and run this program. Hereunder are the exact model details.
U.S. Robotics 56K Voice Win Configuration Profile.
Product type UK Internal
Product ID 66562080
Options V32bis,V.34+,x2,V.90,V.80
Fax Options Class 1/Class 2.0
Voice Options Speakerphone,TAD
DSP Freq 34.0Mhz
DSP Ram 32k
VXD date 07/16/98
VXD rev 1.00.011
In Windows 2000:
U.S. Robotics 33.6K Win INT Configuration Profile.
Product type Austria Internal
Product ID 66562080
Options V32bis, V.34+
Fax Options Class 1/Class 2.0
Line Options Distinctive Ring
DSP Freq 34.0Mhz
DSP Ram 32k
VXD date 09/13/99
VXD rev 1.00.024
I have tied the Strangler, Avenger 2000 drivers too.
It usually comes up with the modem error message was :
code 10
the device cannot start
Is there any other I can try?
I have been told my modem is 665620-80 Europe is equivalent to 661750."
If you have a question of your own, contact me.
NetBloke Note: I have personally tried to find the solution to this problem for a long time now. As far as I can tell there is no updated driver available for this model. Therefore I recommend you go out to your local computer store and purchase yourself a cheap replacement. You will save yourself the headaches of searching and have a working machine again in no time at all!
Answer
Last week I asked you the following question:
Last week I asked you the following question:
"What sort of Web camera do you have? I am going to purchase one and would like to know what you and your readers think are good."
I use the Kodak DVC325. It is great I think, decent quality, with a handy snap shot button and also comes with a lot of photo editing software. I paid about US$70 for it.
I have also had some experience with a cheaper Logitech Quickcam. A$50 from memory. It was ok but not amazing picture, pretty grainy.
I am also told the Intel cameras are really good. I noticed the other day Walmart has a two pack of Intel Webcams for only US$50. I figure that is a very good deal.
So that gives you a few places to start looking!
If you have a question of your own, contact me.
I suppose this joke could be seen as a bit risqué but I liked the punch line so I have put it into this issue!
A man found himself swept up on the shore of an island with no other people, no supplies... Nothing. Only bananas and coconuts.
After about four months, he is lying on the beach one day when the most gorgeous woman he has ever seen rows up to him. In disbelief, he asks her, "Where did you come from? How did you get here?" "I rowed from the other side of the island," she says. "I landed here when my cruise ship sank."
"Amazing," he says. "You were really lucky to have a rowboat wash up with you." "Oh, this?" replies the woman. "I made the rowboat out of raw material I found on the island; the oars were whittled from gum tree branches; I wove the bottom from palm branches; and the sides and stern came from a
Eucalyptus tree."
"But-but, that's impossible," stutters the man. "You had no tools or hardware. How did you manage?"
"Oh, that was no problem, "replies the woman. "On the south side of the island, there is a very unusual strata of alluvial rock exposed. I found if I fired it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into forgeable ductile iron. I used that for tools and used the tools to make the hardware." The guy is stunned.
"Let's row over to my place, " she says. After a few minutes of rowing, she docks the boat at a small wharf. As the man looks onto shore, he nearly falls out of the boat. Before him is a stone walk leading to an exquisite bungalow painted in blue and white. While the woman ties up the rowboat with an expertly woven hemp rope, the man can only stare ahead, dumbstruck.
As they walk into the house, she says casually, "It's not much, but I call it home. Sit down please; would you like to have a drink?" "No, no thank you," he says, still dazed.
"Can't take any more coconut juice." "It's not coconut juice," the woman replies. "I have a still. How about a Pina Colada?"
Trying to hide his continued amazement, the man accepts, and they sit down on her couch to talk. After they have exchanged their stories, the woman announces, "I'm going to slip into something more comfortable. Would you like to take a shower and shave? There is a razor upstairs in the bathroom cabinet."
No longer questioning anything, the man goes into the bathroom. There, in the cabinet, is a razor made from a bone handle. Two shells honed to a hollow ground edge are fastened onto its end inside of a swivel mechanism. "This woman is amazing," he muses. "What next?"
When he returns, she greets him wearing nothing but vines-strategically positioned and smelling faintly of gardenias. She beckons for him to sit down next to her. "Tell me," she begins, suggestively slithering closer to him, "we've been out here for a really long time. You've been lonely. There's something I'm sure you really feel like doing right now, something you've been longing for all these months?
You know..."
She stares into his eyes.
He can't believe what he's hearing. "You mean", he swallows excitedly, "I can check my e-mail from here?"
