From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Oct 18 14:37:48 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.6) id i9IIblv24886; Mon, 18 Oct 2004 14:37:48 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 14:37:48 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200410181837.i9IIblv24886@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #496 TELECOM Digest Mon, 18 Oct 2004 14:38:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 496 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson New Search Tool, New Privacy Issues (Marcus Didius Falco) FCC Approves New Broadband Hookups (Marcus Didius Falco) DISH Network Viewers to Receive Unique Election Coverage (Monty Solomon) SBC Communications Announces $1.99 Monthly Wi-Fi Pricing (Monty Solomon) Car Computer Hobbyists Hack XM Radio (Monty Solomon) InfoUSA Acquires DialTel Corporation (distribution@eworldwire.com) Lee's ABC of the Telephone (Jason) Wi-Fi Successor Called High-Speed Hype, for Now (Yahoo!News) Routing to VOIP, was Can't Move 800 Number to Vonage (Danny Burstein) Re: Let Caller Beware / Homework Here Pays in Wireless Service (Joseph) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 23:21:56 -0400 From: Marcus Didius Falco Subject: New Search Tool; New Privacy Issues Specific privacy issues in the last couple of paragraphs of the first story and in the second story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34099-2004Oct14.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34099-2004Oct14?language=3Dprinter Google's New Tool Brings Search Home Free Download Scans PC, Web or Both By Leslie Walker and David A. Vise Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, October 15, 2004 Google Inc. released free software yesterday that lets people simultaneously search the Web and their personal computers for information, a move analysts described as a potential blow to rivals Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. in the race to woo more searchers. Google Desktop Search offers what Microsoft has been trying to develop for more than a year -- the ability to let people enter one search term and see files relevant to that topic from both their computers and the Web displayed together. "This gives Google a huge first-mover advantage in desktop search," said Charlene Li, principal search analyst for Forrester Research, a market research firm. She predicted the software would be especially popular with heavy computer users, who store many files on their machines and need help sifting through them. "It's ironic that until now, it's been easier to search 6 billion documents on the Internet than it has been to find a single file on your hard drive," Li said. Google's new software, available as a download from desktop.google.com, not only indexes the full text of e-mail messages and word processing documents, it also gives people the option of creating a searchable archive of all Web pages they visit and all instant messages they send and receive with America Online Inc. software. "The goal for the application was for it to behave like a photographic memory for your computer," said Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products. "So in addition to being able to search all of the files on your computer, it also indexes the Web pages you have seen." Some privacy advocates raised concerns about the new software, since the product indexes everything from online communications to files stored on a personal computer. Google said no documents from any user's computer would be sent to the company, stored on its computers or saved anywhere on the Web. And the company noted that the software gives users the ability to block it from recording online chats and visits to Web sites, and separately provides a way for people to turn it off for 15-minute intervals. But Gary Price, a search specialist who runs a Web reference site called ResourceShelf.com, said the new archiving capability could raise privacy issues by making it easier for someone to sit down at a person's computer and snoop through his hard drive. That could be troubling in the workplace, he said: "In a couple of minutes, people can search your entire computer your documents." David M. Burns, chief executive of Copernic Technologies Inc., which recently released its own free desktop search product, said his company spurned the idea of combining Web and computer searches for privacy reasons. When people are looking for private material, they may unwittingly choose the unified search option, he said, which will send their keyword over the Internet to run a Web search at Google. "I don't think people will like having their private keyword sent over the public Internet," Burns said. The new Google software is the company's first major innovation since its initial public offering in August, when it sold shares to investors for $85 each. Yesterday, Google stock closed at $142, up $1.10. Analysts who tested the software say it is simple and fast, partly because it operates the same way Google does on the World Wide Web, by creating an index of the files it finds in advance and then searching that index when someone enters a query. That makes it speedier than the approach used by the search software built into Windows. Google's new product is "very, very good," said Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineWatch.com, an online newsletter that tracks the search engine industry. Sullivan said one of its most useful features is the way that it stored a copy of all the pages he visited online recently and then made that personal Web surfing history available to him. "It improves your Web searching," Sullivan said. "This leaves me feeling that integrated search really is useful." In the past month, both Yahoo and Ask Jeeves Inc. have released personalized search services that let users create archives of their Web surfing histories. But unlike Google's new software, those approaches store the files online, rather than on a user's computer, as Google does, and do not include desktop search. Dulles-based America Online is testing a new technology for desktop search that it anticipates releasing next month, a company official confirmed. Google's release of the software ahead of Microsoft and the others may pose a problem for competitors, Sullivan said, because the personal archiving capability likely will grow more valuable to users over time, making it harder to switch to another search engine product. But Jim Lanzone, vice president of products for Ask Jeeves, said Google's head start gives it a limited edge. Ask Jeeves, for instance, plans to release its own offering before the end of the year. "Desktop search is in its very early stages," he said. "There is not an immediate mass market for this." While Microsoft has been promising to develop a new desktop search product, the company has pushed back its timetable. "Our focus is on helping consumers get faster, cleaner and easier access to the information they want, not on what other companies are doing," said Justin Osmer, product manager for Microsoft's MSN division. "We plan to offer desktop search with updates to our existing service within the next year." Microsoft does have software to search e-mails but has not unveiled a way for users to simultaneously search computer files and the Internet. "This is a big challenge," Osmer said. Yahoo said it also is exploring desktop search software. "Yahoo remains highly focused on evolving our products to empower users to manage all their digital content wherever it may reside -- the Web, desktop or Yahoo," said spokeswoman Stephanie Ichinose. Google's product works only on computers running Windows XP or 2000. It indexes the full text of certain documents, including those created in Microsoft's Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail programs, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. With other files, such as photographs and music, it simply indexes the file name. People who install the desktop software can run Google searches a number of different ways -- looking for files stored only on their computers, for files stored only on the Internet or for a mixture of both. Google, which profits by showing ads related to Web queries, does not plan to place ads beside search results from personal computers. However, Google will show ads beside Web results when users choose to see results from both the Internet and their computers. Mayer said early testing shows that most people will use the new software to search the Internet and their personal computers simultaneously, which will add to the number of Internet searches done through Google. "As a result, we will serve more Web results pages and more ads, and those ads have more chances of getting clicked on. So there will be incremental Web search revenue from this product," Mayer said. Once the Google search technology is installed on a personal computer, it will transmit basic data daily to the company about usage patterns. For example, it will tell the company how often Google is being used to search personal computers, how often it is used to search the Web, and how often simultaneous searches are done. Mayer said that daily feed will not, however, transmit any personal information to Google, adding that it is typical for major software programs to capture similar data. Users can also opt out of sending some usage data back to Google, though not all of it. "This is the most personal information Google has ever dealt with," Mayer said of the new desktop search technology. "We take user privacy and user trust very seriously. And we have throughout the entire development of this product." Copyright 2004 The Washington Post Company *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Washington Post Company. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34098-2004Oct14.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34098-2004Oct14?language=3Dprinter ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 23:22:23 -0400 From: Marcus Didius Falco Subject: FCC Approves New Broadband Hookups http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34100-2004Oct14.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34100-2004Oct14?language=3Dprinter washingtonpost.com FCC Approves New Broadband Hookups Internet Connections to Use Power Lines By Yuki Noguchi Washington Post Staff Writer The Federal Communications Commission yesterday approved nationwide deployment of new technology that carries high-speed Internet connections over electric power lines. "Broadband-over-powerline" allows subscribers to connect to the Internet by plugging a modem into a conventional electrical outlet. Supporters said it could become a major alternative to cable modem and phone connections if FCC approval helps it attracts investment and the participation of major utility companies. "The impact is significant," said William Berkman, chairman of Current Communications Group, a five-year-old Germantown company. Current already has pilot projects offering the service to 5,000 customers in Cincinnati and several dozen in Potomac. Berkman said the company plans to introduce the service in parts of the Washington area within a year for $30 to $50 a month. The FCC had limited the new technology to pilot projects while it studied the concerns of critics, including amateur radio operators who said it could interfere with their signals. The FCC unanimously approved wider use of the technology after finding that the interference was manageable. It also set rules for monitoring interference. "The presence of a third universal broadband connection will mean a robust= choice for consumers and strong, healthy competition," FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell said in a written statement. On Tuesday, Powell took a tour of Manassas, where the technology is used. Commissioner Michael J. Copps expressed concern that wider deployment could still run into problems, and he raised the question of whether the customers of power companies would be subsidizing a new business. But he voted to approve the deal, saying he hoped it would drive down the price of broadband. Although the new technology would be installed on the lines of major utilities, which would share in the revenue, it is being developed and marketed by a number of upstart companies such as Current. The company is privately held by investors led by Berkman and his family, who have been major investors in the cable and telecom industries. Other investors include Liberty Media Corp., a major cable programming company and a group of power companies. Current has raised $70 million. It partners with Potomac Electric Power Co. and Cinergy Corp., which give it access to their power grids. Current installs devices on the network that allow electricity and Internet signals to travel at different frequencies over the same wire. Other companies offering similar technology include Main.net Communications Ltd. of Israel, Amperion Inc. of Andover, Mass., and Ameren Corp. of St.Louis. Copyright 2004 The Washington Post Company *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance the Washington Post Company. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 08:02:40 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: DISH Network Viewers to Receive Unique Election Coverage DISH Network Viewers to Receive Unique Election Coverage from Six Networks on One TV Channel; Viewers Can 'Vote' For Favorite Candidate in Special Cell Phone Poll - Oct 18, 2004 06:00 AM (BusinessWire) ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2004--EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) announced today that its DISH Network(TM) satellite TV service is teaming with six networks to create unique coverage of the upcoming U.S. elections. Viewers will be able to watch national and state election coverage simultaneously from the six networks on a single TV screen. They also can easily select an individual network and view its coverage in full-screen format. The networks are CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CSPAN, MTV: Music Television and Comedy Central, providing a variety of election coverage to meet the needs of a diverse audience. The interactive television (ITV) application, called DISH Network Election 2004 Coverage, is the first use of ITV multiple picture-in-picture technology for election coverage in the United States. From Monday, Oct. 25, through Friday, Nov. 5, DISH Network Election 2004 Coverage will be free to more than 9 million DISH Network customers with access to "dish home" ITV service. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=44324291 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 08:03:24 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: SBC Communications Announces $1.99 Monthly Wi-Fi Pricing; SBC Communications Announces $1.99 Monthly Wi-Fi Pricing; Consumers, Businesses That Bundle SBC DSL with Public Wi-Fi Get Unlimited Access to 3,900 FreedomLink Hot Spots - Oct 18, 2004 06:00 AM (BusinessWire) SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2004--SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) today announced it will offer FreedomLink Wi-Fi service for $1.99 a month to customers who bundle the service with SBC Yahoo! DSL. By bundling the services, SBC customers will enjoy a comparable broadband experience at home, in the office and on the road while paying as little as $29 a month for the two services. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=44324307 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 02:33:33 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Car Computer Hobbyists Hack XM Radio By John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com A band of car and computer hobbyists has reconnected the XM Radio broadcasts to PCs, after the satellite radio company discontinued hardware that was being used to copy and archive digital music from the service. The XM satellite radio service is used largely through dedicated hardware, but until last month could be heard on a computer by using hardware that plugged directly into the PC. The company phased that PC link out, in part citing slow demand, after a Canadian programmer wrote software that allowed listeners to record and archive individual songs on a computer as MP3s. Now a small Florida company that makes in-car computer systems has re-created its own version of the hardware, saying its customers want a way to hook their onboard PCs to an XM system. The system may also be plugged back into the TimeTrax radio-recording software, again raising the possibility of pristine digital copying from the satellite service. The developers, at a company called Hybrid Mobile Audio, say they're more interested in giving people flexibility in listening to the XM Radio service, however. http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5410250.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 10:09:38 -0400 Subject: InfoUSA Acquires DialTel Corporation From: distribution@eworldwire.com LAS VEGAS/EWORLDWIRE/Oct. 18, 2004 --- InfoUSA, a Nevada-based corporation, today announced that it has completed all the steps in its acquisition of Calif.-based DialTel, a leading distributor of prepaid telephone calling-cards. The acquisition was actually made before the end of InfoUSA's fiscal 2003 (March 31, 2004), but the formal announcement was delayed pending the completion of the contingencies in the agreement. "This is a tremendous win-win for both InfoUSA and DialTel," said InfoUSA's CEO, Thomas Skala. "DialTel's existing network of some 2,500 distributors, and its base of over 10 million cards issued is going to dovetail beautifully with our EasyTel subsidiary's nationwide private calling network, GenieNet, and the Genie Bancor stored value ATM card." Ron Hay, a seasoned veteran in the telecommunications industry, will continue to serve as president of DialTel, and will join the InfoUSA management team as a vice president. "I couldn't be more excited about the joining of DialTel with InfoUSA. Together, we're going to take calling cards to places they have never been before." Hay was referring in part to a new product to be introduced by InfoUSA subsidiary EasyTel.Net, called the Genie ContinentalCard. The product combines traditional calling cards with a private telephone number for each cardholder, FollowMe calls, voicemail, and electronic banking services such as ATM access to cash anytime, worldwide. Unlike traditional calling cards, which can only be used to make calls, Genie Continental Cardholders will be able to both make calls and receive calls. "This new product will drive us into the realm of customer brand-loyalty, not something traditionally found in calling-card purchasers," explained Hay. "Features like nationwide access to local phone service and reloadable balances at any branch of Bank of America or Wells Fargo Bank will give customers a reason to keep the same card over time." Skala continued, "The existing network of distributors and huge base of distributed cards that DialTel brings to the table gives us an immediate opening to move the ContinentalCard into the marketplace more quickly than we could have imagined." About InfoUSA In 1994, InfoUSA embarked on a mission to design and fully develop a proprietary soft switch technology, both hardware and software, which integrates three powerful technologies - Telecommunications, the world's most universal and interactive communication medium; Electronic Banking, the key to electronic commerce; and the Internet, the world's most powerful information medium -- as one seamless service. InfoUSA has four main subsidiaries, EasyTel.net, Genie Bancor, DialTel, and the Universal Office Corporation. About DialTel DialTel is a leading distributor of prepaid telephone calling-cards and has already sold over 10 million pre-paid calling cards for International use. The company is developing plans to sell a new card combining stored value ATM/calling cards to the same market place. Recent and planned additions to the DialTel suite include international monetary services, major-bank branch reloading services, and local unified communications services throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico on. About EasyTel.Net EayTel.Net integrated InfoUSA's electronic banking services with its own unified communications platform: The Universal Office. EasyTel's proprietary soft switch runs on GenieNet, a nation-wide private voice-over-IP network. In all its variations, from simple consumer products such as prepaid VoiceFaxEmail.com to complex, multi-site business services, the Universal Office provides locally served communications and electronic banking services with national reach to over 80 percent of the U.S. population centers. About Genie Bancor.com Genie Bancor.Com integrated InfoUSA's unified communications services with its own electronic banking platform: GenieBank. Genie Bancor currently provides GenieBank ATM Cards which are usable worldwide at any ATM connected to the Cirrus, Interlink, Star, and the NYCE networks. Cardholders may deposit additional funds to their GenieBank ATM Cards at any branch of Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank in the USA. Thomas Skala Las Vegas, NV 89119 PHONE. 800-850-5500 FAX. 800-850-5500 EMAIL: Thomas@EasyTel.net ------------------------------ From: Jason Subject: Lee's ABC of the Telephone Date: 18 Oct 2004 09:34:02 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi Telecom Gurus! I'm new to the telecom industry and am trying to increase my knowledge in as many ways as possible. In some of my research, I've read that "Lee's ABC of the Telephone" was decidedly a defacto standard for learning how the phone systems of today were set up in the 70s. Past experience has shown me that if you learn how something was done originally, its far easier to understand its current setup (especially in the technology realm). SO...my question for all of you is, does anyone know where I might find copies of these books? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! -Jason ------------------------------ From: Lisa Minter Subject: Wi-Fi Successor Called High-Speed Hype, for Now Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 09:35:40 (EDT) At virtually every turn, Intel Corp. executives are heaping praise on an emerging long-range wireless technology known as WiMAX, which can blanket entire cities with high-speed Internet access. Just as Intel helped popularize Wi-Fi, a short-range technology now widely used in airports and in coffee shops, the world's largest chip maker hopes to usher in the "WiMAX era" -- using the technology to displace cable and DSL Internet access and segments of the cellular phone market. Yet as it heads into turf fiercely protected by the telecommunications and cable industries, WiMAX is likely to gain little traction, at least for several years, analysts said. The demand it does find may come mainly from rural markets outside the United States. Market research firm iSuppli on Monday described a largely lackluster outlook for WiMAX, which it said is surrounded by hype and will likely fail to catch on beyond niche applications. Established broadband access providers see no reason to adopt yet another technology for delivering data at high speeds, the company said. Industry-wide demand for WiMAX equipment will not top 1 billion until 2007, according to iSuppli's forecast. Divided up among many industry players, that amount might barely register at a company like Intel, which reported 30 billion in revenue last year. By 2009, the market will reach only 2.5 billion, iSuppli predicted. Intel, based in Santa Clara, California, is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings on Tuesday afternoon. "These applications will not be large enough to sustain the multitude of silicon suppliers and equipment manufacturers who have expressed interest in developing products for WiMAX," iSuppli said. "The hype surrounding WiMAX ... as a fixed wireless access technology will remain just that -- hype." Such skepticism has not stopped Intel, Fujitsu Ltd. (6702.T), and Alcatel (CGEP.PA) from investing heavily in WiMAX and promoting it as a logical competitor to DSL and cable Internet access. In March, Intel and Alcatel announced a "strategic alliance" to develop WiMAX equipment by the second half of next year. The U.S. chip unit of Japan's Fujitsu plans to introduce its own chips for WiMAX early in 2005. These companies and others envision WiMAX equipment installed outside homes and business, linking up with a base station hosted by fixed-line telecommunications operators. A short-range, Wi-Fi signal, or perhaps an ethernet cable, would bring the Internet to individual PCs in the home. According to iSuppli, incumbent suppliers of Internet access are deeply invested in their own infrastructure for delivering broadband Internet access via telephone or cable wires, and will be unlikely to spend more for a new wireless technology "that offers no quantum leap in capabilities over their current offerings." Beyond broadband, WiMAX faces similar challenges. A report from ABI Research on Monday said efforts to position WiMAX as a Wi-Fi killer -- Intel, for instance, plans to support WiMAX in its notebook computer chips in 2006 -- will fail. "WiMAX enthusiasts sometimes claim that it will 'kill' Wi-Fi. Nothing could be further than the truth," a note from ABI said. High power consumption makes WiMAX an unlikely choice for battery-powered devices like laptop computers and personal organizers. The best potential for WiMAX, according to iSuppli, may lie in precisely the area least promoted by companies like Intel -- in combined voice, video and data networks that are at best several years away from being developed. Cellular phone makers have invested more than 100 billion to roll out third-generation cellular networks, which can handle data at speeds suitable for games and video. By the time fourth-generation networks roll out, WiMAX could be the preferred choice. "With a higher bandwidth capability than existing 3G cellular technologies and reach ... rivaling that of a typical cellular technology cell site, WiMAX has the potential to be adopted by wireless carriers as 4G data-centric technology," according to the iSuppli report. Even then, the company noted, there are several hurdles to overcome -- including the availability of wireless frequencies licensed by governments, and approval by top-tier wireless carriers. *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Reuters News. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Routing to VOIP, was Can't Move 800 Number to Vonage Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 03:18:05 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Tim@Backhome.org writes: > Sort of like Pat says, you can get the present administrator of your > 800 number to re-route it to your Vonage number. That doesn't involve > Vonage at all. As a related issue, some of the 1-800 providers [a] are taking advantage of the interim regulatory quagmire vis-a-vis VOIP's exemption from the local telco per-minute termination fees. So since they don't have to pay those charges, they're (for the moment) charging you (the "owner" of the 1-800 number) less for calls that wind up at a(n) VOIP "number". [a] I'm familiar with kall-8, being a customer of theirs. I understand some others do this as well. http://www.kall8.com Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Let the Caller Beware / Homework Here Pays in Wireless Service Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 18:16:57 -0700 Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 17:45:35 -0400, Monty Solomon wrote: (i.e. the article states): > The key for travelers who want to take the convenience of a wireless > phone abroad with them is doing your homework before you go. It's no different than making any plans to go overseas. If you don't want to pay out the butt you'll do your homework before you pick yourself up and deposit yourself on a plane for foreign destinations. It's the same advice anyone should take when they're going overseas to make sure you are prepared for what will greet you and what will happen when you step away from home. If you're going to a foreign country you should know about power requirements, you should know about foreign telephones and how they work. If you're planning on using a cell phone you should know how that works or doesn't as well. > Nancy didn't get a chance to do any of this planning. Her research > grant came through at the last minute, and she had to leave quickly > to do sculpture research in Switzerland and Italy. I find this totally odd. Did she not make application to the program? What did she have in mind that she was going to do *if* she was accepted? Did she not think that she'd have to make some plans before she just rushed off to her foreign destination. It shouldn't be a total surprise if she knew there was a *possibility* that she'd be in the program. It sounds to me like she was just ditzy and didn't make the proper preparations for a trip which she knew was possible that she might have to make. Maybe getting the $900 bill will teach her that if there's a possibility that she might have to do a program in the future that she should plan what she'll need to do if she ever gets in a situation where she'll have to travel again. I feel no pity for her situation. She could have easily avoided it. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. 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