DP World, I been sitting back and watching the flap over DP World managing several U.S. ports. In addition to that DP just announced this little gem:
http://www.dpiterminals.com/mainpages.asp?PSID=1
This should heat things up even more.
But then again almost everything we buy is made outside of the United States. Just the other day I went shopping and after I came back home the though occurred to me to look and see where each item was made. Yes they had names of U.S. based companies but none of the products were made in the U.S. An energy saving lamp being sponsored by and sold at less than normal prices by the former Governor Cody of New Jersey was made in China. The Energizer ‘bunny’ batteries were made in Japan. A Fruit of the Loom sweat shirt was made in Honduras. A Jerzees brand T-shirt made in Honduras. Another brand of T-shirt was made in Nicaragua. The Master Lock for my shed was assembled in Mexico.
So with these and a whole host of other products made everywhere but in the U.S.A., doesn’t make sense to have foreign company such as Dubai run the ports that import all these foreign made goods or does it?
Friday, March 03, 2006
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Three D’s
I heard it on the news, all within the last three days.
Don Knots:
Don Knotts, TV's Barney Fife, Dies at 81
http://entertainment.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=216727
Dennis Weaver:
Dennis "McCloud" Weaver dies at 81
http://www.star-ecentral.com/tvnradio/tracks/tracks.asp?file=archives/tracks/2006/2/28DennisMcCl&date=2/28/2006
Darin McGavin:
Darin “Kolchak” McGavin dies at 83
http://www.spielbergfilms.com/news022606b.html
Don Knots:
Don Knotts, TV's Barney Fife, Dies at 81
http://entertainment.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=216727
Dennis Weaver:
Dennis "McCloud" Weaver dies at 81
http://www.star-ecentral.com/tvnradio/tracks/tracks.asp?file=archives/tracks/2006/2/28DennisMcCl&date=2/28/2006
Darin McGavin:
Darin “Kolchak” McGavin dies at 83
http://www.spielbergfilms.com/news022606b.html
Monday, January 23, 2006
Will your digital photos still be around for your grandchildren?
Recently there was a discussion of the quality of film versus digital media on PC World’s blog site: http://blogs.pcworld.com/techlog/archives/001323.html
I have been using film cameras and computers since the 1960’s and here is my insight on this issue.
Let see now, you bought that great top of the line digital camera, stored the photos on the best quality CD/DVD money can buy and let’s say the CD/DVD is still good 50 years from now.
I still have a 35mm camera I bought in the early 70’s; I also have paper tape used to load Fortran (a popular programming language in the 70’s, all but dead now) on an early computer, guess which of these items still works. I have a slightly newer model camera from around 1980 and 8 inch floppy disks, again guess which of these items still works. I bought a still newer camera about the time 5.25 floppies were popular, I use the boxes from the 5.25 floppies to store my CD-R(s) in.
The point is that all my old digital media is all but useless just like that CD/DVD will be when your grandchildren try to find a device to load and read today’s digital storage media. Will film be surpassed in quality, most certainly? Will we be able to use what we stored from that digital camera 50 years from now is the big question.
I have been using film cameras and computers since the 1960’s and here is my insight on this issue.
Let see now, you bought that great top of the line digital camera, stored the photos on the best quality CD/DVD money can buy and let’s say the CD/DVD is still good 50 years from now.
I still have a 35mm camera I bought in the early 70’s; I also have paper tape used to load Fortran (a popular programming language in the 70’s, all but dead now) on an early computer, guess which of these items still works. I have a slightly newer model camera from around 1980 and 8 inch floppy disks, again guess which of these items still works. I bought a still newer camera about the time 5.25 floppies were popular, I use the boxes from the 5.25 floppies to store my CD-R(s) in.
The point is that all my old digital media is all but useless just like that CD/DVD will be when your grandchildren try to find a device to load and read today’s digital storage media. Will film be surpassed in quality, most certainly? Will we be able to use what we stored from that digital camera 50 years from now is the big question.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today we celebrate the life, times and dreams of Martin Luther King. But let me start by going back a few years to when John F. Kennedy was killed. Every year for a long time on the anniversary of JFK’s dead the media would ask if you remembered where your where when you heard the news that Kennedy was killed. My answer is yes, I can still remember where I was driving in my car and most likely can still mark the spot on the road to within a few feet when I heard the news on the car radio.
I have never heard this question asked about MLK’s death. No I can not remember where I was at the time, but I can remember with perfect clarity what went through my mind when I heard the news.
Imagine if you will a room with no furniture. In the center of the room towards the back wall is a single candle, it’s light illuminating the walls and ceiling. Slowly the flame starts to go out, it’s light receding back towards the candle, the walls nearest you slowly getting darker as the flame grows smaller. Smaller and smaller the flame becomes, as if in slow motion the light in the room seams to be going in toward the candle as the walls get darker. The flame finally goes out and the room is now totally dark, with nothing visible to your eyes.
That was the moment in time when I heard that Martin Luther King, Jr. had died.
I have never heard this question asked about MLK’s death. No I can not remember where I was at the time, but I can remember with perfect clarity what went through my mind when I heard the news.
Imagine if you will a room with no furniture. In the center of the room towards the back wall is a single candle, it’s light illuminating the walls and ceiling. Slowly the flame starts to go out, it’s light receding back towards the candle, the walls nearest you slowly getting darker as the flame grows smaller. Smaller and smaller the flame becomes, as if in slow motion the light in the room seams to be going in toward the candle as the walls get darker. The flame finally goes out and the room is now totally dark, with nothing visible to your eyes.
That was the moment in time when I heard that Martin Luther King, Jr. had died.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Re-Bloging
In my January 2005 blog I mentioned outsourcing, so just like re-gifting I'll repost my old blog with a small update (new gift rap).
Outsourcing Is Bad
There are a number of companies that believe that Outsourcing is the key to profitability and the cure for all ills. If fact, the ideal goal would be to outsource all U.S. based jobs to countries with significantly lower wage rates. The logic would be that with no employees to pay, except for a privileged few, there would be nearly infinite profit.
But wait, with no employed U.S. citizens, who would have any money to buy their products, certainly not the people employed at their outsource locations as they are paid too low of a wage to afford what they make.
Think this is all a bad joke, take a look around your house and see how many item you own that are still made in the United States. Oh sure the name may be that of a company based here, but where is the item actual made?
For my money any company that outsourcers more than 50% of there product or gross earnings should not longer be considered U.S. based and therefore are subject to tariffs and other trade restrictions so as to truly level the playing field.
Fair Trade
2006 - GM and its parts suppliers are now in deep trouble, what was once known as 'The Big Three' auto makers may be in a short time mean a group of football teams, not U.S. auto makers.
Outsourcing Is Bad
There are a number of companies that believe that Outsourcing is the key to profitability and the cure for all ills. If fact, the ideal goal would be to outsource all U.S. based jobs to countries with significantly lower wage rates. The logic would be that with no employees to pay, except for a privileged few, there would be nearly infinite profit.
But wait, with no employed U.S. citizens, who would have any money to buy their products, certainly not the people employed at their outsource locations as they are paid too low of a wage to afford what they make.
Think this is all a bad joke, take a look around your house and see how many item you own that are still made in the United States. Oh sure the name may be that of a company based here, but where is the item actual made?
For my money any company that outsourcers more than 50% of there product or gross earnings should not longer be considered U.S. based and therefore are subject to tariffs and other trade restrictions so as to truly level the playing field.
Fair Trade
2006 - GM and its parts suppliers are now in deep trouble, what was once known as 'The Big Three' auto makers may be in a short time mean a group of football teams, not U.S. auto makers.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Second Term Presidents
In 1951 the Twenty-second Amendment of the Constitution set a two-term limit on how many times a person shall be elected to the office President of the United States.
Ever since then each president who was re-elected has had problems that were significant enough that the chances are they would not be re-electable even if they could run for a third term. Could this be the jinks of the 22nd Amendment.
Many reasons could be offered as to why things seem to go down hill. It could be they try too hard on leaving a ‘Legacy’ or by now the media has had enough time to dig up some dirt. Not to mention that no sooner than they have won the election and they are already called a Lame Duck President. Even their own party will gives him grief on proposed legislation. By the second term the charm has worn off and reality sets in. In the case of President Bush the past few months have given us a Supreme Court nomination failure, Katrina, Fema, a spy in the White House and Bush using the No Such Agency to spy on us.
I propose a change to the amendment that would allow for no limit on terms as it was so stated in the original un-ammended constitution. However the third term would require more than a simple majority of the popular vote (and the electorial college requirements), say 56% of the popular vote and the four term would require 60% of the vote to win the election. Raising the bar would give each second term president real goal in order to win our vote and be re-elected.
Ever since then each president who was re-elected has had problems that were significant enough that the chances are they would not be re-electable even if they could run for a third term. Could this be the jinks of the 22nd Amendment.
Many reasons could be offered as to why things seem to go down hill. It could be they try too hard on leaving a ‘Legacy’ or by now the media has had enough time to dig up some dirt. Not to mention that no sooner than they have won the election and they are already called a Lame Duck President. Even their own party will gives him grief on proposed legislation. By the second term the charm has worn off and reality sets in. In the case of President Bush the past few months have given us a Supreme Court nomination failure, Katrina, Fema, a spy in the White House and Bush using the No Such Agency to spy on us.
I propose a change to the amendment that would allow for no limit on terms as it was so stated in the original un-ammended constitution. However the third term would require more than a simple majority of the popular vote (and the electorial college requirements), say 56% of the popular vote and the four term would require 60% of the vote to win the election. Raising the bar would give each second term president real goal in order to win our vote and be re-elected.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Your Internet Cable Service may be running at Half Speed
About two months ago I started receiving email notices from my internet cable service provider which mentioned that download speeds had been increased to 6.0Mbts. Being excited about this I decided to check my actual speed by using one of many web sites that test and report your speed. To my surprise my speed had actually gone down and not up. The best numbers I could get at any time of the day or night where about 2.2Mbts (Mega Bits Per Second), which is about one third of the advertised speed. I’ll include a list of several test sites at the bottom of this article.
So I called Tech. Support and explained the situation. The technician then checked my cable modem from his remote location and found that I had far too much signal strength at the input to the cable modem and scheduled a service call.
The technician showed up on time the next day and replaced the cable running from the line strung between the two poles to the point where it enters my house. He also replaced the splitter which is used to provide a separate line for cable TV. Another check of the signal strength showed it was now even higher and further out of specification than before. There was no increase in cable speed. A second service visit was scheduled.
On the second visit another tech. replaced the signal attenuator on the telephone pole to reduce the amount of signal down to a value that was within their guidelines and also found a broken box located two telephone poles before my house. Still no speed increase. The technician did notice that I had an old modem and scheduled for a replacement to be installed.
On arrival the third technician looked up the model (DOXport 1110) of my current modem and found that it was obsolete and no longer supported. This was the modem that was installed when I first subscribed more than 4 years ago. The new modem (Motorola SB5120) he installed was defective and had to go out to the truck to bring in another modem. This was an older model (SB4200) than the modem that was defective but still newer that my original modem. A speed test showed about a 50% increase to 3.0Mbts.
Next we disabled my firewall (Zone Alarm), Anti-Virus software and other Anti-Spyware software I had running in the background. With everything disabled there was no increase in speed which at least showed these utilities were not the problem. Note that some earlier versions of Zone Alarm can cause a speed problem so you should update to the latest version of the freeware or paid version. We then bypassed my router and connected the output of the cable modem directly into the input of my network card, still no speed gain.
The tech. then connected his laptop to the new modem and instantly got a speed increase to about 4.0Mbts. Could it be my PC or some software that was the problem? I wasn’t satisfied with the current state of things and a friend of mine had an extra and newer model (SB5100) of the Motorola modem installed by the technician, so I asked Bill to drop it off.
Read on for the answer
The next day I called the cable companies tech. support department and together we tested my existing modem and then installed the Motorola SB5100 modem. Bingo, speed was now up to 4.2Mbts, definitely an improvement but still not 6.0Mbts as advertised.
Now I remembered some old tricks that use to work for Windows 98, but will not work for Windows XP which I'm now using. Still I searched the web and found a simple utility named Dr. TCP provided the final boost in speed. Using this utility I found that my TCP Receive Window was not set to any value, so I entered a value of 56940, leaving all other fields in this utility unchanged.
No reboot of your PC is necessary so I immediately checked my speed again and found I was now up to 5.0Mbts or more on a consistent basis. Keeping in mind that 6Mbts is a theoretical maximum under ideal conditions and finding that values greater than 56940 did not improve my speed I decided that a 250% speed improvement was not bad at all.
Just the other day I had a need to download a file that was more than 200Mega Bytes in size. My download speed was above 700KBts per second (5.6Mbts) from this web site.
Tools and speed test sites
Dr. TCP
http://www.dslreports.com/drtcp
Why and what is a TCP Receive Window:
http://cable-dsl.home.att.net/index.htm#WhyItMatters
Test your download and upload speeds in Mbts
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
Test your speed in KBts
http://speedtest.rochester.rr.com/
Another test site and tools to use
http://www.dslreports.com/tools
One final note
My web pages now load noticeably faster, more importantly large file download times are more than twice as fast.
So I called Tech. Support and explained the situation. The technician then checked my cable modem from his remote location and found that I had far too much signal strength at the input to the cable modem and scheduled a service call.
The technician showed up on time the next day and replaced the cable running from the line strung between the two poles to the point where it enters my house. He also replaced the splitter which is used to provide a separate line for cable TV. Another check of the signal strength showed it was now even higher and further out of specification than before. There was no increase in cable speed. A second service visit was scheduled.
On the second visit another tech. replaced the signal attenuator on the telephone pole to reduce the amount of signal down to a value that was within their guidelines and also found a broken box located two telephone poles before my house. Still no speed increase. The technician did notice that I had an old modem and scheduled for a replacement to be installed.
On arrival the third technician looked up the model (DOXport 1110) of my current modem and found that it was obsolete and no longer supported. This was the modem that was installed when I first subscribed more than 4 years ago. The new modem (Motorola SB5120) he installed was defective and had to go out to the truck to bring in another modem. This was an older model (SB4200) than the modem that was defective but still newer that my original modem. A speed test showed about a 50% increase to 3.0Mbts.
Next we disabled my firewall (Zone Alarm), Anti-Virus software and other Anti-Spyware software I had running in the background. With everything disabled there was no increase in speed which at least showed these utilities were not the problem. Note that some earlier versions of Zone Alarm can cause a speed problem so you should update to the latest version of the freeware or paid version. We then bypassed my router and connected the output of the cable modem directly into the input of my network card, still no speed gain.
The tech. then connected his laptop to the new modem and instantly got a speed increase to about 4.0Mbts. Could it be my PC or some software that was the problem? I wasn’t satisfied with the current state of things and a friend of mine had an extra and newer model (SB5100) of the Motorola modem installed by the technician, so I asked Bill to drop it off.
Read on for the answer
The next day I called the cable companies tech. support department and together we tested my existing modem and then installed the Motorola SB5100 modem. Bingo, speed was now up to 4.2Mbts, definitely an improvement but still not 6.0Mbts as advertised.
Now I remembered some old tricks that use to work for Windows 98, but will not work for Windows XP which I'm now using. Still I searched the web and found a simple utility named Dr. TCP provided the final boost in speed. Using this utility I found that my TCP Receive Window was not set to any value, so I entered a value of 56940, leaving all other fields in this utility unchanged.
No reboot of your PC is necessary so I immediately checked my speed again and found I was now up to 5.0Mbts or more on a consistent basis. Keeping in mind that 6Mbts is a theoretical maximum under ideal conditions and finding that values greater than 56940 did not improve my speed I decided that a 250% speed improvement was not bad at all.
Just the other day I had a need to download a file that was more than 200Mega Bytes in size. My download speed was above 700KBts per second (5.6Mbts) from this web site.
Tools and speed test sites
Dr. TCP
http://www.dslreports.com/drtcp
Why and what is a TCP Receive Window:
http://cable-dsl.home.att.net/index.htm#WhyItMatters
Test your download and upload speeds in Mbts
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
Test your speed in KBts
http://speedtest.rochester.rr.com/
Another test site and tools to use
http://www.dslreports.com/tools
One final note
My web pages now load noticeably faster, more importantly large file download times are more than twice as fast.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
More on the Sony DRM/Rootkit issue
SEE Mark's Sysinternals Blog - Updated 11/16/05
http://www.sysinternals.com/Blog/
Next version of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal tool - 11/16/05
The December release of this tool will should detect and remove Sony's DRM rootkit!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123543,00.asp
List of CD’s that contain the copy protection Rootkit:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php
Sony/BMG Music’s new policy?
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Spyware/index.php?p=701
Questionable Anti-Spyware products
Before you download what you believe is a good spyware removal tool read this:
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
http://www.sysinternals.com/Blog/
Next version of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal tool - 11/16/05
The December release of this tool will should detect and remove Sony's DRM rootkit!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123543,00.asp
List of CD’s that contain the copy protection Rootkit:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php
Sony/BMG Music’s new policy?
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Spyware/index.php?p=701
Questionable Anti-Spyware products
Before you download what you believe is a good spyware removal tool read this:
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Atlantic City – Does anybody live here?
Atlantic City N.J., you know the place, casinos, beaches, Miss America pageant and more. But does anybody live here?
Based on last night’s election results the winner of mayor’s race received all of 4,520 votes. Yes that’s the number, not 450 thousand, not 45 thousand but 4,520 votes. This is a city, not a small town with one traffic light or does everyone live elsewhere!
With this many votes the mayor has a mandate, a mandate to do nothing and still win the next election.
Source: http://www.nj.com/elections/electioncoverage
Based on last night’s election results the winner of mayor’s race received all of 4,520 votes. Yes that’s the number, not 450 thousand, not 45 thousand but 4,520 votes. This is a city, not a small town with one traffic light or does everyone live elsewhere!
With this many votes the mayor has a mandate, a mandate to do nothing and still win the next election.
Source: http://www.nj.com/elections/electioncoverage
Friday, November 04, 2005
20 Years of Microsoft Windows
In November of 1985 Microsoft released for sale Windows version 1.0 which ran on top of DOS 3.0. So I though it would be interesting to list the cost and performance of a PC at that time and every five years thereafter to the present day. As a side note 1985 was also the year that Gateway computers was founded, then known as Gateway 2000.
I contacted Gateway (my thanks to Lisa Emard, Gateway Media Relations) and she was able to provide the cost for a 1988 Gateway (which I’ve included in the list below), as it gives a good idea as to how much PC prices dropped when sold by what were then called ‘IBM Clone’ manufacturers. Note that Gateway stated “Completely IBM Hardware and Software Compatible” as not all PC clones were 100% compatible back then. Also by 1988 the Intel 386 processor was king of the hill and a 16MHz 386 PC cost about $3,600.00.
Note: The cost of the year 1985 was derived from various articles on the web. Pricing for all other systems (except 1988 as stated above) are based on actual advertisement from that time period, mostly in the Fall of each year.
1985 IBM PC AT – Approx. $6,000.00
8Mhz Intel 286 processor
512KB RAM
1.2MB 5.25 inch floppy disk
20MB Hard Drive
14” EGA Color Monitor – 640x350 resolution (64 colors) - $800.00
MS DOS 3.0 and Windows 1.0
Serial & Centronics Printer ports
IBM Dot Matrix Printer – $595.00
1988 Gateway 2000 Model A12 - $1,995.00
12 MHz 80286 Processor (Switchable to 6)
1 Meg 0 Wait State RAM (100 NS)
1 – 360K Floppy Drive and 1 – 3.5” Diskette Drive (Made by Teac)
40 MB Seagate ST251 Hard Drive
1-Parallel and 2-Serial Ports
101 Key Enhanced Keyboard (Keytronic)
14” Samsung EGA Monitor (640 x 350) with Sigma Designs Autoswitch EGA Card
200 Watt Power Supply and Battery Backed-Up Clock Calendar
8 Expansion Slots (6-16 Bit, 2-8 Bit) and Space for 5 ½ ht. Storage Devices
Completely IBM Hardware and Software Compatible, 1 Year Warranty
Not included in the above package was Windows 2.0 – Price $100.00
1990 Gateway 2000 - $5,295.00
25MHz 486
4.0MB RAM
1.44MB 3.5 inch and 1.2MB 51/4 inch Floppy Drives
150MB Hard Disk
16 Bit VGA card with 512K RAM
14” Monitor
DOS 3.3 and Windows 3.0
CD-ROM Purchased from Tiger Direct - $800.00
HP DeskJet 500 – List Price $729.00
1995 Gateway 2000 P5-133 - $3999.00
133MHz Pentium processor
256K Cache
16MB EDO RAM
1.6GB 9ms DMA Mode 2 EIDE Hard Drive, 1.44 Floppy
17” CRT Monitor + 64 Bit Matrox Millennium with 2MB WRAM
6X EIDE CD-ROM, 16 Bit sound card and Speakers with subwoofer
28.8 Fax/Modem
Windows 95, MS Office95
HP DeskJet 560C - $499.00 (Approx.)
2000 – Dell 8100 Series - $3,248.00
1.5GHz Intel Pentium 4 Processor
128MB Rambus 400 MHz RDRAM Memory
80GB Ultra ATA-100 (5200 RPM) Hard Drive
19” CRT Monitor, 64MB AGP-4X NVIDIA GeForce2 Graphics
12X DVD ROM and 12X CD-RW Drive
Digital Sound Card, Surround sound speakers with Subwoofer, 56K V90 WinModem
Windows ME
Printer, HP DeskJet 990Cse (2400 x 1200 dpi on photo paper, 17 pages per minute) - $399.00
2005 – Gateway FX-400XL - $3,179.96
3.0GHz Intel Pentium D (Dual Core) Processor
2.0GB (2048MB) DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Memory
500GB (Two 250GB Serial ATA II drives, 7200 RPM) and 1.44 Floppy drive
21” Widescreen High-Definition LCD Flat Panel display
16x Double Layer DVD+/- Read/Read/Write and second DVD-ROM drive
256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 7800 Graphics with DVI and TV Out
Integrated Intel 7.1 Sound with Logitec Z-2300 THX Speakers, 56K data/fax modem
Integrated Broadband Ethernet (10/100/1000 Gigabit) Network interface.
Windows XP SP2 with Backup CD, Price includes 3 years part/labor/tech support plan
Printer, HP Photosmart 8250 (4800 x 1200 dpi, 31 pages per minute) - $199.99
If you are interested in more detailed information of how Windows matured over the years see the article recently published by PC Mag.com.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1868492,00.asp
and Computer Hope.com at:
http://www.computerhope.com/history/windows.htm
Some PCs may have included some minor additional hardware, software and service contracts included as part of the advertised configuration but are not listed in this article. Printers were priced as a separate item. Windows was usually an option in the early years. Today Windows XP Home is standard and XP Professional is still priced as an option from a number of vendors for home computers.
Note: Configurations are for high end or near top of the line systems available for a given year, therefore some PC configurations may have cost more or less than the prices shown above. Today’s entry level PCs can cost as little as $500.00 and can go easily over $4,500.00 if you want all the bells and whistles.
Inflation factor
$6,000.00 in 1985 is the equivalent of $10,650.00 today!
$3,999.00 in 1995 is the equivalent of $4,975.00 today!
Source: The Inflation Calculator at: http://www.westegg.com/inflation
I contacted Gateway (my thanks to Lisa Emard, Gateway Media Relations) and she was able to provide the cost for a 1988 Gateway (which I’ve included in the list below), as it gives a good idea as to how much PC prices dropped when sold by what were then called ‘IBM Clone’ manufacturers. Note that Gateway stated “Completely IBM Hardware and Software Compatible” as not all PC clones were 100% compatible back then. Also by 1988 the Intel 386 processor was king of the hill and a 16MHz 386 PC cost about $3,600.00.
Note: The cost of the year 1985 was derived from various articles on the web. Pricing for all other systems (except 1988 as stated above) are based on actual advertisement from that time period, mostly in the Fall of each year.
1985 IBM PC AT – Approx. $6,000.00
8Mhz Intel 286 processor
512KB RAM
1.2MB 5.25 inch floppy disk
20MB Hard Drive
14” EGA Color Monitor – 640x350 resolution (64 colors) - $800.00
MS DOS 3.0 and Windows 1.0
Serial & Centronics Printer ports
IBM Dot Matrix Printer – $595.00
1988 Gateway 2000 Model A12 - $1,995.00
12 MHz 80286 Processor (Switchable to 6)
1 Meg 0 Wait State RAM (100 NS)
1 – 360K Floppy Drive and 1 – 3.5” Diskette Drive (Made by Teac)
40 MB Seagate ST251 Hard Drive
1-Parallel and 2-Serial Ports
101 Key Enhanced Keyboard (Keytronic)
14” Samsung EGA Monitor (640 x 350) with Sigma Designs Autoswitch EGA Card
200 Watt Power Supply and Battery Backed-Up Clock Calendar
8 Expansion Slots (6-16 Bit, 2-8 Bit) and Space for 5 ½ ht. Storage Devices
Completely IBM Hardware and Software Compatible, 1 Year Warranty
Not included in the above package was Windows 2.0 – Price $100.00
1990 Gateway 2000 - $5,295.00
25MHz 486
4.0MB RAM
1.44MB 3.5 inch and 1.2MB 51/4 inch Floppy Drives
150MB Hard Disk
16 Bit VGA card with 512K RAM
14” Monitor
DOS 3.3 and Windows 3.0
CD-ROM Purchased from Tiger Direct - $800.00
HP DeskJet 500 – List Price $729.00
1995 Gateway 2000 P5-133 - $3999.00
133MHz Pentium processor
256K Cache
16MB EDO RAM
1.6GB 9ms DMA Mode 2 EIDE Hard Drive, 1.44 Floppy
17” CRT Monitor + 64 Bit Matrox Millennium with 2MB WRAM
6X EIDE CD-ROM, 16 Bit sound card and Speakers with subwoofer
28.8 Fax/Modem
Windows 95, MS Office95
HP DeskJet 560C - $499.00 (Approx.)
2000 – Dell 8100 Series - $3,248.00
1.5GHz Intel Pentium 4 Processor
128MB Rambus 400 MHz RDRAM Memory
80GB Ultra ATA-100 (5200 RPM) Hard Drive
19” CRT Monitor, 64MB AGP-4X NVIDIA GeForce2 Graphics
12X DVD ROM and 12X CD-RW Drive
Digital Sound Card, Surround sound speakers with Subwoofer, 56K V90 WinModem
Windows ME
Printer, HP DeskJet 990Cse (2400 x 1200 dpi on photo paper, 17 pages per minute) - $399.00
2005 – Gateway FX-400XL - $3,179.96
3.0GHz Intel Pentium D (Dual Core) Processor
2.0GB (2048MB) DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Memory
500GB (Two 250GB Serial ATA II drives, 7200 RPM) and 1.44 Floppy drive
21” Widescreen High-Definition LCD Flat Panel display
16x Double Layer DVD+/- Read/Read/Write and second DVD-ROM drive
256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 7800 Graphics with DVI and TV Out
Integrated Intel 7.1 Sound with Logitec Z-2300 THX Speakers, 56K data/fax modem
Integrated Broadband Ethernet (10/100/1000 Gigabit) Network interface.
Windows XP SP2 with Backup CD, Price includes 3 years part/labor/tech support plan
Printer, HP Photosmart 8250 (4800 x 1200 dpi, 31 pages per minute) - $199.99
If you are interested in more detailed information of how Windows matured over the years see the article recently published by PC Mag.com.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1868492,00.asp
and Computer Hope.com at:
http://www.computerhope.com/history/windows.htm
Some PCs may have included some minor additional hardware, software and service contracts included as part of the advertised configuration but are not listed in this article. Printers were priced as a separate item. Windows was usually an option in the early years. Today Windows XP Home is standard and XP Professional is still priced as an option from a number of vendors for home computers.
Note: Configurations are for high end or near top of the line systems available for a given year, therefore some PC configurations may have cost more or less than the prices shown above. Today’s entry level PCs can cost as little as $500.00 and can go easily over $4,500.00 if you want all the bells and whistles.
Inflation factor
$6,000.00 in 1985 is the equivalent of $10,650.00 today!
$3,999.00 in 1995 is the equivalent of $4,975.00 today!
Source: The Inflation Calculator at: http://www.westegg.com/inflation
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
PC Security - November Update
Some Sony CD’s ship with sneaky (rootkit) software.
Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals, one of the PC security sites I mentioned in my last blog, has uncovered the installation of ‘Hidden’ copy protection software on a user’s PC without their knowledge. For general information about this see:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123362,00.asp
For detailed information on how Mark found this unwanted piece of software and what he did to remove it, read Mark’s blog: (http://www.sysinternals.com/Blog).
Prevent Viruses From Disabling Your Protection.
This is one of the tricks I use, not previously mentioned because of some minor side effects when browsing web sites. PCWORLD has a basic article which will get you started without any of the browser side effects and it will stop hackers from disabling your anti-virus protection updates:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,121213,00.asp
Note: I always make a backup of my original ‘HOSTS’ file (this file has no extension) before making any changes.
For a more robust approach visit: www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Make sure you read the full description on this web page, then download the file named hosts.zip. Next make a backup of your original host file (C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\HOST) which if you open using notepad should look like this:
# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
127.0.0.1 localhost
After making a backup (name it ORIG_HOSTS) unzip the file you downloaded and replace the HOST file with the one you downloaded. Right click on the file, select ‘Properties’ and check the ‘Read-only’ attribute box.
Note: Most likely your browser back button will not work on some web pages and you will need to click the pull-down arrow located just to the right of the back button to go back to the previous web page, note the number of adware listings your host file blocked when you do this.
Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals, one of the PC security sites I mentioned in my last blog, has uncovered the installation of ‘Hidden’ copy protection software on a user’s PC without their knowledge. For general information about this see:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123362,00.asp
For detailed information on how Mark found this unwanted piece of software and what he did to remove it, read Mark’s blog: (http://www.sysinternals.com/Blog).
Prevent Viruses From Disabling Your Protection.
This is one of the tricks I use, not previously mentioned because of some minor side effects when browsing web sites. PCWORLD has a basic article which will get you started without any of the browser side effects and it will stop hackers from disabling your anti-virus protection updates:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,121213,00.asp
Note: I always make a backup of my original ‘HOSTS’ file (this file has no extension) before making any changes.
For a more robust approach visit: www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Make sure you read the full description on this web page, then download the file named hosts.zip. Next make a backup of your original host file (C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\HOST) which if you open using notepad should look like this:
# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
127.0.0.1 localhost
After making a backup (name it ORIG_HOSTS) unzip the file you downloaded and replace the HOST file with the one you downloaded. Right click on the file, select ‘Properties’ and check the ‘Read-only’ attribute box.
Note: Most likely your browser back button will not work on some web pages and you will need to click the pull-down arrow located just to the right of the back button to go back to the previous web page, note the number of adware listings your host file blocked when you do this.
Friday, October 21, 2005
PC Security - October Update
No PC is 100% secure, but you can make it considerably harder for hackers. This is an update to a blog posted in August of this year. What follows is a list of the tools I use (including the Internet links to the web sites for these tools), articles recently available on the web, and some additional information.
A new article from PC Mag.com
Contains a large number of tips, the main page displays a long list of bulleted items, click on the item of interest, read the information and use the print icon to make a copy. Warning, if you click on the next link at the bottom of the bulleted article you could end up viewing some additional and sometimes complex material. The first page of each bulleted item usually provides what you need to known.
www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1838690,00.asp
For users of wireless routers security is the first thing you should look into are freeloaders can not only use your connection but also gain access to what’s on your PC. If you know you are the only user connected to the wireless modem in your house, try the following tip: In Windows XP press the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys to display Windows Task Manager. Next click on the ‘Users’ tab, this will display the number of users connected to your PC, if there is more than one you have a problem. For more information on securing your wireless router read ‘Between the cable modem and my PC is a router’ below.
The following is an updated reprint of the August Article. All links have been checked to verify that they are still good.
Between the cable modem and my PC is a router.
This device allows up to 4 or more computers to connect to the Internet or each other. It isolates my PC’s IP address from the cable modem’s IP address making it a little harder for hackers to see the PC when they go hunting. It’s like using a PO Box instead of your actual street address. There are two basic type of home routers, hardwire (requires a cable between the router and the PC) and wireless (you can place your computer anywhere within about 100 feet of the router). The down side of a wireless router is that you are broadcasting a signal that anyone within range can tap into. If you’re local Internet service provider gives you a wireless router as part of the package they provide, then look into security. Here you do not want to use WEP (too easy too crack) for security but instead choose WPA/WPA2 which is far more secure.www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=router
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=WPA+security+tips
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wpa2&btnG=Google+Search
Install a software firewall.
This controls traffic to and from my PC and closes any unnecessary open or unused ports. Port scanning is another trick used by hackers. Open computer ports are like open windows in your house. Here I use a freeware program named Zone Alarm; the current freeware version is now 60.667.000. Using this tool lets you decide what applications or software can access the Internet and also blocks outsiders from accessing your PC. Zone Alarm also sells Pro version and Anti-Virus software; I have no experience with Pro or their Anti-Virus products. If you don’t not think a firewall is important then you should go to Gibson Research Corporation (http://www.grc.com/default.htm ) and scroll down to the page until you see the ‘Leak Test’ and ShieldsUp’ links, run these test, then you will see why you need a firewall!
www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp
Use an Anti-Virus package.
Use this to scan and protect your computer and any email you receive. AV software is not a total cure for viruses or worms as it is a defensive software tool and the vendor must be aware that a new virus exist, they must then develop a solution and you must download the update to their software when it becomes available. All this takes time and the delay until a fix is developed and downloaded leaves you at a small but potential risk, but you are at a much greater risk without this software. Three of the more popular tools are Trend Micro, Mcafee and Symantec. These companies also have firewall products sold separately or in combination with their AV software.
www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/enterprise.htm
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp
www.symantec.com/index.htm
Adware/Spyware detection products.
Every time you visit a web site harmless cookies and sometimes other unwanted and far more malicious content is placed on your PC (www.sunbelt-software.com/CounterSpy-FAQ.cfm) . To this end I use three products to help me spot and remove it. Two are freeware (Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy) and the third and best (CounterSpy) is a low cost product which you can try free for a limited time. Microsoft also provides a free AntiSpyware software product, the web page currently unavailable so I have provided a link to their Malicious Software Removal Tool download page. If multiple members of your household use the PC to surf the web then it’s very likely that some form of Spyware is already on your computer.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=890830
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/
www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware
www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Startup Monitor
This little program develop by Mike Lin will warn you if something has been downloaded from a malicious web site to your PC without your knowledge and will secretly install itself the next time you turn on your PC. The only time you should legitimately see the warning displayed by Startup Monitor is when you are installing new software, performing a software update and occasionally your AV update or Microsoft security update. If this warning is displayed at any other time such as when you open an email message or when jumping from one web site to the next, then you can at your judgment deny the software from installing. Be aware that if you have ‘Automatic Updates’ turned on for any software on your PC this can sometimes cause a false warning. I have all my automatic update options turned off and update on my own terms, but you may want to keep it on so you don’t miss any updates.
www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml
Rootkits
Rootkits are designed to be completely invisible to Anti-Virus software. Rootkit Revealer available at Sysinternals.com explains in great detail what a rootkit is and how their software is designed to detect the presence of rootkits.
www.sysinternals.com/utilities/rootkitrevealer.html
Other Software that I use
Warning: Some of these utilities require more than a passing knowledge of Windows and if used incorrectly can cause serious problems, however some are reasonably safe to use.
Cookie Viewer: http://www.karenware.com/ View the contents of cookies.
Autoruns: www.sysinternals.com/utilities/autoruns.html Shows what software starts when you turn on your PC.
Process Explorer: www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html Shows what process are running on your PC and provides a link to Google for any process you are curious about.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer version 2.0:
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Baseline+security+analyzer
Microsoft's Security Web Page:
www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx
Newsletters to help keep you up to date on what happening:
PC Mag Tip of the day: www.pcmag.com/tips
Brian Livingston’s Windows Secrets: http://www.windowssecrets.com/
Langalist: www.langa.com/join_langalist.htm
Scot’s Newsletter: http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/
Now after reading all this you may think I’m paranoid, but there are some computer owners who go even farther than I have to make their pc safe. Yes it takes time and effort on your part, but there are hackers out there with plenty of time and will spare no effort to gain control of or bring your computer to its knees, not to mention identity theft, using your email address list to spread viruses to your friends and other nastiness.
A new article from PC Mag.com
Contains a large number of tips, the main page displays a long list of bulleted items, click on the item of interest, read the information and use the print icon to make a copy. Warning, if you click on the next link at the bottom of the bulleted article you could end up viewing some additional and sometimes complex material. The first page of each bulleted item usually provides what you need to known.
www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1838690,00.asp
For users of wireless routers security is the first thing you should look into are freeloaders can not only use your connection but also gain access to what’s on your PC. If you know you are the only user connected to the wireless modem in your house, try the following tip: In Windows XP press the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys to display Windows Task Manager. Next click on the ‘Users’ tab, this will display the number of users connected to your PC, if there is more than one you have a problem. For more information on securing your wireless router read ‘Between the cable modem and my PC is a router’ below.
The following is an updated reprint of the August Article. All links have been checked to verify that they are still good.
Between the cable modem and my PC is a router.
This device allows up to 4 or more computers to connect to the Internet or each other. It isolates my PC’s IP address from the cable modem’s IP address making it a little harder for hackers to see the PC when they go hunting. It’s like using a PO Box instead of your actual street address. There are two basic type of home routers, hardwire (requires a cable between the router and the PC) and wireless (you can place your computer anywhere within about 100 feet of the router). The down side of a wireless router is that you are broadcasting a signal that anyone within range can tap into. If you’re local Internet service provider gives you a wireless router as part of the package they provide, then look into security. Here you do not want to use WEP (too easy too crack) for security but instead choose WPA/WPA2 which is far more secure.www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=router
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=WPA+security+tips
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wpa2&btnG=Google+Search
Install a software firewall.
This controls traffic to and from my PC and closes any unnecessary open or unused ports. Port scanning is another trick used by hackers. Open computer ports are like open windows in your house. Here I use a freeware program named Zone Alarm; the current freeware version is now 60.667.000. Using this tool lets you decide what applications or software can access the Internet and also blocks outsiders from accessing your PC. Zone Alarm also sells Pro version and Anti-Virus software; I have no experience with Pro or their Anti-Virus products. If you don’t not think a firewall is important then you should go to Gibson Research Corporation (http://www.grc.com/default.htm ) and scroll down to the page until you see the ‘Leak Test’ and ShieldsUp’ links, run these test, then you will see why you need a firewall!
www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp
Use an Anti-Virus package.
Use this to scan and protect your computer and any email you receive. AV software is not a total cure for viruses or worms as it is a defensive software tool and the vendor must be aware that a new virus exist, they must then develop a solution and you must download the update to their software when it becomes available. All this takes time and the delay until a fix is developed and downloaded leaves you at a small but potential risk, but you are at a much greater risk without this software. Three of the more popular tools are Trend Micro, Mcafee and Symantec. These companies also have firewall products sold separately or in combination with their AV software.
www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/enterprise.htm
http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp
www.symantec.com/index.htm
Adware/Spyware detection products.
Every time you visit a web site harmless cookies and sometimes other unwanted and far more malicious content is placed on your PC (www.sunbelt-software.com/CounterSpy-FAQ.cfm) . To this end I use three products to help me spot and remove it. Two are freeware (Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy) and the third and best (CounterSpy) is a low cost product which you can try free for a limited time. Microsoft also provides a free AntiSpyware software product, the web page currently unavailable so I have provided a link to their Malicious Software Removal Tool download page. If multiple members of your household use the PC to surf the web then it’s very likely that some form of Spyware is already on your computer.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=890830
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/
www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware
www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Startup Monitor
This little program develop by Mike Lin will warn you if something has been downloaded from a malicious web site to your PC without your knowledge and will secretly install itself the next time you turn on your PC. The only time you should legitimately see the warning displayed by Startup Monitor is when you are installing new software, performing a software update and occasionally your AV update or Microsoft security update. If this warning is displayed at any other time such as when you open an email message or when jumping from one web site to the next, then you can at your judgment deny the software from installing. Be aware that if you have ‘Automatic Updates’ turned on for any software on your PC this can sometimes cause a false warning. I have all my automatic update options turned off and update on my own terms, but you may want to keep it on so you don’t miss any updates.
www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml
Rootkits
Rootkits are designed to be completely invisible to Anti-Virus software. Rootkit Revealer available at Sysinternals.com explains in great detail what a rootkit is and how their software is designed to detect the presence of rootkits.
www.sysinternals.com/utilities/rootkitrevealer.html
Other Software that I use
Warning: Some of these utilities require more than a passing knowledge of Windows and if used incorrectly can cause serious problems, however some are reasonably safe to use.
Cookie Viewer: http://www.karenware.com/ View the contents of cookies.
Autoruns: www.sysinternals.com/utilities/autoruns.html Shows what software starts when you turn on your PC.
Process Explorer: www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html Shows what process are running on your PC and provides a link to Google for any process you are curious about.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer version 2.0:
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Baseline+security+analyzer
Microsoft's Security Web Page:
www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx
Newsletters to help keep you up to date on what happening:
PC Mag Tip of the day: www.pcmag.com/tips
Brian Livingston’s Windows Secrets: http://www.windowssecrets.com/
Langalist: www.langa.com/join_langalist.htm
Scot’s Newsletter: http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/
Now after reading all this you may think I’m paranoid, but there are some computer owners who go even farther than I have to make their pc safe. Yes it takes time and effort on your part, but there are hackers out there with plenty of time and will spare no effort to gain control of or bring your computer to its knees, not to mention identity theft, using your email address list to spread viruses to your friends and other nastiness.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Blog Spam
Unfortunately the spammers have now driven their pastime to an all time low, by posting spam to legitimate blog pages. Google has no doubt found out about this, but what they will do about it remains to be seen.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Gas Down, Cholesterol Up
The cost of a gallon of gas is down to $2.45, well below Milk or OJ.
Cholesterol and fat on the other hand have been getting a big push from some fast food chains lately. It wasn’t that long ago fast food was countering the attack on their menu by adding low cal/fat choices.
Now the tide has apparently gone back the other way with the addition of super burgers, lumberjack special breakfast sandwiches and alike. Not only do they cost more than gas but can potentially clog your body’s engine if you fill up your tank to many times.
Cholesterol and fat on the other hand have been getting a big push from some fast food chains lately. It wasn’t that long ago fast food was countering the attack on their menu by adding low cal/fat choices.
Now the tide has apparently gone back the other way with the addition of super burgers, lumberjack special breakfast sandwiches and alike. Not only do they cost more than gas but can potentially clog your body’s engine if you fill up your tank to many times.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Chief Justice Roberts
At 3:01PM EDT John Roberts was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. For those of you who were watching the ceremony, you would have noticed that Roberts had his hand on the Bible and as part of the oath uttered the words “so help me God”.
Mister Chief Justice, take note that there will be an up-coming case about the Pledge of Allegiance, which has been changed twice, once to include the words “under God”. So how can a person who had his hand on the Bible and in effect asked for God’s help remove these words or ban the Pledge from schools.
Does this make me a conservative? No because I also believe in Pro-Choice. I do not side with any group, but choose what I believe is best, not left, right, liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat or Independent!
Mister Chief Justice, take note that there will be an up-coming case about the Pledge of Allegiance, which has been changed twice, once to include the words “under God”. So how can a person who had his hand on the Bible and in effect asked for God’s help remove these words or ban the Pledge from schools.
Does this make me a conservative? No because I also believe in Pro-Choice. I do not side with any group, but choose what I believe is best, not left, right, liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat or Independent!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Two for the Price of One
With Katrina, the passing of Supreme Court Justice Rehnquist, Oil Prices, FEMA problems and now Tom Delay being indicted; the appointment of Judge Roberts to the Supreme Court and serving as Chief Justice is a certainty. Teflon Roberts is getting so little attention with all the other issues that he’s a shoe in.
But I would not want to be the next person nominated to replace the remaining open seat on the court. By then most of the other issues will still be there but to a lesser extent. Now that means the bull’s eye will be pasted on judge number two, whoever that is and he or she is definitely not going to have a free pass this time around.
But I would not want to be the next person nominated to replace the remaining open seat on the court. By then most of the other issues will still be there but to a lesser extent. Now that means the bull’s eye will be pasted on judge number two, whoever that is and he or she is definitely not going to have a free pass this time around.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Daylight Savings Time
The upcoming change in Daylight Saving Time recently enacted by Congress will save an estimated 100,000 barrels of oil each day, from the total of about 20 million barrels daily. Where the cost factor kicks in is that any gadget, appliance, auto, computer, alarm clock or anything else that has a clock which automatically adjusts each Spring and Fall for Daylight Savings will now be out of sync and require manual adjustment. The manufactures of these items will need to make the necessary changes for their new product lines before 2007 when the change is due to take effect.
There is good news for some of us who have dumb clocks; it will be just like it’s always been, Fall Back and Spring Forward.
There is good news for some of us who have dumb clocks; it will be just like it’s always been, Fall Back and Spring Forward.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Milk down, OJ unchanged, Gas up, Michael Brown DOWN
Milk was about 8 cents less yesterday, Orange Juice remained unchanged, Gas was up and down and up, now at $3.19. That means gas is giving OJ a run for the top spot on the price list. Michael Brown (FEMA) was demoted and is most likely on his way out, no tears shed here.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Cell Phone Relief Fund – Day 2
Haven’t received any response from my cell phone provider as of yet.
Today I decided to call my regular phone company who also is a cell phone service provider. Their response was that they do not have rollover minutes and at this time no definite plans have been made in the way of relief.
If you are reading this blog please call your cell phone provider and put the pressure on to help by donating minutes from your account or by some other means making extra minutes available to the people who need them.
Today I decided to call my regular phone company who also is a cell phone service provider. Their response was that they do not have rollover minutes and at this time no definite plans have been made in the way of relief.
If you are reading this blog please call your cell phone provider and put the pressure on to help by donating minutes from your account or by some other means making extra minutes available to the people who need them.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Cell Phone Relief Fund
Help the victims of hurricane Katrina buy contacting your cell phone company and asking them to setup a relief fund.
This fund would consisting of excess minutes that have accumulated over the months (rolled over) which you would donate from your account into a general fund. These minutes could then be used for those individuals affected by hurricane Katrina who may not have sufficient minutes remaining in their Cell Phone accounts to make all the calls necessary to reach family members on a regular basis or take care of other needs. As you know once a user exceeds the minutes in their account, the cost of placing calls can go up dramatically.
I currently have more than 1500 excess minutes which would be enough to provide 15 needy people with 100 free minutes of phone time. After all at the end the year you and I loss these rollover minutes and they are lost and wasted so why not put them to good use!
For more information contact me buy posting a comment to this blog!
Better yet check your cell phone company’s web site and see if they have a disaster relief page, contact the appropriate individual and spread the word!!!
This fund would consisting of excess minutes that have accumulated over the months (rolled over) which you would donate from your account into a general fund. These minutes could then be used for those individuals affected by hurricane Katrina who may not have sufficient minutes remaining in their Cell Phone accounts to make all the calls necessary to reach family members on a regular basis or take care of other needs. As you know once a user exceeds the minutes in their account, the cost of placing calls can go up dramatically.
I currently have more than 1500 excess minutes which would be enough to provide 15 needy people with 100 free minutes of phone time. After all at the end the year you and I loss these rollover minutes and they are lost and wasted so why not put them to good use!
For more information contact me buy posting a comment to this blog!
Better yet check your cell phone company’s web site and see if they have a disaster relief page, contact the appropriate individual and spread the word!!!
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