rich-c: test rich-c: refresh
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changed username to Guy B. rich-c: hello rich-c: guy Guy B.: Hi Rich rich-c: oops, hi Guy rich-c: beginneing rto wonder if anyone would turn up rich-c: farn dingers Guy B.: Abby and I just came back from a walk. We had to cut it short. Got very hot out here. rich-c: so which of your computers is online today? Guy B.: I'm on the Athlon. rich-c: finding the speed a bit seductive, are you? Guy B.: Yep, got that right. rich-c: it's easy to get spoiled rich-c: you should (or better shouldn't) hear me mutter at the laptop during bootup these days Guy B.: One thing for sure, alot of my games run alot smoother on the Athlon. rich-c: Free Cell being pretty much the limit of my gaming ambition, that's not a factor for me rich-c: for your own info, I have written to PJ inviting her to Adamcon but have not yet had a reply Guy B.: I have alot of pinball games and they really run good on it. Sometimes, the ball can come a little too fast for me to hit the flippers in time. rich-c: I wrote so she would have time to think out her reply without feeling pressure Guy B.: When did you write her? rich-c: I think I mailed it last Friday - not sure, don't keep records rich-c: I was going to send it express mail but the best delivery guarantee they'd give was four days Guy B.: Well, it should arrive within a week or so to her. We'll just wait to see if she can come. rich-c: regular mail usually does it in that rich-c: would you believe I ordered a 14-lb car part from Alliance, OH Tuesday and it got here Friday by mail? Guy B.: That's fast. What carrier did they use? rich-c: USPS/Canada Post rich-c: on the previous part they used UPS and it took a day longer rich-c: not only that, they screwed me for an extra $35 for a phoney "brokerage charge" Guy B.: Not bad. Even though USPS raised our rates just recently. Still the service can be better in some places. rich-c: on the Adams I've mailed stateside in the last year, delivery has been very good rich-c: but I agree, I looked at the new rates and they really jacked them - enough to curl your hair Guy B.: And as long as they arrive in good condition to the recepient. rich-c: yes - but then with UPS if you're shipping an anvil you'd better mark it fragile Guy B.: Oh I know. UPS just averted a threaten strike with the unions this week. They will get a 22% raise over the next 5 yrs. rich-c: that's really only about 3% compounded and little over the inflation rate/ consumer price index increase rich-c: my pensions are indexed so I tend to see COLA increases like that Guy B.: Still, UPS will eventually raise their rates so they can pay their workers. Now the part-timers will be able to get benefits they never got before like health insurance. rich-c: you mean the unioin actually represents the prt-timers and fights for them? That's a real change Guy B.: Some of the part-timers are with the Teamsters and yes, they managed to get that included in the new contract. rich-c: usually the unions fight to get all part-timers fired and replaced with full-timers rich-c: but if they can't, guess getting them in the union and getting them full-time benefits suits their purposes too rich-c: you realize of course that Canadians consider the U.S. health care system a disgrace Guy B.: Well, UPS has been advertising for part-time positions and they mostly try to get college students, since they offer a college tuition benefit. Guy B.: With some the red tape I get with my HMO. I can see why. rich-c: well, Canadians don't think any citizen should be without full unlimited coverage without question rich-c: we still only have drug coverage with co-payment for seniors, but are working on it Guy B.: I agree with you. But here in the U.S. some of the poorest people and mainly those that are African Americans, cannot afford health insurance. rich-c: and there's no official national dental care plan though help for the poorest is available rich-c: we simply don't believe anyone should have to buy basic health care insurance - period Guy B.: Jeanene has to spend some $400 this year before even Medicare can pay the rest of her health costs. rich-c: this is what comes of the American phobia about paying taxes - you do without the necessities of life rich-c: it isn't hard in the U.S. to run up health costs that would bankrupt a millionaire - and it needn't even be his fault Guy B.: But, there are some people who must have this and that. But, everyone should have health insurance. Cause who knows what might happen to you. rich-c: think how much it would cost to fix you up if you got run down by an uninsured driver rich-c: it wouldn't be your fault but the repair costs would leave you in debt for the rest of your life Guy B.: Look what happened to me last year with my car. Someone hits me and takes off and the insurance co and I have to pay the costs of fixing it. rich-c: just be glad you didn't suffer severe physical damage - bet your insurance wouldn't help you as needed Guy B.: I was lucky I wasn't even in the car. It was parked when it happened. My insurance company came through for me. rich-c: of course the next thing is to see what it does to your premiums when you renew Guy B.: Lucky for me. No increase because of this accident. It wasn't my fault anyway. rich-c: thopugh some companies will let you off if you are not at fault
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changed username to ron rich-c: and obviously you're insured with one of them ron: late but here Guy B.: Hi Ron, the mighty Mitchell appears. ron: how y'all rich-c: don't press your luck though - even a few non-fault claims and they get edgy Guy B.: What computer are using today? rich-c: hey Ron, welcome aboard ron: pentium something or other ron: the one I'm least mad at rich-c: oh, what have the Macs done to arouse your ire? Guy B.: There's one thing I did do after the accident. I changed parking spots. So now, I'm less likely to get hit in the winter. ron: time to clear the room I think Guy B.: Pentium 200? rich-c: becuase of your pending remarks, or to reduce the computer croiwding? ron: no, I'm on the Duron - albeit with Win 98 SE Guy B.: Well, We are all on AMD today. ron: windows 2000 doesn't like my software it seems rich-c: well, I on an Athlon as is Guy, and I'm happy on Win98SE rich-c: or at least as happy as anyone gets with Windows ron: think I'm probably going to be that way too from the looks of it Guy B.: Windows 2000 is very picky when it comes to certain software. I have a friend who has Win2000 and she can't get her game to work with it. Only works with Win95. Guy B.: Me too, Rich.
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changed username to Ron rich-c: I notice the contributors to Langalist seem to consider 2000 a step back from 98SE Guy B.: We have two Rons. Ron: figures rich-c: not any more Guy B.: Ok, now back to one. Actually Win2000 came out before WinME. Ron: Well, I was ok for a while, then I tried installing my CD burner software Ron: and got a Win2k Stop message Ron: happened also with my PC MAC LAn software rich-c: I'm not sure I'm braced for such a pitiful tale of woe Ron: and those two I need Ron: no, I'll spare you the gory detail Guy B.: Windows 2000 can multiboot. But, not without some complications. Ron: live and learn rich-c: So can 95 and 98 but you need third party programs - but then they do it better Ron: Jeff is coming up in a couple of weeks. Perhaps he'll have some words of wisdom Guy B.: System Commander 2001 I believe is the newest OS boot program since it will now work with WinXP and Win2000. rich-c: by the way, if you have "Easy CD Creator" forget about any support from Rosio Ron: yep, I do Ron: and it works fine under 98SE rich-c: if you don't fork out about $100 US for the Platinum edition, they won't talk to you Guy B.: Unless you have the latest version. They are not supporting version 4.0. They will with 5.0. Ron: Actually, It's the platinum I have Ron: Didn't you know that the objective our system is to keep the consumer disatisfied? rich-c: you must be burning an awful lot of CDs to justify that expense Ron: and a damn fine job they do of it Ron: not really, it just seemed like the right thing to do Ron: at the time Guy B.: I have version 4 basic on mine that came with my CD burner. rich-c: could be that 4 is the bundled version and 5 is the direct sale only version rich-c: but a licence fee from a burner maker isnt as profitable as the margin on a retail sale Guy B.: That's it. Right now, Roxio is offering a $20 rebate on the Platinum version 5. Ron: I do know that I don't much care for the User Interface with 5. Pain in the butt rich-c: I am surprised some bright hacker hasn't put out a shareware program that's better at $20 flat Ron: but then that's only if everything else is bugging me rich-c: I don't consider the 4 interface any great joy either Guy B.: I was looking to see if anyone has done that. I believe Broderbund has a CD burner program. I don't remember the name off hand. But, I'll check that out. Ron: these people need to be told that KISS should be uppermost in their minds rich-c: on the other hand, some adhere to that principle so much it becomes a KISS-off Ron: :) rich-c: try modifying your modem control string in Windows 98 sometime Ron: geez, never tried that Ron: but then I havent used a modem in 2 years rich-c: do so and you will find it very instructive Ron: not even sure if it works any more rich-c: oh right, you use a router not a high-speed modem Ron: yeah rich-c: given the price of high speed connections, I expect to be dialling up for a long time Ron: Rich, there are some days when I contemplate using only a pencil, paper, envelope and stamp Guy B.: Me too. As long as Netzero is still with the $9.95 deal. I'm staying put. Ron: and turfing everything else Ron: I'd have a lot more room around here rich-c: I can identify with that, though I do find email convenient for many purposes Ron: I know. Ron: Once they got ya, they got ya Guy B.: Amen. rich-c: I've noticed of late that our newspapers are only printing letters to the editor that come by email Ron: Anyway gents, I'm informed that lunch is ready Ron: so I better go feed my face rich-c: right, Ron, go enjoy then and we'll see you Wed. Ron: be well both Guy B.: The Chicago newspapers will accept both letters and e-mail. Ron: see ya's Wed Guy B.: Bye Ron, see you Wednesday night. rich-c: so will the Toronto ones, nominally rich-c: but when every letter on the page refers to something in the previous day's issue, you know it wasn't mailed
Ron left chat session rich-c: hand delivered or couriered, maybe, but not mailed Guy B.: If it's e-mailed, the person's name and by Internet will appear otherwise it's the name and city where the person lives. rich-c: our papers as you to identify your address even if emailing, and print the city name rich-c: but there are other media that will print the email address Guy B.: At leas the newspapers here respect that. They will just print the name and the city, but they do ask for your address. rich-c: we had a small paper here that did that till I pointed out it was like printing a street address Guy B.: Boy. talking about invading your privacy. That's exactly what they are doing. rich-c: well, generally it is thoughlessness more than anything else Guy B.: They should reconsider that policy. rich-c: also sometimes when folks write to technical columns for advice, they ask that the email address be given rich-c: every Sunday the page of letteres looking for lost relatives and friends gives email addresses to send leads rich-c: basically, it is not a black and white situation - discretion is needed more than rules Guy B.: Then I can see that. But, that's where you can get bombarded with junk e-mails. rich-c: no, the spam bots don't troll printed new pages for addresses rich-c: sorry, news pages Guy B.: Well, that's a relief. rich-c: they get the addresses from newsgroups and sometimes chat rooms Guy B.: Ah, so that's how they do it. Pretty clever. rich-c: there are also outfits like Netscape and AOL and Yahoo and such that will sell them rich-c: anytime you see any reference to "our partners" in a privacy statement - give them your name and you've got spam Guy B.: That's where a second e-mail address can come in handy for that purpose. rich-c: there are also outfits that will rent their "mailing lists" rich-c: yes - use sneakemail and get a handful of disposable addresses rich-c: that way you can track down exactly who sold your name Guy B.: I have one other e-mail address that's presently empty, that I might use for that. Right now, I'm using Yahoo for that. rich-c: during my parts search I used "partshunter@sneakemail.com" Guy B.: That's a clever e-mail address. rich-c: they just remail the reply to me, but I know who was given that address rich-c: but most prudent folk have a number of fictitious names and addresses and email addresses and proxy servers to use when needed Guy B.: And I have run into a number of fake addresses already. rich-c: basically any hotmail or yahoo or similart address is at least an identity barrier and often fake and/or disposable Guy B.: I have setup a Bulk Inbox folder on Yahoo. Anything they think it's junk will be sent to that Bulk mail folder. rich-c: there ae lots of honest folks use them for good reason, but they must always be distrusted rich-c: yes, it's the same with my Hotmail account Guy B.: Some of the webmail addresses do have options where you can setup filters to get rid of certain e-mails with matched that you've setup. rich-c: by the way, any site that says "send your friends an email greeting" may well be a spam harvester Guy B.: Really! Didn't know that. rich-c: the same is true with "joke of the day" and stuff - they get your address and the addressees, both known valid rich-c: before you check "send to a friend" anywhere, read the privacy policy Guy B.: And that's where it can spread like wildfire. rich-c: right - your "nice gesture" may inspire your buddy to contemplate murdering you - for cause Guy B.: Can't be too careful now and days. Just have to be careful where you leave your tracks. rich-c: yes, and when folks do bug you, give them a hard time. Complain to their ISP or the FTC rich-c: or, if they have a reply address, make a note of it - they post it as your email address on a sex newsgroup Guy B.: Sometime ago, Congress was considering a bill to deal with Spam. But, I think it died in committee. rich-c: sorry, then post it rich-c: the FTC will deal with U.S. outfits that don't remove you from their list on demand, and any offers which violate U.S. law rich-c: they will also look at non-actionable spam, but only to keep a record for future action
moved to room Meeting Place Guy B.: I did run into trouble with one company on that. It took two tries to finally get my name off.
changed username to George rich-c: well look who's here - welcome George Guy B.: Hi George. Made it in today. George: i made it in time Guy B.: I will have to be going off soon. So, I'll be on another 10 minutes. rich-c: well, just barely - actually I am going to have to leave in just a minute rich-c: but at least we can say hello rich-c: has the heat been getting to you? see it was about 90 in Washington Guy B.: How's the weather out by you George? George: i just got back from the burlington county farm fair rich-c: hey, that sounds like fun - where is Burlington County? George: very warm and muggy Guy B.: The heat's back here in Chicago through tomorrow. George: across the river east of me rich-c: we are supposed to have a scorcher tomorrow, maybe even 95, but then cool down nicely rich-c: OK, over in Hew Jersey then - near which town? George: New Jersey Guy B.: Same here. Should get some badly needed rain. Some towns have setup water restrictions already. rich-c: New Jersey is a good size state - be more specific, George rich-c: we were lucky, got a number of showers last few days, saved the lawns and gardens - few, but intense George: south west of trenton rich-c: OK. that places thingss a little better - rmember I have some familiarity with NJ George: last town in Jersey before you hit PA rich-c: if you're nat cautious, with a splash rich-c: NJ ends and PA begins in the middle of the river rich-c: how did you get to the fair, George? George: burlington NJ and Bristol PA are sister cities George: my father and i went rich-c: OK, and I assume a bridge connects them George: yes rich-c: that would mean that you drove, then, I guess rich-c: was it a sort of citified fair or an agricultural one? George: the two lane burlington-bristol bridge Guy B.: Well, folks time for me to get going. Have to search a website for Jeanene and will be heading out shortly. So, I'll see you all Wednesday night. Probably will be late getting on. Starting overtime Monday. rich-c: OK Guy, we'll wait for you and see you when you appear George: my father drove George: bye Guy
Guy B. left chat session rich-c: how did you get around the fairgrounds? George: my father dove me George: drove rich-c: you could drive within the fairgrounds? that's very unusual George: oh no, we walked rich-c: must have been a bit of a strain for you doing all that walking George: i went on a ride and a;most got sick rich-c: that is not hard to do, especially these days rich-c: gather the fair had a midway, then George: it was the sea ray rich-c: whatever they call them, the idea seems to be to part you from your stomach contents George: it had a few rides and 4H farm animals rich-c: the agricultural emphasis fits for the Garden State George: yes rich-c: glad to hear they are preserving their traditions - but then, I know that anyway George: i used to go there when i was alittle kid rich-c: it is always nice to have pleasant old memories revivied George: i miss the hot buttered corn on the cob rich-c: anway, George, I have a number of things to do and time is running out George: ok rich-c: (I'll second the corn!) George: see you Wed. rich-c: so I must go - see you Wednesday George: bye for now rich-c: bye now
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changed username to FreddyMaiden