INews Newsletter - Dec 12, 2006
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* * * I N e w s * * *
A publication of Internet Nebraska, your homestate broadband provider
* * * by manager@inebraska.com * * *
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Volume 9, Number 7 December 12, 2006
Welcome to another issue of INews. This newsletter communicates service
bulletins, announcements, and other useful information to our customers.
Please let us know what you think of it. Archives of INews are located
at http://www.inebraska.com/inews
In this issue: Web-based Gaming Fun
Internet Nebraska Broadband
Legal Music Downloads
Being A Responsible Netizen
Mr. Internet
*** Have A Good Time With Free On-line Games ***
If you've got some time to kill and are looking for something to do,
there is a plethora of free games you can play right in your web
browser, without having to install anything (most games require Shockwave
Flash or Java to play, but these are probably already installed on your
computer).
One of the oldest and most popular providers of on-line games is Pop Cap
Games at http://www.popcap.com . They have dozens of games available for
purchase and download, many of which can be played for free right in the
browser with nothing to download. Some of my favorites are:
Bejeweled - http://www.popcap.com/launchpage.php?theGame=diamondmine
Bejeweled is a simple but addictive puzzle game where you swap gems
around to create clusters of the same color.
Bookworm - http://www.popcap.com/launchpage.php?theGame=bookworm
In Bookworm, you build words out of adjacent lettered tiles. The
longer the words you can create, the better you do.
NingPo Mahjong - http://www.popcap.com/launchpage.php?theGame=ningpo
The classic solitaire tile game
Addicting Games ( http://www.addictinggames.com ) has dozens of games
from a variety of sources. While some, such as Kitten Cannon, may be of
questionable taste, most are simple and deceptively fun. Some I can
recommend are:
Curve Ball - http://www.addictinggames.com/curveball.html
A 3D Pong clone where you use your paddle to put significant
spin on the ball, making it curve and more difficult for your
opponent to hit.
Kitten Cannon - http://www.addictinggames.com/kittencannon.html
Fire a non-realistic animated kitten out of a cannon onto a field
filled with bombs, trampolines and other obstacles, and try to
get him as far as possible.
Newgrounds ( http://www.newgrounds.com/game/ ) is full of games of
varying quality. Some of my favorites are:
Galactic Gravity Golf - http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/320669
Try to get the ball into the hole... by using the gravity of various
planets to change the ball's trajectory.
Final Fortress - http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/322619
Use your cannon to defend against the the enemy. A good looking
game with fast and exciting play.
I mentioned earlier that all of these game require either Java or the
Shockwave Flash player to operate. If you don't have these installed,
you can get Flash from http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash ,
and you can download Java from http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp
*** GC Image -- Advertisement ***
Software Engineers
Scientific Programmers
Computer Programmer Interns
GC Image, LLC has immediate openings for software engineers, scientific
programmers, and computer programmer interns. For information about
these positions, visit:
http://www.gcimage.com
We look forward to applications from qualified individuals who are
motivated to help establish a startup company with exciting growth
potential.
GC Image, LLC, is a high-technology, spin-off of the University of
Nebraska - Lincoln. GC Image is creating informatics for a powerful
new technology for chemical separations with funding from the National
Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
GC Image software is used at some of the world's leading laboratories.
GC Image, LLC, has offices in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. The company
offers competitive salary and benefits and full-time employees are
eligible for stock ownership.
Applicants should send:
* a letter of application,
* resume, and
* names and contact information for three references
by email to info@gcimage.com or by mail to:
GC Image, LLC
PO Box 57403
Lincoln NE 68505-7403
*** Internet Nebraska Broadband ***
We at Internet Nebraska are in our twelfth year of providing high-speed
connectivity to businesses and individuals across the state. If you're
finding your Web pages come too slowly, or are maybe considering some
exciting new activity on the 'Net that will require faster access, we're
ready to help. We offer LOTS of broadband, and here are a few of the
kinds. With any of these faster access plans you get at least five free
e-mail addresses (excluding IN Speed Dial), a free personal Web site,
unlimited toll-free tech support, and free access to our hotspot network
(including access at the Lincoln Airport) for when you're on the go.
DSL
---
We offer DSL everywhere in Alltel or Qwest territories where the phone
company facilities make it possible. From a very affordable 256 kbps
download all the way to 3.0 Mbps and beyond, our DSL is competitively
priced and always offered at an introductory $9.95/month to new customers,
and to existing customers upgrading from dial-up. If you need static
addresses or other special features, we can do that, too. For more
information on our DSL, see http://www.inebraska.com/dsl/ .
Cable
-----
We also offer cable Internet access to individuals anywhere in the
Time-Warner Nebraska service area. Our introductory rate is only
$29.95/month, and our regular rate is great, too! For more information on
our cable Internet access, see http://www.inebraska.com/cable/ .
Wireless
--------
If you live in or near Valentine, O'Neill, Tilden, or Norfolk, we can offer
you wireless Internet access. We even have available a free basic
installation package with no equipment to buy! Take a look at
http://www.inebraska.com/wireless/ for a high-speed solution where DSL and
cable may not be available.
TLS / T1s / DS3s / Server Colocation / Web Site Hosting
--------------------------------------------------------
If your business needs a more direct, "broaderband" connection to the
Internet, we offer it. Our customer base includes health care
organizations, libraries, phone companies, and manufacturing plants across
the state. If you'd like to visit about what we can do for you, give us a
call at 434-8680 in Lincoln, or 800-438-4638 anywhere else. For
information on our standard Web hosting packages, see
http://www.inebraska.com/webhostpricing.html .
Dial-Up Acceleration
--------------------
Perhaps none of these ways to increase your speed looks right for you,
and dial-up is how you expect to continue connecting. For only $2/month,
our Internet Nebraska Speed Dial can make a great difference in how
quickly you surf the 'Net. It's easy to install, too. See
http://www.inebraska.com/speeddial/ for details.
We're proud of these services, but what makes us feel best is taking
friendly, reliable care of the other folks in our state. We're locally
owned and operated, so our business relationships are special to us.
*** Legal Music Downloads ***
The Internet has changed the way content is distributed forever.
Software, music, and movies are all available for download from the 'net,
some legally, and some not-so-legally. Today we'll look at a few of the
many choices available for legal music downloading available on the
Internet.
Apple iTunes Store
If you have an iPod, you've surely used iTunes to load music onto your
chic little player. You've probably also at least visited the iTunes
store, and know that you can purchase songs for $.99 each, and most
albums for between 10 and 12 bucks.
However, if you're one of the maybe _four_ people in the world who've
never used an iPod, you might not know that you can use iTunes and the
iTunes Store to purchase and listen to music on your computer, and burn
CDs for listening on-the-go -- without needing an iPod. To get started
with the iTunes store, visit http://www.apple.com/itunes/ .
While Apple's iTunes Store is by far the most successful music service
(with over 1.5 billion songs downloaded since its inception), there are
some other options for legal downloads you can consider.
eMusic
eMusic is second place in sales of legal music downloads, controlling an
estimated 10% of the market. (Estimates vary widely depending on who's
doing the estimating.) eMusic's claim to fame is songs downloaded from
them contain no digital rights management, or DRM. This means that there
are no restrictions on how many CDs you can burn, how many computers you
can listen to it on, and, importantly, that it works on any media player,
be it from Apple, Microsoft, Creative Labs, Sandisk, or whoever.
Songs on eMusic are also cheaper, costing $.33, or about 1/3rd the price
of music from the iTunes Store. These advantages come with one major
disadvantage, however, and that is that most of eMusic's 2 million songs
are from independent labels and artists. If the music you want is
distributed by a big name record company, you probably won't find it
here.
Napster Music Store
If you've been around the Internet for a while, you surely remember
Napster. Napster made headlines back in the day when it was sued out
of existence for providing an easy way for people to (illegally) share
music over the Internet.
Napster eventually re-launched as a legal service, and is one of the top
5 legal download services out there. Unlike the previous services I
mentioned, Napster provides a couple of different options for downloading
music. You can buy individual songs for $.99 each much like the other
services. Tracks purchased from Napster can be listened to on a computer,
burned to CD, or put on any portable music player that is Plays For Sure
compatible. Note that this means that Napster's music is not compatible
with the iPod, which severely limits their market share.
You can also stream low quality music from Napster for free. Note that
in order to listen to music this way, your computer must be connected to
the Internet, and you cannot take your music with you.
Finally, Napster has 2 different subscription-based plans. For $9.95/mo,
you can download all the music you want and store it on your computer.
You don't have to be on-line to listen to this music, but you still can't
take it with you. For $14.95/mo, you can download all the music you want
and listen to it on both your computer and your Plays For Sure compatible
portable player. Note that neither of these plans allow you to burn CDs
with the music you downloaded. You have to pay individually for each
track if you want to burn them to CD. In addition, any music that you
downloaded under subscription stops working if you stop subscribing to
Napster. The subscription plan is great if you like to listen to a lot
of new and different music, but isn't your best choice if you like to buy
music and keep it around for a long time.
There are also music stores from Real Networks, Microsoft, and others.
Downloading music is easy and fun (not to mention cheaper than a trip
to your local store), so get on-line and get downloading today.
*** Being A Responsible Netizen ***
While it may seem that the on-line world is an anonymous and lawless one,
it's worth remembering that actions taken on the Internet can have
real-world consequences. You might be sitting in front of a faceless
computer, but there's a real person reading that next e-mail, instant
message, or forum post. Netiquette is the on-line equivalent of
etiquette, and is an essential part of making the most of your on-line
experience.
The core of netiquette is simple: if you wouldn't say it in real life,
don't say it on-line. The small amount of anonymity and personal
abstraction provided by the Internet often leads to rude behavior by
even the most courteous of individuals. It's best if you don't let that
happen to you.
There are many different places to visit on the Internet, and things that
are normal and accepted in one place may be considered rude in another.
When dealing with community areas such as forums and chat rooms, it's
a good idea to "lurk," or just observe for a while. This will give you
a chance to see what sort of behavior is normal. Many places also have
rules posted, and reading these will help give you a more complete picture
of accepted behaviors.
Unfortunately, not everyone subscribes to the principles of netiquette
and behaves respectfully on-line. While there are some real jerks out
there, some people just do not know. Everyone was new to the net at some
point-- remember that it takes some time to learn the rules of the land.
Be forgiving of others' mistakes, and if you do decide to point them out,
do it as nicely and constructively as possible. A gentle nudge in the
right direction may do wonders in the long run.
While not everyone on the Internet follows the rules of netiquette, every
person who does makes the Internet experience all the more enjoyable for
everyone else. Even if you don't care about upsetting other people, at
the very least remember that what you say on the Internet may always be
saved by someone, and may be around for posterity for a long time to
come.
More reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette
http://www.dtcc.edu/cs/rfc1855.html
*** Schaefer's TV & Appliance Center - Advertisement ***
Schaefer's is an independently owned and
operated television, appliance, and home
theater retailer in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Born out of a small corner drugstore four
decades ago, Schaefer's TV & Appliance is a
22,000 square-foot "superstore" today,
specializing in commercial/professional-grade
appliances, whole house sound systems, home
theater and central vacuum systems. The
success of Schaefer's is key to repeat
business. If a customer happens to have a
problem with a product, Schaefer's will bend
over backwards to get it solved. Our service
center is the largest in the city, and has been
voted Lincoln's #1 servicer for 10 years in a
row! A knowledgeable sales staff, express
delivery, easy financing, and our customer
service representatives are just a few of the
ways in which we at Schaefer's distinguish
ourselves from the rest. Stop by our showroom
at 48th and R in Lincoln, or call us at
and see for yourself.
-- http://www.schaeferstv.com/index2.htm
*** Mr Internet ***
Q: I received an e-mail saying that my disk usage on the mail server is
in excess of my quota of 10240 KB. What does this message mean and how
do I fix it?
A: You will receive these messages when you have too much undeleted
incoming mail on the mail server. This may be because you received
several large attachments, or if you are using our webmail system, you
may need to remove some old e-mail.
If you receive this message while you are using Outlook Express or another
mail client that runs locally on your computer, the problem may have
corrected itself, as all of the incoming mail was moved from our mail
server to your computer. If you continue to get this message, however, it
is likely that you do not have your mail client set to remove mail from the
server after you download it. This option is in the account settings in
most mail programs -- feel free to contact our helpdesk if you are unable
to find it.
If you receive this message while using our webmail system, you should
first make sure that your trash is empty, and then remove some of your
old mail or sent items. If you need to keep all your old mail around
and you're still using too much disk space, IN makes it cheap and easy
to purchase additional storage space. Please contact our helpdesk for
details.
If you continue to receive these e-mails after trying to reduce the
disk usage, our helpdesk will be happy to give you a hand.
Mr. Internet is a regular feature of the INews, and he welcomes questions
of any kind. Just mail them to mrinternet@inebraska.com, and he'll answer
one or two each issue. Those he doesn't use will not necessarily be
answered, and you should still use 'manager' and 'accounts' for regular
business.