INews Newsletter - Sep 11, 1998
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* * * I N e w s * * *
A publication of Internet Nebraska, composed and distributed by
* * * manager@inetnebr.com * * *
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Volume 1, Number 20 September 11, 1998
Welcome to another issue of INews, Internet Nebraska's customer newsletter.
This biweekly newsletter communicates service bulletins, announcements and
other useful information to our customers. Please let us know what you
think of it.
In this issue: Availability Issues
Year 2000 Compliance
Search Page Update
Starr Wars
Hey, I Can See My House From Here, Too!
*** Phone Line Roulette ***
Telco strikes, an influx of new users, and system changes have led to
occasional busy signals in a couple of our dial-in locations. We're working
hard to take care of this problem, and expect to have all issues resolved
shortly. Here's a location by location run down of possible phone line
problems you have experienced or may experience in the near future. In the
meantime (and in the future) please continue to let us know if you are
experiencing problems, so that we can get them taken care of as quickly as
possible.
*Beatrice*
We have experienced repeated busy signals in our Beatrice location.
Phone lines have been on order for some time, and appear to have finally
been installed this week. We are unsure what has caused this delay (and
are looking into it), but Aliant is apparently very busy down there (as
you can tell if you've tried to call Aliant's Beatrice office lately.)
*Geneva*
No problems
*Lincoln*
Both 56k numbers have experienced busy signals since the recent line
changes. (If users had moved to the new number when they were asked
to, we could have better anticipated demand and had more lines
available at the time of the switch.) However, more lines were
immediately ordered, and were scheduled for installation this past
week, but then delayed at the last moment until the 14th. In the
meantime, if you are unable to connect on the 56k number, please use
the 33.6 number at 436-2393.
*Omaha*
As many of you may already know, we are switching to Aliant as our
phone line provider in Omaha. When the switch happens, it will increase
the size of our dial-in pool, and convert all of our Omaha lines to
56k. The switch was on track to take place last month, but was postponed
due to the US West strike. The switch is now tentatively scheduled
for the end of September (the earliest US West can get to it.) We will
let Omaha customers know exactly when the switch will take place when
we are able to get that information.
*O'Neill*
Due to the recent US West strike, it's taking over a month from the time
we order lines until they are installed. More lines are on order and
expected to be installed near the beginning of October.
*South Sioux City*
No problems
*Valentine*
Adequate lines have finally been installed (and more are on order)
in Valentine. However, it appears that there may still be a problem
with one of the lines that's causing a ring-no-answer when there are
modems available. We are working closely with US West (as close as you
can get to that large of a company) and expect to have all problems
resolved quickly.
*York*
Increased usage in just that last few days has led to the possibility
of busy signals for a few minutes in the evening. More lines were
just ordered and are expected to be installed quickly. (We've had
good luck with Aliant's York office in getting new lines quickly
installed.)
*** Year 2000 Already? ***
Internet Nebraska has examined all systems, equipment, and software for
Year 2000 compliance, and is happy to announce that preparations are nearly
complete. With the exception of the SunOS software on our UNIX servers
(which is expected to be updated this month) all vendor supplied hardware
and software is now Year 2000 compliant.
Internally written support programs are being examined and modified as
necessary at this time. All work is expected to be completed before the
end of 1998.
*** MicroAge Lincoln - Advertisement ***
MicroAge Lincoln is a full service computer
partner to the Lincoln, Nebraska area.
We offer business clients a full range of
services, including: software training,
network design and support, hardware repair,
and product sales. Whether you are
interested in computer training for yourself,
or you are a business that needs a network,
team up with MicroAge. We are committed to
your success.
-- http://www.microagelnk.com/index2.html
*** Look Smart ***
We have added a new search engine to our popular search page.
"LookSmart" ( http://www.looksmart.com ) contains links to over 250,000 web
pages, organized into 12,500 categories. You can either browse through
these categories using the "Explore" feature, or search for particular
sites. (LookSmart actually uses AltaVista's search engine, which indexes
over 30 million web pages.)
You can "personalize" the LookSmart page to display your favorite News,
Magazine and Software sites, as well as local news and information.
Check it out at the URL listed above, or go to the Internet Nebraska Search
Page ( http://www.inetnebr.com/search ), and find it there.
*** The Capital Soccer Association - Advertisement ***
Capital Soccer Association specializes in
teaching soccer. However we recognize that
soccer, or any other youth sport is merely
one tool in the development of a young
child. Teamwork and sportsmanship through
knowledge and proficiency of the game are
our main goals.
-- http://www.capitalsoccer.com/
*** Starr Report Hits the Net ***
Just in time for your weekend reading pleasure, Kenneth Starr's Report to
Congress is expected to be published on the web sometime this afternoon
(Friday, September 11, 1998). Don't wait for the movie to come out.
Just go to one of the following URLs and read it yourself, in all its
lurid detail:
http://thomas.loc.gov/icreport
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/icreport
http://www.whiteboard.net/icreport
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.msnbc.com
The first two sites listed are the "official" government web sites, and
are expected to be quite busy (perhaps unreachable) for most of the
weekend -- we cannot get to them now, and the Report has not even been
released yet. It is recommended that you try one of the other sites
first.
*** 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
402-464-8888, and see for yourself.
-- http://www.schaeferstv.com/index2.htm
*** Cool, Space-Age Site of the Issue ***
See your hometown, your neighborhood, even your house, from a new
perspective -- above. "Virtual Nebraska" ( http://www.casde.unl.edu/vn.html )
is a collection of satellite images and aerial photographs of, you guessed
it, Nebraska.
Check out the "Color-Infrared Aerial Photographs" for the best detail.
Just click on a city and zoom in. You can't quite read the newspaper over
your neighbor's shoulder, but with a little luck you should be able to
find your house.
The site also includes space-shuttle photographs of Nebraska as well as
real-time satellite images (we can tell they are "real time," because
there is a clock in the corner of the screen), infrared and microwave
images, digital elevation models, as well as historical views of over 600
cities.
Thanks to the Consortium for the Application of Space Data to Education
(CASDE) for this great site.
*** Advertise on Our Home Pages ***
What better way to advertise your business than on a web page that is
seen tens of thousands of time every month? None, if you're paying as
little as we charge for it! Give us a call at our office, 434-8680, and
ask how you can reserve banner spots on some of the hottest URL's in the
state, including our new search, kids, news, and restaurant pages. The
advertisers in this issue did, and we recommend them highly.