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icarusAttention: Techies!
Why, that's all of you, isn't it?
How do I solve the problem of my dial-up making it impossible for people to call in?
I'm sure you all know or suspect I spend a lot of time online. Apparently there are humans out there (who knew?) who still use phones instead of IM, who want to call (using the telephone?), and are getting irate. I've yet to see a brick fly through the window though no doubt some of my friends are tempted.
The Puppy was so frustrated he bought and mailed us a splitter and CallerID box. Uh. I didn't think that would work and, no, it didn't.
I seem to recall that there was some sort of online software-or-something where, IF you had call waiting, you'd get a little pop-up that a call was coming in -- and you flipped a switch?
Any ideas? Solutions? Brilliant suggestions?
Signed,
Poor College Student with an Internet Addiction and No DSL
Why, that's all of you, isn't it?
How do I solve the problem of my dial-up making it impossible for people to call in?
I'm sure you all know or suspect I spend a lot of time online. Apparently there are humans out there (who knew?) who still use phones instead of IM, who want to call (using the telephone?), and are getting irate. I've yet to see a brick fly through the window though no doubt some of my friends are tempted.
The Puppy was so frustrated he bought and mailed us a splitter and CallerID box. Uh. I didn't think that would work and, no, it didn't.
I seem to recall that there was some sort of online software-or-something where, IF you had call waiting, you'd get a little pop-up that a call was coming in -- and you flipped a switch?
Any ideas? Solutions? Brilliant suggestions?
Signed,
Poor College Student with an Internet Addiction and No DSL
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 10:38 pm (UTC)It's $12, I think, if you like it, but you might be able to find it on a p2p program for free :)
no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 10:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 10:45 pm (UTC)http://www.download.com/CallClerk/3000-2064_4-10718375.html?tag=lst-0-2
http://www.opsisltd.co.uk/DirectACall.htm
I use broadband myself, but your online software-or-something sound interesting, so I googled it.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 10:51 pm (UTC)Not finding it on p2p but 12 bucks is pretty cheap anyway.
Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 11:10 pm (UTC)ditto.
Frankly, whenever I *do* get off for a while, I get those marketing calls? Yeah.
I've heard of what you're asking about but s/o told me it's only through your phone service - if you have dialup and the landline both with them.
I let those I really, really care about know my cellphone number (it's a TrakFone and strictly for occasional use). But it's off a lot.
I got my mom and 2 BFFs hooked on gmail - so we do long chats, which are fabulous. No I don't get to hear their voices, but yes we can talk like mad, the chats are saved, you can have a bunch open and just comment from time to time, paste in links, and it saves any brilliant thoughts afterwards in your inbox ... in several ways it's better than phone. When I'm in gmail, I can see by the little indicator light whether others are online right then (green), or online but doing something else (orange). It's cute. My sister told me when I was gone at a conference last spring seeing my light be gray every day made her very sad, almost like someone being dead.
One local friend refuses to switch to gmail from the 3 accounts he has now - he just emails me (HEY! I want to talk!) and I hang up and call him.
There's SKYPE, esp if you have a cam, but it sucks bandwidth and probably doesn't run well on dial-up anyway ... and why should I show people what I'm looking like half asleep in my sloppies?
Another option is when a local ISP has hot-spots around town for wireless that you can switch into. Mine said that for somewhere around $60 they'll sell me a little dish that I can put up outside my window to pick one up; it would be refundable b/c they can't guarantee it would go through the buildings or trees well enough.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 11:13 pm (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2007-07-31 11:27 pm (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2007-08-01 01:11 am (UTC)Or
Get broadband. With what you'll save on local calls, broadband might be cheaper anyway.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-01 04:22 am (UTC)We ended up getting a second phone line instead.
(Scrapped that and got DSL when it came out in 1998, then switched to residential fiberoptics in 2005.)
Nowadays, I'd just get broadband. DSL is available for under $20/month, which is less than a second phone line, and probably not all that much more than call-waiting + dialup. Heck, we pay only $40/month for fiber.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-01 04:44 am (UTC)Generally speaking, $60/month is what we've been able to find. The DSL is less than that, but once you add everything up, well, they want us to have long distance which we don't have since we don't need it.
Good to know that these programs don't work all that well. I found a free copy on p2p but it tells me that I need the set-up program. Ah well.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2007-08-01 11:31 am (UTC)my hubby is the real techy, since we've been together his take on dial-up has been simply 'hell no' ;)
As far as broadband goes:
You can try to fight the phone company that 'no, I really don't want your long distance, thank you' and they should let you do it that way, don't let them tell you that you need the long distance for the DSL service - bullshit!
Likewise, with a cable modem. They'll try to hem-and-haw you into thinking that you need the cable tv service, but there again is another case of bullshit. I am currently running on cable, without the TV service. You will need to have a cable line run if you don't already have one installed, but after that all you need is the modem.
My service currently runs about $50/mnth. They'll tell you how much you save if you add services together but in my book, saving 10 bucks a month by paying 80 bucks a month vs. the straight 50...hmmm...where's the real savings...
If you don't find anything else out, I'll pick the hubby's brain for you and let you know what he recommends.
Telemarketers
Date: 2007-08-02 05:24 pm (UTC)When I've got the energy, and I'm not in the middle of other stuff, I try to keep them on the phone as long as possible. They're supposed to get through a certain number of calls per hour, and I do what I can to scramble those numbers.
I also make a point of asking for the full terms of any "free for 90 days" offers. They (invariably) tell me that the terms are included with the enrollment package, and I can quit any time--and I tell them no, I don't want to "join" anything without knowing the terms, can they send me the membership details first, and then I can call them back if I like them?
They get distraught. They WANT potential customers, but they have NO WAY to send membership details without enrollment; that option isn't on their little clicky boxes.
When I'm feeling particularly mean, I try to sound very enthusiastic and interested, and just tell them that I got burned by some scam in the past and you understand, I can't take those risks... just send me the user terms and I'm sure I'll love the service/product/organization/whatever. They get so dismayed, realizing they have a potential buyer but no way to go along with my fairly reasonable demands. ("Tell me the full terms before I agree to anything legally binding" is standard practice in business.)
no subject
Date: 2007-08-02 05:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-02 05:31 pm (UTC)The other two programs are advertised as CallerID options, but don't say anything about dialup. Hmm. They do have Free 14-Day trial periods however.
Icarus
Re: Telemarketers
Date: 2007-08-02 05:32 pm (UTC)Re: Telemarketers
Date: 2007-08-02 05:46 pm (UTC)Fortunately, I also switched to an "old-fashioned" phone-with-answering machine system (even though I really prefer voicemail). They usually hang up as soon as they hear the recording -- don't earn points for that!
Oh, and I also get calls from local businesses, thanks to my damn University handing out our phone numbers to anyone who donates to the freakin' football team. Car sales, cable and dish sales, pizza parlors, bars fer Merlin's sake, all shouting lengthy frat-boy *cheer* into my answering machine (note how "college boy" these companies are). Truly the sewer-sludge of telemarketing.
There was the funniest CD a few years back ... oh yeah yeah yeah, Tom Mabe! http://www.tommabe.com/media/
I bought 3 copies at least and shared them ... come to think of it, all my *male* friends and relatives bogarted those... must get one back sometime and record it into my answering machine, now that I have one like that again!
Much love for your practicality + meanness meted out as needed.
Re: Telemarketers
Date: 2007-08-02 06:19 pm (UTC)I always thought an old-fashioned answering machine was the way to go. Plus! We can install a recording of birds chirping to entertain the cat. A little random event for his day....
Pre-dialup I was so paranoid about handing out my phone number that the only telemarketing calls I ever got were from the phone company. Everyone else got the dedicated voicemail number. I do the same with my email. I have a dedicated "junkmail" email wherever I'm risking spam-a-lot.
Re: Telemarketers
Date: 2007-08-02 06:52 pm (UTC)Oh gosh yes! *that one yahoo account: shudder*
I sadly have to say, my university does a crap job here, both publicizing my phone number, and letting my email get progressively more spam. And I have a fac/staff/grad instructor account, too: the undergrads told me they got so much, many of them didn't bother ever checking it. And seeing some of it, and knowing folks who weren't doing anything to attract it, I could see why really, when an undergrad doesn't get that email to the class? It's not always that they're "lazy," they are just avoiding their spammed account - which is not their fault.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-03 04:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-08 12:01 am (UTC)We solved this by getting call forwarding on our phone ($4/mo here). I set it to automatically forward calls to my cell phone number whenever the line was busy.
It also had the advantage of working like an answer machine as my cell has a message function. So even if I didn't have my cell on I didn't miss calls and didn't have to buy a separate answer machine.
And handy even when not on the computer - such as I was waiting for calls on a new job. I just took the home phone off the hook when I was going out and carried my cell.