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Don’t worry, we are still vague.

Monday, January 25th, 2010

While the actual content of http://suddenlinkfyi.com/topics/net-manage/trackback/ leaves actual numbers in the “breeze”, it does show some transparency into which systems are limited and therefore clogged.

It seems that my system is not overloaded and have even seen these “bursts” on a 20mbps plan. My personal router is overloaded and I am sure that the 22-23mbps I see might be higher if I hooked direct to the modem.

I am grabbing some iso’s right now for classes and could be getting 23mbps but I’m in no hurry. It never hurts to throttle yourself if you know how, especially if someone else in your home wishes to view a video or two on youtube.

There is no doubt I am over the average consumer. I do not abuse the service and pay for the highest Tier. Days could go by that the full speed is not used.

Time will tell if even someone trying to pay attention to congestion and cutting back will still get the “letter”.

Posted in Bandwidth, Business Practices, Disclaimer | No Comments »

Yes, I am getting paid to compare

Sunday, September 7th, 2008

Those links you might see about University of Phoenix, UoP or Axia was my college last year. I do indeed get paid when they show up or people click on them, please do not click on them unless you want to know more about it. Google is very clear on this and I am in good standing with them! Google ads is a way for me to make a little money on topics like stopping smoking and I do not get to choose who advertises, but rather who cannot.

It is ironic that I am saying the University of Phoenix is lackluster when compared to Franklin and I get paid. I do not actually know what ad people click on when I get paid, but rather how many times it got clicked or was viewed (some advertisers pay just for a showing of the ad). If they want to advertise on my site, I will let them… they certainly do not get a regarded review.

Posted in Axia, Blindness, College, Disclaimer, University of Phoenix, UoP | No Comments »

Get into Axia or University of Phoenix fast

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

You can get into Axia, otherwise known as the University of Phoenix very quick.

How quick?

They, the Enrollment Counselor at Phoenix will walk you through on the phone and tell you what to click in order to get your MPN, otherwise known as your Master Promissory Note. This MPN is what locks you into the loans you are asking for, like subsidized and unsubsidized loans. You will get immediate help and be nudged into getting it done quickly.

The University of Phoenix are a polite staff that have a deferment policy that forces you to sign a MPN with their list of Lenders. This list, if you do not choose one on it will force you to wait until fianancial aid comes to start. There are good lenders on the list, I had no problems with Wells Fargo for instance. The nudging gets _HARD_ at this point for you to sign as you are one step closer to being locked into paying loans.

Franklin.edu on the other hands forces you to take a test in order to sign the MPN. This test makes you understand all the aspects of the MPN and what you will expect in the future. Phoenix does not force you to answer questions, rather, they just ask that you agree without expecting you to show knowledge about the subject.

If you want to know what you are getting into, Franklin will test you on the subject of borrowing money. Phoenix will show you the information and quickly speak on the phone to get you started but requires no testing of the pitfalls of Stafford loans.

Franklin is looking out for you as there exists the possibility you might not understand what is going on. I must concur at this point that Phoenix, while good for some students, is interested in money first then education. I received my education the first year but can fully understand why some did not and are left with bills to pay.

Posted in Axia, Business Practices, Disclaimer, Franklin University, Horrible Support, School, University of Phoenix | No Comments »

Differences still

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Franklin.edu has a distinction of having two pages of information about preferred lenders. Franklin University takes lengthy time to explain the difference in types of loans and the reasons some charges happen when you take money.

Axia has no such page when you are rushing through the pages, just an enrollment officer trying to push you to sign today. They also refuse to defer your tuition unless you choose one of their preferred lenders. Franklin claims no such distinction, instead just promotes it is faster.

Posted in Axia, Business Practices, College, Disclaimer, Franklin | No Comments »

How I changed my mind about the University of Phoenix

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

I was once a supporter in the Axia branch that is the online classes for UoP. The curriculum appears sound from real people I’ve spoken to that should know what it takes to get into college. The issue from what I can tell is the administration of the college in general.

In the next few months I will blog a little more about what drove me from attending for a second year. For now, I can say that it is lack of accountability inherent in what they do, the teachers that is. So a word of warning, your teacher can ignore emails requesting information and you will never know one way or the other what happened.

“I told you so” or “Did you read rip off report?” comments will be denied. I learned a lot in a year but the learning is not the issue here and if you want to wait there is a valuable lesson to learn.

Posted in Blindness, Business Practices, College, Disclaimer, Horrible Support, School, University of Phoenix | No Comments »

Laptop battery habits and you

Saturday, July 14th, 2007

I get asked all the time about laptop batteries, and being an inquisitive person, I’m prone to long periods of reading to satisfy people’s curiosity about the most overlooked piece of their computer. In going through every single link Wikipedia provides about lithium ion batteries, I can give the following advice on some myths, and also some very bad habits to have.

#1 If I don’t use the battery, it will never fail: False
Lithium ion batteries will fail over time without being used, even if used lightly.

#2 If I keep the battery fully charged, it will last longer: False
Most lithium ion batteries last longer if you keep them at or below 40% charge, which almost never happens. Worse, is that if you have a laptop fully charged, then leave it in a car, you will destroy the battery in just one year according to many experts.

#3 If you drain the power in your laptop you’ve ruined the battery: False
Lithium ion batteries have a circuit that is designed to keep you from doing this, it’s not fully discharged. Furthermore, most batteries will last for a least 3 months ‘fully discharged’ so to speak, which is when the batteries finally are ‘really discharged’ due to the self monitoring circuit having used all the juice left.

Now, for a few tips that I’ve found to be suggested.

Never leave your laptop in a car.

If you are using a laptop as a desktop, remove the battery and put it back once every 3 months to keep it topped off and at an average of 80% charge.

Every 6 months, take your laptop to someone who has an air compressor, or buy a can of air and blow it in the air outlet. (You’re looking to reverse the flow of air and blow out all the gunk out the holes it came in on.)

Above all, remember these things:

Batteries will fail eventually, they don’t last forever. Lithium ions will last 1-3 years depending on the quality and the amount of time you use it. All indications are that if the battery spends all it’s time in a car, you’ll get less than a year out of it. (This is true for cell phones too.)

Some laptops run way hotter than others, so that cooling pad may just prolong the life of the battery if you are running it as a desktop. The hottest part in your computer, the CPU, will normally run cooler than the interior of a car.

Posted in Computer Repair, Disclaimer, Motherboards | No Comments »

Frontier refuses to adhere to LNP

Monday, July 2nd, 2007

LNP is a fairly new process that the FCC mandated must occur in order to spur competition. Competition is good among the phone companies, otherwise they become lazy fat cats that assume people just want a telephone that never changes.

There is however some myths regarding LNP, dashed in with some failures to understand that for the most part, every carrier in the United States is required to port numbers to another local carrier. These myths, or fallacies only help the carriers that refuse to port numbers and must be addressed.

In West Virginia there is a phone company called Frontier that wishes to hold their customers hostage, lest they lose that all powerful phone number they’ve had for the last 10 years. Frontier refuses to port phone numbers, violating LNP laws, irregardless of fines, revocation of licenses and very, very hard slaps on the wrists by the FCC.

Further, other local phone companies won’t attempt to port a number due to the refusal of Frontier to follow the law. It’s assumed that since a CLEC can’t get a number ported that you should just give up, go on vacation and forget about it.

I’m here to educate everyone that has the following misconceptions about transferring a number, if you are a reseller of a voip service:

1. My carrier can refuse to port my landline to another landline carrier
Near zero carriers have a waiver to say they have no requirement to. If they refuse, versus saying they don’t have to, they don’t have a waiver.

2. The carrier I’m transferring to will get in trouble for not even trying to port
Your carrier doesn’t have to attempt to port if the other carrier has been breaking the law. A complaint filed will get the ball rolling.

3. LNP isn’t a right
LNP is a right, that has been in the works since 1998, and mobile LNP came into reality into 2003/04.

4. The complaint process is a lengthy form that only lawyers can fill out
The complaint form is simple, takes less than a minute and can be filled out online.

5. If my CLEC can’t get it ported, filing a complaint will do nothing
False, the carrier MUST respond to the complaint, and in writing. Once you get the response, giving it to the new CLEC will ensure they will put through the request.

Filing a form is an important first step in making sure a rogue carrier doesn’t try to stifle competition, and that’s exactly what they are doing. There is no reason to not file a complaint, since if you don’t, the FCC will never know the state of the laws that they spent millions implementing.

In conclusion, doing nothing is just mind blowing. You are allowing the monopoly to continue, so why just sit on your hands, or kick back and do nothing? File a complaint, get the process started, and while the old phone company can charge a fee for the porting, your cost savings to the new phone company will be substantial.

I won’t even mention how grateful either your customers will be that you do so much for them.

Update:
Apparently things were misunderstood, Frontier doesn’t refuse to port. There is a problem with a particular company that they cannot win 911 approval to service that area. A customer service rep didn’t know the whole story and the person that told me this information took it at face value as gospel.

Posted in Business Practices, Disclaimer, VOIP, Work | No Comments »

Is Foxconn, Intel or MSI faster?

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007

When your motherboard fails, who is faster at replacing/repairing it? Intel? MSI? The supposed crap master Foxconn?

When I contacted Intel about a failed board, it took over 37 hours for the leader to get back to me about replacing the board. When the board was sent away, the replacement took 4 days to return.

MSI was asked to replace a board, taking a full 24 hours to generate an RMA # for return. Good so far, right?
Then, when the board was sent in, it took 15 days to get an email stating that a new board was in bound.

Now, on to the company some love, swear by, and others say is the worst board/company out there.
I emailed Foxconn to get an RMA number, and in 15 minutes I had an email requesting more information. I replied, and in 10 minutes I had an RMA form to fax in to a Bob Wang. After faxing Bob Wang (hold the laugh please), I had an RMA number within hours. I sent the Winfast board in and in 3 days, a new board with no problems reported since.

Anyone care to add some advice on why Foxconn is so fast? I’ve determined that since they OEM so many boards for companies out there, it’s streamlined. I’ve heard rumbles that Dell/HP/Compaq and others all buy Foxconn boards. I won’t deny that almost all plastic connectors on motherboards come from Foxconn, but that doesn’t mean it’s a Foxconn board. I do have the knowledge that Foxconn was a Connector company first.

I don’t want to hear anything about performance of alternative motherboard manufactors. Some may be clunky, due to old Winchip, K5 procs and the like from the early 90’s. It’s obvious from benchmarks that cheap motherboards are just that, not clunkers.

Posted in Business Practices, Disclaimer, Hardware, Motherboards, Work | No Comments »

Talk about no forethought with CCP

Saturday, May 26th, 2007

I like EVE. I play many MMORPGS, and the space aspect has always been one of my favorites. I loved Homeworld, still upset they won’t be making another one, let alone a MMORPG version.

EVE, with all the CCP rumors and crap flying around has hit me with another line of junk.

Back in March, I got an email stating that I could 7 free days to reactivate my account with no payment required. I put it off, since I had looked VERY CLOSE at the email, there was no expiration. There has been recent news on Slashdot concerning CCP, so I had some feelings coming to the surface for a good game of EVE, so I decided to take them up on the offer.

Guess what?
Your account is not eligible for re-activation offer at this time.

Your account may not be suspended.
The re-activation offer may be expired.
Your account may already have taken advantage of this offer

I’ve sent an email to support, let’s see what they do about this. I’ve got copies of the email in question. If they deny my reactivation, I’ll post the email, including evidence I simply cannot have forged.

Update 5/28/07:
Still no word from CCP Customer Service. So we have strike #1. They don’t answer email within 48 hours, even for a customer.

Update 5/29/07:
After the Memorial Day weekend, I guess they verified my email offer, and I now have the 7 day trial. On another note, CCP has appropriately answered the new allegations. I’m satisfied with their answer, that’s for sure.

Posted in Business Practices, Disclaimer, Eve, Play, mmorpg | No Comments »

How do I remove a page appearing in Google?

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007

That’s a good question, and even seasoned webmasters from way back in the early 90’s think the easiest way to fix the issue is to simply remove the page. Why remove the page? It’s just as easy to type a question in Google, and get a response back, have the page removed.

You have several options in this case, since you have a page that you don’t want in Google.

1. Use a robots.txt
2. Use Google’s EXCELLENT webmaster tool
You are not a webmaster if you don’t use this tool, don’t even use the title of webmaster if you don’t.
3. Delete the page (The easy excuse way of dealing with it)
4. Rename the page (See above thought, although not so bonehead)
5. Password protect it (Which can be defeated in some ways)

Password protect is the best option there is, since in most cases I believe Google won’t index a page that pops up a standard auth windows. (The really smart way to do it, and it only take less than 10 seconds to do in Unix and Windows.) This option is immediate, while not perfect.

Using robots.txt is a great option, however there is a caveat. Some people think that since Google doesn’t spider often, they are at no worries they’ll find the new URL of the page they moved it to. This is the flat out, ignoring advice thing to assume. Even in the light of being told that Google can, and does spider sites very quickly, is adding new datacenters and refreshing the index much more often. Hell, it may even break and ignore what you type into robots.txt.

If your webmaster assumes this, run and don’t look back. They lack understanding to put anything online because they refuse to understand what information leaks are, and the dangers of saying they don’t have enough time to write a 10 second robots.txt. This is all conjecture, due to that fact that for some sites, Google has a really slow crawl scheduled. Meaning: they don’t update content, or it’s unimportant so Google doesn’t care.

Using robots.txt in this case, without knowing how long it is that Google hits your robots.txt could mean that the page affected will remain for over months. Google won’t even attempt to remove it in the next index refresh until they see that robots.txt.

The best option is to simply do what the other webmasters of the world do: Use the webmaster tool that Google provides, take the 5 minutes to see what it does, and be what you claim to provide. Request the url to be removed using the webmaster tool and you will find that quickly it’s gone.

Posted in Business Practices, Disclaimer, Google, HowTo, Work | No Comments »

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