Welcome

Welcome all of our new Internet subscribers.   This newsletter is sent out the first of each month.  Scroll down for some tips and tricks along with links to some useful, informative, and entertaining websites.  We hope you enjoy this newsletter.  Your comments are always welcome.   netnews@meltel.net

Summer is back! Hopefully everyone is getting a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather and to take time for themselves.  On July 4th please take a moment in prayer and pray for the victims and the victims families of 9/11. God shall be with them all.

July's issue of 'Netline News introduces sites on great summer recipes, information on our country, a wonderful site for driving directions to anywhere you need to travel, plus many other interesting and intriguing sites. If you have a site you want to share with others, drop me an email and I will take a look at it! netnews@meltel.net

What is the connection speed?

The most common connection speed is 56K, all of our modems support this connection speed.  It is important, as a customer, to understand what 56K means. If a 56K connection is working perfectly, you could expect download speeds of 53K & upload speeds of 33.6K. Unfortunately, due to a variety of things, it is unusual to connect at the optimum speeds.  Here are just some of the problems we see:

1.  The phone line is the most common reason for slower connection speeds. Unfortunately there is little that you can do to change this.

2. Phone line extensions. There are some devices which allow you to connect your phone line through your electrical outlets. These will cause degradation in the speed that you can connect or may prevent the modems from working at all.

3. Defective modems. If your modem has been working well & suddenly disconnects or connects at a slower speed, it is likely failing or damaged (especially after a thunderstorm). It would be a good idea to find or buy a replacement modem.

4. Incompatible modems. If your modem has never worked well with our system, you may have an incompatible modem. Our system is compatible with most modems, but there are a few modems that do not work well with our system. If yours is incompatible, you may need to replace or upgrade the modem to resolve the problem.  If you are unsure if your modem is compatible feel free to call us!

Help Desk hours are:
Monday - Friday: 8am to 9pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
256-8324     764-8324     597-8324
e-mail: support@meltel.net

Lightning storms can be hazardous in many ways to your computer, particularly your modem. The smallest amount of electrical surge can damage a modem. When this occurs, the usual result will be “No dial tone” errors when you try to connect to the Internet. If the dial tone on your phone jack is fine, then your modem has been hit. If you have your phone line running through a surge protector it may also mean that your surge protector has gone faulty. 

To investigate the problem, plug a phone into the phone jack that you have been using for your computer. If there is a dial tone, then the problem is in the modem. Many people make the mistake of thinking they have a surge protector when actually they have a glorified power strip “pretending” to be a surge protector. Surge protectors do wear out. Once they have been hit with a power surge the fuse is usually broken and it is no longer of any use or protection for you. 

The best protection during a storm or if you plan to be away from home for any length of time is to completely unplug the phone lines from either the jack or from the modem in your computer. This will safe guard you from the potential of “frying” your modem. 

Arm yourself with the information needed to defend yourself from computer viruses.
http://cnet.com/software/0-5067630-8-6319437-1.html
http://www.mcafeeb2b.com/avert/virus-alerts/default.asp
http://www.datafellows.com/virus-info/hoax/

It's summer, and there is nothing better then a cold snack to cool you down.  This site offers a variety of Summer recipes and summer activities to cool down the whole family.
http://www.canadianparents.com/articles/feature57f.htm

Consider us a Link4U to entertainment on the World Wide Web.  Let us make your Web experience fun and unforgettable.  Link4U provides you with a new fresh approach to the Internet.
www.link4u.com

Find directions for and explore towns and cities worldwide. Display addresses on a map, view nearby businesses, get driving directions and maps, and plan a trip with city information. Also includes aerial photographs of selected areas.
www.mapquest.com

If you are big into taking the family camping, check this site out. It is a guide to family camping, travel and outdoor living.
http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/camping.html

This is a great site for those hot and humid July days.  You can pick and choose what types of games you want to play.  http://www.coffeebreakarcade.com/index.html

There are many incredible people in the world, this website is very uplifting and rewarding.  Try to take a few minutes and see what some people can accomplish with determination, courage, and hope.
http://www.incrediblepeople.com

This site has many different sites sorted by category.   Great site to go if you are just browsing the Internet.
http://www.meltel.com/links.html

Searching for a summer job?  Don't know where to look? Check out these sites for jobs around the area! 
http://www.stcloudhelpwanted.com
http://www.careertimes.com

A farmer walked into an attorney's office wanting to file for a divorce.

The attorney asked, "May I help you?"
The farmer said, "Yea, I want to get one of those dayvorces."

The attorney said, "Well, do you have any grounds?"
The farmer said, "Yea, I got about 140 acres."

The attorney said, "No, you don't understand, do you have a case?"
The farmer said, "No, I don't have a Case, but I have a John Deere."

The attorney said, "No, you don't understand. I mean do you have a grudge?"
The farmer said, "Yea, I got a grudge. That's where I park my John Deere."

The attorney said, "No sir, I mean do you have a suit?"
The farmer said, "Yes sir, I got a suit. I wear it to church on Sundays."

The exasperated attorney said, "Well, sir, does your wife beat you up or anything?"
The farmer said, "No sir, we both get up about 4:30."

Finally, the attorney says, "Okay, let me put it this way. WHY DO YOU WANT A DIVORCE?!"

And the farmer says, "Well, I can never have a meaningful conversation with her."

Feature of the Month

Community Webpages

Beginner Internet 
Melrose High School Library
July 30..........7:00pm to 9:30pm

Beginner Internet
Eden Valley High School
NO SUMMER CLASSES

Beginner Internet
Kimball Elementary School
Media Center
July 29.........7:00pm to 9:30pm

Call to register and for more info:
Melrose Telephone Company
256-7471        548-3200
597-3333        764-7600

Flower:  Larkspur
Birthstone:  Ruby

This Day in History
http://www.scopesys.com/anyday

Horoscope
http://www.easyscopes.com/
Cancer...........6-21 to 7-22
Leo................7-23 to 8-22

"A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle."
-George William Curtis

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday!"
-Donald Marquis

"Advice is seldom welcome; and those who want it the most always like it the least."
-Lord Chesterfield

"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong."
-Peter T. McIntyre

"Competitive advantage is based not on doing what others already do well, but on doing what others cannot do as well."
-John Kay

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."
-Peter Drucker

"The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."
-Marcus Aurelius

"I regret that I have but one life to give for my country."
-Nathan Hale

Points to Ponder

What's the difference between "partly cloudy" and "partly sunny" in a weather report?

If Superman is so smart, then why does he wear his underpants on the outside of his trousers?

Should Vegetarians eat animal crackers?

If corn oil comes from corn, where does baby oil come from?

What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

What is the speed of dark?

When it rains, why don't sheep shrink?

If they arrested the Energizer Bunny, would they charge it with battery?

What WAS the best thing before sliced bread?

Email me with points you have pondered!! netnews@meltel.net