[colug-432] Digital Phone?

[tom]

On 05/01/2014 11:47 AM, Rick Troth wrote:
> You've gotten good replies, but I had to chime in because I recognize
> Marfa.
>
>
> On 04/30/2014 04:09 PM, tom wrote:
>> I got an inquiry from a friend who lives in Marfa TX:
> Wow ... I know that place! Cool coincidence.
>
> Marfa is known for "the Marfa Lights". Been there; seen that.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marfa_lights
> The "viewing platform" is East of Marfa along US 90. Keep heading East
> and you'll come to Alpine. The whole area is fascinating, between BIg
> Bend (a national park with no cell service!) and the Davis Mountains
> (McDonald Observatory there).
While there, visit Donald Judd's studio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Judd

http://www.juddfoundation.org/marfa
>> "I was talking to att u-verse about why my bill is so high.
>>
>> there is a bundle that is cheaper but I need to switch to digital phone,
>>
>> which they provide.
> So the initial concern is current land-line charge. I have "just the
> basics" (not u-verse) and find mine similarly unreasonable. I should
> probably stop putting that off.
>
> Many people have dropped land-line since they use cellular anyway and
> cellular carriers now have more tolerable fees w/r/t talk time. Why pay
> twice?
I don't use cellular. Has been way to expensive and poor reception (buzz 
crackle are you there - call me when you get a land line) My AT&T land 
line is about $10/mo. Long Distance by another provider (have to dial 5 
digit code first).
>
>> I worry about computer and phone from the same thing because
>>
>> one or the other goes down out here at times.
>>
>> if the are the same when computer goes so does phone.
> So a secondary concern is loss of comm (ie: for emergencies). I
> recommend redundancy, but redundancy will increase the total cost
> (compared to living with a single point of failure).
>
> Ironically, phone lines were the most stable utility for most of the
> 20th century. The CO always had batteries online (before the concept of
> UPS hit the rest of us). The lines were sufficiently buried strung low
> enough that they survived wind better than other services. Electricity,
> water, even sewer and gas were more likely to fail. "Those were the
> days, my friend. We thought they'd never end."
>
>> I am not familiar with the term "digital phone" I believe she has a land
>> line. I have heard from people that have had good and terrible
>> experience with att u-verse. I suggested that she put off the
>> appointment until I can find out more.
> Dunno about u-verse. A good combination is cell phone with some kind of
> wired connection for the computer. In that context, it doesn't matter if
> it's DSL or cablemodem. Marfa does not suffer the total lack of cellular
> coverage found down in Big Bend.
>
>> She runs windows on a fairly new Dell. She is not at all tech savvy ...
> Marfa is an artsy place, so I read.
>
>> ... and
>> so I am not going to suggest Linux for her. I started using google voice
>> for long distance and have chrome browser with hangouts on an other
>> laptop so I can talk long distance via my laptop. That's an experiment
>> to see how much google infringes on my privacy. I am thinking about
>> suggesting google voice, or chrome browser with hangouts for her if she
>> knows somebody local that can help her with it.
> Others (that's me!) would like to hear your thoughts about Googoo
> invading your privacy.
> I mentioned Alpine, about 20+ miles East. Sul Ross State University is
> there. (This group would enjoy their web page of the moment. Guessing
> Heartbleed drove a re-install?) Probably can find techie people there. I
> seem to remember contacts or connections there from when I lived in
> Tejas, but cannot seem to dig them up at the moment.
>
>> Any thoughts appreciated.
> -- R; <><
>
>
>
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