Cruzio/The Internet Store Newsletter - Number 20, February 10, 1999
1. 28.8/33.6 line problems continue -- tip for avoiding
2. 56k lines in transition
3. Millions and millions served
4. Y2K meeting at Cruzio March 31st
5. Cruzio promotes computer literacy
6. Popular Internet classes continue
7. Cruzio's secure server due in March
8. Open house meetings for Internet Office information
9. Are you an e-commerce consultant?
10. Hate Spam? Check out our new spam info page
11. New Generators
12. About This Newsletter
13. How to Reach Cruzio (dial-in or tech support)
1. 28.8/33.6 line problems continue -- tip for avoiding
We apologize to our 28.8/33.6 speed customers for continuing, sporadic
busy signals. Although we have 279 lines available at this speed, customers
sometimes experience busy signals when less than 225 lines are being used.
In other words, Cruzio has over 50 open lines which are not being utilized.
Pacific Bell has "fixed" the busy problem on these lines countless times,
without good results. Last week they "rebuilt" the whole group. For a
few days we seemed to see an improvement, but busies occured again last
night.
If you experiencing busy signals, you can use another number to
get "above" the hunting problem. Please try putting 459-6384 in your
connecting software rather than 459-6230. That will get you into the
empty lines. Meanwhile, we continue to work with Pac Bell to find and fix
the problem.
2. 56k/ISDN lines in transition
The "Grand Plan" was to move Cruzio's 56k lines to another facility,
serviced with fiberoptic telecommunications, a diesel backup generator, etc.,
in early February. The "Grand Plan" showed that at normal growth we
wouldn't have busy signals before then. Well, the move has been
delayed and growth was way past normal. As a result, we are experiencing
busy signals. But not for long.
This move is scheduled for Feb 24. On March 1, we will be installing at
least 4 new PRI lines to service 96 new modems on the group, with 48 more
modems and 2 PRI lines to be installed on April 1. That should move us
way past the busy signals on the 56k lines.
The good news is that after Feb 24, we'll have better access to fast
bandwidth on demand and shorter lead times on getting lines installed.
In the meanwhile, we are working at keeping the busy signals to a
minimum.
3. Millions and millions served
The Cruzio Electronic Guide to Santa Cruz County, voted best local web
site in both the Good Times and Metro reader polls for 3 years in a row,
continues to improve. Find out why over 2 MILLION people have visited this
useful guide to our community. (Okay. We are proud, so we capitalized the
letters in MILLIONS.)
You've probably noticed the snappy new color on Cruzio's home page,
http://www.cruzio.com. And there are some other changes as well.
This one-stop information resource includes:
- Local Hot Spots: local e-literature, art, night life and more
- Search Engine: find it fast on our server or other local servers
- Maps: use our map server to find an address or look up
neighborhood demographics from the 1990 census!
- Community Info: local web pages, government sites, and weather
- Media: a complete list of local, regional and national news and
entertainment media
- Internet Gateways: links to the most useful online resources,
libraries, portals and search engines
- Computers: pointers to useful Apple, WinTel and Y2K sites
- Whatever's local and newsworthy at the moment: elections,
earthquake information, weather, and more.
and as always, no ads. None. The only mentions of businesses you'll
see are our customers' URLs and those of other local sites, free of charge.
At Cruzio, we all use the Internet a lot and we find we frequently use the
resources on our home page. We hope you find it useful, too.
4. Y2K meeting at Cruzio March 31st
Like many in the community, Cruzio is concerned about the computer problems
that may occur as we move toward the year 2000. We are determined that
Internet service not be impaired and are doing our best to ensure that
our customers will be able to get information and do business through
our service. We do have a good track record for disasters: we survived
the 1989 earthquake with minimal downtime. We know how important it is
for the community to work as a whole to solve problems. Each of us can
play a part.
Cruzio will hold a meeting on the Y2K topic on March 31st, 1999, from
5 to 6 pm. Seating is limited so if you can attend please RSVP to
feedback@cruzio.com.
Cruzio is currently running tests on our own equipment to look for potential
problems. Our ongoing investigations have not found any Y2K issues.
5. Cruzio promotes computer literacy
Some people are comfortable with computers at work and at home, while
others are completely mystified and even frightened by computers. To
address this disparity, Cruzio is working with the Santa Cruz Parks and
Recreation Department to offer reasonably priced classes to County
residents. Classes will be offered in the spring (starting in February
-- Next Week!) and in the summer. The three classes offered through Parks
and Rec are "Computers for Kids", "Computers for Non-Geeks", and "Taking
Computers Apart and Putting Them Back Together." For more information, or
to enroll, please contact the Parks and Rec Department at 307 Church Street,
Santa Cruz, (831) 420-5250.
6. Popular Internet classes continue
Cruzio is continuing to offer our popular classes on "Using the Internet"
and "Publishing on the Internet". The "Using the Internet" series teaches
students from all walks of life how to do research and have fun surfing
the Internet. There is an extensive "hands-on" section to this series, on
either Macintosh or PC computers (or both).
"Publishing on the Internet" shows students how to create their own web pages,
complete with graphics and forms. These classes use real examples to give
students something useful to take back to their work or home with them.
The "Webmaster" series is on hiatus until March while we update the
the curriculum (what was cutting edge last year is now ... last year's news.)
This series presents more sophisticated techniques for adding scripts
and programs to your web pages, using real-world examples.
Discussing computer and Internet topics with a knowledgeable instructor
is an excellent way to solve problems and to gain efficiency. Cruzio
enjoys presenting these classes to give local residents a resource for
learning, practicing, and questioning new technologies. Cruzio subscribers
receive a discount on each class or class series.
For information on classes -- schedules, prices, what have you -- please
go to http://www.cruzio.com/classes.
7. Cruzio's secure server due in March
E-commerce. It was all the rage over Christmas 1998 and we feel that
Cruzio and our customers need to be prepared for the dramatic expansion
in e-commerce expected in 1999. To that end we've installed and are testing
a secure server, which we expect to offer to our customers in March 1999.
Please email office@cruzio.com if you have questions. And watch this space
for the next announcement.
8. Open house meetings for Internet Office
Did you know that with an Internet Office account you can set up a search
engine, provided by Cruzio, so that users can search just your web
pages? That you get unlimited email addresses at your domain? The price
for Internet Office is a very reasonable $75/quarter ($25 per month)
for basic service, $105/quarter ($35 per month) with 40 megabytes of web
space. This includes access, so you do not need another account.
Find out more about the Internet Office at our next Internet Office
Introductory Workshop, free of charge. (In fact, you receive free snacks
and an attractive Cruzio t-shirt).
The next Internet Office workshop is Wednesday, February 10 at
5 to 6 o'clock pm. Yes, that's TODAY, the day the newsletter is being sent
out. We still have some openings, so if you would like to come by, please
do give it a try. A these meetings, we explain our Internet Office
technology and how it can be used to put a business or organization
online. Last time, our presenters got a standing ovation (and our
engineers deserve one too.) Was it the snacks? The free t-shirts?
The next workshop will be March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day -- at 5 to 6pm.
Please e-mail feedback@cruzio.com if you wish to attend.
9. Are you an e-commerce consultant?
If you are an knowledgeable e-commerce web consultant, our customers
are interested in talking to you. Cruzio is setting up a new section
on our consultants' page (http://www.cruzio.com/consultants) for
e-commerce. Please go to this page and register if you are interested
in helping folks set up their online stores.
10. Hate Spam? Check out our new spam info page
http://www.cruzio.com/support/email/spaminfo.html
11. New Generators
In addition to increasing our battery backup capacity, Cruzio has
acquired 2 generators to extend our uptime during power outages. Our
56k/ISDN modem servers are also being moved to a facility with
complete generator backup. We continue to work to be available when
you need us, despite whatever wind, rain or earthquakes are thrown
our way.
12. About This Newsletter
Cruzio doesn't like to waste bandwidth with extra email, but we sometimes
have events and announcements that users need to know about. This seems
like the most efficient way to let people know what's happening. Hope
it's helpful. Please email support@cruzio.com with any comments or questions.
By the way, we would love to have a regular, predictable schedule
for this newsletter...but we simply do not send it unless there is real
news enclosed. Thus the haphazard datelines.
13. How to Reach Cruzio (dial-in or tech support)
To reach the Cruzio Information Center, for online technical and
sales information:
http://www.cruzio.com/support
To dial in to Cruzio, set your software to dial one of the numbers
below (note: we've expanded and joined modem pools, so you may be
using another number. If so, don't worry, it still works just fine).
56k kbps modems or ISDN: 459-9408
33.6 kbps or 28.8 kbps modems: 459-6230
14.4 kbps modems: 459-6200
To call Cruzio:
459-6301.................Use this number to check Cruzio's system status,
pay your Cruzio bill, find out more about our hours and location,
or to reach someone in customer service and technical support.
To send email to Cruzio, use one of these addresses:
support@cruzio.com.......for technical support
office@cruzio.com........for billing and ordering information
webmaster@cruzio.com.....for questions about Cruzio's World Wide
Web service
feedback@cruzio.com......to let us know your opinions or to ask about
upcoming events
Thanks very much from Cruzio:
Chris, Peggy, John, Julianne, Patton, Kathy, Mark, Martin,
Georgette, Jay, Tapati, Hilary, Jessica, Amy, Temoc,
Sam and Lauren (the grownups); Jake and Annika (the kids)
and Carolyn Rose (the toddler) (now 1 and 1/2)
