Cruzio Newsletter - Number 108, September 5, 2007
1. Tomorrow, Brown Bag Workshop: "Get Rid of Spam"
2. Oh, the Computers We Saw at Our Clinic!
3. U.S. Auctioning 700 MHz: Will Google Buy It?
4. We're Opening a New Watsonville Store, Please Come By
5. Launching Micruzio.com
6. This Month, Learn to Build Web Sites and Online Stores:
"One Night Web Site," Tuesday, Sept 11
"Selling Your Products with ShopSite," Thursday, Sept 13th
7. Quick Tech Tip for Mac Users
8. Special for New DSL Customers -- Free Router with Modem
9. Scroll Through a 12th-Century Chinese Village
10. Tell Us What You'd Like on Our Web Site
11. Class Schedule Through November
12. Cruzio CEO Elected to CISPA Board of Directors
13. Backup Dialup Charge
14. Moving
15. Buddy Bucks
16. Feed the Hungry, We'll Waive Your Late Fees
17. About This Newsletter
18. How to Reach Cruzio (Dial-in or Tech Support)
1. Tomorrow, Brown Bag Workshop: "Get Rid of Spam"
September 6th, 12:00 - 1:30 PM, $10.00
903 Pacific Avenue, Downtown Santa Cruz
Spam is the bane of the Internet; delivering viruses, scams, and
schemes to unwilling recipients and wasting an amazing amount of our
time. The latest statistics say that only one in twelve email messages
is real -- the rest, spam.
In just an hour and a half at lunchtime, you can learn from our
experts how to ban spam from your mailbox. We'll be presenting
very specific and practical steps, for both Mac and Windows users.
Cruzio has helped countless customers get past spam, and we will be
happy to help you, too. Imagine how much time you will save by reducing
junk mail! There is still room in the class -- you are welcome to stop
by and join us.
http://classes.cruzio.com/workshops.html
2. Oh, the Computers We Saw at Our Clinic!
Speaking of spam, last week when Cruzio's top technicians Chris Frost
and Mike Brogan opened our doors for a free virus clinic, they
diagnosed dozens of infected computers. With a good cleaning, these
machines will work just fine. But boy, they were ailing! Some
computers had literally dozens of viruses.
Our clinics are just one way to have your computer checked. You are
welcome to set up an appointment for a free 15-minute diagnostic
any time. If you're suspicious about your computer's health, call
us at 459-6301 option 5 to set the date. We'd say "your computer
will thank you for it," but really it's you who will benefit. (Plus
we're opposed to rampant anthropomorphization.)
Computer Care information is at
http://www.cruzio.com/services/tech_services/
3. U.S. Auctioning 700 MHz: Will Google Buy It?
Cruzio, like most independent ISPs, is hoping Google will buy the
latest and perhaps last band of spectrum available for wireless
communication. Until now it's been used by television stations, but
TV is going all-digital.
Many experts worry that this portion of the wireless spectrum, soon
to be auctioned by the FCC, will be purchased by a telecommunications
giant (Verizon? AT&T?), then tucked away so no one can use it. This is
a very real possibility. Cornering a market, as we all know from playing
Monopoly, is worth far more than the face value of any single piece.
Google is so concerned about the monopolization of Internet access
that they campaigned to keep the spectrum open for wholesale purchase
no matter who wins the auction and offered to make a bid of $4.6 billion
under those conditions. Sadly, the FCC did not agree with their
proposed rules.
The FCC terms leave open the possibility that someone will buy the
bandwidth just to keep it off the market. Said dissenting commissioner
Michael Copps:
"A wholesale requirement would have leveled the playing field
for companies that want to get into the network business but cannot
break through the defenses erected by the massive incumbents who dominate
the industry. It is not hard to see why companies with extensive networks
and millions of customers are generally able to outbid new entrants,
even deep-pocketed ones."
Google has deep pockets and a vested interest in bidding, but the price
will be quite high and they may not go for it. If Google does buy the
spectrum, will they stick to their promise to wholesale openly, or will
they be corrupted by power? Remember that Google's motto is "Don't Be
Evil." Money! Power! -- such drama!
The auction will probably be held this December or January. Proceeds
go to relief of the national debt.
4. We're Opening a New Watsonville Store, Please Come By
Cruzio is having a party in Watsonville this Sunday, and we'd love
to see you there.
We're celebrating our newer, bigger store right on Beach Street
across from City Plaza Park. The new digs are convenient, nicely
decorated, and home to some exceptionally fast new computers (even
newer, and faster, than the ones in Santa Cruz!).
Come join us on Sunday and we'll serve you free snacks from local
vendors (yum). You can use the rental computers for free, and
we'll have demonstrations of how to set up an online photo gallery
and download free music -- legally! You'll also have a chance to
win a free year of DSL. Hint: as with all Cruzio raffles, the pool of
contestants is much smaller than what you are used to, which means
you've got a much better chance of winning.
Whether it's this weekend or any time, we'll be happy to see you in
our new store. If you're in the neighborhood and want to read some email,
please drop in! And when you come by, please say hello to Gershom, Jaime,
or Diana, the friendly Cruzio folks who work at our store.
Details: Cruzio Grand Opening Party
Sunday, September 9th, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
25 East Beach Street, Watsonville
Free!
5. Launching Micruzio.com
Surf the Web in Spanish! Cruzio's bilingual staff, led by
talented writer and designer Jessi Hance, has created a Spanish
Cruzio Web site. We're officially unveiling it at our Watsonville
Grand Opening pening September 9th (see above) but Cruzio customers
can have a sneak preview right now:
http://www.micruzio.com
Micruzio.com shares many features with our English site at
http://www.cruzio.com -- but also introduces new pages. Jessi's
love of music especially shines on the entertainment page:
http://micruzio.com/recursos/musica.html
..well worth a visit, even if you don't speak Spanish.
If you know someone who'd like to sign up for Cruzio's services in
Spanish, send them to our new signup form (and remember you will get
credit -- Buddy Bucks -- for your referral):
http://inscribase.micruzio.com
6. This Month, Learn to Build Web Sites:
"One Night Web Site," Tuesday, Sept 11
"Selling Your Products with ShopSite," Thursday, Sept 13th
Local businesses, listen up. You still have time to plan for
Christmas sales on the Web -- one of the most popular ways for people
to shop these days. Cruzio has lined up the classes you'll need to
put up an online store with minimum effort and maximum assistance.
We've timed our ShopSite classes with Christmas season in mind: come
into the Brown Bag workshop next Tuesday for a look at the program.
If you like what you see, but need some hands-on help, sign up for the
full class in October where you'll actually set up your store with an
instructor by your side. You'll still have time to tweak and modify
the store before the Christmas rush.
Details: "Selling Your Products Online With ShopSite"
Thursday, September 13th, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
903 Pacific Avenue, Downtown Santa Cruz
Brown Bag Workshop
$10.00
If you don't yet have a Web site for your business, or you're
dissatisfied with the site you have, Cruzio can help you build a
new one. Joomla is the name of the framework that Web designers use
to make the most up-to-date sites. It's a surprisingly simple system,
once you've got the hang of it, and Cruzio will teach you how to use
Joomla to construct a site. Be sure to register early, this is a
popular class.
If you'd like to see an example of what a Cruzio student created,
visit http://www.dance-odyssey.com/ . They did a great job.
Details: "One Night Web Site"
Tuesday, September 11th, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
903 Pacific Avenue, Downtown Santa Cruz
Hands-on Class, limited to 8 students (2 instructors)
$199.00
7. Quick Tech Tip for Mac Users
If you are on a Mac and you'd like to view WMV (movie) files,
instead of using the horrific Windows Media Player, install the
Flip4Mac Quicktime component. It lets you view WMV files with
Quicktime, which is much better. It's so good that Microsoft has
ceased development of Windows Media Player for Mac and distributes
Flip4Mac instead.
Download the software for free at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx
8. Special for New DSL Customers -- Free Router with Modem
Anyone starting up a new DSL account before 12/31/07 can get a FREE
wireless router with purchase of a DSL modem, saving $89 in the process.
It's a good idea to purchase equipment at Cruzio because our techs
test every item and set it up so it's simple to connect at home.
We also guarantee our equipment for a whole year. If your modem should
break -- a fairly rare occurance since we've tested it -- bring it in and
we'll hand you a new one right away. No packing, no shipping, no hassles.
We are remarkably easy to deal with.
9. Scroll Through a 12th-Century Chinese Village
One of the best uses we've ever seen for a scroll bar: moving along
one of those long Chinese scroll paintings. These pictures are
always meant to be experienced as journeys, normally from the
peaceful countryside to a busy town nearby, passing by palaces and
mansions and through the working class areas of town along the way.
It's a fascinating glimpse into life as it was long ago, and often
surprisingly familiar. This scroll painting was captured and put
onto the Web by an enterprising photographer and the presentation
suits it perfectly. Visit 12th-century China right now:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Along_the_River_7-119-3.jpg
10. Tell Us What You'd Like on Our Web Site
Another quick survey is coming up soon -- just 5 minutes of your time
is requested. We'd like to know what you like and dislike about
Cruzio's home page. The survey isn't up yet, but it will be very
soon. Look for the link in the next few days on
http://www.cruzio.com
This is your chance to tell us of any wild notion you might
have about what sort of site would suit you. Cruzio has one of the
most popular Web sites in Santa Cruz County, and we want to keep it
useful and entertaining. Let us hear your thoughts!
11. Class Schedule Through November
September
September 6: "Get Rid of Spam" Brown Bag
September 11: "One Night Web Site" Hands-on class
September 13: "Selling Your Products Online With ShopSite" Brown Bag
October
October 8 & 10: Internet for Beginners, in Spanish
October 11: "One Night Blog" Hands-on class
October 18: "One Night Web Site Advanced" Hands-on class
October 23: "Set Up Your Online Store" Hands-on class
October 22 & 24: Internet for Beginners, in English
November
November 5 and 7: Internet for Beginners, in Spanish
November 8: "Free Software Alternatives" Brown Bag
November 13: "Introduction to the Internet" Hands-on class
November 15: "One Day Web Site" Hands-on class
November 19 & 21: Internet for Beginners, in English
Check http://classes.cruzio.com for the latest information
and to sign up. Dates or topics occasionally change.
12. Cruzio CEO Elected to CISPA Board of Directors
Cruzio is an independent Internet Service Provider -- and proud
of the "independent" part. We are not owned by a telecom conglomerate,
which we believe makes a positive difference to our quality of service.
We also believe that independent providers like Cruzio keep the big
companies honest -- it's harder for them to favor their own corporate
partners when competition shows better options are available.
But being an independent ISP has its challenges. That's why the ISPs
in California formed an association some years ago: California Internet
Service Providers Association, or CISPA. Now Cruzio's co-CEO Peggy
Dolgenos will add to her many and varied duties by serving on the
CISPA Board of Directors. She will be bringing the voice of Cruzio's
customers to the statewide table.
13. Backup Dialup Charge
One more reminder to folks with DSL 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0: a small
charge of 82 cents has been added to your monthly bill for the
backup dialup connection that we used to give free with each account.
Rising costs have forced this change.
We recommend that you keep the backup connection. It's useful when
traveling or if your DSL equipment or circuit is temporarily not
working. Since these occasions are relatively rare, you might choose
to cancel the service. If so, please email us at office@cruzio.com.
If you'd like to reinstate the backup later, we can certainly do so,
but there will be a $5.00 reconnection fee.
Luckily, Cruzio is able to keep this charge very low, less than a
fifth of what some other ISPs charge -- when they offer the service
at all (cable Internet, for example, does not).
14. Buddy Bucks
When you recommend Cruzio to your friends, you can get substantial
savings on your own account. We will give you $10 credit for any
access customer you refer, and if they buy a number of services you
can earn even more. Be sure they tell us your full name, email address
or account number when they sign up.
15. Feed the Hungry, We'll Waive Your Late Fees
If you're late on a payment to Cruzio, turn it into a donation
to hungry folks in our community. We will waive your late
fee if you bring 3 cans into our office for our Second Harvest
Food Bank barrel. Learn more about this charity at
http://www.thefoodbank.org
16. Moving?
Cruzio is very experienced with Internet moves and can help you with
all the details. We pride ourselves on making things easy for you.
But you've got to let us know you're going to move -- several weeks'
notice is ideal. Please give us a call or email us at office@cruzio.com
to let us know your plans.
17. 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, or to request that we remove you from our mailing list.
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.
18. 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).
Dialup (in Santa Cruz County): 459-9408
Nationwide Dialup: Look up local number on our Web page:
http://www.cruzio.com/support/dialup_isdn/nationwide_numbers.html
or call Cruzio toll free, 1.800.303.3302
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.
722-6200 .......... Cruzio's number in Watsonville.
To send email to Cruzio, use one of these addresses:
support@cruzio.com ......for technical support
office@cruzio.com .......for billing and ordering information
Cruzio's locations:
Santa Cruz: 903 Pacific Avenue, Suite 101, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Watsonville: Plaza Vigil, 25 E. Beach Street, Watsonville, CA 95076
Cruzio's hours:
Sales hours: 10am-6pm, Monday through Friday; 10 am - 2 pm Saturday
Technical support: 8am to 6pm, Mon to Fri, 10am - 2pm Saturday
System monitoring, including customer-alerted emergencies, 24 hours
per day, 365 days per year (leap years, 366 days)
Thanks very much from Cruzio:
Chris, Peggy, Julianne, Mark, Paul, Gershom, Jessi, James,
Juana, Nikkie, Mike, Don, Bruce, Brian, Westi, Andrew,
Jaime, another Chris, yet another Chris, Diana, Jake, Tommy,
Orlando, Loren and Shawn;
Jake, Annika, and Carly (the kids)
and Congratulations to Mike and Emilie, getting married this month!
"Mommy, this is the first day of school. No time lie around." Carly at
7 am this morning.
"I can't wait until summer vacation." Annika, on the first day of school.
