Dear Readers,

I’m often asked where one can drop off an old computer or electronics item that has no value. Consider bringing it to one of these recycling events sponsored by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. Many of them take place in the VERY NEAR FUTURE!

Many towns are participating in electronics recyling days in the very near future.

You can find the details here…
crra.org/pages/schedule_electronics.htm

This is the list of towns that participate…
crra.org/pages/member_towns.htm
If you do not live in one of these towns, they will not accept your items.

Items they will accept:
Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, modems, microwave ovens, pagers, personal computers including monitors, keyboards and peripherals, printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, testing equipment, transparency makers, uninterruptible power supplies , VCRs and word processors.

Have a great weekend!

Here is a follow up to yesterdays post….

If you are having trouble signing up for or converting to AT&T’s  “Dry Line DSL” by calling the main DSL support #,

•Call the AT&T Dry Loop department directly at 888-800-4095
•Ask to switch to “DSL direct”
•If they give you a hassle, say it’s a retention offer (you are going to cancel your service otherwise)

//Kevin

Dear Friends,

This Update is dedicated to low cost / more efficient Internet service options.

** Big announcement: You can now get AT&T’s DSL service WITHOUT home dial tone service. It was always theoretically possible. Now it’s a reality. Perhaps you live off of your cell phone only or you still have 2 home phone lines that you have been subscribing to from the days of dial-up service. Furthermore, it could be that you don’t want to pay $48.95 per month for an unlimited long distance package with AT&T and want to try an IP based phone service like Via Talk (a better alternative to Vonage).**

Here is a run down on the pricing for AT&’s “Dry Line” DSL:

1.5 mbps DSL – $23.99 / mo. Express package.

3.0 mbps DSL – $28.99 / mo. Pro package.

Each of these price points represents a $4 increase over the “regular price” of DSL if you did have home phone service. Still, these choices represent an important breakthrough in the evolution of the Internet. You now have the opportunity of buying unbundled broadband Internet service at a reasonable price. In comparison, Comcast charges $52.95 for their standard high speed Internet offering if you do not have cable TV service. This is $10 on top of the “premium” price they normally charge – $42.95.

Thinking on a similar wavelength, some of you out there probably feel that you are “paying for more Internet capacity than you really need.” I hear you. The following information is intended for the age 60+ and light Internet usage population.

If you have / plan on keeping your existing AT&T phone or Comcast cable service, but don’t like what you’re paying for Internet….

You can get 256 kbps DSL service from AT&T for $10.00 (not a typo!!) and 768 kbps DSL service for $14.99 per month. To refresh your memories: dial-up Internet speeds top out at 56 kbps.

Comcast offers an Economy Internet plan at download speeds of 384 kbps for $24.95 per month. While this price point doesn’t match the value of the low cost DSL offers, it may be an acceptable alternative for existing cable customers who don’t want to change their @comcast.net email address, but don’t like the idea of paying $42.95 for the 6.0 mbps service. I’ve read that say Comcast is planning to increase the download speed on the Economy plan to 768 kbps, thus making it a much more appealing option for consumers. This projected change change is not set in stone yet.

If you have any questions on Internet choices, please e-mail me. I would be happy to give you some personalized advice.

Forever yours,

Kevin