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July 2005
If you are not using a personal portal to get news and information, consider it. All major sites are competing to be your home page, offering some very useful custom options. My.yahoo.com ; my.msn.com etc. Also check out Google News, which allows you to select news by keyword, including city or topic. It does an excellent job of pulling up local Visalia news. http://news.google.com
If you email newsletters to anyone in Michigan or Utah, you could be subject to fines and jail time, even if the subscriber requests your email. They have new laws which fall under the Child Protection Act, preventing emailing of newsletters with certain kinds of information, and requiring that you check with a ‘do not mail’ list. This could be a precedent. For details: www.toriangroup.com/resources/articles/spamlaws.htm
Windows 2000 Server and workstation received their last update last month. No more security or other patches will be issued. It’s time to think about migrating to XP or 2003 Server if you are still using Windows 2000. There is a final security rollup in windows update which has caused problems on some 2000 servers. Hold off updating this for now. http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/news/bulletins/extendedsupport.asp
SBS service pack 1 is an essential update for anyone with Small Business Server 2003. It is not something you should do yourself. We will be contacting you to set a time for the upgrade if we have not already.
Clearwire is a new wireless internet provider in Visalia. They are providing a direct connection to a wireless modem in your business or home, for about $30/Month. All you need is the wireless receiver, which is about the size of a DSL modem. Coverage is only close in to town, and connection speeds are up to 1.4MB down/ 256K up. They have a booth in the Visalia mall, and are advertising aggressively. It’s an attractive option for a backup internet connection, or a main connection you can take with you. It requires power, so is portable, rather than mobile. It opens many possibilities, such as putting it in your car. www.clearwire.com.
Underlying technology: www.nextnetwireless.com
West Coast Wireless (AKA Clear Sky Communications) has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. They say this will not affect their ability to provide service to customers.
Keith is leaving us to take a job with the county government near mono lake. He will be pursuing his computer career, and his love of fly fishing. Scott and Tim will be taking over his work.
Tim Torian
Torian, Group, Inc.
This and past newsletters are available on our web site. Expanded version of this newsletter available via email.