INews Newsletter - Aug 31, 2001
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* * * I N e w s * * *
A publication of Internet Nebraska, composed and distributed by
* * * manager@inebraska.com * * *
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Volume 4, Number 7 August 31, 2001
Welcome to another issue of INews, Internet Nebraska's customer
newsletter. This monthly newsletter communicates service bulletins,
announcements and other useful information to our customers. Please let
us know what you think of it. Archives of INews are located at
http://www.inebraska.com/inews
In this issue: IN Now Offering Wireless Service
Finding Your Textbooks Online
Finding Financial Aid for College Online
The Lowdown on Code Red
Access Manager Program
Mr. Internet
*** IN Goes Wireless ***
We are just thrilled to announce our roll-out of high-speed WIRELESS
Internet access! Many of our customers have been reading for years about
DSL and cable modems, but haven't had an affordable way to enjoy
broadband connectivity. Satellite service is wretched, and telephone
company circuits can be incredibly expensive, so dial-up is sometimes as
good as it gets. Bringing high-speed service to people who haven't had it
before has been especially important to us, and we've taken some exciting
first steps toward that end.
We've installed spread-spectrum broadcast equipment in VALENTINE, O'NEILL
and NORFOLK, and we're taking orders for service in all three towns.
Customers can enjoy 256K speeds (and greater) for monthly charges starting
at $39.95, and absolutely no phone or cable charges are required.
We've worked very hard to put together some excellent package deals on
equipment, and we're throwing in 15 hours per month of dial-up access for
people who may need to grab their mail when not at home. Check out
http://www.inebraska.com/wireless/ for details on equipment and access
costs in your city.
This technology will also enable us to upgrade services in areas where
telephone company expenses were high. Tilden customers, for example, will
soon enjoy the same 56k modem speeds their Norfolk neighbors do because a
high-speed wireless link between those two cities now provides additional
bandwidth to Tilden. We expect our customers to benefit many different
ways from our wireless network.
We know that many of you who do not live in these cities will be
interested in trying out wireless access, and we'll be adding new areas
as quickly as we can. Keep an eye on our main homepage, and of course the
INews, for announcements. This is going to be fun!
"Give us the gory details!"
Excited, huh? You should be. Internet Nebraska is bringing affordable high
speed terrestrial Internet access to O'Neill and Valentine for the first time,
and giving our Norfolk users another option. In the near future, we will
have other cities on-line without wires, so stay tuned!
Internet Nebraska is using spread-spectrum equipment operating in the
2.4GHz frequency range to provide this access. We've placed our radio
broadcast equipment on a strategically-chosen tower or towers in each
city. If you're interested in receiving wireless Internet access, an
Internet Nebraska employee or independent installer will visit your
location to test the signal strength and verify you can get on-line. Note
that to get wireless, you have to be within a few miles of our radio
equipment, and you have to have a clear line-of-sight from your rooftop
to our tower. The signal will not penetrate buildings, trees, or any
other obstructions.
If your location checks out, then you simply purchase the equipment you
need, have a recommended independent installer set everything up, and
you're off and running.
To get started, see http://www.inebraska.com/wireless/ .
** Finding Your Textbooks Online ***
Want to beat the crowd at the college bookstore? Then just turn your eyes
to the web. There are several sites that offer an easy online textbook buying
experience. In this article, we will take a look
at some of these sites and the variety of services they offer.
http://www.textbooks.com
This site is owned and operated by the well-known bookstore Barnes &
Noble. Their interface is very easy to use. You just specify the title,
author, ISBN (International Standard Book Number, all textbooks have one)
or a keyword to find your book. On some items, they even stock used copies
of the book for a discounted price! When you are done with your books at
the end of the year, they will buy back some books from you. They will
even pay for the shipping on the books that they buy from you!.
Their return policy allows you to return your books (except used ones,
they have to be sent elsewhere) to a local Barnes & Noble in your area!
You must return the books in their original condition, have the receipt,
and within 30 days of the purchase, and receive store credit. You have to
return used books to the returns department of their website.
http://www.a1books.com
This site has been in the online book selling business since 1995. Their
interface is also quite easy to navigate. You can, once again, either
search by title, author, ISBN, or keyword. They also have a very
interesting option available on their page. You can search by college,
and see what books other students from your school have been purchasing.
They do not however, stock used books or buy back any books.
Their return policy states that you may return a book, for any reason,
within 30 days of the shipping date. The book must be in re-salable
condition (no software seals broken), clean, no crimped pages or broken
spines. You just have to mail it back to them with a copy of the invoice.
http://www.textbookX.com
This site also have a very easy to use interface. They allow you to
search for a title, ISBN, or author. They do stock new and used copies of
most books. They do not buy used books however.
Their return policy states that, if you wish to return a book, it must be
within 14 days of your receiving your order, and the book must be in its
original condition. They also charge a 10% restocking fee.
All of these sites take various methods of payment and all offer a myriad
of shipping options. Most of the titles that they offer are available to
be shipped within 24 hours of your order. Happy Shopping!
*** Finding Financial aid for College Online ***
As summer comes to an end and fall is fast around the corner, there is
one thing that most people can relate to, school starting again. For many
this means getting back to college or just starting out as a freshman.
Now before you can get that piece of paper that makes you a part of your
college alma mater, you have to find a way to pay for it. Most of us
won't get a free ride on our athletic ability, nor will mom and
dad be able to foot the total bill. What are your alternatives you ask?
Actually there are many online sources that can help you find ways to pay
for college. These sites can educate you on what you are eligible to
apply for and the proper procedure to get the funds.
A good starting point is at http://www.finaid.org/
This site answers many basic questions regarding financial aid for school.
They explain that the average college graduate completes their studies
with not only a degree, but around $16,500 in loans. Graduate and
professional students such as doctors or lawyers will generate even larger
loans.
One option to explore is an education loan grouped in three main
categories; student loans, parent loans and private loans. The federal
government offers a program called the Stafford Loan which comes in two
types. The first is called the Federal Family Education Loan Program
(FFELP) which is provided by a private lender such as a bank or savings
and loan association. These loans are guaranteed against default by the
federal government. The second type is the Federal Direct Student Loan
Program (FDSLP) which are loans coordinated by by Direct Lending Schools
and are provided by the federal government directly to students and their
parents. Stafford loans are subsidized or unsubsidized. If your
loan is subsidized the government pays the interest while you are in
school. An unsubsidized loan means you pay all the interest, although you
can have the payments deferred until after graduation. To receive any
Stafford Loan, you must show financial need.
Another loan type is called the Perkins Loan. This loan is given to
students with exceptional financial need. It is a campus-based program
where the school acts as the lender. There is a limited amount of funds
for Perkins Loans provided by the federal government. Many say the
Perkins Loan is the best possible loan due to many factors. It is
subsidized and the government pays the interest. There are no
origination or guarantee fees and the interest rate is 5%. There is also
a 10 year repayment period.
Many people think of scholarships when they think of money for college.
These awards are usually used for students with specific qualifications,
such as high academics, athletic ability, or particular fields of study.
Scholarships are different from loans in that they do not have to be paid
back. A site that will allow you to search for scholarships that you
meet the requirements for can be a found at http://www.fastweb.com .
Another free site is
http://www.collegeboard.org/fundfinder/html/ssrchtop.html
These sites are free but you do need to register to access the
information. No matter which search site you use, make sure it is a free
site. Some sites will charge you but the free sites provide the same
information. Another thing to be aware of are scholarship scams. The
main rule of thumb is if you have to pay money to get money, it is
probably a scam. Some things to look for when spotting scams are
scholarships with application fees, scholarship matching services who
guarantee success, and sales pitches dressed as financial aid seminars.
Another site that contains a vast amount of information regarding
financial aid is http://www.collegeispossible.org/
Many people think that few people get financial aid, this is just not
true. About 16.7 million students enrolled in postsecondary study in the
United States in 1998-1999. Over half of them receive some type of
financial aid. About $64 billion in aid was provided to students in
1998-199, including federal and non federal loans, federal and state
grants, and institutional grants. A process that determines a student's
need for assistance will decide how much aid a student receives based on
their expected family contribution or EFC. Factors that determine need
are family income, assets for families that make over $50,000 a year,
family size, number of parents, the age of the older parent, and number of
other family members enrolled in college. The federal formula expects a
a contribution of about 5 percent of net worth. The total amount of aid
that a student can receive is determined by subtracting expected family
contribution from the total cost of attending school. The total price
includes tuition, fees, room and board, and other various expenses.
Another form of assistance are grants. Grants, like scholarships, do not
have to be paid back. The Pell Grant Program funded by the federal
government provides assistance to low-income students to help pay for
college. To find out about this program and other federally funded
programs you can find information at the following site
http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/
Another program is the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
Program. This program is in place to award grants to low-income students
to supplement the aid received from Pell Grants and any other sources.
This grant is 75 percent funded by the federal government while
the college or university provides the remaining portion.
The State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) Program provides incentives for
states to make available grants to students who attend college. This has
played a major role in causing every state to create and keep its own
student grant program. In this program states are required to provide 50
percent of the funding for this program.
For Nebraska these types of programs can be found at the following
web site: http://www.ccpe.state.ne.us/PublicDoc/CCPE/Default.asp
There are even federal tax benefits for families to help lower college
expenses. The first is the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit. This credit
allows students or their parents to claim up to $1,500 per student per
year for out of pocket tuition and fee charges. The credit can be claimed
the first two years of undergraduate study. This credit is available to
taxpayers with a gross income of up to $50,000 ($100,000 for joint filers).
The second credit is the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. This credit allows
college students or their families to claim up to 20 percent of qualified
out of pocket tuitions costs per year. It can be claimed for an unlimited
number of years for both undergraduate and graduate study. It allows a
claim of 20 percent of the first $5000 spent on tuition and fees thru the
year 2002 and 50 percent of up to the first $10,000 spent on tuition and
fees for any time afterwards. This credit is available for taxpayers with
a gross income of up to $50,000 (and up to $100,000 for joint filers).
Another source of assistance can come from penalty-free withdrawals from
IRAs for undergraduate and graduate education. There are new "Education
IRAs" that can be funded with an annual, nondeductable contributions of up
to $500 per child. The earnings on these accounts is tax free if the
funds are withdrawn to pay college tuition.
There are a multitude of financial resources for students who feel that
college is just not possible due to money concerns. However, no one is
going to knock on your door and just give you money for college. You will
need to explore, research and determine what is available. Good luck!
*** Schaefer's TV & Appliance Center - Advertisement ***
Schaefer's is an independently owned and
operated television, appliance, and home
theater retailer in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Born out of a small corner drugstore four
decades ago, Schaefer's TV & Appliance is a
22,000 square-foot "superstore" today,
specializing in commercial/professional-grade
appliances, whole house sound systems, home
theater and central vacuum systems. The
success of Schaefer's is key to repeat
business. If a customer happens to have a
problem with a product, Schaefer's will bend
over backwards to get it solved. Our service
center is the largest in the city, and has been
voted Lincoln's #1 servicer for 10 years in a
row! A knowledgeable sales staff, express
delivery, easy financing, and our customer
service representatives are just a few of the
ways in which we at Schaefer's distinguish
ourselves from the rest. Stop by our showroom
at 48th and R in Lincoln, or call us at
and see for yourself.
-- http://www.schaeferstv.com/index2.htm
*** The Lowdown on Code Red ***
On July 19th, a new worm was introduced to the internet and within its
first nine hours had infected an estimated 250,000 hosts. The worm is none
other than the now infamous Code Red worm. If you are running Windows 3.1,
95, 98, ME or have a Macintosh or UNIX-like system, then your computer
cannot be infected with this worm. This worm only infects systems running
Windows NT 4.0 or 2000. Unfortunately, just because you can't be
*infected* doesn't mean you won't be *affected*. Read on.
The initial plan of the person or persons who created this worm was to
infect as many hosts as possible and then to have all of the infected
computers begin flooding The White House's web site
( http://www.whitehouse.gov ) with so much traffic that it would be
unusable. However, the White House network administrators simply changed
to a new numerical internet address (IP address), thereby foiling this
attempted denial of service attack. This attack on the wrong IP address
continued until July 27th when the attack virtually ceased. It turns out
that the worm was designed to follow a schedule based upon the system clock
of the infected computer. On the 1st through the 19th of each month the
worm multiplies by sending itself to random IP addresses all over the
internet. Then on the 20th through the 27th of every month it begins anew
the attack against the Whitehouse web site, and on the last days of the
month it becomes idle.
Even though the attack against whitehouse.gov was a failure, an
unexpected bug in Cisco's CBOS operating system caused Cisco DSL routers
randomly attacked by the worm to lock up. Hundreds of thousands of
ADSL users across the Internet were knocked offline until they could
reconfigure their routers to avoid this problem. Note that if you're an
ADSL customer who is experiencing frequent router lockups, call our
helpdesk at (402) 434-8680 and we'll fix your router so that it is
no longer affected.
When August 1st came around, people feared the worst. Many thought that
every computer that could be infected with this virus would be, and that
the massive amounts of information they spewed out looking for another
host would clog the Internet's arteries and cause a 'Net-wide slowdown.
Fortunately, however, Microsoft's fix for this problem (available from
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/itsolutions/security/topics/codealrt.asp )
had been downloaded over a million times, significantly reducing the
number of infections and keeping the excess traffic to a minimum.
Recently, however, another worm has been created that infects computers
in the same way, however this worm installs a program on the infected
computer that makes it possible for a hacker to take over control of
that computer.
As a reminder, if you are running Windows 3.1,95,98, ME or have a
Macintosh or UNIX-based machine, then your computer cannot be infected.
If you are not, please make sure you protect your computer by installing the
patch at the above listed URL.
*** The Capital Soccer Association - Advertisement ***
Capital Soccer Association specializes in
teaching soccer. However we recognize that
soccer, or any other youth sport is merely
one tool in the development of a young
child. Teamwork and sportsmanship through
knowledge and proficiency of the game are
our main goals.
-- http://www.capitalsoccer.com/
*** Access Manager ***
Do you have so many passwords that you can't keep track of them all? Do you
have to type in all your passwords when trying to login until you get the
right one because you can't remember? If you have this problem
then you might be interested in a program called Access Manager.
This program can help you organize all those passwords that you might
have. Access Manager has the look and feel of Outlook Express but
instead of storing email it stores your passwords securely. Access
Manager uses 2 levels of encryption to encrypt the passwords that you
store in it to keep your information secure. Access Manager also allows
you to organize your passwords into categories for easy and quick access.
You can also attach web site links and other notes to your passwords.
You can store important information such as PIN numbers, telephone
banking codes, web site passwords, door entry and alarm codes, and
whatever other information you like to keep secure.
*Also, Access Manager is free to download!*
Now you can take the load off your mind of trying to remember all
your passwords!
You can download Access Manager free from:
http://www.freewareweb.com/cgi-bin/id.pl?1413
*** Mr. Internet ***
Q: Dear Mr. Internet: I am a customer of Internet Nebraska, but when I
connect to the Internet, my old service provider's website comes up in
my browser. I'm confused. Am I still using them as my ISP?
A: No. When you first open your Web Browser, the page that loads is
your home page. It is entirely dependent on a setting on your
computer. Regardless of what that setting is, you are still using
Internet Nebraska as your service provider. You can set the home
page to any website you wish. Here's how to do it.
In Internet Explorer:
Go to Tools at the top of the screen.
Go to Internet Options.
On the line that says "Address:", type in any website,
http://www.inebraska.com/ for example.
In Netscape:
Go to Edit.
Go to Preferences.
Go to Navigator.
On the line that says "Location", type in any website
http://www.inebraska.com/ for example.
That's all there is to it. If you have any further questions
or problems please feel free to contact our helpdesk.
Mr. Internet is a regular feature of the INews, and he welcomes questions
of any kind. Just mail them to mrinternet@inebraska.com, and he'll answer
one or two each issue. Those he doesn't use will not necessarily be
answered, and you should still use 'manager' and 'accounts' for regular
business.
*** Advertise on Our Home Pages ***
What better way to advertise your business than on a Web page that is seen
tens of thousands of time every month? None, if you're paying as little
as we charge for it!
We are now offering banner advertising that rotates on all our pages
which is priced based on the number of impressions (viewings) per month.
Your banner can reach thousands of Nebraska residents, and this is a
unique way to advertise your Nebraska business to residents in the area.
Prices for banner advertisement can be found at:
http://www.inebraska.com/ad.html
We will also be selling links from our main page. Please contact
manager@inebraska.com, or give us a give us a call at our office,
402-434-8680, and ask how you can reserve banner spots on some of the
hottest URL's in the state. The advertisers in this issue did, and we
recommend them highly.