Starting over… SOHO (Small Office, Home Office)
In my last column, I showed how I use technology to facilitate work when I'm overseas. This one’s about what happened when I returned. It wasn’t pretty.
I came home to discover that my former employer had turned off my landline phone, my cell phone, Internet connection, even my cable TV. And he'd done it so effectively that I couldn't just pay ‘n play with any of ‘em.
After a couple of days of moping, I remembered the Older Family motto: TATA — Turn Adversity to Advantage. Ah ha! Now vexation morphed into opportunity — the opportunity to start over.
I began investigating which way(s) to go that would give me the best service at the cheapest price. But while I was searching, I managed to get my Internet going. I'm still not sure whether it was through my own unsecured line or a neighbor’s, but it was fast, free, and worked… in half the house. Good enough for now. Get thee a cell phone.
Cheap Is Good
My needs were simple. Unless I was on the road, I rarely used a cell except to meet up with my wife and as an emergency connection to our daughters. Cheap was crucial; fancy was not.
After looking at a dozen options, I went for the cheapest, T-Mobile’s new prepaid plan, Sidekick. The phone cost $40. (A basic version was just $20, but it looked a bit sketchy.) With the Sidekick, I could buy minutes, not months, and more importantly, roll over any unused minutes at year’s end. No monthly bill, no bells & whistles, nothing but cheap service when I need it. And it works just fine.
The Big Three
Now it was time to tackle the biggies: cable TV, Internet and phone. I quickly discovered that I could get all three at once through Comcast. Time WAS pressing — I went for it. And I decided to test Comcast’s upgraded version, Comcast Business Class.
Installation wasn't pretty. Three guys came, spent three hours, and left not only a mess but a lot of uncompleted work. Turns out they were contractors, not Comcast employees. Comcast then sent a real employee to clean up after them; it took him close to two hours more. He kept muttering, “Unacceptable. Simply unacceptable.”
Then, getting my phone to retrieve missed calls took another hour, now with Comcast’s helpline. Though the helper knew his stuff, even he found Comcast instructions hard to figure out. In the end, we got there, but I’d spent way too much time and effort on what should be nearly automatic.
Now that it’s up and working, how’s the Comcast service? Very good, indeed. TV reception is reliable, phone sound is clear, and Patrick Leith, my compuguru, called my Internet speeds “freakingly fast.”
Wanna know how fast or slow your Internet connection is? Logon http://speedtest.net or http://www.speakeasy.net.
Kiss the Printer Goodbye
Just when the dust was beginning to settle, my old workhorse printer, an ancient Epson 60, died. So start fresh here, too.
I wanted another simple, worry-free, low-cost workhorse, and I wanted to stick with Epson. I got the $130 WorkForce 310. It’s light and fast, it scans and copies. And it’s more environmentally friendly than old models. Love it. It’s a star in the Starting Over sky.
New Computer, Newer Monitor
Now it was time for another big change… one I'd hoped to avoid. Though my iMac G5 was still running perfectly, I was doing things — including creating videos for YouTube (www.youtube.com/julesolder) — it simply wasn’t up to. So I reluctantly replaced it with my road computer, a much newer MacBook Pro.
It’s a fine piece of machinery, but I spend so much time staring at the screen every day, my eyes demanded a better monitor. I went big — the LG Flatron M237WD. It’s 23-inches, extremely sharp, has a wicked good sound system. It even doubles as a TV or DVD screen. Perfect.
Only here's the rub. Back in ’07, I tested another LG monitor for this column. Then, I wrote: “The instructions that came with it were not only useless but just plain wrong. Result? Good product + lousy instructions = instant fury.”
Damned if it didn’t happen again. The written instructions were all but worthless. The CD manual was only marginally better. The online assistance didn’t deal with this model. Only when I reached the LG helpline by phone was I able to set it up — and then with considerable difficulty.
So I say it again: Great product + terrible customer interface replaces elation with frustration. I love using the Flatron; I hated setting it up.
Failed Keyboard & Trackball
Since I was starting fresh, I tested a new keyboard set, Kensington’s Ci70 Photo Sync, and their SlimBlade trackball. The keyboard has a handy built-in digi camera port, dedicated media keys and hot keys. What it doesn't have is a CAPS lock indicator. So the only way to tell if you're typing in CAPS is when your screen SUDDENLY LOOKS LIKE THIS.
Not good. And I found the SlimBlade trackball not good either — it demanded enough finger pressure that I began to fear RSI. So, for the first time ever, I give Kensington products a flunking grade.
Bigger Backup
All this newness demanded new backup. Once again I went for the company whose devices have never failed me, Seagate. Their FreeAgent Desk is smaller and more powerful than any of its predecessors, and the FreeAgent Go is smaller, still. You can take the Go along wherever you travel. Both FreeAgents installed instantly and went about their important task swiftly and silently.
I've said it before, I’ll say it again — if you're not backing up your data, you're a calamity waiting to happen.
Don’t be that guy!
Jules Older can be found at http://julesolder.com.
