"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Judy wrote:
Apparently he doesn't need an excuse. I've tried to convince him to at
least check into it. I think he's intimidated by any change.

Is DSL even available where he is?

I think it is.

I did a google search for DSL availability and used the Endicott zip code.
It says Verizon has plans available - they start at $19.99 a month. I can
check that out further without verifying their phone carrier first.

That seems like a wonderful solution to me. I can't believe he really wants
to stay on dial-up. But it's been a no-go every other time I've brought it
up. Maybe if the other option is paying that much for a second phone line
it might convince him.

My mother offered to send him home with me to get him out of her hair. I
wish I could have a rational conversation with her and ask if she might
prefer living in a dementia center (there is a *wonderful* one nearby her
house) over living with him NOT that he doesn't take good care of her but
they get very frustrated with each other a lot. She doesn't remember most
of the time that she owns the house and thinks she's living I don't know
where. So there's no emotional attachment to the house per se - just to
living independently. (!) And then he could get on with his life. But I
can't have that conversation with her anymore.

Hey - I just remembered. He has a friend (sadly, I think his only one) who
might be coming down from Syracuse to visit for Christmas. This friend is a
real "guy" and would probably join me in encouraging him to go to some real
internet access. That might work.

If not, I may have to be a bully.

Judy

In article ,
Judy wrote:
That seems like a wonderful solution to me.

I think it's optimal. Any reason you can't go ahead and
have it installed, and delete the dial-up profile from the
PC?

Hey - I just remembered. He has a friend (sadly, I think his only one) who
might be coming down from Syracuse to visit for Christmas. This friend is a
real "guy" [ ... ]

FWIW I'm not crazy about this construction.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Judy wrote:
That seems like a wonderful solution to me.

I think it's optimal. Any reason you can't go ahead and
have it installed, and delete the dial-up profile from the
PC?

Picking my battles. I'm trying to make him feel like he has made the
choice. Otherwise if it doesn't work perfectly 100% of the time, it will be
my fault and my problem. To be solved long distance. Or at least to be
told the story of all he had to go through to make it work - even though
*he* didn't even want it.

Nah. Stepping in and just *doing* it is my last resort. He'll come around
to some sort of solution. I just have to find the right one and the right
words to sell it.

real "guy" [ ... ]

FWIW I'm not crazy about this construction.

If you had ever met my brother................

And isn't it "guys" who are interested in gadgets? (Insert emoticon here)

Oh wait. I have a daughter. *She* may actually be a "guy" in that respect.
Maybe I can get *her* to convince him that changing isn't that difficult.

He actually thinks he's basically mechanical and even technologically savvy.
The truth is that I had to go up and help him change the front door from the
screen to the window for winter. He calls and brags to me when he spends an
entire afternoon raking leaves in the backyard. It's about 60 x 60. And I
*know* he uses AOL because it's easy and it's installed and anything else is
just too intimidating.

Judy

In article ,
Judy wrote:
Picking my battles. I'm trying to make him feel like he has made the
choice. Otherwise if it doesn't work perfectly 100% of the time, it will be
my fault and my problem. To be solved long distance. Or at least to be
told the story of all he had to go through to make it work - even though
*he* didn't even want it.

Hah. Funny how often technical problems aren't actually
technical. Overall it sounds like a set of extremely
difficult tradeoffs.

And isn't it "guys" who are interested in gadgets? (Insert emoticon here)

It's the stupidest thing but women still aren't taken very
seriously in technology, science, and math, and the number
of women students entering those fields in university is
declining. I look forward to being able to joke about
"guys" and technology and have it be recognized as a joke,
but I don't think we're there yet.

He actually thinks he's basically mechanical and even technologically savvy.
The truth is that I had to go up and help him change the front door from the
screen to the window for winter.

Hah.

Hey! Rutabaga curling championships this Saturday!!
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
It's the stupidest thing but women still aren't taken very
seriously in technology, science, and math, and the number
of women students entering those fields in university is
declining.

As I said, I have a daughter..........

And, as it happens, she is kind of in the middle of all that. Being a
college chemistry professor and not a guy.

I look forward to being able to joke about
"guys" and technology and have it be recognized as a joke,
but I don't think we're there yet.

Okay,true, but you and I are there, right? Well, at least *I* am.

Hey! Rutabaga curling championships this Saturday!!

I actually just looked at the website to get the schedule. I'm looking at
the weather and it doesn't look like that's going to be a problem on
Saturday. So we'll see what fresh new hell the parents can come up with
between now and then. But I'm hopeful yet again that I might actually make
it up to watch!

Judy

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
Drop a line if you're coming up.

I will do that. I probably won't know until at least Friday.

And don't just come up to
watch, come up to roll a rutabaga.

Hey - I looked at the website. It costs 5 bucks to do that! And I'm
retired. And have you seen the stock market lately? We're on austerity
budget here. Dogs, wine and books are not yet limited but rutabagas? I
don't know............

Judy

"Judy" wrote in
:

And I *know* he uses AOL because it's easy and it's installed and
anything else is just too intimidating.

AOL has a free service wherein you provide the connection (DSL or
broadband) but can keep and use your AOL email address, browser, etc.
If he is just really, really attached to AOL, there's no reason he has
to give it up.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

"Shelly" wrote in message
09...
AOL has a free service wherein you provide the connection (DSL or
broadband) but can keep and use your AOL email address, browser, etc.
If he is just really, really attached to AOL, there's no reason he has
to give it up.

They just can't let their people go, can they?

Actually, I have heard about that - now that you mention it. That might
help him.

Thanks,
Judy

In article ,
Judy wrote:
Okay,true, but you and I are there, right? Well, at least *I* am.

I actually use "guy" a lot but I use it to refer to network
or architectural elements ("this guy sends a message to that
guy ... ").

I actually just looked at the website to get the schedule. I'm looking at
the weather and it doesn't look like that's going to be a problem on
Saturday. So we'll see what fresh new hell the parents can come up with
between now and then.

My mother arrives tonight. She thinks that because she's
Canadian she's immune to the weather, but she hasn't lived
someplace cold for over 40 years and I don't know how well
she'll do outside for a few hours with the temperature in
the 20s.

The guest bedroom is unheated (old farmhouse ... ). Ha ha
ha.

But I'm hopeful yet again that I might actually make
it up to watch!

Drop a line if you're coming up. And don't just come up to
watch, come up to roll a rutabaga.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Judy" wrote in
:

They just can't let their people go, can they?

No, they cannot. Y'all may not have a choice but to keep AOL! If
you stop using their pay service, I recommend keeping a close eye on
whatever account they're sucking money from.

I tried them for about a week, which should have been free. I called
to stop service, got the hard sell to keep it free for something like
90 days. I said no. All was well and good until about a year later,
when they suddenly started billing my CC. I had a hell of a time
getting them to refund the charge, because they insisted that I'd re-
started my account. Um, no. The infuriating part was that they
required me to give them my CC number in order to get a refund. I
figured, I didn't ask for their service, and they obviously had the
number, so they did not need me to give it to them. I went through
three or four managers before giving up.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)