HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: nathan@laplace.biology.yale.edu (Nathan F. Janette)
Subject: Re: Digital Answering Machines?
Reply-To: nathan@laplace.biology.yale.edu
Organization: Yale University, Department of Computer Science, New Haven, CT
Distribution: world,local
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 15:33:48 GMT

In article <sherman.702631025@foster> sherman@unx.sas.com (Chris Sherman)  
writes:
> In <30MAR92162556@smaug.hacks.arizona.edu> omf@smaug.hacks.arizona.edu (Oscar  
Fowler) writes:
> 
> >I like the idea of a digital answering machine - not having to mess around
> >with cassettes and all that.  I know AT&T has one model.  Does anyone
> >have any experience with this machine, or others like it?

> I see that you use a computer.
> 
> If you happen to have a PC at home, you might want to
> consider one of the several cards you can get for your PC
> that can act like a very programmable digital answering
> machine (with the hard drive as a storage medium).
> 
> I think you can also get cards that can understand touch
> tones too, so you can set up an pseudo-phonemail
> messaging system "if you want to leave a message for Bob,
> hit 1; Sue, hit 2; etc" 

[ cross-posted to comp.sys.next.misc so they can gloat ;-) ]

Perhaps you have a NeXT computer? ;-)

If so, you could have such a home/office voicemail system that
understands DTMF, is programmable by icons, can send voicemail
in email messages, also works as a fax and data modem, etc.

The limitations to the currently available product are the rather
high price (~$800), and the single-line capacity.

---
Nathan Janette		"I'm a NeXTstep man,
Dept MB&B, Yale Univ	 I'm a NeXTcube guy"
New Haven, CT
nathan@laplace.biology.yale.edu (NeXT)



--
Nathan Janette		"I'm a NeXTstep man,
Dept MB&B, Yale Univ	 I'm a NeXTcube guy"
New Haven, CT
nathan@laplace.biology.yale.edu (NeXT)
From: mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: credit history reporting
Date: 14 Apr 1992 23:10:36 GMT
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Inc.
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: gelato.mips.com
Keywords: secured card, credit report

In article <1992Apr14.140559.413@ibmpa.awdpa.ibm.com>, satya@netmail.austin.ibm.com (Satyanarayana Rao) writes:
|> Hi,
|> I have a secured credit card with Citibank for the last 6 months or so.
|> I am regularly paying off all the bills. They have not reported the credit
|> history to the credit bureau and they they do not do it for secure cards.
|> Is it correct(fair?). They actually have my money with them in the form of 
|> CD as a security but if my payment record is good don't they have to report
|> it. I am sure they would do it if it were bad record. Is there any thing I
|> can do to make them report?
|> Any suggestions will be appreciated.
|> Please email to satya@netmail.austin.ibm.com
|> 
With a secured credit card you are not borrowing money from them, you are
borrowing it from yourself.  Since there is no credit issued, there is
nothing to report.  Go buy something small from a jeweler or retailer
that offers their own credit.  The rates are high, so keep the amount
small.  Pay it off on time, and start working on your credit rating.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: luoni@bosco.mlb.semi.harris.com (Perry Luoni)
Subject: Re: ***WARNING: BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH ALLSTATE INSURANCE!***
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 12:47:02 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Melbourne FL

In article <1992Apr9.001136.6358@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> kh43543@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ford Prefect) writes:
>
>****Don't buy Allstate Insurance--- You'll have a hard time getting money
>from them when you need it.....****
>
>Hi everyone, I'm currently in a claim dispute with Allstate Insurance Co.
>On Feb 28 of this year, I got into an accident with one of their insured
>with a car I barrowed from my Aunt. Eventhough the accident was clearly
>their insured's fault, Allstate is refusing to pay for damages. 
>
>So if you have to deal with Allstate, be very very careful.....And if it's
>within you power, don't buy their insurance. Talk to a State Farm agent first
>before you decide.....
Well I have a story too.  I have bought insurance from Nationwide and State Farm in
the past and currently I have State Farm.  When I first got my 1983 Pontiac Trans Am 
I called Allstate about insurance.  At the time I was over 25 and married and had no
tickets or accidents to my name.  Allstate refused to insure the car at all.  This 
made it clear to me that Allstate was a seriously fucked up company.  I will never
ever even consider using Allstate again since their sole basis for deciding if I was
eligible for there wonderful insurance was the car I chose to buy.  Nationwide and
State Farm both had no problems with my car and I have filed a couple of minor (non
accident) claims with each in the past 10 years with no problems.  I also have
problems with GEICO on their stance on radar detectors but that is a whole nother
thread.


From: lubrin@hpihoah.cup.hp.com (Marlo)
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1992 20:58:11 GMT
Subject: Excellent Projection TV?
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Newsgroups: misc.consumers

Hello,

I've started to shop around for a projection TV (prefer 40-46") and am willing
to spend $2600 or less. I'm looking for a good picture/audio quality and
reliable set. Any recommendations or experiences with such products that
you could relate to here are greatly appreciated.

Also, does anybody know if Consumer Reports or any magazine have published
any ratings survey on such products? If so, what issue would that be?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Marlo lubrin

Email: lubrin@hpihoah.cup.hp.com
From: ag423@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Frank Fijalkovich)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Buy American parrots (was Re: 1991 Lincoln Continental.)
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:03:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: usenet.1992Apr13.170300.6797
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)


The unions of which you speak made this country what it is. It 
is mismanagement that is the problem. Some of you say that the 
the average wage is $40,000 a year, that's untrue ! If you work
for one of the big three maybe but there are hundreds of 
independent part suppliers that belong to the UAW that don't make
anything near that amount. It's been said that anyone woulkd take 
their jobs for half the money. Not everyone is qualified to do
that. I am a tool & die maker in such a plant and the average 
person would have to take 4 years of unpaid night school as
well as working full time for low wages to make the money that 
I make. Most of you people bashing these unions really have no
concept of what you're talking about. Let Bush tear them apart
and see how long it takes to trickle down into you're non union
jobs. Then we'll see how you like it when the shoe is on the 
other foot.
-- 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: ksingh@den.mmc.com (kpmeister)
Subject: VCR Tune-up worthwhile?
Organization: Martin Marietta Astronautics, Denver
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 20:27:21 GMT


Hello,

I have a Mitsubishi 4-head VCR.  Recently, I've noticed that
the quality of my recordings from TV has degraded noticeably.
Even when I record on LP (4 hr) speed, the resolution is not
so great.  It is not crisp - it looks kind of smudged.

What I'm wondering is this.  I believe I have two options:

1.	Using an Allsop Wet cleaning system to see if that helps.
2.	Taking it to a shop to have it tuned up.

Is the tune-up really worthwhile or is it basically things you
could do yourself?  What exactly does a tune up consist of?

Do I have other options that I have not thought of?

Thanks much.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy
From: jon@cyclone.MITRE.org (J. E. Shum)
Subject: Re: capturing caller id data
Originator: jon@cyclone
Organization: The MITRE Corp. McLean Va.
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 16:41:11 GMT


In article <1992Apr04.040917.14098@disk.uucp>, tony@disk.uucp (tony) writes:
> Well, it may not be universally known, but you can prevent folks 
> with Caller ID devices from getting your number.  Just precede 
> the number you want to call with 1167 (rotary phones) or *67 
> (tone phones).  I think doing this would be particularly useful 
> if you were dealing with a company like a collection agency, as
> they would be more likely to use Caller ID than the average 
> consumer.  This way, say you were a debtor, you could negotiate 
> a payment plan before identifying yourself.  I use the *67 
> dialing prefix whenever I have to call a party I'm unfamiliar 
> with as I feel it is my prerogative to introduce myself when, 
> and if, it is appropriate.
> 					Tony Safina
> 					disk!tony@uunet.UU.NET

I could be wrong about this but I don't believe that the 1167/*67
option is available universally.

Also, I feel that trying to negotiate payment on a debt without
identifying oneself is somewhat questionable and I would be
surprised if anyone who was owed money would even talk to 
someone attempting such a thing.  Certainly I think blocking
their caller id is ok (they don't need your phone number in
order to discuss payment), but standard telephone protocol 
dictates that identifying oneself by name immediately upon
the distant party answering is not only appropriate but
mandatory in civilised society.

-- 

<jon@mitre.org>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: shiela@goliath.Stanford.EDU ()
Subject:  Outrageous telephone rate for local calls..
Organization: Makalu Mountain Hermitage, Mt Makalu, Nepal
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 00:08:25 GMT


Hello netters,

What is a reasonable rate for local phone calls?  Stanford
charges $11 plus one time $35 installation charges, for
unlimited calls... Pacific bell charges about $8
for the same services.

Some stanford students are suing the university communications
services, which has a monopoly to telephone service to univ
and all the dorms.

But get this:  a friend in Illinois, in area 618-236-xxxx
is having to pay: $55 installation charge + $16 per month
PLUS A PER CALL CHARGE of 0.045$... is this reasonable?
How could Ilinois bell charge so much more than pacific bell?

I would like to hear from someone who has had to get a phone
conection in the above mentioned area.

Thanks all.

--shiela "mad at phone company"

P.S. The first attempt to post this article failed... this is
     my second try.
From: Joe.Francis@dartmouth.edu (Joe Francis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: capturing caller id data
Date: 12 Apr 92 23:28:22 GMT
 <f0KJ02SJc1ms00@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> 
 <1992Apr8.200455.23021@athena.mit.edu> 
 <1992Apr9.005456.11245@mdd.comm.mot.com>  <35069@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

In article <35069@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>
edp@math.zko.dec.com (Eric Postpischil) writes:

> My local phone company offers RingMate, which provides the
> customer with a second phone number that has a distinctive ring pattern.
> I have given the new number to friends and family, but not businesses. 
> The new number is unpublished (which is free for the second number).  I
> get a rare wrong-number on the new number, but otherwise I can answer it
> always knowing it is somebody I want to talk to.  Further, telemarketers
> always get my answering machine, and they rarely leave messages.  This
> has made my phone much more useful to me.  You say that calling-line
> identification does not provide much utility because it does not
> distinguish callers, only lines.  Yet actual experience has PROVEN to me
> that a single BIT of information is greatly useful -- more bits would be
> better.  Calling-line identification would be even better than RingMate
> -- it would provide a lot more information, even if it did not provide
> all possible information.

While I would not presume to tell you whether or not you would find CID
more useful than RingMate, I find your above explanation lacking. 
There is more goin on here than a mere "number of bits" comparison. 
What is more important than "number of bits" is what the bits mean.  I
bet, for instance, that you would prefer RingMate to having 64K bits of
info about the current whether conditions at the origin of the call.

With RingMate you have the knowledge that the call is from someone you
want to answer calls from (or an occassional wrong number).  Though
CallerID can give you more information, whether that information is
more useful is a question of personal taste.  For people who want to
answer calls from others who are on the move, calling from
unpredictable locations, RingMate provides more USEFUL info than CID. 
For people who cannot remember phone numbers (like me) and who  do not
wish to attach doo-dads to their phone (again like me), RingMate would
be more useful.

I think RingMate is a very useful product.  The only reason I don't
have it is that I've discovered the ultimate way to avoid phonus
interuptus: I just leave the phone unplugged except when I wish to
place a call.  (Not a solution for everyone, obviously.)
From: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Privacy (Was Caller ID)
Date: 7 Apr 92 01:35:04 GMT
Article-I.D.: pyramid.180919
Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA

In article <1992Apr06.174137.16375@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM> cooper@endeavor.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Bob Cooper - Extension 7429 external 739-7429) writes:
>On a related note.  I was just wondering if it is legal to record
>incoming phone calls without notifying the caller?  Anyone have any
>real knowledge on this one?
>
    Check the front of your Phone Directory published by your local
    Telco.  It mentions that this is a no-no.

    Also not too bright if you are a president...

    "Real knowledge"? on the Net?  Shirley, you jest.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.privacy
From: Edward_Engler@TRANSARC.COM
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Finding a good mechanic
Date: 7 Apr 92 13:22:39 GMT
Article-I.D.: transarc.cdsO8Tz0BwwDM2qpAc


In general, I've found that the level of quality of auto service at
chains (whether they're franchises or not) is low.  They have to have
lots of mechanics, so they can't be very selective.  The only auto
service I get from chains is tires.  Other than that, I stay away.  I
believe the same thing is true of dealerships, except that they probably
have a slightly better internal training courses.  I only go to dealers
for warrantee work.  And far too many of those visits were repeats
(re-visits to fix something they claimed to fix at least once before).

I find that reliable, knowledgable, trustworthy mechanics are found at
small, one shop businesses.  They are often family businesses (which has
pros and cons).  The single most important characteristic of these shops
is that it takes around a week to get an appointment at one.  If it
takes less than that, they are compromising by hiring too many
under-qualified mechanics to do the backlog of work.  The good shops
don't care about the backlog as much as making sure they hire good
mechanics.

These shops may or may not have gas stations attached to them.  If they
are family businesses, make sure the younger person is a good
mechanic/businessman as well because that person will be taking over
soon, and the personality of the garage can change dramatically.

The best way to find these shops is by word of mouth.  Barring that, try
several small shops with your next few repairs.  Start with the most
convenient one - you may get lucky.  Good signs are: mechanics who you
actually like, lack of secretaries (ie the mechanic fills out your
paperwork and takes your payment), and surprisingly low AND accurate
estimates (this will be immediately obvious by asking what their hourly
labor charge is - under $30/hr is a good sign).  A long-term good sign
is that the same problem doesn't happen again.

Good Luck to you all,
Ed Engler
From: sokolov+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jeff Sokolov)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Moving companies
Date: 17 Apr 92 16:29:34 GMT
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

I'll be moving cross-country this summer and am soliciting recommendations
for cheap and reliable moving companies.  I am not willing to put all
my stuff in a truck and tow my car myself.

Would you please send any and all recommendations to me at
sokolov@andrew.cmu.edu.  Please include as much information
as possible.

Thanks,
Jeff Sokolov
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu (jason reiser)
Subject: Re: Mail order soft lenses
Organization: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 03:54:41 GMT

inna@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Inna Lauris) writes:
> 
> I remember sometime ago there was a number of postings regarding
> mail-order soft lenses. Unfortunately I did not save it.
> 
> If someone saved the phone numbers , can you mail to me. 
> 
> Can people who had experience iwth mail-order companies, share their
> experiences ? I'll collect them , and if there is enough interest, 
> I'll post the summary.
> 
> 
> 
> 					Inna


I didn't see the previous post, but here's my 2 cents:

Dial A Contact Lens
1-800-233-LENS
or
619-459-4144
619-459-5014 fax
		
			- Jason Reiser
 
 
  /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
  \                                                            /
  / Jason Reiser  Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 \
  \            E-Mail at jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu            /
  /                    Or Call 518-581-7079                    \
  \                                                            /
   \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (K. Khan)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Speaking of Insurance and Tickets...
Date: 10 Apr 92 16:51:04 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

What sorts of violations will cause your insurance rates to go up?
Clearly a claimiable accident will raise your rates, but what about
things like speeding tickets and other "victimless" moving violations?
What's your experience?
From: masticol@cadenza.rutgers.edu (Steve Masticola)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Discrimination at Mitsubishi
Date: 15 Apr 92 13:28:45 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

berger@atropa (Mike Berger) writes:

>masticol@cadenza.rutgers.edu (Steve Masticola) writes:
>>Wow. I've taken shit from dealerships before, but never like that.

>>I think you have a case for lawsuit and criminal prosecution of Mr.
>>Avery on grounds of slander and racial harassment.

>I don't see how.  If the conversation was recorded illegally, it is
>probably not admissible.  If it wasn't recorded at all, there is no
>proof that it took place as described,

I believe Rajiv transcribed it from hand-written notes. As far as I
know, there is no law against taking notes of a phone conversation.

>and remember that a third party
>claimed to listen to the conversation and denied that it happened as
>transcribed here.

As far as the third party ("Bill Gordon") goes, he worked for the same
dealership that Avery did, and had every reason to lie about the
foul language and racial epithets having taken place.

>I have doubts myself.  The original note seems to be literate, with
>proper grammar and spelling, but the phone conversation transcription
>is riddled with obvious errors.  It makes me wonder how accurate it
>is.

See above for the reason why. I'd tend to believe in the transcription
_more_ because of the errors, since it was transcribed from
hand-written notes. It's awfully hard for someone who isn't a trained
stenographer to make "pretty" notes while carrying on a phone
conversation. The errors make the evidence more believable; a
polished, grammatically-correct transcription would be suspect.

Also, in a court of law, spelling and grammar in evidential documents
should count for nothing. Content counts.

>I guess I don't understand why it went on as long as it did.  You
>won't get anywhere arguing with an idiot.

Except to get more rope to hang 'em with :-)

- Steve (masticol@cs.rutgers.edu)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: sbender@navajo.dsd.es.com (Steve Bender)
Subject: Re: ***WARNING: BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH ALLSTATE INSURANCE!***
Organization: Evans & Sutherland
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 15:56:52 GMT

I have used Allstate for the past 8-years... In that time I've had to
file two claims (one home and one auto).  Both claims were handled 
quickly and easily.  I'm pleased with Allstate... My agent, I could
do without.

-- 
Steve Bender
Evans & Sutherland
(801) 582-5847
Salt Lake City, UT 84108

sbender@dsd.es.com

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: berger@atropa (Mike Berger)
Subject: Re: Sales Tax on Mail Orders
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 19:11:58 GMT

barry@playfair.Stanford.EDU (Barrett P. Eynon) writes:
>I just ordered a computer from Dell in Texas and was charged sales
>tax.  I live in California.  I have heard several opinions(wife,
>friends, colleagues) about the legality of this. (My accountant,
>presumably the most likely of these personal sources, didn't know).

>Does anyone on the net have an *authoritative* source of information
>on this?   
*----
Use taxes have been legal for many years, though the enforcement
of collection has been pretty lax.  As long as Dell pays California
the tax they collected, it's legal.

--
	Mike Berger
	Department of Statistics, University of Illinois
	AT&TNET     217-244-6067
	Internet    berger@atropa.stat.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: wstef@hubcap.clemson.edu (W. Gregg Stefancik)
Subject: Tear Gas, Capstun Products
Organization: Clemson University
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 13:55:05 GMT

I am interested in a evaluations of these sorts of products.  I
understand that the peper based mace style products are superior to the
CS products.  I would like to gather information on these products both
personal "tests" and scientific data.


-- 
W. Gregg Stefancik
wstef@eng.clemson.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: cooper@endeavor.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Bob Cooper - Extension 7429 external 739-7429)
Subject: Privacy (Was Caller ID) 
Organization: Your Organization Here
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 92 17:41:37 GMT

On a related note.  I was just wondering if it is legal to record
incoming phone calls without notifying the caller?  Anyone have any
real knowledge on this one?

-- 

        -Bob Cooper 
	 Systems Architecture
	 Bob.Cooper@ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM
	 (803) 739-7429
	 (803) 796-9250
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: paulj@b8.ingr.com (Joey Paul)
Subject: Radio Tower in Neighborhood
Organization: Intergraph
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 09:03:08 GMT


We live near a radio tower (~100 yds) and experience the following:

1). TV interference on certain channels (varies from day to day).

2). Continual interference on our phones.

3). Interference on our answering machine.

4). When we turn on our PC we get built in FM on the speaker.

Basically, anything with a speaker picks up the radio transmissions.



-- 

===============================================================================
           Joey Paul             uunet!ingr!jp4104!paulj     (UUCP)
        ( 205 ) 730-4104         paulj@jp4104.b8.ingr.com  (INTERNET)
From: borowski@hpspkla.spk.hp.com (Don T. Borowski)
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 19:41:07 GMT
Subject: Re: Radio Tower in Neighborhood
Organization: Hewlett Packard Company, Spokane, Wa.