1USA News Wednesday Aug 29, 2001

1USA Customer Newsletter
Wednesday Aug 29, 2001

An opinion:
Do you want AOL for life? Then don't install it.
I get those darn CD-ROMs in the mail - and they go right in the Trash Can.
I wish that I could use them for Target Practice, but the plastic in CD-ROMs is not environmentally friendly!
There are rumors that the new AOL software they are mailing out will *disable* the standard Windows Dialup Networking while installing its own TCP/IP drivers - so that you can ONLY connect to AOL in the future - unless you hire a Tekkie ($$) to un-install AOL and re-install the regular Windows Networking components.

If any of you call in to 1USA saying that you can't connect - after installing the AOL software.... it may be a complicated procedure for a Tekkie to fix it.
If someone you know is currently an AOL subscriber,
have them call AOL's Tech Support and ask the simple question
"Which Windows components will be removed when I remove AOL software?"
and I'll bet they cannot give a straight answer.

1USA knows how to remove AOL and MSN, but it's a pain - which could take an hour or so in the Repair Shop.
You'll probably need your original Windows CD-ROM too. So if you bought a computer without the accompanying Windows CD-Rom or Windows Repair Disk, add another $185 or so for a new license for Windows !!

Fact: In 1998, Fourty-Four State Attorneys General 'convinced' AOL to sign a 50-point Agreement that addressed such issues as:
- after cancelling accounts, they keep withdrawing money from your account.
- after cancelling, people have received phonecalls hawking them to re-join.

Connecticut's Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal continued to receive customer complaints after AOL signed the Agreement.

Two of the promises made in 1998 are:
- honor Stop Service requests
- Maintain adequate customer support operators to process cancellation requests in a timely manner.

So what did AOL just do?
Laid off 1,200 workers. (World News Tonight said 1,700 workers)
Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General Michael Hering met with AOL and told them now it was supposed to work.
Go figure.

What does all this tell you?
It tells you that high profile TV advertising works!
And you remember the old saying: There's a sucker born every minute!

Honestly, AOL serves a great purpose for 15-year olds to sit in chat rooms where they can chat with other 15-year olds from around the country.
Hopefully they will learn something while widening their worldly experiences.
And AOL is also good for people who don't know anything about a computer, and don't wish to learn, and who don't mind paying $24.95/mo. when they could have a 1USA connection that is 20% - 30% faster -- and for much less.

Yes, the AOL intro is free - but do you want to be stuck paying $24.95 for AOL for the rest of the compuer's life? Or pay to have it removed?

One trick is to go into your Credit Card area on AOL and change the credit card number AND the expiration date to end the last day of the current month.
Hopefully, the previous (good) card info will be deleted.
But wait for the following month's credit card statement to be sure!!
Some people have had to call their bank and cancel their credit cards.

*Nothing* from AOL has ever been free. Please remember that.

-- And MSN seems to be doing similar tricks.
We had a new customer sign up recently, who was moving over from MSN.Com.
We also have other customers who used to use MSN.Com in the past - and wanted to remove it from their computers.

#1 - Anyway, in all situations, we had to go into Control Panel > Add-Remove Programs to remove AOL & MSN to stop those "Do you want to connect to MSN?" windows from appearing every 5 minutes.

#2 - Also remove the Shortcut to MSN that's on the Desktop -- if you accidentally click it, it will change your default 1USA connection to MSN as your 'default' internet connection. It is a pain in the butt to re-set your 1USA connection as the default after each occurence.
You Right-click on the MSN icon on the desktop, then select Delete from the little gray menu.

# 3rd step: Even after you remove it using the "Add-Remove programs" step above, MSN *still* wants to take over the computer. Open Windows Explorer and go into C:/program files/ directory and delete the "internet services' folder and the 'MSN folder' .
Sheesh.....

Many 1USA subscribers move over from other ISPs...
-- but the software is getting harder and harder to remove.

For maximum compatibility, 1USA uses the provided Windows Dialer, the Windows Web Browser (Internet Explorer) and the Windows email software (Outlook Express)
1USA does not install any proprietary software onto our subscribers' computers !!!
We value your privacy!
On 1USA, you can use any software you choose -even Netscape, Instant Messengers, etc. They all work.
But if AOL and MSN keep up their antics, it looks like 1USA might have to distribute software that will restore your 1USA settings.

Report on the number of viruses.
Incoming virus attempts from Aug 1 to Aug 15th were more than 100 per day. Most viruses were the two new viruses mentioned in previous newsletters. Activity has slowed down this past week, with an average of 5 per day, of which most of them are the PE_MAGISTR_DAM virus.

Reminder: If you or your kids use HotMail, MSN Mail or other mail account MAKE SURE that your virus protection is up to date, or pay a $75 repair bill at most computer repair shops. Its your choice.

PC-Cillin is downloadable from http://www.pc-cillin.com
No, we don't get paid ro refer them. 1USA recommends it because we want your computer to be running well! PC-Cillin uses the least amount of System Resources. PC-Cillin's updates are usually more frequent than McAfee, Panda or Norton.

1USA Services
While you hear that other internet companies are cutting back, 1USA is growing, thanks to you!
We host new websites, have new Subscribers, and have made various subtle changes on the main website.

This past month, we've had:
* phone lines go down in Houston because of the flood,

Houston built their County Emergency Services Center in the basement of a building.
So guess what got flooded first?
Can you imagine 40 square miles with 16" of water?

* a hard drive went down on a Unix machine,
* The Baltimore Train Tunnell fire and acid spill (on TV) took out fiber-optic lines for Rochester & Albany NY and points north,
* flaky phone lines in Kansas City,
* local storms with their lightning strikes & electrical outages,
* subscribers who got Zapped by lightning and had to replace their modems,
* and a myriad of other little fires to put out,
* and I'm sure that I forgot about a few others...
but at this point, everything is back working again. I'm impressed!

1USA has not been standing still.
We've been working on various new offerings, but will not release them until I consider them worthy.
We've been approached by various companies to bring you various services - but after the sales pitch is over, their service "never happens".

For instance, Back in May, we hoped to bring you "totally computerless email service" (you'd check email via phone or cell phone) and even with a contract signed, they weren't capable of delivering a stable service.

We run across a potentially good service about once a week - but until BarryZ analyzes it, we discover that they are mostly hype, unpolished, or vapor-ware.
Vapor-ware is what we call software that people are selling, but cannot deliver yet because it isn't even written.

It's a shame that hardly any provider out there is reliable.

Hey, Folks, we do it all for you!

1USA Satellite Service continues to pickup many new customers... from New Jersey to California - from Wisconsin to Bermuda, Jamaica, and points south.
Some customers are new to Satellite service while others are moving to 1USA from other services like Nebulink & DirecPC.

Do you use MSN Messenger?

There is a new virus out that spreads via MSN Messenger -- TROJ_NEWPIC.A

TROJ_NEWPIC.A is a non-destructive worm written in Visual Basic 6.0. It propagates via MSN messenger by sending copies of itself to users in an infected user's contact list. This worm creates and drops a file, 1README.TXT and after infection appears in the Task Manager as a process "MsgSprd." Upon execution, it displays the following error message:
" Cannot open file. May be corupted. Replace the file with a new one and try again. "

For more information about TROJ_NEWPIC.A, visit Trend Micro at:
http://www.antivirus.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=TROJ_NEWPIC.A

TROJ_NEWPIC.A is detected by Trend Micro PC-Cillin pattern file #924.

Internet Explorer ServicePak 2 is out. Goto WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.Com to download it.

Code Red Virus
After the recent Code Red virus, Microsoft recently announced FOUR more holes in their IIS Web server software. Hey, aren't we glad we don't use it here at 1USA.
Estimated damage caused by Code Red has already topped $200 Million.
But 1USA is totally immune !!

Talking and Driving

From Ken Sheetz, 1USA Subscriber

The city of York, PA has a new law where it is now illegal to talk on a hand-held Cell Phone while driving. The fine is $75.

    I looked at the "Concentrate On Your Driving" article in a recent 1USA Newsletter.

First, with my years of experience in law enforcement, I think people are completely forgetting to consider the potential hazard that will occur if we make "non hands-free users" pull off to the side of the road. I can guarantee you that there will be many, many accidents due to the motorist pulling from a parked position into the fast lane. We both know that many motorists drive with one-half of their brains. I hope the Commonwealth is ready for all the accidents. If anyone thinks there is going to be a decrease in accidents after the new "hands-free" law applies, they should close their books and enter the real world.

You can bet that motorist will pull over at sharp corners and other potentially hazardous locations. They will pull out into traffic and kill an innocent family that happens to be on the wrong road at the wrong time. Ironically, after the accident, a non-involved motorist will have to pull off onto the berm to call for the police and ambulance!

Personally, I try to use my hands-free phone whenever I can. I do it for possible long-term exposure to the phone itself, not for a driving safety issue. In order to use your hands-free phone, you have to look down, over or up at the phone, not the road, to dial the number. At least when holding the phone, I can place the phone directly in front of me which permits me to see the phone and the road at the same time. Try doing that with a hands-free system. I realize that manufactures are starting to offer a voice-dialing phone. I wonder how well that will work when the car radio is on and the kids feel like screaming in the back seat.

I realize talking on a mobile phone while driving increases the chance of an accident. This is in addition to turning the car stereo to another station or picking up the Big Mac that is on the passenger seat. And did you know that you can drive a vehicle in your bare feet? I can drive in my bare feet and have my Big Mac in one hand and the morning newspaper in the other hand!

In summary, watch the cars parked along the road. Don't worry about knowing if they are someone you know. You can find that out when you exchange information after the accident!

Ken Sheetz, 1USA Subscriber
Retired Police Officer

In an effort to reduce spam, AOL's email service now refuses to receive emails going into AOL from servers that do not properly identify themselves in the worldwide DNS system.
1USA had this operational since October of 1999. Hey, AOL, what took you so long?

People who have the PeoplePC service are having general email problems.
PeoplePC is the TV-advertised low-cost provider (that eats a hole in your wallet for 3 years ) or so they say.
Anyway, PeoplePC.Com doesn't own their own Email Servers, they outsource it. The company they outsouce to has a reputation of sending Spams, and consequently gets their IP addresses blocked frequently. If you know anybody who signed up for PeoplePC, tell them to get an email account on 1USA. Yes, there is a charge for it, but IT WORKS!

If the PeoplePC customers aren't smart enough to buy anti-virus protection for their computers, then if they use non-protected services like Yahoo Mail or HotMail, then the customers will be spreading viruses to their friends, and PeoplePC Company will have one large Tech Support problem trying to get people to pay the monthly rental/purchase for the computer, won't they!
Joining 1USA is their best option!

Gateway computer stock slapped with "junk" status
Gateway's (GTW) corporate credit and bank loan rating was slashed to "junk" status on Wednesday. Standard & Poor's cited the industry price war, declining revenue and its projected inability to reach profitability until 2002.

Change - an issue that makes people nervous and uncomfortable.
Most people are fearful of change because they don't believe they have any control over how or when it happens to them.
Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, what matters most is the attitude we have about change.

How do you cope with change?
These days, most work environments are finally recognizing the urgent need to get their computers and other business systems up to speed and able to deal with unprecedented change.
Businesses are only just beginning to realize is that this is not enough -- we need to help people get ready, too. This is why we have http://College.1usa.com

Do you have fear and anxiety about managing the future?
Can you even try to manage the future?
    Take one small step at a time. Take the time to make better decisions. Ask yourself "What would my Father do in this situation?"
and learn from experience. If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, you haven't learned it yet.

Another major ISP is in trouble.
Excite At-Home is the service that does cable-modems in Chicago, Atlanta, downtown Philadelphia.
Today they disclosed that a creditor is demanding $50 million by Aug. 31, jeopardizing its ability to stay in business. (Hey, you have to pay for those T-1 lines if you use them !!)

AT&T owns about 55% of the @Home stock. ComCast, the Philadelphia company that is supposed to be delivering @Home service into southeastern Pennsylvania (namely Reading PA) by October, will probably have difficulty doing so.

Because the 1USA DSL offerings are at the same pricing points that the Cable-Modem service was to come in at, and because 1USA's speed is TWICE for the same price, we weren't concerned much about people bailing out of 1USA to sign up with cable-modems.

Plus there are security issues too. Cable-modem subscribers can generally log onto each other's computers because they are sharing the same bandwidth, not so with 1USA's DSL which is your own private connection. Using a Cable-modem and some readily available hacker tools, a nasty kid could upload a Porn picture onto your computer, then turn you into police. Ask the (former) President of Harvard University who got burned this way, and was asked to resign.
    Resign due to stupidity? The stupidity of ignoring the need for computer security.
  You heard it here.

At-Home shares ended last week down 43 percent.

The vultures

Yahoo (YHOO) is the portal that makes the vast majority of its money selling ADVERTISERS access to its tens of millions of VISITORS.
For 5 years now, Yahoo has been pumping its sales when online advertising was hot and buffering the company when the market cooled.
But Yahoo reported its first quarter-over-quarter decline in page views last month in part of what seemed to be a broader leveling of Web traffic - where people are TIRED of being treated as a pair of EYEBALLS on web pages -- and in Commercial Offers put right into Yahoo mailboxes.
***Nothing on the internet is "free" -- you pay in one way or another.***
The only purpose of those Free Email accounts out there is to fill your mailbox with Special Offers!
Like I said before... many companies will treat you like a Wallet, and nothing more. And the larger the company, generally the worse they are.

Speaking of big....

Microsoft sent its next-generation operating system, Windows XP, to computer makers, who will begin including it with new systems starting on Oct. 25.
This new operating system is the first that turns away from the Windows 98 kernel and the Windows Millennium kernel and is totally built on NT. NT has been notorious for not running all the software that can be run on 98 & ME. If you have favorite software, make sure it runs on XP before buying into XP.
Also, in XP, Microsoft also wants custody of your Login Names, Passwords, Credit Card numbers, and your other internet identities.
Read the article on Passport in a previous 1USA Newsletter.

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	1USA Customer Newsletter Wednesday Aug 29, 2001

	An opinion: Do you want AOL for life? Then don't install it. I get those darn CD-ROMs in the mail - and they go right in the Trash Can. I wish that I could use them for Target Practice, but the plastic in CD-ROMs is not environmentally friendly! There are rumors that the new AOL software they are mailing out will *disable* the standard Windows Dialup Networking while installing its own TCP/IP drivers - so that you can ONLY connect to AOL in the future - unless you hire a Tekkie ($$) to un-install AOL and re-install the regular Windows Networking components. If any of you call in to 1USA saying that you can't connect - after installing the AOL software.... it may be a complicated procedure for a Tekkie to fix it. If someone you know is currently an AOL subscriber, have them call AOL's Tech Support and ask the simple question "Which Windows components will be removed when I remove AOL software?" and I'll bet they cannot give a straight answer. 1USA knows how to remove AOL and MSN, but it's a pain - which could take an hour or so in the Repair Shop. You'll probably need your original Windows CD-ROM too. So if you bought a computer without the accompanying Windows CD-Rom or Windows Repair Disk, add another $185 or so for a new license for Windows !! Fact: In 1998, Fourty-Four State Attorneys General 'convinced' AOL to sign a 50-point Agreement that addressed such issues as: - after cancelling accounts, they keep withdrawing money from your account. - after cancelling, people have received phonecalls hawking them to re-join. Connecticut's Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal continued to receive customer complaints after AOL signed the Agreement. Two of the promises made in 1998 are: - honor Stop Service requests - Maintain adequate customer support operators to process cancellation requests in a timely manner. So what did AOL just do? Laid off 1,200 workers. (World News Tonight said 1,700 workers) Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General Michael Hering met with AOL and told them now it was supposed to work. Go figure. What does all this tell you? It tells you that high profile TV advertising works! And you remember the old saying: There's a sucker born every minute! Honestly, AOL serves a great purpose for 15-year olds to sit in chat rooms where they can chat with other 15-year olds from around the country. Hopefully they will learn something while widening their worldly experiences. And AOL is also good for people who don't know anything about a computer, and don't wish to learn, and who don't mind paying $24.95/mo. when they could have a 1USA connection that is 20% - 30% faster -- and for much less. Yes, the AOL intro is free - but do you want to be stuck paying $24.95 for AOL for the rest of the compuer's life? Or pay to have it removed? One trick is to go into your Credit Card area on AOL and change the credit card number AND the expiration date to end the last day of the current month. Hopefully, the previous (good) card info will be deleted. But wait for the following month's credit card statement to be sure!! Some people have had to call their bank and cancel their credit cards. Nothing from AOL has ever been free. Please remember that.

	-- And MSN seems to be doing similar tricks. We had a new customer sign up recently, who was moving over from MSN.Com. We also have other customers who used to use MSN.Com in the past - and wanted to remove it from their computers. #1 - Anyway, in all situations, we had to go into Control Panel > Add-Remove Programs to remove AOL & MSN to stop those "Do you want to connect to MSN?" windows from appearing every 5 minutes. #2 - Also remove the Shortcut to MSN that's on the Desktop -- if you accidentally click it, it will change your default 1USA connection to MSN as your 'default' internet connection. It is a pain in the butt to re-set your 1USA connection as the default after each occurence. You Right-click on the MSN icon on the desktop, then select Delete from the little gray menu. # 3rd step: Even after you remove it using the "Add-Remove programs" step above, MSN still wants to take over the computer. Open Windows Explorer and go into C:/program files/ directory and delete the "internet services' folder and the 'MSN folder' . Sheesh..... Many 1USA subscribers move over from other ISPs... -- but the software is getting harder and harder to remove. For maximum compatibility, 1USA uses the provided Windows Dialer, the Windows Web Browser (Internet Explorer) and the Windows email software (Outlook Express) 1USA does not install any proprietary software onto our subscribers' computers !!! We value your privacy! On 1USA, you can use any software you choose -even Netscape, Instant Messengers, etc. They all work. But if AOL and MSN keep up their antics, it looks like 1USA might have to distribute software that will restore your 1USA settings.

	Report on the number of viruses. Incoming virus attempts from Aug 1 to Aug 15th were more than 100 per day. Most viruses were the two new viruses mentioned in previous newsletters. Activity has slowed down this past week, with an average of 5 per day, of which most of them are the PE_MAGISTR_DAM virus. Reminder: If you or your kids use HotMail, MSN Mail or other mail account MAKE SURE that your virus protection is up to date, or pay a $75 repair bill at most computer repair shops. Its your choice. PC-Cillin is downloadable from http://www.pc-cillin.com No, we don't get paid ro refer them. 1USA recommends it because we want your computer to be running well! PC-Cillin uses the least amount of System Resources. PC-Cillin's updates are usually more frequent than McAfee, Panda or Norton.

	1USA Services While you hear that other internet companies are cutting back, 1USA is growing, thanks to you! We host new websites, have new Subscribers, and have made various subtle changes on the main website. This past month, we've had: * phone lines go down in Houston because of the flood, Houston built their County Emergency Services Center in the basement of a building. So guess what got flooded first? Can you imagine 40 square miles with 16" of water? * a hard drive went down on a Unix machine, * The Baltimore Train Tunnell fire and acid spill (on TV) took out fiber-optic lines for Rochester & Albany NY and points north, * flaky phone lines in Kansas City, * local storms with their lightning strikes & electrical outages, * subscribers who got Zapped by lightning and had to replace their modems, * and a myriad of other little fires to put out, * and I'm sure that I forgot about a few others... but at this point, everything is back working again. I'm impressed! 1USA has not been standing still. We've been working on various new offerings, but will not release them until I consider them worthy. We've been approached by various companies to bring you various services - but after the sales pitch is over, their service "never happens". For instance, Back in May, we hoped to bring you "totally computerless email service" (you'd check email via phone or cell phone) and even with a contract signed, they weren't capable of delivering a stable service. We run across a potentially good service about once a week - but until BarryZ analyzes it, we discover that they are mostly hype, unpolished, or vapor-ware. Vapor-ware is what we call software that people are selling, but cannot deliver yet because it isn't even written. It's a shame that hardly any provider out there is reliable. Hey, Folks, we do it all for you!

	1USA Satellite Service continues to pickup many new customers... from New Jersey to California - from Wisconsin to Bermuda, Jamaica, and points south. Some customers are new to Satellite service while others are moving to 1USA from other services like Nebulink & DirecPC.

	Do you use MSN Messenger? There is a new virus out that spreads via MSN Messenger -- TROJ_NEWPIC.A TROJ_NEWPIC.A is a non-destructive worm written in Visual Basic 6.0. It propagates via MSN messenger by sending copies of itself to users in an infected user's contact list. This worm creates and drops a file, 1README.TXT and after infection appears in the Task Manager as a process "MsgSprd." Upon execution, it displays the following error message: " Cannot open file. May be corupted. Replace the file with a new one and try again. " For more information about TROJ_NEWPIC.A, visit Trend Micro at: http://www.antivirus.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=TROJ_NEWPIC.A TROJ_NEWPIC.A is detected by Trend Micro PC-Cillin pattern file #924.

	Internet Explorer ServicePak 2 is out. Goto WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.Com to download it.

	Code Red Virus After the recent Code Red virus, Microsoft recently announced FOUR more holes in their IIS Web server software. Hey, aren't we glad we don't use it here at 1USA. Estimated damage caused by Code Red has already topped $200 Million. But 1USA is totally immune !!

	Talking and Driving From Ken Sheetz, 1USA Subscriber The city of York, PA has a new law where it is now illegal to talk on a hand-held Cell Phone while driving. The fine is $75. I looked at the "Concentrate On Your Driving" article in a recent 1USA Newsletter. First, with my years of experience in law enforcement, I think people are completely forgetting to consider the potential hazard that will occur if we make "non hands-free users" pull off to the side of the road. I can guarantee you that there will be many, many accidents due to the motorist pulling from a parked position into the fast lane. We both know that many motorists drive with one-half of their brains. I hope the Commonwealth is ready for all the accidents. If anyone thinks there is going to be a decrease in accidents after the new "hands-free" law applies, they should close their books and enter the real world. You can bet that motorist will pull over at sharp corners and other potentially hazardous locations. They will pull out into traffic and kill an innocent family that happens to be on the wrong road at the wrong time. Ironically, after the accident, a non-involved motorist will have to pull off onto the berm to call for the police and ambulance! Personally, I try to use my hands-free phone whenever I can. I do it for possible long-term exposure to the phone itself, not for a driving safety issue. In order to use your hands-free phone, you have to look down, over or up at the phone, not the road, to dial the number. At least when holding the phone, I can place the phone directly in front of me which permits me to see the phone and the road at the same time. Try doing that with a hands-free system. I realize that manufactures are starting to offer a voice-dialing phone. I wonder how well that will work when the car radio is on and the kids feel like screaming in the back seat. I realize talking on a mobile phone while driving increases the chance of an accident. This is in addition to turning the car stereo to another station or picking up the Big Mac that is on the passenger seat. And did you know that you can drive a vehicle in your bare feet? I can drive in my bare feet and have my Big Mac in one hand and the morning newspaper in the other hand! In summary, watch the cars parked along the road. Don't worry about knowing if they are someone you know. You can find that out when you exchange information after the accident! Ken Sheetz, 1USA Subscriber Retired Police Officer

	In an effort to reduce spam, AOL's email service now refuses to receive emails going into AOL from servers that do not properly identify themselves in the worldwide DNS system. 1USA had this operational since October of 1999. Hey, AOL, what took you so long?

	People who have the PeoplePC service are having general email problems. PeoplePC is the TV-advertised low-cost provider (that eats a hole in your wallet for 3 years ) or so they say. Anyway, PeoplePC.Com doesn't own their own Email Servers, they outsource it. The company they outsouce to has a reputation of sending Spams, and consequently gets their IP addresses blocked frequently. If you know anybody who signed up for PeoplePC, tell them to get an email account on 1USA. Yes, there is a charge for it, but IT WORKS! If the PeoplePC customers aren't smart enough to buy anti-virus protection for their computers, then if they use non-protected services like Yahoo Mail or HotMail, then the customers will be spreading viruses to their friends, and PeoplePC Company will have one large Tech Support problem trying to get people to pay the monthly rental/purchase for the computer, won't they! Joining 1USA is their best option!

	Gateway computer stock slapped with "junk" status Gateway's (GTW) corporate credit and bank loan rating was slashed to "junk" status on Wednesday. Standard & Poor's cited the industry price war, declining revenue and its projected inability to reach profitability until 2002.

	Change - an issue that makes people nervous and uncomfortable. Most people are fearful of change because they don't believe they have any control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, what matters most is the attitude we have about change. How do you cope with change? These days, most work environments are finally recognizing the urgent need to get their computers and other business systems up to speed and able to deal with unprecedented change. Businesses are only just beginning to realize is that this is not enough -- we need to help people get ready, too. This is why we have http://College.1usa.com Do you have fear and anxiety about managing the future? Can you even try to manage the future? Take one small step at a time. Take the time to make better decisions. Ask yourself "What would my Father do in this situation?" and learn from experience. If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, you haven't learned it yet.

	Another major ISP is in trouble. Excite At-Home is the service that does cable-modems in Chicago, Atlanta, downtown Philadelphia. Today they disclosed that a creditor is demanding $50 million by Aug. 31, jeopardizing its ability to stay in business. (Hey, you have to pay for those T-1 lines if you use them !!) AT&T owns about 55% of the @Home stock. ComCast, the Philadelphia company that is supposed to be delivering @Home service into southeastern Pennsylvania (namely Reading PA) by October, will probably have difficulty doing so. Because the 1USA DSL offerings are at the same pricing points that the Cable-Modem service was to come in at, and because 1USA's speed is TWICE for the same price, we weren't concerned much about people bailing out of 1USA to sign up with cable-modems. Plus there are security issues too. Cable-modem subscribers can generally log onto each other's computers because they are sharing the same bandwidth, not so with 1USA's DSL which is your own private connection. Using a Cable-modem and some readily available hacker tools, a nasty kid could upload a Porn picture onto your computer, then turn you into police. Ask the (former) President of Harvard University who got burned this way, and was asked to resign. Resign due to stupidity? The stupidity of ignoring the need for computer security. You heard it here. At-Home shares ended last week down 43 percent.

	The vultures Yahoo (YHOO) is the portal that makes the vast majority of its money selling ADVERTISERS access to its tens of millions of VISITORS. For 5 years now, Yahoo has been pumping its sales when online advertising was hot and buffering the company when the market cooled. But Yahoo reported its first quarter-over-quarter decline in page views last month in part of what seemed to be a broader leveling of Web traffic - where people are TIRED of being treated as a pair of EYEBALLS on web pages -- and in Commercial Offers put right into Yahoo mailboxes. *Nothing on the internet is "free" -- you pay in one way or another.* The only purpose of those Free Email accounts out there is to fill your mailbox with Special Offers! Like I said before... many companies will treat you like a Wallet, and nothing more. And the larger the company, generally the worse they are.

	Speaking of big.... Microsoft sent its next-generation operating system, Windows XP, to computer makers, who will begin including it with new systems starting on Oct. 25. This new operating system is the first that turns away from the Windows 98 kernel and the Windows Millennium kernel and is totally built on NT. NT has been notorious for not running all the software that can be run on 98 & ME. If you have favorite software, make sure it runs on XP before buying into XP. Also, in XP, Microsoft also wants custody of your Login Names, Passwords, Credit Card numbers, and your other internet identities. Read the article on Passport in a previous 1USA Newsletter.