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skulk: To lie or keep in hiding, as for some evil reason. To move or go in a mean, stealthy manner. |
Wednesday November 3, 1999 WebSkulker
Newsletter |
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http://skulkers.rule@032176250231/%66a%71%2eh%74m%6c will cause most web browsers to go the the WebSkulker FAQ page? We will give the answer on Friday. The only response we received so far is from Jr. Skulker Uncle Brucie who got one out of three parts of the answer correct. We invite all of you to keep working on this contest and see if anyone can email mr.skulker@webskulker.com with a complete answer before Friday. In yesterday's issue we discussed two talking caller ID devices, but forget to mention our favorite feature that both of these devices have and we have never seen anywhere else. Your telephone company probably has a feature with a name something like "Anonymous Call Rejection", often called "block the blocker". This is for people who have caller ID boxes and don't want to talk to anyone who blocks their id. If you have this feature turned on and someone calls with their id blocked, they will get a recording from the phone company telling them that your number doesn't accept blocked calls and perhaps explaining how they can unblock and call you back with their id showing. This feature expresses WebSkulker's sentiments because he won't answer the phone for people who block, but he refuses to use this feature because it is too strong. We have seen situations where people were calling from a blocked phone that they had no control over and simply could not unblock. For example a friend was in a hospital for several weeks and all the outgoing lines were blocked. The PBX system wouldn't allow a patient to dial a code to unblock, so if we had Anonymous Call Rejection the friend would not have been able to call. WebSkulker has been to cities where calls made from his cellular phone were coming through as blocked and because of quirks in the roaming arrangement he could not send any codes to unblock. Both the Meridian 9516 CW and the Microsoft Cordless Phones solve this dilemma with a feature that lets you record a message in your own voice to be played only to people who block their caller ID, and then allows them to leave a message. We call this our "punishment message" and made it long and boring. It explains why we feel strongly about blocking and gives the code to unblock if they want to call again. But if they can't use the code or refuse, at least they can leave a message and we can call them back. Of course we might also be listening to them over the monitor speaker as they leave their message and might pick up if they have a good excuse for blocking.
http://www.10-10phonerates.com In the past we have discussed several legal ways of
making free long distance phone calls. (Go to the archive and
search on these words: free NEAR long distance) We have
been getting some questions lately about the best regular long
distance plans, and these three sites should give you all the
information. The first is run by an independent salesman who is
an agent for many of the smaller long distance companies.
WebSkulker and some of his friends have been dealing with this guy for
years and like the rates he has been able to get for us. Go to
his page and click on "The Rates". The second site is apparently run mainly as a hobby,
but they get referral fees from some long distance carriers.
They ask that if you want to visit a carrier's site to sign up for a
plan, please do it via the link on their page as they might get a
commission. The third site specializes in keeping up to date
with rate plans of the "1010" companies. You probably
don't want to make all your calls this way, especially not with the
companies you see on TV because they are generally rip-offs, but it
often makes sense to have a default carrier for calls in the U.S. and
use 1010 codes to call overseas.
This site "presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II..." WebSkulker enjoys reading about the history of telephone systems, so we liked this site because of the ads placed by Western Electric through the years. Go to the search page and do two searches, one on "telephone" and and the other on "Western Electric" to get some good examples. See perhaps
the world's first portable computer: You
can also learn why it's good for a table radio to weigh 300 pounds:
"The
Ad Critic was created for those who find advertising more than just an
annoyance between TV shows. Advertising is a part of every culture.
With 96% of households with TV's, and only 92% with running water,
it's no wonder." Their site contains hundreds of current
and past ads in QuickTime format. If you need the plug-in, get
it from: Be sure to check out the Top 10.
You might be a Redneck if... One of your kids was born on a pool table. WebSkulker is a daily newsletter in html format. To
subscribe or unsubscribe, go to our web site at http://www.webskulker.com
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with precisely the following: To change your subscription to a new email address, unsubscribe from the old address and then subscribe to the new address. This newsletter is copyrighted 1999 by The WebSkulker. You may use any material in this issue for any reason provided that you attribute it to the WebSkulker Newsletter and include the URL to our web site: http://www.webskulker.com . |
