Cyberspace Corner Unity Center
in western North Carolina
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Finding Local Access
"Conscious Web Surfing" article
"Our Perceptions Create Our Environment"

Free E-mail
  • Juno offers free e-mail & internet access for 10 hours a month - all you need is a modem and a PC running Windows. (There are limits on the size of files that you can e-mail; also you can NOT do "attachments" to email.) You do NOT need Internet access. Call 1-800-654-JUNO for info & the software (which is mailed for a small fee, or free when downloaded over the Internet). Their free service is paid for by the ads they send with your email (you need to clean the ads off your hard drive periodically!); they also offer low-cost dial-up services.
Free email only if you have Internet access and a browser:
These are useful for a "backup" address, or free extra addresses for other family members...
  • Gmail is a new kind of webmail, built on the idea that you should never have to delete mail and you should always be able to find the message you want. The key features are: 
    • Search, don't sort. Use Google search to find the exact message you want, no matter when it was sent or received.
    • Don't throw anything away. Over 2,500 megabytes (and counting) of free storage so you'll never need to delete another message.
    • Keep it all in context. Each message is grouped with all its replies and displayed as a conversation.
    • No pop-up ads. No untargeted banners.
  • HotMail
  • Yahoo Mail

Internet Access Providers 

You'll want your Internet provider to have an access phone number that is not long distance for you, or your phone bill from Southern Bell will be a nasty surprise!

IndyLink is a nationwide dial-up Internet access and web-hosting for citizens who want their dollars to support media reform and the creation of a vigorous independent media. the service is aimed at value-conscious Internet users who also want to avoid the commercial clutter and privacy risks of corporate services such as AOL and Earthlink.  IndyLink is a service of the North Carolina-based nonprofit Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN), which has been providing dial-up Internet access since 1996. M.A.I.N. ~ Mountain Area Information Network is a community oriented, non-profit ISP. They have very-low-cost internet access, a well established volunteer program, and they're dedicated to bringing Net access to people who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity. 

Earthlink ~ a national provider, offers local access in Asheville & Hendersonville and several options for dial-up or DSL.

Brinet ~ Blue Ridge Internet & Consulting, Inc.~ access for Hendersonville, Arden, Transylvania & McDowell counties. Standard Dial-up Account: $19.95 / month - credit card only; $10 On-site setup fee-First time visit only; Unlimited access; one E-mail account; 5 mb personal, non-commercial webpage. Call (828)891-3466

Dnet offers local dial-up access in six different counties of WNC: Macon (349-), Jackson (631-), Swain (488-), Haywood (456-), Cherokee (835-), and Clay (835-) counties. Dnet can provide an option for connecting to AOL thru Dnet's local access. All Personal accounts come with email access and free Tech Support.

AT&T WorldNet ~ offers Asheville (318-) access. Unlimited Usage Price Plan or Hourly Price Plans. The AT&T Long Distance Customer Hourly Price Plan provides 5 hours/month for $4.95. If you are not an AT&T Long Distance Customer, the Hourly Price Plan provides 3 hours/month for $4.95. Additional hours in Hourly Price Plans are billed at $2.50/hour.

The ISP List - Independent Service Providers - more than 5,200 ISPs in the U.S. and 182 countries around the world. You can browse The List by state, province, area code, graphic map, or country, or use a search engine to query the database. Each entry includes information like name, telephone number, E-mail address, Web site URL, and available services and fees.

Make sure you install an anti-virus program for Safe Surfing!
(If it's Norton, check on whether you need an update from Symantec!
And remember to do your monthly updates!)

If you need free browser software...download Microsoft Internet Explorer
or download Netscape Communicator
or my favorites: Mozilla's Firefox (browser) & Thunderbird (email).

P.S. ~ Your mother says, "Do your backups... and call home!"

Have fun!
Lytingale

Our Perceptions Create our Environment

from a posting in the I-Sales Digest, a free email newsletter on Internet marketing

We have commented often here in I-Sales Digest about the generous, sharing and giving spirit that is an integral part of the culture of the Internet. It's that very sharing that enables discussion lists like this one to deliver valuable content.

But I'm not sure that the Internet is any different from society at large -- it's really just a microcosm at this point. It does have its warts, after all, with all of the porn, gambling, spam, get-rich-quick schemes, etc, etc. And it also has a large number of good people doing good things.

I'm thinking that maybe the "real world" is the same way. But that the difference is in our perception of the real world, as opposed to the online world. Our perception of the real world is shaped largely by the media -- newspapers, TV, etc. And what do they report? They report the negatives, they focus on the failings of a frail species. We can work on filtering the input from the real world media, but it's tough to hide from the constant barrage of negatives. And this constant barrage of negatives is bound to impact how we feel about the world we live in.

Our perception of the online world, however, is determined by where we hang out. Since it's a pull medium, as opposed to the push mechanism of the other media, we actively choose the input that we wish to receive -- we create our own environment. And I don't know about you, but I don't spend a lot of time online at geraldo.com, hardcopy.com, enquirer.com -- or even nbcnews.com.

We need to build an environment that makes visitors comfortable right away -- and that quickly welcomes and integrates them into our online communities.

Your Striving Moderator,
John Audette - Multimedia Marketing Group
Used with permission

Some interesting thoughts about the Web from Scott Morrison:

Conscious Web Surfing

There is actually some kind of samadhi that kicks in at some point, I think. At any rate, I often get lost in the Web for hours, only to sign off, walk out of my office into the hallway and discover everyone's long since gone home, and the sun's gone down.

The interesting part is that as I develop a taste (sense?) for it, I don't get fatigued at all. It's definitely its own world, and I think how it works for you, me, or anyone, depends in large part on how clearly you define your intentions for being on it.

My brother and I got really clear early on that our purpose was to stimulate and foster as much honesty and affection on the Web as possible, and that itself has been transformative. We did get sidetracked often, especially in the beginning, but somehow managed to find our way back, which has reinforced it greatly.

What I've learned is how absolutely essential that clarity of motive is. It's true in everyday life, and it's totally in your face on the Web. What's more, far from being some kind of "mental/computer thing," the whole experience is laced throughout with the tenderest of feelings and most wondrous and subtle of discoveries.

It is a truly amazing reflection of consciousness itself!

~ Scott Morrison, 21st Century Renaissance

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Unity Center
2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road
Fletcher, NC 28732
(828) 891-8700 or 684-3798