Monthly Archives: March 2008

Hardware/Software

Vonage dial-out problem

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VonageUpdated below

I had a Vonage dial tone, but every time I tried to dial out, the dial tone would continue on through the number-pad entries, and the dialed number would sound busy. The dial tone continued sounding in the background. I was unable to connect to any dialed number.

I rebooted my modems and the Vonage modem, but still the dial out problem persisted.

As a last resort, I unplugged the power supply from my telephone, and then plugged it back in. That solved the problem in it’s entirety. I’m not sure why that solution worked. Possibly the problem had something to do with the phone’s circuitry when I turned off the power via the fuse box in order to install a ceiling fan.

All in all, I’m happy with my Vonage account. It’s much cheaper than a regular land-line telephone account and includes all the features in Vonage’s basic fee that would be cost-plus with other providers. Vonage is also much cheaper than those solutions sold by cable television and internet providers.

The only other issue I’ve encountered is the caller id time-set problem, which I covered here.

Update: I’ve had this dial tone problem occur one more time. Rather than reboot everything, I merely unplugged the phone’s power supply from the wall socket power outlet, plugged it back into the power outlet, and everything was good to go one more time. Why is it happening? I don’t know, but I consider it to be a minor annoyance.

Disappointments

D.B. Cooper is good for tourism

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Renewed speculation in the D.B. Cooper case has been encouraged by the discovery of a deployed parachute near Amboy, Washington.

A tattered, half-buried parachute unearthed by kids had D.B. Cooper country chattering yesterday over the fate of the skyjacker, who leapt from a plane 36 years ago… newsday.com from AP

I’m left wondering if the latest publicity stunt storm is just that, dreamed up by an imaginative individual who would like to increase tourist travel to the region. What better way than to deploy an old parachute and have someone eventually stumble on it in the woods? Of course, I, along with many others, hope it’s all true. Old D.B. — and yes, he is getting old by now if he’s still alive — lives on.

Link to latest speculation here.

My previous speculation here.

Politics, Stupidity plain and simple

Nipple ring security alert!

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I’ve heard it all now, courtesy of Teh Stupid Administration:

A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation. — msnbc.com Travel News from AP

Of course, it happened at an airport in Texas. What can one expect, considering where the current Leader of the Great Free WorldTM claims residency on his hat ranch?

Link to article here.