January 2009 - test-neighbhorhood@test.highlandparkpa.com

[Highland Park] binders taken
by Lori Kasenter 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

Thanks, everyone. Lori

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[Highland Park] Verizon/Comcast/FIOS/DSL
by Bob Staresinic 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

Below are responses to the postings about Verizon vs Comcast. Sorry for the delay in getting these out. Rather than sending each message out, I decided to put them all into one email. Unfortunately, I did not stop procratinating soon enough. I switched to FIOS several months ago and am totally underwhelmed. It took some time to get the internet access portion straightened out; numerous calls to the tech department later, I finally figured out the problem myself and it's been OK every since. I don't find it any quicker than DSL, and sometimes, slower. Because of the battery backup unit and router, you really need a dedicated electrical outlet; they installed this stuff in my basement where the outlets are wired with the overhead lighting, so I have to keep some of the lights on all of time for the router to operate. The telephone portion periodically has so much noise in the background that I call people from my cell phone. It's unacceptable but I haven't been able to get anyone out to fix it. Bottom line - if you're happy with DSL, stick with it until they get the bugs worked out of FIOS. Dana Ash Ashworkz Consulting LLC Business Management & Accounting 412 661 5714 412 661 0807 Fax ****************** Just wanted to mention I have been very happy with my comcast DSL and phone service. Outages are infrequent and fixed readily. (However I probably would not have their phone service if I didn't have a cell bc of the occasional outage.) Jessica **************** I was just about to subscribe to Verizon for DSL service but noticed the recent email about intermittent DSL service from Verizon. That, in addition to the fact that Verizon took 10 days to connect my landline when I moved from one place to another in Highland Park, is making me reconsider. Not to mention an entire street left without phone service for more than a week! The most recent Consumer Reports has rated Verizon highest for quality and quite low for service. They have very little to say about Comcast. Any recommendations on the relative merits of Verizon and Comcast DSL service in this neighborshood would be most welcome. I don't want/need FiOS at this point. I have a Verizon landline and Comcast cable. Thanks, Neepa Majumdar **************************** I've had Verizon FIOS for a while. The telephone service is great. We have not had a problem. The transition from Verizon DSL to FIOS was a nightmare. In order to set up a wireless network be prepared to plug every wireless pc or notebook directly into the router in order to get the router to recognize each workstation. The speed doesn't seem any faster than DSL and in the case of wireless it may be even slower. Be sure to have the router as close to the center of your network for best signal strength. It is also helpful to upgrade to a stronger router antenna. As for which service provider is better, in my opinion, Comcast and Verizon both stink when you have a problem. In any event, I'm looking forward to getting FIOS TV because Comcast is worse in value, quality and customer service. Harold ********************************** I have been having the same type of trouble with Comcast DSL ----their service is progressively going downhill ----I also am interested in any feedback on FIOS............Thank you -------- Frank ---- Highland Ave ************************* This is a somewhat related question... Does anyone know which parts of HP are set up for Verizon FIOS? I am currently with Comcast but willing to switch to Verizon FIOS because I am disappointed in programming choices....they offer very little international programming. Verizon FIOS will offer me THE ONLY channel I really want ( TV 5 Monde)...but when I checked on-line...it appears that it is not available in my section of HP...1000 block of Farragut. Does anyone have info? I do not want satellite...that would be the other option to get TV5. Thanks in advance for any info..... Lori ********************* For what it's worth, I've used Comcast for cable/phone/broadband since I moved to Highland Park in 2007 and have no serious complaints (other than the cost). I've experienced similar frustrations with Verizon (terrible customer service) in the past and will never go back. I know lots of people have their own Comcast horror stories, but my own experience has been pretty good. *********************** I must admit, my experience with Verizon and the FIOS Internet service has been very good. I have had it for about 8 months (and no, I don't work for them!). I have not had any significant outage problems, and the speed is tremendous. I am sorry to hear that others have had problems. Personally, I recommend the service enthusiastically. When FIOS TV service becomes available in the city, I think I will switch to that from DishNetwork. ************************* I've had Verizon FIOS for about a year and have not had any problems........knock on wood. I pay for 15 Mbps download and 2 Mbps uploading and they consistently are close or exceed these speeds. You can check your speed at the following websites.... http://www2.verizon.net/micro/speedtest/hsi/ or http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ (I also get about 6.5 Mbps and 700 Kbps on my home wifi.) I opted to have my copper wire for phone service removed and replaced it with fiber(I didn't want to add another overhead wire) when they installed FIOS and have not experienced any problems with our landline. I also had the battery pack installed in my basement, but fortunately had an outlet nearby. After having FIOS, it would be difficult to go back to DSL, but it's all relative.........I used to think my 56 kbps modem was really fast too. It all depends upon what your needs and expectations are. I have Verizon DSL at work and call every month to get an update on when FIOS will be available there. I've also have had my frustrations with Verizon, but thru my experiences at work with other dialtone providers have found Verizon to provide better overall service. It sometimes takes awhile to get a live person, but normally they have been able to take care of any service problems at work. Don't be afraid to call back and speak to another agent if you have doubts about the quality of information you have been given. I look forward to the availability of FIOS TV in the City so we can possibly get some competitive cable rates! Jeff Leber Wellesley Avenue ****************** FIOS is great. Our DSL just kept getting slower. Highly recommended. David Adomites Sheridan Ave ****************** We've had Verizon DSL service for several years. I work for Carnegie Mellon and have to rely on it for some work-related issues. I'm also an adjunct instructor teaching online for a university in Philly (with students from around the world). Therefore, I have to devote parts of my weekends to working online. So having a reliable Internet provider is vital for me. Also, I'm a very demanding customer in terms of my expectations for quality of service. When it was time to leave our dial-up service behind, I did a great deal of research about whether we should get DSL or Comcast's cable modem. FYI, I'm a librarian so doing research is in my blood. :-) As a librarian, I support the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. So I investigated what comments were being made to computer science faculty and students about what kind of service to get in there homes. They do not offer any recommendations about a particular vendor but certain observations made the choice obvious to me. The positives for going with DSL were: - Dedicated line for our Internet service; whereas, a cable line is shared with neighbors in the area. - Since a cable line is shared within a neighborhood, network performance will degrade when lots of users log on (e.g., when everyone gets home from school or work). - Since a cable line is shared, our Internet connections are more susceptible to "network sniffing", a method of eavesdropping on network communications (an analogy would be like a wiretap on a phone line). Now, bear in mind, DSL lines are not completely immune from such security threats. But personally we like to reduce security issues as much as possible. So we decided to go with DSL. In the several years we've had our DSL service, we've only had an interruption about 3 times. In each case we reported it and the problem was resolved within a couple hours at most. We have not decided to go with FIOS service--at least at this point. The speed of our connection has been fine. Sure, there are occasional times it's a tad bit slower than normal. So whenever possible, we log on later. But we also just can't justify the cost increase for the FIOS service. If we ever decide to go with FIOS, it probably won't be for a few years. BTW, sometimes the slowness of your computer may NOT be your network connection. Some users are not good about cleaning out the cache in their browsers and in their temp directories. If you don't know about them and haven't cleaned them out, you'll start to suffer slowness in your computer after a few months of getting your computer. You should clean out those caches at least once a week, preferably daily if your family does lots of Internet browsing. Here's an article about the network sniffing issue: http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/hsoffice/sniffing_a_cable_mode… Missy Harvey

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[Highland Park] Great Morningside Cafe
by Jessica Miller 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

I had a wonderful experience at the new Morning Glory cafe in Morningside: http://www.secreteye.org/m/ Very clean, you can see at the link above more about it. The sign is a bit hard to see but it is worth finding this place! Jessica Miller

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[Highland Park] static interference
by C.Heather Kropf 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

For the past year or so I have been experiencing increasing static interference on my TV, phone, radio, and stereo speakers. I'm pretty sure this kind of interference is illegal (true?) and I'm wanting to figure a way to make it stop.I was just curious to know if anyone else has been experiencing the same problem recently?Heather _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_allup_explore_012009

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[Highland Park] Reliable plumber
by JOHN MCPEAK 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

A reliable licensed Plumber. Pittsburgh Sewer and Drain Bill Dugas 412.726.1217

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[Highland Park] free binders
by Lori Kasenter 19 Jan '09

19 Jan '09

Hi Neighbors, We have about 30 empty 8 1/2 x 11 binders, ranging from 1" to 3", all say "CRAY" in big friendly letters. They've been sitting in the attic for 10 years and are a bit grimy and dusty from that but otherwise in very good shape. These are free to the first person who wants ALL of them and will pick them up. Lori Kasenter

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[Highland Park] MAC-Apple help
by P Morelli 18 Jan '09

18 Jan '09

Hi Does anyone have recommendation for a MAC computer tech. I have an iBook G4 OS-X Panther 10.3.9 and would like to upgrade my operating system to OS-X Tiger or OS-X Leopard---any leads would be appreciated. Thank you, Pierina Morelli

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[Highland Park] Chinese & Indian cooking classes offered in February
by Dorothy Tague 18 Jan '09

18 Jan '09

Both the Chinese and the Indian Series are 4 weeks long. The cost is $220.00 for the series. The menu for Chinese: Wed. eve. Feb 18, 25, March 4 & 11 pearl meatballs, Szechuan peanut noodles, pork pot stickers, egg drop soup, Mandarin beef, Polo chicken, honey hoisin ribs, crab puffs, hot & sour soup, lettuce wraps mango shrimp stir fry, jalapeno beef, fried rice, coconut shrimp, steamed chicken dumplings, Hunan pork with black beans, lo mein, kung pao chicken, egg rolls, pineapple fish, wonton soup, mu shu pork, General Tso's chicken & deep fried tropical fruit roll. The menu for Indian: Sat. afternoons Feb 21, 28, March 7 & 14 Chicken tikki masala, chine brined shrimp & mango skewers, pilau rice, naan, mango chutney, banana chutney, a variety of riatas, roast chicken with almonds, mango lassi, lamb kebobs, saffron rice, poori, gulab jamon, tomato date chutney, pakoras, pistachio apricot biryani, tandoori chicken chick pea chili flatbread, mattar paneer, lemon rice, butter chicken, lamb korma, paratha, kheer and samosas. Dorothy 412-362-0679

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[Highland Park] another kitty
by Susuboombatz＠aol.com 17 Jan '09

17 Jan '09

Well, I believe I sent an e-mail about this kitty in the late Summer/Fall. It is wearing a flea collar; front paws are de-clawed. It is mostly black with white down the bridge of its nose; all four paws are white and its underneath has white markings here and there. It is super sweet - it was outside on our patio this morning, we opened the door and it came in. My husband spent about 1 1/2 hrs combing and brushing mats out of its fur - so it is styling now. We will not put it back out in the cold and we cannot keep it - we have two indoor cats and one already took swats at it & hissed through the glass door!! We are going to take this kitty to the Humane Society on Hamilton Avenue. I usually do not take this route - but it is too cold for it to be outdoors. If this is your cat or know who it belongs to or if you would like this kitty - please contact me immediately by e-mail! Thanks, Sue **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=htt… cemailfooterNO62)

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[Highland Park] plumber reccs
by Valerie Sweeney 16 Jan '09

16 Jan '09

Hey all - I looked back in the archives for plumber recommendation and couldn't find any. (Lots of requests for...) So here's another request for plumber recommendations. Thanks, Val Sweeney

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