The Computer & The Cowboy

By C.A. Rodenberger, PhD. 

I continue to be amazed at the stampede to the Internet and the use of E-mail. The requirement for the telephone companies to permit access to other cities has given me, and many others located in the boonies, access to a toll-free number. I am no longer restrained by the fear of ten cents a minute to be on-line. The fierce competition for Internet access has driven down those costs.

Customers in Goldwaithe can get unlimited access for $18.95. I get unlimited for $19.95 and am considering trying the option of 50 hours a month for $18.50. I can elect 20 hours for $14.50. Because I will probably be using the Net at least one hour a day, I will need more than 20 hours a month.

I can now access America On-Line through the Internet, which stops the ten cents a minute, which will let me keep my AOL E-mail address. I prefer the ease of the AOL system for E-mail because I already have my address book. I also have my stock portfolios in AOL, and it has some Net access methods that are easier than Netscape.

Another amazing development is that a provider in our local phone area is giving free access to the public library and school system. I got the Cross Plains Public Library on line, but they have a low cost computer that needs to be replaced. When I get it on-line and type a couple of words, the screen goes dark and the computer reloads Windows. Another phenomenon is that we have a local computer entrepreneur in town who is going to give us a quotation on a new system. It is good to have service available locally.

I have given my system a good workout lately. My wife is publishing a book at Texas A&M Press that will be entitled Texas Women Writers: A Tradition Of Their Own, which contains a number of essays from contributors. They have a tight schedule and mailed copies of their part to each contributor asking for comments in a few days. Most comments were received by E-mail or FAX on the computer. Some contributors were in Europe and other scattered places. My wife has a co-author located in Bryan. When I got a comment from a contributor I simply forwarded it to her and a lot of work got done in a hurry. For a few days she was sending several messages a day. Sure beats snail mail.

If you aren’t on the Net, this is a good time to get a real bargain in a computer system.

E-mail address: crodenberg@aol.com.