Helpline: Modem Problem

Rob Cook writes: "Before assuming that it wasn't installed correctly you need to consider two things. 1) Is there a surge protector and if so is the phone line plugged into it? If yes bypass the surge protector (SP) and see if the modem works when plugged in directly to the wall. If it does replace the SP as it is broke; and 2) If after bypassing the SP the modem still dosent work plugged in directly to the wall then the phone line itself needs to be checked by the phone company. If there is no dial tone the modem will never work. Software will not matter one bit. I spent over a year working for an ISP in tech support, this was a very common problem espicaly after a T-storm."

Danny writes: "Excellent point, Rob! Thanks for the input"

To Build or Update: Clayton Computers

Lynda Clayton (Email, call 515-727-4978, or visit ClayonComputers.com) talks about the upgrade special we've been advertising -- and sticks around for the help line. Have a computer question or problem you can't handle? Give Lynda a call; there's no charge.

Events: Tractor Ride, Taste of Des Moines

WHO Radio events guru Molly Pins (call 515-242-3669 or email MollyPins@ClearChannel.com) checks in and gives last-minute rundown and details on Mark & Gary's Great Iowa Tractor Ride; also previews this year's Taste fo Des Moines for us, the music, the food & the fun, July 18 & 19.

Who are "The Wise Guys"

A "panel of experts" would best describe our show.  Not so much us, but
the guests we invite to be on the show.  The hosts are actually several
people, although you most often hear from the three of us: web guy Danny Bishop,
FM radio disk jockey and home entertainment guru Corey Allen and Mac network
administrator Dan Adams (in order of studio seating).  Other wise guys you
hear on the show from time to time are WHO Historian, Attorney and Sunday news
anchor George Davison and staff IT manager Jeff Hansen.

Call us at 284-1040 or 800-469-4295. Or email us!

Geocaching to the Buddy Holly Shrine

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valenz and "The Big Bopper" performed their last show at
the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on February 2, 1959. Following the show, the
three rock & rollers boarded a four-seat airplane in a light snow at the Mason
City airport -- the plane being piloted by 22-year-old Roger Peterson. Five
minutes into their fateful flight, the plane was observed (from the airport)
drifting downward when the tail light went dark. In the early morning light, a
search revealed that indeed the plane had crashed and all aboard killed. I've
placed a virtual cache in memory of the four young men -- and to all who follow
to pay their respects and remember them fondly through the monuments built.

To find the shrine, plug the coordinated below into your GPS.  

N 43° 13.2223 W 093° 22.8853 (WGS-84) 

MapQwest

Hoaxes and Urban Legends?

Will Bill Gates really pay you $500 for every email you forward to your
friends?  Does little Michelle in Kenya really need a new liver?  Should you
really delete that file on your computer if someone emails you & says it's a
virus?  You probaby get all these claims in your inbox and wonder if you should
alert your friends and collegues about it.  Fact is, it's probably just a hoax. 
You can check to make sure by visiting Snope2.com or the Symantec web site. 
www.snopes2.com

Real Estate Expert

Robin Polder is a walking FAQ on Real Estate.  From learning how to avoid PMI
(primary Mortgage Insurance) to deciding how much to ask for your home, she'll
have some tried & true advise for you.  Feel free to contact her direct at
robinpolder@dsmhomes.com or see
her web site: http://www.robinpolder.com.

Online Dating Expert

Ever wonder what kinds of people really get into online dating? Does it work? Are there horror stories? Ask Brenda Ross, our online dating expert from www.About.com and www.GeekCheck.com.

Recipe Lady Diane Roupe

For info about the Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook, contact Diane by mail: The
Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook, 904 12th St., West Des Moines, IA 50265.  Call
(515) 267-1188.  One of the recipes we talked about was the Maid Rite.  While
there isn't an exact Maid Rite recipe in the cookbook, we found several recipes
on the web:  Recipe One
| Recipe Two.

Who's Spying on You?

In past episodes, we've spoken of unwittingly downloading and installing
freeware/shareware containing spyware, which sends various information to an
organization that in turn sells the information for money. This web site
discusses that concept and what to do about it.
http://www.cexx.org/

Ad-Aware is a program that will locate and delete known spyware, and will
report to you when a program on your computer is unwittingly uploading info.
Here's where you can download Ad-Aware:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

Who's who at WHO, 29 WHO Radio personalities

We've been spending a lot of time compiling raw information collected over
the years, from picture books to one-sheet history pages written by station
managers. Here's a page of people who we think have made significant historical
contributions to this radio station from the beginning to present.
CLICK
HERE

Heating and Cooling Expert

From Geothermal energy to hi-tech thermostats, Brian Leech of Alger-Leechman
Heating and Cooling talked to us a while back with some helpful and interesting
consumer tips.  Call Brian in Des Moines at 957-WARM (957-9276).

Iowa
Sex Offender Database

Across the state of Iowa, there are more than 5,000 individuals registered
with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.  There are 770 out of state registrants. 
Look at the stats. 
Our guest was Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation Special Agent-in-chage
Steve Bogle.

Spy on the satellites

Where are the satellites in the sky?

J-Track 3D will tell you exactly where hundreds of satellites are located in
realtime.  There are options to show tracks (both sky and earth tracks), show
only selected satellites, and even give you details about individual satellites.

Poll Shift Preparation

Did you know the planet is going to shift on its axis in May?  That's the
claim of a web site called

www.PoleShiftPrepare.com apparently put up by some guy named Jeremy. 
"Jeremy explains why he believes a large planet - up until now considered
hypothetical by astronomers - will pass between the Earth and the Sun causing a
pole shift in 2003. The pole shift will set off worldwide cataclysms - massive
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and hurricane force winds", according to the
web site.  There are preparedness tips, news items and more details about what's
supposed to happen.

UN Security Council Resolutions

You hear about 'em.  Everyone's talking about 'em.  But do you know
what they say?  For instance, when the President refers to UN Resolution
1441 for authority to use military force against Iraq.  In order to have an
educated opinion, one should read the resolution.  In fact, you can read
ALL UN resolutions
right here!

A few good thoughts for any day...

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for
   may not follow.  Do not walk beside me either.  Just pretty much leave me the
   hell alone.


2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky
   tire.


3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your
   neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.


4. Sex is like air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any.


5. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
   


6. No one is listening until you fart.


7. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.


8. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.


9. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car
   payments.


10. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That
    way, when you criticize them you're a mile away and you have their shoes.


11. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.


12. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he
    will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.


13. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably
    worth it.


14. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.


15. Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield.


16. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.


17. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad
    judgment.


18. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it
    back in your pocket.


19. A closed mouth gathers no foot.


20. Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it
    holds the universe together.


21. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.


22. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
    


23. Never miss a good chance to shut up.


24. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.


25. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our butt.  Then
    things get worse.


26. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the
    same night.


27. There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."


28. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
    


29. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a
    big deal about your birthday; around age 11.


30. Fools rush in and get the best seats.


31. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

Urban Legends...

...are those stories you get in
your email, usually forwarded to you by a
friend, family member or co-worker, that are
supposed to sound true and unbelievable,
heart-wrenching or touching in some way. 
You're frequently encouraged to pass them on
to several other people ("send this to all
your friends and you will have good luck and
fortune all day").  You get the idea.  Now see
some of the sites that debunk these myths. 
There's even a site that will assist in
writing them.

Urban Legends Reference Pages



http://www.snopes.com/

Urban Legend Zeitgeist


http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/

Urban Legends and Folklore from About.com


http://urbanlegends.about.com/

Urban Legends Research Center


http://www.ulrc.com.au/

Urban Legends from ScamBuster.org


http://www.scambusters.org/legends.html

The Urban Legend Combat Kit


http://netsquirrel.com/combatkit/


How Urban Legends Work from HowStuffWorks.com


http://people.howstuffworks.com/urban-legend.htm


Urban Legends and Modern Myths from
Warphead.com


http://www.warphead.com/urbanlegends/


Urban Legends from DarwinAwards.com


http://www.darwinawards.com/legends/


Darwin Awards (Just a cool site)


http://www.darwinawards.com/

The Darwin Awards honor those who improve
our gene pool by removing themselves from
it.

Testing your actual bandwidth

So how fast is your Internet connection?  To find out, read on.  There's a
myth that using the Ping command will give you tell you how fast your connection
is.  The truth about ping is that is measures latency, the round-trip time it
takes for a server to respond to a request.  Latency is critical for real-time
gaming, but not nearly as important for typical surfing or large file
downloading.  True bandwidth measuring is done by download/uploading a file
from/to a server.  There are many factors that can affect this test, such as
Internet traffic, server performance, connection speed and the performance of
your on computer.  Here are some sites that discuss bandwidth in much more
detail.  DSL Reports" (aka
"Broadband Reports") is one of the most popular broadband sites, providing
industry news, tweaks and tests. 

Here's one of their bandwidth tests. 

The Bandwidth Place has some quick speed tests. 

Here's their basic test.  They also let you test bandwidth on your local
network so you can find out how your 10/100 NIC or 11 Mbps wireless network is
really performing.

Rod & Rochelle, Web gurus!

Rod Anderson and Rochelle Bunett began as competitors, both with their own
unique strengths.  They eventually found that they could do better if they
put their different skills together under one company.  This is the
beginning of "netIMAGE group".

Author Brian Nichelson

'TAMING TECHNOLOGY; YOU CAN CONTROL THE BEAST",
Cameo Publications, Inc.  Brian simplifies the hi-tech pieces of your world
(cars, VCRs, computers, etc.) so anyone can face it without stress.  We'll
talk to him at 11am this Saturday.  Visit the
TechMatters Institute web site for more information about Brian and his
book

Vinyl2MP3

There are a ton of downloads at Lockergnome that will help in the project.
Get a turntable with line level outputs. If you have a magnetic cartridge, then you'll need a phono pre-amp to turn that low audio level into a true line level. These are available on older-style consumer amps, receivers pre-amps and deejay mixers.
Get a cable that connects your turntable (usually two RCA connectors) to your computer's sound card (usually an 1/8th inch stereo mini plug) --- or use adaptors that match the cables/connectors you have.
Get recording software (use Cool edit 2000 or one of the downloads from the link above).
Power everything up, start recording and start the record.
Have fun!

Listener email:

Carol in
Des Moines writes:

I hope I can remember to listen to your program! I usually catch it when I'm in the car. I am dreaming of buying a new computer. I noticed that the top few of the top 15 are powered by Athalon
instead of Pentium. Is that better and faster than Pentium? I've been looking at
Gateway and Dell and neither offer them. I'll try to remember to listen! 
Thanks!

Hi Carol,

AMD processors are very comparable to and competitive with Intel's offerings. My next computer will not be a name brand, factory built machine. But it will have name brand parts and software, such asRedhat, AMD, nVidia, Western Digital and Teac. I'll have it built by a local shop, get a faster, more stable computer for the same money, about $1,200 with extra RAM and better video.

--Danny