Alan's Tips and Recommendations

My Recommendations for the InterWebs Users

1. How to speed up your Surfing. Always add a forward slash "/" to the end of any domain name ( byrdrules.com/ ) it will remove at least 3 service requests from your computer to the DNS servers.

The way the internet works is these computers default to assuming you are looking for a web page, not a domain root . The forward slash tells the system you want the root. (actually the default web page the guy who put up the domain punched in the keyboard). if you want to go to a specific web page within a site you don't put the slash afterwards Http://www.alan-byrd.com/tips.html

2.You have seen the commercials for Lifelock.com ? IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION

These people actually protect you from idenity theft . Not just insurance to repay you for losses, they actually do the work up to 1 million bucks... Well I am giving them a thumbs up. (I am a member and I do not recieve any compensation for this recommendation).. All my research found them to be upfront and not a scam artist (like so many of these identity insurance protection rackets are).

3. Chainmail Emails..

There is no such thing as a email tracking program on the internet . So you will NEVER get paid by the red cross and Little Bobby will never get a kidney from Bill Gates because you forwarded an email (that quite possibly contained a virus) to your friends and family.

4. Did you know that Cash Loan stores are now actually showing their interest rates START at 99.5 % ??????

How did this happen.. Oh yeah..... BOTH the house and senate passed laws deregulating banks and financial institutes so now usery is legal EXCEPT if you the private person loans money to a friend you are locked into 10%.. no more no less.. if you charge less the IRS will pretend you got 10% and hit you for income taxes. If you charge more the IRS will drop it to 10 % and notify the justice dept so they can bring you up on usery charges... Ain't America great?

5. VOIP (Internet Telephone) You've seen the Vontage and Cable commercials for Cheap telephone over the interweb (well not so cheap for the cable companies) There is finally a CHEAP Option.. MagicJack.

these guys have invented a cute little USB device with a phone jack on it. It plugs in and installs it's own software and bingo you have Internet VOIP except instead of 24.95 a MONTH you are charged 19.95 A YEAR!!!!!. the Unit costs about 46 bucks with shipping and it includes your first year. On the downside you can't move your own phone number (yet).. and When it was originally rolled out there were alot of bumps... but by the time I bought mine it was bug free .. and largely because of the included Packet tweaking software (still in Beta but worked great for me)

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