Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Jim Budler Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: MCI, VISAPhone, and Call Canada/Europe/Pacific Message-ID: <10788@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 13 Aug 90 00:57:09 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Jim Budler Organization: Silvar-Lisco,Inc. Sunnyvale Ca. Lines: 58 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 565, Message 3 of 9 In article <10662@accuvax.nwu.edu> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >I don't even like the *idea* of FAX. It's an expensive, inefficient, >and clumsy *technological* solution to the *political* problems of >electronic mail. Someday, I hope as you, that email will be universal. But if you'd been in Taiwan at the end of the day, faced with your choice of staying up 'till midnight to make a phone call, and sending a FAX home, you'd realize the value of FAX in today's world. In fact, even if it had been midnight and I knew people were in the plant, I would have sent the FAX, given they would have put me on hold, created a conference call and gathered everyone concerned (can you say 10 minutes or more while my ear burns and my sleep is delayed?). Email isn't there yet. >You know any other Email-FAX gateways I might use? They get enough of >my money on letters to Australia. Uhh, yes. ATTmail, Compuserve, maybe GEnie and Delphi. Please note that I have not the slightest idea if any of these are cheaper, just answering your question. Fax modems are dropping to lower prices than I paid for my first 1200 baud modem, maybe it's time to do a study of how much you pay regularly for that email to FAX translation service and buy your own Faxmodem and do it yourself? >> And to those on this forum who HAVE responded and reacted in >> the sense of opening electronic democracy... >*Opening* electronic democracy? Maybe to the folks with expensive toys >or the ability to mooch off the office FAX machine. 900-number polls >seem more democratic to me. Democratic??? I don't think this survey is democratic, I think it's *demographic*. It is going to be presented as upper-middle-class and above results based upon the fact that it contains only respondents with access to a FAX machine. In addition, I doubt that it qualifies as any sort of scientific survey, as it will be biased towards those with enough energy to make a statement, which in this case is those upset by her performance. It's unlikely there will be a groundswell of people *actively* supporting her. Much as I disliked her performance, and think it was in terrible taste, I think the issue is trivial, and of no major importance. Jim Budler jimb@silvlis.com +1.408.991.6061 Silvar-Lisco, Inc. 703 E. Evelyn Ave. Sunnyvale, Ca. 94086