Contents:
Adam in the Spotlight
Direct Debit payment option now available for residential customers
EZBiz AdamTalk now available
Adam Internet Voice Outage System now launched
Adam Rewards set to provide Adam
Internet customers with real credit
Get naked with Adam Internet Naked DSL
Caution: hoax emails claiming to be from Adam Internet
Adam Internet Technology Show 2008 recap
Variety Bash update
2008 - biggest Bash ever!
8 days Bashing through the outback
The Dark Knight movie screening a great success - no joke
Join Adam Internet for the 2008 Sunday Mail
City-Bay Fun Run
5Towns tours South Australia raising funds for the Leukemia Foundation
BodyTalk Health with Phil Sheldon
Toopy's Tips
Weblinks
Hot Tips
Did You Know?
Welcome to the July / August edition of Newsbytes, the bi-monthly Adam Internet newsletter.
Newsbytes will keep you updated on what’s happening at Adam Internet, provide hints and tips for getting the most out of your connection, and let you know about specials or new services
that you can take advantage of.
If there’s anything you would like to see in Newsbytes, either as a feature or as a regular column, please email us at newsbytes@adam.com.au
Adam in the Spotlight
Adam Internet on radio
Adam Internet Managing Director, Scott Hicks, appears regularly as a guest on Phil Sheldon's Weekly Show on 5AA 1395AM. On his latest appearance on 28 July, Scott discussed recent technology trends.
The show is available for download via [this link] (right-click and select "Save As..." to save a copy to your PC) and you can subscribe to the Phil Sheldon podcast through www.philsheldon.com.au .
Direct Debit payment option now available for residential
customers
At Adam Internet, we're always looking to improve the service we offer to our customers.
New and existing Adam Internet residential ADSL customers
now have the option to select Direct Debit at sign-up or to elect Direct Debit to pay for an Adam Internet account. This provides customers who don’t have access to a credit card with a secure
solution to establishing a high-quality Internet connection through Adam Internet.
New residential customers may elect to pay via Direct Debit at sign-up.
Existing residential
customers can add Direct Debit accounts via the Members Services Area (http://members.adam.com.au ) after logging in:
- Select "Account Manager" from the left-hand side menu
- At the bottom of the page, click the link under "Direct Debit Details"
- Select the appropriate option and complete the details
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process using the Adam Internet Voice Verification Service
Voice verification is required for both new and existing customers who choose to pay via Direct Debit.
Following the great popularity of our residential AdamTalk VoIP service in the last six months, our Business Solutions Team are proud to announce the
release of the Business-Grade EZBiz AdamTalk service.
EZBiz AdamTalk is a new way of running your business telephone system, utilising the power of the Internet to reduce your voice
communication costs. Depending on your needs, you may also be able to cancel all your Telstra lines, which will save you the cost of the monthly line rental.
EZBiz AdamTalk includes one or more local Adelaide telephone numbers, including the option for each of your staff members to have their own direct dial
number. In addition, you can make and receive calls to and from regular phones and you can transfer calls from one staff member to another, just like a regular telephone service, at a substantially
reduced cost. Untimed national calls are charged at just 12 cents with mobile and International calls at very attractive per-minute rates too.
With EZBiz AdamTalk, you can even have a
telephone at your home or second office, which is linked to your business phone system, so you can transfer phone calls between home and office(s). Additionally, all your phone calls appear on an
easy to manage single monthly bill.
If you'd like to talk about how EZBiz AdamTalk can help you, call our Business Solutions team on (08) 8423 4020 or email business@adam.com.au
Adam Internet Voice Outage System now launched
The Adam Internet Voice Outage System (VOS) has now been launched.
VOS is an innovative new notification service that ensures customers always have instant access to information regarding major outages in their area.
When dialling the VOS number (08) 7129 6000, you will be directed immediately to an automated voice service that will read aloud the same outage notification text that appears on the Adam Internet website [here]. This eliminates the need to wait in the Adam Internet helpdesk call queue and provides access to important information when outages occur outside helpdesk opening hours.
VOS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and operates in conjunction with existing web-based outage notification services.
AdamRewards set to provide Adam Internet customers with real credit
AdamRewards will be launching in early September.
AdamRewards is an innovative new program that rewards existing Adam Internet customers for helping refer family and friends to sign up as new Adam
Internet customers.With the Adam Internet Rewards Program, you can reduce the cost of your next broadband bill by encouraging your friends and family to take advangtage of our great range of broadband products.
For each new customer you refer to Adam Internet, you could be eligible for up to 100% off your next broadband bill! For example, if you are on AdamDirect or Naked DSL and the person you refer joins on a plan that is the same cost or greater, you will receive one month of your monthly plan cost added to your AdamRewards balance. If you are on an Adam Home plan or the person you recommend joins an Adam Home plan, you will still receive 25% off your next broadband bill.
To receive your reward, your friend will need to quote your email address in the AdamRewards Email field when they signup for any eligible broadband services.*
Once your friend is connected, you will receive your referral reward credited to your account. When the AdamRewards service has officially launched, you will be able to keep track of your AdamRewards bonuses via the Adam Internet Members Services Area.
For more information on Adam Rewards, visit www.adam.com.au/rewards.
* The referers
email address will need to be entered at the time of signup and cannot be added after the completion of the signup.
Get naked with Adam Internet Naked DSL
Adam Internet Naked DSL provides South Australian broadband users with the opportunity to save
money by forever eliminating their line rental costs and utilising AdamTalk - Adam Internet's VoIP service - to make and receive calls.
Naked DSL works in the same way regular ADSL does, but without the need for new or additional hardware for existing ADSL customers. You can even use the existing phone sockets in your
house. This gives you permanent high-speed access to the Internet without the added cost of phone line rental.
As an added incentive, all Naked DSL accounts come with AdamTalk (Adam
Internet's VoIP service) free of charge.
Of course, it can be a big decision to disconnect your phone line so please read the
following quick guide to understanding the savings and services available with Adam Internet Naked DSL.
Quick
FAQ
We have taken the time to address some of the most common concerns about switching to Naked DSL. Please take the time
to read these below:
How will I make phone calls from home if I cancel my telephone line rental?
Will I be able to keep my existing home telephone number?
Every Adam Internet Naked DSL account includes AdamTalk - Adam Internet's VoIP service - free of charge. You will also receive a new VoIP telephone number which will allow you to make and receive telephone calls, just like your regular home phone.
At present, you will not be able to keep your existing telephone number. We will supply you with a new telephone number, however, that will function as your old one did.Isn't Naked DSL more expensive than Adam Direct?
No. When comparing Naked DSL plans to Adam Direct ADSL2+ plans you must take into account your telephone line rental cost, the amount you spend on calls monthly and then the cost of the ADSL2+ plan. Naked DSL allows you to cut out your monthly line rental cost, reducing the price of telecommunications overall.
For instance, ADSL2+ Light at $39.95 + Telephone Line Rental at $25 (Telstra average cost) = $64.95 compared to the Naked DSL Light plan at $54.95.
Won't cancelling my line rental when using Naked DSL affect other telephone line based services?
While some services, including EFTPOS machines, Digital pay-per-view television (Foxtel Box-Office) and vending machines, may be affected, many services are moving to accommodate the switch to VoIP. For instance, monitored alarm systems are now being provided for VoIP services.
Exposing the newfound joy of Adam Internet Naked DSL - a word from our
customers
George D'Agostino recently made the switch from a regular Adam Internet broadband account to Adam
Internet Naked DSL and talks about his experience connecting to Naked DSL:
"Switching to Naked DSL was a very simple and well-handled process. Adam Internet took care of everything, which even included the transfer of my account from my previous fixed line carrier, while keeping me abreast of the progress of my connection via SMS.
We're very low users of our fixed line telephone, so switching to Naked DSL automatically saved us money on both our line rental and charges for local calls.
The quality of the VoIP service is great and we've encountered no difficulties whatsoever. I would absolutely recommend Naked DSL and AdamTalk services to friends – especially those who, like us, have a low reliance on their fixed line telephone. It's a great alternative."
A good mate of ours, Chris, has also been out promoting Adam Internet rather "candidly". You can check out his video testimonies via the links below:
For more information
on Adam Internet Naked DSL and AdamTalk VoIP, please visit www.adam.com.au
Caution: hoax emails claiming to be from Adam
Internet
It has been brought to Adam Internet’s attention that hoax emails requesting sensitive customer account
information, claiming to originate from Adam Internet, are being received by our customers. These fraudulent emails are in no way affiliated with Adam Internet and should not be replied to. If you
believe that you have have received a hoax email, please contact our call centre on (08) 8423 4055.
Should you reply to a hoax email, your sensitive personal information may be used to
access your account without your knowledge, or the information may be passed on to other external parties.
Some hoax emails may be hard to spot, so here are some pointers on how to
recognise fraudulent messages:
- The email message has multiple spelling and grammatical mistakes.
- The email message has asked for sensitive personal information, including your username, password and credit details. Adam Internet will never ask for this information via email unless you have emailed the help desk specifically requesting technical support.
- The email message is sent from an address that appears real, but is not used by the company named in the email. For example, some of the Adam Internet hoax emails have originated from mail@adam.com.au and customers@adam.com.au, neither of which are used by Adam Internet for customer service. Adam Internet uses the address help@adam.com.au for the majority of customer service communications.
- The email message informs you that your account will be deleted if you don’t reply. Adam Internet will not "delete" your account unless you have specifically requested us to close the service, or, in rare cases, where the Standard Form of Agreement terms have been breached.
Please do not ignore a hoax email. If you believe you have received a hoax email claiming to be from an Adam Internet representative, please contact help@adam.com.au or call the help desk on
(08) 8423 4055.
Thank you to all our customers who have contacted us with information regarding hoax emails claiming to be from Adam Internet.
Adam Internet Technology Show 2008 recap
Visitors spent hours checking out the latest in IT products, including the recently launched Adam Internet Naked DSL, with experts on hand to answer questions.
Kym Jones, organizer of the event, said “we are very happy with the response from this year's event and already have plans in place that will double the size of the show for next year.“
The 2009 Adam Internet Technology Show will be staged at the Adelaide Showground from July 10 to 12, 2009.
Any inquiries can be directed to Kym Jones Exhibitions on (08) 8177 1499 or info@kjex.com.au.
Also, be on the lookout for the Adam Internet stall at the Royal Adelaide Show, located next to the ferris wheel, between 5 - 13 September at the Adelaide Showgrounds.
Visit www.adelaideshowgrounds.com.au for more information and to book your tickets.
Variety Bash update
2008 - biggest Bash ever!
The South Australian Variety Bash 2008 kicked off on Saturday 16 August, having raised a record breaking $2,107,000, with every dollar to benefit children in need.
Adam Internet
also celebrated a record breaking year of fundraising, contributing $141,000 to Variety SA and smashing our previous record of $104,000. We could not have accomplished this amazing feat without your
help and the support of the many companies who have become an integral part of the Car ADAM team.
8 days of Bashing through the outback
Car ADAM and the ghoulish Addams Family themed Adam Internet crew
departed Mawson Lakes, together with 115 other Bash vehicles, in a colourful convoy, bringing fun and joy to South Australian children and their families in rural communities.
The Car ADAM crew enjoyed the 8 days of bashing, even despite the hot days, cold nights and wind burn, as every day brought a new challenge, a new rural community to entertain, more mischief and a celebration of the joyous spirit of the Bash. Heading to Buckleboo on Day 6, for instance, many of the Bash Cars became bogged in sand traps and what could have been six hours of frustration instead became a six hour long party in the middle of the outback.
Thank you for making the 2008 SA Variety Bash so succesful and for providing Car ADAM the support we need to help South Australian children in need.
The Dark Knight movie screening a great success - no joke!
Our final 2008 major fundraising event, a special screening of The Dark Knight, was extremely well received, helping raise an additional $4500. We'd like to thank all those that attended and made it out alive as The Joker himself made an unexpected appearance!
Join Adam Internet for the 2008 Sunday Mail City-Bay Fun Run
With less than four weeks before
the 2008 Sunday Mail City-Bay Fun Run, hopefully you are already training hard in preparation for the big race. If you haven't taken your shoes for a walk or run in a while, fear not, there's
still time to get into shape!The 2008 City-Bay Fun Run departs from the corner of North Terrace and King William Street, Adelaide at 8am Sunday, 21 September. Entrants will follow a 12-kilometre route down King William Street to South Terrace, then straight down Anzac Highway to Colley Reserve in Glenelg.
As an alternative to the 12-kilometre marathon, first time participants are encouraged to run or walk in the 6-kilometre or 3-kilometre events.
All City-Bay entrants are invited to attend a free of charge, pre-race training program, with sessions held weekly, sponsored by Mutual Community. These are held:
Railway Terrace, Mile End
Sunday 10.00am-12.00noon and
Wednesday 4.30pm onwards
Port Adelaide Athletics Club
Langham Place, Port Adelaide
These programs offer practical and theoretical advice to all attending, ensuring that participants know how to look after their body and are properly
prepared for the event.
We’re encouraging anyone with an interest in being a healthy South Australian to pick up their running (or walking) shoes and register for the event online at
www.city-bay.org.au.
5Towns tours South Australia raising funds for the Leukemia Foundation
Raising awareness and funds for the
Leukemia Foundation, amateur cyclist Kimon Lycos will ride for five days through five South Australian towns in order to meet with those who battle Leukaemia, uncovering inspirational tales of
bravery and broadcasting their personal stories of hope and survival on www.5towns.com.au .
Open to all cyclists who want to participate, 5Towns will
pass through some of the most breathtaking scenery in South Australia, with warm welcomes extended to riders at each town, making for what will surely be an unforgettable experience. If you'd
like to participate in the ride, please [click here] to register.
The 5Towns ride will depart Port Lincoln on Saturday 11 October, passing through Whyalla, Port Pirie, Renmark and arriving in Adelaide on Wednesday 15 October, coinciding
with the national Ride to Work day.
5Towns goal is to raise $50,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation, in order to develop and
improve services for families living with blood cancers.
If
you'd like to learn more about this worthwhile fundraiser, visit http://www.5towns.com.au/ or contact Kimon Lycos on 0400 263 740 or at
kimon@mihellandlycos.com.au.
To make a donation, visit https://www.leukaemia.org.au/ and select 5Towns from the right-hand side "Supporting an event" pulldown menu.
Adam Internet is proud to sponsor the 5Towns event.
BodyTalk Health with Phil Sheldon
Do we need to eat red meat?
Have you seen the recent series of television commercials for
Meat and Livestock Australia, featuring the actor Sam Neil? We are told that meat is really
the essential nutrient that has made humans the dominant species and thus, red meat is an essential part of a healthy diet and should be eaten at least three to four times per week to be healthy.Well, this is a distortion of the facts. Yes we are omnivores, not exclusively herbivores and definitely not carnivores. As a hunter-gatherer species, our ancestors ate whatever they could. Our diet consisted primarily of plant-based foods, as these did not need catching, were readily available and easily obtainable. With plant-based foods as the mainstay of our diet, the most dominant factor in human development became agriculture, which changed humans from being nomads to settling, creating villages, towns, and cities. It was agriculture that became the strength of our ancestors as it evened out food scarcity, as grains could be stored and eaten when food was scarce. Of course animal domestication became part of this, not just to eat the animals, but also for their fur, skins, milk, eggs, and so on. This all forms part of the chain of human evolution - but meat alone is not the sole factor for human development.
Yes, we did, and can eat meat, but we are not ideally suited to a diet high in animal protein. Our digestive system is not suited to large amounts of meat due to the overall length of our digestive tract, as well as our weaker digestive enzymes or digestive juices. Our stomach acid is not as efficient in breaking down meat as a true carnivores’ is. Through this process chemicals such as heterocyclic amines are released, which have been shown to increase the risk of bowel polyps and a greater increase in stomach and bowel cancer. A reduction in red meat consumption to twice per week has been shown to decrease the risk of bowel cancer by more than 40 per cent. Also, a reduction in sodium nitrate-rich preserved meats such as bacon, ham and salami, have also been shown to reduce the risk of stomach and bowel cancer by up to 60 per cent.
Numerous studies have shown that a balanced vegetarian diet protects against most of today's major chronic diseases. Vegetarians have been shown to have lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure as well as a decreased risk of heart disease, stroke and many cancers.
So can we eat meat? Yes. Do we essentially need to eat meat? It’s doubtful. Can we be healthy and not eat red meat? Yes. So now, the choice is yours - fish, poultry, eggs and a little red meat if you choose. It’s all down to balance, a bit of common sense and less hype for the almighty dollar.
© Phil Sheldon 2008
www.optimalessentials.com.au
www.philsheldon.com.au
Toopy's Tips
The Price is Right!
Over quoting… Bait
Advertising… these days are finally over!
On Monday 28 July, the Real Estate Industry Reform came into play - the biggest change our industry has seen for decades and one that was
well overdue.
It’s in place to benefit you, the consumer, but in turn it will also develop the entire Real Estate body into a more straight forward and structured industry, which
means we all win.
There are now strict legislative guidelines when it comes to marketing a property. Transparency and honesty are of key importance and pricing, well there is no
flexibility, it just has to be right!
Up until now Sales Partners have always used comparative home sales to price property, this hasn’t changed. However, some individuals in the
industry used to choose to inflate or over quote prices, just to gain a listing, but now, with the new legislation in place, there is no way this can happen.
Vendors, the ball is in your
court more than ever. When placing a property on the market, your Sales Partner will advise you of their estimate on the property and then you have to make a decision on what price you’re
willing to accept. The minimum price a property can be advertised at must be at a level that you, as the seller, are willing to accept. Changes to the quoted sale price must be in writing and
penalties are significant if agents or owners attempt to work around this.
For buyers, this is fantastic news – finally you know that the price is right!
Toop&Toop
have a policy of providing buyers with a price on properties wherever possible, through a fixed price or range; however there will be times that property sellers may not wish, or be able to do this,
despite the benefits.
Do not risk your property with an agency that is not serious about the legal implications of getting it wrong. When it comes to price, legislative compliance is
paramount to Toop&Toop.
Anthony Toop
Toop&Toop Real Estate
23-25 The Parade
Norwood 5067
(08) 8362
8888
Weblinks
Keep in touch with SA - www.yoursa.com.au - A new website for South Australians wanting to know what's going on in their state, share their experiences of South Australian life and for expatriates wanting to keep in touch with South Australia. YourSA also provide simple widgets perfect for social-networking sites such as Facebook, to help make keeping in touch even simpler.
See Australia at street level - www.maps.google.com.au/streetview - Working in conjunction with Google Maps, Google Street View provides Internet users worldwide the ability to view almost any address in Australia from the street. It's an amazing piece of technology, with a wide range of [uses].
Interested in athletics? - www.athleticssa.org/ - With the 2008 Beijing Olympics now drawn to a close, and with such an outstanding performance by the Australian track and field team, you might be wondering how you, or your children, can get involved with athletics. Athletics SA is the central resource for South Australian athletics, including a full list of all local clubs. So get to it and be active!
Hot Tips
Windows XP and Windows Vista and Linux and Mac
OSX
Google is the most popular Internet search engine and for good reason, it's powerful, quick and easy to use. So, why not put Google's expertise to use when searching for files on your home computer? Google Desktop creates an index of the files on your computer and allows you to quickly search for and open folders, files and applications in a few quick keystrokes (similar to the popular [Quicksilver] tool for Mac OSX). Google Desktop also offers a wide variety of widgets, allowing you to keep up to date with the latest news headlines, the weather, take quick notes on the fly and a wide range of other options. Find Google Desktop at www.desktop.google.com.au.
Mac OSX
When searching for
folders, files and applications using Mac OSX 10.5, it's important to remember your Spotlight search function. This nifty tool may be accessed via the default shortcut Option + Space. Enter a
keyword, press "Enter" and you'll have access to all the related content on your computer. Using Spotlight in conjunction with the powerful navigation tool [Quicksilver] can drastically help you become more productive at your computer. Click on the image to the right for pictorial instructions for using
Spotlight.
Linux Ubuntu
Deskbar is an all purpose searching tool that comes standard with Linux Ubuntu. Using Deskbar, you can quickly search your desktop for files, folders
and applications as well as Internet resources, such as Wikipedia.org and Google.com, for information in a snap. To install
Deskbar, right-click the menu bar at the top of the screen and select "Add to Panel". From the "Add to Panel" menu, select "Deskbar" and then press "+Add".
You'll now see the Deskbar icon in the menu bar. Click this icon once to bring up a search menu with a wide range of search options. Click on the image to the right for pictorial instructions.
Previously, we’ve mentioned the Asus EEE PC and the MacBook
Air in this column, and now we'd like to direct you to the MSI Wind (Wi-Fi Network Device), which bridges the gap in performance vs. portability already offered by both machines.
The
Eee PC has size on its side, classified as “Ultra Portable” due to its light weight and small size and can be slipped into a briefcase, folder or even backpack without being a burden.
Battery life ranges between 1 - 2 hours. The downside to a laptop this size is that the keyboard is also extremely small, tight and cluttered - not a popular choice with touch typists, or those who
struggle to see small screens.
The MacBook Air, while still light weight, is much larger than the Eee PC and features a full size keyboard and 13" screen. It's got more power than
the Eee PC, a larger harddrive and slots for extra RAM. The downside? It's not as portable, nor robust, as the Eee PC.
MSI are aiming for the middle-ground, blending performance with
portability by offering the Wind, which has a 10” screen providing for a reasonable work space and good resolution at 1024x600, with an 80GB hard drive that adds storage and functionality that
the Eee PC cannot achieve. The Wind's light weight and robust design makes it much easier to simply throw in your bag than the larger and more expensive MacBook Air.
Specifications
- 10” Screen
- 80GB Hard Drive
- Intel 1.6GHz Processor
- Up to 2GB of DDR2 Memory
- Windows XP Home
- Built in Webcam
- Weight: 1KG