Dial-Up Modem Whining - A Suggestion To PSA

Machodoc

This is the text of a message I sent to Cosetta this morning:

Cosetta,

I have a couple of suggestions on how to improve the process of editing sets on the registry, and if you are not the right person to who I should send this, then I would appreciate your sending along to the proper person. I always appreciate your quick responses!

For those of us stuck with dial-up internet access (and there are plenty of us), the process of editing and updating our sets is very painful and time-consuming. I would ask that you consider a couple of modifications that would save a great deal of time. First, when you first pull up the set you want to edit, it would be great to have the range of cards (you know, “1-200”, 201-400”, etc..) you want to edit on the initial comment page. This would save the time needed to download the initial edit page to get to the next step if you had high # series cards you wanted to update or add. Second, the process of deleting would be greatly enhanced if you had a delete button next to each card, so that one could delete a series of cards all at one instead of one at a time. This would be exactly like deleting “watched items” on eBay. When you have to delete several cards at once, doing it one at a time is very painful.

To tell the truth I have mixed feelings when I go in to update a set. On the one hand, I’m happy to be in a position to improve my set quality, but I also dread the process of doing so because it’s a tremendous use of time. I realize that for those lucky to have high-speed internet service this is not a big deal, but for the rest of us these changes would make then entire Registry experience a lot more enjoyable.

(end of message)

Call me whiner, but the world of dial-up really stinks! I envy those of you who live in the modern world and have high-speed internet access!

Basilone

Why not make your life easier and get a cable modem?

Machodoc

John,

It's not available where I live. I tried satellite service, but found it very unreliable. Dial-up is the best I can do where I live, and is also the best many other can do - something many people who take for granted high-speed access sometimes lose sight of. As I said, this is probably just whining on my part, but after an hour's worth of work updating a set recently, it's pretty frustrating. I doubt however, that the expense involved for PSA to modify their process to help out those stuck with dial-up is worth it from their end.

Steve

oaktown

If you're doing that much on eBay, PSA set registry, and these boards, then IMHO I think it's time to step up to cable.

oaktown

Ahhhhh...that's really too bad. Where in the US is cable modem not available?

sjeanblanc

Steve,

You are not alone in your frustrations, I too am a dial-up user and updating my Nolan Ryan sets is a pain, especially the Master set. I usually have to set aside an hour on the weekend if I have 5-10 updates to make. My reasons for not having high-speed access is that financially at this point I can't justify it. I have a free ISP and I am using my main phone line so there are no additional expenses for internet usage. Why pay $50+ a month for high-speed access. Especially for me since I'm coming off an extended unemployed stretch of time.

It would be great if the update process could be made a little more efficient and I back the changes proposed by Steve.

P.S. Its fun reading this board but when people start posting lots of images into a thread I have to skip it because of load times. This is why I like the pictures attached to the links, instead of posted into them, because then I have the choice of looking at them or not.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId : sjeanblanc
--------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

RayDBonz

I feel your pain!! When we moved from Scottsdale to the middle of Wisconsin, I went from cable to dial-up as that was the only thing available. It was like going back to the dark ages. At least they have indoor plumbing in most of the State!

60 days & I'm back in Scottsdale!! Not that I'm counting or anything.

Griffins

I had a related problem- the browser I was using wouldn't let me enter numbers into the registry. The solution was to go to an internet cafe and enter them there- I suspect they may have a faster connection, the one I used had a T1 line.
I believe Direct TV offers satelite internet connections now that are fast- you might look into that.

Deleting cards is a lot more tedious than it needs to be- I would also like to be able to delete a card in 1 set and have the option of it being deleted in any other sets I may have it registered to. This would save Cosetta the time of contacting me when I sell the card and didn't realize it was also registered in some composite set as well. I know you can now track that, but I'm sure often people forget.

34GoudeyCollector

Holy Cow, life with out Cable or DSL (Digital Service Line)?? I would be slitting my wrists or poking myself in the eye with a pencil !!!!!!!!!!!! I can not even imagine EBay without a high-speed connection....

Virtualizard

Steve,

I know you mentioned that you had tried satellite internet service. I also live in an area that does not have DSL or Cable internet service available. I've used satellite for about 3.5 years and rarely have a problem with it - only during a heavy storm. All you need is an unobstructed view of the sky to the south. Maybe your satellite dish wasn't tuned in correctly. About 6-8 months ago, I went through a period of several days where my connection was down and I finally called to find out what the problem was. They told me that everything was fine and the problem had to be on my end. I went out on the roof and found the bolts had started to pull out of the side of my house (I received free installation when I purchased the system - I guess you get what you pay for! ). I correctly anchored the bracket to the wall and adjusted the dish myself, and I've had an excellent internet connection since.

Oh, the downside is it does cost me $53/month. Not sure if that's worth it to some of you, but it is to me.

JEB.

Machodoc

I tried Direct TV satellite service for a year and gave up on it because of equipment issues and the fact that weather can be such an problem at times. I gave it every benefit of the doubt and was attentive to the issues you raise, JEB. It's ironic however, because I do use DirectTV for my TV service, and we have never had any problems there.

Being limited to dial-up is fruatrating in more than one way, because I can go down to my dock and look across the water about a mile and a half and see the US Navy base at Dahlgren, home of the Aegis and Tomahawk systems, US Naval Space Command, etc... and one of the most technologically advanced military operations in the world. They have internet access to die for, of course. Cable is not available to my neighborhood because despite the nearby population, there are simply too few houses on the road I live on and we are more than a mile away from the nearest cable line.

On a related topic, there are some card dealers I would like to use but since their sites take forever to download, I don't have the time to worry about it. The Baseball Card Exchange comes to mind, as they have an excellent website with stuff I can use, but since they post lots of images it takes days to download a single page. I like those guys, but I just don't have the time to sit around waiting for a page to appear.

Internet issues aside, it would be nice if PSA could occasionally refine the Registry to streamline the process of adding/editing cards and sets, and I think my modest proposals make some sense. Still, I don't lose sight of the fact that it's not without costs and would have to be justified as a business matter.

Steve

Edited to add that as I was typing this message in, I received an email from Cosetta saying she had forwarded my original message to BJ.

Basilone

Steve-

My suggestion would be to relocate to an area where high speed internet is available.

The hobby is just too important. (kidding).

John

70chip

For the folks who can't get a cable modem or have had Directv problems, try calling you local phone company about DSL. It runs on POTS (plain old telephone service) lines (copper). The only restriction is that you have to be within a serviceable area of your local Central Office as the signal denegrates over distance. If cost is not a holdback look into a T1 or fractional T. Those prices are less than they were a while back. I realize that may not be a realistic scenerio, but maybe you can have a creative accountant write it off as a business expense. Again, it depends on disposable income.

After having the cable modem for so long, I don't know how I could go back to dial up if one of the other options were not available, hope I never have to. Scary thought..

Basilone

<< <i>I had a related problem- the browser I was using wouldn't let me enter numbers into the registry. The solution was to go to an internet cafe and enter them there >>




Griffins-

Thats because your still messing around with Macs. Isnt the Set Registry worth it to make the "switch" to Windows?

Machodoc

Hi Gang,

Here is the response I received from BJ:

Steve,

A month ago I requested all of our members to email me with their suggestions about improvements to the registry because I was getting ready to send a project report to our IS team to reprogram the registry. I did get some great ideas and have sent the report to our programmers.

The registry will be changed considerably in the way you enter your cards. Hopefully, these changes will make your life easier. I don’t have a launch date, but am hoping that it will be in July.

(end of message)

Many thanks to both Cosetta and BJ for the prompt response. Now, can either of you do anything about my internet service??

CON40

Thats because your still messing around with Macs. Isnt the Set Registry worth it to make the "switch" to Windows?

OMG! Now, that would be going to the Dark Ages! John, I guess you've never had the distinct pleasure of working on a Mac for an extended period... compared to Windows, it is still truly "mah-velous"!!

Griffins... don't budge! We need all the Mac users we can get!

Full disclosure policy: I own stock in Apple Computer.

Griffins

<<<Thats because your still messing around with Macs. Isnt the Set Registry worth it to make the "switch" to Windows? >>>

John,
Over my dead body. Why go back to a pinto when you're driving a Ferrari?

Con
Me too. If nothing else than appreciation for the product.

Buckwheat

Machodoc,

What kind of politician are you????? Can't you just bribe, or alternatively threaten, the local cable company to run a cable down your road?

ctsoxfan

If you are that "far out" for cable, you probably can't get DSL either. In my neighborhood, while I have cable high speed, I am too far removed for a DSL hookup. Too bad there isn't better wireless high-speed access available.

Machodoc

Rob,

The ironic thing is that the local cable franchise operates under license from the County, but since discretion is the better part of valor, I guess I'll just have to live with it. I did ask about DSL a couple of months ago when I dumped my Directway satellite service, but that's not an option either.

John,

I guess I could relocate, but if you had to choose between better internet connections or the view from my backyard, which would you choose (and yes, that is the Machodoc Creek).

(I don't know how to add a photo from a file, so I did it through an attachment - if anyone can tell me how to paste a file photo here, I'm all ears).

magellan

I'm in the same boat machodoc but my connection doesn't seem too bad. There are many many areas of the country where neither cable modem nor DSL are available.

I'm with you though, much rather have my view than faster internet service. Looking out on the back 40 while drinking my coffee this morning there were 4 deer & a wild turkey out there grazing on new grass. I've seen coyotes , fox, moose, pheasant, several kinds of hawks , and a fisher in my field in addition to deer & turkeys in the past 3-4 years.

Griffins

Hmmm. DSL, a starbucks every 20 yards, LAPD helicopters at 2am and deranged bag ladys, or deer, wild turkeys, and dial up.
No more complaining from you guys, dial up is a small price to pay.

Machodoc

Did I mention the bald eagles? There are four families of them living just a few hundred feet up the creek from me. Yesterday I was on a conference call while at the same time watching a bald eagle and an osprey fight over a good sized fish in my front yard. The bald eagle was meaner, but the osprey was bigger and eventually won.

All this happening while I was on the phone to New York....

Scumbi

Geez, you're a supervisor. Go into space command for a half hour and use a terminal there. Once something is in orbit, there's nothing we can really do about it anyway. It's not like you're going to get in the way. If someone busts you, tell 'em you're Jack Ryan or Tom Clancy. Your tax dollars built that whole set up. Don't be shy. However, best not to go via a bathysphere off your dock unless JAG is on television that night. Those guys live for JAG.

With any luck, your cards will be updated and the Ruskies will end up trying to break the PSA certification code. You might actually get a medal.

Last, do we have a Stealth rickshaw yet? Could be a good weapon.

Best,

Scumbi

NickM

Macho - you haven't gotten the County to pay for T1 lines to the Supervisors' houses yet? Call it an experimental operation in telegovernment.

scumbi - what happens if they do break it? Will there be a foreign takeover of the PSA market because the ChiComs found out exactly which cards were WIWAG submissions? Will Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez corner the market on cards that passed through the Grader of Death and use their resubmission profits to prop up their economies?

Nick

Scumbi

Nick,

I see you have been trained well by MI6. I recently read a report in Readers' Digest by Arthur Schlesinger outlining your exact sentiments. I have feeling there's a large amount of government info being passed as misinformation because I deciphered the code after four years at the Sperry Think Tank. If you add up the numbers in the odd slots and multiply them by the sum of the numbers in the even slots, you end up with longitudes and latitudes of OSS secret bases in the Baltimore area. Baltimore is at the heart of the soft shell crab market. If soft shell crabs go, we all go.

Please respond in Cyrillian so we can talk things over without being exposed by any rogue KGB agents who are not aware the cold war has ended.

Agent # B4-U-P-C-A-MD