<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Celiac on the Internet
----------------------
by Jim Lyles
At our April meeting, I gave a presentation on how to find
celiac-related information on the internet, including some tips for
getting online. The entire presentation is itself available online at
either <http://www.tir.com/~lyles/slideshow.html> or
<http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/slideshow.html>. If you already
have internet access then I'd advise you to visit one of these web
sites, as you will be able to directly "click" on links to all the web
pages in the presentation.
For those that do not already have internet access, I will share with
you the first part of the presentation. Hopefully this will give you
enough information to get started at the library, a friend's house, or
on a new computer of your own.
Getting Online
--------------
1. You can "borrow" access:
* Many libraries now have internet access available for their
patrons.
* College students nearly always have internet access.
* Many businesses have internet access, and some allow personal use
during lunch breaks and after hours. (But check first--many
don't!)
* Borrow some time on a friend or relative's computer (and perhaps
some of their help in getting started).
2. From your home:
* Computers have come down in cost. You can now get an "internet-
ready" computer for $1000. Check out:
-- Computer superstores such as CompUSA
<http://www.compusa.com/>. The "Store Locator" feature is
useful for finding the nearest store.
-- Discount electronics and appliance stores such as Circuit City
<http://www.circuitcity.com/>, Best Buy
<http://www.bestbuy.com/>, and Radio Shack
<http://www.radioshack.com/>. Many of these web sites also
have a "Store Locator" feature.
-- Mail order computer companies such as Gateway
<http://www.gw2k.com/>, Quantex <http://www.quantex.com/>,
Micron <http://www.micron.com/>, and Dell
<http://www.dell.com/>.
* What about all those "free" computers you are seeing ads for?
Well, "free" is a little misleading. They all require you to
commit to 36 months of an internet service provider, at about $22
per month. Plus, the computers are lower-end models that may not
have all the features you'll want. Still, if the computer and
the 36 month commitment suit your needs, you may want to take
advantage of one of these offers.
* Your computer needs to have a modem. Most new computers come
with a 56k modem, but even a 33.6K modem will do the job. You
may also want to consider installing a second phone line for the
modem, though you don't have to. (I use one phone line for both
internet access and regular phone calls.)
* For full web access, you'll need to find an Internet Service
Provider (ISP):
-- National online services such as AOL <http://www.aol.com/>,
Compuserve <http://www.compuserve.com/>, and Prodigy
<http://www.prodigy.com/> provide full internet services as
well as their own services for $20-22 per month.
-- National ISPs such as A+Net <http://www.aplus.net/>, AT&T
<http://www.att.com/home/>, EarthLink
<http://www.earthlink.net/>, Eisa.com <http://www.eisa.com/>,
GTE <http://www.gte.net/>, Spire <http://www.spire.com/>, and
RCA World Net <http://www.rcaworldnet.com/> allow you to
connect throughout the USA for $15-25 per month.
-- Local providers are typically $15-20 per month. To find a
provider in your area, visit <http://www.thelist.com/>.
-- FREE ISPs are now available, but you have to put up with ads.
Some are more obnoxious than others. Juno
<http://www.juno.com/> is one that I have tried, and I did not
find it too objectionable. (Plus, they offer a "premium"
service, without ads, for less money than the other national
ISPs.)
Another new free ISP is FreeLane
<http://freelane.excite.com/>.
A list of many of the other known free ISP providers in the
USA can be found at <http://freeisps.4mg.com/usa.html>, along
with the two or three they currently recommend.
* Whichever ISP you choose, make sure that there is a local access
number so that you will not have to pay long distance charges
each time you go online. If you live in or near a major city,
this will not be a problem; but if you are isolated out in the
boonies somewhere (like I am) then you may have fewer ISPs to
choose from.
Can You Believe What You Read?
------------------------------
As you find information on the internet, keep these points in mind:
1. Anyone can say anything. It is easy to make things look slick and
"official" on the web.
2. There is a lot of "stuff" out there on the internet; how do you
sort the good from the bad? When reading something on the
internet, ask yourself some questions:
* Does the article include references to other sources, and/or
links to other internet sites?
* Are professional credentials included?
* Does the article exclusively tout a single company or its
products?
* There are no silver bullets or cure-alls. Be leery of any web
page that claims otherwise.
3. Before acting on any information, verify it with other sources.
And make sure those sources are actually independent, not connected
in some way.
The remainder of the online presentation contains information about
celiac-related e-mail lists and web pages, medical web pages, finding
resources for other medical conditions, and some web pages of general
interest. For example, there is a web page that lists celiac-friendly
inns <http://www.innseekers.com/feature.htm>. So once you get started
on the web, head over to <http://www.tir.com/~lyles/slideshow.html> or
<http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/slideshow.html> and check out the
rest of the presentation.
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