I'm still dial-up, but it's a matter of choice. All the other stuff is available, but I just don't want to bother with making changes. Of course, there are times when I really want to see some pictures, and they are very slow to come up. When that happens, I just close down and come back another time (on the assumption that there's a lot of traffic that's bottling up the line), or I get out my knitting and work on that while waiting. It really saves me a lot of frustration. I do think that some of the photo files are probably bigger than they need to be, but I also know that my dial-up is the main problem. It's possible that if I ever get myself a digital camera and want to post pictures of my own roses (providing they ever bloom), I will change my mind and switch. Laura

Thanks Wayne. It was a great snake. I was telling someone else that it really stinks to find something so great when you're by yourself and there's no one to share the great find with. This was probably my best trip to the gorge due the variety. I have found all these species there before, but not on the same day. Now if only those timbers would make an appearance...

yesican, The "numbers" on your computer are all good, and I assume you're using XP Home for your operating system. The only improvement you may want to consider is upgrading your RAM to 512 Mbytes or even 1 GBbyte. This will not been seen/felt, however, doing email/web browsing. If you're doing hi-tech "gaming" and graphics and/or you keep a lot of process up at the same time, you'll benefit from additional memory. I did not intend to imply that dsl would not increase you data transfer rate with the ISP (AOL or whoever), I said that may not be your total problem. You've got plenty of computer power, so I again suggest you go online and do web browse to anything big, say a news story from the AOL home page, then click on it and bring up your data (dial-up) status and see if data if smoothly flowing. If is is not, then dsl will not be a "total" fix. And too, what is your dial up data speed? The dial-up status will show you that too, it is in the top portion of the display. Looking I see mine is now running at 46.6 Kbps, down from the usual 52.0 Kbps, but I'm on a different phone line than normal. As noted just above, the speed depends a lot on the condition of the phone wire all the way to the central office and the distance, I am about 5 miles form the telephone office and last time I checked they were not providing dsl service to my location. I haven't checked lately and technology keeps improving, but being at or past the maximum distance would put my service at the lower level of the offered service. Speaking of dish/satellite t.v. are your happy with the t.v. service? I'm thinking about dropping my cable t.v. (Patriot Media) because I consider it overpriced. Some have told me satellite t.v. doesn't work in heavy weather: rain for example. What's your experience?

My guess is Netflix, hulu and such would not stream good over dial up but someone correct me if that thinking is wrong. I know I couldn't drop my cable like a few of my friends did. I like to watch shows when they are current and even when I use a few netowrks apps on my tablet to watch a show I miss some want me to log in with a provider so if you don't have one you are out of luck if you miss a show. I have time warner internet and TV, don't have a house phone so no need for their phone service. We have one box on the living room TV and that's it. We do have a TV in the bedroom but only get expanded basic on it, no box. I can access time warner live TV and on demand stuff on my laptop at timewarner.com when in bed or I can use the time warner app on my android tablet to watch live TV and on demand stuff up there so you might see if charter has that option of an app but of course you need wireless to do that. This saves me from paying for another box. I do subscribe to hulu and Netflix but don't have a roku for them and just use the apps on my tablet or watch from the computer, works for me as I am a big TV watcher myself and that's what I choose to spend money on. Now to convince the other half I need a 10" tablet for Christmas to watch movies on, he he. Mary