Living in the Penn State Area

Penn State Students Rioting because they just do it.. not nice at all imo

2011-11-09T23:12:00.007-05:00

As usual Penn State students are out on Beaver and "rioting" or at least protesting and shouting..

The big problem is NOBODY is thinking about the eight or nine little boys. Nobody is thinking how Joe Paterno, who was so quick to fire student athletes with infractions, believed that he has different standards for Sandusky as well as himself now. What is even worse, is that I still believe that JoePa would not want students rioting on the streets. So, in spite of the fact that it seems he did not take the right actions, you can clearly see that he very much regrets it and has been quietened by the administration and then quickly (possibly) scapegoated out. (if there is such a word).

I still cannot believe that these guys (the four main characters) thought it was "horsing around" when Mcqueary seems to have clearly told them what it was.

Second update: Again courtesy friend:

And finally, I am incredibly ashamed of the action of several riotous students who have thrown around a media truck and possibly done other damage there. Pitiful actions and this makes penn state look even worse. if the administration does completely vile stupid things, these students do equally bad things.
I doubt it the Sat game would occur at this rate!

How to Limit BPA exposure

2011-10-24T08:52:00.001-04:00

BPA (bisphenol-A) is a precursor used in making of certain plastics and is increasingly being thought of as a serious (endocrine/hormonal) disruptor during early child development. So, how do you "avoid or limit BPA exposure" especially in food preparation and ingestion:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other experts have several suggestions for limiting BPA exposure including:

- Avoid using plastic containers with recycle codes 3 and 7 because the may be made with BPA.
- Reduce your consumption of canned foods; choose fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables instead.
- Use glass containers to heat foods in the microwave, instead of polycarbonate plastic food containers because high temperatures may break down the chemical and increase the chances of BPA entering your food.

Also to avoid exposure to BPA via skin, especially when you may be pregnant, you should avoid handling most cashier receipts as much as possible (source: studies reported in C&EN articles).

Upcoming Events: Fall (Oct 11)

2011-08-28T12:07:00.001-04:00

SEPTEMBER

25th Anniversary Screening!
Blue Velvet (1986)
120 minutes

Read Reviews here

DATE(S):	Monday September 19, 2011; 4:00 pm ; 7:00 pm
COST:	$5*
AGE RESTRICTION:	Rated R
TYPE:	Film

For more info check out STATETHEATRE website

12th Annual Fall Festival

October 1, 2011, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on S. Allen Street

The Fall Festival is an exciting day filled with fun for the whole family, from alpacas to pumpkins, carousels to pony rides - there's so much to do! Kids will love to decorate pumpkins and visit a variety of activity booths sponsored by various community organizations. And hay rides are fun for the whole family! Don't forget to stop in at the Community Resources Fair in the Municipal Building to see some of the amazing things we have available in the Centre Region. And finish the day out by tasting some of the best desserts in Happy Valley. Come down to Allen

Cooking Lesson on Mung Dal and Stir Fried Veggies

2011-06-22T10:59:00.001-04:00

Easy, Delicious Dal and Mixed Vegetable Medley (Sabzi)

-by Nari Soundarrajan

Accompanies any carbohydrate staple such as: Naan, roti, steamed rice, quinoa etc.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

Vegetables; their preparation

Red pepper 1 Cut to slender pieces 1 inch long
Potatoes or sweet potatoes 1 Chop to small 1 inch blocks, microwave soft
with 2-3 tbsp water
Zuccini squash 1 Chop to 1/2 inch sized bits
Green chilis 2 Chop to small 1/4 inch bits

Cilantro 2-3 stalks Chop fine, or pinch to small pieces
Onions (medium) 1 Chop fine or slice into long thin pieces
Tomatoes 2 Chop into 1 inch sized thin slices
(or use 1 small can of paste)

[Note: the use of red colored peppers and green zuccini and yellowish potaoes with red tomatoes gives the dish a very pleasing colorful look. Feel free to experiment with cauliflower, aubergines, yellow peppers, okra or carrots too to impart other colors]

SPICES

Note: tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon
Cumin seed 1 tsp
Cinnamon 1/4 tsp
Garam masala/curry powder 1 to 1 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves (optional) 1 or 2 chopped fine or minced
Ginger (optional) 1 inch piece chopped fine or minced
Asafoetida powder ½ tsp

1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup water or vegetable broth

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut to long slender pieces

1. In a skillet or wok heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add the cumin seeds, as they start browning, add onions. (don’t let cumin blacken)
3. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden, ~ about 5 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat a little, stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilis and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 mins. (optional)
6. Add the cauliflower and carrots, and stir for 1 min. Sprinkle some water.
7. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes. Stir once in 3-4 minutes lightly to prevent charring at the bottom.
8. Season with salt. Add the cilantro, switch off the heat and cover with the lid. When you open again, the flavor would be really uplifting.
9. Spoon the rice into individual soup bowls and top with the curry. Serve immediately.

Nature Hotspots near Penn State & State College, PA

2011-06-20T11:12:00.000-04:00

Featured above: a composite shot of the Arboretum at Penn State. [Courtesy Andy Colwell] Screenshot link

Here I will list some of the outdoor spots that caught my attention over the last few years. I have really enjoyed visiting these places and spending time there, either walking, running or just seeing nature at its best. The places listed are all given with driving times from downtown State College (time in minutes). Directions are provided or available at the associated hyperlink. [Note: Clicking on the links will take you to other third party websites.]

A very good book with a vast collection of hikes in Centre county is The Short Hiker, by Jean Aron. [link to Amazon]. If you are a local you may also find the book at Websters Cafe (or ask me if you know me!)

WINTER SPECIAL (Frozen Lakes!) - walk at your own risk only after considering all safety aspects.
COLYER LAKE (10 mins)

This lake is located on South Atherton/ East 322 as you leave State College towards Lewistown. Once you cross Tait Farm and then drive for a mile or so, look out for the Harley Davidson motorcycle dealership (this will come on your left). Immediately after the Harley dealership, on your right you should see a green sign saying COLYER LAKE ACCESS (PA Fish and Boat Commission). Turn right into that winding road and follow the signs and drive for about 5 mins (slow drive) and you will reach the lake parking lot.

Boating at Colyer Lake is limited to boats powered by electric motors and un-powered boats. Two surfaced launch ramps are available along with associated parking facilities. [Colyer Lake Official Site]

There are NO FACILITIES at this location so be prepared by taking water etc to drink and also doing the necessary at home or a gas station ahead of time.
As of Dec 8 the lake is frozen but easily cracks and you can see several visible cracks. Also me and my friend both jumped on the ice to make more cracks. Hehe, have fun!

FALL SPECIAL
(5-10 mins) Awesome Drives in Fall

The other day I was driving in Lemont (see embedded image below that opens in google maps) and got "lost" and discovered a beautiful winding road lined with trees on both sides, some of which were already changing colors!! So if you go there by Sep 30-Oct 10 I am guessing you will be in for a visual treat, not to mention the exhilaration of driving on near empty roads (caution advised- speed limit posted is 25 mph) with brand new paved surfaces! (Click Here to View Larger Map )

Click Here to View Larger Map

(2-5 mins) Penn State Arboretum
Walking, Jogging, Pet walking, biking. Special: Trees

(5 mins) Milbrook Marsh http://www.crpr.org/Millbrook/MMNC-Menu.html
Walking, birdwatching, pet walking, Special: Flowing water

(5 mins) Walnut Springs Park
Walking, Trail running, trail Biking, Special: bubbling brook.

(5-10 mins) Parks in SC Borough
Walking, assorted options for kids (slides etc.) Special: None (imo).

(10-15 mins) Fisherman's Paradise . Click here for directions. near Bellefonte, PA off Rt 220) [This week's featured item]
Walking, flyfishing (catch and release), Running, Photography, Fishery. Special: Beautiful stream, catchment ponds, fish!
Picture here.

(15 mins) Colyer Lake

(30 mins) Shavers Creek/Stone Valley Recreational Area

[Stone valley directions]
Boating (canoes and kayaks on still water), walking, trail running, easy trails, cabins for overnight stay, Shavers creek has educational programs about nature, wild animals etc.

Special: Beautiful Lake Perez! Cabins!

(30 mins) Whipple Dam Area
[Directions to Whipple dam: from State College, proceed west of college ave/PA 26]

12 miles from the town of State College, sitting right on PA 26, Whipple dam area offers "beach volleyball" opportunities, barbeque pit and a little swimming area in the dam reservoir. One can also rent small boats and do a little bit of pedal boating or canoeing . There are also different hiking and running trails near the dam area. Overall it is a great place near town to get away from the town and hang out in the woods and see some open water. [Official DCNR Information]

(40 mins) Greenwood Furnace

It is a nice place with a 6 acre lake and lots of hiking trails. please see the official DCNR link for more info.

If you have any suggestions, email me at naridon at yahoo dot com.

Another website (Statecollegecentral) that offers information on outdoor activities in Central PA.

TRADER JOES in STATE COLLEGE

2011-03-22T07:43:00.003-04:00

Flash News!!

Trader Joe's - a great retailer/supermarket of variety of foods ('exotic' to some), nuts, organic produce is coming to State College. In my opinion, Trader Joe's is an affordable alternative to pricey local organic stores or Whole foods, etc. and better quality and atmosphere than Walmart anyday. (News source: Daily Collegian)

It is not known if the facebook group "Bring Trader Joe's to State College" (701 members) had a role to play in this development. However, the proposed location of the new Trader Joe's on North Atherton (see map below) close to Wegmans (map) and not too far from Walmart puts it in a great competitive location.

View Larger Map

See maps

For shoppers, it would hopefully mean some good pricing and competition on organic produce between Wegmans and Trader Joe's. I am very excited by this development. The only gripe I have still is of course about the state of PA itself, which does not let you buy wines in grocery stores!

Wikipedia on Trader Joe's lets us know that it has very strong connections to German discount supermarket chain Aldi.

Traders Joe's state college

New Ways to Cook Chickpeas

2011-03-08T18:10:00.000-05:00

FIVE MORE WAYS TO COOK CHICKPEAS
(courtesy New York Times

Discounts at Penn State

2011-01-16T11:40:00.003-05:00

PENN STATE DISCOUNTS PAGE

Office of Human Resources at Penn State has several discount codes and other corporate discounts (especially for Travel services) for being a PSU student/employee/alumnus. Above link takes you to Office of human resources page that has multiple categories for discounts.

My Favorite Categories include:
Communications, Computers, Discount Portals, Transporation, Travel & Hotels
(For Lenovo discounts click)

Dell Corporate Customer Discount (extra 7% off on top of other discounts)
<<>>

DELL via Amazon

Penn State Computer Store
You can buy hardware and software for low prices here.[Office, Adobe, Endnote etc.]

Steals: Office Enterprise $60. [OR FREE if an employee or grad assistant] (This has all office apps of the word, excel etc that you need, but it is available only for volume licensing - which is cool if you are at penn state or any big organization!).
However I think you can place Enterprise on only one computer. With the Microsoft office Home/student edition you can place it on three computers.
But before you buy stuff, check below for free software (norton etc) available for PSU students and staff/faculty after logging in
[http://downloads.its.psu.edu/]
________________________________________

MAGFORMILES
(magazines for your useless airline miles)

Airline mile spending/Stock market blog
LISTSERVS
Access and manage several of your penn state related email/listservs here. You might need to sign up with the email address where you receive your email from different mailing lists. If you use an alias to receive emails, sign up with that address specifically.

Heaven is hotter than hell (proof)

2010-06-09T18:24:00.000-04:00

This is in response to the oft quoted "mythical Univ of Washington Physics Exam question"
(Orig story link)

Proof that Heaven is hotter using data from Revelation stories...

The temperature of Heaven can be rather accurately computed from available data. Our authority is the Bible: Isaiah 30:26 reads "Moreover the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days."
Thus Heaven receives from the Moon as much radiation as we do from the sun and in addition seven times seven (forty-nine) times as much as the Earth does from the Sun, or fifty times in all. The light we receive from the Moon is a ten-thousandth of the light we receive from the Sun, so we can ignore that. With this data we can compute the temperature of Heaven.
The radiation falling on Heaven will heat it to the point where the heat lost by radiation is just equal to the heat received by radiation. In other words, Heaven loses fifty times as much heat as the Earth by radiation.

Using the Stefan-Boltzmann fourth-power law for radiation:

(H / E)^4 = 50

where E is the absolute temperature of the Earth, 300°K. This gives H as 798°K (525°C)
The exact temperature of Hell cannot be computed but it must be less than 444.6°C ; the temperature at which brimstone or sulphur changes from a liquid to a gas.
Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful and unbelieving... shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone."

A lake of molten brimstone means that the temperature must be below the boiling point, which is 444.6°C. (Above this point it would be a vapour, not a lake.)

We have, then, temperature of Heaven, 525°C. Temperature of Hell, less than 445°C. Therefore, Heaven is hotter than Hell.

Courtesy link: Snopes.com

Disclaimer: Above mentioned story is presented as a joke/humor piece and is not an accurate scientific derivation and may not be cited in any Congressional Hearings or Industrial Safety hearings.

New bus service to Harrisburg

2010-05-12T01:56:00.000-04:00

Details below copy pasted from an email I received from ApexBus
Apex Bus launches two new bus lines running every day.

State College <=> Harriburg, PA <=> Philadelphia

The ticket price starts at just $10. limited time offer, it will expire soon.

Additionally, if you purchase any tickets on the web site: www.apexbus.com before June 1st, 2010,
you will earn 200 Apex Reward points by June 15, 2010. You can redeem free ticket
with as low as 100 points on apexbus.com

Other services
New York(Penn Station)/New York(Chinatown)/DC/Philadelphia/Richmond/Norfolk/Atlanta
/Baltimore/State College/Newport News and many more on our web site(www.ApexBus.com)

If you have any questions, please call (202)449-9758 between 9:00 AM
and 7:00 PM EST every day, they will be glad to help.

Thanks.
ApexBus.com
Powered by service

Buses to NY and Pittsburgh

2010-04-26T05:49:00.000-04:00

Hello Penn State Community!
There is a sparkling new bus service coming to town which offers fares starting at $1 if you book ahead of time.Typical weekend fares range anywhere from $3 to $11 (one way) ranging on how busy the route happens to be.

Megabus is the name of this bus company and they feature wifi on all buses and power outlets on all buses in the Northeast. Fine print about wifi: (http://us.megabus.com/faq.aspx)

Use www.megabus.com to explore their site

or use the http://us.megabus.com/ for the direct US link.

the tab under "BUS STOPS" shows where they stop in different cities.
2 buses daily both ways.

Fw: Pics to share

2010-04-07T14:55:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I was in Florida near Cape Canaveral and had a chance to see the shuttle launch (before dawn). Afterward I had gone to the beach and saw the shuttle exhaust still lingering in the sky, but not after the winds had changed it into an alien craft like weird shape.

The launch video can be found here:

Thought I would share it with you all readers. As a bonus, I am also sharing a pink hibiscus that I shot in an Orlando mall.

Wishing you well,
Nari

Running in the Rain : Walnut Spring Park

2010-03-14T12:40:00.001-04:00

Location: WaLnut Spring Park, State College PA
Date: March 13 2010.
Conditions: Wet, chilly and pouring.
Experience: AMAZING to watch a flooding stream and raging water!

Below you will see some videos:
Just a flooding small stream

Clean spring vs murky storm runoff.

Another capture

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-27T20:19:00.002-05:00

It has been a tradition for me to host vegetarian thanksgiving meals for several years now. This year (2009) I hosted my first vegan Thanksgiving (just to see if I can do it). It also helped that one of the guests was going to be vegan.

Here follows an amateur video shoot (recorded by myself with a Sony W760 while cooking). final 30 secs are dark, sorry! The menu:

Potato leek & red onion stir fry with crunchy lentils and flavored with curry leaves
Carrot, potato, spinach and yellow lentil stew with south indian spices
White rice
Crisp fried tofu with cilantro and black pepper seasoning

YOUTUBE COOKING VIDEO

Facebook Group Deletion & Application Privacy Settings

2009-11-10T19:47:00.006-05:00

HOW TO COMPLETELY DELETE A GROUP THAT YOU CREATED ON FACEBOOK

If you have ever formed a group on facebook and now want to delete it, you know that facebook does not have a direct answer to that. As far as I know, facebook does not even have a help page. However, since you can rely on friends inside facebook (sometimes!) you get answers easily.

For completely deleting a group, you need to remove all members. This can be a pain if the group has several members. However, once you are done removing everybody successfully (if you are an admin + creator, this should not be a problem), you need to remove yourself. At this stage, facebook interface will finally ask you if you want to remove yourself and warn that the group will be deleted if you leave (see image). Just hit yes and be done!

Click on image to see full size.

Credit goes to several people on this facebook page.

ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT PRIVACY SETTING

You really need to look into this one, because this setting controls what your friends share about you when they take quizzes, social interview, games and all such crap on facebook.

FRIENDS SHARE STUFF ABOUT YOU to THIRD PARTIES.

before you do that, in a separate window, log into facebook.

Then click link below, (this way, you will already be logged in and there won't be hints of phishing etc thrown at this post!)

ADJUST PRIVACY SETTINGS HERE

I would uncheck EVERYTHING. Unless you want to promote your website, then you can leave that on. If you want contextual ads, you can leave your personal info and birthday checked.

THON 5K Race - Improved on my 5K speed!

2009-11-01T12:54:00.011-05:00

I am running the THON 5Km race today with my friend Mere (Yayyy), Steve . thousands other people on the Penn State campus in a battle against childhood cancer. You can also show your support at http://www.thon.org.

I would like to thank my running buddy Heidi S. and Nike+ (a Nike running product/initiative of Nike) for moral support (Heidi) and technical support in run stats (Heidi and Nike Inc.).

UPDATE: I ran a personal best at ~ 26 mins and 35 sec for 3.1 miles. Approx pace is 8:34. These are unofficial timings. (click the image for larger size)

FULL RACE REPORT: for pictures of participants check out PSU Newswire.

[The race started at 1130 am near IM bldg on Curtin Rd., on a fine sunny Sunday morning during the Halloween weekend at Penn State. Several runners and cheerful audience showed up various costumes ranging from superheroes to cookie monsters to cute dolls etc]. Now to the race report.

Since hundreds of people started at the start line, the initial 0.5 mile was quite complicated to run from the middle. Just avoiding hazards like tripping and bumping from people crossing into your path or stopping in front of you was a challenge. However, I did that stretch at a moderate 8:30 pace, which eventually was close to my course average pace. I was happy that I stuck to that speed from the beginning. The course has a decent uphill just before the first mile mark, which made it quite challenging to keep pace and breath.

Once I conquered that hill (mile 1 at 8:13/mile -<<- I do not trust this value), soon after a second and bigger hill came up near the PSU nuclear reactor, but the morale boost from the cheerful spectators kept me going. After several high fives and one water cup, I continued on Pollock road (gentle uphill) all the way to the flat stretch past the HUB (mile 2 at 9:52/mile). Soon after crossing the library/Pattee Mall region came the next and final uphill of the race at Fraser Street. Somehow, my rhythm was good so I managed to cross this hill at a decent pace and turned on to Curtin. From here on, I was into the last mile so I stepped up the pace a notch (pace 7:03/mile) and finished strong with a nice sprint at the last 100 meters. However that last sprint definitely gave me some diaphragm pain during the cool down after the finish.

To summarize (and toot my own horn): I did a personal best at 5K in 27 min 04 sec (unofficial time). Actually it was 3.15 miles - which is 80 meters more than 5 km. The pace of 8:34 in this race was a big improvement over my summer 09 artsfest 5K pace of 9:20 and overall time of 28 min 57 sec. My friend Mere (blog) who is running a race for the first time since her ankle surgery in Feb finished in 28 min. (her report) I am sure she will vastly improve by the time we run a next race. Also, Steve K. ran in 25 min something with a baby stroller. I am super impressed by that.

I want to be a tree.. for Halloween

2009-10-26T02:13:00.004-04:00

It should be fairly simple to make up. Wear brown pants or a brown wrap around toga to show the trunk. Also wear a brown Tshirt but then wear a shorter cut off T-shirt that is gree till your chest, so that your neck, shoulders and chest are green. Get a green mask and green hat and make sure your arms and hands are green too.

An artist's impression of the "tree man" is shown. (Painstakingly created at 2am using GIMP)

Voila, you are a tree and all the tree huggers at the party can come and hug you! haha. just make sure there are no dogs in the costume party. If there are, then you better turn into a carnivorous tree. Of course, my friend Heba wants me to be a Christmas tree, with all ornaments and blinking lights - for her amusement. I am going to resist that.. haha.

10K run as part of Nike Human Race

2009-10-24T14:47:00.005-04:00

I ran 10km today as part of Nike Human Race with several other runners at Penn State and many many more around the world. My timing was roughly an hour for the 10K. But myself and this girl called Kristen (somebody I met today while running at the same pace) ran a little extra because we went off the course. So we did 6.49 miles instead of 6.2 for the 10K.

If you click on the square box next to slide 1/1 you should be able to see a larger image of the running pattern (in a new window). The pattern was generated by the help of a new running accessory, Nikeplus promoted by Nike (Ticker: NKE)

Although I say 'run', it was a combination of run/walk for me. Kristen ran at a steady pace throughout except when she had to wait for me to catch up so that she could get directions. I had a good time running the first mile, then breathlessness set in and I struggled till mile 3, then I somehow ran fast for the next half mile till we hit some really large puddles blocking the entire bike path - at which point, I splashed my way through, but afterward I walked and ran in cycles. The final mile was done at the decent pace and we finished with a flourish. Thanks Kristen for running behind, ahead and alongside. I suck at running solo so it was a big help.

pics

2009-10-22T20:02:00.001-04:00

L to R

Looking down from the top of Indian steps trail (a wonderful hike in Centre County with my friends), At a fundraising dinner, In front of my research building (work bulletin board pic)

Train Baby Is the New Hit

2009-10-17T02:19:00.002-04:00

I posted this on my facebook several hours ago on Friday. Oddly enough, I see almost the same phrase " move over balloon boy, train baby is here" used at Gawker. No I am not going to link to Gawker from here.

Anyways here it is to watch and marvel at this absolute miracle.

Courtesy:" cnn.com

State College / Penn State : Top Ten Restaurants

2009-09-06T10:31:00.004-04:00

ITALIAN
Mario and Luigi's (fine dining, full service bar)
North Atherton St. near Blockbuster

Faccia Luna (large wood fired oven, wine)
South Atherton Street (near intersection with Allen St.)

THAI
Cozy Thai Bistro (bring your own beer/wine)
East College Avenue
My Thai
Westerly Parkway

Viet Thai (byob/wine)
North Atherton (near Greyhound bus terminal)

Mexican/Tex-Mex Food

Qdoba: http://www.qdoba.com/
State College #211
206 West College Avenue
State College, PA 16801
814-861-3288

Chipotle Mexican Grill
Heister Street (opening Sep 11th)
Chipotle - Penn State University
116 Heister St.
State College, PA 16801
814-231-0442 (phone)
(814) 231-1311 (fax)
Open 11am - 10pm, 0.7 miles away

Baja Fresh
Downtown (on Garner Street and Calder way)

Rey Azteca

AMERICAN CUISINE
The Deli on Heister Street
Great beers, wide menu, great desserts

INDIAN
Kaarma (on Beaver Avenue close to x-tion with Allen St)

India Pavilion (on Calder Way) close to Pugh Street - between Beaver and College Avenues.

ALTOOONA
El Campesino (Altoona, PA) http://elcampesino.net/

Penn State Law Building and Library: Worth a tourist visit

2009-09-04T14:02:00.004-04:00

This post is about buildings on Penn State University Park (main) campus.

If you want to showcase some buildings on your campus to visitors who are in town, take them to the IST Building - which (to me) looks like a high speed rail station with its long span, elevated position and all glass walls.

If you are into buildings with lot of glass, then the ones on campus you want to check out are:

IST Building, Lewis Katz Law Building, Life Sciences Building, Smeal Business Building and the School of Forestry Building.

The IST building is closer to downtown and easily approachable.

The top pick on campus however goes to the new Lewis Katz Law School simply because of the setting. It is set in the middle of a vast green expanse.

Internet Service in State College / Penn State Area

2009-08-21T11:09:00.000-04:00

Internet Service in State College
Recently we had to switch internet service providers (ISP) so I decided to write up whatever research I had done on the issue. Here it is, plunge in and enjoy. Happy browsing eventually!

The internet options are listed by groupings for 1-2 persons and 3-4 person units.
Some price recommendations based on prices in mid July 2009 are also made here.
The order in which the companies are provided is alphabetical, not based on quality/experience.

MAIN POINTS [updates]

It is clear the VERIZON and D&E require contracts. It is not clear if Comcast requires a contract or if one can go month to month. If you can go month to month with Comcast, then the 42.95/mo deal is a good for groups of 3-4 ppl. Similarly the 24.95 month to month plan with comcast also would be a good deal if you don't like being locked in to cable or phone service.
Verizon makes you do at least a 1 yr contact but you will get price fixed at 19.99 or 29.99 or 42.99 depending on the speed. I would be cautious about 2 year contracts, it is a pain and net prices would only go down in the future most likely. Also note, D&E gets expensive after 3 months so see if you can persuade them on phone to match other companies's offers.

1. Comcast (used extensively for over 1 year)
Has 3 major plans (link)
Comcast applies professional installation fees (at least $49 for 1 PC and for 5 PC home networking it is $149). Also if you do not have cable, their installation fee are $99 (from phone rep).
Comcast has a special student offer (look for tables on College Avenue near Heister St) of 69.99/mo for cable+internet. The installation fee for this is only 9.95 as a one time charge. Their may be other fine print regards equipment charges so do double check those, but overall this seems like a decent offer!

(i) $ 19.95/month for 6 months, $42.95 thereafter this pricing with Voice or cable service only - so it might be quite high, cable is usually 30/month with Comcast]. See fine print images here...

(ii) $24.95/month = basic speed, Internet only option - good for 1-2 people moderate browsing. (this pricing with Voice or cable service only)

(iii) $ 59.95/month - decent speed, 3-4 people with moderate browsing can do ok (with a wireless router and self set up).
(iv) They have other plans listed here which are more expensive but are higher bandwidth, speed plans. [Link]

[Experience with Comcast: 1 year as (shared) user, fairly reliable coverage]

2. D and E Communications
State College Area (residential) [Prices as of July 19 2009 from this link]

Monthly Payment Plan
Get unlimited access to the Internet:

Speed Download/Upload	Promotional Rate	Rate after 3 months
7.0M/1.0M	$19.95/mo.	$39.95/mo.
10.0M/2.0M	$29.95/mo.	$49.95/mo.

* They also charge $50 for self installation of networks with a wireless router. However I would probably test a wireless router on the network directly before paying any $50 fees. They also charge $125 for installation of home wireless network. They also "rent" out a router for $10 per month, but this is similar to telephone companies renting you a landline instrument monthly. Say NO and buy your own Router from Amazon etc.
[Experience with D&E: brief (used while staying at friend's house for 10 days)]

3. Earthlink (never used, just heard about)
In 16801 area they only have premium dialup (landline needed!!) (internet cost $10 to 12.50/mo) or satellite at 60/mo.

4. Verizon DSL

They have three plans
Starter 19.99/ mo 1 yr contract - compares to Comcast basic, better than D&E

Power Plan 29.99 /mo 1 yr contract

Turbo - $ 42.95/mo for 1 yr contract compares to Comcast high speed plans.

[Experience with Verizon: 2 years in 2005-6] DSL connections have their own issues as experienced in 2006. We do not know current status. However other friends of ours have used DSL with no issues.

5. AT&T (never used)
Dialups and laptop connect cards only. (expensive?).

6. Wired and Wireless Connection (close to downtown)
One other option is to look into Getwireless.net a company that provides wifi all over downtown State College, PA. They also provide "wired" connection via satellite box in select downtown building/apartments. [Building list]
(Tip: If you already have getwireless, you can get credit for referring a friend. Check it out)

7. Free/Shared Wifi/ PennState Wifi

This is a controversial suggestion, but sometimes if you can detect secure or unsecure wifi in your area, you could try casually finding out from the neighbors if they are willing to share wifi for a small fee. Hey, it might work! But the quality/reliability etc are issues to be kept in mind, not to mention the perception of privacy which some people might want to live in.
If you can connect to Penn State Wireless network, you live close to enough to campus and you are in great shape then.

8. Hughes Satellite etc. (please google it)
Enter zipcode and see pricing.
16801 (State college) it starts at 59.95/month.
Equipment purchase cost $ 200 or lease costs $99 +10/month.
EXPENSIVE!!

Netbook or Small laptop

2009-07-20T11:38:00.005-04:00

Recently my HP DV2415 NR died. (HP suxx in general.. had to get that out). So now I am on the market for a new laptop (thanks to my starwood Amex's automatic extended buyer's assurance, otherwise I cannot afford a new machine now).

Anyhow I was infatuated with the new and cool looking (and XP loaded) 10 inch netbooks. Samsung NC10-14GB 10.2-Inch Blue Netbook - 6 Cell Battery
, ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hour Battery Life
and Lenovo IdeaPad S10 10.2-Inch Red Netbook - 3 Cell Battery
first caught my eye. Then I went to the PSU comp store and checked out the HP mini to get a feel for the size. I felt that the 10 in machine was too small.

I have also begun looking at the Ideapad S12 (12") and Inspiron 13 and 14" machines. Will soon decide what to get and then also write up the cost reduction strategy which I will use. Including EPP, miles gaining, credit card etc etc..

My budget is a tad under 500 so lenovo S12 comes into that range, but I am waiting for the Nvidia ION equipped version.

Decided the wait was too much and bought the ASUS 10" netbook from Bestbuy. It is ok in terms of specs, is quite light and has a decent battery life as now.

Check out netbookchoice.com for reviews etc..
I will hyperlink things soon..

Lenovo discounts:
Go to www.lenovo.com/cpp

password is familyandfriends
Then you can shop as a contractor for lenovo and get a additional discount of around 5% on top of things.

For comparison see this screen shot (click to load full size):

Comcast Screen Shots

2009-07-19T00:56:00.000-04:00