A FreeRide beats a free lunch on the Web

February 9, 1997

By JIM BROOKS

If you've been on the Internet for more than a year, then you've seen firsthand the difference that increasing competition has made in the marketplace for access.

Prices for Internet access have dropped; companies have either become competitive or ceased to exist.

And while accessing the Internet is cheaper, it still isn't free --but now it's getting close, thanks to a company called FreeRide.

FreeRide offers you credit good towards a month's free Internet access with an participating Internet provider.

InfiNet was one of the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) to sign an agreement with FreeRide. If you've visited the InfiNet's Web site (at www.infi.net), you might have noticed the addition of the FreeRide icon at the bottom of the home page.

FreeRide doesn't "give" away a month's Internet access; participants actually earn points that will earn you credit for a month's access.

How? It's easy to do.

FreeRide's Web site has numerous lists of participating manufacturers and brand names whose products earn you FreeRide points. To earn the points, you purchase the products at your favorite store, clip the UPC bar code as your proof-of-purchase. These UPCs are sent to FreeRide and redeemed for credit (in FreeRide-supplied envelopes).

The list of participating companies and products is growing. It includes now companies like Duracell, Advil, Oreo, IBM, TDK, Nabisco and many more.

The question you'll probably want answered is: How many points does it take to earn that "free ride?"

One thousand points will earn you a free month's Net access with InfiNet. Even if you aren't an InfiNet subscriber, you can still make your regular purchases of products count toward FreeRide points. If your ISP isn't affiliated with FreeRide, it may someday. Any points your accumulate will be stored in an account until you have an ISP that's affiliated with FreeRide.

And the products that earn you points you probably buy right now. In fact, FreeRide offers a shopping list you can print, so you'll know what products and sizes are good for FreeRide points.

Be aware that products involved in the FreeRide program change from time to time, and the shopping list will change periodically, meaning you'll need to send in your UPCs for credit while the products are still valid.

FreeRide is out to make it easy to earn points; you will soon be able to earn points just by going to their Web site and clicking on links to other sites. And FreeRide is working on deals where you purchases of certain CDs, hardware and software, consumer surveys, even magazine subscriptions can earn points.

Currently, Rolling Stone, US, Newsweek and Men's Journal all offer points for subscribing online at the FreeRide site; more are in the works, according to FreeRide.

There's no cost to signup for your FreeRide. You'll be assigned a user name and password to protect your account -- or FreeRide "wallet" that holds your credit. After that, you'll receive your envelopes and your redemption certificates by mail, and you'll be set.

To read more about FreeRide, visit their Web site at www.freeride.com.

NO LOVE LOST. A group of hackers have threatened to riot on America Online on Valentines Day, Feb. 14.

Apparently, the group has chosen the day to retaliate against AOL for the busy signals users have experienced since it began flat-rate pricing in December.

More than 800 AOL members have received e-mail warnings of such an attack, promising e-mail floods and to kick subscribers off the service.

In years past, hackers have created specialized hacker software designed to allow users to wreak havoc on AOL. The software, called AOHell, gave users greater access privileges, and included the ability to kick users off the service.

AOL has revised its operating system to prevent users from performing these stunts. An AOL spokesman said the service is prepared for any online hijinks that hackers may try on Valentines Day.

Will they succeed in ruining anyone's Valentines Day? Serious Valentines Day participants likely won't be using AOL that day, though the curious may want to log in and see what's happening.

BLACK HISTORY ON THE WEB. As with any celebration of history and culture, there's plenty to be found on the Internet. I guess it's only a natural, since the content of the Internet -- for the most part -- reflects its users.

• One of the best places on the Web to start your search for sites celebrating Black History Month is MSNBC at www.msnbc.com.

Follow the news link and find the clickable link for Black History Month. You'll find a great section of links to some of the best sites on the World Wide Web.

• NetNoir (www.netnoir.com) calls itself the Soul of Cyberspace.

Its a very cleanly designed site, with some heavy-hitting sponsors --Chase Manhattan and Honda among them.

Its Lifestyles section has profiles of black musicians, sports figures as well as columns and information on fitness and health aimed at blacks but of interest to nearly everyone.

The Spotlight section naturally is aimed at Black History Month, with highlights of black achievements in film and other areas.

NetNoir's full of great content, from personal ads to an archive of interviews and chat archives with black artists and entertainers.

• A simple but impressive Black History Month site is the Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences Web page

This Web page is a contribution by the library system at Louisiania State University, offer great details on the black contributors to the many fields of science.

It also provides a current update on blacks advances in graduate degrees, and a peek at what's being done to further black education in the sciences of the future.

If nothing else, its a great online database of who's who in black scientific achievement. Point your browser to http://www.lib.lsu.edu/lib/chem/display/faces.html for the details.

• The fight against racism is part of the black experience, and one site on the Web that very graphically points this out is the African American Holocaust.

Using images, text and audio, New York computer consultant Milford Plaines has created a stark and emotionally powerful look at the how blacks were routinely killed earlier this century -- not just in the South, but throughout the United States.

Note that the site uses graphic photos in its presentation; its history at its rawest, so you may not want to expose younger children to it.

Too often, we who aren't exposed to the horrors of racism need a shockingly graphic reminder of how ugly and truly insidious racism is -- and why it shouldn't be tolerated today.

Point your browser to http://www.tnp.com/holocaust/

Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web.

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