Texting for Free E-mail
Monday, 31 May 2010 00:00
Here's a simple way to send SMS text messages to cell phones without paying a cent. Just remember, the person receiving the text will pay for it unless texting is part of their cell phone plan!

Cell phone providers have email servers that can send emails as text messages. To use this service, you simply have to know your recipient's carrier and their email server's address. You can even mass text by creating an email distribution list or using a spreadsheet with mail merge. If you mail merge, you can even include personal names and other info in your text message for each recipient. 

Here's how it works: Verizon's email server is located at vtext.com. If we know that our recipient is a Verizon customer and their phone number is (123) 555 - 1234, we can enter this email address into the "To" line in any email program:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Then we can type a short subject and a brief message and send the email. The message will travel from our computer to the vtext.com email server, convert to a text message, and arrive at our recipient's phone in seconds. Just remember that most phones can only receive messages of 140 to 160 characters including the subject, so write carefully! Also, keep in mind that your recipient's might be charged for receiving your text messages if they do not have texting on their cell phone plan.

Warning: Unsolicited texts may be illegal in your state or may be considered illegal by a court of law. Always get permission from your recipients to text them before sending messages, especially mass texts! It is a good idea to get permission when you ask for a recipient's provider (you'll need that information for the email server anyway). For added protection, have recipients fill out a short form that asks for their phone number, carrier, and permission to send texts to their cell phone.

Here's a list of several providers and their email servers from livejournal.com. Some have since merged or closed but I'll leave them in case they are of some value.

    Aliant (NBTel, MTT, NewTel, and Island Tel) (from: 11, msg: 140, total: 140)
    Enter your phone number. Message is sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Alltel (from: 50, msg: 116, total: 116)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Ameritech (ACSWireless) (from: 120, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Arch Wireless (from: 15, msg: 240, total: 240)
    Enter your phone number. Sent via http://www.arch.com/message/ (assumes blank PIN)

    AT&T (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    AU by KDDI (from: 20, msg: 10000, total: 10000)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    BeeLine GSM (from: 50, msg: 255, total: 255)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Bell Mobility Canada (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your phone number, including the 1 prefix. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Bellsouth (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    BellSouth Mobility (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Blue Sky Frog (from: 30, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Boost (from: 30, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Cellular South (from: 50, msg: 155, total: 155)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    CellularOne (Dobson) (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    CellularOne West (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Centennial Wireless (from: 10, msg: 110, total: 110)
    Enter your phone number. Sent via http://www.centennialwireless.com

    Cincinnati Bell (from: 20, msg: 50, total: 50)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Claro (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Comviq (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Dutchtone/Orange-NL (from: 15, msg: 150, total: 150)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Edge Wireless (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    EinsteinPCS / Airadigm Communications (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    EPlus (from: 20, msg: 480, total: 480)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Estonia Mobile Telefon (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Sent via webform.

    Fido Canada (from: 15, msg: 140, total: 140)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Golden Telecom (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number or nickname. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Idea Cellular (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Kyivstar (from: 30, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Sent by addressing the message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    LMT (from: 30, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your username. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Manitoba Telecom Systems (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to @text.mtsmobility.com

    Meteor (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Metro PCS (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Metrocall Pager (from: 120, msg: 120, total: 120)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    MobileOne (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Mobilfone (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Mobility Bermuda (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    MTS Primtel (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Sent via web gateway.

    Netcom (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Nextel (from: 50, msg: 126, total: 126)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Note: do not use dashes in your phone number.

    NPI Wireless (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    NTC (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Sent via web gateway.

    O2 (formerly BTCellnet) (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter O2 username - must be enabled first at http://www.o2.co.uk. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    O2 M-mail (formerly BTCellnet) (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter phone number, omitting initial zero - must be enabled first by sending an SMS saying "ON" to phone number "212". Goes to +44[number]@mmail.co.uk.

    Optus (from: 20, msg: 114, total: 114)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to @optusmobile.com.au

    Orange (UK) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to @orange.net. You will need to create a user account at orange.net first.

    Oskar (from: 20, msg: 320, total: 320)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to @mujoskar.cz

    Other (from: 15, msg: 100, total: 100)
    If your provider isn't supported directly, enter the email address that sends you a text message in phone number field. To be safe, the entire message is sent in the body of the message, and the length limit is really short. We'd prefer you give us information about your provider so we can support it directly.

    Pagenet (from: 20, msg: 220, total: 240)
    10-digit phone number (or gateway and pager number separated by a period). Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    PCS Rogers (from: 20, msg: 125, total: 125)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Requires prior registration with PCS Rogers.

    Personal Communication (Sonet) (from: 20, msg: 150, total: 150)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your number in the subject line.

    Plus GSM Poland (from: 20, msg: 620, total: 620)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Powertel (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Primtel (from: 20, msg: 150, total: 150)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    PSC Wireless (from: 20, msg: 150, total: 150)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Qualcomm (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your username. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Qwest (from: 14, msg: 100, total: 100)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to @qwestmp.com

    Safaricom (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Goes to @safaricomsms.com

    Satelindo GSM (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Goes to @satelindogsm.com

    SCS-900 (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Goes to @scs-900.ru

    Simple Freedom (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Goes to @text.simplefreedom.net

    Skytel - Alphanumeric (from: 15, msg: 240, total: 240)
    Enter your 7-digit pin number as your number and your message will be mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Smart Telecom (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to @mysmart.mymobile.ph

    Smarts GSM (from: 11, msg: 70, total: 70)
    Enter your phone number. Sent via http://www.samara-gsm.ru/scripts/smsgate.exe

    Southern Linc (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your 10-digit phone number. Goes to @page.southernlinc.com

    Sprint PCS (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your 10-digit phone number. Goes to @messaging.sprintpcs.com

    Sprint PCS - Short Mail (from: 15, msg: 1000, total: 1000)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to @sprintpcs.com

    SunCom (from: 18, msg: 110, total: 110)
    Enter your number. Email will be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    SureWest Communications (from: 20, msg: 200, total: 200)
    Enter your phone number. Message will be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    SwissCom Mobile (from: 20, msg: 10000, total: 10000)
    Enter your phone number. Message will be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    T-Mobile Germany (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your number. Email will be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    T-Mobile Netherlands (from: 15, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Send "EMAIL ON" to 555 from your phone, then enter your number starting with 316. Email will be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    T-Mobile UK (from: 30, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    T-Mobile USA (from: 30, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    T-Mobile USA (Sidekick) (from: 30, msg: 10000, total: 10000)
    Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Tele2 Latvia (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Telefonica Movistar (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Telenor (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Telia Denmark (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    8-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Telus Mobility (from: 30, msg: 120, total: 120)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    The Phone House (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    TIM (from: 30, msg: 350, total: 350)
    10-digit phone number. Goes to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    UMC (from: 10, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Sent by addressing the message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Unicel (from: 10, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Sent by addressing the message to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    US Cellular (from: , msg: 150, total: 150)
    Enter a 10 digit USCC Phone Number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Verizon Wireless (from: 34, msg: 140, total: 140)
    Enter your 10-digit phone number. Messages are sent via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Verizon Wireless (formerly Airtouch) (from: 20, msg: 120, total: 120)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . This is ONLY for former AirTouch customers. Verizon Wireless customers should use Verizon Wireless instead.

    Verizon Wireless (myairmail.com) (from: 34, msg: 140, total: 140)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent via to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Vessotel (from: 20, msg: 800, total: 800)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Virgin Mobile Canada (from: 20, msg: 140, total: 140)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Virgin Mobile USA (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

    Vodafone Italy (from: 20, msg: 132, total: 132)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Chuugoku/Western) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Hokkaido) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Hokuriko/Central North) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Kansai/West -- including Osaka) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Kanto/Koushin/East -- including Tokyo) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Kyuushu/Okinawa) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Shikoku) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Touhoku/Niigata/North) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Japan (Toukai/Central) (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone Spain (from: 20, msg: 90, total: 90)
    Enter your username. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Vodafone UK (from: 20, msg: 70, total: 90)
    Enter your username. Messages are sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    Weblink Wireless (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to @airmessage.net

    WellCom (from: 20, msg: 160, total: 160)
    Enter your phone number. Goes to @sms.welcome2well.com

    WyndTell (from: 20, msg: 480, total: 500)
    Enter username/phone number. Goes to @wyndtell.com

 
Mac vs PC? E-mail
Thursday, 20 May 2010 00:00
Let's get one thing straight. Macs are PC's. These days, Macs use the same internal hardware as PC's. So what makes a Mac different? Not much. I can think of three things:
  1. Fashionable design
  2. Operating system
  3. Price
Fashionable Design
I think PC's have mostly caught up in the design realm. I greatly prefer my black and stylish HP to a plain black MacBook Pro, but that's just a personal preference.

Operating System
The operating systems are pretty much equivalent. I prefer the structure and customization options of Windows 7, but neither is better than the other in every way. I find Windows 7 to be much faster and more stable than the Mac OS. It's rare for a program to crash in Windows 7, but when it happens, I just kill that program and restart. On a Mac, I usually have to restart the whole machine.

Price
The most important comparison for me is value. I've considered purchasing a Mac several times. It seems that every couple of years a friend gets the Mac bug and tries to convince me that Macs are really better than other PC's. I'm not a Mac hater. The day Macs are a better value than PC's I will switch immediately. So every time I do my research and, so far, that hasn't happened. Not even close.

An Example 
Mac: $3,425.00
HP:   $1,680.08
I have an HP quad-core laptop with 8GB of RAM, a 1GB video card, and a 500GB hard drive. I compared this with a Macbook Pro and matched the specs almost exactly. For every spec difference, the HP has more powerful components than the Mac. Yet the price for the Mac is $3,425.00, while the HP is only $1680.08! (A couple hundred cheaper with my student discount) The HP has a year longer and better warranty and a much larger screen (1.6 inches larger).

Can someone please explain why I would buy a Mac? I get so much better performance for half the price!

Want another one?
Mac: $3,015.00
HP:   $1,316.45
My wife's laptop costs $1316.45 from HP. (Again, a little cheaper with the student discount.) The Macbook Pro with identical specs? $3015!

Security Problems
Macs are even less appealing to me because of their numerous security problems. Macs have always relied on security by obscurity. No one attacked Macs because they were such a small percentage of the market; not a worthy target. But each year, Macs are the first to fall at the PWN2OWN security competition. Windows and Linux machines show far more security but cost so much less! The winner this year is the combination of the Google Chrome browser and Windows. Charlie Miller, the only person to win three times at PWN2OWN, said:
"There are bugs in Chrome but they're very hard to exploit. I have a Chrome vulnerability right now but I don't know how to exploit it. It's really hard. They've got that sandbox model that's hard to get out of. With Chrome, it's a combination of things - you can't execute on the heap, the OS protections in Windows and the Sandbox."
So the more popular Macs get, the less secure they will be. And Apple's security record is not great. Known security holes take anywhere from 3 weeks to a year to patch.

Conclusion
Based on price and security, I'm sticking with Windows and HP for now!
 
Share Jesus without fear! E-mail
Wednesday, 24 March 2010 15:49
Perhaps the number one reason believers don’t share the Gospel with others is because of fear. Sometimes we fear rejection. Sometimes we fear embarrassment. Sometimes we just fear that we won’t know enough to answer the important questions that may be asked. 
 
These fears keep us in safe and comfortable places. Instead of sharing Jesus, we just live our “Christian” lives. Maybe if we really understood the plight of the lost, our fears would be less important and we would do more to reach the unsaved. William Fay described our situation this way:
 
"One night I had a dream. A woman clutched a little girl, struggling to hold her child's head above the water. Nearby, a wave plunged a man into its salty depths. He choked for air as he thrashed his arms against a ceiling of water. All around, the ocean churned with drowning people, gasping for air and desperately trying to push their heads above the surface. Their screams were doused by the roar of the relentless waves. Their cries caught the wind, but only in vain. They were alone in their terror, with no help in sight.
 
Then a huge rock appeared, and a voice called into the darkness. People began crawling up the rock's craggy sides to safety.
 
But when they got to safety, something happened that drove me almost goofy. The people who emerged from the waves got busy. They got involved in building rock gardens, rock lives, rock jobs, listening to their rock music, and going to rock meetings where they talked about people who were still drowning in the ocean. But nobody went back to the water's edge to help.
 
Have you ever tried to run or yell in a dream? In my dreams, I can do neither. Yet I tried to yell at the top of my lungs, "How could you have forgotten you were once in the sea?"
 
As I watched the "saved" scurry about their rock work as I listened to their rock talk, I realized the rock was the cross of Calvary. The voice they heard was Jesus, calling by the power of the Holy Spirit, inviting them to come join him. He's never high up on the rock where it’s safe; he's calling from the ocean’s edge, where the dead, the diseased, and the lost are found, and as you might recall, that's where he found you.
 
Did you know that as few as 5 to 10 percent of people in an average church have shared their faith in the past year? That means 90 percent of us have chosen the sin of silence. Just like in my dream, those who were drowning have gotten so busy and involved with the safety of "The Rock," they've forgotten to reach out to those who are still drowning."
 
Isn’t that sad? We have something that everyone should know about, but at most 10% of believers share their faith in an entire year. Let’s change that statistic! There are lots of great resources out there to better prepare you to share Jesus with unbelievers. One of the best is “Share Jesus Without Fear” by William Fay
 
 
Evil Moving Truck E-mail
Saturday, 27 February 2010 21:55
U-haul has discovered the ultimate renewable fuel source: people.

u_haul_closeup.jpg

And lest you think a letter wore off, here's the other side:

u_haul_driver_side.jpg
 
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