I have put together some simple web sites in the past and my present venture, still under development, will also be simple at first. My hope is, like many of you, that my attempt to build an Internet community will result in my site catching fire and rapidly expanding. I'm not ready to say more just now on the content of my site, but I will be happy to share when there is something on the site worth a visit.
I'm probably a bit older than most on this list, but I my mind has always focused on the future and why it's taking us so long to accomplish stuff that seemed to me some years ago to be just around the corner.
My current effort is to choose a capable web host. I subscribe to C|Net, as I suppose do many of you, and consequently I have discovered Host Monster [URL]http://www.hostmonster.com/[/URL]. It's quite appealing. I also discovered Brius [URL]http://brius.com/[/URL] that came recommended and they have a service that is supposed to prevent one's site from being "digged." If my hit rate jumps, I don't want to lose folks because of system overload. If any of you on the list have experience to share regarding either of these web hosts, I would appreciate it.
My current ISP is Wave Broadband, based in Kirkland, Washington, and also serving my area here in Ventura, CA. I use their TV cable, VOIP phone service with my own new Panasonic wireless phones (latest frequency version 10.0?), and cable modem. I quit AT&T as their DSL service was slow and then disappeared. When I called in for tech support the woman in India, and then the guy in Kenya, both tried to placate me. Then the "just a regular guy" in the SF Bay area told me I would have to go and buy a new modem -- and keep the receipt to take it back to Best Buy (he named the store) -- to make sure the problem wasn't my current modem, which he admitted probably was not the problem. When I cancelled my phone service and DSL, the nice woman who was supposed to keep me signed up admitted that they no longer offer DSL in my area since the signal is too weak. I have some questions about AT&T.
I am considering moving to the White Salmon, Washington, general area -- up near The Dalles where the new Google facility is located with giant cooling towers and its own electrical substation -- and the broadband service provider is Gorge.net. I was wondering if any of you have experience with Gorge.net, whether they are reliable and whatever data there is to be mined within this list.
My tendency is toward wordy posts and here's another one. Those who have made it this far have earned my respect and those who haven't probably don't care. I'm looking forward to learning from those on this list as I move along.

Channing
Ventura CA USA
[EMAIL="channing@wavecable.com"]
[/EMAIL]