iinetphone has arrived!
August 29 saw the release of our highly anticipated Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service: iinetphone. iinetphone allows you to save money by making and receiving calls via the Internet instead of over the traditional copper telephone network.

iinetphone is available free when you bundle iibroadband2 with iiphone bundles and gives you:

• two phone lines for the price of one
• freecall one caller to another on our network (including to OzEmail customers)
• 10c untimed local calls and calls from capital city to capital city
• premium quality sound
• free bonus features including voice mail, voice messaging to email and three way calling.

Visit the iiphone website to read up on how iinetphone can benefit you. While you’re there, check out our online call cost calculator and call atlas to work out exactly how much you expect to pay to call friends and family across Australia and around the world.

You can sign up now online via toolbox or ring iiNet sales on 13 19 17.

ii comes up trumps at the SPAN awards!
ii was the winner of the Excellence in Competition and Growth – Large Company category at the 2005 Service Providers Association Inc (SPAN) and Comms Day Awards.

The award recognises a large company whose initiatives in relation to retail or wholesale infrastructure or services has made an outstandingly positive contribution to industry competition resulting in beneficial industry growth.

In a seperate award category, ii’s broadband2 range was selected by the judges as it was the first in the market to offer wide-scale speeds of up to 12000 kbps based on ii’s DSLAM network. ii was also a finalist in the Excellence in Innovation category for its DSLAM project.

ihug NZ wins ISP of the Year
Our ihug brothers and sisters in New Zealand recently scored a win as they were recently voted the top Internet service provider (ISP) of the year in the Telecommunications Users Associations of New Zealand (TUANZ) innovation awards for 2005.

Established in 1994, ihug is New Zealand’s original Internet pioneer and third largest NZ ISP with over 100,000 subscribers currently. They joined the iiNet family in October 2003.

The prestigious TUANZ awards recognise and reward Kiwi ingenuity in telecommunications and continue to raise the standards expected from New Zealand's telecommunications providers and users. NZ General Manager of ihug, Mark Rushworth, said the award reflected the hard work of a great team of employees and the loyalty and support of over 100,000 customers.

participate and win!
This is your chance to win big by telling AC Nielsen and ii what you think of the current Internet market in Australia in the 19th Annual Australian Internet User Survey.

We also use the survey results to assist in delivering you great new products and services to get you online faster and easier. It will only take about 10 minutes to complete and it's completely confidential.

Just go online to www.iinet.net.au follow the button through to the survey and you could win one of the following great prizes:

1 x Men's TAG Watch valued at $1,999
2 x Set of Diamond Earrings valued at US$900, 2/3ct and 18 Karat White Gold
1 x Nokia N90 valued at $1000
20 x $100 Coles Myer Vouchers
40 x $50 Dick Smith Voucher

We appreciate your participation.

This month I thought we’d take a look at some of the most useful online education sites on the Internet, with everything from IQ tests to online universities.

EDNA Online
EDNA Online is an excellent resource for people of any age looking to further their education through tertiary, secondary, private or external schooling. The site provides a comprehensive search tool for locating education courses around Australia by topic, age or education level.

Oz Projects
OzProjects is a fantastic site providing opportunities for school projects on an international scale. Not only does it open up geographically restricted students to the rest of the world but it’s also chock full of inventive ideas for home projects.

Barnes and Noble University
Barnes and Noble presents a variety of interesting online courses with real life lecturers taking you through topics such as Raymond Chandler: A Master of American Noir, Money Management for Women and Web Pages Made Easy.

IQ test
There are literally thousands of online IQ tests on the Internet, many of which are heavy with advertisements. iqtest.com seems relatively ad-free, gives you a score at the end of the test and the option to pay for a more detailed report. Warning: finding out your IQ can dramatically decrease your ego.

Myfuture
Sign up and take a guided tour through your future career with detailed explanations of the current job market and information on developing your own career strategy through looking at your interests, aspirations, values and natural abilities.

Sparknotes
For students of all ages looking for a study kick-start, spark notes is a free resource site where you can find study advice and guides for a range of subjects from Shakespeare and Philosophy to Chemistry and Astronomy. Each guide is broken up into individual topics so that no matter which curriculum you’re following, you can skip straight to the parts relevant to you.

Wikipedia
Perfect for that looming school project or just to scratch a general interest itch, Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia that is constantly updated by users around the world. An evolution of the modern day encyclopedia.

customer service update
One of the questions we're often asked is about the wait times in our call centres. These days everyone is busy, so its understandable how we feel when we have to wait, whether its in a supermarket, at a traffic light or the local cafe. Unfortunately, call centres are no different and the challenge we face every day is to maintain the right number of staff to answer our call traffic.

To enable us to do this we use a sophisticated workforce management system, specifically designed for call centres, that looks historically at the calls we have received and then forecasts the predicted volume of calls we can expect. From there we can gauge the required number of staff needed to ensure your call gets answered promptly.

In the last customer service update we mentioned our virtual call centre project that will consolidate all our call centres as one. Based on what is commonly referred to as the "pooling principle" our call centres will be able to deliver an improved delivery of service using the same number of staff. Work has already begun on this exciting project and we will keep you all up to date regularly as work progresses.

customer feedback
After dealing with David, one of our support staff, Neris from ACT had this to say:

“David exceeded my expectations tonight with both his service and friendly manner. He went out of his way to explain possible causes to my connection problem and techniques that I might find useful in the future to try before ringing support. Does he live in Canberra, I would like to employ him?”

Alex from WA had lots to say about the value of our iibroadband2 iiphone bundle:

“I joined iiNet in April 2005 and have a number of products with your company, all of which I am happy with!

I was employed by a competing Telco until March 2005 so took advantage of the "staff offers" they made available (thinking I was on a good deal). When leaving the Telco I thought "oh well there goes one of my job perks & my communications/internet bills will go up." Not so thanks to iiNet!

My bill on a 3 monthly basis for voice, was averaging $280 a quarter + $237 a quarter for 1500/256 ADSL (as staff you get a 20% discount which has been factored into the above amounts) also get easy call features for free.

With iiNet, my 3 monthly voice usage will average at $165 a quarter + $149.85 a quarter for 12000/1000 ADSL (with iiNet I have to pay for easy call features such as silent number, Messagebank, Remote Access, CND - these cost $51.39/quarter - bummer!)

The saving I am enjoying with iiNet is $260/quarter - that's $1040pa!!!!! If the comparison was done removing the 20% staff discount - the saving is $1550pa....

Cheers!”

iiNews feedback channel
Was Core Wars the first computer virus? Steven from VIC suggests not:
"Core Wars is a game, of sorts, but it is not capable of creating computer viruses. I believe you are confusing Core Wars and its predecessor ‘Darwin’, from the 1960s, with the 1970 ARPAnet (the predecessor of the Internet, run by the US military) experiment with self-replicating distributed code, Creeper and Reaper. The first recognised computer virus was created in 1983 as a controlled experiment in computer security by Fred Cohen. The first deliberately harmful computer virus in the wild was the ‘Brain’ virus."

Murray from WA had this to say about last month’s security tips:
“I read through your newsletter eager to see what security recommendations you made. No mention of Linux (nearly 10 years on my desktop and not one virus!). OK I can guess at why you might not have mentioned Linux. But I was shocked you didn't mention Firefox. The standalone Mozilla web browser.”

Murray’s entirely correct. If you’re worried about malicious software entering your computer via your web browser, you may want to try a third party web browser alternative such as Mozilla Firefox or Netscape. Both of these browsers can be configured to look and work in much the same manner as Internet Explorer, but due to their different coding, they are often overlooked by virus and spyware creators.

Thanks for your feedback Murray.

top five viruses for august

1. W32/Netsky-P
2. W32/Mytob-AS
3. W32/Mytob-BE
4. W32/Zafi-D
5. W32/Zafi-B

List provided by Sophos

DSLAM expansion news
Our DSLAM infrastructure is continuing to be rolled out across the country with a big focus at the moment on sites on the East Coast. The process of improving our DSLAM coverage on the East Coast will continue for the remainder of the year as part of a $34.5 million upgrade program to iiNet network services Australia-wide.

Our biggest growth for August was identified in five exchanges: Maylands, Hamersley, Cannington, Morley and Mullaloo, and the number of customers on iiNet DSLAMs has risen to 38,958 – an increase of more than 4,600 customers since the beginning of July!

Check the DSLAM rollout schedule to see if a DSLAM is coming to your exchange soon.

tech tip
Thanks go to Jeffa in Provisioning for this month’s tip.

Had power issues recently? Power spikes due to storm activity?
If you’ve recently lost power in your home even for a brief second, your modem might not be working its very best. Try turning it off (plug and all) for 5 minutes, and then turn it on again. Power cycling your modem is often a good fix for these kinds of problems.

iinetphone faq
How do I qualify for iinetphone?
To be eligible for iinetphone you need an iibroadband2 plan bundled with iiphone.

How much does iinetphone cost to set up?
iinetphone does not have any monthly set up fees. The only costs you pay are those for your outgoing calls. iinetphones rates are extremely competitive for a premium grade service. Please visit our rates page for more information.

Will I be charged for uploads and downloads?
No VoIP only uses small amounts of data (around 2-3 KB a second). Customers are only charged for the length of their calls.

What is the effect on iinetphone when download quotas are reached?
iinetphone has Quality of Service (QoS) so iinetphone will not be affected when download quotas are reached.

How can I make an iinetphone Call?
Simply pick up your phone and dial the number in the same way as you always have.

Who can call me?
With iinetphone you will receive your very own iinetphone telephone number so anyone can call you, even if they don't have an internet connection. Friends/family simply dial your iinetphone number from a standard telephone and your phone will ring!

What about the dial tone?
Customers using VOIP will not hear a traditional dial tone they will hear a continuous tone instead.

Can I use my computer and talk on the phone?
Yes, you can use your computer whilst talking on your iinetphone. Your computer is not affected in any way.

Does my computer have to be turned on?
No, your computer does not need to be turned on when you make a call, but your internet connection needs to be active (with your modem/router turned on).

staff profile
Name: Katie Baugh
Title: Voice Product Manager

How long have you been with ii and what roles have you had?
I joined ii in April this year so have only been here for about 6 months. I haven’t changed roles in that period of time – I’m liking the job I have! When I first started I was looking at iiphone – now I’m covering iiphone and iinetphone – our new voip service.

What does your current role involve?
Currently I work in the marketing team as voice product manager. I look after all our voice products – iiphone and iinetphone. I’ve been pretty busy since I got here working on the iinetphone product and building up to launch. Now that we have launched I’m going to be working more on our iiphone product.

What were your expectations coming into ii and how have they changed since coming here?
I heard that iiNet was a great place to work and that the marketing team was dynamic, fast paced and exciting! I certainly think its fast paced – there is loads going on all time. New products, new pricing, new plans, new ideas and new ways to take our products to market. I’m lucky because there are some great people here and it makes the work day fun – there’s a great work life balance and plenty of beers when something good happens!

What's been your most memorable or satisfying experience at ii?
I’ve got to say launching iinetphone! That was pretty memorable. There was lots going on up to launch and we got some cool new exciting stuff on our internet sites. I also had to work with lots of different departments which was interesting - particularly learning more about the more technical side of things! Then there was the iiNet ball – that was pretty memorable too – but in a whole different kinda way.

customer profile
Name: Sally Westbury
Account type: iibroadband2 starter, bundled with iiphone
Customer since: 2002
Location: Fremantle, WA

What do you use the Internet for most?
I use the Internet to stay up to date with current research and information about midwifery practice. I am a homebirth midwife. I work with the WA Community Midwifery Program (www.communitymidwives.org.au), run a private midwifery practice and also work with the Family Birth Centre providing a known midwife to families expecting a baby.

Can you tell us a bit about the role the Internet plays in your community?
Homebirth midwifery is a very specialised profession in Australia. Worldwide homebirth midwives are not uncommon, but here in Perth there are not many of us, maybe a dozen or so, and 200-300 in the whole of Australia, so the Internet helps us to keep in touch locally, nationally and internationally. As a specialist group, a lot of us feel isolated at times and we need a cheap and easily accessible way of keeping in touch, to share information and inspire each other with our birth stories.

It also a great way that I can stay connected to the women I provide midwifery for. Using email keeps us in touch and allows me to stay in touch long after the actual birth. I love to get photos of the babies as they grow up.

What are the best aspects of your broadband connection?
Being on call 24 hours a day for my expectant women and their families meant that it was essential to have the main telephone line free - that's the reason why we first connected to broadband. It's also much more cost effective to use broadband on the same line as the phone.

Why did you decide to bundle with iiphone?
Well the speed boost is great, when I'm looking for information and new and exciting things for my women, everything comes quickly. But it's more the convenience of one bill and the great call rates we get with iiphone. I like not getting a paper bill and having one bill cover my broadband and phone account. The overseas call rates are great as well, it saved us heaps of money when we had a Japanese exchange student talking to his family at home.

Dukes of Hazzard giveaway!
To celebrate the imminent release of Dukes of Hazzard, Village Roadshow Pictures have kindly provided us with 20 in-season double passes to the film to give away to our readers.

To be in the running for this prize, please email competitions with "Dukes of Hazzard Competition" in the subject line, and provide your iiNet username, full name, and address by 5pm WST, September 20, 2005, along with the answer to this question: Name one of the great features of our new iinetphone service (hint: you'll find the answer in a story in this newsletter or on our website).

Winners with the correct answer will be drawn at random and prizes sent by mail.

Where did all the fun go?
with Niaal Holder

I’ve been asked to write another review this month, and I’m faced with a problem. From where I stand, there’s sod all new gear worth playing. Unfortunately, it’s that magical time of year where developers delay major launches til Christmas and we find ourselves stuck with titles like Zoo Vet and Barbie Explorer.

This got me thinking, conveniently enough, what the real gut-bustingly defining games have been, the mould-breakers, those that couldn’t wait for Christmas. Visuals be damned! What were the trailblazing gameplay kings that sapped us of our hard earned cash-money?

Doom2 (PC)
These days, Doom2 is very much the bland, stringy lettuce in an otherwise exciting kebab of delicious first person shooters. But back in its day, there was something about a giant, heavily pixellated flying-red-ball-with-eyes that tainted our trousers with the brown fear. As the first truly demonic and heart-poundingly evil FPS, the boys behind this title had us cocking our shotguns for many a wasted weekend.

Goldeneye (N64)
The godfather of party gaming violence, this multiplayer hit was the bane of homework worldwide. Owning a copy of Goldeneye ensured you always had at least three 'best' friends in tow. And no title has yet topped the tension of playing Goldeneye Cubicle Roulette: hiding a proximity mine in one of eight identical toilets while your buddies open cubicle doors until somebody explodes. Good, unclean fun.

Street Fighter 2 (arcade) & Mortal Kombat (arcade)
Let’s face it; we’ve all wanted to be Ryu and Ken once (or possibly Zangief, in his red-underpanted glory…whatever waves your flag). Regardless, these bad boys were the foundation for many a bitter divide between best friends, siblings and professional working relationships everywhere – because, in our minds, we were all undeniably better than everyone else we knew at these blissfully simple one-on-one beat ‘em ups. Who was the ultimate, standout winner? Most likely that guy in dungarees that collected the money from the machine on weekends.

Wipeout (PSX)
The racing formula seemed simple enough – fast equals good, faster equals better, and so on. Based on this, the wonderful chaps at Psygnosis rationalised that if the racer is stupidly, unplayably fast, then it must be stupidly, unplayably good. Funnily enough, they were bang on. And Wipeout wasn’t only pant-wettingly rapid, it was exceptionally cool to boot: with a top-drawer soundtrack of 90s electronica and an entire world built on the minimalist suave of The Designers Republic, Wipeout was like a full-blown underaged rave for hapless technoobs.

movie of the month
The Dukes of Hazzard - Rated M

Follow the zany antics of cousins Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) Duke who together with Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and a 1969 orange Dodge Charger, try and save the family farm from being destroyed by corrupt commissioner Boss Hogg (played by Burt Reynolds).

Dukes of Hazzard is released in cinemas Australia-wide on September 15. See the competitions section above for more details on how to win in-season passes.

album of the month
The Rolling Stones – A Bigger Bang

"A Bigger Bang" is The Rolling Stones first studio album in eight years and sees the return of the eclectic writing partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The album, released September 5, features 16 brand new tracks. Will it be a bigger bang, or merely a fizzle?

movie review
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Rated PG

It’s satisfying to finally see a 21st century remake fall on it’s feet for once and stand up as a movie experience in it’s own right. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a take on a beloved tale of candy, fantasy and misbehaviour and this time, instead of focusing on the sheer wonder of the factory itself, the story is more concerned with revealing more about the strange life of Willy Wonka himself (played ingeniously by Johnny Depp).

The rest of the cast are all but forgotten (though the kids are all perfectly and horribly cast) as the hilariously twisted upbringing of Willy Wonka takes centre stage - fueled by an original and brilliant performance by Depp. In fact, the sheer force of Depp’s Wonka character is both a strength and a weakness of the movie – the story segments feel rushed, merely obstacles in the path of discovering more behind Wonka’s unhinged and slightly psychopathic personality.

It’s not all Wonka of course, the factory itself is still a source of wonder and amazement, but this time around everything just doesn’t seem as engaging as it did before – maybe due to the massive amount of CGI used or maybe because I’m not 10 anymore. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty for kids to enjoy here, and definitely more for parents.

The humour in the movie is definitely skewed towards director Tim Burton’s (Beetle Juice, Edward Scissorhands) twisted style. The first sequence at the factory sets the scene perfectly (a grotesque puppet show goes awry and bursts into flames) but it’s perhaps entirely inappropriate for small children. Later on the group takes a detour through the “Puppet Burns Ward” which Wonka absently describes as a “recent addition”.

To this end, the movie really captures the dark sense of humour of Roald Dahl’s other books, which is a real feat considering the fairy floss films normally produced for kids. But don’t worry parents, there is a heavy undercurrent of morality (being honest, true to yourself) here that existed in the original story, and while the ending is predictably happy, it didn’t make me vomit (I know, it’s a problem I’m working on).

An imaginative and worthwhile adaptation of a classic story.

iiNet - providing Internet and phone services all over Australia. This email was authorised by the GM Marketing, on behalf of iiNet. Postal address: Locked Bag 16, Cloisters Square, WA 6000. If you wish to unsubscribe to future iiNet newsletters, you can do so by visiting https://toolbox.iinet.net.au/