Jewish World Review Feb. 13, 2003 / 11 Adar I 5763
By Mark Kellner
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
Relocating, across town or, as I recently did, across the country, is not
without its challenges and rewards. The discovery of a new neighborhood and
meeting new neighbors, finding your way to the office, even the inevitable
cleaning and rearranging of a home office all have their advantages.
Along the way, I picked up some lessons and experiences that might be useful
if you have a move in your future: one report states that 20 percent of
Americans move each year; in the late 1990s, the IRS reported that 5 million
taxpayers send in returns from new addresses each year. (Those numbers may
have slowed in the current economic downturn; then again, it may spur more
people to move.)
SAVE ORIGINAL BOXES, IF YOU CAN: This will earn me the enmity of many a
spouse - including perhaps my own - but having original boxes for computers,
printers, monitors and, particularly, delicate items such as an Apple iMac
or a laser printer, can help make your life much easier when it comes time
to move.
Yes, you can get large size boxes at the U-Haul (stet) store, and yes, there
are alternate packing materials that will probably secure your stuff,
particularly for a short haul. But I felt much better about sending my
personal "treasures" across the country in their original boxes. Where I'll
put those boxes now is, of course, another story.
If there's room, it's a good idea to pack like items together. I threw a
printer cable in with my printer, the mouse I like to use in with the iMac,
and so on. If, like me, you have a bunch of devices, try to put the power
strip in with one of the main items, so you can easily set up a multi-device
configuration on arrival.
ARRANGE FOR YOUR INTERNET SERVICE EARLY, IF POSSIBLE. On moving day, I had a
stroke of luck: Brian from Comcast Cable of Montgomery County happened to be
on site, and we were able to get service turned up that day. Our phone
service will be on shortly - installation schedules, don't you know - but at
least we were able to e-mail family and friends and let them know we were
OK.
One of the nice things about the Comcast deal - doubtless the product of a
couple of years' experience helping new customers get settled - is that the
firm offers a "self-install" kit that includes a Motorola Surfboard SB4200
cable modem and connecting Ethernet and USB cables that can hook up to a
cable outlet in the room where the computer will sit. I was able to get
online with the Mac in a few moments; Windows XP users could have the added
option of a USB connection for their systems.
USE AN ONLINE CHANGE OF ADDRESS SERVICE: You can have the U. S. Postal
Service process a change of address, electronically, for a $1 fee, by going
to the www.usps.com Web site and filling out the change electronically. By
typing in the new information, you reduce the chance that someone will
misread your handwriting, and you can be sure of what you are entering
before you approve the change. The Postal Service will send a letter to your
old address in order to verify that you are really making the change.
Many magazines and other businesses will let you enter address changes
online as well. This not only saves time, but, again, allows you to control
how your publications and bills are addressed, so they reach the right place
at the right time. In the worst of cases, e-mail to the magazine's customer
service department or publisher should yield results.
Moving is, I'm told, one of the most stressful of life experiences, after to
losing a family member or getting married. A little planning and
preparation, using your computer along the way, can make the change easier
and perhaps even fun.
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JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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