February E-Newsletter

Get Faster Internet And Make the Whole House Happy - Try Our Faster Speeds Free For 60-Days

How many family members are typically online at your house and what are they doing? Streaming movies and TV shows? Downloading music? Playing games? Connecting on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter? Times have changed and many households now need more Internet speed to handle more users and more devices. If your speed is no longer adequate, you may be experiencing annoying slowdowns such as video buffering. Fortunately, you can get a lot more Mbps for a just a little more money! To find out if higher speeds are available at your location, click here. Give us a call at (888)-321-0815 or e-mail us to learn more.

Looking For A Better Phone System For Your Business? Hosted IP Phone Service Is Your Solution

A reliable and efficient phone system is essential for your business to stay connected to your customers. You don’t want to think about it too much; you just want it to work so you can focus on your business. With Hosted IP Phone Service, you don’t have to purchase, set up, or maintain your own phone system; we take care of that for you. Instead, you get a powerful, business-class phone system with expanded capabilities and mobile options that will grow with your business.

For more information on our Hosted IP Phone service, visit www.wcvt.com or contact Kris Merchant at 802-496-8554

Win A $50 Gift Certificate To One Radish Eatery in Richmond

Each month, we raffle off a prize from a local business, so be sure to enter your name for a chance to win. This month we are raffling off a $50 gift certificate to One Radish Eatery, a great new restaurant in Richmond offering breakfast and lunch. From classic fare to creative menu options and their delicious wood fire pizzas, everyone will be satisfied! Congratulations to Bob Spofford of Bristol, last month's winner who won a gift certificate to Vermont North Ski Shops.  To be entered into the raffle, simply click the link below and leave your name and contact information. The drawing will take place on February 20th.

Click here to enter for your chance to win.

President's Day Office Closing

Please note our Customer Service and local Technical Support office will be closed on President's Day, Monday, February 20. As always, our afterhours Technical Support will still be available on the above dates, so please don't hesitate to call at: 1-888-321-0815 or email support@gmavt.net if you need assistance.

Scam Alert - Watch For Tech Support Phishing Scams

Scam phishing emails claiming to be from the "GMA IT Help Desk" are continuing to hit our customer’s inboxes. Email states an attempt has been made to your account from a new computer. This email is a scam, please delete it if you receive it. As always, please don't hesitate to contact us at 800-496-3391 or support@gmavt.net if you have any questions.

WCVT In The Community

A Look Back At 2016 Giving

Giving back to the communities we serve has always been an important part of who we are at Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom. After all, our customers are also our friends and neighbors. We were honored to support, through volunteer hours and financial donations, these community service activities and organizations last year:

• Three Day Stampede in Bristol
• Bristol 4th of July Parade
• Bristol’s Better L8 Than Never Car Show
• Bristol Movies in the Park
• Children’s Bristol Halloween Party
• Eunice B. Farr Incentive Award Scholarships
• Fill a Backpack Program
• Giving Tree
• Green Mountain Audubon Center
• Hinesburg Concerts in the Park
• Hunter Safety Courses
• Local Schools, Chambers, Civic Organizations
• Mad River Path Association
• Mad River Valley Rotary Club
• Mad River Valley Community Fund
• Mad River Valley Community Easter Egg Hunt
• Mad River Valley Little League
• Our Community Cares Camp
• Red Cross Blood Drives
• Relay for Life
• Richmond Area Little League
• Vermont Festival of the Arts
• Vermont Food Bank and 14 Food Shelves in Service Area
• Vermont Special Olympics
• Vermont Youth Conservations Corps
• Williams Woods
• … and many MORE!

Being a local business means that our customers are also our neighbors and friends. At Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, we feel strongly that community involvement is not just a nice thing to do; it is the right thing to do. If you have a community service project in the making and are looking for help, contact Alan Jones at 496-8328 or via email ajones@wcvt.com to see if we can lend a hand.

Community Events

Sugarbush - $30 Thursdays at Mt. Ellen

Every Thursday at Mt. Ellen, lift tickets are only $30. After a day on the slopes, come enjoy live après music featuring local bands and food specials at the Green Mountain Lounge.  Sponsored by Cabot Cheese and Long Trail.

Mad River Glen - Lawson's Finest Beer Lovers Dinner and Full Moon Snowshoe – Friday, February 10th

Join brewer and naturalist Sean Lawson for a 1-hour full moon snowshoe followed by a buffet local-vore dinner paired with a cash bar of Lawson’s Finest brew. $50 includes snowshoe, dinner and one beer. Advanced registration required. 
For more information, visit: http://www.madriverglen.com/visit/event-calendar.

Bolton Valley - Introduction to Nordic Touring – Sunday, February 12th

This introductory course is aimed at the new skier looking to try point-to-point backcountry touring on the Catamount Trail or other similar trails using lightweight nordic touring equipment. The course will emphasize skill demonstration, practice, evaluation and feedback. Likely participants might never have been on skis before, but will probably have some skiing experience.  Get off the beaten path us on Sunday, February 12th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information, visit: http://www.boltonvalley.com/dining-and-events/events-calendar/introduction-to-nordic-touring-with-cta-1477.

Tutorials/FAQ

Short Tutorial / FAQ - What's The Difference Between Virtual And Augmented Reality?

Question: I've been hearing a lot about augmented reality and virtual reality lately, and I'd like to know more. My first question is, what's the difference between the two?

Answer: While virtual reality (VR) seeks to create an alternate reality, augmented reality (AR) seeks to enhance a reality that's already there.
Examples of VR environments include games, movies, trainings, and simulations. Pilots can learn to fly by using a VR environment representing a plane.

With AR, users can easily distinguish between real and augmented elements. Examples of AR applications include score overlays on telecasted sports games, or pop-out messages on mobile devices. Someone working on their car could consult an AR diagram of the car's engine with an overlay of labeled parts. A similar process can be used for online food preparation videos enhanced with a written list of ingredients or cooking instructions.

With VR, the idea is for the user to be totally immersed in the virtual world. Equipment needed for VR applications usually includes a headset, as with the Oculus Rift, and handset or hand-held controller. VR is used in such gaming applications as Second Life and such social media applications as PlayStation Home.

AR, by contrast, is typically programmed into apps used on a mobile device. The VR experience includes visual, audio, and haptic (touch) elements, while AR is generally limited to visual input.

Sites of the Month

How to Improve Your Heart Health

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
February is Heart Health Month, and you can find out more about how to keep yours going strong at the American Heart Association's website.
Explore information about heart conditions and check out tips for healthy eating, physical activity, weight and stress management, smoking cessation, and more.

See Earth From Space

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iss-hdev-payload
Have you always wanted to go into space? This site offers the next best thing, allowing you to observe Earth as seen from the International Space Station. You can enjoy the view in real time or observe a scene from a few hours or a few days ago.

Food Favorites For February

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/recipe-of-the-day-what-to-cook-in-february.html
With several more weeks of winter remaining, you may need some fresh ideas for warm comfort food, and this site can help. With tantalizing photos and complete recipes, the slide show offers great suggestions like 5-Star Lasagna Rolls, Cajun Stuffed Peppers, and Slow-Cooker Taco Soup.

Instructables

http://www.instructables.com/
Looking for some fun projects to satisfy your DIY urge? Check out this site for items ranging from jewelry to home improvement to toys and games. Try a hand-sewn mini elephant plush toy, a wooden tape dispenser, a magnetic garage shelf, or a pair of beaded earrings.

More

Go Pinterest-ing! - Cool Stuff to Pin on Your Pinterest Boards

Chicken Noodle Soup With Heart Carrots
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775859864919/

Valentine Popcorn & Sweetheart Note
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AUbD2SavAma2KrXIuxg9ocs5nFYtzBWDpIbLX66ufm_i
K76ucJ8ASe0/

Chocolate Covered Pretzels For V-Day
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775863660610/

You haven't started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started?
To sign up, go here https://pinterest.com/join/signup/

Free Featured Apps

Wheel of Fortune - Can't get enough WOF? There's an app for that! Solve puzzles, collect prizes, and compete with players from around the world.

Glympse - Whether you're running late or just want selected friends to know you're safe, send a Glympse to show your current location.

Quik - Use this app to make impressive videos. With just a few taps you can add text and music, trim shots, and select filters and formats.

Two to View - A Couple of Amazing Videos You Don't Want to Miss

Beyond First Class - Some airlines far outdo roomy seats and champagne. Fancy flights with beds, mini bars, showers, and more can be had for as "little" as $13,000.

Liquid Van Gough - Watch as this artist brings famous Van Gough paintings to life with water and paint in a graceful and fascinating marbling process. It's mesmerizing.