I just subscribed to the Izap service, the USB250hrs package. This is supposed to have a 250hrs usage time and validity of three months. There are two important things I want you guys to help me with:

How do I check my actual usage. I was expecting that I would have an account on Starcomms' website that I can log on to and check (I can check my usage on my Mynetcom account this way).

Secondly, I use Linux a lot. I have tried using the mobile_number@starcomms.com as username, mobile_number as password and #777 as dialup number without success. when I try to connect from a terminal, I get an indication of a failure during authentification.

Has anyone been able to get the Novatel Ovation MC727 USB modem to connect with Linux? Please let me know how you do it.

POV-Ray is a wonderful raytracer, but its simply (but powerful) raytracer. You will need to know some 3D modelling and there are some great progams out there that you could try your hands on. One of them is Blender. Its a powerful free program, but with a steep learning curve if you have the time.