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Monday, March 29, 2004

Packet8 / FWD Announcement

Cool…

<snip> 

Earlier today Packet8 formally announced that it is now interconnected with the Free World Dialup network. While the broadband IP interconnect has been in production for several weeks, it was nice for this to become announced a supported feature of...


[The Jeff Pulver Blog]

Movin'

We are moving… No, not the family, just the website.  IF you experience any weirdness it could be related to our move.  As it ends up, we will have full control of a box instead of sharing one with a bunch of others. J  Postings will be light until we get the new stuff hashed out. 

Sunday, March 28, 2004

Packet8 / FWD Announcement

Cool…

<snip> 

Earlier today Packet8 formally announced that it is now interconnected with the Free World Dialup network. While the broadband IP interconnect has been in production for several weeks, it was nice for this to become announced a supported feature of...


[The Jeff Pulver Blog]

Movin'

We are moving… No, not the family, just the website.  IF you experience any weirdness it could be related to our move.  As it ends up, we will have full control of a box instead of sharing one with a bunch of others. J  Postings will be light until we get the new stuff hashed out. 

Monday, March 22, 2004

For Speed in Swimsuits, Add Bumps

Um… Bumps??  This just sounded too funny NOT to post. J 

A new swimsuit technology increases, rather than decreases, drag to create a "tunnel" the wearer swims through.


[New York Times: Technology]

Using the Windows Firewall INF File in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2

I blog this so that I can find it later… I think quite a few folks will need to edit this before deploying in the enterprise. J 

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), now in Beta testing, includes significant enhancements to the Windows Firewall component (formerly known as the Internet Connection Firewall). Windows Firewall is a stateful host firewall that discards unsolicited incoming traffic, providing a level of protection for computers against malicious users or programs. To provide better protection for computers connected to any kind of network (such as the Internet, a home network, or an organization network), Windows XP SP2 enables Windows Firewall on all network connections by default. Network administrators can use the Windows Firewall INF file (Netfw.inf) to modify default settings either before installation or after installation. This article describes the usage of the Windows Firewall INF file.


[ActiveWin.com Headlines]

Friday, March 19, 2004

Lonestar

It is confirmed.  If you install the SP2 for Windows XP onto a TabletPC it will upgrade it to the Lonestar build which is supposed to have all kinds of neat features. J 

TiVo Will Die

Boy this is a depressing topic.  I still remember Bill ranting and raving that I *needed* to get one of these devices.  After getting to look at one over at TechnoDaddy’s house (he caved under the pressure of Bill) I decided to cave too.  The world has never been the same.  Tivo has done so much for the world of PVR, DVR or whatever you want to call the digital VCR…  So much so that it has become a verb (I Tivoed last nights Survivor so don’t tell me who got the boot).   

 

The reason I agree with the comments though is also just as sad.  Tivo started a revolution.  They had the best hardware, it was simple to use, but then they just sort of stopped.  For those of us who jumped on board with the Series 1 we are left out in the cold.  No new updates and if we want some of the new features we are told to upgrade to a Series 2.  IS there a trade in?  No, have to fork over for a whole new unit…  You loose all your season passes, stored shows and so on.  Even if you do get a new one, you are still forced to either pay a high price for lifetime subscription or pay 12.xx per month for guide data.

 

I have officially turned off my Tivo and called them to cancel my monthly subscription.  Why?  BeyondTV  makes an awesome PC based PVR app.  I have placed a PC in the spot where Tivo used to be and now I can do absolutely everything that I could do with Tivo… And more!  Take everything Tivo can do, pause live TV, make season passes, etc and add the fact that you can stream to other PCs, Pocket PCs, etc.  You can tell it to record something remotely via web site, you can add shows to the recorded list from shows you download or make yourself.  Oh, and after you buy the software you don’t pay monthly guide data fees!!!!  And the next version of BeyondTV is going to support multiple tuners!!!  The only way to get that with Tivo is to go DirectTV!  How lame is that?

 

Thank you Tivo for getting the ball rolling and showing the world that it was possible but your time has come to be replaced by the new king of TV…


[Neowin.net]

Thursday, March 18, 2004

It's all about the bang

I was bashing (hee I made a pun) my head on the keyboard trying to figure out why my new server side include would not work.  Turns out I had forgotten the !.  Once I added that to the MT template and changed the file to be .shtml instead of just .html all worked wonderfully!!!.

 

Now you should see “What’s on Phil Radio?” in the side banner.  This is updated regularly to show what I am listening to during the day on my SlimP3 server. J 

Windows XP SP2 possible little known fact

I know there is a bunch of news out there about the new RC1 of XP SP2 but I found something on a forum that you might find interesting.

 

If you install the new SP on a Tablet PC it will update it to “Lonestar”, which is what MS is calling the soon-to-be-released update for Tablet PCs.  I had my hands on a Tablet a few days ago but had to send it back to papa.  If someone out there who still has one could install the update to it and confirm??  TIA! 

Coin Operated Wi-Fi Access Point

Daddy, daddy, can I have a quarter so I can get on the internet!!! J 

Coin operated Wi-Fi AP: I'm not sure what to make of this puppy, as the description of how it secures access seems trivial to override with any sniffing software. And how does it control access? By MAC address? [via TechDirt which found it at Daily Wireless]...


[Wi-Fi Networking News]

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

It's all about the bang

I was bashing (hee I made a pun) my head on the keyboard trying to figure out why my new server side include would not work.  Turns out I had forgotten the !.  Once I added that to the MT template and changed the file to be .shtml instead of just .html all worked wonderfully!!!.

 

Now you should see “What’s on Phil Radio?” in the side banner.  This is updated regularly to show what I am listening to during the day on my SlimP3 server. J 

Windows XP SP2 possible little known fact

I know there is a bunch of news out there about the new RC1 of XP SP2 but I found something on a forum that you might find interesting.

 

If you install the new SP on a Tablet PC it will update it to “Lonestar”, which is what MS is calling the soon-to-be-released update for Tablet PCs.  I had my hands on a Tablet a few days ago but had to send it back to papa.  If someone out there who still has one could install the update to it and confirm??  TIA! 

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

MOM 2005 Beta 3 Now Available

Is it just me or is anyone else finding weird to see the year 2005??  Man I’m getting old.

 


[Neowin.net]

Toilets are cleaner than computers

Ick, now I am going to go get the Lysol out of the data center (don’t ask). 

Now wash your hands


[The Register]

Talk Your Way Out of Trouble (or into)

Hehe, this reminds me of that cartoon where (I think it’s Garfield) is screaming at John to CLICK IT!!! CLICK IT!!!!

Voice Recognition is cool, but if it is the ONLY interface to a game I would think it would get VERRY frustrating. 

Using a headset microphone and voice-recognition software to control the onscreen action, Konami's Lifeline seeks to increase players' immersion in the game world. It succeeds, but not in the ways you might think. A review by Chris Kohler.


[Wired News]

All the Storage of the Universe!!!!

 Itty-bitty living space!!!  Sorry, couldn’t resist.  I think it is so cool how the industry continues to push the size down and capacity up.  Bravo!


Guinness Record for Toshiba's Tiny Hard Disk Drive :[Neowin.net]

Monday, March 15, 2004

MOM 2005 Beta 3 Now Available

Is it just me or is anyone else finding weird to see the year 2005??  Man I’m getting old.

 


[Neowin.net]

New Double-Layer DVD+R From Philips

Can I get a “Hallelujah” from anyone?!  I’ve been waiting for this for some time… Especially since I have a PVR machine now that seems to eat GBs for lunch.  As more computers have 400GB disc drives we are going to need more dense removable media as well.

 

Never mind that you can make perfect backups of your DVDs J

JOEL JOHNSON -- Philips has introduced the first PC DVD+R drive that can burn to a double-layer, single-sided disc. The burner, dubbed the DVDRW885K, will record the new 8.5GB discs at a 8x speed. The upshot of all this is that until now consumer DVD burners have been single-layer, with...


[Gizmodo]

Toyota's Trumpet Playing Robot Showcased

I don’t know why but this reminded me of “American Pie”. J 


[Slashdot]

Microsoft using "Born on date:" in their Whitepapers

This is kind of cool.  I recently downloaded and printed out the Microsoft Whitepaper: Exchange Server 2003 Security Hardening Guide.  Right there on the cover is something I have never seen on a MS Whitepaper.

           

Valid Until:

Product Version:

Reviewed By:

Latest Content:        

Authors:  

August 2, 2004

Exchange Server 2003

Exchange Product Development

www.microsoft.com/exchange/library

Michael Grimm, Michael Nelte

 

 

 

 

I thought this was kind of neat.

Oh, for those that care to read the whole thing, check it out

:)

They need to make J a punctuation markJ

 

I never realized just how much I use the J  I guess my fingers are just compensating for my generally mean look that I carry on my faceJ 

Blogrolling

I got my Link section working again.  It had been a long time since I logged into Blogrolling and things have changed.  Fortunately the code hasn’t. J 

MT-Blacklist

Thanks again TechnoD.  Since installing MT-Blacklist I have had 0 spam… That’s quite a change from before! J 

That didn't hurt one bit

I upgraded to 2.661 of MovableType… It worked quite well. J 

Sunday, March 14, 2004

Sedna?

Wow, so do we need to buy a new version of the poster of our Solar System? 

Distant 'Sedna' welcomed to solar system


[The Register]

New Double-Layer DVD+R From Philips

Can I get a “Hallelujah” from anyone?!  I’ve been waiting for this for some time… Especially since I have a PVR machine now that seems to eat GBs for lunch.  As more computers have 400GB disc drives we are going to need more dense removable media as well.

 

Never mind that you can make perfect backups of your DVDs J

JOEL JOHNSON -- Philips has introduced the first PC DVD+R drive that can burn to a double-layer, single-sided disc. The burner, dubbed the DVDRW885K, will record the new 8.5GB discs at a 8x speed. The upshot of all this is that until now consumer DVD burners have been single-layer, with...


[Gizmodo]

Toyota's Trumpet Playing Robot Showcased

I don’t know why but this reminded me of “American Pie”. J 


[Slashdot]

Microsoft using "Born on date:" in their Whitepapers

This is kind of cool.  I recently downloaded and printed out the Microsoft Whitepaper: Exchange Server 2003 Security Hardening Guide.  Right there on the cover is something I have never seen on a MS Whitepaper.

           

Valid Until:

Product Version:

Reviewed By:

Latest Content:        

Authors:  

August 2, 2004

Exchange Server 2003

Exchange Product Development

www.microsoft.com/exchange/library

Michael Grimm, Michael Nelte

 

 

 

 

I thought this was kind of neat.

Oh, for those that care to read the whole thing, check it out

Thursday, March 11, 2004

Bionic legs give soldiers a boost

This is cool.  For all the reasons talked about in the article below, but I wonder how long it will be before people start looking at merging this with technology to help paraplegics walk again? 

Check out the article here:[BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]

Introducing Dasani - the water with added, er, protein

ROTFLMAO!!!!! 

Revealed: Coca Cola's secret ingredient


[The Register]

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

M-Systems ships $40k 90GB Flash drive

Wow, no moving parts either!!  Why would I pay that much though? 

Small drive, big price tag


[The Register]

Bionic legs give soldiers a boost

This is cool.  For all the reasons talked about in the article below, but I wonder how long it will be before people start looking at merging this with technology to help paraplegics walk again? 

Check out the article here:[BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]

Stratellites Change Ownership

Sounds like a lot of hot air to me….

 

 

Come on, you can’t tell me you were not thinking of the same thing eh? 

Back in December of 2002 we first wrote about Sanswire's plans to launch "stratellites" - basically high altitude blimps that would float around for a year or so before needing to be replaced, offering wireless broadband connections. At the time, we wondered about the business model. These devices would be fairly expensive to build, launch and maintain - and it's questionable how much they could get in return. There were also some questions about whether or not this would run into spectrum issues. Since then, though, lots of other companies have jumped into the broadband blimp game with different names: there were aerostats and there were "HAPs" for "high altitude platforms" for example. The one thing all of these have in common, though, is that not much has come of them. Well, it appears that Sanswire has given up on the idea as well, as they've sold all of their assets to GlobeTel Communications. GlobeTel claims they're going to go ahead with the stratellite plan, but we'll believe it when we're surfing the web via one of these things - and not paying a ridiculous amount for the privilege.


[Techdirt]

Hitachi ships 400GB whopper

Oh boy!!!  The only thing I worry about is that I am placing so much data on one spindle.  Am I the only one?  I know a few people who have had bad experiences with WD drives…  Only time will tell on these new ones.

 

Check out the posting on:[The Register]

Robot grunts tumble in race for $1m prize

More information on the race this weekend are found here…  The most interesting is the link that goes here.  Please tell me that someone out there has access to this and can record it!!!             

Testing. Testing.


[The Register]

Robot Vehicle Successfully Navigates Test Course

Some press already, stay tuned for more info. 

A robotic vehicle designed by a team from Carnegie Mellon University became the first driverless contestant to navigate a test course in preparation for the Pentagons $1 million robot race this weekend.


[New York Times: Technology]

U.S. Government Purchases World's Largest RAM Disk

Jumpinjehosiphat!  2.5TB….  I won’t be able to concentrate for the rest of the day! 

JOEL JOHNSON -- The government has purchased a completely solid-state 2.5TB (terabyte) drive array from Texas Memory Systems, making it the largest all-memory drive in...


[Gizmodo]

Swiss Army USB Ports, Attack!

Noggin just got me a Swiss Army Knife for Christmas last year… It doesn’t have one of these in it though…  Only problem with this one is that you wouldn’t be able to whip it out while in the airport without getting tackled and dragged off for a body cavity search.. 

BRENDAN I. KOERNER -- Okay, so you're lost in the woods with nothing save your trusty Swiss Army Knife. What you really need to do...


[Gizmodo]

Wireless Underwater Fishing Cam

I tend to agree with the author on this one.  Although you could at least see that snag that broke your line… Until the battery went dead.  I can see it now, someone with a big pole poking around the water while watching the monitor to see if he can see the pole on the screen… I needed a giggle… 

JOEL JOHNSON -- Although their website prompts almost as many questions as it answers, the Fishing Cam from this Korean company looks to be an...


[Gizmodo]

Reach Out and Strong-Arm Someone

A friend of mine just got an iPod so I figured I would load this sucker up and see how close it is.  Surprise!  It’s very close.  There are a few differences that you would expect but it seems to be a good representation of an iPod on an iPaq. J  Pity that they have to call it pBop now… Stupid lawyers! 

A virtual iPod for the Pocket PC is undergoing some revisions, thanks to a phone call from an Apple lawyer. By Leander Kahney.


[Wired News]

Tuesday, March 9, 2004

Stratellites Change Ownership

Sounds like a lot of hot air to me….

 

 

Come on, you can’t tell me you were not thinking of the same thing eh? 

Back in December of 2002 we first wrote about Sanswire's plans to launch "stratellites" - basically high altitude blimps that would float around for a year or so before needing to be replaced, offering wireless broadband connections. At the time, we wondered about the business model. These devices would be fairly expensive to build, launch and maintain - and it's questionable how much they could get in return. There were also some questions about whether or not this would run into spectrum issues. Since then, though, lots of other companies have jumped into the broadband blimp game with different names: there were aerostats and there were "HAPs" for "high altitude platforms" for example. The one thing all of these have in common, though, is that not much has come of them. Well, it appears that Sanswire has given up on the idea as well, as they've sold all of their assets to GlobeTel Communications. GlobeTel claims they're going to go ahead with the stratellite plan, but we'll believe it when we're surfing the web via one of these things - and not paying a ridiculous amount for the privilege.


[Techdirt]

Hitachi ships 400GB whopper

Oh boy!!!  The only thing I worry about is that I am placing so much data on one spindle.  Am I the only one?  I know a few people who have had bad experiences with WD drives…  Only time will tell on these new ones.

 

Check out the posting on:[The Register]

Windows 3.x hits

While going through the log files today I noticed something…  There were 2 hits from someone using Windows 3.x.  I can only assume that it was the same person but wow, that’s a blast from the past.  I can vividly remember setting up my first Windows 3.11 machine with TCPIP and Mozilla (or whatever it was called).  Noggin and I used to hang out at his work so that we could share the uplink his office had.  Yep, blistering fast 2400 Baud uplink….  Those were the days. J 

Intel's On-Board WiFi: The Death of Wireless Gateway Hardware?

 I am not sure I agree with them on this one.  I kind of like having a dumb brick sitting between my precious and the internet.

 

Follow the link for the full story.

"Intel is encroaching on video-recorder and network-hub manufacturers' territory with its plan for desktop PCs to assume multiple functions. Intel wants desktop PCs to double up as network hubs and video recorders, in a move that could make life tough for the companies that produce those standalone products. The chipmaker will begin midyear by adding wireless networking technology Wi-Fi to an upcoming pair of desktop chipsets. When manufacturers choose a specific version of one of the two new chipsets, they will be able to add the foundation for a built-in Wi-Fi access point nearly for free." <snip>


[Pocket PC Thoughts]

MIMO: Coming Soon

Read the whole thing if you want, but the gist is as follows

 

<snip> 


[Wi-Fi Networking News]

Grand Challenge and Asimov's Laws

 I wish we could pick up the race on ESPN or something.  It’s got to be cool!

 

<snip>

A fleet of unmanned, robotic vehicles is lining up to compete in the Grand Challenge, a 210 mile race over rough terrain from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on March 13th…</snip>


[Technodaddy]

Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox

Looks nice, but what a price!!!  Seems like they should be able to put it all together for a little less… 

Wurlitzer's new 'Digital Jukebox' revamps an old stand-by with modern-day features, sacrificing classic jukebox charm for sleek modern lines. Designed to be a drop-in home...

 

 [Gizmodo]

Monday, March 8, 2004

Windows 3.x hits

While going through the log files today I noticed something…  There were 2 hits from someone using Windows 3.x.  I can only assume that it was the same person but wow, that’s a blast from the past.  I can vividly remember setting up my first Windows 3.11 machine with TCPIP and Mozilla (or whatever it was called).  Noggin and I used to hang out at his work so that we could share the uplink his office had.  Yep, blistering fast 2400 Baud uplink….  Those were the days. J 

Intel's On-Board WiFi: The Death of Wireless Gateway Hardware?

 I am not sure I agree with them on this one.  I kind of like having a dumb brick sitting between my precious and the internet.

 

Follow the link for the full story.

"Intel is encroaching on video-recorder and network-hub manufacturers' territory with its plan for desktop PCs to assume multiple functions. Intel wants desktop PCs to double up as network hubs and video recorders, in a move that could make life tough for the companies that produce those standalone products. The chipmaker will begin midyear by adding wireless networking technology Wi-Fi to an upcoming pair of desktop chipsets. When manufacturers choose a specific version of one of the two new chipsets, they will be able to add the foundation for a built-in Wi-Fi access point nearly for free." <snip>


[Pocket PC Thoughts]

Snapstream Beyond TV 3 Review

 But, we knew that already didn’t we?  I can’t wait for 3.5 to come out as they are adding multi-tuner functionality to the product.  They are also adding a network client for Win32 machines.  This means you can turn your other computer into a “set-top” box and get the same 10foot interface that you get from the main server.  My kids have been asking for a TV in their room, now the PC will be their TV too!

 

 

<snip>

The Associated Press gives a thumbs up to Snapstream's "Beyond TV 3", a PC-based personal video recorder software that functions much like a TiVo. And...

 

 [Gizmodo]

AT&T Wireless Replacing Phones Due To New GSM 850 Coverage

 I know a few folks that are using the new MPx but I think they are on T-Mobile.  Hopefully they won’t suffer the same issues as those that use AT&T…

 

 

<snip>

"Attention AT&T Wireless customers: your phone is about to become obsolete. If you own one of the cellphones listed below and live in the New York metropolitan area, Northern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Las Vegas, or Seattle, there's a good chance that AT&T doesn't want you to use it much longer." Peter Rojas, in his new job at Engadget, has written up an excellent article summarizing AT&T's troubles in their network transition. First off, TDMA is slowly getting phased out of their network, so its coverage is likely to slowly shrink. Second, perhaps half of the GSM phones they've been selling all this time are not compatible with wide new swaths of their network, which run at 800MHz ("GSM 850"). This includes the Siemens SX56, the Sony Ericsson T68i, and even the Motorola MPx200 Smartphone. Therefore, at the current moment, Pocket PC Phone users and Smartphone users are out of luck -- they won't be able to access most of AT&T's new coverage. AT&T has a handset trading program, but the replacements seem to be strictly average at best. Nice going, AT&T. :? Worse, I don't know of a Pocket PC Phone that even supports GSM 850 right now. :| The Motorola MPx is eventually supposed to be available in two versions: an 800/1800/1900 (supporting GSM 850) and a 900/1800/1900 (supporting European bands), and the rumored iPAQ 6000 series might have quadband (800/900/1800/1900), but I've heard no official confirmation on that. What I really want to know is why carriers and handset manufacturers can't get their act together and just make all of their phones quadband. [Emoticon: roll]

 

 [Pocket PC Thoughts]

Friday, March 5, 2004

SanDisk Reveals Tiny New Memory Cards for Phones

Now I need another adapter that has all the others, and this new one… sheesh! 

SanDisk this week introduced T-Flash, a new type of memory card designed specifically for mobile phones. The new format is smaller than any previous ...


[Phone Scoop - Latest News]

Verizon Introduces New Forward-to-Plane Service

That’s IT!!!! Why oh why can’t we ever cash in on an idea?!?!?  I want to just fall in a pit right now!

 

Oh, Noggin, you need to get this. J 

Verizon Wireless and Verizon Airfone yesterday announced a new service for Verizon Wireless customers who travel frequently by plane. The $10/month service lets customers ...


[Phone Scoop - Latest News]

Laptops In Schools, Generally Good, But Still Needs Some Work

Now this is cool.  I hope it catches on.  I also noticed that all the schools in my area have Wi-Fi access.  You can surf but you can’t run IM, go figure J.

I can only imagine what the world would have been like if I had a laptop in school….<insert evil cackle of joy here>

 

<snip> 

There's been a ton of coverage about the pilot program in Maine to give every student a laptop. The results there have been overwhelmingly positive - as many critics have changed their minds and now support the program. Now, two more states that are running programs have come out with results, and they sound similar. The biggest issue is training and tech support - but beyond that, the program seems to do wonders. In Pennsylvania there were complaints about malfunctioning equipment, and confusion by some teachers on how to use the computers effectively. However, in Michigan, the early results suggest that the program has been very successful. Students involved in the program have been studying more and coming to class more prepared. The big fear, that students would mistreat, forget or lose their computers has proven to be untrue (as was the case in Maine). One other interesting aspect of the Michigan study is they found that it actually seems to make the kids more excited about learning, to the point where disciplinary action has decreased. It certainly sounds like these programs are a step in the right direction, but more emphasis needs to be placed on better training for the teachers.


[Techdirt]

Comcast Finally Takes Action Against Zombie Machines

 Cool, I wish they would have done this ages ago.  I just talked with a friend, who will remain nameless in order to keep him as a friend, who had virus protection installed…  With definition files dated in 2002!  He has promised to get updated by Sunday. J

 

But seriously, something must be done.  So many people out there are still running Windows 95 or Windows XP with out any kind of protection.  Add to that the ever growing broadband availability and you are just begging to have someone hack into your machine.  There has to be a way to get and keep machines clean short of turning them off….

 

 

<snip>

Just last week, we pointed to a story saying that 30% of all spam came from "zombie" machines (home users whose machines were infected by a trojan horse used to send out spam). At the time, we wondered why the various broadband service providers weren't doing anything to deal with this issue. Now, it looks like Comcast has finally realized that maybe they should be doing something and have started sending letters to users who have been found with machines sending spam. Of course, some users are saying that they solved the problem a month ago, and are still receiving the letters. Also, according to Broadband Reports, in some cases it appears that Comcast should have acted ages ago - such as with five specific IP addresses that were shown to be responsible for over 45,000 spam messages.


[Techdirt]

Replacing All Your Credit Cards With A Card Writing Device

Wired is running an article about a new sort of device that is being designed to replace all your credit cards. It's a fascinating idea. It's a small device (the "Pocket Vault"), that comes with its own card (the "Chameleon Card") stored inside. When you first get it, you stick each of your credit cards, bank cards, debit cards, whatever cards, into the device, and it records the info on the magnetic stripe. Then, all you need to carry around is the device (with its own card inside). When it's time to use a card, you pull out the device, pick the card you want to use, and it spits out its own card with all the info on the magnetic stripe, and with a display showing the credit card number, expiration date and logo. It also includes some interesting security features. It has fingerprint recognition before you can remove the card, and if the card is out, the display fades after 10 minutes, making it useless. They claim that it will also work with RFID based systems, like the ExxonMobil SpeedPass, but don't explain how it records that info. It might also run into problems with smart cards, since it won't be able to record the info off of a chip. There are some other concerns as well. This seems like the ideal way for someone to steal credit cards if they can access your card for a bit. There are already stories of waiters in restaurants who take your credit card and run it through a skimmer to get the number. If they just use this instead, they get an automatic replica of your card. Also, you have to wonder if various clerks will freak out the first time they see this and wonder if it's legitimate. Finally, carrying around a device doesn't seem to save much space, since the device itself is probably bigger than the credit cards its replacing, and it won't fit in your wallet. Sure, the gadget geek side of me thinks this is a cool idea, but is it worth $200 to have to carry around another gadget (that also slows down the purchasing process...)? It might be a tough sell.

Newsgator 2.0

Thanks to TechnoD for reminding me to check to see if Newsgator had a new version. I was still using a pre 2004 version... I am so ashamed of myself.

Bloggers' Plagiarism Scientifically Proven

I was going to write about this, but then someone beat me to it…. J 


[Slashdot]

Thursday, March 4, 2004

SanDisk Reveals Tiny New Memory Cards for Phones

Now I need another adapter that has all the others, and this new one… sheesh! 

SanDisk this week introduced T-Flash, a new type of memory card designed specifically for mobile phones. The new format is smaller than any previous ...


[Phone Scoop - Latest News]

Verizon Introduces New Forward-to-Plane Service

That’s IT!!!! Why oh why can’t we ever cash in on an idea?!?!?  I want to just fall in a pit right now!

 

Oh, Noggin, you need to get this. J 

Verizon Wireless and Verizon Airfone yesterday announced a new service for Verizon Wireless customers who travel frequently by plane. The $10/month service lets customers ...


[Phone Scoop - Latest News]

Laptops In Schools, Generally Good, But Still Needs Some Work

Now this is cool.  I hope it catches on.  I also noticed that all the schools in my area have Wi-Fi access.  You can surf but you can’t run IM, go figure J.

I can only imagine what the world would have been like if I had a laptop in school….<insert evil cackle of joy here>

 

<snip> 

There's been a ton of coverage about the pilot program in Maine to give every student a laptop. The results there have been overwhelmingly positive - as many critics have changed their minds and now support the program. Now, two more states that are running programs have come out with results, and they sound similar. The biggest issue is training and tech support - but beyond that, the program seems to do wonders. In Pennsylvania there were complaints about malfunctioning equipment, and confusion by some teachers on how to use the computers effectively. However, in Michigan, the early results suggest that the program has been very successful. Students involved in the program have been studying more and coming to class more prepared. The big fear, that students would mistreat, forget or lose their computers has proven to be untrue (as was the case in Maine). One other interesting aspect of the Michigan study is they found that it actually seems to make the kids more excited about learning, to the point where disciplinary action has decreased. It certainly sounds like these programs are a step in the right direction, but more emphasis needs to be placed on better training for the teachers.


[Techdirt]

Comcast Finally Takes Action Against Zombie Machines

 Cool, I wish they would have done this ages ago.  I just talked with a friend, who will remain nameless in order to keep him as a friend, who had virus protection installed…  With definition files dated in 2002!  He has promised to get updated by Sunday. J

 

But seriously, something must be done.  So many people out there are still running Windows 95 or Windows XP with out any kind of protection.  Add to that the ever growing broadband availability and you are just begging to have someone hack into your machine.  There has to be a way to get and keep machines clean short of turning them off….

 

 

<snip>

Just last week, we pointed to a story saying that 30% of all spam came from "zombie" machines (home users whose machines were infected by a trojan horse used to send out spam). At the time, we wondered why the various broadband service providers weren't doing anything to deal with this issue. Now, it looks like Comcast has finally realized that maybe they should be doing something and have started sending letters to users who have been found with machines sending spam. Of course, some users are saying that they solved the problem a month ago, and are still receiving the letters. Also, according to Broadband Reports, in some cases it appears that Comcast should have acted ages ago - such as with five specific IP addresses that were shown to be responsible for over 45,000 spam messages.


[Techdirt]

Replacing All Your Credit Cards With A Card Writing Device

Wired is running an article about a new sort of device that is being designed to replace all your credit cards. It's a fascinating idea. It's a small device (the "Pocket Vault"), that comes with its own card (the "Chameleon Card") stored inside. When you first get it, you stick each of your credit cards, bank cards, debit cards, whatever cards, into the device, and it records the info on the magnetic stripe. Then, all you need to carry around is the device (with its own card inside). When it's time to use a card, you pull out the device, pick the card you want to use, and it spits out its own card with all the info on the magnetic stripe, and with a display showing the credit card number, expiration date and logo. It also includes some interesting security features. It has fingerprint recognition before you can remove the card, and if the card is out, the display fades after 10 minutes, making it useless. They claim that it will also work with RFID based systems, like the ExxonMobil SpeedPass, but don't explain how it records that info. It might also run into problems with smart cards, since it won't be able to record the info off of a chip. There are some other concerns as well. This seems like the ideal way for someone to steal credit cards if they can access your card for a bit. There are already stories of waiters in restaurants who take your credit card and run it through a skimmer to get the number. If they just use this instead, they get an automatic replica of your card. Also, you have to wonder if various clerks will freak out the first time they see this and wonder if it's legitimate. Finally, carrying around a device doesn't seem to save much space, since the device itself is probably bigger than the credit cards its replacing, and it won't fit in your wallet. Sure, the gadget geek side of me thinks this is a cool idea, but is it worth $200 to have to carry around another gadget (that also slows down the purchasing process...)? It might be a tough sell.

Newsgator 2.0

Thanks to TechnoD for reminding me to check to see if Newsgator had a new version. I was still using a pre 2004 version... I am so ashamed of myself.

Bloggers' Plagiarism Scientifically Proven

I was going to write about this, but then someone beat me to it…. J 


[Slashdot]

Exchange Edge Services Overview

 I am not sure if anyone has noticed this but it makes for a compelling reason to upgrade from Exchange (anything) to Exchange 2003.  With all the new email born viri and spam this should help a bit.  It even sounds like they are going to do like the Virus API and make a sort of SPAM API so third party software can tie right into the engine to make it super-fast.

 

I can’t wait to beta test this.

 

Oh, here is the link.

 

Keb' Mo' on XM Radio

Did I tell everyone that I have a XM Radio now?  I have been  enjoying the beautiful sounds of satellite radio for almost a week now and I must say I love it very much.  The hard part is staying on one channel long enough to hear more than one song.  I keep flipping back and forth because there is over 100 channels to listen to.  I’ve been listening to Bluesville (74) for 2 days now and love it!  I think I heard a song that TechnoD sang a while back.  I never knew who sang it but I do believe that it was Keb’ Mo’ doing “Prosperity Blues”.  Very funny tune.  Oh, and TechnoD does a good job of it too. J

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Exchange Edge Services Overview

 I am not sure if anyone has noticed this but it makes for a compelling reason to upgrade from Exchange (anything) to Exchange 2003.  With all the new email born viri and spam this should help a bit.  It even sounds like they are going to do like the Virus API and make a sort of SPAM API so third party software can tie right into the engine to make it super-fast.

 

I can’t wait to beta test this.

 

Oh, here is the link.

 

ROM Upgrade for Dell Axim X3

Hey you Axim users (you know who you are)!  You may want this… 

You'll have to log into Dell's support site and drill down. They block direct linking. "This patch includes previous patches: Axim X3 Drivers Patch (111303) - R70304.EXE and Dell AXIM X3 Drivers Patch (112403) - R70305.EXE " Fixes and enhancements include: 1. The Backup Battery driver status update issue, which may cause long backup battery charging time. 2. The Codec relative drivers problem, which may conflict and cause system lockup. 3. The Serial Port driver issue, which may cause serial keyboard detection sometimes failed. 4. Enhanced Display performance by optimizing the Display driver. 5. The USB file transferring issues, which may cause file transfer failed. 6. Updated the localization contents of Dell WLAN Utility UI/help files, which including: German, French, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. 7. The SD card driver problem, which may cause sometimes failed on SD card detection. 8. The Audio driver problem, which caused audio recording can not work continuously after system sleep/wakeup. 9. The WLAN driver problem, which may cause system cannot recognize wireless device occasionally. Way to go Dell! Now, if only another OEM that starts with an "H" and ends with a "P" would release a ROM update to their devices. :|
[Pocket PC Thoughts]

Tuesday, March 2, 2004

ROM Upgrade for Dell Axim X3

Hey you Axim users (you know who you are)!  You may want this… 

You'll have to log into Dell's support site and drill down. They block direct linking. "This patch includes previous patches: Axim X3 Drivers Patch (111303) - R70304.EXE and Dell AXIM X3 Drivers Patch (112403) - R70305.EXE " Fixes and enhancements include: 1. The Backup Battery driver status update issue, which may cause long backup battery charging time. 2. The Codec relative drivers problem, which may conflict and cause system lockup. 3. The Serial Port driver issue, which may cause serial keyboard detection sometimes failed. 4. Enhanced Display performance by optimizing the Display driver. 5. The USB file transferring issues, which may cause file transfer failed. 6. Updated the localization contents of Dell WLAN Utility UI/help files, which including: German, French, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. 7. The SD card driver problem, which may cause sometimes failed on SD card detection. 8. The Audio driver problem, which caused audio recording can not work continuously after system sleep/wakeup. 9. The WLAN driver problem, which may cause system cannot recognize wireless device occasionally. Way to go Dell! Now, if only another OEM that starts with an "H" and ends with a "P" would release a ROM update to their devices. :|
[Pocket PC Thoughts]

Aelita Collaboration Services for Exchange

This looks good.  I wonder if they will let us use the demo for long enough to copy the “real” GAL from the E2k world on a test E2k3 environment? 

Synchronize GALs and free/busy times securely between organizations. Administrators no longer need to duplicate contacts between several address books and it eliminates the need for users to maintain complex personal address lists. Because it uses the existing Outlook client, no user training is required.
[Slipstick - Outlook and Exchange News]

Portable WiFI Access Point?

This man needs a PowerBag™ 2.0, like BAD! J

<snip> 

I hate hotel rooms. It wasn't too long ago that I traveled with an acoustic coupler and a small tool kit to re-wire the hotel rooms phone so I could dial in from the road. Phone jacks were a big plus. These days I get grumpy if there's no Broadband access in the room but even when there is the desk where the broadband connection is located is usually horrible for working. What I'd love to see is a small WiFi Access point that I could plug into the connection and then work in that nice comfortable chair in the corner. Something really small and light. Maybe Apple will make a mini-Airport... A person can dream can't they?


[Michael Gartenberg]

Monday, March 1, 2004

Aelita Collaboration Services for Exchange

This looks good.  I wonder if they will let us use the demo for long enough to copy the “real” GAL from the E2k world on a test E2k3 environment? 

Synchronize GALs and free/busy times securely between organizations. Administrators no longer need to duplicate contacts between several address books and it eliminates the need for users to maintain complex personal address lists. Because it uses the existing Outlook client, no user training is required.
[Slipstick - Outlook and Exchange News]

Portable WiFI Access Point?

This man needs a PowerBag™ 2.0, like BAD! J

<snip> 

I hate hotel rooms. It wasn't too long ago that I traveled with an acoustic coupler and a small tool kit to re-wire the hotel rooms phone so I could dial in from the road. Phone jacks were a big plus. These days I get grumpy if there's no Broadband access in the room but even when there is the desk where the broadband connection is located is usually horrible for working. What I'd love to see is a small WiFi Access point that I could plug into the connection and then work in that nice comfortable chair in the corner. Something really small and light. Maybe Apple will make a mini-Airport... A person can dream can't they?


[Michael Gartenberg]