Project Insomnia

I'm ready to chuck my Treo 650 across the room! I'm on my third one, having had two replacements due to the audio jack breaking--and the bloody thing just broke again. Incredibly poor design. I've been waiting for Palm to get their act together and release a new smartphone with an updated PalmOS platform, but it seems they never will. So it's time for me to bid adieu to Palm and look for something else, and that (unfortunately) seems to mean Windows Mobile. Ick.

What's that you say? Don't I work for the largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world? Yes, yes I do. But I don't want to leave Sprint, and Nokia makes exactly one phone for Sprint: the 6165i, an itty bitty flip phone that's not exactly a valid replacement for a Treo.

My requirements:

• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP.
• WiFi.
• Java-capable (I believe any Windows Mobile device can run Java).
• Full QWERTY keyboard.
• Ability to tether to my laptop for modem use.
• Touch-screen.
• Sync with PC for contacts and calendar.

Browsing Sprint's smartphone selection, I'm drawn to the HTC Mogul. It seems to cover all my requirements.

Any Sprint people out there with smartphone recommendations? Anyone used the HTC Mogul, either on Sprint or another carrier?

The Dilbert Blog: How to Get Elected President:

If I ran for president, I’d have to get past the country’s distaste for atheists. That’s a big problem. I would handle it by manipulating the media with a sound bite so catchy the pundits would have no choice but to repeat it until it started to sound sensible. I’d hold a press conference and say that ONLY an atheist should be president, in the same way you want a eunuch to guard your harem. (That’s the sound bite. It’s like catnip for pundits.)

I would suggest that a truly religious president might try to convert your children to his religion, either overtly or by example. In this election alone, you have a Mormon, a Baptist or two, and if Bloomberg enters, a Jew. Moreover, a scary percentage of the South believes Obama is a Muslim. I’d play the fear card.

I'd vote for him. The only problem would be that we'd be deprived of more Dilbert, because even the truly ideal President wouldn't have time to be a cartoonist as well.

Star Trek XI teaser trailer beams onto web:

A teaser trailer for much-anticipated new Star Trek film has finally found its way onto the web.

Directed by JJ Abrams - the man behind Lost and more recently, the mysterious and virally marketed Cloverfield - Star Trek XI will detail the early days of James T Kirk and his crew and will chronologically sit after the TV series Enterprise, starring Scott 'oh boy' Bakula.

Due for release in December of this year, the cast includes Winona Ryder as a young Spock's mum (she's responsible for his human half) the little-known Chris Pine as James T Kirk and Simon Pegg to play the young Engineer Montgomery Scott.

Click through to the article to view the teaser trailer.

I may have teared up just a little bit watching it. Okay, not maybe.

Dilbert creator Scott Adams posted about a new "Daily Dilbert" widget, still in beta testing, that anyone can use to show Dilbert strips on their Web sites. I've added it to my sidebar (over there -----> ) so take a look and see if you like it. Click the middle of the widget to get started, then use the buttons inside the widget to see each panel and move forward and back to other strips.

Labels: dilbert, scott adams, widgets

Somehow I missed noticing and commenting on this at the time. As of yesterday, January 20, 2008, it was one year to the day until Inauguration Day. The campaigns are ugly and brutal, the candidates are racing each other to the bottom, but the fact is that none of them--certainly none of the leaders, from either party--could possibly be as bad as the fool we have at present.

To the current occupant: Enjoy your last year in office. I know I'll be counting the days until your preposterous claims of executive privilege are swept away like spilled cat litter and your crimes are exposed.

Updating this post from last year, here is the current network map done on Gliffy.



Two changes at Jennifer's desk:

• Moved the Linksys WAP54G inside to Jennifer's desk area -- better coverage throughout the house.


• Added a Linksys SD208 8-port switch at Jennifer's desk -- needed since there are only two hardwired ports at the desk, and there are now three devices (her computer, the print server and the WAP54G).

We did get the new TV and media stack downstairs as previously mentioned, and much of the equipment is networked or networkable:

• Added the DirecTV HR21-700 HD-DVR -- two built-in Ethernet ports.


• Added a second Philips DSR704 DirecTiVo -- running standalone, no satellite connection, just for MRV (TiVo Multi-Room Viewing) of recorded programs from upstairs.


• Added a Nintendo Wii game console -- built-in WiFi.


• Added a Linksys WGA600N wireless-to-Ethernet bridge and a Linksys USB200M Ethernet-to-USB adapter.

I haven't built the file server in the garage yet, but between the two DirecTiVos and Jennifer's machine we now have 1.5TB of available media storage, and that doesn't count the unexplored internals of the HR21-700 HD-DVR.

Note added 2008-08-08: An updated version of this post is here.

Labels: DirecTV, gliffy, network map, Wii

Thanks to Kevin for linkage to this great article on Wired:
A Geek Yearns for Yesteryear's Noisy Gear

In particular, I miss the warm, grumpy sounds of the floppy drive. I remember sneaking into my grandparents' computer room -- that's right, my grandfather got me into computers; he is an awesome man -- at 6 in the morning, unable to wait until everyone's awake for another round of greenish videogaming. I extract a floppy, an actual floppy that flops, from the treasure-trove of pirated games and slide one into the drive. I switch it on and I'm greeted with a startled beep and a clatter from the hard drive, followed by a series of mechanical grunts as the machine wearily rummages for data.
[...]
Better yet, when something went wrong you could hear it. Hell, you could practically feel it. The drive would respond to a corrupt disk with a scraping shudder that resonated in your spinal column. You didn't get a dialog box with an exclamation point and a polite boop, you got a death rattle.

Looking back, I really do miss the audible feedback you used to get from computing. Floppy drives grinding, buckling-spring keyboard clacking, the thrumm! of a monitor degaussing. It was obvious when your dial-up connection worked and equally obvious when it failed.

Edit: Fixed link to article.

Labels: beep, clack, grind, modem sync, thrumm

No, not the least-popular Star Trek series; this is about Enterprise car rental. The Infiniti is at Mathews Carlsen having some minor body work done and USAA's rental reimbursement is for Enterprise.

I dropped the Infiniti at Mathews Carlsen, who called Enterprise to pick me up. No answer. They called again, got someone who said they'd be right over. Some time later, with no sign of Enterprise, they call a third time and are told that there is only one person at the rental desk so no one to come get me. MC details a person to drive me over to Enterprise at the Palo Alto Municipal Airport. This is great, because it's much closer to MC than the office I'd been to previously in Mountain View. There is indeed one Enterprise employee at the airport desk, plus one other customer waiting for a car, but there are no cars. We're assured that cars are even now being delivered from other Enterprise offices.

A few minutes later, Enterprise employee #2 arrives with other customer's car and he is sent on his way. Employees #1 and #2 confer and then tell me they will wait for employee #3 to arrive, and then the four of us will go to Enterprise office #3 with a stop at office #2 to drop off employee #1. All clear so far?

Employee #3 arrives and the four of us set off. Employee #1 is dropped off at Enterprise office #2, which happens to be the Honda dealership right next door to Mathews Carlsen. Employees #3 drives #2 and me to Enterprise office #3, the one I'd been to once before. We get out, I wait around a little while more and then am finally shown to the car that will substitute for my beautiful Infiniti for the next three days: a white Kia minivan.

The sole saving grace of this runaround is that the Enterprise employees were perfectly aware of how ridiculous it actually was. Everyone was good-natured and friendly, there were no harsh words, dirty looks or mutterings under breath. Just the same, I think I will request a different rental company next time, if there is a next time.

Labels: Enterprise, Infiniti, Kia, Mathews Carlsen

My wife's uncle's son (cousin?) sent me these questions and asked me to help him with a school project. If he, and his parents, had known how I was going to answer they might not have wanted my thoughts.

What's the best way to protect your computer from hackers?
About how long does it take for hackers to write a virus for a new computers?
What are viruses?
How do viruses get into your computer?
If a hacker hacks into your computer, can they use it to hack another persons computer?
Are there any other ways to protect your computer from viruses other than fire walls?
What's the best thing to do if your computer gets a virus?
What's the worst thing to do if your computer gets a virus?
Are some computers safer from hackers than other computers? If so, what are they?
Can a fire wall be penetrated by hackers?

Let's start by examining the phraseology. I'm sure the questions were written and assigned by your teacher, but before going into the specifics we need to look at the meaning of the word "hacker".

* What is a hacker?

If you ask the mass media, law enforcement or security software vendors—that is, people with a vested interest in the answer—you'll get the standard answer of bad people who want to break into your computer and steal your identity. In fact, that standard answer couldn't be more wrong. A hacker is just someone who explores technology; someone who pushes the limits of gadgets, software, computers, networks, to make them do things they weren't necessarily designed to do.

The typical definition of "hacker" actually defines a criminal, plain and simple. A person who would break into your computer, steal your identity, crash your network, unleash viruses, or any of the other doomsday scenarios breathlessly predicted on the nightly news is not a hacker; he is a criminal. A hacker might penetrate an e-commerce Web site's order processing system to expose a weakness that could lead to identity theft, and do whatever is necessary to ensure that the vulnerability is patched. A criminal would simply steal the credit card numbers. Hackers figured out how to install their own software on the Apple iPhone; a criminal would be more likely to just steal the phone and re-sell it.

Do you see the difference?

With that said, I'll answer your questions, substituting "criminal" for "hacker" where appropriate.

* What's the best way to protect your computer from criminals?

Always be aware that there are bad people who want to steal your information or maliciously crash your computer. Awareness of the threat is the first step to protecting yourself.
Practice safe computing. Use strong passwords on your accounts, and different passwords for each account. Keep your operating system updated with the latest security patches, and keep the software you use updated as well. Don't send personal data, including user names and passwords, in clear when connected to unknown or possibly insecure networks.

* About how long does it take for criminals to write a virus for a new computers?

New vulnerabilities are typically exploited almost immediately after being made public. For example, Microsoft releases a set of security updates on the first Tuesday of every month—so-called "Patch Tuesday." The day after this has been dubbed "Exploit Wednesday," because talented malicious programmers are able to reverse-engineer the Microsoft security updates to determine exactly what was fixed, and then release a virus (or other malicious software) to exploit this vulnerability.

* What are viruses?

In general terms, a computer virus is a program that mimics the function of a biological virus; it infects a host (a computer), spreads to other hosts (by email, on malicious Web sites or by other means) and causes damage (deleting files, stealing personal data, etc.).

* How do viruses get into your computer?

Many specific methods are used, but in general computers are infected through exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities. For example, if Microsoft Internet Explorer has a known vulnerability where opening a certain type of file could crash the browser, a virus could infect such a file and wait for the user to open it. When the file is opened and the browser crashes, the virus is activated and free to do its damage.

Most viruses are transmitted by networks (e.g. Local area networks, Internet, email, file-sharing) but there have been many instances of infected distribution media such as CD-ROMs.

* If a criminal hacks into your computer, can they use it to hack another persons computer?

Yes. This is usually referred to as a "botnet," or a network of bots—"bot" is a slang term for a usually non-destructive virus that provides an intruder full control of the host computer. Botnets spread using the same methods as regular viruses, but once a certain number of computers are infected they can begin communicating with each other (unknown to the owner of the computer, of course) and using their combined power to overload networks, infect other computers or other malicious activity.

* Are there any other ways to protect your computer from viruses other than fire walls?

Technically a firewall doesn't protect your computer from viruses; it protects your computer or network from unauthorized intrusion from outside. That intrusion may be for the purpose of spreading a virus, or it may be to break in to a database of credit card numbers or any other reason. That said, there are two basic kinds of firewalls: software and hardware. A software firewall is a program that runs on your computer and monitors the network interface for unauthorized traffic. A hardware firewall is an entirely separate piece of equipment that filters network traffic before it reaches your computer. Either or both may be useful depending on your needs and situation.

Anti-virus software can also be useful to protect your computer against viruses. It's important to realize that the large anti-virus software vendors have a vested interest in the continuing existence of malicious software, not to mention typically rating quite low in independent surveys. Many free or low-cost anti-virus solutions are available, and most of these are actually better than the major names.

* What's the best thing to do if your computer gets a virus?

Disconnect it from the network to prevent further spread. Turn it off. Most anti-virus software provides offline recovery tools—that is, a way to remove the virus from your computer while not letting the virus spread or do any more damage. It's better, though, to practice safe computing and prevent yourself from getting infected in the first place.

* What's the worst thing to do if your computer gets a virus?

Ignore it.

* Are some computers safer from criminals than other computers? If so, what are they?

I think the question is aimed at describing brands or models of computers, but unfortunately it's not that simple. Any computer, poorly secured, is vulnerable; conversely, any computer can be properly secured and protected. My computer is relatively safe from penetration and exploitation by criminals because I keep the operating system and software updated, I use firewall and anti-virus software and practice safe computing.

* Can a fire wall be penetrated by criminals?

The only security that can't be penetrated is turning off and unplugging the machine. Anything else is potentially vulnerable. Security is an ongoing process, and security vendors and criminals are engaged in an ongoing endless cat-and-mouse game where malicious programmers will find a new vulnerability, and security vendors will patch it before it can be exploited. The best way to protect yourself is to stay informed.

After playing with the Wii at a friend's place, we decided to pick one up if we could find one but weren't going to look too hard. As it happened, we were at Target a few days later and they had a stack of them.

After a couple of days, I can definitely say I like it. We only have the Wii Sports game that comes bundled with the console right now but plan to get Wii Play pretty soon. I also downloaded the Internet Channel (which is actually a customized Opera browser) last night.

Our Wii number is: 2790 3571 8506 4527

Feel free to add it and let me know if you do!

Labels: Opera, Target, Wii