BLOG MOVING
This blog is moving to a personal server and will be hosted on blogspot for only a few more days to redirect traffic.

I'm moving to wirelessmike.bluekeep.net

I hope my readers will follow me to the new location. I still have lots to blog about!
- posted by WirelessMike @ 11/02/2005 07:17:00 AM 2 comments

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Blue Citadel Computing
Well... Just a couple weeks more until I'm able to finish my machine. The experience, along with the fun a friend and I have had with site construction, has convinced me that the little side business my friends r2 and speed kicked off months ago (with an AWFUL client) is something that might be both fun and profitable for me to join in on. As it is, my friend, the pcrepairdr, has made a very profitable private business out of hardware/software install/repair and pc networking (I've even contracted for him once for some nice mad money). Thing is-- All this (even wireless networks) are much MUCH easier to set up than the general public realizes, so the opportunities are limitless. We'll most likely work with r2's shingle (not "Blue Citadel Computing"-- I just made that up), since there is already contract experience there, and speed's contract networking experience is invaluable. I bring a unique ability to construct a powerful, upgradeable machine at a remarkably low cost and a flair for graphics, as well as site construction and maintenance experience.

I would prefer to personally stay in the background of the venture. Contributing when asked, but remaining a silent partner and satisfied to participate for supplemental, not primary, income. I suppose the whole thing will really come together when we get online with a site. Will update as things progress.
- posted by WirelessMike @ 10/17/2005 05:52:00 AM 1 comments

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Finland-- No More Ripping CDs for MP3s
An interesting move in copyright legislation. I don't know what effect this decision will have on the US (it may have none at all), but Finland has just passed a law making it technically illegal to rip cds into mp3 files-- even for personal use only (as in to burn on a cd to play in your mp3 player, etc.).
- posted by WirelessMike @ 10/06/2005 08:01:00 AM 0 comments

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More Killer Skype Phones
As of February 10th, Skype and iMate are offering preferred VoIP connectivity on the latest iMate PDA2K and Pocket PC phones. These PDAs have EVERYTHING in the book (and some stuff not yet in the book)!



At around $850.00 (usd), they're a bit expensive, but what can't you do with this pda phone? They make blackberry look like a calculator!
- posted by WirelessMike @ 9/26/2005 08:28:00 AM 0 comments

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Ubuntu Firefox Fits


The only consistent/persistent gripe I've ever heard regarding stable releases of Linux distros is keeping applications current. The most common method of accomplishing this is updating with "backports." Backports are the most recent version of applications compiled for a previous release of a given Linux distro. Since the latest versions of applications are typically compiled for testing on the very latest version of a Linux distro (usually the "testing" or "unstable" release), they have to be re-compiled, or "backported" to work on the preceding stable release.

Ubuntu makes updating with backports particularly easy by providing a central repository dedicated exclusively to backports. The repository is:

deb http://ubuntu-backports.mirrormax.net hoary-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://ubuntu-backports.mirrormax.net hoary-extras main restricted universe multiverse

There are additional repositories to get the bleeding edge stuff that is staged to move to the main backports repositories, but I don't like using those, so I won't go into any detail about them.

The repository is excellent and keeps users up-to-date on pretty much any oss app imaginable that doesn't make it to the standard update repositories.

One such app that I wish I hadn't updated from the backports repository is Firefox. At 1.0.6, the backports repository put up the latest version with transitional files to move from a "mozilla-firefox" directory to a simple "firefox" directory. I liked the idea and the backport was considered by Synaptic to be an "upgrade," so I upgraded. Now 1.0.7 is out, and it's in the update repositories as "mozilla-firefox." Thanks to my previous little upgrade, I have conflicts and errors upgrading. Ubuntu insisted on trying to remove Firefox and upgrade with Mozilla-Firefox simultaneously. Dependencies and support files made it error out.

I finally came up with a very simple solution: I blocked the standard update repositories so that synaptic saw nothing to upgrade firefox with. This allowed for the uninstall of Firefox, along with some supported apps (only 3-- I wrote them down so I could reinstall them later). After a successful uninstall, I unblocked the update repositories and updated the apps list. Then I installed Mozilla-Firefox 1.0.7 from the standard update repositories and reinstalled the supported apps.

Yet another way to solve this problem is to force the removal of firefox using dpkg instead of apt:

sudo dpkg -r --force-all firefox
sudo dpkg -r --force-all firefox-gnome-support

Everything went fine and I'm now on 1.0.7 with all my previous settings. I like the little challenges, and it provided me with a feeling of confidence about the upgrade. ANOTHER OS might have allowed me to get away with it, but then it would most likely be working with redundant depencies on files I neither wanted nor needed, and I'd never be confident about the stability of the application, or any applications dependent upon it.

The lesson-- Challenges are good, and backports must be used cautiously, but what may appear to be problematic or difficult to some may, upon further inspection, lend confidence in stability that an "easier" OS can't offer.


- posted by WirelessMike @ 9/26/2005 07:20:00 AM 0 comments

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The New Computer
I'm like THIS close to finishing my computer.

Up to this point, I've hunted and gathered basic affordable components. My creation is a value-based 64-bit mid-range gaming rig that will dual-boot Ubuntu and XP-Pro.

I've managed so far to acquire the case (pictured), DFI motherboard, 500W power supply, Amigo modem (backup connectivity), NEC floppy drive, multi-card reader, Kingwin heatsink/fan and cooling accessories.

After we've moved (which is the PRIMARY ordeal I'm concerned with), I'll be purchasing all the rest. This is quite a haul that includes, of course, the processor (Athlon 64 3700+), 1G ram (probably OCZ), 256M ATI 9600xt graphics, 160G Hitachi SATA HDD, ASUS combo drive, NEC DVD-dual burner, Acer 17" LCD and some sweet 802.11b/g 125mbps wireless networking hardware (USR). This router is so sweet, it comes with WPA2, 128-bit WEP, and MAC Address restriction security, a built-in SPI firewall, and even includes a usb 2.0 port so that ANY usb printer can be turned into a network printer.



I'm modding in a toggle switch for those LEDs on the front-- They'll light up a room (not always a good thing)!

At any rate, it should fit the bill nicely for a while and make for a pleasant online experience for the wife and me (I often work from home over vpn), as well as provide an excellent educational tool for my little girl (she's going to get the old computer). It should also make for a flashy LAN party rig. I have a couple of buddies building similar rigs of their own. It's a wonderful (though slightly expensive) distraction.

You see, I spend most of my time at my Ubuntu Linux admin machine in ssh terminals correcting errors in our LSMS, updating for new NPA-NXXs, backing up data to redundant sql databases and tweaking shell scripts I created to try to automate as much of it as possible over a flaky internal network of DS3s to 8 DSM cards at 4 STPs fed by MPS translators directly connected to a central database in a small town 25 minutes from my office (making me have to use VNC to access the remote admin console to perform some specific gui-centric functions). The internal central database (a.k.a. "LSMS") updates in auto-magically over 2 DS1s through a gateway router to the NPAC in Virginia and North Carolina in "real-time." At least everything's directly connected, so I'm not takin' up space on valuable DACS ports.

At the same time I secure assigned numbers in pool block contributions only days before the blocks are actually released and troubleshoot everyday woes such as manually loading missing records or modifying corrupt or incorrect records, participating in Mass SPID Updates, attending Industry meetings on all things LNP to represent my employer, and researching new technologies such as VoIP and ENUM that will aid, complement, or eventually replace the current method. I stay abreast of all changes to the SS7 network, monitoring traffic on our network and working with switch translations to test turnup of services in new offices or restructure of host-remote relationships that can effect routing, and report on the amount of numbers ported contrasted with the amount of customers ported per month and space to exhaust on the network elements (which translates into making a business case for spending another $500 grand to "make it bigger").

Outside of that, I don't do much except blog, surf the net and drink lots of Dr. Pepper. You can see how a distraction is definitely a GOOD thing.
- posted by WirelessMike @ 9/24/2005 07:10:00 AM 0 comments

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Here We Go Again...

Rita takes aim at some New Orleans evacuees (and anyone else living in SE Texas and Louisiana). My personal opinion is that early statements and predictions regarding New Orleans not flooding again may be overly optimistic, though I pray they are true.
- posted by WirelessMike @ 9/22/2005 04:53:00 AM 0 comments

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The Hurricane Aftermath Blogs


Read this incredible account of one evacuee's first-hand perspective and what he had to go through to get out.

An interesting blog to visit for on-site real time updates on what's going on in New Orleans.

The blog is complimented by a related photo gallery. There was a live webcam, as well.

Another excellent gallery here.

If you are anywhere among New Orleans evacuees, please have them visit the Slidell Hurricane Blog. There may be someone looking for them. There may also be someone offering shelter.
- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/31/2005 01:14:00 PM 0 comments

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Experiencing Technical Difficulties
Yes-- The blog looks kinda broken or something, but that's just because it's kinda broken or something. This is just a temporary thing. I host many of the images on my blog from a server that is moving from NJ to NC. I may try to upload the images to another server and update all my links accordingly-- That would mean the blog would look normal again over the weekend or at least by Monday or Tuesday. However, I may simply wait until the server is moved and back online. Of course, I'll probably have to update all my hosted image links, regardless, since the actual domain name will most likely change.

Regardless-- Those few who view my blog regularly, please forgive this short-term mess. It will soon be fixed. Those of you seeing my blog for the first time or who have only recently started visiting regularly, please know that this is a very unique situation that will be fixed very soon and not likely happen again for a long, long time. Whoever you are-- I really appreciate you coming to see my blog and want to give you plenty of reasons to come back. Everything will be back to normal soon.
- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/26/2005 12:46:00 PM 0 comments

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FCC Chairman Martin "Levels the Playing Field" for DSL


How about a new twist in the Cable vs. DSL debate?

Kevin Martin wants a level playing field for broadband internet access. For too long now, Cable providers have enjoyed extending their networks to new markets without having to share those networks with competitors while phone companies that provide DSL are forced to share their networks with any ISP that asks. We have an old saying in LEC telephony: "Welcome to the World of Regulatory."

Well, that might've flown under former chairman Powell, but Martin says times have changed and regulation must change to embrace them, and as of August 5th, that change is official:

The Order that we adopt today is a momentous one. It ends the regulatory inequities that currently exist between cable and telephone companies in their provision of broadband Internet services. As I have said on numerous occasions, leveling the playing field between these providers has been one of my highest priorities. With this Order, wireline broadband Internet access providers, like cable modem service providers, will be considered information service providers and will no longer be compelled by regulation to unbundle and separately tariff the underlying transmission component of their Internet access service.

Most importantly, however, the actions we take in this Order are an explicit recognition that the telecommunications marketplace that exists today is vastly different from the one governed by regulators over 30 years ago. The Computer Inquiry requirements that were adopted several decades ago were based on the assumption that, without the imposition of strict regulation, telephone companies would be able to exert considerable market power over unaffiliated entities in the provision of information services. To the extent that this assumption was true at the time, it is no longer true in today’s broadband market.

Summarized, Martin is recognizing that there was a time when the regulation was in the best interest of competition, but now the same regulation is stifling the ILEC's ability to compete, so the FCC is deregulating broadband internet access.

I imagine you must be wondering, "How does this effect me and why would I care if the FCC gives some big money phone company a break on dsl?"

It will take some time, of course, but I believe this will free up the bandwidth for new services and higher data speeds that will be passed on to the customer at lower prices. Very soon, everyone will be able to see the TRUE potential of DSL and I predict that the improvement will benefit us all, Cable and DSL customers, alike, in bottom-line value AND affordability.

Interestingly, however, many rural LECs (not RBOCs) will be hesitant to opt in. At the outset, only RBOCs are REQUIRED to comply. Reason being-- This is actually a loss of revenue. The government compensates ILECs for sharing bandwidth according to the old rules. While I can't mention how big this revenue is (it varies according to size and number of ISPs involved), it is enough that most rural LECs would prefer to keep sharing the bandwidth as they have all along. Oh well... Sorry to suck all the air out of the conspiracy theorists and their ridiculous notions that "big brother bell" is out to rule the world with the government's support... HELLO-- Can you say "REGULATORY?"
- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/19/2005 06:22:00 AM 1 comments

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Skype and Skype Phones
Look out telcos-- At less than $100 for the phone, Skype is almost on your customer's coffee table!



Skype is the free internet VoIP IM/phone service that is catching on like wildfire worldwide. Many have heard of Vonage, and Skype is similar (at least in protocols and codecs used to make voice/data connections between customers), but Skype doesn't charge customers for the basic service and offers the software necessary to use the service for free. There are versions for practically every OS, too!

This in itself has helped Skype grow at an incredible pace, but imagine how fast folks are going to jump on when a cordless phone for less than $100 allows them to dial out and receive calls with absolutely no kind of LD charges or even fees, monthly access rates, taxes, etc. for local or LD service to any other skype user in the world (sorta*)?



Some cool features of the Linksys CIT200 Skype phone include that it operates according to DECT standards between the 1.92Ghz and 1.93Ghz range, well outside the ever-popular 2.4Ghz range most wifi routers broadcast on (no risk of interference). It doesn't connect to an ordinary RJ11 (typical phone line) or RJ45 (cat5 patch/data), but by usb interface. What's even more cool is that the VoIP-voice base station not only gets connectivity, but power from the usb, too! Unfortunately, at less than $100, this phone is not compatible with the PSTN (public switched telephone network)-- It is Skype-ONLY (and there's the catch-- at least with THIS phone).

*Admittedly, the plugins necessary to dial non-skype numbers or to have a 10-digit number non-skype users can dial are not free...

SkypeOut allows users to dial ordinary telephone numbers around the world at local rates.

SkypeIn allows you to buy a 10-digit telephone number for non-skypers to dial and talk to you.

At this time I consider Skype to be complimentary to my current service-- an occasional alternative, but a very cool one with some interesting features. Definitely worth your time to check out, but I'm not sure what telcos are so afraid of. It's really little more than a fancy voice IM service. It still requires the PSTN (public switched telephone network) to connect calls to/from a 10-digit telephone number.

If you're interested in paying a bit more, the $140 Olympia cordless dualphone DOES connect to the PSTN as well as Skype with access to all features. It utilizes the same frequency range as the CIT200 mentioned above and doesn't interfere with WIFI networks. It will soon be available in the US, but as "DUALphone," not "Olympia DUALphone." It is currently available in Europe from the Denmark-based RTX Telecom as an OEM phone.


- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/18/2005 11:23:00 AM 1 comments

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Support Big Brother-- Buy Windows!

From the article:

The amount of information Microsoft collects has raised eyebrows and has been sharply criticized. For example, Carmi Levy, an analyst with Info-Tech Research, believes that Microsoft is sneaking out much more information from a user's computer than the company needs to. He said that Microsoft collects data on how data moves between the operating system and peripherals such as a printer and potentially could access confidential data. "I am just wondering they really would want to know what moves to the printer," Levy said. We did not go into much detail in our conversation with Lazar, but he said Microsoft would "not be interested in such information" and that he had "never heard" of such data collection mechanisms before.

Can you say "I paid $200 to $400 for my spyware so that I won't be called a 'pirate' when I use update to make sure my spyware is nice and secure?"

Hey-- I don't advocate piracy... I advocate wholesale alternatives.


- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/13/2005 09:35:00 PM 0 comments

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Crimson Room


A little something fun to tease the brain...

There are 13 items in the room. Collect all 13 and you have what you need, but what do you do with them to make them work together and get out? By the way-- There are red herrings. A couple items don't do anything at all, so don't waste hours trying to make them help you.

2 Hints-- (1) Watch the whole movie and wait till it's over to try anything, and (2) Once you find the safe, don't try the key in it until you enter the correct code.

For more hints, you'll have to comment or something and I'll reply with another hint or 2.

If you finish the game and simply MUST have more, check here for the other 2 games-- Viridian Room and Blue Chamber.
- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/12/2005 06:23:00 AM 15 comments

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Which Harry Potter Character Are You?

- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/10/2005 08:46:00 AM 2 comments

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Harmonicas


Since I'm really single-minded lately and am waiting for something pretty specific to write about (if it turns out to be "blogworthy"), I figured this blog was overdue some entertaining minutiae or trivial subject matter which may be unrelated or irrelevant concerning anything going on with your life or mine right now... but still pretty interesting.

Here's some interesting harmonica trivia I read lately in "Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader"

* Nicknames for the harmonica include the "harp," the "tin sandwich" (cowboy dialect), the "Mississippi Sandwich" (blues lingo), and the "mouth organ" (from the German mundharmonika or mundorgan).

* Presidents Lincoln, Wilson, Coolidge and Reagan were all harp players of varying ability. Lincoln reportedly wrote a letter to Hohner, telling how he enjoyed playing harmonica to relax.

* The best-selling record of 1947 was "Peg O' My Heart" by a harmonica trio called The Harmonicats. After the Harmonicats' success, the musicians union decided to classify the harmonica as an instrument. Before that they called it a toy.

* On December 16, 1965, Wally Schirra played Jingle Bells on the harmonica-- from Gemini Six, at an altitude of 160 miles above Earth.

* In 1986, the M. Hohner Company sold their one billionth harmonica.

*Currently, the most expensive harmonica in the Hohner catalog is a "Chord 48" (the size of a baseball bat, with hundreds of reeds). Cost: $1,500.00

* More expensive, but not in the catalog: the solid gold, gem-encrusted model that Hohner presented to Pope Pius XI in the 1930s.

Just some interesting tidbits from the BRI (Bathroom Readers Institute).

One more fun thing-- And this makes a really neat sig, too...
"The following statement is true. The preceding statement is false."
- posted by WirelessMike @ 8/09/2005 08:05:00 PM 2 comments

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