May 2006

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May 17, 2006

This site is for sale!

I have run out of enough hours in the day to properly maintain and build this site. Rather than let it languish, I am putting it up for sale.

For an estimate of the value of this site, look at http://leapfish.com.

Then, if interested, contact eogn@fastmail.net.

Thank you.

March 28, 2006

Portable Cell Phone Jammer blocks any frequency in a 1km radius

The CJAM 1000 bomb beater is a powerful portable cellular jamming device that lets you stop pagers, cell phones, wi-fi or any other microwave frequency for up to 1 km around your location. You can activate it remotely. Of course, it IS a bit difficult to purchase.

Full story

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Why Is Anyone Still Using Internet Explorer?

How many times must Internet Explorer be shown to be totally insecure before people turn to the more secure Firefox?

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March 20, 2006

Wireless Networks on Airliners

When wireless hot-spots started springing up in cities circa 2001, this shift had dramatic impact on the way people interacted. Released from their wireline chains, people were no longer constrained to use their computers in isolation.

In May 2006, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will auction airwave spectrum to allow broadband Wi-Fi on airplanes flying over North America on a ground-to-air network.

Full story

March 16, 2006

Free PC-to-Phone in Canada and U.S.

FreeCalls365.com has launched a new VoIP (Voice over IP) telephone service that provides free PC-to-phone calls in Canada and the United States.

The service is supported by advertisements. You place the call from your computer. Headphones are strongly suggested. The dialer will constantly display ads based on the user's area code.

Continue reading "Free PC-to-Phone in Canada and U.S." »

March 07, 2006

Tech Support Call from Hell

True story:

Customer: "I can't seem to connect to the Internet."

Tech Support: "Ah, right. What operating system are you running?"

Customer: "Netscape."

Continue reading "Tech Support Call from Hell" »

Complexity causes 50% of product returns

Half of all malfunctioning products returned to stores by consumers are in full working order, but customers can't figure out how to operate the devices, a scientist said on Monday.

Product complaints and returns are often caused by poor design, but companies frequently dismiss them as "nuisance calls", Elke den Ouden found in her thesis at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands.

Full story

February 27, 2006

New! Zenview Command Center Elite

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I want one of these!

The Zenview Command Center Elite combines six 24-inch Samsung displays into one. Each display runs at 1920x1200 pixels, you do the math to multiply that times six. The screens have a 1000:1 contrast ration and 6 millisecond response times.

Continue reading "New! Zenview Command Center Elite" »

February 23, 2006

The Cheap and Easy Way to Add More Disk Space to Your PC or Mac

Hard drive prices have been dropping for years, and the trend continues. I recently purchased a 200 gigabyte internal disk drive for $99.99. The store also had larger capacity drives available at higher prices. Such storage capacities were unheard of only a few years ago. However, to add one of these drives to your computer, you either have to be a computer hardware whiz or at least know a hardware whiz that you can ask to help. This week I thought I would describe how you can easily add one of these drives to a PC, Macintosh, or Linux system without opening the case. In fact, you can probably do the task yourself, with or without the whiz' help.

Continue reading "The Cheap and Easy Way to Add More Disk Space to Your PC or Mac" »

February 15, 2006

Verizon (Finally) Offers BroadbandAccess EV-DO on Cell Phones

BEDMINSTER, NJ -- Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless service provider, announced today that customers with The V and VX8100 from LG or the RAZR V3c and E815 from Motorola can use their wireless phone as a modem and get BroadbandAccess on Verizon Wireless' award-winning Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network.

Continue reading "Verizon (Finally) Offers BroadbandAccess EV-DO on Cell Phones" »

How To Troubleshoot Any Networking Problem

Mark Minasi has published more than two dozen "rules of network troubleshooting." This is an excellent resource when your network stops working.

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Related post: How To Troubleshoot Any Networking Problem

The Technology Behind the Torino Olympics

Here is an interesting web site that discusses the technology being utilized to manage, broadcast, and secure the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino: http://www.shortflip.com/article/The-Technology-behind-the-Torino-Olympics-160.html

February 01, 2006

Skype lines up audioconferencing service

Skype plans to turn intimate get-togethers into block parties through an audioconferencing service that will allow for conferences with as many as 500 callers.

The popular VoIP service currently allows only five users on a call at one time, but that will expand when Highspeedconferencing.com gets certified as a Skype service, expected in the next few weeks, according to a Skype press representative. When that happens, and the service emerges from beta testing, it will become available through Skype's home page or the Skype Store site.

Full story

Related post: Skype lines up audioconferencing service

January 31, 2006

Free phone calls and free 411 calls

Many people know that Skype offers free calls across the Internet. You can only call other computers plus a few toll-free telephone numbers (unless you pay for the Skype-In and Skype-Out service.

Phone companies like to gouge their customers for calls to 411 (information). Now there is a simple work-around:

Continue reading "Free phone calls and free 411 calls" »

So you're ready to build a wireless LAN in your home?

Here is a nice little article on wireless LANs, equipment and protocols for someone with limited knowledge on the subject.

Full story

January 30, 2006

Cellphone Jammer

Wouldn't you like to have one of these when some turkey in the movie theater pulls out his cell phone and babbles on forever?

The CX 200 Portable Director II is now available in Japan. This device reportedly jams the popular Japanese cell phone frequencies for 70 seconds. You can buy one (in Japan) for $71 in U.S. greenbacks.

Continue reading "Cellphone Jammer" »

January 28, 2006

TMIO Intelligent Oven

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You know that you just HAVE to get one of these in order to keep up with the neighbors. (What was their name? Jetson or something like that?)

The Connect Io Intelligent Oven from Tonight's Menu Intelligent Ovens (TMIO) is fully connected to your in-home network. It can be monitored and controlled from any Internet-enabled device (your cellphones, your PDAs, your PSPs) or touch-tone phone, which makes it super-handy for last-minute schedule-shuffling. This oven even includes a 6.8-inch touchscreen LCD.

The price is a modest (?) $8,699. I doubt if it is in stock just yet at BestBuy.

Full story

January 23, 2006

Build Your Own Network Attached Storage Device in Less than One Hour

Need to add some file storage space onto your in-home or small business network? You really need to have a place to store frequent backups. Now it is easier and cheaper than ever before.

FreeNAS is a Live CD that is super easy to install and configure. It supports booting from CD, hard drive, USB, or Compact Flash. The best thing about the FreeNAS software is the price tag: free.

Continue reading "Build Your Own Network Attached Storage Device in Less than One Hour" »

January 20, 2006

Broadband and Multiple PCs Spur Home Networking

A new study by Yankee Group finds that multiple PC ownership and broadband Internet access are the prime motivators of home networking.

Only a minority of US households have more than one computer. 79% of US households have a PC, while only 31% have two or more. However, the trend is upward. 40% of all Internet users are now using broadband connections.

Continue reading "Broadband and Multiple PCs Spur Home Networking" »

British supermarket chain to ring up VoIP

Supermarket giant Tesco is expanding into the Internet telephony market, the company announced Thursday. Tesco will target customers with a voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, service, which it plans to start offering from more than 350 stores over the coming months. The company says call rates will be "slashed to rock-bottom prices compared to existing fixed-line services."

Continue reading "British supermarket chain to ring up VoIP" »