Monthly Archive for February, 2006

There’s no doubt in my mind that the creative engineers at Apple are head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to building beautifully seductive hardware (iMacs, iPods, etc.) and computer software (OS/X, iTunes, etc.). And I’m not even an Apple user!

A stroll down memory lane

Too bad Steve Jobs (see pic on left) never became the CEO of an underachieving IBM Corp. Boy did John Akers really f#ck up when an amateur Bill Gates somehow got Big Blue to “license” MS-DOS, thus earning a pay check every time an IBM “clone” was sold. As they say, “the rest is history.” It’s also too bad Jobs didn’t get a chance to be the big kahuna at the now defunct Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), which was the playground of some brilliant MIT engineers who had no equals – technically. That company was later consumed by Compaq which then merged (er was taken over) with HP. Imagine what Jobs would’ve achieved back then if he was able to get his hands on DEC’s trail-blazing 64-bit Alpha chip along with its super-fast AltaVista search engine. Damn, that’d be scary!

In reference to Gates and Microsoft, I will give them full credit for making computing unquestionably cheaper for the masses. History will forever be on their side, and rightfully so. Let’s face it, IBM didn’t know jack sqat about what it meant to provide “cheap” or “economical” products to the non-corporate world back then.

A step backwards?
To make a long story short, Apple has been losing the performance race to cheaper X86-based processors like Intel’s Pentium-4 and AMD’s Athlon/Opteron chips. Although IBM and Motorola made an excellent Power PC chip, they just could not keep up with Intel and AMD in the Megahertz race, which was not good PR to naive buyers. Most importantly, the general consensus is that a user could get “more bang for the buck” simply by going with a souped-up IBM clone.

Therefore Apple is staking its future on Intel’s new chips leaving IBM and Motorola out in the cold. I’ve read accounts on the Net that Jobs was pissed off at IBM because they were unable to supply the hardware on time as they were more focused on producing chips for the Xbox, Play Station 3, and Nintendo video game consoles. Well, in all fairness, the video game market is more lucrative and IBM and Motorola – being embedded chip suppliers – went for the gold.

Apple co-founder not thrilled with Intel deal
In a rare interview with Canada’s Globe & Mail, the other Apple co-founder and engineer extraordinaire, Steve Wozniak, stated his displeasure about Apple moving over to the “Intel inside” world.

“It’s like consorting with the enemy. We’ve had this long history of saying the enemy is the big black-hatted guys, and they kind of represent evil. We are different, and by being different we’re better.”

I disagree with Wozniak’s view, but I’m surprised Jobs didn’t look into AMD’s chip as an alternative. But then again, Intel has a boat load of cash for marketing, and I’m sure they made huge concessions to get a bite out of Apple. (pun intended)

What next?
Well, with Disney buying Job’s Pixar for a whopping US $7 billion, things are definitely looking up for Apple if the right iTunes “distribution” cards are dealt. And get this, Job’s still owns 51% of Pixar plus he gets a seat on Disney’s board of directors. Can you imagine the creative synergies of these 3 companies in the world of media if egos are kept out of the boardroom? BTW, it wouldn’t surprise me if he actually became the new CEO of the Magic Kingdom.

All I have to say is this. Hollywood’s in for a rude awakening. I know Jobs will keep the majority of its over-rated media executives on their toes because he’s, first and foremost, an IT pro who understands new media.

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Related links:

• Why Apple Really Ditched PowerPC
• Will Apple Adopt Windows?
• Intel Chip Nudges iMac Closer to Perfection
• Year-End Thoughts on Microsoft, Apple, Intel and Lenovo
• Steve Jobs and the New Magic Kingdom
• Apple makes switch to Intel chips
• My NEW Video Game Idea (take a peek at how lucrative the video game market is)

Oh, Canada?
Okay, people, this blog entry today is a detour from my “serious” Info Tech stuff. I simply cannot believe that people the world over could have such ridiculous views about Canada.

I just have one question to ask all non-Canadians: Are we Canadians really thaaaat misunderstood?
The information below reminds me of those stories floating around whereby Americans (from the South) will cross the border — in the Summer time — with winter clothing, and other equipment to go skiing, etc. Like, this is just soooo wrong!

So, I’m here in Kenya, and I get this email from my Naturopathic pal, Heather, in Ottawa.
I’ll just repost it here for all to see.

Enjoy!

::FORWARDED MESSAGE::

Now that Vancouver has won the chance to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, these are some questions people the world over are asking!!!! Believe it or not these questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website.

Obviously the answers are a joke; but the questions were really asked!!!!!

Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow? (England)
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.

Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A: Depends on how much you’ve been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto-can I follow the Railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it’s only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden)
A: So it’s true what they say about Swedes.

Q: It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. (Italy)
A: Let’s not touch this one.

Q: Are there any ATM’s (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (England)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North…oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Toronto. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in Canada? (USA )
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees Contact us when you get here and we’ll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada? (England)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys’ Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is…oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Toronto straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany)
A: No, WE don’t stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you sell it in Canada? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? (USA)
A: Only at Thanksgiving.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round?(Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gathers. Milk is illegal.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It’s a kind of big horse with horns. (USA)
A: It’s called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.

Please send this on to any Canadian (or other) who you think will enjoy it as much as I have.

Oh well!
(shakes head)

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Related links:
See, it’s all over the Net!

• Prime Timers of Philadelphia (PTP)
• Garden message board on GeoCities
• Sharya Marie’s site
• FunTrivia.com
• Womenscorner.com
• UPSaid.com

Necessity: The mother of all invention
Have you ever went to a party where everyone’s playing music — either from the radio, CDs or (gasp!) cassettes tapes? Or, did you ever wish there was a way to simply insert your USB flash drive, SD card, or Compact Flash (CF) card into any old or new stereo system, and effortlessly play all of your MP3s, WMAs, or Ogg music files?

Well, if you’re like me, you probably store lots of MP3s on those rugged USB flash drives, right? Then again, maybe you’re probably not as hardcore as me, but I really hate going anywhere – even Africa – without some good tunes to play on my 1-Gig Sony Micro Vault USB memory stick. And since Internet access speeds are not as fast or reliable as what I’m used to in Canada, downloading free DJ sets from XVI, EDMM.CA, and Global Sound were out of the question.

Houston, we have a problem!
So, here’s the problem. I attended 4 pool parties here in Nairobi at our rental in the Kilimani area, and we had a serious problem with the stereo. The damn CD player would not work with CD-Rs for some odd reason. Arghh!

Fine, we took a portable CD player, attached those line in/line out cables into the headphone jack, and stuck it into the speaker jack at the back of the stereo. Presto, we were now able to play CDs.

Suffice to say, this experience made me determined to come up with, at least, an abstract “black box” solution since this is how we were taught to solve “problems” in my undergrad Computer Science studies.

USB everywhere
I’m still in awe at how quickly the USB interface took over the world of device connectivity in the computer industry. And now with USB 2.0 in full swing, you can obtain 480 Mb/sec data transfer rates in a, well, universal way.

Goodbye CDs
You know, I’ve lost count of how many of my music CDs have been damaged without any action on my part. How annoying! USB flash drives, on the other hand, are very durable. In fact, I’m told by a supplier that those suckers are so dependable that you could drop them in water, and reuse them after you’ve left them to dry for a while. Now, try that with other storage media.

My solution
My idea is simply to have a tiny “black box” device (an appliance in the embedded arena) that takes USB flash cards, CF cards, or SD cards. Next, there’d be a tiny LED display on said device so that the name of the track, and any other pertinent information is visible.

But here’s the cool part! The device would either run on Embedded Linux (free of royalties) or NetBSD, which is the most portable operating system on the planet that has a reputation for being rock-solid and free thanks to its BSD heritage. Windows Mobile is an honorable mention, but I’m trying to save the customer some cash, so Gates’s software is out of the question since Microsoft will expect royalty payments for each device sold.

You see, I’d strip out all of the other functionality (networking, etc.) in the operating system leaving it with only the ability to play digital music. The beauty of an embedded operating system is the fact that the user is able to upgrade the device — via a download — so that it could acquire new features. In our case, my device would be able to play new music formats as they become popular. Try that with your obsolete home stereo system.

Next, I’d have a small line out jack on the other end of the device, which would then connect to the back of the stereo system in question via its line in jack. This is what I would call the bridge.

The final step is to have buttons for previous, play, stop, and next. This would allow the user to change tracks. Of course, design aesthetics would be paramount in order to create something that’s viasually appealing to users.

Okay, there you go! But remember, ya heard it here first on Max The IT pro. If any of you are able to capitalise on my idea before I can, then I expect a cut of the royalties (er profits). Okay?
Or, at least, give me some credit!

Make it so
Now, I’m sure some electronics manufacturer in China, South Korea or Taiwan could mass produce these babies so that they could be sold for about US $50 to $70. Again, using NetBSD or Embedded Linux would keep the costs down considerably since they require no royalties due their open source nature.

By the way, how many people have USB sticks, CF or SD? Tons.
Now they’d be able to transfer music onto said storage media, and play it on any stereo system on the planet. I believe the implications of this device would be huge — especially for those people who don’t use MP3 players.

Heck, I sure could use one right now here on my trip to Africa!
BTW, take a peek at my new video game idea blog entry.

Happy computing!

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Related links:

• Building tiny systems with embedded NetBSD
• Open Source Alternative: NetBSD
• Cross-Development with NetBSD: Using NetBSD’s new toolchain to develop for an embedded device
• An Introduction to USB Development
• LinuxDevices.com
• Nokia Authors Linux-Based Internet Tablet
• PalmSource Debuts Linux Platform for Handhelds
  
• Wasabi Systems (leaders in embedded NetBSD)
• The NetBSD project
• O’Reilly Network’s BSD zone
• Porting BSD UNIX to a New Platform
• Inside NetBSD’s Crypto-Graphic Disk (ONLAMP)
  
• Terratec’s Phono PreAmp Studio USB (convert your vinyl record collection to MP3s)

Interesting WiFi concept
I was just reading an article (Cisco on IPTV: “When, Not If” ) where the author was interviewing a Cisco VP (Mike Volpi) regarding the company’s massive investment in IPTV technology (TV over the Internet). However, what really got my attention is the fact that Volpi also sits on the board of directors for Spanish startup Fon.com, which bills itself as “a Global Community of people who share WiFi.“

In said article, the following blurb piqued my interest: “Fon is aiming to create a large-scale Wi-Fi hotspot by encouraging individuals to share their Internet links.” Well, being the Internet whore that I am, I just had to investigate this site so that I can share the concept with you guys.

All I can say is, “Wow!”
On the company’s home page, this quote says it all:

“WiFi Internet Access Everywhere
FON: share a little, benefit a lot!“

What is FON?
In a nutshell, a user with a broadband connection purchases a Linksys WRT54GL router (see pic ) for US $25, downloads the software to update the router’s firmware, register at Fon.com, and then his/her WiFi hotspot becomes accessible to other Foneros (er, registered members). Quite frankly, I think this is a really good idea.

Therefore whenever you travel around the world, you simply connect to someone else’s WiFi hotspot for free.

Security?
Since a registered (er legit) member requires a user name and password to access the FON’s massive WiFi network, unwanted users are kept at bay. Well, for now at least! I will have to investigate a little more on how its security compares to that of other WiFi networks.

Ok, I found some info – courtesy of the FON FAQ page.

Although the entire service is still at the beta stage, FON plans on permitting registered users to choose from 1 of 3 profiles. Instead of me reinventing the wheel, I’ll just reprint the info from their FAQ page.

Q. Linus? Bill? Alien? Which one of these profiles will best suit me?
A. In the future, you will be able to register with any of these three profiles, and your decision will depend on your own personal needs. But, for the present, let us remind you that FON is in an experimental Beta phase and is only available for Linus. A Linus is any user who shares his/her WiFi in exchange for free access throughout the Community wherever there is coverage. A Bill is a user who, instead of roaming for free, prefers to receive 50% of the fees that FON charges to Aliens. And Aliens are those users who do not share their WiFi access and therefore must pay FON a modest fee every time they connect through a Fonero access point.

By the way, Linus refers to Linus Torvalds, the super geek who created the free Linux operating system. Bill refers to Microsoft’s Bill Gates who’s company is very worried about Linux taking over (also read this) the desktops of every PC on the planet.

And who can argue with Gates?
It’s pretty hard to compete with a product that’s free.

Conclusion
I think FON is a great concept, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses in 2006 and 2007. I truly believe that governments should provide funding to create a world wide wireless broadband network since it would go a long way in closing the often mentioned Digital Divide. This would also encourage more people to set up businesses in rural areas, and prevent congestion, crime, and pollution in large cities all around the world.

However, your private telco or cable company has other ideas, and will fight tooth and nail in order to prevent the tax payers money from being put to good use. A perfect example is the city of Philadelphia, which saw the numerous benefits of providing free WiFi access for its citizens. Of course, Verizon, a huge telco, was not impressed and proceeded to perform some back room arm-twisting. I find that most politicians who cave into corporate demands are more interested in obtaining funds for their political campaigns at the expense of their constituents. No wonder countries like South Korea and Japan are way ahead of North America when it comes to broadband Internet access.

In the end, it is “we the people” of North America who will get shafted as Asia is clearly light years ahead of us in the wired and wireless broadband realm.

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Related links:

• Beating the U.S.: Asian public hotspots
• WiFinder – World’s Largest Wi-Fi Hotspot Directory
• Wireless web gives villages free net
• What if the net was as free as air?
• Wi-Fi Technologies Flourish in Wales
• FreeNetworks.org (a volunteer cooperative association dedicated to education, collaboration, and advocacy for the creation of FreeNetworks)
  

Red alert: You have just been screwed
One scene I eagerly anticipate whenever I watch Star Trek: The Next Generation is for first officer, William Riker, to scream, “Red alert, Romulan Warbird decloaking.” Boy do I love the Romulans and their cloaking technology, which allows their star ships to become totally invisible. Cool! That’s the only thing I like about them though; otherwise, they’re evil.

Now, if you’re doing any online banking, then I urge you to take a few, serious precautions. First of all, in order to get your attention, take a good hard look at this article in The Guardian: ‘Sleeper bugs’ used to steal €1m in France.

According to the author, “Russian thieves have stolen more than €1m (£680,000) from personal bank accounts in France using “sleeper bugs” to infect computers. French authorities claim the thieves can take control of and empty a bank account in seconds. In one hit, a bank customer lost €40,000.“

Lovely!

So, you ask, how did these hackers accomplish this feat? Well, the Police stated that “the virus is embedded in emails or websites and remains dormant until the user contacts their bank online. When that happens, the bug becomes active and records passwords and bank codes which are then forwarded to the thieves.”

From Russia with love?
“A dozen Russian thieves, described by police as being typically aged between 20 and 30, and several Ukrainian masterminds of the scam have been arrested in Moscow and St Petersburg.”

You know, I’ve always said that Eastern European hackers are the most talented programmers on the planet. This just re-confirms my assertion. Why do I boldly state such a claim?

Well, here in North America, our education system has become one big farce. Kids today seem to attend school either to be cool, “hang out”, or to be rebellious. Also, shows (WWF Wrestling, Judge Judy, Trailer Park Boys, Trading Spouses, Temptation Island, etc.) on the idiot box (aka TV) these days are not exactly going to expand one’s mind.

Now, when I think of Russia, I look at that country’s passion for chess, Science, and Mathematics. So is it any wonder why they’re probably a little bit more clever than us in the hacker realm? By the way, please don’t take my views as an insult to my Western compatriots. On the other hand, I find that, overall, we’re more creative since “freedom” allows you to, well, be more creative in entrepreneurial pursuits, entertainment, etc.

See, I’m fair!

How not to get screwed
The best suggestions that I can make to you are as follows:

1. Use a top-notch anti-virus program that gets updated regularly. I suggest the Free AVG for Windows & Linux from Grisoft, which is my very favorite virus busting application right now. This company came out of no where and now has around 25 million customers. That’s pretty good when you’re competing with Norton (Symantec) and McAfee.

2. Use a high-quality web browser like Mozilla Firefox, which has now surpassed over 100 million downloads. It’s also racking up tons of awards. Internet Explorer has too many holes to plug up since it’s intimately tied in with the Windows operating system.

3. If you’re using Windows, watch out for fake login screens. Protect yourself by setting up your system so that you have to press CTRL-ALT-DEL in order to get to the “real” login screen. I cringe at how many people turn on their PCs without having to log in. Bad, bad, bad! What’s an extra 5 seconds, people?

4. Be ever so careful whenever kids or naive (er inexperienced) users borrow your PC lest you accidentally get exposed to nasty Trojan horses, spyware, worms, malware, etc.

5. Use a more secure operating system on your PC such as the free Ubuntu Linux (screenshots), which is Debian-based, FreeBSD, or OpenBSD (if you’re really paranoid). Apple’s OS/X is based on the BSD kernel and is also a good alternative.

Conclusion
All I can say is that we live in a different era than in the past whereby hackers only wanted to print a silly message on your screen or perform some harmless act. However, it appears that your data (financial, identification) is what the big boys are after, and they’re determined to get it. Use the unsuspecting victims in France as your very own wake up call.

Happy computing!

[update ]
April 17 – 2006: Russia Dominates Computer Programming Contest
- See? I was right all along…Eastern European coders are tops on the planet.
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Related links:

• Of Worms & Woodpeckers: The Changing World of the Virus-busters Fighting rise in Internet crime
• The 20 Most Critical Internet Security Vulnerabilities (Updated) ~ The Experts Consensus
• Tools and Services That Find & Fix the Top 20 Vulnerabilities(v6) on Your Systems & Networks (PDF file)
• Viruses Get Smarter — and Greedy (Business Week)
• Hackers Targeting Security Programs (Washington Post)
• Hackers pose new threat to desktop software (Financial Times)
• Probing Your PC’s Weak Spots (BusinessWeek)
• Blackmailers target $1m website
• Online service foils ransom plot
  
• Symantec Downloads/Updates
• McAfee Downloads/Updates
• How to: A Simple Guide to Securing USB Memory Sticks
• AntiOnline.com (AO is a worldwide community of security, network and computer professionals, students and keen amateurs who come here to learn the principles and details of computer/network security.)
• Jihad in Cyber Space (more than 1,000 Danish, Israeli and European sites were defaced or shut down by Islamic hackers)