I help organize the Houston Wireless Users Group, and the PhotonSphere, a site dedicated to wireless freenet advocacy. A few days ago, we received an email from the Electronic Frontier Foundation concerning what is happening in New York. Basically, the EFF is searching for regional and local ISPs who have Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) that allow you to do what you want with the bandwidth you purchase from them. If you are familiar with your AUP, please visit The Sphere and post what you know so that we may pass this information along to the EFF. The full letter from the EFF may be found here as well.
Planet Anime in the Village near Rice University is the best source in Houston. They can be found on the web here and have a good deal of their inventory online for browsing or purchasing from out of town. Even if you are not into anime, this is a store to check out for some of the more techy things like game imports, console mods, and other cool stylized technology.
Everyone in wireless knows that the 2.4GHz is already more than a little crowded, having to share the air with cordless phones, garage door openers, etc. etc... Even though this is a very cool hack, if you don't theed the extra range I would ask that after you have had your fun that you turn it back down a bit. When I first got into wireless it was all about how far I could throw a signal - but I realize that as things get more crowded out there, keeping my signal strength to the minimum level that will get my particular need taken care of is the neighborly thing to do. When I finally get my hands on some 802.11g gear that operates over the same 2.4GHz spectrum I want there to be some spectrum left to use!;-)
--
The Sphere Guerilla Net
Since this article was posted earlier, can I simply copy and paste all the top-moderated comments to grab some easy karma? I shall call it a consistency-test!
Proxim has had 802.11a wireless gear out for a little while now. Their Harmony 802.11a FastWireless Kit is a prime example. In fact, we have an 802.11a wireless node up in our community wireless freenet.
While the improvement in throughput is excellent, it comes at a cost of range. The 5.4GHz spectrum does not carry as far as the 2.4GHz band, used in 802.11b. This difference will be felt the most in long-range applications, whether it be a directional long-shot or the more omni-directional community wireless networks such as BAWUG or Houston-Wireless.
I own a Lian Li PC-60 and a CoolerMaster ATC201. I could never go back to the full tower cases I had used for the last decade... Not only do these cases stay 3 times cooler than regular cases, I find that even with the reduced interior space I have much more usable room. Other perks like sliding mobo trays, power supply brackets, thumbscrews on everything, and nice smooth interior edges make them truly a pleasure to work with.
My biggest justification for the extra $$ spent to get the cases was this: I go through hardware like mad, but the one thing that will remain constant in my systems for the next few years is my case. It is an investment that will undoubtedly be in my top performance machine for years to come. If you can reccommend another purchase to fight hardware obsolescence as effectively, I'm all ears.
It seems to me that SBC has been looking for a reason to cut access to binary newsgroups for some time now. Nearly a year ago, they decided to cap d/l rates for their DSL customers to 128k, a far cry from the speeds of 1.5Mbps advertised as the overall speed of the service. This came (to me at least) with no warning and seemed to go against the quality of service I had been promised.
This is an ugly trend...and (hopefully) may help pave the way for alternate ISPs and grassroots movements such as Guerilla Nets and FreeNets.
I realize that I may take some heat for this comment, but I can't help but draw a parallel between gamers complaining about this hardware/driver combo and the RIAA/MPAA complaining about their respective issues. I think that it is a mistake for Asus to limit functionality. People will cheat. People will also illegally distribute copied music. Both are wrong. Just don't limit me on what I can do with my hardware/software based on the chance that I *could* make a wrong decision...
Japan has always (always being since I took my first economics course in college) had a different attitude concerning patents. While the US seems to use patents to "protect" US inventions for long periods of time, Japanese Patents are valid for much shorter periods, encouraging the filing companies to hurry up and do something with their new technology before that company loses exclusivity of that knowledge (18 months).
Challenges to patents are also handled differently...
Unlike in the U.S., a challenge to a patent's validity is not brough before the courts, but instead directly to the Japanese Patent Office.
Other Glaring Differnces:
Patents granted on the basis of first-to-file?
US: Yes
Japan: No
Filing permitted in any language?
US: Yes
Japan: No
Are patent applications published?
US: No. Kept secret until patent is granted.
Japan: Yes. 18 months after filing.
Patent Term:
US: 20 years
Japan: 15 years
Pre-grant opposition?
US: No
Japan: Yes
I think that the USPO might be able to take a couple of hints from the JPO...
MikeFM (moc.liamhsuh@soimgom) on Saturday October 21, @04:23PM EDT (#72)wrote,
So I could say scan the card into a computer terminal and buy/sell with the money I have on the card and build something similar to a trust rating (karma points) based on the id I had on the card but there'd be no way to track my identity back to who I was irl from that card even if I had done business with you in person.
This type of scenario would call for something known as anonymous digital cash. The protocol that allows for authenticated but untraceable messages is somewhat complicated, but it is nicely outlined in Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier in section 6.4. Those wishing to explore this can start here. A couple of interesting things to note about Digital Cash:
1. It would be possible to commit the perfect crime with such a tool. Truly untraceable money???
2. A Dutch company, DigiCash, owns most of the digital cash patents and has implemented digital cash protocols in working products.
3. Elizabeth Hurley is HOT. OK -that's off topic, but I just saw the remake of Bedazzled, and wow!
There are a small number of "Internet Villages" popping up around Houston. Walden Internet Villages are offering a really big pipe (45 Megabit) to every resident who lives within their walls (there are even network drops poolside!). If having something roughly 30 times faster than DSL isn't enough, they also pride themselves on fostering a strong sense of community with LUGs, Quake Servers, Organized Lan Parties, mini-conferences on new technologies, etc...
This popped up on Slashdot once before as a similar GEEK HOUSE posting. You can also check out Walden for yourself.
My only concern: How could you ever walk away from that much bandwidth?!?!?
I think that the Social Security Number acting as the main unique identifier of a US citizen will be supplanted by an IP number. This new number will eliminate the need for dozens of smaller pieces of identifying data such as: Telephone number, physical address, email address, financial account numbers, etc... Strong digital signatures will become no-brainers as a way to protect one's identity. However, registering a unique yet halfway meaningful name will become even more of a headache.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry about that... The site had been very localized until today... You no longer have to be registered to post. thnx for the feedback!
I help organize the Houston Wireless Users Group, and the PhotonSphere, a site dedicated to wireless freenet advocacy. A few days ago, we received an email from the Electronic Frontier Foundation concerning what is happening in New York. Basically, the EFF is searching for regional and local ISPs who have Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) that allow you to do what you want with the bandwidth you purchase from them. If you are familiar with your AUP, please visit The Sphere and post what you know so that we may pass this information along to the EFF. The full letter from the EFF may be found here as well.
Planet Anime in the Village near Rice University is the best source in Houston. They can be found on the web here and have a good deal of their inventory online for browsing or purchasing from out of town. Even if you are not into anime, this is a store to check out for some of the more techy things like game imports, console mods, and other cool stylized technology.
Everyone in wireless knows that the 2.4GHz is already more than a little crowded, having to share the air with cordless phones, garage door openers, etc. etc... Even though this is a very cool hack, if you don't theed the extra range I would ask that after you have had your fun that you turn it back down a bit. When I first got into wireless it was all about how far I could throw a signal - but I realize that as things get more crowded out there, keeping my signal strength to the minimum level that will get my particular need taken care of is the neighborly thing to do. When I finally get my hands on some 802.11g gear that operates over the same 2.4GHz spectrum I want there to be some spectrum left to use! ;-)
--
The Sphere Guerilla Net
Since this article was posted earlier, can I simply copy and paste all the top-moderated comments to grab some easy karma? I shall call it a consistency-test!
Here.
While the improvement in throughput is excellent, it comes at a cost of range. The 5.4GHz spectrum does not carry as far as the 2.4GHz band, used in 802.11b. This difference will be felt the most in long-range applications, whether it be a directional long-shot or the more omni-directional community wireless networks such as BAWUG or Houston-Wireless.
--
The Sphere Guerilla Net
Space City, TX
My biggest justification for the extra $$ spent to get the cases was this: I go through hardware like mad, but the one thing that will remain constant in my systems for the next few years is my case. It is an investment that will undoubtedly be in my top performance machine for years to come. If you can reccommend another purchase to fight hardware obsolescence as effectively, I'm all ears.
This is an ugly trend...and (hopefully) may help pave the way for alternate ISPs and grassroots movements such as Guerilla Nets and FreeNets.
Does anyone else see this parallel?
Challenges to patents are also handled differently... Unlike in the U.S., a challenge to a patent's validity is not brough before the courts, but instead directly to the Japanese Patent Office.
Other Glaring Differnces:
Patents granted on the basis of first-to-file?
US: Yes
Japan: No
Filing permitted in any language?
US: Yes
Japan: No
Are patent applications published?
US: No. Kept secret until patent is granted.
Japan: Yes. 18 months after filing.
Patent Term:
US: 20 years
Japan: 15 years
Pre-grant opposition?
US: No
Japan: Yes
I think that the USPO might be able to take a couple of hints from the JPO...
So I could say scan the card into a computer terminal and buy/sell with the money I have on the card and build something similar to a trust rating (karma points) based on the id I had on the card but there'd be no way to track my identity back to who I was irl from that card even if I had done business with you in person.
This type of scenario would call for something known as anonymous digital cash. The protocol that allows for authenticated but untraceable messages is somewhat complicated, but it is nicely outlined in Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier in section 6.4. Those wishing to explore this can start here. A couple of interesting things to note about Digital Cash:
1. It would be possible to commit the perfect crime with such a tool. Truly untraceable money???
2. A Dutch company, DigiCash, owns most of the digital cash patents and has implemented digital cash protocols in working products.
3. Elizabeth Hurley is HOT. OK -that's off topic, but I just saw the remake of Bedazzled, and wow!
There are a small number of "Internet Villages" popping up around Houston. Walden Internet Villages are offering a really big pipe (45 Megabit) to every resident who lives within their walls (there are even network drops poolside!). If having something roughly 30 times faster than DSL isn't enough, they also pride themselves on fostering a strong sense of community with LUGs, Quake Servers, Organized Lan Parties, mini-conferences on new technologies, etc...
This popped up on Slashdot once before as a similar GEEK HOUSE posting. You can also check out Walden for yourself.
My only concern: How could you ever walk away from that much bandwidth?!?!?
PhotonSphere
I think that the Social Security Number acting as the main unique identifier of a US citizen will be supplanted by an IP number. This new number will eliminate the need for dozens of smaller pieces of identifying data such as: Telephone number, physical address, email address, financial account numbers, etc... Strong digital signatures will become no-brainers as a way to protect one's identity. However, registering a unique yet halfway meaningful name will become even more of a headache.