CompuBlab

If it's computer related, we'll blab about it!

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Posting Guidelines

By

On July 23, 2011

In Administrative

Greetings All!

Here at CompuBlab.com we encourage insightful and wholesome discussion regarding technology issues and also the occasional “off-topic” discuss as well.

Since I had not given much thought as to what to do when people actually wanted to comment or post on this blog, I am developing a set of guidelines that should be quick to read and plain to understand. However, please note the following:

  1. ALL posts on this board are moderated. That is, no post, be it a comment or it’s own original post, is allowed to appear on the blog until a CompuBlab staff member reviewed and approved it. I know this slows down the discussions on the blog, but it is the only sure fire way to ensure quality content and spam-free discussions. I will do all in my power to keep spammers and their like away from posting on this blog.
  2. If you sign up for an account, you will first be given the status of “subscriber,” which allows you to update your profile, but not to post or comment. As soon as a CompuBlab.com staff member reviews your account, you will be upgraded to a “contributor,” which allows you to post your own posts and make comments on other posts (see below regarding moderation of posts). Please be sure to enter your real First and Last Name into your profile. This is a requirement for posting on this board.
  3. As a “contributor,” ALL of your posts are moderated (which means your post does not appear on the blog until a staff member has approved it)
  4. Please note that in order for any of your posts to be approved by the staff you MUST have a valid First and Last name set on your profile.
  5. After some time has passed and you have demonstrated that you are a solid contributor to the blog, you may be given authority by the staff to post without moderation. It is our intention to allow people their own freedom to post as they will here, but that is a privilege to be earned, not a right.
  6. The staff reserves the right to decide who is allowed to post here and who is not.

Out goal here is to provide a quality blog and a pleasant online experience.

I will in the coming days codify these thoughts into an official policy that will be posted on the blog. I also invite your comments and suggestions (use the feedback form on the Contact Us page).

Congratulations To Our First Subscribers!

By

On July 23, 2011

In Administrative

I would like to personally thank our first two subscribers to CompuBlab.com!

Our first subscriber shall remain nameless…because his or her account name was an obvious attempt at a “spam” name (a user name that is in truth an advertisement). You have helped us determine that for now, our anti-spam procedures are up and running!

As to our second subscriber, we appreciate your patronage and hope that you will contribute insightful commentary and ideas to this site. We won’t divulge your name just yet…but we thank you for your patronage!

Sincerely,

 

Peter S. Lee

Low Power Fanless Computer

By

On July 14, 2011

In Buyer's Guide, Hardware

Greetings all!

The blog has been silent the last week or so due to the fact that yours truly has been out of town. However, since returning to the homestead I have had a chance to play with some new computer hardware that I thought you might find interesting…

For some time now I have been looking for a computer capable of running the Linux operating system (as opposed to say Windows) that I could set up to run services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While I had an older computer that was set up for this type of work, I had a few problems with keeping it running all day and night:

  • The computer is in my office and generates a lot of heat
  • The computer was making an impact on my electric bill
  • The cooling fans in the computer used very cheap bearings…which were wearing out. Thus, the computer was frequently generating annoyingly loud screeches due to the fans.

As I looked for a solution to this problem, I began to search the web for a low power computer (in this case, “low power” means a computer that does not consume a lot of electricity). Further investigation yielded that a number of manufacturers were just beginning to offer low power computers, with the best of them having no moving parts! I decided to investigate this hardware and spent approximately two months in the effort.

So with what I had learned, I set my goal to find a computer that:

  1. Cost under $300
  2. Had no moving parts (no spinning drives, no rotating fans, etc.)
  3. Used very little power
  4. Generated very little heat
  5. Could survive running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  6. Had enough power to run the Linux operating system along with one or more web servers and other services.

I found that there were a host of “fanless” computers on the market that came close to fulfilling these requirements, but sadly most of those were very expensive because the computers were designed to be used in applications where the computer had to live in a very hostile environment (for example, as an entertainment system in a vehicle, where it would be subject to both dirt and frequent vibration from the vehicle). Since I didn’t require such ruggedness (it would just be sitting on my desk), I continued to search for a system that would meet my needs and wasn’t so expensive.

Ultimately, I did find such a system, which I want to share with you at this time. I have had the system together for a little over a week and thus far I have been absolutely thrilled with how it has worked out. The system had to be assembled from three different components, all of which were available from Amazon.com.

The components of the system include the main computer, a solid state hard drive, and a memory chip as listed below with links to where you can buy them if so interested:

The grand total for all of these components was approximately $280 (but I had a $50 gift certificate to use, so my price was $50 less).

Assembly was a snap, as all I had to do was open the computer case (remove one screw and slide a panel back), install the hard drive (insert a few screws and pop the unit in), pop in the memory chip, and in less than 30 minutes I was ready to rock and roll.

Now some important things you need to know about this system:

  1. The prices above do not include a keyboard, mouse or monitor. I already had those. In my case I had a USB keyboard, which is the only kind of keyboard this computer will accept (it doesn’t have a jack/port for a PS/2 style keyboard), a USB mouse (again, to use a mouse you MUST have a USB mouse as no other mouse port is available), and a simple monitor.
  2. This unit DOES NOT COME WITH AN OPERATING SYSTEM! That means if you want to run windows on this computer, you must buy a copy of Windows. Since I was interested in using Linux, Linux is available for free so there was no problem. However, I saw several reviews where people successfully and happily ran Windows XP, Windows Vista, and at least one version of Windows 7 (just make certain you have enough disk space on the solid state hard drive to run Windows 7…you may need a bigger drive).
  3. This unit does not come with an optical drive (DVD or CD drive). In my case I knew that I could install linux from a memory stick onto the hard disk, so I did not get an optical drive. The computer CAN take an optical drive, but it has to be a slim factor laptop drive, which can be had on the cheap ($25 or less). Since I didn’t have need of such a drive, I skipped it.
  4. If like me you wish to run Linux on this computer, you should know that running 64-bit Ubuntu server ran into a minor problem where the network card was not recognized during installation (apparently the desktop version of Ubuntu Linux recognizes the network card just fine, as does several of the other flavors of Linux). The fix for this was about two lines typed into a config file, and feel free to leave a comment here if you need that specific information and I’ll respond with the info.
  5. The computer comes with a wireless network adapter as well. At the current time I have not managed to get the wireless card working under Ubuntu Server, however, I have located some online directions where a user of this same computer and also running Ubuntu server has managed to get it running. I will be testing out that process in the coming days, but no problems are expected.

Now, I would also like to point out that my purpose for this computer DOES NOT include having it run a home theater system. I found during my investigation that many people were looking for fanless, low-power computers to run their entertainment systems at home. The problem you would have with this computer is that it does not have an HDMI video output port. If you want a fanless computer for use in your home entertainment system you can look to the upgraded model of this computer that DOES have an HDMI port (the Shuttle XS35GTV2 Intel Atom D510 1.66GHz, Intel Socket BGA559 Intel NM10 NVIDIA ION, but shop around…the price I saw at Amazon.com was NOT the cheapest …NewEgg.com had it cheaper at the time of this writing).

Another thing I should point out is that this computer will NOT be able to play the latest and greatest computer games. Reviews I read said it could play most of the older games, but if hard-core gaming is your desire, this is not the computer for you. If you are a moderate gamer and don’t have to play the latest games, this may work for you. Since gaming was not one of my planned uses for this machine, this was not an issue.

I would also like to point out that the form factor/footprint of this machine on your desk is very small! The system comes with a stand and you really do need to stand the computer on its end for ventilation purposes. The form factor is approximately the same size as a large format paperback book (approx 10 inches by 1.5 inches wide, but the oval base sticks out a bit wider than the 1.5 inches in the middle where it attaches).

Finally, I think I should give you, in an easily readable format, the specifications for this setup:

  • Dual core Atom processor running at 1.8 gigahertz (this is a 64-bit processor!)
  • 4 gigabytes of RAM
  • 30 gigabytes of Solid State Disk storage (like a hard drive but no spinning platter or moving parts)
  • 1 network card for wired networks
  • 1 wireless network card
  • Audio in and out
  • VGA graphics out
  • 5 USB ports (all are USB 2.0)
  • 1 SD Memory card slot
  • Intel graphics media Accelerator 3150 chipset (will NOT run the latest graphics intensive computer games)

For my purposes, this machine has proven to be absolutely what I was looking for both in price and performance. Your mileage will vary, depending on your intended use.

Florida Voter DB Hacked…AGAIN

By

On July 8, 2011

In Computer Security, Translated Tech News

Earlier this week I posted about a hacker who broke into the Florida voting database to demonstrate how vulnerable it was (click here for original post on hacked Florda voter database). True to form, Florida officials downplayed the entire incident, stating that Florida elections were now more secure than ever.

Not to be dissuaded, our intrepid hacker has struck again, this time publicly posting a file directory from the voting database with the message “Glad you cleaned things up, pretty secure now guys” (click here for original article on the re-hack).

So this begs the question: Are the Florida officials incompetent or simply liars?

As bad as online security is, I think perhaps the worst aspect of the problem is that those in authority either don’t understand the problem themselves, or perhaps in their petty behind-covering mentality, refuse to acknowledge the problem.

In either event, I doubt that “the powers that be” in Florida have thanked their lucky stars that this guy or gal has only been interested in illustrating his point…not in actually causing any real damage. They seem more interested in trying not to look bad. To that end, they simply throw out that it is a felony to tamper with a voting database and if/when caught, this perpetrator will get jail time.

In my opinion, they ought to thank this hacker…but…since he offended their pride, I doubt that will ever happen. Humility and politics rarely mix.

 

Angry Birds – The Physics Teacher

By

On July 7, 2011

In Education

An interesting article on eschoolnews.com (note that if you don’t establish an account at eschoolnews.com and log in, you won’t be able to read the entire article. However, enough of the article can be read without setting up an account to give you a good idea of the content) talks about how some creative physics teachers are using the popular game (available on phones and browsers near you) to teach physics principles.

Now, I find this especially interesting because the physics employed in the game do not match the real-world physics that human beings experience. ..interesting in a good way!

One of the most challenging aspects of teaching is to make the material interesting for the student. Rather than simply teaching dry facts about how objects move in the real world, these instructors are getting the kids to look at how the physics differ from the real world to the virtual world of Angry Birds. Through this process, the kids are learning about the real world, even if their interest is only in the game. Plus, comparative study, in my opinion, engages the student more in the learning process, and I can see how this might lead to a more productive learning experience.

I am especially happy that teachers are successfully using games as a vehicle for learning. I have watched over the years, out of professional interest, other attempts at using games as a vehicle for learning which totally flopped. One of the problems that previous attempts at such learning systems suffered was that often times these were games that were developed solely for the purpose of learning…and the games were boring! I don’t think it would take a rocket scientist to realize that if the games are of no interest to the students, then the value of using games in a learning environment are going to be very limited (if any at all).

I certainly hope that educators will continue to look at such innovative ways of teaching at all levels.

Verizon to End Unlimited Data Plans

By

On July 7, 2011

In Mobile Technologies, Translated Tech News

On the big battlefield of mobile electronics, Verizon recently announced that it was doing away with its “unlimited” data plans. This could potentially have a huge impact on your Verizon bill if you are Verizon customer and you currently subscribe to their unlimited plan.

This is no doubt in part a response to the explosion of data usage on the cellular networks being caused by the latest in mobile technologies such as (smart phones, tablet computers, etc., but when I look at their new pricing models, I see the same problems with them as I have seen in the past.

For example, I see no guarantee that the service will inform you of when you are about to go over on your plan’s usage. This type of thing has been a problem in the mobile market since the beginning of time, providing a way for users to get those “surprise bills” in the mail that are hundreds or thousands of dollars more than they ever expected. Also, I don’t think that the “cap” that Verizon is setting on their new data plan is all that realistic ($30 for 2 gigabytes of data download per month…but as the original article points out, you will almost double this usage each month if you simply stream 2 hours of audio to your phone every month).

If you are a Verizon customer, you will want to take a very close look at your data usage patterns as this change goes into effect.

On the positive side, this shift away from “unlimited” data plans removes one of the biggest lies in the mobile technologies market: unlimited data plans.

You see, if you didn’t read the fine print of your unlimited data plan carefully, you would have missed the fact that “unlimited” really doesn’t mean “unlimited.” Their terms of service, or some other fancy-named document in very small print, will outline what they will call an “abuse” of their service…which in layman’s terms is simply trying to use an unlimited amount of their service. Another variant of this type of deception is to limit the download speeds of “unlimited” data users.

I have never understood how these companies could get away with advertising “unlimited” use of their services only to turn around in their terms of service (or some similar declaration of services) and effectively say you cannot make “unlimited” use of their services.

Well, even as I typed the above paragraph, it occurred to me that perhaps these phone companies HAVE NOT managed to get away with this entire “unlimited service” deception. It turns out that a quick Google search shows that there are at least a few class action lawsuits that have been filed regarding this very issue:

I suspect there are probably more either in the works or already settled…

Links Added to US Documents

By

On July 7, 2011

In Administrative, Reading

Just a heads-up that I have added what I feel are very important links to the blog:

  • US National Archives
  • US Bill of Rights
  • US Constitution
  • US Declaration of Independence

The last three documents should be “required reading” for all US citizens, and the links are simply specific links into the national archives. I decided to add these specific links as I anticipate making reference to at least one of these documents in the coming days.

Enjoy!

Reading Category Added

By

On July 7, 2011

In Administrative, Reading

Greetings All!

Just a heads-up that I have decided to add a category called “Reading” which will be devoted to literature of all forms (for the most part technology related) that I feel is worth your time to read.

I decided to create this category because so much of what I want to post frequently has additional reading references that are worthy of discussion in their own right. So stay tuned for posts specifically focused on good literature in all of its forms.

Mobile Technologies Category

By

On July 7, 2011

In Administrative, Mobile Technologies

Greetings All!

Just a heads-up that I have finally gotten around to adding a new category called “Mobile Technologies,” as this is an exploding area of computing. I have been resisting this category for a while because:

  1. I think mobile services are grossly overpriced
  2. I think smart phones such as the blackberry, iphone, android phone, etc. are grossly over-hyped
  3. I am not a big user of these technologies for the reasons stated above.

 

Only a fool would turn their back on mobile technologies, as the consumer has made it clear that this is what they are craving. However, as a person who is a technology specialist by trade, I have been underwhelmed with the vast majority of attempts to create useful applications of technology on this platform.

In short, the playing field is inundated with piles of totally useless phone apps.

Now, part of this is just the slow churn of technology moving forward. You have to wade through a lot of bad ideas until you come across the truly good ideas. Or rather, one byproduct of working towards a “good idea” is the production of lots of “bad ideas.” If this were all that was going on, I wouldn’t feel so bad about the mobile technologies market right now. I get depressed when I see so much effort being applied by companies to the sales and marketing sides of their businesses on products that are simply not well thought out. Perhaps a CEO from these companies would say that “being first to market is king…even for a lousy product.” Perhaps that is why I am not sitting at the top of a multi-billion dollar company.

Anyway, a lot is going to shake out of the mobile technology market (we have already seen a lot of that market shake out already). Hopefully what we will be left with is some reliable technology that actually is useful.

Hacker Gets Into Florida Voting Database

By

On July 4, 2011

In Computer Security, Translated Tech News

There has been an awful lot of news lately regarding various different computer hacking organizations that have been out to make a statement about the state of computer security (or rather, the lack thereof) in the world at this time. I have commented on some of these stories before, and in at least one case I also talked about how I vehemently oppose online voting in the United States due to the fact that my experience as a computer scientist tells me that we simply do not have adequate security measures available to prevent tampering with the voting.

Well, it turns out that a hacker, wanting to illustrate the point more forcefully, has apparently hacked into the Florida voting database and made some of that information public…just to prove how insecure the system really is (see the original article here).

I am not sure that this person’s well being is going to be maximized by this intrusion should he or she be caught, but I certainly understand the desire to underscore the fact that the current state of computer security is totally insufficient to allow for online voting at this time. From my point of view, anyone telling you otherwise is just feeding you a line of malarky (don’t ask me what “malarky” is…I just know that my mom seemed to know what it was because she used it in sentences like this one all the time…).

While I cannot condone illegal activities to prove a point, I do understand this person’s frustration with the misinformation that has been spread regarding the security of online data, and their desire to illustrate the fallacy of those statements.

Anyway, give this a read and ask yourself just how safe YOU would feel if voting was moved to an online system in today’s security environment.

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