All Shows

Show of 2-25-2007

  • Untangling the Wi-Fi Double Talk
    • Called WirelessLan (wlan) or Wi-Fi (wired fidelity)
    • What about those standards?
      • Managed by IEEE 802 Group (First met February 1980)
      • Wi-Fi is managed by the 11th committee formed by the group
      • 802.11a (5 GHz, 54 Mbs max, 8 non-overlapping channels)
      • 802.11b (2.4 GHz, 10 Mbs max, 3 non-overlapping channels)
      • 802.11g (2.4 GHz, 54 Mbs max, 3 non-overlapping channels)
      • 802.11n (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, 540 Mbs max, 3 non-overlapping channels, not-finalized yet)
    • Wireless Access point (or a router) Features
      • Network Address Translation Proxy
      • Firewall
      • Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (for internal IP addresses)
      • May provide print service for network printing
      • May provide Ethernet switch service in addition to wireless
      • Encryption to stop eavesdropping of wireless signal
        • WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy, 128-bit encryption)
        • WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) –Non-static key
        • WPA2 – Uses Advance Encryption Standard (AES)
      • MAC address filtering to control what machines can connect
    • Configuration Steps
      • Change Administrative Password
      • Change SSID (Service Set Identifier)
      • Make certain all computers can connect
      • Enable encryption (select hard to guess key)
      • Reconnect all computers (using the new key)
      • Make note of MAC address of each connected computer
      • Enable MAC address filtering
    • Range Extension
      • Use of antennas on either client or access point
      • Patch, Dipole, or Cantenna antennas
    • Elimination of interference at 2.4 GHz band (Bluetooth, 2.4 telphones, microwave ovens)
  • Cell Phone Basics (GSM versus CDMA)
    • GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication)
      • 2 Billion people in 212 countries
      • Dominant worldwide standard
      • First network in Finland in 1991
      • Managed by European Telecommunications Standards Institute
      • Uses Time Division Multiplexing
      • Most GSM networks operate in the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz bands
      • United States and Canada use the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands
      • Get at least a tri-band phone for worldwide use (quad band best)
      • Phones programmed by SIM (Subscribed Identity Module)
      • Vendors my lock phone so only their SIM works
      • Unlocking your phone is now legal (as of November 27,2006)
      • Major US Carriers (T-Mobile, Cingular/AT&T)
    • CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
      • Qualcomm Invention
      • Dominant US Standard
      • Standard submitted to UN’s International Telegraphic Union (ITU)
      • Get a tri-mode in both the 850 and 1900 MHz bands, and analog (AMPS) in the 850 ban
      • Major US Carriers (Verizon, Sprint/Nextel)
  • Trends in CyberWarfare
    • Source: www.fcw.com
    • At the Naval Network Warfare Command here, U.S. cyber defenders track and investigate hundreds of suspicious events each day.
    • The predominant threat comes from Chinese hackers, who are constantly waging all-out warfare against Defense Department networks
    • Attacks coming from China, probably with government support, far outstrip other attackers in terms of volume, proficiency and sophistication.
    • The conflict has reached the level of a campaign-style, force-on-force engagement,
    • The motives of Chinese hackers run the gamut, including technology theft, intelligence gathering, exfiltration, research on DOD operations and the creation of dormant presences in DOD networks for future action, the official said.
    • A recent Chinese military white paper states that China plans to be able to win an “informationized war” by the middle of this century.
  • Trends in Outsourcing
    • Code outsourced to India
    • Architecture and designed retained in US (i.e. Software Engineering)
    • Latest trend: code outsourced to China from India and Software Engineering done in China.
    • We may be losing our competitive advantage. Companies should beware!
  • Latest Trend in Video Games (Get Rid of the Buttons)
    • Nintendo Wii (pronounced wee) doesn’t rely on thumb operated bottons. It has accelerometer in the handset to detect motion.
    • It has created an entirely new and fun interface that focuses on making the game fun instead of better and better graphics.
    • However, customers are just getting used to the new interface
    • Jaana Baker ended up launching the controller of her new Nintendo Wii right into her 37-inch (94-centimeter) TV?
    • Like some other owners of the new game console and its motion-sensitive wireless remote, Baker took the freedom to move a little too literally.
    • It was a particularly spirited round of Wii bowling caused her to lose her bearings before unleashing what she had hoped would be a perfect strike.
    • In recent weeks, the Web has been seen many reports of excited gamers losing their grip on the Wii’s controller or smacking their arms into nearby objects.