Something that has been a legitimate problem ever since the internet as a whole gained popularity is the fact there are only so many public assignable IPs, as in IP addresses that are world accessible and not the ones assigned by your home router.

Some big corporations realized this early on and snatched up all they could. A good example of this is General Electric Company. Every single world accessible IP address that starts with a 3 belongs to them.

The solution to running out of world accessible addresses has actually been around for a while, that being IPv6. Instead of the IPv4 32-bit length, IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long and alphanumeric. An example IPv6 address would be 3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf. It’s pretty darned big, and it opens up an enormous amount of assignable addresses, killing the space problem in very short order.

In the U.S., the problem has been that our ISPs here have been very slow to adapt IPv6. Reasons cited for the slow adaptation have mainly been cost, as it’s not cheap to implement whatsoever.

However, after all this time (IPv6 was defined in 1998, if you can believe it,) U.S. ISPs are finally starting to get the hint that more address space is desperately needed. They absolutely have to get on the ball with this, because otherwise the IPv4s are expected to be exhausted by 2012. Once the IPv4 addresses are all gone, that’s it. ISPs would literally be unable to provide internet connectivity service to any new customers at all. Bear in mind this is not just for the home but also counts for wireless smartphone internet use as well.

The requests by the major ISPs for IPv6 address space have taken a big jump lately and that’s great because they’re preparing for the IPv4 address exhaustion. If all goes well there should (fingers crossed) hopefully be a seamless transition from 4 to 6.

Will you need to buy a new router to support IPv6 when it comes around?

Most likely not, as there are transition methods already available that can make IPv6 connectivity available thru IPv4, so chances are you probably won’t have to change around any of your network hardware.

And for those of you using an older version of Windows like XP, that does have IPv6 support as it is included with that OS. Windows 2000 on the other hand does not. But if determined enough, there are ways to get it enabled if you’re a diehard Win2000 fan.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

IPv6 (Finally) Coming To An ISP Near You?

In addition I’ll be talking about the things you can do with Garmin GPSes now that you couldn’t do before.

All nüvi models that start with 2 and end with 5 (even if there are letters after it) have the same core GPS functionality. There is no distinct advantage signal-wise between them. And yes, this does mean the 205 has the exact same GPS performance as a 265WT. What differentiates one model from the next is features and nothing more.

For example, what the 265WT has that the 205 doesn’t is:

• Widescreen 480×272 pixel display instead of 320×240
• Full North American map data set (includes Canada and not just lower 48 US states)
• SD card slot instead of microSD
• Speaks street names (i.e. "Turn right on Smith Street" instead of "Turn right")
• Bluetooth
• Has receiver for FM traffic reporting built-in
• Available QWERTY layout for on-screen keyboard instead of ABCDE

Everything else between the two is the same. Both hold 1,000 favorites, have the same battery life, have ecoRoute, etc.

Is widescreen really worth it?

There is only one thing that determines whether or not you want a widescreen model, and that’s the QWERTY layout.

This is what it looks like when punching in an address:

Standard screen models use an ABCDE layout.

If you absolutely gotta-gotta-gotta have QWERTY, then yes, the widescreen is absolutely worth it.

If not, then there really is no reason to have it. The map information displayed on-screen truly does not give you anything the standard screen wouldn’t. The extra 160 pixels horizontal and 32 pixels vertical really don’t accommodate for much extra map information, which is what counts most.

Is map updating getting better?

Yes. The way in which Garmin does map updates is far superior compared to yesteryear.

The first map upgrade is free within first 90 days of use. It’s a huge download (somewhere in the neighborhood of 2GB). Before running it you must close out all your other apps to ensure the transfer goes smoothly. This update takes a very long time because all the data is being transferred via a USB 2.0 connection to the GPS. And as anybody who uses USB drives is aware, sending that amount of data over USB isn’t exactly fast.

Successive map updates used to cost $75 each and were mailed to you in the form of a DVD. You can still opt to do this if you want. However the difference now is an optional nuMaps Lifetime subscription. For $119.99 you get map updates for the life of the device.

What does this exactly mean?

1. It will only work for one registered Garmin device. You can’t transfer a subscription from nüvi to nüvi.
2. It’s a one-time cost.
3. It is a cost on top of the price of the GPS itself.

Bear in mind you are not required to buy nuMaps Lifetime, and your first map update is free, so you can mull it over and decide whether to go with it or not. If you do, the one-time cost covers map updates for as long as the nüvi lasts (which is a pretty long time as they have excellent build quality).

How often are map updates available?

Garmin labels map updates as "seasonal". In plain English, that means around 3 to 4 updates per year. Considering it cost $75 for each update before, nuMaps Lifetime pays for itself in less than six months.

And for those of you who would say, "RIP OFF!", it would only be a rip off if you were required to buy the subscription. You’re not. It’s completely optional. And even without it, you’ve still got a fully functional GPS.

Is firmware updating getting better?

Yes. Previously what you had to do is download WebUpdater to update the firmware on a nüvi.

That’s not required any longer, although you could still optionally use it if you wanted to.

Garmin has it in such a way where a nüvi can now be updated right from the browser (and yes it works in Firefox as well as IE).

What you need to do is register your GPS with my.garmin.com, then click the myDashboard link once logged in. The web site will prompt you to plug in your GPS via USB and will check for updates from there. If it finds any, it will ask whether or not you want to update.

I performed updates on my 255W via this method and it worked fine. No hassles at all.

How does the 255W perform compared to older Garmin GPSes?

Two things make the nüvi 2×5 series better than older nüvis and StreetPilots:

1. SiRF
2. Garmin Hotfix

SiRF is an enhanced positional technology that allows the nüvi to get a GPS signal faster than models without it. This first appeared in the StreetPilot c5xx series.

In plain English: SiRF is the difference between 30 seconds until a signal acquisition and 3 minutes. And while 3 minutes may not sound like a long time, when sitting in the car waiting for the signal so you can go… you get the idea.

Garmin Hotfix technology allows the nüvi to guesstimate where GPS satellites are in relation to the Earth’s rotation in order to acquire a signal faster.

Example: You arrive home from work at 7pm and turn the nüvi off. The next morning at 7am you turn the nüvi on. The nüvi will guess what satellites will be in range at that time of day and purposely seek them out. This results in the nüvi acquiring a GPS signal much quicker.

Plain English: Garmin nüvi 2×5 GPSes acquire a signal really, really fast compared to older models. I have even seen it get a signal in less than 10 seconds after a cold boot. That’s fast.

Does it still take you on "weird" routes to get to places?

Yes. But then again there isn’t any GPS made that routes perfectly. It is a computer, after all.

There will be times when the nüvi will suggest a route, and you’ll think to yourself, "Okay, the way it’s telling me to go is stupid. I know a better way." Chances are you’re correct.

In addition, even with SiRF and Garmin Hotfix, there will be instances where signal will get weak (such as near skyscrapers and dense foliage). No GPS has been able to overcome this – yet.

Does the text-to-speech voice sound any better?

Garmin had television commercials in which the text-to-speech voices sounded perfect but users of the devices were sorely disappointed when they heard the voice for the first time. Each had a tone that for all intents and purposes sounded "digitally raspy".

The old female US voice was Jill; the old UK female voice was called Emily. The new voices are Samantha (US) and Serena (UK). Both are humongous improvements over their predecessors. Using either sounds decidedly less "computery".

These voices do sound like the television commercials portray them to be.

Is there room for improvement?

Always.

But in all seriousness, Garmin does tend to "pull a Microsoft" by offering way too many versions of the same thing.

These are all the 2×5 models:

• 205
• 205W
• 255
• 255W
• 265T
• 265WT
• 275T

Seven models. There only needs to be one. A widescreen with all the features and "World" maps instead of seven different models that are watered down versions of the "best" model.

This is one of my very few gripes about Garmin as a company. Few people want to take the time and effort to examine seven different versions of the same thing just to decide which one is best for them. This is not one of those "choice is good" scenarios. What it does is confuse the crap out of consumers and moreover disenchants the brand as a whole – even if it is a good quality product.

Like I said, there should only be one 2×5 "global" model.

Is a standalone GPS still better than a cell phone GPS?

It always was.

There is no GPS available on any cell phone that can compete with Garmin’s NAVTEQ map data set (unless by Garmin/NAVTEQ directly), SiRF and Hotfix technology.

The only time GPS availability on a cell phone is worth paying for is when you can connect your position other data mediums, such as brightkite.

Strictly speaking as navigator vs. navigator, the standalone will always do a better job as a navigator.

Is Garmin still king of the hill in GPS?

In the United States they are. They have the best phone support; warranty issues (should any occur) are always handled well. My standard advice for anybody that has any problem with a Garmin GPS is not to go back to the vendor but rather West Marine. Why? Because they’re an authorized Garmin seller and can take in warranty issues easily – even if you didn’t buy from them originally. And there’s usually no line when you go and you don’t have to call before going. Big plus.

The way Garmin GPSes route is still best-of-breed even if it lacks other whiz-bang features other GPS makers have.

This I know: When somebody uses GPS for the first time in the US and it’s not a Garmin, the overall experience is usually disappointing. But when they experience the way a Garmin routes, that’s the sell on the technology.

The reason I said "in the United States" above is because while Garmin with its NAVTEQ map data set routes best here stateside, in the UK not-so much. TomTom with its TeleAtlas map set seems to do much better across the pond, but doesn’t perform as well in the US.

This is not to say Garmin GPSes don’t work in the UK and TomTom GPSes don’t work in the US. Both work fine for what they do. But in the US (and Canada), Garmin will do a better job.

Got a question about the 255W or other nüvi? Ask!

I’ll also field questions about MapSource if you happen to use that Garmin software as it is not the most user-friendly thing in the world.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Garmin nuvi 255W And Other GPS Stuff

In this video, I demonstrate one way that people give away WAY too much info on Twitter. Many mobile Twitter clients that are used on GPS-enabled phones have the ability to update your location on Twitter with your GPS coordinates. A simple Google Maps lookup of those coordinates will tell anybody exactly where you were sitting, in many cases complete with a Google Street View tour.

In this video, I demonstrate this to you while in my car in Tampa.

Today, I am releasing our very FIRST “PCMech Solutions Guide”. This is the first of MANY of these things coming your way. This one is called:

The Absolute BIGGEST Internet Privacy Mistakes You Make…. (And What You Can Do To Correct Them)

x This is a PDF report, which means you can have it in your hands immediately. And because I want you to have it, I have decided to release it to you at the lowest price I have ever released a product (Seriously).

You can pick up your copy for only $5.99. That’s it.

BUT…you have to act before next week. On Tuesday, June 23rd, I will be increasing the price to where it will stay.

This Solutions Guide will have you investigating your own habits and perhaps making some changes for enhanced data security.

Click Here To Get Your Copy. No Catches. No Upsells. No tricks. Only $5.99.

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Huge Privacy Risk When Using Twitter

The only icon I have on the right is the Recycle Bin. I have entertained the idea of removing that from the desktop, but I find that I do actually use it from time to time.

I would say the #1 thing that legitimately irritates me is when people dump everything, and I mean everything, on the desktop.

 
Above: My Windows 7 desktop (tower PC, dual monitor).

Some would say, "That’s a Windows thing." Oh, no sir. I’ve seen cluttered OS X and Linux desktops as well. The only reason non-Windows users label it as a "Windows thing" is because that’s the OS that’s most used. If OS X or Linux held the title as most-used, you’d see cluttered desktops just the same.

I do partially blame browsers (Firefox included) for clutter if using Windows XP, because the default download location for files is the desktop. Yes, this can be changed, but most people don’t do that.

 
Above: My Windows XP desktop (laptop, single monitor).

Here are the problems with using the desktop as the place to put all your stuff.

1. The more stuff is there, the harder it is to tell the difference between a downloaded file and a program.

While it’s true in Windows that a shortcut can be distinguished from a downloaded file by use of a small arrow on the icon, if you have so much crap on your desktop you fall into that "everything looks the same" scenario.

2. It makes it more difficult to find stuff.

The desktop in modern operating systems is not meant to be the launching point for everything you do with a computer. In Windows, that’s what the Start menu is for. On a Mac, that’s what the dock is for. In GNOME (the default in Ubuntu Linux), you have a Start menu-ish environment like Windows. All modern OSes are telling you the same thing: DON’T use the desktop to dump all your stuff to.

If you purposely use the desktop as your launching point, over time this makes it more difficult to do something as simple as launching a program. You have to literally hunt for the icon to start the app you want. This is bad. Use your menus; that’s what they’re there for.

All modern OSes also have ways of searching for the app you want simply by typing it in.

Windows XP doesn’t have this, but it can easily be added using Launchy.

Windows 7 has a program search built right into the start menu.

Mac OS X has Spotlight.

GNOME has Beagle.

3. Clutter leads to wasted hard drive space.

The more crap on your desktop, the easier it is to lose track of it. After a relatively short period of time it’s totally possible to have gigs of space wasted. Maybe you downloaded some trial editions of games and dumped the installation executables on the desktop. Maybe you downloaded a Linux ISO, burned the disc but left the file. It could be any number of things.

Steps you can take to clean up your clutter

1. Get it off the desktop.

Not to overstate the obvious, but move or delete your files. If you have so much crap that you’re not sure what to delete, just burn it all to a DVD. If you fill up a DVD, make two, or as many as you need to.

2. Learn ways of launching apps via menus, QuickLaunch icons and/or text commands.

There’s really not that much of a learning curve here and it’s self-explanatory.

3. Know your folders.

Windows 7, OS X and Linux all use user folders and so should you.

If still using Windows XP, use your My Documents folder. Create subfolders within for categorization.

4. Change any app that downloads files to save to your user folder by default.

This is probably a big reason why you have so much crap on your desktop in the first place. Change the settings and put files where they’re supposed to go.

5. When installing new apps, remember to remove the icons off the desktop.

This is the only part of this article where I will say that this is a "Windows thing". Almost all apps on install will dump an icon on the desktop by default – some without even asking you first. These icons are just shortcuts, so get in the habit of deleting them whenever a new one pops up.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

A Clean Desktop Is A Happy Desktop [Productivity]

Before covering the topic of how likely you are for wi-fi theft, I’ll first say that wi-fi security has never been that good. If one is desperate enough to steal your signal, there’s always a way. After all, anything that is transmitted can be intercepted. And as far as cracking the password is concerned, it truly is not that difficult given the right tools.

The best way to protect yourself from wi-fi theft is to:

1. Know your wireless router’s admin program thoroughly.
2. Take steps to be less of a target.

Know your wireless router’s admin program thoroughly

Login to your admin program via the web browser for your router and go thru every setting so you get familiarized with what you can do in there. Then follow the steps below.

Remember that for every wireless router manufactured there is a downloadable PDF manual for it (as far as I know) if you lost your printed copy. Perform a Google search for your make/model of router with the word "manual" in the search term and you should be able to locate the PDF version easily.

Taking steps to be less of a target

Use WPA2 if available with a long password

The WPA2 access password can be up to 63 characters long. If you use a long password with mixed case letters, numbers, spaces and symbols, it will be very difficult to "brute force" the password out of it.

Limit connectivity to specific MAC address(es)

This is usually labeled as MAC Address Filtering within the admin program. Every modern network card has a MAC (Media Access Control) address. If you limit allowed clients to specific MAC addresses, this greatly decreases the chance of wi-fi theft.

Most wireless router admin programs allow you to directly copy the MAC address from the connected PC into the allowed client list, so there’s usually no copy/paste involved.

Note: If you use virtual PCs, they have virtual MAC addresses that the router considers real. If setting up MAC address filtering, include your virtual machines as well.

Additional note: MAC addresses can be spoofed. But someone would have to specifically know one of the allowed MAC addresses in your wi-fi network and apply it to their computer in order to break in.

Limit number of connections

If you have three computers in your house and only allow for three assigned IP addresses via the router, the only way another system can get in there is to kick one off the network first.

Once again, be mindful of virtual PCs if you use them, because they use literal IPs (if network enabled); each counts as a separate unique network connection as far as the router is concerned. If you have three real PCs and two virtual ones that are network enabled, you will need to have your router be able to assign 5 IP addresses.

Do not allow remote administration

All wireless routers to the best of my knowledge come with this feature disabled by default, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it.

Other questions answered

Does IP Lease Time affect security at all?

No. My only suggestion would have the Lease Time not set to "forever", especially if you have people in and out of your house using the wi-fi routinely. This is done strictly for convenience’s sake. Some of you out there may prefer to have IPs cleared from the DHCP list, especially for temporary assignments (such as a friend visiting and using his or her wi-fi enabled laptop).

Does disabling the broadcasting of the SSID help?

It does offer a little bit of extra security, but MAC address filtering is much more effective.

Will periodically changing my SSID deter break-ins to my wireless network?

Not really, because all that has to be done is a re-scan of the available networks.

I do, however, suggest a non-generic name to make you less attractive as a target. For example, many people have Linksys routers simply labeled as "linksys". This literally announces, "I never changed this setting in my router", and that’s not good.

At least with a custom name, whoever is trying to break into a wi-fi network will target the "easy looking" ones first, and that includes SSID names like "linksys", "belkin" and the like.

Final notes

Taking action to be less of a target is your best defense against a wi-fi break-in.

Of course, the best defense is simply shutting the router off when not in use. This may be inconvenient, but nobody can break into your network via wireless if the router is off.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

How Likely Are You For Wi-Fi Theft?

Windows Live OneCare safety scanner is a free service designed to help ensure the health of your PC.

• Check for and remove viruses
• Get rid of junk on your hard disk
• Improve your PC’s performance

This is a great resource to have for obvious reasons. Of course, if you do use anti-virus software, this is not a replacement since it does not provide real-time protection.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Full Service Online Virus Scanner

The Commodore 64 is to date the best-selling computer of all time and hasn’t been topped. An all too common item to be seen next to the C64 was the 1541 floppy disk drive. This actually was in fact more than just a disk drive. It was a computer because it did contain a microprocessor (this one, in fact).

Everybody knows what USB is. Everything connects to it. Keyboards, mice, printers, digital cameras, network devices (wired or wireless), lights, humping dogs, you name it..

However the one thing that has never existed is a 5¼-inch USB floppy drive. Oh sure, you can get the 3½-inch USB version easily, but no 5¼ is to be found; it doesn’t exist.

Being that there are mountains of old C64 software out there that people are looking to archive, a USB solution was needed for the old 1541 5¼-inch drive. And wouldn’t you know it, someone built one.

The xum1541 is an actual home-brew solution for the Commodore 1541 that will allow it to interface to a PC via USB.

Here it is in action:

This, dear friends, is true computer hacking. If it doesn’t exist, build it. Hopefully this will be made into a for-sale product later on as I’m sure there are many C64 owners who would love to be able to back up their piles and piles of disks with a simple adapter like the xum.

Hey, if they could make an Apple II Ethernet Module, anything is possible, right?

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Commodore 64 Floppy USB Adapter

The service is simple to use and free. From their ‘Learn More’ page:

You don’t need a computer, an Internet connection, or even the keypad on your phone or mobile device. GOOG-411 is voice-activated, so you can access it from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location, at any time. For free. (*)

Dial (1-800) GOOG-411. Say where. Say what you’re looking for. GOOG-411 will connect you with the business you choose.

If you are calling from a mobile device, GOOG-411 can even send you a text message with more details and a map. Simply say “Text message” or “Map it.”

Unfortunately, this does not work with residential lines, only businesses but this limitation does not hinder the service’s usefulness. Another applicable example: you are driving and need to find a hotel for the night, just give the service a call and you can have directions sent right to your phone.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Need Business Directory Assistance? Dial 1-800-GOOG-411

Not to worry, here’s the 101 on how to get yourself a forum. Setting up a forum on your website is a great way to provide some interactivity to your site which keeps people coming back for more.

Please Login or Register to read the rest of this article. Gold/Silver Membership required.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Creating Your Own Forum (Web Sites)

No.

In fact you can get decent work in computers armed with nothing but a high school diploma and the willingness to work.

If you think you’re good with computers and want a job now, follow the instructions below and you’ll be working fast.

Please Login or Register to read the rest of this article. Gold/Silver Membership required.

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How To Get A Computer Job With No Experience