I was catching up on security podcasts this week, and a brief statement in one of them really grabbed me. The panel was talking about people who steal online gaming accounts, I think. The exact content isn’t terribly important–what’s very important is what this person found in the forums where the people who perform this [...]
All posts tagged modem
“They were bored and wished they had a job.”
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 25, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/04/they-were-bored-and-wished-they-had-a-job/
PC Magazine’s tips for buying your own cable modem
PC Magazine published a few tips for people looking to buy their own cable modems and ditch the monthly rental fee. It also contains a reminder: Make sure you know whether your modem is just a modem, or a combination device that routes as well.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 22, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/04/pc-magazines-tips-for-buying-your-own-cable-modem/
Rob O’Hara on phreaking
Rob O’Hara posted a podcast about phreaking today. He explains in layperson’s terms how the phone system was controlled by tones, cites it as an example of security through obscurity, and he talks about his own first-person experience subverting the phone system.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 14, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/04/rob-ohara-on-phreaking/
New media in Cuba
I read an ingenious article this week on Slashdot, talking about how Cubans evade Internet censorship (not to mention lack of access) by passing contraband material around on flash drives. It’s so old school, but brilliant. Sure, it’s less efficient and less elegant than using the Internet, but unlike the Internet, it’s nearly impossible to [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 21, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/03/new-media-in-cuba/
The Internet is a 21st century utility–take it seriously
Forbes says we need to take Internet speed more seriously in this country. My take: I got my first modem in 1986, roughly, and after mapping out my modem purchases over the following decade, I saw that I was upgrading to a faster modem speed roughly every 2 years. My jump from 300 bits per [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 30, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/01/the-internet-is-a-21st-century-utility-take-it-seriously/
How to save money on tech
CNN offered up some good tips on saving money on tech. But of course I want to analyze and comment on it myself. Anything else would be out of character.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 29, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/01/how-to-save-money-on-tech/
What to do about a router dropping connections
A former classmate and coworker contacted me with a question. My router is about 5 years old. I have a cable modem and a router. The cable modem is fine. The router keeps connecting and disconnecting from the internet…used to happen occasionally, now happens all the time. I reset it and it works for a [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 27, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/08/what-to-do-about-a-router-dropping-connections/
Busted at the Safeway for phone phreaking
Software developer, author, and blogger Jeff Atwood wrote his confessions of the 1980s this week. As a teenager and not-quite-adult, he was a phone phreaker. More of this went on than anyone wants to admit.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 11, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/08/busted-at-the-safeway-for-phone-phreaking/
Dredging up some old Commodore trivia
I’ve seen a couple of Commodore-related search queries hit lately, so I’m going to take a stroll down memory lane with two questions: Can you connect two computers to one single 1541 or 1571 disk drive? And what was the fastest Commodore modem?
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 6, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/05/dredging-up-some-old-commodore-trivia/
There’s room for several to gloat over the Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica is, after 244 years, calling it quits on its print edition, and I’m sure Wikipedia is gloating, because as I recall, that was one of its goals around a decade ago. Wired argues that Encarta did more to kill Britannica than Wikipedia. I tend to agree.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 16, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/03/theres-room-for-several-to-gloat-over-the-britannica/