Nokia N78 Packet Data Connections

For those who have the Nokia N78 mobile phone and are having difficulties getting packet data connections over GPRS and 3G, I have found one solution. This problem happens after you have downloaded or configured your operator's access points (Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> Destinations) and when you want to connect for web browsing or sending multimedia messages (MMS). The phone will show a message saying "connection not available".

Solution is simple. Go to Menu -> Tools -> Settings -> Connection -> APN control. A message will say "Reading content from SIM card". After that, it should display another message "Connections restrictions inactive". If it does not, go to Options -> Deactivate restrictions. Exit all the way back to the standby display and try web browsing or sending a MMS.

The help page for "Restrict connections" is described:

With the access point control service, packet data connections from your device may be restricted to certain access points only.

Your SIM card may not support the access point control service. Contact your service provider for more information.

Let me know if this works for you.

The following is a good site to be updated on Nokia software updates, which recently announced firmware version 12.046 for the Nokia N78. This release includes performance improvements for softkey selection, Bluetooth stability, video playback, e-mail sending and alarm clock functions.

<URL:http://europe.nokia.com/A4577225>

Technorati Tags: nokia, n78, nokia n78, mobile phone, packet data, data connection, connection not available, access point, apn control, connection restrictions

Nuffnang's Nifty Video Ads

On my Malaysia Crime Watch site, I noticed that ads integrator Nuffnang has started displaying video ads in the 336x280 rectangle format. This is simliar to Google Adsense's video units which is currently only available to United States publishers.

The design of the video ad looks very neat and integrated, very much like Youtube's design with a play button in the middle. The initial loading of the video stream is quite instant, typically starts playback in under five seconds. The video just ends and returns the cursor to the beginning.

I experienced a section of the video in the middle where it just jammed and refused to continue. I could only forward to a later point and continue viewing. Another small issue is that there does not seem to be any volume or mute control. The biggest question is: Where can I click to go to the advertiser's website?

I think it's a very good step forward for Malaysian online advertising with Nuffnang leading the way for advertising networks here. With online video being so popular, site visitors will be more compelled to view such ads and know more about the product or service. Nice work, Nuffnang.

The subject of the video is actually quite funny and is part of a series from a local service provider. Go take a look and have a little laugh. :)

Technorati Tags: nuffnang, advertisement, video ad, video unit, make money

Network Market Your Blog, Get Exponential Exposure

Network marketing is a powerful and fast way to gain exposure to a product or service. Using a hierarchical network of referrals, people can quickly spread the news of the product or service.

Now imagine the same kind of system for blogs.

This is what BlogRush is designed for. When you create an account with BlogRush and set up a widget on your blogs, fellow blog owners who sign up with BlogRush under you contribute to your own reach in the blogosphere. Each widget impression in your blogs and those under you give you credit, which in turn gives you more traffic to your blogs by means of widget links in other related blogs. The effect of impressions ripples down ten generations below you, each lower one with less impression-to-credit ratio than the previous level.

Take a look at the widget in this blog along the sidebar. These links are contextually selected by the system to be relevant to this blog. Each impression here earns me a link in some other blog's BlogRush widget.

Thus, your blogs gains exposure exponentially as your downline (a popular term in network marketing) grows both horizontally and vertically. It also adds value to your blogs as it gives more options for your readers as to what other related content may be available elsewhere.

One suggestion for the BlogRush folks: allow us to customize the design and size of the widget. Thanks!

See your blogs' traffic grow by signing up with BlogRush today. If you choose "News & Media" or "Technology" as the type of blog you own, I may be pushing a new source of readers and traffic to your blog very soon!

Links

BlogRush
<URL:http://www.blogrush.com/r85147044>

Technorati Tags: blog, network marketing, blogrush, blog traffic, increase traffic, promote blog, blog syndication

News - From nntp to rss

Over ten years ago when Netscape was the de facto standard and finger was not a rude thing to do, I got started in the news and discussion addiction using nntp, or Network News Transfer Protocol.

Think of nntp as the ancestor of rss, or Really Simple Syndication (really). A network of nntp servers would be available for you to access and browse the discussion channels available. The number of channels during those days were in tens of thousands, from Apple to camping, Star Trek to Microsoft. Each channel has a thread of replies to one another with each message looking very much like an e-mail. The messages are just text-based, with the occasional text-encoding of binaries such as warez and pictures.

Those were the humble and sometimes underground days when news and data were quietly exchanged between people all over the world. Browsers were not favoured yet, and ftp was like the Internet jet engine of file sharing. I remember this was the way we used to get antivirus and browser updates from McAfee and Netscape respectively.

The program which I used to talk nntp was from Forte, called Free Agent for Windows 95. It was a simple three-frame Windows interface that worked well to deliver news. However, just like the news of today, I easily got flooded with news. Now, Forte seems to only have Agent commercially and it supports e-mail as well.

In 2007, we have Google Reader, which combines fancy http push (AJAX) and good 'ol frames. It can automatically update the news as they are published from blogs, newspapers and corporations. You can tag and categorize news. Best of all, it uses the familiar vi command set (e.g. j for down, k for up). Just like other Google apps, it is very accessible since it is web-based.

Just like a decade ago, look at the volume of news I go through... it's crazy in this information age.

Links:

Wikipedia - Network News Transfer Protocol
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nntp>

Forte
<URL:http://www.forteinc.com/main/homepage.php>

Google Reader
<URL:http://www.google.com/reader/>

Technorati Tags: review, software, nntp, news, forte, free agent, rss, google reader

Tattoo RFID

Bill Ray reported on The Register in January 2007 that a Saint Louis company known as Somark Innovations has successfully tested a new kind of radio frequency identification (RFID) medium. An identification number can be stored in a tattoo that is injected from an array of needles onto animals such as cows, mice and rats.

The RFID's number can then be read from more than a meter away using a proprietary high frequency reader.

Existing tags are either expensive or can be torn out from animals.

Somark's next market after animals will be to identify military personnel, meaning the tattoo also works on humans.

Again as evidenced, the last days are truly here.

"And it puts under compulsion all persons, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, that they should give these a mark in their right hand or upon their forehead, and that nobody might be able to buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name of the wild beast or the number of its name. Here is where wisdom comes in: Let the one that has intelligence calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is a man’s number; and its number is six hundred and sixty-six." - Revelation 13:16-18, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

Links:

The Register - Cattle branding comes to the 21st Century: High-tech tattoo more than a pretty picture
<URL:http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/16/rfid_tattoo/>

Five Search Engines Old Timers Should Know

In the years before Google was anything but a simple colourful page, there were several legacy search engines still crawling the young and delicate Internet (or ARPANET). For those of you who first got online with a dial-up modem more than ten years ago, you should know these five common search engines back then.

1. Altavista

Has always been so minimalistic in design and returns useful results consistently. One nifty app that I still use for fun and research is the Babelfish (a nod to Douglas Adams fans).

2. WebCrawler

My second favourite search engine after Altavista. Its results are presented in a pleasant format.

3. Lycos

Lycos was probably the first search engine with lots of news links and little applications that Google is so well known for now.

4. Excite

Excite's design hasn't changed much since the beginning: just as messy. The results are quite accurate though.

5. Netscape

The darling of the early Web. Old timers were surfing using Netscape betas, cool! Back then, nobody heard of Internet Explorer, just Mozilla and mostly lynx (ahh beauty).

In another year, Google would be ten years old anyway.

Links:

Wikipedia - Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET>

Search Engine Watch - Where Are They Now? Search Engines We've Known & Loved
<URL:http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2175241>

Technorati Tags: search engine, altavista, webcrawler, lycos, excite, netscape

BorderWare MXtreme: E-mail Firewall Antispam Product

Sponsored Post

Is this a familiar sight in your mailbox these days?

A relatively new breed of e-mail spam is becoming prevalent where the e-mail contains an image with the advertisement text and graphics inside. Traditional text-based anti-spam software is useless against such spam because the e-mail will not contain any searchable text at all. It is estimated that image spam now accounts for 35% of all spam.

BorderWare, a messaging security solutions provider, has a product called BorderWare MXtreme, which is an advanced anti image spam system. Check out the product information here.

In addition to the usual optical character recognition technology that can be used on the image spam, MXtreme has a patent-pending technology called Intercept Image Analysis. This performs image classification and more than thirty image attribute processing, such as word salads, random speckling, image manupilation, animated GIF, various colouration and fonts.

As a result, BorderWare's anti-spam solution can detect 98% of all spam on the e-mail servers. If you are in the IS department and looking for a better anti-spam product, check out BorderWare MXtreme today.


Technorati Tags: spam, antispam, image spam, image analysis, sponsored post

New Tech News Blog: The Tech Planet

Being a techie/geeky guy who still enjoys toys for big boys and the latest technological advancements, I'm always on the lookout for technology news on the web. Recently, I've come across a blog-style site that covers technology, trends, software and web services. Check out The Tech Planet.

The posts are concise and just the right size for quick digestion, so it's worth adding to your RSS reader. Posts also contain photos of the subject, making it easier to browse topics of interest.

It's fairly new (from December 2006), but I think it suits techie people like myself and complements the topics on my own blog. For example, the post on "Honda readys fuel-cell car for 2018" talks about when Honda plans to offer a hydrogen fuel-cell powered car in ten years' time. Author Michael Paul says that the timeline and sale price are off the mark and I agree with him. With rising fuel costs and world climate, we need alternative fuel vehicles within the next few years.

Go visit The Tech Planet today to get a quick dose of technology news that makes you stand out from the general population. :)

Technorati Tags: tech planet, news, technology, technology news, trends, techie, sponsored post

Secure and Convenient Keyless Door Locks

Most of us who have locked doors to open at home or at the office know the hassles of using keys to lock and unlock them. In no particular order:

• Losing the key meant having to replace the lock and all copies of the key
• Scratches and dents on the door around the lock
• Fumbling, searching, sorting, selecting the right key while running the risk of getting mugged in front of the door
• Ensuring that you are holding the key before you close a door which automatically locks
• Keeping keys in a pouch, wallet, purse, or pocket, causing wear

Instead of messing with keys, try using something that only you own and can never lose: fingerprints! BrickHouse Electronics has a quality range of keyless door locks which use the uniqueness and convenience of your fingerprint to gain access.

Fingerprints are tested to be very unique as there is only a chance of false acceptance of a fingerprint in tens of millions of fingerprints. It is obviously more convenient to use as you have it with you all the time. Other family members or staff can also train their own fingerprints into the locks, so there is no need to share fingerprints (which is not possible anyway).

For the above peeves of using keys, I would buy and use one of these locks in the future. Residential crime is prevalent in Malaysia and having one of these devices can save the time spent opening doors and getting in safely. I don't have to duplicate keys for others anymore, so there is no risk of the key smith copying your key unscrupulously.

One disadvantage of fingerprint door locks would be in the event of power loss. BrickHouse locks use batteries, which the lock will remind you to change when they are low on power. You have to be vigilant in changing batteries about every year. Fortunately, even if the batteries are flat and the fingerprint sensor does not work, you can still use a mechanical key to unlock - very clever!

The last thing to consider is the price. These locks cost about five times more than key locks, but I think they are worth the convenience, enhanced security and cool factor. Imagine, no keys clinging, no need for bright lights at the doorway, and silent and smooth access into your home or office!

Links:

BrickHouse Electronics Biometric Door Locks
<URL:http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/keylessdoorlock-electronicbiometric-fingerprintlock.html>

Technorati Tags: lock, door lock, fingerprint, keyless, biometric, keyless lock, biometric lock, keyless door lock

Identity Cards, Phone Calls and You

UK's Prime Minister Tony Blair is defending for the nation's plan to have identity (ID) cards for non-EU immigrants from year 2008. Similar ID cards will be compulsory for locals from 2010. Although not considered as a comprehensive solution to combat illegal immigration, welfare fraud, and terrorism, setting up the identity system, known as the National Identity Register, will improve protection and enable effective checks, Blair said.

This news ought to cause a few seat adjustments from the civil rights groups.

The Register may store about 49 types of information, see the link "What data will ID cards store?" below. The most accurate identification tokens that will be recorded will be fingerprints and other biometric information, which I believe will be at least the iris and facial photograph. Multiple-token recognition is statistically accurate, down to the one in hundreds of million odds.

Malaysia and Singapore have both adopted national ID cards for their citizens. The set of data that is contained in the card is similarly large. Fields such as addresses, race, religion, signature, physical attributes, and biometrics are stored; in the case of Malaysia, on a 32KB computer chip. Cards are issued for newborns, and it is an offence not to bear the ID card outside of the citizens' homes (see links below).

The national ID card is meant for bringing products and services to the electronic form of identification for purposes of consumption or access privileges. It is supposed to combat identity forgery and enable effective security checks. At the same time, the card abolishes civil privacy and makes the citizens vulnerable to bribery, identity theft, and breaking laws that were created just for the card system.

Again in these two countries, mobile phone numbers and their interconnections are recorded in a main system that the mobile telcos have to route to. This is a regulation or law of their respective media or communications ministry, created to fight against crimes such as terrorism. Singapore is the first country to implement such a mobile phone call "brokering" system affectionately known as the mobile number portability system, Malaysia is in the pre-implementation stages. All calls that you have made using your mobile phone can be recalled from the system, including pre-paid numbers since these need to be pre-registered with your identity.

Big brother is watching you. Be a good lemming, mate, or don't get caught! :)

Links:

BBC News - Blair defends identity card plan
<URL:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6120220.stm>

BBC News - What data will ID cards store?
<URL:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4630045.stm>

Wikipedia - British national identity card
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_national_identity_card>

Wikipedia - MyKad
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MyKad>

The Star - NRD (National Registry Department) warns of RM20,000 fine or three years' jail
<URL:http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/7/nation/14765105&sec=nation&focus=1>

Singapore Police Force - Information On Police Procedures
<URL:http://www.spf.gov.sg/epc/procedures/intro.htm>

Technorati Tags: identity card, id card, national identity, tony blair, national identity register, civil rights, big brother, privacy law, civil identification, fingerprint, biometrics, facial photograph, mykad, identity theft, number portability

Web Degrees of Separation

Nifty view of how my sites are connected on the web:

lokety.blogspot.com

www.geocities.com/lokety/main.html

<URL:http://theresachong.blogspot.com/2006/06/web-degrees-of-separation.html>
<URL:http://www.jeffooi.com/2006/06/post_27.php>

Technorati Tags: web, degrees, separation, sites, connections

Global handset market to reach $250 billion by 2011

Global handset market to reach $250 billion by 2011 by ZDNet's ZDNet Research -- Global wireless handset market grows 23% in 2006 and will reach $250 billion by 2011, In-Stat says. The market for wireless handsets was $110 billion in 2005. In-Stat predicts that it will grow 23%, to exceed $136 billion in 2006. It will continue to grow but at a slower rate, exceeding $250 billion in 2011. [...]

Technorati Tags: handset, mobile, wireless, phone, growth, billion, market, statistics

Know the World

When the first CD-ROM drives came out for the PC, a world of multimedia opportunities opened up. 600MB of storage was very interesting and promising, especially at the time when typical hard disk drives were about 200MB in size.

One of the most academically sound title I had was the World Book Encyclopedia published by IBM. As I grew up with a hardback range of encyclopedias at my disposal, I reckoned this CD-ROM would be a good learning tool for myself and my younger brother.

Twenty years later, the Internet has again given us the chance to enjoy a Good Thing once in a while. This is known as the Wikipedia.

Offered in various languages, this self-maintaining website contains over a million articles on many subjects around the world. Access to the articles is free and the content is provided, maintained, edited, and quality controlled by contributors and volunteer publishers. These are some of the topics covered:

• History
• Science
• Politics
• Geography
• Technology
• Current Events
• Entertainment

The great thing about Wikipedia is that the wealth of information available is unlimited, open and easily accessible. This is one of the few examples of the benefits of the electronic world that exist today.

I hope all our children will be able to study from such valuable sources and fill their minds with useful information that can enrich their lives.

If you agree with my views, support Wikipedia by promoting it to your friends and loved ones. Then, make yourself feel good by contributing in the running costs of Wikipedia. It is worth it; I did.

<URL:http://www.wikipedia.org/>
<URL:http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Fundraising>

Technorati Tags: knowledge, encyclopedia, wikipedia, news

Google Trends and Desktop

The Google machine has gave birth to two new/updated services: Google Trends and Google Desktop.

Trends shows the volume of search and news of any topic over time. You could see how often you are mentioned on the web by enterting your name. So far, no one has bothered about me, but why do I still get 50+ spam mail per day?

Search concentration is also sorted city, region and language.

I did a trend comparison between Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Click here. Before Firefox 1.0 was released, interests about the browser increased tremendously. Goes to show what folks are looking for an answer to a better web experience.

Another fun search I did was this. Scroll down and click "Regions". Yeah, we Malaysians think about it all the time. :)

Google Desktop is a cool nugget of a software that I've been missing. It could replace my de-facto way of local searching (Windows+F) and aggregation of news (Serene Klipfolio). On top of that, it has the fancy photo and Google Earth integration. Yeah, you can keep your Mac, I'm still not interested.

I have an idea, maybe some of you may know that it actually exists. How about a Desktop plug-in that analyzes your computer usage patterns (frequency, duration, types of files accessed, speed and pattern of typing) and helps you organize information and pop you new presentations of your data. I've always been impressed with the cool crap flying around computer interfaces in movies like Minority Report and I, Robot. I think I've read about it before and it is being developed by an upstart using some natural algorithms.

Here are the links:

<URL:http://www.google.com/trends>
<URL:http://desktop.google.com/>

Oh, while you're fiddling with these goodies from Google, don't forget to buy a lot or two:

<URL:http://finance.google.com/finance?q=GOOG&btnG=Search>

Technorati Tags: google, trends, desktop, software