.FLYINGHEAD LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
.TITLE ID theft, data recovery, HDTV, Socom, megapixels, and more. It’s letters time!
.AUTHOR David Gewirtz
.SUMMARY It’s been a while since we’ve published some of the many letters we get each week from Computing Unplugged readers. So, this week, we’ve decided to catch up and publish a few.
.OTHER
It’s been a while since we’ve published some of the many letters we get each week from Computing Unplugged readers. So, this week, we’ve decided to catch up and publish a few.
.H1 Keeping your eye on ID theft
Jeremy Garland writes:
.QUOTE Great article on ID theft. I am keeping a copy of that with me as well. That is a good resource.
We’ve gotten a lot of positive responses on our recent ID theft article (at http://www.computingunplugged.com/issues/issue200601/00001707001.html). The topic is scary and we’re going to continue to cover it. We’re working on find out more about your rights as consumers, to help you understand how to protect yourself when being asked for excessive identification information.
Stay tuned.
.TEASER We’ve got Socom, megapixels, catastrophic data failure, and more. Tap here to read.
.H1 Do we still love the Axim?
John Mullaney wrote in to us about an article we ran about the Dell Axim X50v:
.QUOTE Funny that people were so curious about the background. Very resourceful use of the yoga mat… I on the other end of the specturm was VERY excited to see the fountain in the picture on the devices. If I am not mistaken, is it the Dolphin Fountain outside of the Dolphin Hotel in Epcot? I am there every year for a conference. I love my January pilgramge from the cold of the Northeast to moderately warm Florida.
.QUOTE Still positive about the Axim 50V? I may purchase one today…
Well, two days after the major snowstorm, we’re very glad we moved from New Jersey to Florida. We used to go down to the Dolphin once a year, for Lotusphere. Now, we live an hour away.
The picture in question was originally in a DominoPower article about Lotusphere, reprinted as Figure A, below.
.FIGPAIR A The Dolphin still has dolphins. We’ll be back there next week for the big PMA photo show.
And yes, I really like the Axim X50v. The thing, of course, is it is a Pocket PC, so there are some huge pluses and some normal annoyances (sync, for example, sometimes is a pain). Sync troubles aside, we really like it.
.H1 Recovering five years of information from a sick Palm
Terry Deboo tells us:
.QUOTE Via Google, I found Denise Amrich’s article, "Ideas for recovering from catastrophic data loss", and I want to thank her and Claire Pieterek for showing me how to recover 5 years of info on my Palm III.
This is exactly why we keep all our back issues online, available to everyone, for free. The article Terry’s talking about was actually in PalmPower Magazine before it became Computing Unplugged, but since we keep every single article online, she was able to find the article (which, incidentally, is at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199906/loss001.html) and recover her data.
There’s an absolute treasure-trove of information available in our back issues. Be sure to check them out. In fact, the next few letters are also about previously published articles readers found through various Google searches.
.H1 Megapixels for fun and profit
Update from April 2011: For five years, we had the following statement attributed to a woman who wrote us a letter to the editor. Our standard policy (published in the credits/trademarks section) is to publish any such letter. The woman requested we remove her name, and we honored her request. In any case, here’s her nice statement:
.QUOTE Thank you for the article on megapixels in Computing Unplugged Magazine. I didn’t realize how very simple it is!
That article sparked so much interest, we wound up launching Connected Photographer Magazine. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, visit http://www.connectedphotographer.com.
.H1 Getting Socom 3 to work
Reader "Phil" and I had an interesting dialog. Here’s what started it:
.QUOTE I was actually Googling a way to get past my ISP’s Port 80 block when I came across your article. Luckily for me, I was just about to call Verizon and inquire as to switching from Optimum to Verizon. I play Socom 3, and I’m addicted to it.
.QUOTE Three days ago, the mic stopped working, and my stress starting rising. I called Sony, who said to call cable, who in turn said to call Sony. I finally found out that Socom 3 added three more ports necessary to run the games: 6000,7000, and believe it or not, 80. I am hoping if you know a way to get around using port 80 for gaming purposes, if not no big deal.
.QUOTE I’m not expecting much success in my search for a mic that works anyway, but I’m thankful for coming accross your article and good luck with your company.
The issue isn’t port 80 down to Phil. That’s the Web browser’s port so all ISPs will keep it open. The issue is using port 80 up from you to the outside world, which is what Web servers use. I’d be very surprised if Socom is using port 80 outbound; Sony would obviously be getting a trillion complaints about that almost immediately.
I don’t play Socom, but I’d guess it’s a different problem, perhaps a firewall issue (either on your router or in the cable company). I used to use Optimum, and found that once you found a higher level tech, they tended to have a clue — but you’ve got to climb the support chain. First, though, take a look at your router and make sure the extra ports are open and forwarding, and make sure you’re using both TCP and UDP forwarding.
Also, try going to http://www.broadbandreports.com and see if anyone else at your ISP is having similar problems. They have postings for ISPs and areas and you can often get a good feel for what’s happening through that site.
Finally, if you’ve got a PC, make sure you’ve patched Windows completely to the very latest patch level, then (and only then) turn off your PC’s software firewall (on the PC itself) and run Shields Up! (go to http://www.grc.com). This should show you what ports are open through your hardware router’s firewall (at least incoming). Then, be sure to turn your PC software firewall back on.
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Phil later got back to me, and this might help other readers:
.QUOTE Thanks a lot. I actually got somebody at Sony’s end who knew what they were doing. The game itself online uses Port 80 for all the connecting and streamlining. However all the other systems run on other ports.
.QUOTE I found that the ports the microphone used, which is where I’m having my problems, uses UDP 6000-7000 and 50,000. The mysterious thing is, I don’t use a router.
.QUOTE Although I have one, when I use my PS2, I connect it directly into my cable modem. Sony says it probably has something to do with the Socom 3 server. Because it’s new, they are having massive problems with the server. They told me to wait it out another month than see, but they are still baffled about how I connect to SOCOM.
.QUOTE Thanks anyway, and as always, good luck in the business world. If your company has stock, let me know. I’d love to help you guys out.
Thanks for the offer to buy stock, Phil. ZATZ is privately held, but if we ever do issue stock, we’ll make sure you know about it!
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.H1 HDTV isn’t ready for Prime Time
Steve Gessert has a lot to say about HDTV:
.QUOTE I enjoyed your article on HDTV in Computing Unplugged. As an "early adoptor" of HD television, I think I speak from experience when I say that you are still missing out on the big picture And that is how difficult it is to get a decent high definition picture around the country.
.QUOTE Dish Network only broadcasts 5 stations as part of their HD package (at $10.00/month). You can also receive HBO-HD and SHOWTIME-HD, if you subscribe to each network’s services. After you pay for each subscription (about $23.00/mo total, I think), you can pick up each of their HD channels for free.
.QUOTE Dish also offers CBS-HD if you qualify. I won’t even go into that, but you have to pay $1.50/mo for the CBS feed out of New York, and then you can receive their HD feed for free.
.QUOTE Let’s see, $10.00 + $23.00 = $33.00 and most of us have not seen any of the big four networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) yet. Oh yes, you also need a receiver capable of HD. These are not the free ones you get when you sign up with Dish Network. Oh yes, Direct TV is no better.
.QUOTE I won’t waste any more of your time, but let me list the other problems with being an early adoptor.
.QUOTE You can’t get your local HD stations on satellite (or in my town on cable). So you have to put up an antenna (1957 all over again). But when researching your local stations you find that half of them still are not broadcasting in HD.
.QUOTE The Federal law change mandates digital, not necessarily HD. So now you have a nice widescreen TV (isn’t that all they make?) and you are now forced to watch local stations with black bars at the sides instead of the top and bottom.
.QUOTE Oh yes, it is in standard definition (the way my parents watched TV on their first set in 1947), not HIGH DEFINITION. The satellite services are willing to send an HD signal for the networks on my dish, but are prohibited from doing so by Congress because it would infringe on the rights of my local channels, the same ones that are flouting the law by not broadcasting in HD. Whose airways are they?
.QUOTE Sorry for the rant, enjoy your TV. Remember those of us who went first.
Steve, you definitely will be remembered. Seriously, though, HDTV is still for early adopters. It’s expensive, a bit of a pain, and not really worth the added cost — yet. We’ve still got about three years before HDTV becomes more mainstream. In the meantime, some of us will be out on the front lines.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
To read "How to protect yourself from identity theft", visit http://www.computingunplugged.com/issues/issue200601/00001707001.html.
To read "The Dell Axim X50: The small unit with the big heart", visit http://www.computingunplugged.com/issues/issue200506/00001552001.html.
For more information about DominoPower Magazine, visit http://www.dominopower.com.
To read "Ideas for recovering from catastrophic data loss", visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199906/loss001.html.
For more information about Connected Photographer Magazine, visit http://www.connectedphotographer.com.
To read "The great port 80 conspiracy", visit http://www.dominopower.com/issues/issue200301/dpeditorial0103001.html.
For some great ISP information, visit http://www.broadbandreports.com.
For more information on Shields Up!, visit http://www.grc.com.
To read "A subjective introduction to HDTV", visit http://www.computingunplugged.com/issues/issue200409/00001378001.html.
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