VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
| What is it? |
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VoIP (voice over IP - voice delivered using the Internet Protocol) is an "internet telephone service". It's the term used to describe the hardware, software and services that digitize your voice and carry it through the internet or a LAN (a company's local area network), instead of through traditional analogue phone lines (public switched telephone network - PSTN).
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| How does it work? |
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There are three basic ways of making a phone call through the Internet.
- PC-to-PC
You download software that looks and acts like a virtual phone, and use it to call other people's virtual phones through the internet.
- PC-to-Phone
You download "SIP" calling software, and subscribe to a plan that allows you to dial "real" phones.
- Phone-to-Phone
This requires the purchase of a "broadband phone" or a converter that allows you to connect your existing analogue phone to your PC phone software.
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| How is this different from a regular phone call? |
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The phones we use now carry our voice through a "public switched telephone network" (PSTN). This is the collection of telephone networks owned by both commericial organizations and governments around the world. When you call using the VoIP technology, your voice is travelling over a different network. In some cases, part of that network may be the same. For instance, if you get your internet service through Sympatico, it is carried through the same Bell phone line to start with, but then sent across a variety of different networks connecting you throughout the world. There's no particular set of standards governing how well these various networks perform, and while they are still often carried through different types of phone lines, they are generally cheaper to maintain, and you may not end up paying any long distance phone charges at all. Once you've paid for your internet service, it doesn't care what type of data you're sending and receiving across the lines -- text, audio or video -- so long as it's going to another PC. The trick is in eliminating your computer from the equation. While you can use services like Pulver.com's "Free World Dialup" to call another PC phone anywhere in the world free of charge, the minute you want to call an actual analogue phone, there's usually a charge. However, these charges are often substantially lower than what you would pay for regular long distance phone charges, ranging from 1.5 to 4 cents per minute for the average call within North America.
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| Are Internet phones new? |
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No. They've been around for a number of years, but until recently, they haven't been all that practical. In order to give you a high-quality voice signal, they need to have a fast way of moving lots of voice data. In the past, most internet users were on slow dial-up modem connections. Today, between 53-63% of internet users have high-speed connections. This access to bigger, faster pipelines means that you can send and receive bigger, more complex types of things across the internet, including your voice. While the Internet phones were always a good idea, it's only recently that they've become truly usable to a lot of people. Now, when you make a phone call through the internet, your voice sounds pretty much the same as it does if you were calling on your regular phone. This, in addition to the absence of a charge for the call, even if it's long distance, makes internet phones a very attractive service.
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| But won't this put the phone companies out of business? |
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Not likely. In fact, the phone companies may well become the place that you turn to for this service in the near future. Telecom services are changing with the technologies that we continue to embrace. They know you're going to use what's cheaper, as long as the quality and service is there. They know to survive they must adapt, and are making major investments to begin shifting from providing Local Dial Tone services, to focusing on the development of their broadband Internet networks. Dataquest Inc. projects that global VoIP services will reach $87 billion by 2004, and another report from Frost & Sullivan suggests that VoIP will account for approximately 75% of world voice services by 2007.
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| But will people actually use it? |
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In 1988 only 2.7% of homes had a second phone line according to the FCC. Twelve years later, in 2000, more than a quarter of all households had a second line. The internet create a demand for increased services, and people were willing to pay the price. Now, for less than the cost of that second phone line people are able to get high-speed service on the same line that there phone is on. Because high-speed access is being seen as a more affordable alternative, it's rapidly gaining in popularity. More than half of the people in Canada who are using the Internet are doing it highspeed. This means they also have practical access to internet phone technologies, and therefore the ability to make long distance phone calls without paying a toll. As long as people are able to call the people and the places they want to, when they want to, and the service is reliable, free of charge, it's almost certain they will.
Right now "free" often means calling from your computer to an internet phone on someone else's. This is a great tool for people who leave their computer logged on, and who interact with other people who do the same, but for the rest, it's not especially practical. Most people want the ability to call a real phone, because many of the people you'll be calling won't be sitting by their computer waiting for your call. That's where "Internet phone companies", such as "iconnecthere.com" come in. You can purchase plans that allow you to call a real phone, either from your computer (using a virtual phone, such as X10's "X-Lite"), from your own analogue phone (with a converter attached), or from one of the new "broadband phones". Some plans allow you to pay-by-the-minute, at a cost of around 4 cents per minute for calls within Canada and the U.S.. Other plans allow you to pay between $14.95 - $19.95 each month to get rates as low as 1 cent a minute. For man people using long distance, this still comes out cheaper than even the discounted fixed-rate services they get from their current telecom.
Internet phone plans almost always offer better pricing, giving consumers access to services such as unlimited local and long-distance calling, plus voice mail, caller ID, call waiting and other features for a single price.
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| Will VoIP replace my analog phone/land line/cell phone? |
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Not yet. VoIP does not yet support the 911 service, which is a requirement for phone services in both Canada and the U.S. (though Rogers has announced plans to include the e-911 service in their 2005 Toronto launch). Most people choose VoIP to supplement their current phone service with the intention of saving on the cost of long distance service charges.
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| Who will provide it in Canada? |
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The main telecom services have already made substantial commitments to embrace the VoIP technology.
- Bell Canada has partnered with Cisco, and has already begun trials delivering VoIP to home and small business customers. Bell plans to expand the service this year through the DSL networks currently being used to deliver its Sympatico high-speed service.
- Rogers Communications Inc. just announced their plans to offer voice over IP through its high-speed cable service by mid-2005, starting by offering it to approximately 1.8 million households in the Greater Toronto Area. Rogers plan will include basic voice service, and subscribers will be able to keep their existing phone numbers. Voice mail, e-911, caller ID, directory assistance and other phone services will also be available.
- Telco provider Primus Communications has offered its own brand of VoIP, called TalkBroadband, since January. The service leverages existing networks and is available to customers over both cable and DSL.
- A substantial investment in the VoIP technology is also being made by other Canadian companies, including Nortel Networks. Cable provider Shaw Communications has also applied for competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) status, indicating its interest in voice markets.
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| I thought you said I could get it for free? |
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During the Christmas season Pulver.com allowed members of their "Free World Dial-up" service to call any real (analog) phone anywhere within Canada or the U.S. for free. While the promotion is now over, you can still use the service to make PC-to-PC phone calls at no charge.
For those who want to be able to call regular phones, you can sign up for an SIP-enabled broadband phone plan at Internet telephone companies such as www.iconnecthere.com. Other internet phone companies include Callserve, Go2Call, and Net2Phone.
There's another way you may be able to access free service in the future. Labatt Brewery offered the service free of charge to thousands of Ontario residents as a promotional tool, in exchange for listening to a 10-second Labatt commercial before they dialed out. "BlueLine" ran from July through October of 2002, with Ontarians making about 40 million calls and using a half billion minutes of airtime. At 1,000 new subscribers a day, this is a trend that may be picked up by other companies, such as Walmart, Pepsi or McDonalds, offering a free sponsored service like commercials on t.v.. Canadian VoIP carrier Onlinetel is talking with other retailers to use VoIP to reach their customers. It already uses free VoIP dialing to enhance its own local and long-distance calling plans, and it provided the technology behind Blue Line.
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| What do I need if I want to use it to call a real phone? |
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PC-to-PC based:
If you are using a computer with Windows XP, you can use the built-in Windows Messenger software, which provides SIP telephony. If not, download some virtual phone software (for instance, XTen's XLite).
You can use your computer's existing microphone, or purchase a USB handset at your local electronics store (for instance, the Eutectics IPP 200 USB handset).
To connect with other internet phone users, sign up for Pulver.com's Free World Dialup service
If you have a home network with multiple PCs, you'll want to use an SIP-aware firewall to allow them to connect to your DSL or cable modem (for instance, Intertex IX66 Internet Gate firewall).
Broadband Phone-to-PC or Phone based:
There are a variety of broadband phones (Ethernet-based VoIP phones) that you can use in place of your analogue phone. Some of the internet telephone companies are providing these as part of the service. You'll likely need to connect these phones to your DSL modem through an Ethernet bridge (for instance, Phonex Neverwire 14 HomePlug powerline) and a cable/DSL/router.
To convert your existing analogue phone to an internet-ready appliance, you can purchase a converter (handset-to-Ethernet adaptor), (for instance, The Cisco ATA 186 Analog Telephone Adaptor)).
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| What are the drawbacks of using VoIP? |
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Some people are reluctant to use internet phones. They worry about things like people hacking into their phone conversations, or viruses bringing the service down completely.
There are also concerns about the ability of some of the providers to sustain a reliable service. Industry analysts have criticized Rogers current network quality performance, and suggest that major improvements would need to be made to the existing broadband service if the new VoIP service was to be viable.
Another drawback is the uncertainty of whether or not the technology will be widely adopted, and if the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will be supportive. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission has already set a precedent, with Chairman Michael Powell saying that voice over IP would not be held to the same regulatory standards as conventional telephony.
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| Quick Kickstart -- I Want to Call Someone Now! |
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So you've downloaded a virtual phone and signed up for the Free World Dialup service, and that dialing finger's just itching to make a call.
Why not give me a shout on the "Edible Computer Hotline"? Once you've got your virtual phone set up, you can call me from your computer or broadband phone at my Free World Dialup (FWD) # 405558
There's a voice-mailbox where you can leave a message if my line is busy or I'm not in when you call. Be sure to let me know when you called, and the best time to call you back.
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| A dictionary to help you survive the new techno-lingo |
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From "Broadband Home Central"
- SIP ... Session Initiation Protocol (SIP): A signaling protocol for Internet-based communications applications such as telephony. As its name implies, SIP is used to set up a connection for a session. It is an Internet standard protocol, published as RFC 3261.
SIP is one of the two main approaches for IP-based voice and video telephony (H.323 is the other).
- VoIP ... Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): The carriage of voice telephone services over packet-switched networks running Internet Protocol (IP); often used in contrast to traditional circuit switching.
- Ethernet ... Ethernet: A very popular local-area network (LAN) architecture developed over 25 years ago and standardized as IEEE 802.3, Ethernet uses a bus or star topology and supports data transfer rates of 10 Mbps. Newer versions run at data rates up to 10 Gbps, operate over twisted pair, coax and fiber, and are used in both local and metropolitan area networks.
- DSL ... Digital Subscriber Line (DSL): A family of standards which allow data to be transmitted over high speeds on telephone lines - see ADSL, HDSL, VDSL, etc (also "xDSL")
- HomePlug ... HomePlug Powerline Alliance (HomePlug): A LAN specification, developed by an industry association of the same name, for high speed networking of computers and other intelligent devices using home power lines.
- POTS ... Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS): Analog voice telephone service provided over the public switched telephone network
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| Canada as a Leader > An Appendix of Resources |
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Canada Trumps U.S. in Broadband Use, comScore Media Metrix Canada Reports
More Than Half of Canadian Web Surfers Use High-Speed Connections
Toronto, Ont., March 17th, 2003 - While it has long been suspected that Canada had a high level of broadband usage, comScore Media Metrix Canada today reported conclusive evidence that Canadians have adopted and embraced broadband to a higher degree than their neighbours to the south. As of January 2003, broadband users represented fully 53.6 percent of the Canadian online population, but only 33.8 percent of the U.S. online population.
Through a first-ever comparison of Web usage dynamics between U.S. and Canadian Internet users, comScore Media Metrix Canada also reported that Canadian broadband surfers consume significantly more online content than their American counterparts. Collectively, Canadian broadband users account for 64 percent of all time spent online in Canada, whereas their counterparts n the U.S. account for 54 percent of Internet usage time in that country.
ALSO WORTH READING ...
Industy Canada > Community Demographics > Maps of Broadband Distribution in Canada
What is the link between broadband and Canada's Innovation Strategy?
High-capacity networks are critical to innovation. On February 12, 2002, the Government released its Innovation Strategy. One of our Government's most fundamental objectives is to create an environment of excellence and inclusiveness in which all Canadians can take advantage of their talents, their skills and their ideas. Broadband, or high-capacity Internet will help us achieve these objectives. Broadband will play an important and integral role in helping Canada become a more innovative and inclusive society and economy. We will continue to work with stakeholders in discussing how broadband can support the Innovation Strategy in critical areas, such as, learning, health, research, government on-line and commerce. Success in these areas is basic to Canada's economic and social objectives. This is an on-going process and commitment.
Bell Canada : Bell Canada and Cisco Systems Canada Team up to Bring Integrated IP Network Services to Canadian Businesses
TORONTO, Jan. 19 -- Bell Canada and Cisco Systems Canada today announced that they will team up to accelerate the creation, commercialization and delivery of a comprehensive suite of IP services that will enable large and medium-sized business customers to reap the full benefits of an integrated data, voice and video IP-based network. The strategic alliance is a key component of Bell's strategy to become a world-leading Internet Protocol (IP) based communications company.
As a result of this alliance, Bell will build on its network capability and align its investments towards a single IP/MPLS service delivery network with a national footprint. This next-generation IP network will provide the foundation for the delivery of an integrated suite of IP data, voice and video services to business customers via converged network architectures.
Rogers Takes Leap of Faith
Statistics Canada - Annual Survey of Internet Service Providers and Related Services
Most recent data release: Data for 2002 released on December 16, 2003
CePRC (Canadian ePolicy Resource Centre) - ePolicy Resources - Information Society Metrics and Analysis
2/19/04 - FCC Rules That Pulver.com's Free World Dialup Service Should Remain Free From Unnecessary Regulation.
Washington, DC - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today ruled that pulver.com’s (pulver) Free World Dialup (FWD) offering will remain a minimally regulated competitive option for consumers. The Declaratory Ruling adopted today emphasizes the FCC’s long-standing policy of keeping these consumer Internet services free from burdensome economic regulation at both the federal and state levels.
Order: Adobe Acrobat
News Release (2/12/04): MS Word | Adobe Acrobat
Insight Research Corporation - "Streaming Media in Telecom Networks 2003-2008" - a market research report
from related press release, BOONTON, NJ. November 7, 2003:
“The total number of broadband users will more than double by 2008”
Gartner Research > Gartner Predicts 2004 Weblog
07 January, 2004 02:14 PM EST
Public Network Infrastructure
The telecom industry is cautiously looking at the big picture in addressing future revenue opportunities. In a way, painful adjustments have helped the industry sober up to market realities.
While some look to the future, most will remain cautious, even fearful, of upsetting the balance they're only recently experiencing. Predicts 2004: Public Network Infrastructure discusses the telecom industry in the coming years. The six research features bring together the varied concerns of users, service providers and their suppliers.
Read the Research.
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THE WILD, WILD WEB
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HOT NEW WINDSOR WEBSITES
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City of Windsor's Interactive "People Based Budget" ...
Promising a more accessible and accountable approach to government, Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis decided to come to the people in "cyberspace".
His interactive new "People Based Budget" can be found online at www.peoplebasedbudget.com, inviting the citizens of Windsor to help council make some of the tough choices that they're facing in dealing with an operating budget shortfall of $17.3 million for 2004. In addition to a series of budget meetings with people in their wards, and a paper version of the survey, you can go online to tell the Mayor and your councillors just what you think the spending priorities should be this year, before they gather to prepare the 2004 budget this April. In addition to the "interactive budget", you can find more details about the ward meetings, and plenty of background material at the website above. TIP: to get a complete read on the survey, view the full PDF "Download Survey" the website links to first, before filling out your answers in the "Online Survey" version.
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Know of Other Cool Canadian Community Websites?
At a time when Canadians are using and are affected by computer technologies at a breakneck pace, I think it's more important than ever to create a simple way of sharing and celebrating our breakthrough innovations. That's why I'm inviting you to share your stories at the new "Computer Technologies and YOUR Canadian Community" forums. Drop by to tell me where you see innovation in action ...
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TRENDS
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BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
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Toyota to Drive New Car Sales with eBay Sponsorship
Pamela Parker
ClickZ News (Formerly Internet Advertising Report)
February 19, 2004
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EVENTS
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CANADA GATHERS
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Canadian Library Association Announces Web Awareness Day
[2004/02/19]
The Canadian Library Association (CLA), in partnership with the Media Awareness Network (MNet) and Bell Canada, is proud to proclaim February 19, 2004, as the second annual Web Awareness Day, a day designed to build public awareness of Internet literacy and of the role being played by Canada's public libraries.
2004 Flash in the Can Festival
The Design and Technology Festival
April 3-5, 2004
"Flash in the Can Awards Show"
Saturday, April 3rd, 2004, Toronto
Submissions accepted until March 1st, 2004.
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SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS ... THIS WEEK'S PICKS
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FOR KIDS ...
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BARGAIN!
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BARGAIN!
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WHAT'S HOT
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Little Bear: Preschool Thinking Adventures
(Jewel Case) by Riverdeep
Preschool Ages
$8.99
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Reader Rabbit: Thinking Adventures
(Jewel Case) by Riverdeep
Ages 4-6
$8.99
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Reader Rabbit Math Adventure Ages 6-9
(by Learning Company)
$8.99
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BEST BET ...
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Reader Rabbit Toddler 2002
(by The Learning Company)
$24.99
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Return Of The Incredible Machine
/ Even More Incredible Machines
(Jewel Case) by Vivendi Universal Interactive
$16.99
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(by Riverdeep)
Cluefinders 3RD Grade Adventures:
Mystery Of Mathra
$24.99
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FOR GIRLS ...
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Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel
(by Her Interactive)
$29.99
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Barbie Creativity Games Pack
(by by Vivendi Universal Interactive)
$24.99
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Nancy Drew: Danger on Deception Island
(by Her Interactive)
$29.99
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FOR BIG KIDS ...
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Flex Your Creativity with These Simulation Games
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The Sims Deluxe Edition
(for Windows 95/98)
by Electronic Arts
$ 19.99
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The Sims: Double Deluxe
(for Windows 98/Me)
by Electronic Arts
$ 49.99
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Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection
(for Windows)
by Microsoft
$49.99
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Living Gardens Screen Saver
by RI Soft Systems (for Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP)
Free Version | also full version for $ 14.95
Snow be gone! It's time to bring on a little spring with Living Gardens, visiting the English Garden, the Backyard Pond, and the Garden Fountain. Flowers blossom before your eyes. Each scene encompasses lively animations that include birds, butterflies, chipmunks, turtles, and fish. The classical style music and ambient sounds add to the relaxing effect of this latest installment in the "Living" series.
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Want to know what software recommendations I made during my last show?
Click here for my picks.
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You Recommended ...
Have a favourite computer tool that you'd like to recommend? Perhaps you've come across a great piece of software that would be of interest to other listeners. Drop into the "You Recommended" listener forum and tell us about it ...
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A Shout-Out to the Students at Leamington District Secondary School!
gentle listener :)
I wanted to share a note I got on the morning of my last show (Portable Fuel Cells):
| Hi. I teach computer studies at Leamington District Secondary School. I listen to the radio show each week on my way to work. I just wanted to let you know that I use a lot of your ideas in the classroom.
My computer engineering class is busy building paper computers to learn the internal components of the computer. Next week, one group will be looking at future technology. This morning's show came at exactly the right time.
Thanks for the interesting program.
Linda Soulliere |
This is my favourite kind of note to get!
Writing to Linda, I learned that she is one of the true classroom innovators. I wanted to hear more about her paper computer project, so she sent me a few pictures, with the students' permission, and a bit of insight into how they applied this project in the classroom. If you're interested in taking a look and learning more, click here.
Linda got the idea to build paper computers from another teacher. "The computer teachers in the province have developed a strong network. Since we are usually the only computer teacher in a school it is hard to brainstorm on your own. We have a yearly conference, a summer institute, a website to accumulate resources etc. www.acse.net".
Thanks Linda, and to the students in your class, for sharing this inspiring example!
To my listeners ... if you're an educator, or a student, and you've got some innovative projects and ideas you might wish to share as you continue your journey in the classroom this year, be sure to drop by the "Digital Classroom" forum. Teachers and students are also welcome to post questions at the forum if they are exploring particular topics or challenges. I'll do my best to offer ideas and suggestions, and to connect them with natural allies in other schools and within the computer industry.
A somewhat unconventional, classroom-inspired project ...
Look to the right, and you'll see a picture of a Hummer, accompanied by a brief article called "Cyber-Begging for Wheels". It's not that I'm in the habit of passing around the tin cup, but an inner-city school teacher from St. Louis decided to take his own advice when doing a class writing project, and I was compelled to share it.
Jason Pense asked his students to imagine they were about to create a "Dream House". He asked them to write about their lives as if they had as much money as a celebrity. To motivate students, he kept telling them to pretend they had unlimited money to spend. In turn, they asked him what he would buy first if he had all the money in the world. His answer? A Hummer!
A few days later Jason was eating dinner with his wife, and they started talking about "Karyn" (see sidebar), a woman who created a website to ask for donations to help pay off her credit card debt. It occurred to Jason that this was the perfect way to embark on a quest of his own: to get that Hummer!
Check out the article in the sidebar to see how he's doing exactly that, and then consider yourself invited to respond in the "Edible Computer - Social Technology" forum with a few thoughts of your own about "cyber-begging".
The "Edible Computer" Column is growing ...
In order to celebrate the launch into 2004, you can look forward to a new "look and feel" for the "Edible Computer" website! Have some ideas about the things that you think would be most useful? Particular topics? A better way of getting around? I invite you to visit the Listeners' Picks forum to tell me about it.
One of the big changes in 2004 will be a renewed focus on Canadian-based innovation! (Click here to read more about why I think this is important, and how you can participate). I'm always looking for stories to share about great new Canadian consumer computing products and services, and people who are showing breakthrough innovation in the way that they use their computers. Know of someone I should be covering? Drop me a line and let me know who they are, and what they're up to at the Am I Looking for You? forums.
I'm always grateful for your feedback. I want your experience as a listener, and as a visitor to the website, to make your journey as a computer consumer easier and more valuable.
Have a terrific Monday morning, and let's keep talking!
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Call the
Edible Computer Hotline
Download "X-Lite" or other virtual phone software and sign-up for Pulver.com's "Free World Dialup" service to call into the Edible Computer Hotline from anywhere in the world, free of charge.
Sue will be available to take your calls after the show between 9:00-10:00 a.m. ET, and again from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET on the day of the show.
Get a busy signal, or call when she's away from her desk? Leave a message in the Edible Computer voice-mailbox, with your name, the time you called, and the best time to get back to you.
Call FWD # 405558
(or 1-800-callme)
on your virtual phone.
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Broadband in Canada
"Canada has one of the best-developed national broadband infrastructures in the world, using a range of network architectures and technologies. It has achieved the highest overall broadband penetration of the Group of Seven industrialised countries. Broadband deployment continues to progress under active government encouragement, with 85% of Canadians now living in communities served by high-speed Internet access. The government’s goal is to see broadband services available to businesses and residents in every Canadian community by 2004 and a National Broadband Task Force has been established to map out a strategy for achieving this. Canada is also becoming a centre of excellence for e-commerce, both domestically and internationally".
Canada - Broadband Networks and E-Services -- (BuddeComm Web Reports)
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Canada Leads the Pack
The total Canadian residential market for broadband Internet has been growing at one of the highest rates in the world. As of last year Canada ranked 5th in the world for broadband penetration. As a percentage of total online population, 53.6 percent of Canadians Internet users access the Net via a broadband connection, while only 33.8 percent of Americans do. Nielsen//NetRatings and Ipsos-Reid data suggest that Canadian broadband usage is actually 64 percent.
In September 2002, eMarketer estimated that 14.9 million individuals currently use the Internet in Canada. According to their new forecast, the number of Internet users in the country will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.9 percent through 2004. eMarketer estimates that the Canadian Internet user population will reach 17.8 million by 2003 and 21.4 million by 2004.
In September 2002, a report by the web service, Point Topic suggested that the market for residential broadband may be limited to around 60 percent of households. This is corroborated by the experience in South Korea, which currently has the highest broadband penetration rate in the world.
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What Did We Talk About During the Last Few Shows?
Monday, February 9, 2004
Portable Fuel Cells
With the push for cheaper, smaller, faster and mobile being the trend in consumer computing, it's not surprising to see batteries making the leap into the future too. Over 35 organizations have thrown their hat into the ring on 'Direct Methanol Fuel Cells', the latest battery technology. Intended to eliminate the need for expensive rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, companies like Toshiba, NEC and Hitachi have forged partnership with producers of disposable lighters and aerosol dispensers to come up with replaceable methanol cartridges for PDAs and laptop computers. We'll see the first round of commercial portable fuel cells hitting the shelves this year, weighing about two pounds and lasting approximately five hours. By 2005 we'll see smaller versions, about the size of a AA battery, with lives of up to 40 hours or more, and lower price tags.
If you missed this show on Monday, February 9th, you can still tune in to join computer columnist Sue Braiden as she shares some ideas about this latest trend in powering mobile computing. Click here for more.
Monday, January 26, 2004
2004 Guide to Protecting Yourself Online
Due to the recent rash of attacks and scams, it's a good time to revisit the issue of personal computing security, and to address some of the more problematic new trends that are cropping up. I focused on the main areas that people become vulnerable, and talked about some simple ways they you can protect yourself. Here's a summary of what I covered ...
1. THE USUAL SUSPECTS:
viruses (destroy property; steal personal information)
hacking (theft of info; theft of home computer processing unknowingly deployed in a denial-of-service attack)
scams (e.g., the Nigerian letter scam)
spoofing (email claiming to be from an official company, but it's not; fraud)
identity theft
spam (productivity killer; often contains malicious code and spyware)
2. NEW NASTIES:
"phishing"
what is it? ... people looking for personal and financial info
how do you recognize it? ... links that don't go where they say; just hold your cursor over a link without clicking on it and see what is actually displayed in the status bar at the bottom of your computer screen
how do you protect yourself? ... never click on a link; go directly to the official website in your browser; forward the suspicious email to the official institution they claim to be representing, e.g., eBay, PayPal, CitiBank)
"harvest attacks"
what are they? ... people looking for live email addresses to add to mass mailing lists for future spam
how do you recognize them? ... nonsense subject lines; no apparent links
how do you protect yourself? ... "bounce" it when you get it (a feature of IncrediMail)
3. VIRTUAL BODYGUARDS:
virus protection (Norton, McAfee, Panda)
personal firewalls (ZoneAlarm, Norton, McAfee)
spyware protection (AdAware)
scam alerts
4. INNOVATIVE NEW PRACTICES:
SPAM-proofing your computer ...
using the "bounce" feature to make it appear your email address isn't valid (Incredimail)
"disposable email addresses" (a feature of Yahoo Plus)
Closing the windows and doors ...
preventing the display of images in emails / only turning them on in the ones you choose (Incredimail)
suppressing the execution of code (Incredimail)
5. JUST GOOD SENSE:
using reliable virus scan and firewall software and keeping it up-to-date; choosing software that updates itself automatically
subscribing to "alert" services that give you the heads up on new viruses, scams and other security issues
having an alternate email address and identity for registering products and subscribing to sites (keep it apart from your private email)
not giving out any information that's not required
only update personal information at the actual site you're registered with; never follow an email link to provide it, because it may be a spoof
Monday, January 12th, 2004
Using Your Computer to Help You Stick to those New Year's Resolutions!
Monday, December 29th, 2003
Using Your Computer to Make a Music Video
listen to show in Streaming Audio:
 Hi-Fi (DSL/Cable modems)
Lo-Fi (dial-up modems)
http://markhewer.com
A few years ago I began my search for local music artists who were using their computers to produce, promote and profit from their work, and was amazed by the sheer volume of talent I uncovered. But there was one artist who stood out because of his sheer drive and innovation: Windsor artist, Mark Hewer.
Mark not only uses his computer and the internet to market himself like nobody's business, he uses them to launch and polish grand collaborations with other music artists around the world. In addition to his own prolific work, he has a number of compositions and performances he was a part of creating with people he has never met. Never satisfied to rest on the status quo, Mark's added a new notch to his musical belt: this month he's released a music video, the result of a trans-atlantic collaboration that included a "Bono-esque" vocalist from Germany. The result is a polished, cinematic production that Hewer believes may be the first of it's kind.
If you missed the show on Monday, December 29th when I sat down with Mark Hewer to learn more about how a local business man launches a music career through the net, and conjures up a global music video with music video with other artists he's never met, you can still catch it here.
VIDEO: "Swayed" (click to watch)
ARTIST: Burn/Hewer/Iorio
LABEL: BURN PRODUCTION
Calling All
New Media Music Moguls! |
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Are you a Canadian music artist with a story to share about how you're using computers to produce, promote and profit from you work?
Drop by our "New Media Music Moguls" forum to tell us about it!
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MORE PAST FEATURES ...
Monday, December 15th, 2003
A Very Apple Christmas
with special guest Paul Rousseau
of the AppleSPICE group
homepage.mac.com/applespicemug
Monday, December 1, 2003
Hollywood-in-a-Box
with special guest Gavin Booth
listen to show in Streaming Audio:
Hi-Fi (DSL/Cable modems)
Lo-Fi (dial-up modems)
Monday, November 17, 2003
CitiStat: A Chance for Citizens to Tap Into Public Service from their Home Computer?
Monday, November 3, 2003
Turning Your Knowledge Into Cash: Are You the Next Online Professor?
Monday, October 20, 2003
Flash Mobs ... Social menace or future champion of collective community action?
Monday, October 6, 2003
This is one fashion trend you definitely DID NOT see at the Emmy's last week: "wearable" computers ...
XyberNaut.com
Monday, September 22, 2003
Throw away your business cards and burn a mittful of mini-CDs. It's a memorable yet cost-effective way to reach out and touch someone ...
Missed my shows on dealing with the latest round of viruses and tools to stop them in their tracks and clean up after them when they're gone? You can still help yourself to the tips and the tools by clicking on the links above.
GREAT CANADIAN NET STOPS
Meal Exchange
mealexchange.com
Meal Exchange is a student-founded, grassroots, registered charity organized to address local hunger by mobilizing the talent and passion of students. Since 1993 they have helped students on 45 campuses across Canada facilitate the student donation of over 200,000 meals to address local hunger.
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OTHER GREAT DESTINATIONS
Favourite Spam-Buster
Stop internet robots and spiders from "harvesting" your email address when they crawl through your web pages. It's just one of the ways that your name ends up on unwanted mailing lists on the internet. Try Dynamic Drive's "Email Riddler", a free Encryption Tool that foils the nasties.
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Cyber-Begging for Wheels
Shameless self-promotion. You've gotta love it. I've seen a lot of takes on cyber-begging before, but this one has so much marketing savvy (from the eyebrow-raising website title -- which I won't repeat here, innuendo aside, because it's a family show --; to the use of eBay to auction off paint realestate ...) that I just had to bite.
Jason Pense considers himself to be an average guy. He's an inner-city school teacher from St. Louis, with a wife, two dogs, and a cat. Oh yeah, and he also happens to want a $70,000 Hummer H2, which his inner-city school teacher's salary doesn't quite cover. The solution? Take it to the web! Send Jason a buck or two, and he'll have those wheels in no time. Send him 10 and he'll be sporting your name in the paint.
Cyber-begging is the latest twist on "the tin cup," with people hitting the web to plead their case on why you should part with a few of your hard-earned bucks and send it their way. One of the more notorious projects? Save Karyn, "a really nice girl who needs help paying off her $20,000 credit card debt". Karyn's done paying off that debt (yeah, this stuff really works), and has even published a book about her pioneering electronic tin-cup. She's not only turned her mounting debt into an entirely healthy enterprise, but inspired a landslide of copycat electronic beggars.
Check out Yahoo's "E-Panhandling" section, and you'll find everything from "the Internet Squeegee Guy" (one of the oldest and most entertaining forms of of cyberbegging), to a girl who'd like to large-size certain body parts, and a guy named Mike who wants to revive the amouré.
Cyberbegging is one of the most controversial (and down-right hostile) social technology trends around. Back to our friend Karyn, and she can tell you about the mountain of email she got telling her just how much a part of the "great unwashed in cyberspace" she'd become. Is Jason Pense worried about the same thing? Seems not too worried considering he's thinking about that new Hummer he'll be driving if he manages to repeat Karyn's staggering success.
Got a few opinions of your own on the e-panhandling movement on the web? Why not drop by the Edible Computer - Social Technology forum and sound off!
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