Into Tech

Laptops with wireless internet links should not be put on children’s laps, a government adviser says.

Regular commentator Bill Thompson wonders about stories questioning the safety of wi-fi networks.

The City of London fires up its first mesh wi-fi network, promising access from anywhere in the Square Mile.

War-driving, the nefarious art of stealing other’s people’s Wi-Fi bandwidth by driving around with a laptop, is now somewhat of an urban sport. However, more people in the UK are getting nabbed by the police for stealing Wi-Fi from the comfort of their cars. But how?

We know police have trouble enough catching large gangs of marauding drunk teenagers in town centres at any given weekend, so how the hell do they manage to catch one person, in a car, at night with a laptop? It seems, it’s less to do with great deductive reasoning and hi-tech and more down to really stupid people.

Here’s how not to do it, like the guy caught in Redditch a few days ago.

(a) If you’re planning to steal Wi-Fi from some home at night, don’t park in front of their house
(b) Don’t cover your windows with cardboard because that doesn’t look at all suspicious to passersby or nosey neighbours.
(c) Poorly cut cardboard does not stop the flashing blue light from your notebook’s display, just makes it look like there’s a disco in your car.-Martin Lynch

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Two people are cautioned after being caught in the street using other people’s wi-fi internet connections.

Two people are cautioned after being caught in the street using other people’s wi-fi internet connections.

Sony is great at coming up with great little audio products and add-ons but, as always, there’s nearly always a price to pay. In the case of the dinky little Sony Cube – or the TDM-NC1 Digital Media Port Wi-Fi Client – it’s the £110 price tag.

And the fact that it’s only designed to work with Sony Bravia home cinema kit. Apart from that, it’s quite good. You hook it up to the Digital Media Port (DMP) of your Bravia surround sound kit and stream music from your PC. It has a bright digital display, weighs 11oz and measures 7.5 x 7.6 x 7.5cm.

It’s compatible with ATRAC, AAC and WMA music files but will not play DRM-protected tunes unless they’ve been bought from Sony’s CONNECT music download service.

See, what did I tell you about those little drawbacks? US-only at the moment but should be here in the coming months.-Martin Lynch

MP3 music gadgets sony audio

Icron’s WiRanger USB hub looks like a normal USB hub except for the wireless antenna that connects it to the USB receiver which hooks into your PC. So we suppose it doesn’t really look like a normal USB hub after all. Unlike other wireless USB solutions, the WiRanger uses 802.11g, but in all other respects it behaves just a normal hub. That means all your standard USB gadgets will work just like in a standard hub.

What’s the point? Mostly to hook up a USB printer or some various low-bandwidth devices at a distance. But hooking up a USB hard disk over its 802.11g may not deliver the kind of performance anyone would like. – Jason Chen

Product page [Icron via Everything USB]

The PS3 might not be the most punctual nor the cheapest console [LOL] on the market but it’s certainly the first one to be banned from UK prisons. It would be amusing to think that prisoners had taken a vote and decided that their hard-earned drug money would be better off spent on the Wii or the Xbox 360 Elite but, no.

Home Secretary John Reid said the PS3 could be used by nefarious types to “send and receive radio signals” thanks to its in-built Wi-Fi. The full statement – in response to a parliamentary question was:

“Advice was issued to all prisons in December 2005 that the Sony PlayStation 3 was barred from the prison estate because of the equipment’s ability to send and receive radio signals.”

I somehow doubt that the lack of a PS3 behind bars is going to stop inter-prison communications. Last time I checked, they’re still allowed visitors, phone calls, letters and the option to bribe the guards. Will this PS3 record make it to a press release? -Martin Lynch

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Neighbours are great for certain things, like borrowing sugar, beer and lawnmowers off but the downside is that they tend to spy on you and steal your Wi-Fi.

Sticking with the paranoia theme of the blog below, it’s time to stop hacking neighbours – and terrorists in your neighbourhood – nicking your Internet access and stealing your identity. Rather than investing in hi-tech gear though, all you need is a tin of paint. Or should I say, the EM-SEC Coating System. You know this for real by the ridiculous language security firms use – just read on.

EM-SEC Technologies has created a new paint – or “Electromagnetic Fortress” that blocks hackers intercepting data from the airwaves. Just one coat of the EM-SEC Coating System will do the trick. The company tested it on its HQ, a.k.a. its Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF). See what I mean?

This stuff was created for the US military but has now been cleared for corporate and domestic use. There’s no price but I’m guessing it’ll give Dulux a run for its money.-Martin Lynch

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