Presidential
RamblingsPresidential
Ramblings
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I left one of my goals for DACS out of last month's column. That goal is to start a Genealogy SIG. My Dad did years of research on our family tree. Most of his work is on paper but he did enter the names into a database on his Macintosh. I transferred his database to Family Tree Maker as part of my efforts to migrate him to Windows on a PC. Our June speaker was to have been Steve Nickle, Marketing Manager at My Family, Inc., the Provo, UT operator of the Ancestry.Com and Roots.Com web sites. Steve canceled his DACS presentation two weeks ago when his company purchased Genealogy.Com -- their largest competitor. I first called Steve late last year when I discovered the Ancestry.Com web site. My experience may not be typical, but I searched for my grandfathers and found both listed in the Ancestry World tree database along with my grandmothers. When I called my mother and read her the names, she said "well, that would be my mother's Uncle Fred". The irony is that the person who posted the names was really interested in a far-off branch of my Mother's family tree and my grandfather was at the end of his research. With Mom's confirmation of the names, I added about 15 names to Dad's database. I really hope we can work out another date for Steve Nickle this fall or early next ski season. New Microsoft MSN product not to be pooh-poohedIf you're like me, you're always looking for ways to be more efficient. Multi-tasking is a way of life. So when I heard about the iLoo, I had to well, head to the reading room where I could check out the articles in peace. The iLoo is reported to be an Internet-enabled port-a-potty. Yes, fully functional portable outhouse with a wireless keyboard and plasma screen that allows the user to take care of business while taking care of business on the web. No, I'm not making this up. Look for yourself at "Microsoft's iLoo is Flush with Greatness" along with the discussion that follows the news item. The discussion will bring back memories of all those jokes your kids bring home from grade school. Where Microsoft goes, did Apple really invent?While this item was written as a spoof of Apple technology, it was probably the inspiration for the iLoo. Check out the iToilet, in a selection of pastel colors at www.electric-chicken.co.uk. All this humor will be only a click away once Jeff gets this on the DACS.ORG web site. WirelessHow many of you are using Wi-Fi either at home or at work? Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. I always figured it was a play on words from Hi-Fi. The ability to plunk your laptop down anywhere in the house and use the Internet is really cool! Right now the biggest impediment to this technology is the industry itself, which cannot settle on a standard - 802.11b was the original flavor with theoretical speeds up to 11Mbs on a 2.4 GHz frequency band. Then came 802.11a (yes, they went backwards in the alphabet) with up to 54Mbps on a frequency of 5 GHz, so it was faster but incompatible with the first flavor. Now we're starting to see 802.11g with faster speeds (over 50Mbps) on the "old" 2.4 GHz frequency so it is supposed to be backward compatible with the original "b" stuff. So why are don't you have to pay someone for the right to use these devices on the airwaves? Well, several years ago in a fit of rational thinking, the FCC set aside a couple of small frequency bands for unlicensed use. This means that these little slices of spectrum are free for anyone to use for whatever purpose. Now they didn't just give away anything they considered valuable - after all the 2.4Ghz band already had kitchen microwave ovens and other stuff and the cordless phone industry immediately started to tell us that if more megahertz was better, then a few gigahertz must be awesome! However, the key is that no one had to pay billions to "buy" this spectrum in FCC auctions. (The debt incurred to pay for spectrum is the major problem crippling the cellphone industry.) So now you can buy a couple of relatively inexpensive devices and set up your own wireless network. I set mine up a couple years ago when this stuff still cost real money but it was a no-brainer even then compared to the cost to wire my house with network outlets. Now, as 802.11b and 802.11g gain critical mass, wireless "hotspots" are popping up all over. Some, like those at Starbucks, cost money to use but many are free. Check out the article "Internet Access for the Cost of a Cup of Coffee" in the May 8, 2003, Circuits section of the New York Times. Even McDonalds is experimenting with wireless networking. And if you thought all you could do was surf the web, well… How about making free Internet phone calls using free Internet access on a free wireless hotspot? Makes you wonder how long you'll need that $40 per month cell phone, eh? Three years ago John Patrick said this would be a revolutionary technology. He was right on! |
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