Trucker Tech

Net Neutrality: Consumer Right or Privilege?

What is Net Neutrality?

Simply put, it's the concept that all Internet Traffic should be treated equally. Those promoting Net Neutrality, however, have established three general definitions, as follows:

• Absolute non-discrimination: University of Michigan Law School professor Susan Crawford "believes that a neutral Internet must forward packets on a first-come, first served basis, without regard for quality-of-service considerations."
• Limited discrimination without Quality of Service tiers: Allowing for QoS discrimination as long as no special fee's are charged for higher-quality service.
• Limited discrimination and tiers: Allowing tiered fees; higher fees for higher QoS and lower fees for lower QoS, as long as all get equal access - receiving the QoS level that we each pay for.

Net Neutrality nothing new

The current concept of "Net Neutrality" has its roots in the The Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860 which created a Federal subsidy to build a coast-to-coast telegraph line. Language included within the Act stated:

"messages received from any individual, company, or corporation, or from any telegraph lines connecting with this line at either of its termini, shall be impartially transmitted in the order of their reception, excepting that the dispatches of the government shall have priority ..."

What does this mean to all of us?

On one side of the issue, the side that opposes "Absolute Non-discrimination", sit the major Internet Service Providers, cellular providers and hardware producers. On the other side sit consumer advocates, web-based businesses, and a few technology companies.

Trucker Therapy

I began my Over the Road driving career back in the late '70's. At that time, communication was limited to pay phones and the U.S. Mail. I remember how happy I was when truck stops started putting phones in restaurant booths. Of course, those phones had their own issues; but they were better than nothing.

Communication has always been an issue in the trucking industry. When I dispatched trucks, I always wanted my guys to call as often as possible. That was a pain in the butt for them but, since it was so hard for me to "reach out" to them, it was essential that they call often. Drivers talked to me far more, generally, than they talked to their wives, kids, friends and other family members. I'm a good guy but that ain't the way things should oughta be!

Having experienced trucking when communication was limited, the new technology - cell phones, satellites, email and even video calling - has offered the answers to so many issues. This stuff is the reason my blog exists. Still, even with all of the improvements, maintaining long distance relationships is an issue.

I hadn't really thought about it, before finding out about a web site called "Trucker Therapy", but, even though you may share a home with your spouse, the reality is that you're very likely involved in a long distance relationship. And that goes for your relationships with all your family members; brothers, sisters, mom, dad, etc., not to mention friends and co-workers.

In my estimation, if you can do something to improve the quality of your relationships then you should. Even though the avenues of communication have expanded greatly since the days when I began, the avenues that now exist are not without their issues. The guy's name is Buck Black - and there's a multitude of methods available for communicating with him. Give it a shot.

iPhone Apps

For years, I took an anti-Apple stance. Really. I went so far as to adopt Oranges as my fruit of choice. Well, I'd eat a Fuji. I mean, they're really just another cheap Japanese knock-off; aren't they? Hmmmm....

Anyway, I'd purchase almost any mp3 device - as long as the name of said device didn't start with an i. Being staunchly opposed to Mac's I found it difficult to order a Big Mac - or wear worn jeans with a comfortable sweater. When the iPhone was introduced, I sneered at the hipster fools standing in long lines, begging for the opportunity to plunk down way too much hard earned cash for another overpriced Apple product.

I've changed my tune. Literally. Last year, after my most recent non-i-mp3-playing thingie bit the dust, I bought an iPod. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread and I've started to rethink my bias. How could I have been so wrong?

Recently, I visited my local Mac store and, after playing with the various laptops and desktops, I've decided to stick with PC computers. But I bought an iPhone. How have we lived so long without this device. Calling it a phone, as a matter of fact, is entirely insufficient. I know that 24 is sponsored by Sprint but, for crying out loud, if Jack Bauer had an iPhone it wouldn't take him a whole day to save the world.

The thing that makes the iPhone most amazing is the absolutely endless number of things you can do with it. There are seemingly thousands of applications that have been developed. So many that I know I can't possibly keep track of them. In case you're curious though, PC Magazine has collected, in several articles, 35 Blockbuster iPhone Apps, 21 Cool iPhone Apps, and Apps you won't find at Apple.  

Making Video Calls with Skype

It's all really sci-fi; isn't it? Remember all those old movies, set in the future, that portrayed characters talking to one another with video? Video phones and cars that didn't need drivers were two of the primary methods old sci-fi movie makers chose to indicate that their movie was set far, far into the future. Well boys and girls, video phone calls are here. In fact, they've been here for quite some time. You still need to drive your own vehicle, that little development is still, thankfully, somewhere down the line, but you can talk to, and see, anyone with a High Speed Internet connection and a webcam, right now.

In case you've not experienced the joy of talking with someone, while simultaneously viewing them, now's your chance to discover just how easy it is. Take a look at "How to: Make Video Calls with Skype", and, for crying out loud, put your shirt and pants on before you make that first call.  

Garmin® nüvifone ™ Combines GPS and Cellular

I wasn't aware of the fact but, according to Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO, the Garmin nüvifone “...is the breakthrough product that cell phone and GPS users around the world have been longing for – a single device that does it all.” I knew I was waiting for something and now I know what it is; but, since the nüvifone is yet to hit the market, I'm still waiting.

The nüvifone is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2008 and, since it's a phone in search of a carrier, I'm assuming that, by then, appropriate agreements will have been reached among appropriate parties. No one knows how much it'll cost, yet, but I'm confident that it won't be cheap.

Garmin didn't announce the cellular technology upon which the phone portion is built but Engadget is claiming to know that it's HSDPA. If they're right, AT&T will probably be a leading candidate as a cellular service provider.

Verizon vs. Intelius

Verizon Wireless has been tireless in its efforts to keep cell phone numbers private and cell phone users free from frivolous telemarketing, polling or myriad other irritating calls. For awhile, Verizon Wireless was the only cellular provider refusing to participate in the Wireless 411 Project; calling it a "Dumb idea".

Now, as Intelius, a data mining company, has somewhat surreptitiously let its plans to sell the cell phone numbers of private citizens be known, Verizon Wireless yesterday urged the company to halt the mining and sale of these numbers:

"Stop it. This is a violation of Americans' privacy. People expect their cell phone numbers to remain private," said Steve Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel of Verizon Wireless. He added that Verizon Wireless intends to take whatever steps might be necessary, including litigation, to protect its customers' numbers and privacy.

According to their web site, Intelius plans to charge a fee to find "unlisted or unpublished" cell phone numbers as well as identify the wireless service provider. This information is mined from the Internet, personal Web pages and other sources, and has not been authorized by individuals to be sold for this purpose.

"Trolling the Internet, using data mining techniques and simply buying lists to create a directory are actions that clearly violate a consumer's right to privacy," Zipperstein continued. "Verizon Wireless has long refused to release our customers' numbers and we call on legislators and policy makers to ensure that what a consumer wants to be private stays that way."

Verizon has a long-standing policy of keeping their wireless customers numbers private and has even gone to the trouble and expense of filing, and winning, civil actions against unscrupulous telemarketers. (See, for example, this and this.) Still, Verizon Wireless has come under attack by some for their own data gathering efforts while others are critical of them for failing to cooperate in efforts to create a cell phone number directory.

Personally, I'd just as soon keep my cell phone number private. I resent the fact that a company like Intelius feels information that I've not provided to them and the commercialization of which I've neither granted permission or been compensated for is theirs for the selling. In this issue I stand wholeheartedly behind Verizon Wireless and thank them for their efforts on my behalf.

Turning a Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone or PDA into a Wi-Fi Router

Way back before the introduction of WiFi to truck stops, before cellular services offered "broadband" data transfer, I sometimes used a PCMCIA modem card connected via dongle to my Nokia cell phone; all in an effort to at least get my email. This Internet connection method was painfully slow, usually less than 10kbps and never faster than 20. This first experience using a cellular connection to the Internet is likely the source of my bias for WiFi and against cellular.

Still, I use cellular as a backup to WiFi. There are times when the means and methods I have available to me just aren't sufficient to pull in a truck stop Wi-Fi signal so I tether my cell phone to my laptop and surf away.

Recently, though, I was made aware of a method by which certain SmartPhones, those running Windows Mobile 6, and possessing both Ev-Do and Wi-Fi capabilities, can be turned into a Wi-Fi Router. Oh, sure, there's a good chance that doing so will run afoul of your cellular carriers terms of service agreement, and you'll want to be sure that you don't overrun the bandwidth limitations of your "unlimited" service account, but, if you don't mind installing "beta" software or fiddling with some of the settings, your phone can, for all intents and puposes, become a Wi-Fi router.

Honestly, I can't imagine more than one or two situations in which going to this effort makes any sense but, if you want to share, say, your Verizon cellular connection, you can do so.

Here's how:

• Download a utility call WMWiFiRouter, which, essentially, enables Internet Connection Sharing on your Windows Mobile 6 (and possibly WM5) device.
• Visit the XDA Developers Forum where you'll find a fairly good guide/tutorial and where you can, if you get confused, ask some question.

As Gizmodo points out, it's one way to get 3G access to your iPhone. Just don't complain to me if your battery bites the dust after 20 minutes of using both radios at once...best use it when plugged in.

Just How Fast Can Cellular Broadband Get? LTE/SAE Promises 100Mbps

In an article published Thursday, December 20, by TelecomWeb it's been reported that Long Term Evolution/System Architecture Evolution (LTE/SAE) has, during tests, reached data transfer rates of 160Mbps. Of course, these are tests and, although they were described as having been "conducted in a real urban outdoor environment with multiple users", they are, nonetheless, somewhat theoretical in nature.

When this 4G technology is ready for its public debut, a date most experts expect to arrive sometime in 2010, the actual data transfer rates should reach 100Mbps on the down-link, 50Mbps on the up-link, and exhibit far less latency (short transmission delays) than current 3G cellular technology provides. Additionally, since the efficiency of LTE/SAE is far greater than that of current 3G technology, meaning LTE/SAE uses less bandwidth to transfer the same amount of data, the increased data rates won’t come at the expense of network capacity.

This most recent test, like the previous test, was conducted by Nokia-Siemens in concert with the Heinrich Hertz Institute in Berlin, Germany. So, why is this of any interest to you and me?

Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 4

Download Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 4

In the Gear and Gadgets portion of Trucker Tech's fourth podcast episode I take a quick look at a specific cellular signal amplifier marketed as the the Arc Wireless Freedom Antenna. After that I discuss the many positive attributes of the Cyfre and Peak Reception line of cellular amplifiers. You may recall an older post, which still gets quite a bit of traffic, regarding, among other things, the Cyfre CA-819 Direct Connect Amplifier; well...both Cyfre and Peak Reception now have more than that to offer those seeking signal boosting devices.

Keeping with the cellular theme, I discuss the recent revelation by Verizon Wireless that, sometime in 2008, they'll be opening a portion of their network to outside devices, applications and services. Finally, I offer a brief discussion regarding the Linksys NAS200 storage device; as well as one or two reasons why you might consider adding Network Attached Storage to your home network.

The tech tip for episode 4 has to do with the issue of setting up a personal Virtual Private Network. I usually suggest that most folks, if they need a VPN for hotspot security purposes, go with the JiWire Hotspot Helper but it's entirely possible, and fairly easy, to get similar security, plus the ability to remotely access and control another computer on your home network via the Internet, by setting up your own VPN.

Lastly, my commentary, not surprisingly, has to do with the probable demise of SiriCOMM. I'm not just rehashing my previous posts here, rather, I'm a bit steamed about the events leading to the eventual separation of truckers from their money; receiving nothing in return.

Quick Links

Cellular Signal Boosters

• Arc Wireless Freedom Antenna
• Freedom Antenna @ 3G Stores
• Cyfre
• CyfreAdapters.com
• Peak Reception
• Maximum Signal

Network Attached Storage

• Linksys NAS200
• Linksys NAS200 Setup Video

Setup Your Own VPN

• LogMeIn Hamachi
• RealVNC
• LogMeIn Hamachi Tutorial
• Remote Control Another PC Securely with VNC and Hamachi: Tutorial
• Hamachi Info from Wikipedia
• Setup a Free VPN (Article)
• Buy "Over the Road Wireless For Dummies" @ Amazon.com

Open Cellular Networks & Google Android Security Concerns

• Google Waves $4.6B in The Face of Spectrum
• Android @ F-Secure
• Google's Android platform could complicate security
• Open Handset Alliance for Developers

The bumper music I use in this podcast comes from the PodShow Podsafe Music Network. Check it out at 'music.podshow.com'. If you'd like more information regarding the songs and artists just leave a comment and I'll fill you in.

My Odeo Channel (odeo/fcbb724b34f9b157)

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-93a3f84f7a829507233805ec2a81b679}

Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 2

I received a fair amount of positive response to the first Trucker Tech podcast so I've been spurred on to continue this effort in a more organized and regularly scheduled manner. The plans, going forward from this date, are to publish subsequent podcasts every Tuesday morning. My fervent hope is that you find them interesting, helpful and entertaining.

To that end, I'd really appreciate any effort on your part to leave a comment. I'm open and eager to hear both criticism and commendation. Additionally, if you've got any suggestions I'm open to those as well.

Download Trucker Tech: Episode 2 - Left click to begin play or right click and save to file.

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Show Notes and Quick Links

I thought that in the first segment of this episode I'd share a little about my background, not that I'm all that interesting but, mostly, just in case any of you wondered. In the second segment I discuss a few tech gadgets, and their potential impact on the trucking industry, then, in the final segment, I've got a short commentary regarding Biodiesel.

• Dash Express YouTube Video
• Google Android
• AX BlueStream
• Jawbone
• Foolproof Hotspot Security
• Using a VPN for Hotspot Security
• JiWire Hotspot Helper

The bumper music I use in this podcast comes from the PodShow Podsafe Music Network. Check it out at 'music.podshow.com'. If you'd like more information regarding the songs and artists just leave a comment and I'll fill you in.

My Odeo Channel (odeo/fcbb724b34f9b157)