Selected TechNotes – October 2004

“Finding yourself” on your PC
No doubt after much time and discussion, Google has come out with a free search engine for the PC. This seems to be a useful application, which, once loaded on your PC, will index all your files and give you a search field with which to find them. It will index all your e-mails, files such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as all the Internet web pages that you have recently visited. Although Google says this is still in early development, it seems to be doing a really good job already. More about this at: http://desktop.google.com/

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
An example of RFID that really shows the value of the technology is the Vatican library that has apparently tagged about 30,000 of its books and plans to tag about 2 million of the library’s inventory of about 40 million items. If every book is tagged with RFID, the library will be able to track every book it has very quickly and accurately. According to the RFID Journal, RFID is a term used to describe radio waves that automatically identify people or objects. The trip(?) that is attached to or imbedded in the object contains a serial number, which can be read by a portable reader. Since the reader does not have to be in line of sight, it is able to read the tags without actually "seeing them". While bar codes are low cost, since they are printed on regular laser printers, RFID tags are somewhat more expensive to produce and so tend to be used on more expensive articles. If tracking large numbers of articles is a challenge for you, this might be one possible solution. RFID has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for implanting under a patient's skin to help doctors gain important information in the event of an emergency. Other possible uses are to track pets and livestock. One source of information on this is the RFID Journal at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/

Spyware
So, at first you thought you are safe on the Internet; then everyone started talking about identity theft and other nasty things. Sometimes additional programs are necessary to run websites effectively, but can also be used to track information about you and your behaviour. This information might be collected by way of small programs that are installed on your machine automatically. It may even be a simple “cookie” that is used to help a website respond to you more personally. Sometimes it may be more sinister. There is a range of software available that is very easy to use, to scan your machine for these kinds of nasty things. You can even get spyware scanners free of charge, but don't expect a free one to actually remove the offending programs. They will normally just tell you that you have a problem. Much like anti-virus programs, anti-spyware programs need to be updated at regular intervals. You can find a list of these programs at any PC magazine website and will typically include products like: http://www.webroot.com/products/spysweeper/ and http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/

Cell phone jamming
Getting tired of cell phones ringing in theatres? The jamming of cell phone signals has for some time been regarded as potentially risky in case criminals get hold of the technology and prevent people from making use of their cell phones when they need to. France has led the field by approving a law that allows concert halls and theatres to install systems that will prevent cell phones from receiving or sending any signals, with the exception of emergency calls. With one country having led the field in this, no doubt others will follow.

Expansions in wireless communication
There is an increasing range of technology to help computer users remain connected to the Internet. In recent years, many countries have rolled out Internet connectivity via cell phones using GPRS and it is becoming commonplace to find offices and conference venues with WiFi installations. A technology that is now becoming more available is called WiMax and is being installed in both Australia and South Africa. People living in high-density city areas who do not have access to broadband Internet via telephones or cable systems, may wish to use this as an alternative. Many notebook PCs at present are being sold with WiFi already installed and future models will include both WiFi and WiMax. For users who have the necessary subscriptions, their PC would then be able to switch between WiFi and WiMax connections depending on which one is the most cost-effective or available at that time. While WiFi does not require the PC to be in sight of the aerial, WiMax tends to work on line-of-sight, but over a very much longer distance. WiFi is limited to about 25 metres usually, but WiMax can go as far as 50 kilometres. A reference site on this is: http://www.intel.com/netcomms/technologies/wimax/index.htm

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