Shop Amazon with Text Messages

Gee, what took them so long? A new service called TextBuyIt provides Amazon customers with the ability to purchase items through text messaging on their cell phones. By sending the product name, UPC code, or ISBN number to 262966 (which is Amazon on your keypad) Amazon will send back a message allowing you to purchase the product if they stock it. You need an existing Amazon account (which is free) to take advantage of this service. Check out the details on Amazon's TextBuyIT page.

This could easily stimulate sales for Amazon. If you are shopping at an electronics store and see a camera that you like you could easily check to see if Amazon carries it at a lower price.

Discussion Questions for Students:
1) Would you use the Amazon TextBuyIt service? Do you think this is an easier way to shop than going to Amazon's web site?
2) Have you ever bought anything using your cell phone? Was it a good or bad experience? Would you buy this way again?
3) What other companies should consider offering items or services for sale by text messaging? Explain how you think this would stimulate sales.

Recycling Technology - Dispose of Broken Computing Devices Responsibly

Here's a catchy little tune called the Dead iPod song. It describes what to do with your iPod when it inevitably dies.



Many companies now have recycling programs. Apple has an iPod and cell phone recycling program which provides you with a free (they pay the postage) way to send in your broken iPods and cell phones for environmentally responsible disposal. Dell's recycling program always provides free recycling for Dell branded products. And if you buy a new Dell system and select free recycling at the time of purchase, Dell will even recycle your old computer and monitor for free even if it isn't a Dell product.

Discussion Questions for Students:
1) Do you have any broken computing devices at home? How are you planning on disposing of them?
2) Have you ever thrown an old computing device in the regular trash? What impact do you think this had on the environment?
3) HANDS-ON ACTIVITY: Search the Web for technology recycling programs in your area that accept old computers and monitors. Are there limitations on what types of devices they accept? Is there a charge to the consumer for recycling?

Bluetooth Security Problems and Solutions

As most of our students have cell phones, many of them also have Bluetooth devices such as wireless headsets. However, most people don’t realize that Bluetooth transmissions are not a secure technology. In this video, Joshua Wright (an instructor at the SANS Institute) shows us how easy it is to listen in on a Bluetooth device and even inject your own audio into the device you’ve compromised.



Although requiring technical skills beyond the casual computer user (as it involves using Linux and other seemingly arcane protocols), a computer science student would probably have no trouble in replicating these actions. In fact there are many web sites that list Bluetooth hacking tools with links to download them. Fortunately there are simple ways to protect yourself from Bluetooth snooping and one of the best resources for Bluetooth protection is on the Bluetooth site itself. Following these guidelines should help your students (and you!) stay more secure when using Bluetooth enabled devices.

Discussion Questions for Students:
1) What types of Bluetooth devices do you use on a regular basis? Have you configured them (after pairing them with your devices) into a non-discoverable state so that other Bluetooth devices can’t find them?
2) Have you updated the firmware (for that matter, what is firmware?) in your Bluetooth devices lately? Do you know how to do this? Do you know why it is important to do this?
3) Do you have antivirus software installed on your phone or PDA? Do you keep it updated on a regular basis?

Carry an Operating System in Your Pocket

With large capacity flash drives, we have almost reached the point where we could carry our Windows environment with us in our pocket and have access to our familiar desktop and settings wherever there is a public computer. But we really aren't there quite yet.

A practical solution available now is taking Linux with you on a flash drive. Linux isn't geeky and scary any longer. The interfaces for many Linux builds, like Ubuntu shown below, look almost exactly like Windows.



The advantages of using your own Linux OS on a public computer are:

1) Reduce the risk of picking up viruses and malware from a public computer - When you boot a public computer from a flash drive you completely eliminate any interaction with the public computer's operating system. This significantly reduces the chances that your flash drive will become infected by any malware running infecting the public computer.
2) Linux isn't as prone to attack - Since Windows has a 91% market share, people who write malware tend to target Windows systems. By running Linux on a public computer, you are much less likely to be the target of an attack or infection.
3) Enhanced privacy - When you run off your own storage medium (flash drive), you avoid reading and writing to the hard disk of the public computer. Therefore, you don't leave traces of your activity behind.
4) Ease of use - Instead of dealing with a different configuration on each public computer you use, you have access to an operating system with which you are familiar.

Sometimes you can't find a public computer that lets you boot from a USB drive. You can also take a CD with you that contains a Linux OS which should help avoid this issue.

You still need some virus protection but fortunately you can get free antivirus programs that run in a Linux environment such as avast! Linux Home Edition. If you buy a flash drive with a switch that allows you to make it a read-only device, this will also increase your level of protection.

There are many distros (different variations of Linux) that you can choose from to load onto your flash drive. An excellent resource is Pendrivelinux which has many distros available for download and step-by-step instructions on how to install them to your flash drive. Personally, I like Ubuntu and Knoppix as they both include OpenOffice (which is just like using MS Office 2003) and the Firefox browser. But download a couple different distros and see which one you prefer.

And if you are a Mac user, there is an option for you too! gOS is a distro that provides a very close approximation of OS X so you too can feel right at home.

Extending Your Wireless Range & Finding Free Wireless

Many of you have probably experienced the frustration of being out of range of a wireless signal when you need one. Even though hot spots are growing at a rapid pace, you aren't always within range of one that you can log onto for free.

In the video below, Mark Erickson who creates video podcasts called Infinite Solutions, shows you a hack to extend the range of your wireless card. Although it is disappointing that he didn't put the tin foil dish on his head, this is still an interesting solution.



And here's a video on a software product called WiFi Radar that helps you easily detect wireless networks that are within range and the software also sees if it can log you into the networks that it detects.



However, you should exercise extreme caution when searching for wireless networks. Just because you can detect a network and log onto it, doesn't mean that you are legally entitled to do so. You could be guilty of violating "piggybacking" laws. Piggybacking is using someone's bandwidth without their permission. So I recommend sticking to hot spots that are free where merchants are encouraging you to log on (such as Panera Bread). Web sites like WiFinder can help you locate hot spots that you may access legally.

Discussion Questions for Students:
1) Have you ever logged onto a wireless network without the owner's permission (such as a neighbor)? What do you think the implications would be if you get caught engaging in this type of activity?
2) Is it illegal where you live to "piggyback" on a wireless signal? Do you feel it should be illegal to connect to an unsecured wireless network even without the owner's permission?
3) Where can you go locally to legally connect to a wireless network and get free Internet access? What types of benefits do merchants like Panera Bread derive from providing free wireless access to their customers?
4) If you aren't a customer of Panera Bread, do you think it is fair to sit outside in your car and connect to their wireless network?

PCs Made From Corn?

Disposing of e-waste from computers and other electronics is rapidly becoming a worldwide problem. Many parts of computers, especially the plastic components, are not readily biodegradable. Environmentally conscious manufacturers, such as Fujitsu, are exploring renewable resource options for computer components.

At the CES 2008 trade show Fujitsi unveiled a notebook computer with a case made of a corn-based polymer as instead of the usual plastics derived from petroleum products. Fujitsu states that the main component of the case is "polylactic acid, also known as PLA, a resin that comes from the fermentation of the raw biomass from plants. PLA by itself is biodegradable, does not generate dioxin when burnt, or other harmful gases." The video below discusses the notebook.



Discussion Questions for Students:
1) Have you ever bought a computer or electronic device because it was manufactured in an environmentally friendly fashion? How important was this in your purchase decision?
2) Do you know what environmentally hazardous substances are contained in your current computer? Are any of these present: Lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants? Why do these substances pose hazards?
3) Where can you go locally to ensure that your discarded electronic equipment is properly disposed of or recycled? What questions should you ask before handing over your equipment?

You can find plenty of information on the EPA's site.

Discussion: Are Computers Going the Way of the Dinosaur in Japan?

When people think of Japan, they frequently associate the country with its technology. After all, Japan spawned the electronics revolution. Therefore, it will probably surprise you and your students to find out that personal computer sales are on the decline in Japan. This is mainly due to lifestyle changes and demand for other products such as large screen TVs, cell phones, and other mobile devices.

Computers can often be bypassed in today's digital world. Many people download music directly to their cell phones, even here in the U.S. And in Japan many more consumers use their cell phones to shop online than they do in the U.S. Often consumers connect digital cameras directly to printers and digital video recorders (DVRs) directly to TVs to view photos or videos, thus eliminating the need for a computer. And downloading movies directly to the TV is also very popular in Japan.

A survey conducted in 2006 by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs indicates that over 50 percent of the Japanese people surveyed used mobile phones to send e-mail and browse the Internet. As might be expected, the survey also reveals that 30 percent of the people using their phones to send e-mail used PC-based e-mail less, with 4 percent indicating that they sent e-mail solely from their cell phones and didn't use their computers for e-mail at all.

But as sales of computers are shrinking in Japan, business is booming in most other parts of Asia. Computer demand is still very strong in developing countries where the percentage of the population owning computers has been low. Check out the full article for more information.

Discussion Questions for Students:
1) How many computing devices do you own? Laptop, desktop, cell phone, iPod, digital camera, camcorder, etc.
2) Do you use your cell phone to check e-mail and surf the web?
3) Have you found that as you use your mobile device more often, you're using your computer less?
4) How will owning mobile devices affect your decision to purchase your next computer?