All posts by thekruser

I am a database and web developer who is starting to dabble in mobile application development. My ramblings are not always politically correct, but they are mine. If I offend you, you should grow some thicker skin.

How to Attain WEP and WPA Simultaneously

First and foremost, I must give credit to one of my twitter pals, TroyBrownBBNews, without whom this post would not be possible. Without his help, I would not have gotten it to work.

So, you might be asking yourself, “Why would I want to have anything to do with WEP?” The answer is, you shouldn’t, but there are still many devices out there that have not yet made the switch to full WPA, let alone WPA2. Simply stated, much like the age-old adage about a chain and a weak link, your network can only be secured up to the level of the lowest security-enabled device. In other words, if you have a device that you must have on your network that’s highest level of encryption is WEP, the highest level of encryption you can enact would be WEP. A WEP-only device will not connect to a WPA network. For instance, and in my case, if you have a child who happens to own a Nintendo DS Lite or DSi, you understand why. For the longest time, I refused to lower my encryption for the home network to allow for online game play. However, in today’s market there are several games that cannot be fully played unless an internet connection is made available. Therein lays the conundrum. Do I lessen the level of protection, or do I deal with purchasing games that my son cannot fully enjoy (and also listen to the repeated pleas for internet connectivity)? The answer is: I can have both with a little work. And so can you. Let’s get started, shall we? Continue reading How to Attain WEP and WPA Simultaneously

Securing your Wireless Network

wirelessSo, you have a wireless network. Now it is time for you to take security seriously. Most people think that setting up a wireless network and hiding the SSID is all you need to do. I have been in networking for several years, mostly as a service tech. I cannot tell you how many times I rolled on a service call to find that a customer’s wireless network had been compromised, often without them even knowing. In my experience, internet leaching neighbors is the most common form of network compromise. However, wardriving is an even bigger threat. When a wardriver finds your unsecured (or weakly secured) network, it is often loaded to a server with GPS coordinates letting others know where they can go to leach internet, or worse. While there is little you can do to stop a truly dedicated hacker, it is rather simple to keep your network from being labeled as a prime target. Continue reading Securing your Wireless Network

Manually Reset your Router

Personally, I like to reconfigure my home network every now and then to make sure no one who may or may not have gained access to my system without my knowledge does not enjoy free internet for as long as they live near me. There will be times that you will need to restore your router to factory settings…say, if you have forgotten your admin password, for instance. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Luckily, you do not have to buy a new router. Continue reading Manually Reset your Router

Power Cycle your Device

There will come a time when your wireless devices will not connect to your router, even though the Wi-Fi light is blinking. There will be a time when your router will not connect to your modem. There is an easy process that will solve 75% of all “no internet connection” problems that exist today. It is called the power cycle. Continue reading Power Cycle your Device

Humor from UPS Airlines

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a ‘gripe sheet,’which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics corrects the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one; a reassurance to those of us who fly routinely in our jobs. By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident. Continue reading Humor from UPS Airlines

Divorce Agreement

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, and Marxists, et al:

We have stuck together since the late 1950’s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each otherfor many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way. Here is a model separation agreement: Continue reading Divorce Agreement

You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop

Sometimes we all need to be reminded of the greatness of the American people.

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying, ‘Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.’ Continue reading You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop

Airspace Violation Protocol

In addition to communicating with the local Air Traffic Control facility, all aircraft in the Persian Gulf AOR are required to give the Iranian Air Defense Radar (military) a ten minute ‘heads up’ if they will be transiting Iranian airspace. This is a common procedure for commercial aircraft and involves giving them your call sign, transponder code, type aircraft, and points of origin and destination. I just flew with a guy who overheard this conversation on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency 121.5 MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai. It’s too good not to pass along. The conversation went something like this… Continue reading Airspace Violation Protocol