Mmmm... New Computer Smell...

OK, I'm a nerd. I'm not proud. Well, I think I fit more into the geek category than nerd. Different sides of the same coin, but with social skills being the determining factor.

So, with that stated, there is an expectation that I would have the newest, greatest technology at hand. I would tell that expectation to not get ahead of itself.

We have had a pair of Dell Dimension 4600s since about 2005. They weren't bad when they came out. However, time took its toll. We added RAM - one is at 1.5GB, the other at 2.0GB. We added a DVD drive to one when the CD crapped out. We added some hard drive space. We upgraded the video cards. They weren't bad figuring the biggest load they had to operate under was playing World of Warcraft (we don't play anymore, but tell me if you want an invite).

So, here we are in 2012, with one computer running World of Tanks at about 12 FPS and the other freezing up on Frontierville (holler at Heidi if you want a neighbor). This doesn't even take into consideration the time needed to copy files, load graphics, or download video from Hulu, Netflix, HBO Go, or any of the Anime herself has been watching...

Now, thanks to me overpaying my taxes last year (that is SOOOO getting fixed), we (well, OK, I) bought a pair of new PCs. We now have matching Dell Inspiron 620STs (review is for the MT). 3.0 i5 processors (go Sandy Bridge!), 8GB RAM, 1TB hdd... shweet! We kept our old monitors (we have extra still...).

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Now for the hard work to kick in. Windows 7, while awesome in many respects (Have you tried Vista???), does come with a learning curve from the administration side, having spent most of the last decade in XP. It does work, though, and the hurdles are worth it.

• Admin account - Check!
• My account without admin privileges - Check!
• Kid's account without admin privileges - Check!

OK, copying over the files we want from the old PCs...

• Documents - 7800 files = 6.5GB... that seems a lot... I'll need to go through and cull some of those later... Check!
• Music -  3239 files = 11GB... and all legal - Check!
• Movies - 146 files = 2.5 GB... We will need to start culling some of those as well... The little girl likes to shoot videos of the TV sometimes... Check!
• Images - 8200 files = 19 GB... Goodness... that will take a bit. Waiting until no one needs the system

Copying over some various game files I don't want to lose... (I didn't work that hard to get to the last stage of Medal of Honor: Airborne Assault just to have to start over again...) Oh, and the pirated copy of the old D&D software (check my D&D Posts here, here, and here)...

Now... for the old PC... hmmm... kid's PC... paperweight... Let's check Lifehacker... they are always good for things like this... hunh... Media Box or Network attached storage (NAS)...

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NAS it is!

We have about 1 TB spread across several hdds in the house. Once everything is off these, they will go into one of the old PCs, the RAM will get consolidated, and then I have a decision:

• Install Ubuntu and go from there,
• Install Free NAS, or
• Keep XP, remove all the crapware and set up a dual-boot with Ubuntu...

For now, I think I may go with the latter... Always open to input. No action taken as of yet.

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The Upshot - What works here as NAS or backup or whatever you want to call it may end up being what I end up using at the museum. We have been looking at a couple options for backups or fileshares. Unfortunately, we may be limited to the use of Windows...

Improving the Country Through Rural Wi-Fi

I heard about the introduction of "Whitespace Broadband" in Wilmington, North Carolina this morning on NPR and then saw an article about it when I got to work.

This is a GREAT thing!

I grew up rural. We had four channels: the big three and PBS (my wife had two with occasional PBS). By the time I got to junior high, we had a fifth channel broadcasting syndicated shows in the UHF range. We couldn't get cable - unless we paid to lay it - and satellite was just coming into vogue - albeit with a huge metal receiver dish that would make the NSA proud.

Over the years, I have spent most of my life in a rural/semi-rural environment. Without government subsidizing electricity, water, phone, and road infrastructure, these folks would still be living the life of Russian serfs. One of the last areas that has been built up to a decent level is internet access. The use of the old analog TV radio frequencies for this is a HUGE step forward. Access will improve and (more importantly) speeds will improve.

Why is speed important? Currently, most rural internet users live in 1996. Dial-up is the rule, not the exception (note - yes, there is satellite and microwave internet, but they are both prohibitively expensive and each has it's own issues). My in-laws have dial-up. Most ISPs advertise access speeds above 56Kbps, yet the lines and equipment used for transmission is sixty years old (or older). This may allow downloads in the 24-36Kbps range and uploads about 14Kbps... OK, most rural internet users live in 1994.

My internet access at home is in the 7-10Mbs (7000-10,000Kbps) range with uploads in the 2-3Mbs range. I can email a document (conservatively) eighty times faster than they receive it. I can download webpages almost 200 times faster... Loading video on dial-up is prohibitively ssssssslllllllloooooowwwwwwww on dial-up... let's not even go there... Whitespace Broadband is apparently faster than my Cable Internet, but I would like to see the numbers from Wilmington.

An effect of this - less education about what is going on in the world around you. Yes, you have your satellite TV. Yes, you can keep track of what is going on from the point of view of the news channel you choose to watch. However, you don't have access to the Khan Academy, foregoing one of the best learning institutions on the planet. You don't have access to the Weather Channel info about your specific location, foregoing information about the hurricane, tornado, or blizzard bearing down on you..You don't have access to all of the news sources the world has to provide, foregoing the opportunity to learn about opposing viewpoints and the chance to be a better informed citizen.

If this isn't inequity, I don't know what is.

I am not trying to suggest, as some are, that the Internet is a human right. I am suggesting that the better educated the populace, the better the country. Expand Internet infrastructure cheaply and efficiently and your people will reward you. But first, they will have to get in line behind the residents of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Other articles on this:
Network World
PCMag - with explanation of how this works and it is not really 'Wi-Fi'
PC World