Samba sharing across LANs using an SSH Tunnel

I've tried this on a Home-Edition WinXP computer tunnelling to an Ubuntu machine with a Samba share. It works pretty well using a Microsoft Loopback Adapter and PuTTY.  Instructions given here are very easy to follow:

http://linux.byexamples.com/archives/238/ssh-reverse-tunneling/

Gerber Prodigy

This is a great full tang knife.  It is just long enough to comfortably hold in one hand.  The size overall makes it fairly compact.  The Gerber LMF 2 is probably the better choice if the knife is in constant use but this one is a good compromise, solid knife.

The metal tip at the base of the knife maybe useful for certain tasks but I find it catches on my arm when knife is worn around a waist belt.  It is also not comfortable if you want to exert pressure using your palm to push the blade through a surface.

The sheath is pretty standard nylon with plastic bracket.  It is functional and does the job.

Teksavvy, Bell, Rogers ISP

If you have a choice and choice is important...


Rogers
Rogers connection/ISP quality of service was great.  Reliable, up all the time.  However, the bandwidth cap at 60Gb for $50/month was not attractive.

After repeatedly asking them to simply match the bw cap of Teksavvy (300Gb) for the same price I was currently paying Rogers) I got no where and moved to Teksavvy.

Rogers technical support also completely SUCKED.


Teksavvy
 
Then, how about switching to Teksavvy.  Same line-speed and service, cheaper, no contract, better bandwidth for the 21st Century... and you can buy a modem instead of renting one.  This put me out $99 plus $35 connection fee.

• Teksavvy Customer Service is good, when you can get ahold of someone.
• Teksavvy's ability to resolve connection issues is awful as they are at the mercy of Rogers.

My experience... in Downtown Ottawa, Ontario...

Seamless transition may take up to 2 weeks and while TekSavvy customer service is polite they are nearly impossible to reach and cannot do anything but wait for Rogers to fix the problem.

• Problem 1 (July 2011): 10 day outage after seamless switchover because Rogers disconnected the line.  Rogers eventually re-connected the cable connection and my billing date was moved back to adjust for loss of service.
• Problem 2 (August 2011): 7 day outage with POI loop misrouting traffic. Roughly 24-48hrs  to reach tech support who have done nothing and waiting on Rogers to fix the issue.  (Coincided with back-to-school signups and Ajax Area outage).  Resolution: One week, refunded 7 days.
• Problem 3 (Feb 2012) price hike by $10
• Problem 4 (Apr 2012) Connection drop out every 5mins for 5mins for 9 days.  Not able to raise a ticket, cancelled service based on customer service.

Whole days without service: 31



Bell Fibe 25/7

Gave up on Teksavvy after Problem 4 had no ticket raised after 7 days.

Switched to Bell Fibe 25 and it was hooked up the next day... faster and cheaper than Teksavvy.  

• $37/month with a cap of 100Gb
• you can buy another 120Gb for $15/month and max of $80 overage fees.

 Also...

• Bell Fibe is actually wire to the home, fibre to the CO.
• However, in my neighbourhood it has been upgraded from 800kbps to 25Mbps.  
• Engineering tests showed the line is capable of 50Mbps and IPTV ready.

 

Garmin 60CSx

So my etrex vista has finally been replaced by the Garmin 60CSx...

I got the eTrex Vista (b&w screen) sometime around 2000.  There are newer Garmin products out there now (circa 2011) including the 62xx and Oregon models being some of the latest.  Initially the 62st sounded great (although pricey).

I started by reading several blogs & reviews but this review (1) for the 62st was particularly thorough and I decided the 60CSx suited my needs/pricepoint and was a better product (at this point in time 2010-2011) than the 62st for basic handheld GPS use.  As the reviewer pointed out it is hoped, over time, that firmware updates to the 62st will address its shortfalls.  Perhaps... but as an  Android Phone user I'm a little tired of paying for then waiting on fixes to half-finished products ;o)

End-User Support for 60CSx

Given how old the 60CSx has been and how many people have used it there are numerous good blogs & guides out on the interweb.  There is also a good source of support for most Garmin products.  For tips and tricks on the 60CSx including map installation tricks this site is great.

The 60CSx seems to be an 'old' favourite even today as it is described as solidly built and less buggy than the newer versions.  It also has:

• omi-directional antenna giving better accuracy,


• a more readable screen under sunlight and


• less jumpy/spidery behaviour when standing still.

It also has compared to my eTrex Vista:

• USB 1.0 and a USB MassStorageDevice microSD card, in my case it came with a 1Gb card despite the marketing saying 64Mb.


• slightly better battery life,


• a colour screen compared to my eTrex Vista,


• navigation seems easier,


• the build quality is solid and now squeeking as heard in the newer models.

Maps & Garmin 60CSx

I have by no means explored and learnt all there is to know about importing and arranging maps for the 60CSx. The main purpose of this blog post is to point out the free mapping solutions out there and specifically those linked to openstreetmap project.

My initial experience with MapSource 5 and 6.1.6.3 web-update are a bit temperamental especially if you use other 3rd Party map installers.  I am hoping to find a solution that doesn't not require the use of MapSource.  It is still included with 60CSx sales unlike in the newer models it is removed and has to be purchased.

OpenStreetMap (OSM)

The most exciting thing I want to share is the openstreetmap project.  It has a fantastic wiki with links to many pre-compiled maps and is becoming as good or better (more current/accurate) than commercial alternatives.

Also worth a mention is the Mapping Projects wiki page which lists by geographic location the roadmaps over which OSM maps are being created and compiled.  Routable-maps for say the whole of Canada.

In addition, projects using the freely available Canadian Government data sets for the whole of Canada and the work that has Dale Atkin done with the Ibycus project (currently non-routable topo maps).

Within minutes (ok, 40mins at USB1.0 rates) I'd copied the gmapsupp.img over to the micro SD card under USB mass-storage-device mode and it was available on the device.

You can browse the openstreetmap maps here online.

 

http://ibycus.com/ibycustopo/