Winston Smith wrote on Aug 18^th, 2013 at 7:45pm:


I saw a documentary once, a hacker merely sat in his car driving around with a laptop which was searching for wireless signals, once he found one it took him 2 minutes to get past the security programme, crack the passwords and extract all sorts of private information including bank account numbers and passwords ... he then moved onto the next house and did it again.... in one hour he had about 15 id's complete with photo's, bank account numbers and passwords. 

Winston Smith wrote on Aug 18^th, 2013 at 7:45pm:


I saw a documentary once, a hacker merely sat in his car driving around with a laptop which was searching for wireless signals, once he found one it took him 2 minutes to get past the security programme, crack the passwords and extract all sorts of private information including bank account numbers and passwords ... he then moved onto the next house and did it again.... in one hour he had about 15 id's complete with photo's, bank account numbers and passwords. 

# wrote on Aug 18^th, 2013 at 11:36am:

The more I think about this, the fewer objections I see. I once bought a battery-powered TV. It was black & white, which gives some idea of when I bought it. I rarely used it and didn't buy a replacement.

In short, for decades I haven't used a TV that wasn't plugged into a power socket. If a TV is already going to be tied to a wall socket, what difference does another cable make?

These days, we have so-called "smart TVs" that are pretty useless without an Internet connection. That connection can be wireless, but wireless tends to fail on HD content.

My home TV is far from smart. Even so, a couple of years ago, I had a couple of network sockets installed behind it. Two sockets proved inadequate, so I added a four-port switch. Components attached to the TV that need network access include:

• PVR with online schedule;
• media player (my media is stored on devices on my home network);
• Android dongle (which came with WiFi that proved inadequate) and
• an old PC that has been pressed into service as a tuner/PVR/server.

I guess it comes down to the best value use of the spectrum. Given a free fibre connection to the vast majority of premises, is there a higher value use for the spectrum?

longweekend58 wrote on Aug 19^th, 2013 at 9:53am:


Not my area of expertise longy, but I believe you can even download programmes that crack passwords. And yes, some passwords are kept on the computer

# wrote on Aug 21^st, 2013 at 12:08pm:


what a silly response.  does every powerpopint In your house where you might choose to plug-in a TV is there a Ethernet internet connection right next to it?

Your comments about smart-TVs make you look rather silly.  Since when was a smart-tv useless without internet????  do u even own one???

A smart TV, sometimes referred to as connected TV or hybrid TV, (not to be confused with IPTV, Internet TV, or with Web TV), describes a trend of integration of the Internet and Web 2.0 features into television sets and set-top boxes, as well as the technological convergence between computers and these television sets / set-top boxes. The devices have a higher focus on online interactive media, Internet TV, over-the-top content, as well as on-demand streaming media, and less focus on traditional broadcast media ...

free-to-air TV will never be on cable.  that defeats the purpose of it. 

Your belief that TV will go tot he NBN is one of the stupidest and most idiotic suggestions Ive heard yet.  I think tho that the title of stupidest definitely goes to conroy and Gillard thinking that the NBN will empty hospital beds because health care can be delivered over the internet.  that was THE DUD of the NBN argument.

... From a wholistic approach, fibre is better because it's safer ...

Claim:   Lightning strikes have killed people who were talking on the telephone.

Status:   True.

Origins: Lightning ranks second only to floods in storm-related deaths in the United States. On average, Phone more than 60 people are killed by it each year. Not even tornadoes or hurricanes top it in terms of lives lost.

We know not to be outside when electrical storms are flashing through the area, or — if we are caught by surprise — not to seek shelter under trees but instead to crouch and take the wetting until the danger has passed. Yet as aware as we are of the peril posed by summer storms, most of us naively presume we're safe from those errant bolts from the sky when we're indoors.

Yet we're not. Not only have lightning strikes into the nearby ground sent massive power flares into the electrical and telecommunications wiring of proximate houses and flung volt-ridden jolts up pipes and into sinks and bath tubs, bolts themselves have come in through windows to fell occupants of domiciles. Although indoors is a far less hazardous place to be than outdoors during a thunderstorm, it is still not safe.

...

Even talking on the telephone during a storm is not absolutely safe. On average one person is killed by lightning while talking on the phone each year. Standard telephones (what are coming to be called land lines, meaning handsets that are plugged into outlets within the home or office) can be somewhat of a risky proposition during an electrical storm, as the wires through which telecommunications takes place can be hit by lightning, with the resultant electrical discharge instantly zapped through nearby handsets and data ports. Yet this danger is small and the number of such strikes relatively low. Even so, as thunderstorms approach, some people opt to unplug costly electrical appliances from power outlets (lightning strikes to power lines can send catastrophic discharge into one's TV) as well as uncouple phone lines from computers and modems. These same folk don't dream of answering their phones until the storms have passed.

John Smith wrote on Aug 21^st, 2013 at 1:02pm:


the password to your PC is worthless.  if hides nothing whatsoever.  All it does is permit access to the Windows OS.  your data is unencrypted and accessible by any computer you plug the drive into.  If you want security then get real security or don't bother.  Proper encryption products are virtually unbreakable. and unlike the movies and TV shows, they don't allow some external program to enter attempt after attempt until you get it right.  Most will actually lock the data after a certain number of tries assuming that the person attempting to get in is unauthorised.

John Smith wrote on Aug 21^st, 2013 at 3:25pm:


please don't tell me that you think wireless is inherently more likely to be hacked that fibre.  the fibre will connect to a modem with ... yes a wireless connection.