WR54G SVEASOFT to LINKSYS

I like many in the early days of the wireless G spec, wanted to boost my coverage area, so I invested in bigger antenna and the famed SVEASOFT firmware (which for the record does a excellent job), Recently though I needed to flash my WRT54G v1.0 back to the original Linksys firmware.. Simple right, anybody with a TFTP client and a cable can do it. Well it ain't so. Seems that going to SVEASOFT is easy, but back isn't, and requires a harrowing (and warranty voiding) adventure. Once you've gone away from the stock Linksys firmware your required to manually put the device in standby mode in order to flash it with a different type of firmware. Not too hard one would think, but it involves shorting out a couple of pins on the ROM that holds the firmware (not something for the squimish). The detailed directions are in the links blelow and I must commend the authors for being so detailed. Even I was able to follow it enough to make it work. I'm happy to report that my WRT54G 1.0 is back in the Linksys saddle again and it was really a sinch.



http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/redhat/wrt54g_revival.html

http://nino.net/blogs/nino/archive/2005/06/09/744.aspx

What version WRT54G do I have?

I will add some detail to the information found in those links that is specific to v1.0 of the WRT54G.

1) The rom chip your looking for sits underneath the card that is in the slot inside the unit (tricky to find when 90% of it's covered up).

2) The markings that the postings elude to aren't on my version, so use the exposed side and count up from the triangle symbol you see in the picture to pins 15 & 16.

3) You must have your patch cord plugged into the WAN or INTERNET port. (duh for some but just thought I'd mention that)

Enjoy!!

-Z

Fix IE7 ToolBar location

After 10+ years of using IE, Microsoft has decided to move the Menu Bar down below the address bar. For old-timers (like me) this is just too much of a switch. So in the beta there was the ability to change the location by adding a key to the registry.

Keep in mind that there is no warranty on any of this information. This may damage your system. The information is provided "as is" with a implied hold harmless agreement to ZuCom and all related parties (now that we've got that out of the way)


Here's what worked for me..

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\WebBrowser]

"ITBar7Position"=dword:00000001



Or below is a link to that registry key
MOVE_IE7_TOOLBAR

-Z

SnowBall - One foot in front of the other

One foot in front of the other


If you want to change the reflection
you see in the mirror each morn
it's just your election 
to vote for a chance to be reformed

-WW

The Grain

"To avoid a confrontation, it's sometimes necessary to go along. Other times it's necessary to stick out and just play by your own rules."

William H. Moses

The Plan

luck isn't a plan, but without it a plan isn't much

-???

"Telecommunication Philosopher"

..recently I had the fortune to watch some unedited footage of the Apollo 11 coverage.  At the end of the tape there was a panel discussion with, (and I'm not kidding here):   

an editor of a newspaper
a telecommunications philosopher
and an amateur ecologist

Initially I was struck by the title "telecommunications philosopher".  A title I've never tried myself but from the shear name, one I may have been able to claim in the past.  As I listened to this 1969 broadcast I was struck at the amazing message that was being sent.  The panel focused on the ecological reasons for going to the moon.  As one would imagine the impact of automobiles on the environment was the center of the argument.  Juxtaposed against some 2006 ecological documentaries the message is shockingly similar.  Have we progressed so little in almost 40 years that we can do no more than predict the end of the automobile, and the end of nature as we know it?  Either this panel was 40 years ahead of thier time or our societies argument about the automobiles impact on the environment hasn't changed during that period.

And what is a telecommunications philosopher doing on that panel?  Was he invited to the wrong panel? After all this was 1969, DARPA was probably not really a household name.  Modem's were a bit crude at best and, let's face it the only cellular phone calls were coming from Apollo.  Then it struck me.  Tele Communications Philosopher was a Television Communications Philosopher.  So, although my interest was peaked by the mis-communication (couldn't help myself there) of what I thought was a primer on sending packets back and forth to the moon, I was reminded that our view of polution in 1969 may still be relavant today.  Much more relavant than the term "telecommunications philosopher".

-ZuCom

Consensus

"one primary key to leading is the ability to build a consensus"


...even bad leaders know that you can't lead without a support of others.


-ZuCom

Joe Clark

"disipline is not the enemy of enthusiam"

-Joe Clark

Control

Control is an illusion, mastered by fear, and held captive by risk

--ZuCom

True

"when they own the information.... they can bend it all they want"


John Mayer..

Words to live bye

"Never follow a leader who leads by proxy" ...???


Remember the 3 D's in leadership....

Do it,.....Delegate it,...or Ditch it... .......HSZ


-Z

Quote of the Week, Change the way you look at things

Change the way you look at things and the way you look at things change

???

Linksys BEFSR41 (any version) FTP issue

Recently my 5+ year old Linksys router stopped translating PASV commands for the FTP protocol. This showed up first by throwing errors during the LIST process and then just ended up refusing to translate any PASV commands. In the end the inconsistency finally resulted in no Active or Passive FTP traffic whatsoever, with all other features working just fine. Linksys's Routers are one of the few that can dynamically handle PASV commands and port shifting, without leaving open ports on a perm basis. It accomplishes this with an API translator that is prone to corruption. I've not found a way to fix the issue (that wouldn't have cost more in time than the cost of a new router). If your functioning FTP site suddenly stops translating PASV commands and starts throwing 226 and 500 errors and it's behind a Linksys BEFSR41 try removing it from the loop of possibilities. Just might save you some time.

Sure there can be a litany of other things that can cause the issue, last on most peoples list is the routers translation API, but it's really not that uncommon of a problem for these normally iron clad work horses.

Long live your BEFSR41, rip to the rest...


-Z

Know your seasoned customers

Know your customers, treat them like they want to be treated, build relationships by what you do not what you say you do..

All good statements, not often followed.

Take sports season ticket holders for example. Most teams put "guest service" representatives in the sections where they know they have season ticket holders. One might call these season ticket holders "seasoned customers", and the related guest service representatives "relationship managers". It really works well, the relationships that are created are amazing.

Enter the newbie, "unseasoned customer". What better advertisement for what a company (or Team) than for the newbie to witness that relationship unfold a few seats down. Never underestimate the collateral of a relationship, it may be your best advertising avenue ever....


-Z

WWDC 2006 Quote of the week

This has to be the quote of the week.... at least it's got my vote..


"are you a digital survivalist or a an old school analog hippie?"

-Z

Am I the only NON-RAZR owner?

Seems like everyone has a RAZR these days (at least in the airport where I am today). Can anyone tell me about the VZ (Verizon)Navigator Service and how it works with your model phone...

--What model??
--Battery life while using it??--How accurate is it??

Thanks

iPod Shuffle - Waterproof?

The iPod Shuffle might just represent the prefect marriage of design and technology. No suprise that it's made by Apple.

Ultra portable, yet possessing an amazing battery life, this little Fair Play compliant device can act as a thumb drive to store your files, play your MP3's for hours and hours, and recharge from any standard USB port. Functional and technical, perfection!.

Recently a colleague and I shared how our Shuffles' had become like an appendage when it came to our daily routines even more so than our full size iPods. You can imagine my shock when I awoke one day to find that my Shuffle had gone missing. Apple really should think of adding a GPS location device to it for those of us who are absent(lazy) minded. When it was located it just happened to be in the dryer. My shock of realizing that my daily workout routine would not include my favorite tunes was only shadowed by the realization that my poor Shuffle had been run through the spin cycle and then 70 minutes of high heat drying and probably dead. I plugged the Shuffle into the USB port of my Powerbook and went on to work out. I returned 30 or so minutes later and opened iTunes to find that the Shuffle was mounted, charged and reporting that it was ready to add new songs. ?? ??? ???? Could it be that the darn thing was going to work? I quickly found a new pair of earbuds. (as they didn't fair very well in the dryer) I undocked the Shuffle and fired it up, and to my amazement it worked!!.. Now I would not suggest that anyone test this, al la MythBusters but I would also not assume that your Shuffle is necessarily dead until you see the iPod reaper.

Small, Ultra Portable, Powerful, and now Waterproof, the Shuffle continues to amaze.

Da Vinci Code Quote of the Week

Da Vinci Code Quote of the Week

"...want to know more about the Da Vinci code... go to church on sunday, "

Leadership in I.T. - Not a lost art.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
As the Information Technology business has evolved so to have it's leadership challenges. Many companies realize too late that investing in the development of a good leadership team is often critical to thier success. With the speed of inovation in the Information Technology business the challenge to fill this key component often over shadowed by competing priorities. Before they know it many I.T. professionals find themselves in a leadership position they are ill prepared to handle or really don't want. ZuCom has developed a mentoring program to help I.T. leaders navagate the waters and strengthen what skills are inherient to all of us.


Leadership Development by ZuCom

Perfect Logic, Beautiful Loser

He wants to dream like a young man
With the wisdom of an old man
He wants his home and security
He wants to live like a sailor at sea
Beautiful loser
Where you gonna fall
When you realize
You just don't need it all
He's your oldest and your best friend
If you need him he'll be there again
He's always willing to be second best
A perfect (begin my edit) logic (end my edit), a perfect guest


- Bob Seger.... Composer...

Thanks to Jeff, Bobby, William, Detroit, Bob, and the Silver Bullet (not the beer)..

Sunday Morning Sermon

Sunday Morning Sermon

3/5/06

Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places, sometimes it comes from exactly where you expect. When you go to a leadership conference you expect to be inspired. When you go to church you expect to be moved. For that reason (and many more) the receivers "expectations" which may be set by a venues "aura" may put communications in those places at an advantage to others. Believe me though if you listen close enough you'll realize that the sermon of life can come from just about anywhere. Take for example Rocky and Bullwinkle. No not the 2000 film (although it had De Niro and some other great stars in it). I mean the 60's television show.

On the surface the show is based on a the adventures of a squirrel and moose (Rocky and Bullwinkle) from a town called Frostbite Falls, who battle the forces of evil (Boris and Natasha). When you look at the characters you soon realize that there is a very thinly drawn statement about leadership with an admitted dogmatic undertone. On the surface you have characters who portray two recurring roles. One role being confident but not so smart role and the second being a pessimistic but oh so cunning role. As is often the case in real life these roles play out under the guidance a character called the "fearless leader". What may be lost by only giving a cursory look, is the underlining statement that is made about management. As dogmatic as it may seem, you will often find the roles portrayed in people you see every day. It may not always be obvious but the reality effect of this show is probably what made it so popular during it's run. The interplay between these roles is where the rubber meets the road.

So what's the insight? Where is the inspiration? To this end I can only suggest that each individual find their own answer by looking within themselves.

What I see is a very close correlation to two different team management styles. The "fearless leader", who micro-manages Boris and Natasha and the self directed team management of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Save the good vs. evil undertone, both management styles are portrayed along with the benefits and pitfalls of each. If you find yourself leading a Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris or Natasha (and we all do at times), you might find the answer to what you seek in the simple message a cartoon can send. Take what you will from this post, no doubt the venue of your "situation" will highlight what you seek.

Mac OS X Tiger & Linksys PCMCIA Card

Recently a friend brought over a TiBook (PowerBook G4 400). After playing with it for a while I noticed how limited the range was on the built in Airport card. The well reported limitation was actually worse than most of the published reports. After checking to make sure the AirPort card and antenna was plugged in properly it became apparent that the infamous limitation was indeed a design flaw and not a a hardware issue.

Not being one to leave well enough alone, I began a journey to resolve this limitation. After some research into the Airport card it became apparent that the drivers for it were loosely similar to the open source Broadcomm equivalent. Loosely similar might not be that accurate but it got me where I needed to be. A few years ago I ran to a problem trying to find a RedHat driver for my a Linksys WPC54G. Although Linksys didn't make a linux driver at the time, the solution was to modify a Broadcomm driver to fit the Linksys WPC54G card. Could that mod also work for Mac OS X Tiger?

To test the theory I inserted the Linksys card into the TiBook pcmcia slot and began to search for the files I needed to modify. Before I could launch Spotlight I realized that the Signal Strength meter was on full. After checking the Preferences it became apparent that the Linksys WPC54G card was supported by OS X natively. Tiger had disabled the internal Airport, enabled the Linksys WPC54G, copied the WEP key over to the new "Airport Port" and connected to the default SSID. Who could have known. NO MODIFICATION NEEDED! This BLOG is minutes from when the card was enabled but this seems REALLY strange. Who would have guessed that OS X Tiger had support for Linksys PCMCIA NIC adapters. Please post if you find out others that work as well. Either way I would think this is a boon for Apple. Linksys (now owned by Cisco) is a huge player in the NIC market. Gotta hope that the Intel switch won't effect the nougaty center of OS X by removing support for things like this.

Disclaimer.
I can only tell you that it worked for me. I've not tested it on other machines and I've not tested it with other cards. If you decide to try this you do so at your own risk. All readers of this blog must hold all parties harmless for it's content.

How hard do IT people work?

Just too darn funny not to add to the blog

Call us what you will: Systems Developers. Programmers, Engineers, etc.. It's our determination and tireless work that drives this technology world..

MacOS-Vista ;-)

Windows Vista Features - Spoof (MacOS X)


Link is now dead but file name was: real_vista_episode_1.mov

Stabilized Zapruder video footage?

Image-stabilized Zapruder video footage?

Not sure personally but worth a look...

Link Dead file name is: zapruder_stable.mov