WiFi network? Open or Protected?

I was reconfiguring the wifi on my old Dell laptop this weekend and I noticed that one of my neighbors now has a wifi network too. That network was wide open, available to anyone with a wifi device. This is the default setting of most wifi routers when you take them out of the box. But this is a problem.

It’s important to protect your network. Malicious folks can employ your open network to commit internet crimes like transferring child pornography, sending massive amounts of spam, etc. These activities, if discovered by law enforcement, could be traced back to YOU.

So, add wifi security to your router by turning it on. The ones to use are WPA or WPA2. Avoid WEP because it is easy to break. You’ll have to configure your wifi devices such as laptop computers as well, with parameters and passwords to match what you set your router to. And if you want to share bandwidth with your nearby neighbors, give them the security info.

Dogs with Bones

A friend told me how much her dogs like stew bones. She gave me 2, I boiled them and the dogs love them.

Fall Foliage

A couple of fall foliage pictures from Prescott, AZ. Certainly not New England, but better than the desert.

Maple trees near Fair Street

Cottonwood near Granite Creek

Parrot imitates smoke alarm, saves 2 from house fire

A parrot imitated the sound of a smoke alarm when a fire broke out in its home, saving 2 humans and itself. Another story of an animal companion aiding its people in a critical situation. I wonder if our grey cheeked parakeet Larry would be capable of such a feat? And I hope never to find out!?!

California Wildfires

Scary stuff. I remember the 2002 “Indian” fire (if you follow this link, go to the bottom of the linked article) here in Prescott, AZ. It got into the city limits, several homes burned, many were evacuated.  At the time my mother-in-law was living near the White Spar fire house, she and her neighbors were on standby to be evacuated. She saw glowing embers from the fire drifting in the wind.

This also reminds me of a California joke going around in the late 1990’s: Name the 4 seasons in California? Fire, Flood, Earthquake, and Riot. We in AZ have lots of things to say about CA and the waves of CA “refugees” who move here every year. When we meet someone who moved here from The Peoples Republic of California, we often greet them with “Welcome to America!”.