Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society

Author: ttcsadmin

  • updates to software on the TTCS OSSWIN CD since v1.84

    updates to software on the TTCS OSSWIN CD since v1.84

    Did several updates to the TTCS OSSWIN CD that will be available for this Saturday’s meeting. Here’s a list of the updated software since v1.84 was released December 29th, 2007 :

    • Sumatra PDF 0.8 slim, portable, open-source PDF viewer for Windows.
    • ConvertAll 0.4.1 Unit Conversion program
    • Wikidpad 1.8rc12 Wiki-like notebook for storing anything you can think of to write down
    • Stellarium 0.9.1 Map the night sky on your computer
    • Sokoban YASC 1.423 Yet Another Sokoban Clone – for Windows
    • Scorched3D 41.3 turn based artillery game based on the classic DOS game Scorched Earth. Supports LAN and internet play
    • GIMP 2.4.3 bitmap editor suitable for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
    • Paint.NET 3.22 image and photo editing tool for Windows XP and greater
    • FileZilla 3.0.5.2 fast FTP and SFTP client
    • Halite 0.3 download files via BitTorrent, a client file-sharing protocol created to overcome the obstacles of transferring large files over the Internet
    • ClamWin Free AntiVirus 0.92 ClamWin is a Free Antivirus for Microsoft Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista.
    • KeePass 1.10 KeePass is an open-source password safe

    However, due to the increased file sizes of the updates, three programs were removed from the CD :

    • Jools 0.20 puzzle game similiar to Bejeweled
    • wxMusik 0.4.2.2 An open-source, cross-platform multimedia player and library.
    • Rainmeter 0.14 customisable performance meter and other applets for the desktop

    Been working on a DVD version of TTCS OSSWIN, but too much activities occupying my time now.

  • TTCS tech meeting on Saturday 26th January 2008 – look at OLPC laptops and EEE PC laptops

    TTCS tech meeting on Saturday 26th January 2008 – look at OLPC laptops and EEE PC laptops

    The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS) will be having a tech meeting on Saturday 26th January 2008
    from 1pm to 5pm at Hand Arnold (Trinidad) Limited, El Socorro Road Extension, El Socorro, San Juan (see map at
    http://ttcsweb.org/handarnold-map)

    Two One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) laptops and two Asus EEE PC laptops will be shown at this meeting.

    The meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more about these laptops. A $20 contribution towards refreshments is expected.

    The TTCS OSSWIN CD will be available for $40TT at this meeting.

    See you there!

  • Cell phone text, voice messages submitted as evidence in Trinidad and Tobago Court for first time

    Cell phone text, voice messages submitted as evidence in Trinidad and Tobago Court for first time

    Text messages, pictures and voice mail stored on a cell phone was submitted as evidence in a Trinidad and Tobago court for the first time on Wednesday January 16th, 2008.

    The court case is against a man accused of murder in a preliminary inquiry being held at the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrates’ Court. The victim’s girlfriend Nokia’s cell phone contained the voice messages from the accused. According to the Newsday article :

    Three voice messages, left on the Nokia phone of the victim’s girlfriend by the accused, were extracted by police from the phone’s SIM card using a special software called Pure Voice.

    The messages were tendered into evidence in the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrates’ Court as audio files saved on a CD-ROM. Also on the CD-ROM were seven digital photographs, as well as a special forensics report of the phone compiled using Cell DEK software.

    The phone had initially been examined by PC Daniel Hernandez, of the Analysis Unit of the Homicide Bureau and yesterday he told the court how he used special software to extract the three messages and then saved them on a CD-ROM.
    ….
    Yesterday also marked another first, with the court being shown 30 text messages from the phone of Ash, which was also extracted from her Nokia bmobile phone using special software.

    Found a link for Logicube CellDek which I believe was used for the forensics report for the cell phone ; although a link to Pure Voice which I believe is from Qualcomm is hard to find.

  • The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008 was introduced in the Trinidad and Tobago Senate on January 15, 2008.

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008 can be downloaded from the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament’s website :

    According to the introduction :

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2007 seeks to amend the Copyright Act, 1997 (Act No. 8 of
    1997) (hereinafter called “the Act”) to facilitate Trinidad and Tobago’s accession to the World
    Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty (hereinafter called “the WCT”) and to the
    World Intellectual Property Organization Performances and Phonograms Treaty (hereinafter called
    “the WPPT”) and to strengthen the enforcement provisions of the Act.

    (Update : 17 Jan 2008 – Here is a link to the Trinidad and Tobago Copyright Act, 1997)

  • Updated events on TTCS calendar for January 2008

    Updated events on TTCS calendar for January 2008

    The TTCS online calendar of TTCS meetings/activities at http://www.ttcsweb.org/calendar has been updated with several events in January 2008 :

    – Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards meeting re: ISO IT standards that TTBS is obligated to vote on, including the Microsoft Open XML standard. If there are any comments re: ISO IT standards (see past posts on the TTCS blog and on the TTCS announce mailing list ), please email admin at ttcsweb . org

    – TTCS tech meeting on Saturday January 28th, 2008 – demonstration of OLPC and Asus EEE PC laptops

    – Comments due on ICANN GNSO initial report on domain tasting. See http://ttcsweb.pbwiki.com/DomainTasting for more background details.

    You can view the TTCS calendar online at http://www.ttcsweb.org/calendar/ . You can also subscribe to/add the TTCS calendar to your calendar software/website via these links : iCal | XML | Google Calendar

  • BBC News : Trinidad’s music pirates of the Caribbean

    BBC News : Trinidad’s music pirates of the Caribbean

    BBC News article : Trinidad’s music pirates of the Caribbean.

  • Network Solutions accused of Domain Name Front Running

    Network Solutions accused of Domain Name Front Running

    Via /. is the story that Network Solutions Registers Every Domain Checked at their website. Any domain that is searched on Network Solutions’s website for availability is preemptively registered by Network Solutions if the domain is available. Network Solutions also hosts a webpage at the queried domain, thus forcing you to purchase the domain from Network Solutions instead of another registrar.

    The recent ICANN Los Angles meeting of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) had a discussion on this (the video is still up) and had issued an advisory (PDF ; 197K) seeking comments from the public on whether domain name front running takes place.

    I’ve recorded a video today (January 8th, 2008) in real-time, showing that the process occurs less than 2 minutes after querying Network Solutions for a domain.

     

    The domain in the video queried at Network Solutions is http://ttcs-domain-testing-test-from-trinidad-and-tobago.com/

    Network Solutions has responded to the accusations of domain name front running, calling the pre-emptive domain registeration “a security measure to protect our customers” and that the domain is released just before the end of the 5 day grace period.

    (Edit Jan 9th, 2008 – minor edit to 1st paragraph and added more details on Network Solutions response)

  • TTCS pizzalime on Wednesday January 9th, 2008

    TTCS pizzalime on Wednesday January 9th, 2008

    The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society will be having a pizzalime on Wednesday January 9th, 2008 from 6pm to 9pm at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout.

    Come join us as we eat and chat about various computing related topics including TTCS planning for 2008. Hardware from the past two meetings should make an appearance.

    Contribution of $30 towards refreshments is expected.  Copies of the TTCS OSSWIN CD are available for $40TT.

    See you there!

  • T&TEC plans to deploy broadband over power lines

    T&TEC plans to deploy broadband over power lines

    More details about the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) planning to become a broadband internet provider in an article in Thursday January 3rd, 2008 Newsday newspaper :

    …Carol Balkaran, Tariff Analyst at the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) said TTEC plans to deploy the service utilising a Broadband over Power Line (BPL) Technology Platform which also has regulatory implications for RIC [Regulated Industries Commission] and TATT [Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago].

    “BPL is a technology that offers exciting possibilities for TTEC. It can provide a host of internal benefits that can improve the performance of the service provider. If the service is to be offered commercially then it can possibly enhance the competitiveness of the broadband market in Trinidad and Tobago, “ Balkaran said.

    BPL, also called Power Line Communications or PLC combines the technological principles of radio, wireless networking, and modems to send data over power lines at speeds equivalent to those of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable.

    The Federal Communica-tions Commission (FCC) of the US defines two types of BPL. Access BPL deliver high speed Internet and other broadband services over utilities medium voltage (1000-40000 volts) power lines to homes and businesses and In-house BPL which facilitates the implementation of home networks.

    In terms of regulatory implications, Balkaran identified three issues that are likely to be of major concern in Trinidad and Tobago. These were technical, cost and revenue allocation as well as cross subsidy issues and Pole Attachment and Open Access, including safety issues.”

    Read the rest of the Newsday article : “Spotlights broadband internet service”. Also see the Wikipedia article on BPL.

  • TTCS online Calendar

    TTCS online Calendar

    An online calendar of TTCS meetings/activities can be found at http://www.ttcsweb.org/calendar/. It also shows the public holidays in Trinidad and Tobago.

    The TTCS first meeting for 2008 : TTCS pizzalime, January 9th, 2008 at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout.