PING Finally Exposed

For the Blackberry addicts among us PING needs no introduction.  We have used PING and we have been PINGED or should I say PANG in fairness to the English Language.  I bet you don't have a clue what PING is much less how it works or why it is used. I bet you are not interested to know what it is; But you will be surprised how much you gain from this bit of Discovery.  Lets go on a journey

PING is primarily used in computer Networking as a utility to check the availability of another computer or host in an IP network.  By IP Network we mean the regular internet as we know it. PING therefore allows the sender to decern the availability of a host computer or device.  It also measures the time it take for the message to reach the destination and back to the sender - known as the round trip time.  In addition, it records how many packets are lost in the process.

In the BBM world PING basically does the same thing.  It checks how long the data takes to get delivered. It is also a way of testing the synchronicity of your conversation in blackberry messenger. For example, if your ping is 1000ms or one second it means your're receiving messages one second too late.  PING on Computer (IP) networks are of the order of a few Milli-seconds.  The Blackberry Network may use the IP network or a mixture of both IP and GSM or other mobile systems.

The name PING derives from sonar terminology and was first introduced in 1983 by Mike Muus.  According to Muus it was named after the sound that a sonar makes, inspired by echo-location.  Dolphins I believe navigate by echo-location making sharp clicking sounds that return after hitting their target.  The characteristics of the return signal provides information for the Dolphin to interpret. 

Bats are also adept users of this technique. It was found out in the 1930s that bats use high pitched sounds like a natural sonar to locate food and navigate. When these sounds bounce off of objects bats are capable of listening to these echoes and are able to judge distance, movement and size of all objects in their path.

Many Network professionals like to make an acronym of the term PING, calling it Packet INternet Groper.  Muus definitely did not like this, and has been known to disambiguate this "bacronym" as he calls it.   

PING uses a Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo requests to the target host and waits for an ICMP response. The results of the test is displayed in summary with information such as the Round trip time, minimum, maximum and mean times including the lossed packets.

PING has been know to have malicious uses as with almost every good thing in computer networking.  The most common of this is a denial of service attack which is akin to a PING flood where the attacker floods the victim with ICMP echo requests packets overwhelming the host.  

Some hosts have been known to filter out ICMP echo request in the form of PING, sighting the possibility of security threats.  We recall the popular internet worm Welchia which used PING request to find new computers to infect.

Despite the long history and the cons associated with PING it remains at the top of Network troubleshooting.  It is the first port of call, the 911 of computer networks and the screams of the BBM messengers. 

For more on the PING utility you can visit The Story of the PING Program

English Premier League Heats Up Today

Today will witness the "real" start of the second half of the EPL season with the Giants of Manchester facing the Prima Donas of London.  First up is Tottenham who travels to Mancheter City (Eastlands) while the later game will see Sir Alex Furguson leading his Manchester United team to the Emirates stadium in London to face Arsene Wenger's Arsenal FC.  

The last time City met Tottenham they punish the Londoners on their home turf winning 5 -1 with Four goals from Edin Dzeko.  

Similarly Manchester United wreaked havoc on the Arsenal goal when they last met, winning by  a historic 8 -2 margin.  That was a victory for the folklores and Arsenal will be looking to avenge that defeat with a win of any sort.  

City continues to lead the tables with Tottenham and ManU in close pursuit. Meanwhile Arsenal continues to trail United  with 12 points between them. Nothing less than a victory could keep them in the race  for top  three.  Tottenham on the other hand has solidified their position in the top three and a victory would see them moving into second spot, if only for a few hours.

We expect two great games today and while we suspend our predictions, we do think that the Manchester clubs will restate their dominance.

The table after yesterdays games read like this: 

Quitting Is A Success Skill

We have heard so many stories and doctrines about how to succeed and how to win. Most of these ideas work, but only for a tiny fraction of those who subscribe.  The fact is, everybody have unique personalities and experiences and therefore have to customize their own path to success.  Making the right choices at the right time can make a huge difference in this path, and usually determines where you end up on the success ladder.

Decision making remains critical in this process and knowing when or what to quit is one of the best skills you could ever have. 

Quitting is a success skill...

This is a bizarre statement if we go by the the negative connotations associated with the word "Quitting".  How then can Quitting be a success skill?  

I will credit this statement to Seth Godin the very successful marketing "evangelist" or "guru" to use the popular cliche. He was the first person I heard with these profound words and I sought to explain it through my own experiences.

Success mean different things to different people. Furthermore the concept of success has been lost in today's world and we probably would be better off trading the words success and money loosely - But I know better. I would like to look at success in the context of a career goal being achieved and used to good effect (social good).  

Quitting as it is can be a sign of weakness, lack of loyalty incompetence or maliciousness.  So if quitting is an effect of any of those qualities then it is not very useful.  Some people are just not good at completing tasks because they do not have the focus, the drive or even the discipline to sustain them.  Others are just not equipped with the right level of ambition to carry out tasks and therefore suffer from a lack of inspiration to see things to completion or to even work with a good plan.  

Lets now look at quitting in the context of strength of character, boldness, confidence or honesty.  Have you ever tried quitting a bad habit? If you have succeeded in doing that you have used a success skill.  

Sometimes the things that hold us back or stop us from achieving, are the bad habits which we develop in our growing years.  I am talking about the late sleeping that we picked up in the summer months, waking up at 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning.  The late night snacking that pile on the calories and weight that helps to limit our confidence.  The smoking, gambling and drinking habits that we developed through our social circles in college.  These are grave impediments to our success and quitting these habits could do a world of good for our careers. Quitting is a success skill...

One of the problems a lot of us have is that we like to think we are super humans.  We like to take on a lot of things at once with our optimism and philanthropic traits. We like to be "Jack of all trades" because society has evolved and we need to be versatile, adaptable and functional.  

So we go out and we pick up two and three jobs, join the parish associations, school board, sports team and god knows what else.  This is with good intentions of course and at the start hope springs eternal and optimism eternally springs.  Until the going gets tough and you realize that you spread yourself thin, so much so that you are ineffective in almost all the million things that you signed up to.  You tell yourself you can do it, and you probably can - except that you have two children and a wife or husband that needs your attention too.  

You have to balance things in a reasonable way, for it is better to be fully effective doing two or three things than being half-way effective in a thousand things.  There are times when you need to quit some of the things you cannot manage.  There is more honour in being honest to yourself and your community than disappointing them.  Quitting is a success skill...  

Many times our pride get the better of us.  In that, our perception that quitting is bad and it render us weak hold us hostage.  This notion needs to be handled with care because it destroys us even more than we think. In fact it is dishonourable to continue to be ineffective in a task with the excuse that you have a hundred other responsibilities.  The loyal thing to do is "quit". yes I said it and I am not going to polish it or try to be diplomatic because it just stains our reputation.  Quit and allow someone with the time and commitment to do an honest job. 

Stop deceiving yourselves into thinking you are superman or superwoman.  Your life is not guaranteed tomorrow and when you die someone else will take your place in the material world.  Your focus should be on doing the most effective and impactful job you can, such that you leave a legacy that will outlive your days.  Quit the things that impede your progress and effective performance in the things that are most important. 

My uncle R.Jones once said, "everything in life is important, but some things are more important".  Quit the things that are not important because quitting is a success skill. 

"Optimism is no excuse for being unrealistic" OJB 

Quitting is a success skill...

Are the front effects worth the side effects?

I came across an Ad for performance enhancing drugs this morning and I felt sorry for the male species. Immediately the popular athlete Lashawn Merrit came to mind.  

We recall that on April 22, 2010 it was revealed that he failed three drug tests and was as a result suspended from Track and Field for Two years.  His claim was that he failed as a result of taking an over-the-counter penis enlargement product, ExtenZe.  Merrit stated that he did not read the SMALL print to check the ingredients of the product, which contains the banned steroid Dehydroepiandrosterone.  

I felt sorry for the kid, in that he suffered the side effects of being banned for almost two years from track and field.  That is significant if you consider that his earnings could top as much as US$ 20 million if he was on top of his game - His Track and field game that is.  Luckily the authorities were sympathetic to his case and his ban was reduced to 21 months. 

Was the front effects worth the side effects?  

So, the Ad was related to the well known drug CIALIS.  The front effects of course is sexual prowess for the male and sexual satisfaction for the woman.  Very well you might say, it is a win-win for everybody. Yes, until you see the possible side effects.  These are not of the type suffered by Merritt, and God forbid I hope the suspension was the only adverse effect in that case.

The Side effects read like a story from Hurt Locker, except that it has less surprises and far less appeal.

Viagra Side Effects (Check the Helmet and the wall)

So here is the summary as recollected from the CIALIS PAGE

Uncommon but serious side effects include:

An erection that won't go away (priapism). If you get an erection that lasts more than 4 hours, get medical help right away. Priapism must be treated as soon as possible or lasting damage can happen to your penis, including the inability to have erections.

In rare instances, men taking prescription ED tablets, including CIALIS, reported a sudden decrease or loss of vision in one or both eyes. If you experience a sudden decrease or loss of vision, stop taking CIALIS and call a healthcare provider right away.

Sudden loss or decrease in hearing, sometimes with ringing in the ears and dizziness, has been rarely reported in people taking PDE5 inhibitors, including CIALIS. It is not possible to determine whether these events are related directly to the PDE5 inhibitors, to other diseases or medications, to other factors, or to a combination of factors. If you experience these symptoms, stop taking CIALIS and contact a healthcare provider right away.

What Are The Possible Side Effects Of CIALIS?

The most common side effects with CIALIS are: headache, indigestion, back pain, muscle aches, flushing, and stuffy or runny nose. These side effects usually go away after a few hours. Men who get back pain and muscle aches usually get it 12 to 24 hours after taking CIALIS. Back pain and muscle aches usually go away within 2 days. Call your healthcare provider if you get any side effect that bothers you or one that does not go away.

To be fair these warnings are published and the instructions are clear to the users.  Therefore he has a reasonable decision to make before he even consider buying the drug.  

I know there are men with genuine problems and I can't judge them or condemn them for that, but I am concerned about those who fail to read the SMALL PRINT as it were.  CIALIS of course advises that it is exclusively prescription medication and should only be used under the guidance of a health care professional.   The warnings are extensive in fact, and they even have a 24/7 help line in the US.

I am not picking on this company in particular, but it was their Ad that sparked the story.  Another similar and even more popular drug that have equally mind blowing side effects is VIAGRA.  I would hope these drugs are not being sold over the counter and especially not to minors or to persons incapable of reading the SMALL prints. 

At the end of the day the user should be able to ask himself fairly:

Are the front effects worth the side effects?

LIME About To Quit Jamaica?

Telecommunications provider LIME is being rumoured to calling it quits in Jamaica. The British parent company Cable and Wireless (C&W) plc was reported to be shutting down the operations in light of the difficult regulatory environment in Jamaica.

LIME of course in its last financial year reported losses in excess of  SIX BILLION Jamaican dollars after taxes.  Their subscription numbers have been struggling since Digicel began operations in Jamaica 2001.

Digicel quickly overtook the Incumbent monopoly Cable & Wireless and now boasts subscription of over 2.1 million in a population of little over 2.8 million people.

LIME in effect is result of the re-branding and fighting strategy of the Cable & Wireless Jamaica monopoly that we had grown to hate.  Are we heading towards another monopoly?

We recall in recent weeks the announcement by Digicel Jamaica that it will shut down its Claro operations migrating existing subscribers to the Digicel network.  This move was said to have been cleared by former Prime Minister Andrew Holness in his brief role as head of state.  The deal when announced by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding in parliament on August 30, 2011, stipulated that Digicel Jamaica maintain separate networks.

LIME Jamaica was of course Incensed by the announcement that they would adjust the original agreement and former Prime Minister Holness has come under intense criticism.  We believe he has since apologized for the lack of transparency in the agreement.

As it relates to the rumours we are left in a bind, because the indicators would indeed favour a pull out leaving us where we started, with a MONOPOLY.

In a Jamaica Observer story, LIME Chairman Chris Dehring categorically denied the rumours.  The managing director also made strong denials, intimating that LIME is fully committed to Jamaica and is here for the long run.

What are your thoughts on the Merger agreement?  Do you think LIME can survive in the current regulatory environment?

FULL Jamaica Observer story

The Incredible Evolution of Mobile Phones

(a brief account of the developments in mobile technology)

The history of mobile phones can be traced as far back as 1910 when Lars Magnus Ericsson experimented with a phone in his car, connecting to the fixed line telephone network.  This was by no means mobile but the idea was to start a revolutionary telecommunications trend. 

Fast Forward to the 1950’s and we would have seen Ericsson developed the first fully automatic mobile phone system released commercially in Sweden 1956.  It was called the MTA (mobile system A) and weighed in at a whopping 40kg (90lbs) - So much for a mobile phone. 

Evolution of mobile phones (source WIKI) 

Meanwhile in the U.S. Martin Cooper (pictured below), a Motorolla researcher and executive was credited as the inventor of the first practical mobile phone for handheld use in a non-vehicle setting.  He is said to have made the first call on a handheld mobile phone on April 3, 1973 to his rival, Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell labs.

The preceding decades saw significant improvements in the technology and as a direct benefit from transistor technology the size and weight of phones decreased greatly.  Tokyo, Japan welcomed the first automated commercial cellular network (NTT) in 1979 to be followed in 1981 by simultaneous launch of the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.  

The First Generation (1G) network saw its beginings in the USA as the Chicago based Ameritech launched in 1983 using the Motorola DynaTAC mobile phones.  Several countries later came on board in the mid 1980's including Mexico, UK and Canada.

In the 90’s we saw second generation (2G) mobile systems like GSM, IS-136 (TDMA) and IS-95 (CDMA) rolled out with reasonable acceptance in the developed world. This soon caught on with the developing world as new markets opened up at the turn of the 90’s.  

The global user base grew even faster with the introduction of the Third Generation (3G) mobile technologies.  This is the International Mobile Telecommunications – 2000 (IMT -2000) family of standards defined by the ITU (International Telecommunications Union).  They include GSM EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000.  The 3G standards represents greater capabilities including higher speeds/Data Rates (up to 14.0 Mbit/s), simultaneous voice, data and video services, and a variety of different applications. We can readily relate to these technology advances when we pick up our Blackberry, Android or I-Phone handsets to check emails, browse the web, shop and even watch a live Football match.  

The Fourth Generation (4G) systems are already being marketed and rolled out by some companies.  This offers even greater capabilities and consequently demands an enhanced infrastructure to manage the large data rate of 125 Mbps.  The ITU defines these as the IMT-Advanced standards as a follow up from the IMT-2000.  The third generation partnership project (3GPP) calls it the LTE-Advanced and was expected to roll out the full 4G technology by 2011.  

Wimax with its mobile wireless broadband standard (IEEE 802.16e-2005) is often branded as 4G technology, although not purely so.  The IMT-Advanced Wimax 4G standard IEEE 802.16m (Advanced Air Interface with data rates of 100 Mbps mobile and 1 Gbps fixed) is however in progress.  In the Caribbean we know that Wimax modems are offered by Digicel  and LIME(Jamaica) and by BMobile Trinidad.


The WHO Fact Sheet No. 193 (May 2010) states that there are currently 4.6 billion mobile subscriptions globally referring to the end of 2009 when measurements were last taken.  This number has and will continue to grow as new infrastructures are being rolled out daily.  


In some parts of the world mobile phones are the only or the most reliable form of telecommunication.  We have come a far way from when legacy PSTN (public switched telephone service) used to dominate telecommunications to a new era where mobile cellular telephone subscriptions has surpassed fixed telephone lines (PSTN) since 2002

ICT Trends 2000 - 2010 (Source ITU)

We know that Tablets and Netbooks have entered the market vigorously and the argument is that they offer similar mobility and could be included in the numbers. It would be incredible, the  numbers if we classify those subscriptions together with mobile cellular telephones.  


The distinction has to be made though that mobile cellular telephone subscriptions refer to the basic bearer services such as telephone and SMS/MMS and supplementary services such as voicemail, call waiting etc. that do not require a smart phone.   Mobile Broadband subscription on the other hand refers to the data services that are coupled with the basic services on devices that are capable of broadband communications.  These include the Wimax and commercial WIFI. 


Mobile phones continue to lead the way in terms of subscriptions and penetration but mobile broadband subscription will see a similarly sharp growth in the coming years. 


As we continue to monitor the growth of Mobile Phone Technologies we are left to wonder how far it will peak and the impacts it will have on how we live.  Will it be superseded by some other revolutionary technology or will it evolve to remain the leader in connecting people and communities? 


Some Other Interesting Facts (Source ITU):


The ITU says there are now 5.3 billion mobile cellular subscriptions across the world, including 940 million subscriptions to mobile broadband services, a figure which is tipped to reach one billion before the end of this year.

The ITU rReport says access to mobile networks is now available to 90 per cent of the world's population overall. Of people living in rural areas, 80 per cent now have mobile cellular coverage.

Two billion videos are watched every day on YouTube, while five billion photos are now hosted on Flickr.