Touring the Great Firewall of China

Gee Why — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 19:41:30 +0000

If you were to visit China, you have to be ready for different rules for the Internet. In this case, “the Internet” is not really the Internet with the Great Firewall of China blocking access to some popular American sites. Sites that are banned fluctuate so just never know. Most recently access to Gmail seemed spotty.

But fans of Pulpconnection don’t have to fret just yet. Pulpconnection.net is allowed passage across the Great Firewall of China.

From Super Geeks to Internet Sweepstakes

Gee Why — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 18:00:24 +0000

The closed Super Geeks business location didn’t remain vacant for long.

From a computer and tech shop, it’s now an Internet Sweepstakes location. Are these Internet sweepstakes games legal or not? To be determined. But never mind that. Check out the home in the left edge of the picture. Just how many photovoltaic solar panels are there?

Oceanic Mobile Simply Works Here and Here and Here

Gee Why — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:00:16 +0000

I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to test drive Oceanic’s Mobile Internet service on several occasions. What can I say other than it simply works. Be it the older USB stick for laptops to the newer hockey puck-sized mobile hot spot, Oceanic Mobile Internet connected me to the online world again and again. And not just in Hawaii, but traveling in California as well. That’s why you’ll see the “And Here” tag associated with Oceanic Mobile since it works here and here and here.

Easy Setup

Connecting with Oceanic Mobile Internet is easy. Â The USB stick required software drivers to be installed on my Mac, but that was a breeze. Launch the connection software and after a minute or two, you’re online. That’s it. When the software or drivers need updating, you’ll be notified of the updates.

With the Intelligo mobile hotspot, setup is even easier. The device is associated with the Oceanic Mobile Internet network, and all you have to do is connect to the device’s WiFi. Â If you want to configure the WiFi or other Intelligo settings, it’s all done using a web browser. Easy. The Intelligo offersÂ 4G speeds and lets you share this connection to five other devices – great when traveling with a geared up family.

Great Connectivity

I can attest to the great connectivity of the Oceanic Mobile Internet service. Â Okay, it’s not perfect, no mobile carrier’s network reaches everywhere, but my OC Mobile device did remain connected when I lost connection with other carriers.

Here are just some of the pictures demonstrating the reach of OC Mobile.

Gotchas

To be completely upfront, there are some gotchas that you should know about however. Getting connected does takes some time. We’re talking minutes, not seconds. Part of getting connected is negotiating 4G or 3G speeds with the OC Mobile Internet network, and this is not instantaneous.

The battery of the Intelligo (first generation at least) gets really, really hot. Not dangerously hot, but more than “warm to the touch.” So when in use, you probably don’t want to leave the device in an enclosed bag. Let it “breathe” a bit. Battery life is pretty good. Depending on usage, you will recharge once a day.

Lastly, I just read about the change in service providers for Oceanic Mobile Internet. Oceanic changed partners from Sprint to Verizon. I’m not sure what impact this will have, but keep an eye on Oceanic Time Warner’s Verizon Wireless Partnership FAQ for more details.