What the heck? That was quick, a little more than a month and we’re already seeing refurbished Apple iPhones on sale at Apple’s clearance store. Hmm. So what’s wrong with it? Maybe nothing, maybe everything!

re·fur·bish (rē-fûr’bĭsh) - To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate.

That can only mean a few things, these iPhones were defective when the someone purchased it and returned it to Apple or AT&T. Or simply the fact that the owner did not like it therefore returned it. Maybe Apple is releasing a newer version of the iPhone and is trying to get rid of the older version. Whatever the reason is, it’s a steal! Go grab one if you are looking for a cheap but brand new iPhone.

• 4GB iPhone - $399 ( New : $499 )
• 8GB iPhone - $499 ( New : $599 )

My two cents on refurbished products: I’m a big fan of them, not only are they much cheaper than retail, they are practically brand new. If it was defective, then the manufacturer was told about this issue and had already fixed it, cleaned then repackaged. So in a way it offers the buyer more peace of mind. It almost guarantees that the product won’t be defective when it gets to you, because it was already defective and they fixed it.

Check it out, cheap refurbished iPhones here.

As you may know, I live in the big city of New York and our proud mayor has instituted the 311 service for the greater New York’s 5 boroughs. 311 is a number for city residents to dial to contact local government agency’s to report problems or to see non-emergency help. Bloomberg thought that it would be an easy number to remember and it consolidates all the city’s resources together in one number, not a bad idea!

But recently switching to ViaTalk VoIP, the 311 service was not activated by default, or I should say that ViaTalk didn’t have that feature. I then searched hoping to find a quick solution. I noticed that Vontage, the current leader in VoIP had the 311 feature so at that point I knew it was possible to somehow hack ViaTalk’s Linksys PAP2 VoIP device to get 311 working.

I have not gotten done yet simply because I need my Linksys PAP2 password from ViaTalk, they are currently receiving heavy call volumes due to SunRocket’s customer contract buyouts. I called this Sunday afternoon and I was 22nd in line for their phone support. So if anyone wants to hack the PAP2, I have the directions and you must have the password for your PAP2, if you don’t you will have to submit a support ticket or call to get your password. I have started a ticket about 2 weeks ago, still no response, so good luck with that. But if you already have your password, then read on.

The 3-1-1 number is just a short cut for this number (212) NEW YORK or (212) 639-9675.

1. Login to your Linksys PAP2 via the IP address (http://192.168.0.xxx/admin/).
2. Go to the dial plan section. Becareful not to edit what is already on there.
3. Add the following line to the existing dial plan.
4. |<311:12126399675>|
5. Apply, Save and Exit

As a temporary fix until you get the PAP2 password from ViaTalk, you can setup speed dial to 2126399675. This tutorial will essentially work for all 311 services from any city, you will just have to figure our their local number and then replace NY’s number with your city’s number.

I will post screenshots of the process once I get my password from ViaTalk.

To read more about the Linksys PAP2 Dial Plan, see here.

I’m sorry that this post couldn’t be about anything that I have designed my blog to do but I have to some things straight. Last week was a stressful week for me and for I think most people who works with NYPIRG. It was the last week for canvassing for many people because most are off to college. Slowly but surely the NYC Canvas of 2007 is whining down. People are emotional that others are leaving and there are a couple of people that I will miss dearly. I have spent a lot of time with certain people within the last week.

I would like to give shout outs to a couple of people! Prospero [canvassin’ from the beginning to the end and the new king of pop], Cynthia [my favorite Asian girl, don’t cry, I feel bad enough already], , Q [vous le vous couche avec moi haha], Loftin [always chilled and relaxed, the puking was funny!], Emily [my ears are always open to you, just not about Dimitri or Misha] and my Asian brothers, Billy and Kenny, I’ll see you guys at school! If I missed y’all, then it simply means I just don’t care!! Just Kidding! I love NYPIRG and I’ll miss everyone! I might come back to canvass for 2008 too!

So if I’m leaving my job, that only means one thing, that I have to go back to school. During the last two weeks, I’ve been wanting to go back just because I miss the people at college and have a couple of things to do while being there that I’m excited about! For one, I got the position as official Admissions Blogger for Stony Brook University! I will be blogging for the interest of attracting new students for the next academic year. Two, I’m also official Mozilla Campus Representative. My goal is to setup events and promote the spread of my favorite browser, Firefox, I think I will be working closely with the Linux Users Group in Stony Brook because I remember a Firefox event that they had last semester.

Overall a very emotional work week for me and great anticipations about next semester, It is a strange mix of emotions I have to say. Wish me luck everyone during this transition. Peace out, my next post will be about something more important than my life!

Brings Back Memories

Sources from TechCrunch and Digg reports Facebook’s index.php source code has been leaked due to a server misconfiguration.

“A small fraction of the code that displays Facebook web pages was exposed to a small number of users due to a single misconfigured web server that was fixed immediately. It was not a security breach and did not compromise user data in any way. Because the code that was released only powers the Facebook user interface, it offers no useful insight into the inner workings of Facebook. The reprinting of this code violates several laws and we ask that people not distribute it further.”

I had re-published the leaked code on my website and was asked to take it down because it’s copyright material. Whoops! Just received an email from Facebook Legal that goes like this and I took the code off:

Greetings,

You are hereby notified that copies of source code taken from the www.facebook.com website have been posted at http://www.tonycai.com/facebook-php-codes-leaked/

The posting of these materials infringes the copyrights of Facebook, Inc., and we request that you immediately remove the materials from your site. I may be contacted at this e-mail address, or by telephone at 1-650-543-4800. I hereby state my good faith belief that the posting of this material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law, and that the information contained in this notice is accurate. Under penalty of perjury, I am authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner. If these materials are not expeditiously removed, we reserve the right to pursue all legal remedies available to us, including seeking damages and injunctive relief.

Signed,
Rudy Gadre

So I was forced to take it down without questions. A little run in with the law. Scary!

Sorry Facebook. But please do take care of our private information! Don’t let it leak!

Google will pay “up to $10” for collecting data for a local business! This is great, I was very impressed when Google started taking pictures of streets in major cities like New York City (see here). Now Google is taking one step further and adding to it’s large information database, the goal of the program is to essentially expand the popular Google Maps application. It’s $2 for each successful submission that Google approves and $8 when the local business that you canvassed approves of the information being accurate.

“As a Google Business Referral Representative, you’ll visit local businesses to collect information (such as hours of operation, types of payment accepted, etc.) for Google Maps, and tell them about Google Maps and Google AdWords. You’ll also take a few digital photos of the business that will appear on the Google Maps listing along with the business information. After the visit, you submit the business’ info and photo(s) to Google through your Local Business Referrals Center, and we’ll pay you up to $10 for each listing that is approved by Google and verified by the business.”

I’m a canvasser for NYPIRG so this job should be easy for me, the only difference between this and canvassing for NYPIRG is that the complete rates will be a lot higher, you will get more “YES” and you get to work when you want! I already knock on hundreds of residential homes a week so this won’t even phase me! I’m not saying this to say NYPIRG isn’t a good job, in fact, it’s the best job I’ve ever had!

So go ahead sign up! Also see the FAQ’s. It looks like anyone can make lots of money doing this!

New stylish sleek design, that’s the description from the visuals of the Apple iMac announced today. I have to say it’s not much different than the mock-ups that were recently rendered. I noticed that Apple is again moving the design away from it’s simple white polish and moving towards the brushed metal and black theme. This iMac almost looks like an iPhone, in fact it looks better than the iPhone. It also comes with an ultra thin keyboard that almost looks like a piece of metal cardboard (this is the new keyboards that have been rumored as well). The new thin keyboard now features a on/off button to it’s top right hand side which is very convenient.

The design is awesome (5 out of 5 stars) but the technology is just as impressive!

Intel Core 2 Duo processor

All iMac models feature advanced dual-core Intel processors along with other improvements that pump up the performance. Learn more

Glossy widescreen display

Your photos, movies, and games will come to life with richer, more vivid colors. Choose from 20- and 24-inch widescreen displays. Learn more

Built-in wireless

Banish the clutter. The latest 802.11 Wi-Fi networking and Bluetooth technologies come standard with every iMac. Learn more

Advanced graphics

New ATI Radeon HD graphics deliver a stunning visual environment with more vivid, lifelike images. Learn more

Built-in iSight camera

The high-quality camera is so neatly integrated, you’ll hardly notice it’s there. Learn more

More storage and memory

Now you have more room for your video and photo collections. And iMac now supports up to 4GB of memory. Learn more

Connections and ports

iMac has all the ports you need for your USB, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800 devices. Learn more

SuperDrive

The slot-loading SuperDrive lets you play and burn your own CDs and DVDs. Learn more

Apple has really taken over the computing market in terms of sleekness and design. Damn I want this so bad. But if I’m going to get a Mac, I’d wait till after October so they can come pre-installed with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Oh and other news, iLife 08 and iWorks 08 has also been announced and is shipping now! Apple fan boys haven’t always been good at guessing how unreleased products will look like, but this time it was pretty close. Take a look at this incredible mock-up!

Mock-up Video

More information about these 3 new products announced today, visit of course, Apple.com.

After several instances of failed attempts to install Beryl on my openSUSE machine, I’ve finally had time and decided to try compiz-fusion. Compiz-fusion is a combination of Compiz and Beryl which are both enhancements of different window managers in linux using C and OpenGL technology. Compiz is no different from Beryl and Compiz-fusion is a Beryl with plugins from Compiz.

Before I go into the steps to install it, I’d like to map out my current system specifications first:

Processor: Pentium 4 3.0e HT
Memory: 1Gb DDR PC3200
Video: GeForce 4 MX AGP

As you can see, the specs are not that great, my processor is about 3 years old, the graphics card is about 4 but it runs flawlessly with the default settings of Beryl Manager and Emerald Themes. The developers made sure that you didn’t need “Vista Aero” type cards to run it which is great!

Okay, here comes the installation part, these exact steps worked for me. If you follow some tutorials online, there are extra steps that mess up your installation so if you have similar hardware like mine, then follow them. I will assume that you have nVidia graphics drivers for openSUSE already installed.

1) Add “http://software.opensuse.org/download/X11:/XGL/openSUSE_10.2/” to your YaST repositories.

2) Search in YaST and install the following: (Make sure no other Beryl installation is installed)

• beryl-core-snapshot
• beryl-plugins-snapshot
• emerald-snapshot : window decorator
• emerald-themes-snapshot
• aquamarine-snapshot
• beryl-settings-snapshot
• beryl-manager-snapshot

3) Enter the terminal or konsole under super-user mode and run the following:

	nvidia-xconfig --composite

	nvidia-xconfig --allow-glx-with-composite

 	nvidia-xconfig --render-accel

	nvidia-xconfig --add-argb-glx-visuals

	rcxdm restart

	beyrl-manager

	beryl

Thats it, by this point, beryl manager should be running and beryl should work without a problem. I have consolidated many steps into 3 simple steps that are easy to do. Feel free to post any questions or problems you may be having and I will be glad to troubleshoot it.

Currently migrating files from Windows hard drive.. goodbye Windows.

The long awaited Simpsons movie finally came out in theaters in New York yesterday and so after work, my work buddies and I went to see it in Battery Park in Manhattan. To find this particular post interesting, you would have to understand what I do for the summer. I’m a canvasser for NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group), a non-profit organization fighting to protect the environment and public health for New York State. Canvassing is the nature of my job, I talk to people everyday about environmental issues that affects New York and then ask for membership support. At times, the day turns out nice and only get one or two doors slammed on me but other days, you get many doors slammed in your face.

So in the first 5 minutes of The Simpsons Movie, Lisa Simpson canvasses Springfield homes to inform the public about environmental concerns in Springfield Lake and mercury. To our surprise, those were the exact issues we work on everyday! Springfield’s response to Lisa was #SLAM# at every door! I was like “no wayyyy” this is exactly what happens to me everyday! Finally something I see that relates to what I do because there isn’t much coverage anywhere about canvassers or canvassing in general.

So friends, I encourage you to watch the movie to get a feeling of what I have to go through each and everyday! The movie in general wasn’t all that great but that first 5 minutes made the movie good for me. A good spoiler can be found at Rotten Tomatoes. Also I just want to say to all people who have tried canvassing, it’s not ALL that bad. There are many many great nights! The Simpsons expanded on the negative angle of canvassing, thats all.

Yet another edition of one of my tutorials. This time, we will hack the Motorola phones from Verizon and get it working using the internet without Mobile Web (a $5 service from Verizon). There are two proxies you can use freely that are popular, the Google one and the Yahoo one. I’ve been using the Google one for almost a year now and it works well except I cannot access Gmail on it. So I’m gonna come up with instructions on how to do it using Yahoo’s proxy.

To get to the menu to hack the phone, press Menu > 073887* quickly and enter the default password which is “000000” then go to Web Sessions. This will only work on certain Motorola phones, I’m using the Motorola E815. So before I start, for those of you who wants to use Google, my current configuration is this:

Gateway IP 1: 64.233.167.99
Service Type 1: HTTP
Port 1: 80
E2E Port 1: 9201
LXL Port 1: 9201

Yahoo’s Proxy ::

Gateway IP 1: 66.94.234.13 (Still Searching For Yahoo’s IP)
Service Type 1: HTTP
Port 1: 80
E2E Port 1: 9201
LXL Port 1: 9201

Save the session, make it as default and use Google as your WAP. It’s free but airtime minutes still apply, so does with Mobile Web so use it after 9PM or when important!

What a surprise, well not really. SunRocket is shutting down it’s doors and announced Monday that it will begin the process of transporting the current 200,000 subscribers to other VoIP companies. How did this happen? I have no idea, 200,000 subscribers is defiantly sufficient enough to make a profit. Below is a message from SunRocket’s website.

After significant effort by the Company to avoid this result, SunRocket is in the process of discontinuing its operations as you know it. Therefore SunRocket will no longer be able to provide its customers with the phone service that its customers have been accustomed to.

However, two service providers are assisting and offering to provide SunRocket customers the opportunity to sign up for their services. Both providers have agreed to become preferred providers with special pricing for the SunRocket customers to enable them to migrate their telephone service. Of course, there are other providers and each individual customer can make their own decision as to which carrier they wish to transition to.

Emails to the SunRocket customers are currently being sent with more detailed information on how to sign up with the two service providers. The email address of the SunRocket customers that is on record is the address being used to send emails to the customers.

We realize this is a very difficult and uncertain period for the SunRocket customers. With these two preferred providers, the customers will have the opportunity to transfer telephone services.

An affiliate of Sherwood Partners, LLC is managing the process as the Assignee for the benefit of creditors.

Creditors to SunRocket will receive a notice within the next 30 days in regards to the general assignment and for the filing of claims in the liquidation process of SunRocket.

With SunRocket as a competitor out of the way, it means good news for the other VoIP companies. Currently, Vontage, Packet8 and ViaTalk have contract buyout specials targeting former SunRocket customers. They all look like pretty awesome deals but at this point it’s either impress or loose potential customers.

Problems and hassles include number porting if you want to keep the same phone number as you had with SunRocket, most likely you’d want to do that because customers had ported that number from their landlines and have had it for many years. The FCC regulations make porting a long process and said to take about 4 weeks for porting to complete. When I switched from Verizon to ViaTalk, porting took about a month. Until then, I had a temporary number which was inconvenient. I personally think that Google could have acquired it and prevented them from shutting down seeing as how they recently acquired GrandCentral, a startup telephony service.

So in a nutshell, SunRocket is gone, make way for new customers VoIP world!