Media Watch

Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore has been suspended as a result of disobeying an order from a higher court. The order was to remove the Ten Commandments monument he had placed his court house. According to court documents, Moore was twice offered opportunities to stay the removal order and take the issue to the US Supreme Court, but the judge refused to follow established court rules and failed in any hopes to do so. When Judge Moore finally made the appropriate request, it was simply too late, and the higher court subsequently rejected such filings. We hear heated discussions on the church-state separation issue, but this point comes down to following established guidelines. In two conference calls, members of the US District Court asked Moore if he wanted to have the order stayed; to take it to the US Supreme Court, but Moore declined. In arguing for keeping the monument in the court house, a few are suggesting that we look to the strongly held religious beliefs of the

So you're back online after another vicious attack on your computer.  You're sick of all the troubles you've been having.  How are you going to prevent this kind of this from happening again?  Consider using an email program that is nearly virus proof, like Pine, a text-based program that composes and displays text email, which is, after all, what email was intended to be. Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express are huge targets for attackers because they're hugely popular (Outlook express comes with every new Windows computer) and because there are so many features to exploit.  Don't get me wrong.  The features Microsoft build into their software help make using it easy and pleasant -- for the most part.  But remember that the more bells and whistles you build into a program, there more places there are for breakage (and expoits) to occur. Old-school computer users sit back and chuckle at all the troubles people have with their fancy-schmancy, graphic

Some time ago, I had an occasion to set up a wireless network for some friends.  They had a broadband connection to the Internet through a cable modem provided by Mediacom and two desktop computers.  I suggested they buy an 802.11b gateway and 802.11b cards for each computer they wanted connected. After installing and connecting all the hardware they bought, each computer seemed to be able to connect to the Internet fine, and we were able to do some file and print sharing between them.  But it all wasn't fine.  I quickly discovered that the computers could surf the net, but not at the same time.  It is then that I discovered that they'd purchased an access point and not a gateway. A wireless access point does one thing.  It broadcasts a single RJ-45 jack to multiple wireless network cards.  It merely provides direct connectivity to the public.  In this case, the public network sees all the computers connected.  This is a problem because Mediacom (and many other

Lots of people assume that you need broadband (cable or DSL modem) to have wireless networking.  Not so.  You can still use your single dialup connection and share it with all users on your home or office network.  But there are a few complications, including slower surfing and downloading. In order to share dial up internet, you need to have a modem doing the dialing.  There are a number of ways to get dialup internet into your network, but none are all that common, or even very easy: A dedicated server , such a Linux computer with a modem and a network card.  This machine will act as a gateway between the Internet and your local network.  Whenever someone tries to get on the net, the server will make a dialup connection.  You can also use it as a file and print server.  The advantages here are that can be very che

The premiere season of "The West Wing" is expected to be realeased late this year on four discs and will retail for $60. Gag reels to commentaries may also appear on the set. More...

In a bold move, Yahoo!, one of Google's best customers, has acquired some contender Internet search engines to go head-to-head with the biggest dog on the block. Microsoft isn't fdar nehind, chomping at Yahoo!'s heels. More...

F-Secure says Sobig.F is among four major virus threats discovered in a week. It's an email worm that sends a .pif or .scr file to recipients in users' address books. It also prepares the computer to receive orders and tries to download files from the Internet, according to one news report. If the infected computer is on a shared network, the worm tries to copy itself to the other computers on that network. The worm is programmed to stop spreading on Sept. 10. More...

Got your attention, didn't I?  What's this about?  In June, 1967, during the Six Day War, Israeli war planes attacked and nearly sunk a US spy ship staffed with NSA intelligence gathering personnel.  Israel calls the attack a horrible accident; a case of mistaken identity. Survivors and conspiracy theorists say that's a load of crap.  You decide.  I'll deliberately leave out my viewpoint in all this, and instead suggest you read what's being written about the incident.  Do your own Google searches and read the words on the web sites on the two sides and make up your own mind.  Here are some links in no particular order: Washington Post story: The Assault on the USS Liberty Still Covered Up After 26 Years USSLiberty.org Jewish Virtual Library's USS Liberty story Judge AJ Cristol's web site on the Book, The Liberty Incident HonestReporting.com's href="http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/critiqu

Can I just say, "Oh my God!" When I heard Rush Limbaugh playing the blame game and turning the eastern seaboard power outage of last week into a partisan issue, it made me sick to my stomach. I think the power companies have going one of the best games in town. They do a much needed service, providing for us the so-called comforts of home. But he who provides for our needs can certainly take away what we need, and that's just too much power for one industry to have. And don't tell me that's a partisan problem. I think more than power companies lost a lot of steam last week. I just hope the failure did some good, that is awakened us to several of the issues that face us. Is anyone else tired of listening to politicians bicker? Republicans want to impose religious belief on me. Democrats want to socialize the world. I hate them both equally! Fact is, democrats and republicans alike want more than anything to be elected into power without regard for

Nearly everyone has insurance of some type, and most have several: car insurance, life insurance and medical insurance. But is the basic concept of insurance, paying insurance premiums and subsequently filing claims, really the best way to pay for unplanned expenses? Let's look at the benefits and the effects: Insurance is good because it allows us to better buget our money, and provides a safety net in case a crisis arrises. But let's look beyond the known benefits and get to the actual societal effect. Most people agree that prices consumers pay for goods and services should be set by free market forces, such as supply and demand, cost of living and simple competition. But when you put the insurance company between you and the doctor, as in health insurance, then basic market forces are all but lost because the insurance company -- and not you -- writes the checks to pay the bills, which frees the health care industry to increase prices to levels far above what c

This worm, LoveSan (or Blaster or MSBlaster), exploits a vulnerability in the Distributed Component Object service that is hosted by a Remote Procedure Call feature in Windows 2000 & XP. More... According to the Reuters article, the worm contains a message: "Billy Gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!"

While Dan Adams is out of town, Mix 100 FM's Dee James joins us for another fun and exciting Wise Guys show this week. On the show, we'll have Phil Parks, author of " Beat the Car Dealer, Beat the Car Game ".  He'll tell us how to find out if a used car had its oil changed regularly, or whether there's Bondo under the paint. Jeff Green with Click's Cyber Bar & Grill , the Des Moines metro's newest Wi-Fi cyber-cafe, will be here at noon. The Helpline, as usual, is at 1pm. Got any show ideas?  Send 'em in: Danny@RadioWiseGuys.com .  Got a Mac question?  Ask Dan, the Mac Man: Dan@RadioWiseGuys.com . See ya Saturday!

On the next Wise Guys, we'll have Office of Drug Control Policy Director, Marv Van Haaften, DNE Director, Ken Carter and Ms. Janet Zwick with the Iowa Department of Health, who will educate us on the negative effects of pot on our society.  We'll extol the virtues of our drug laws and the state's efforts to clean the scum off the streets. I don't do drugs. Well, not the illegal kind anyway. I've been known to crack open a Bud Light while barbecuing on the deck, but there's no law against that and I don't abuse it. Come to think of it, if pot were legal, who's to say I wouldn't light up once in a while -- and not abuse it either. Hence comes NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). This national lobby says there's nothing fundamentally wrong with occasional and responsible marijuana use by adults and for medicinal purposes -- and they don't believe those particular kinds of uses should be against the law.

Everywhere we look, there's hostility on the airwaves and in the newspapers and on the net. The left blast the Whitehouse for hastily assembling a case for war against the former Iraqi regime and the right squabash 'dems' for their apparent distrust. In my view, both sides are full of hot air. I think citizens are, for the most part, very careful to measure the sensational words they hear and read, and are willing to drill down to the literal meaning of these contrasting statements. For instance, one story cited that a majority of Germans think the US staged the September 11 attacks. But when you get to the exact verbage, you learn that a few Germans believe it's "possible" that Americans "could have" been behind the assault on our soil. When you put it that way, you would have to either be naive or have full faith that no one in our country could possibly benefit from such action. The truth is that people everywhere do bad and nasty things.

In response to this crazy news story . This is goofy gubment at work again (see H.R 2517 ).  This kind of action will have a dramatic chilling effect on technology innovation. In my humble opinion, file sharing is a fascinating innovation and might otherwise become an important collaboration tool of our hi-tech world.  I want to be able to share my discoveries and developments with my peers so all can benefit.  Copyright laws need to fairly serve the public first, and the producers second.  Studios, networks, artists and their support organizations need to be in step with progress through technology and innovation -- and not suppress it! But this is obviously NOT about the artists. It's much more about the money-hungry associations, licensing companies, networks and studios.  The actual artists, whom 'they' claim to serve, get almost nothing for their trouble, winding up with a very small chunk of what the consumers pay for the materials. I'd like to see

The Wise Guys want to know! Who in central Iowa provides wireless access to the Internet? If you are a provider, please email us and let us know. We'll publish your contact information here. Please give us consumer pricing including setup fees. We will also take WiFi Hotspot providers and locations for use on another list. Users: How do you get your Internet? We also want to know how our listeners are getting connected to the Internet, whether you use a cable modem, DSL, ISDN, T1, dialup, wireless, or whether you only get online at work.

Richard writes: "My Dad had a stroke about two months ago and he has no short time memory. He is able to do what has to be done to live. But he owns cattle and they need to be sold. Is there anyway his wife can get anything on paper that will let here to do this or is she able to do that now. I worry about it because I have two greedy sisters, one of them takes care of cattle. I think they [might] take advantage of dad's problem and sell them for their own profit. Whatever you can tell me would be great." WHO Radio's own George Davison is an attorney and he has this general advice for our listeners in a similar situation: A conservatorship can be established to take care of the assets of the individual. The individual could grant a power of attorney to someone he trusts to act for him. A trust could be created by the individual to own and to manage his assets. The trustee would be a person named by the individual. This is a s

The WHO Radio Wise Guys returned to Taste of Des Moines with a live broadcast from the Court Avenue Bridge from 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM Saturday.  Recipe Lady Diane Roupe and Chris Lockergnome's Chris Pirillo joined us fr some fun chat about food and technology.

Food expert and author of "The Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook, The New Standard of Ameican Cooking" will return to The Wise Guys live from the Court Avenue Bridge this Saturday at 11:00 AM. It's your chance to meet her in person -- or if you can't make it to Taste of Des Moines, to listen to her on the radio. Diane Roupe (ROOP) is a tradition in the Ag Building during the Iowa State Fair, and continues to be an official judge there. We'll talk about her upcoming cookbook, which will feature meals in an hour (the working title is secret for now); USDA standards for safe canning; and midwest cooking in general. Diane reported record book sales at the fair last year, following her appearances on our show. For information about the Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook, contact Diane by mail: The Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook, 904 12th St., West Des Moines, IA 50265. Call (515) 267-1188. Google search

I can't wait for October!: Ames Haunted Forest

Microsoft's operating systems allow people to send you pop-up network messages, exploiting a little known network administrator's tool called Windows Messenger Service (which is not related to MSN's instant messaging) -- if you are exposed to the Internet directly. If you're behind a firewall or on a local subnet, such as in the case of the gateway/router, you're probably safe from these annoying little popups. CIAC (Computer Incident Advisory Capability) writes: Sites that have a firewall that blocks the Windows networking ports (135, 137-139, and 445) are already protected from this spam. This particular spam engine starts with a connection to port 135 rather than the NetBIOS ports (137-139 and 445) and then connects to a port above 1024 but future spam engines could use the NetBIOS ports as well. The Messenger service generally should not be disabled or shut down because different programs use it to pass messages to a user. System managers also use it to wa

Judy writes: "Having problems ghost with a Dell GX270s desktop PC. I have downloaded the most current drivers for the nic card and I created a new ghost boot disk with those drives. I boot up the PC with the boot disk and it finds the NIC card and then it says loading ..... and the screen never comes up were it will say Ghost ... Click 'OK'. Do you have any recommendations that would solve this problem?" Our own Jeff Hansen, Clear Channel IT Dept., weighs in: Sounds like the machine cannot find ghost.exe and pretty much stops at that point. Reasons would be numerous. Check to make sure your network layer is really ready to go. Using tcp/ip? Does the machine have an IP address? If not, why? DHCP issues? Static address entered improperly? How about the network share you are trying to get logged into. Is it mapped and ready to go? Are permissions set properly on the share? Maybe you don't have rights. Etc Etc Etc

JJJCSHELLEY writes: IS THERE ANYWAY TO STOP THE POPUP ADS ON MY COMPUTER. THESE ARE THE ONES THAT JUST POP UP AT ANY TIME AND THEY MOSTLEY ARE ADVERTISING SERVICES TO STOP JUST WHAT THEY DID. Hello JJJCSHELLEY, Ouch!  Please stop yelling at me! Popup Cop and Popup Stopper work pretty good to nearly eliminate popups.  I use Popup Cop and have been happy with it. Danny

Marian Boury writes: I bought a Gateway computer 1 1/2 years ago when the XP was first out. At that time I also bought an Epson Perfection 1250 scanner. Every time I want to copy something, I get an error message that the scanner is not connected. At first I thought it was my kitten that had been laying on the cords, but I have fixed it so he can't do that and I still get the error message. After I pull out the cord and reconnect it, it works fine (unless I have many, many pages to copy). Also, I have to copy using the color button or the pages are reduced to less than 1/4 the size of the page and I can't find anywhere in the book to change it so it is full sized. Help, Please! Hi Marian, My sense (from the reviews I've read) is that you've got yourself an inexpensive and buggy scanner. I recommend: Download the latest drivers for the scanner. Uninstall the old ones before installing new. Make sure you're current with Windows

Iowa State Patrol Chief Col. Robert Garrison joined us for the June 28 show.  He says research shows there will be 25% fewer traffic deaths after the new law takes effect.  For a 170-pound male, a blood alcohol concentration of .08 can be attained with four to five drinks in the first hour.  You can burn off about a drink an hour.  There is a book and a web site that can help you reduce your risk of being arrested for drunk driving. This site also features a chart that can help you estimate your Blood Alcohol Concentration.  ( Chart )

Apples says it's going to release ITunes for Windows by the end of the year.  I've been saying for months that I would not pay $1 per song from Apple's ITunes.  Why?  1) You don't get a disk; 2) it's a propriety format; 3) there isn't the selection I want.  with WinMX, I can get the songs I want and I'm not out $1 a pop.  I have thousands of songs that I wouldn't have if I'd bought them online.  Face it RIAA, they aren't worth thousands of dollars. I would have bee happy to pay a flat monthly fee (something like $5/month) to continue using Napster, so that the artists could get something out of the deal.  My tastes are mostly 70s and 80s music, and let's face it, there have been no big dollars for anyone in the older music genres.  But I guarantee that the minute people can get whatever they want, you'll see a lot more of the older music being sold and subsequently more licensing dollars being charged. What does an

Mercury News is reporting that Wireless Switch makers are thriving, and gearing up to go public. While that may be a scary scenerio for the consumers of such wireless gear, it means that wireless is soon going to dominate the LANs and WANs in the office working environment. Security has been the missing link that kept corporations from buying into WLANs, however that same apprehension is creating a store-bought WLAN culture, and that is sure to spill a few company secrets.)

According to Reuters, Nokia's per-user revenues is about $55. Nextel's $70 per user. So, Nokia says it'll borrow Nextel's walkie-talkie feature and provide faster internet by installing EDGE and 3G technology on its mobile network network. When? Possibly mid 2004.  Big deal .  ( News )

Fifteen lawsuits, two billion spams.  Microsoft, Yahoo, EarthLink and America Online agreed to cooperate to solve some of the technical issues associated with spam.  ( News )

Yahoo News Techweb is reporting the IEEE approved 802.11g, the newest wireless networking standard. The Standards Board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), established the standards for wireless hardware capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 54Mbps while maintaining backwards compatibility with the ultra-popular 802.11b gear that runs at a much slower 11 Mbps. Both specifications use the 2.4GHz band of the radio spectrum. The report says 802.11g's ability to co-exist on the same network as 802.11b has been the long-touted key to the standard's acceptance in the corporate world. Wireless LAN (WLAN) hardware certified under the new specification can initially be used with an 802.11b infrastructure -- access points, wireless networking cards, and so on -- and then as a corporation requires fatter wireless pipes, serve as the foundation for a mixed, or 802.11g-only, WLAN. This three-year process opened the door for lab

Rob Cook writes: "Before assuming that it wasn't installed correctly you need to consider two things. 1) Is there a surge protector and if so is the phone line plugged into it? If yes bypass the surge protector (SP) and see if the modem works when plugged in directly to the wall. If it does replace the SP as it is broke; and 2) If after bypassing the SP the modem still dosent work plugged in directly to the wall then the phone line itself needs to be checked by the phone company. If there is no dial tone the modem will never work. Software will not matter one bit. I spent over a year working for an ISP in tech support, this was a very common problem espicaly after a T-storm." Danny writes: "Excellent point, Rob! Thanks for the input"

Lynda Clayton ( Email , call 515-727-4978, or visit ClayonComputers.com ) talks about the upgrade special we've been advertising -- and sticks around for the help line. Have a computer question or problem you can't handle? Give Lynda a call; there's no charge.

WHO Radio events guru Molly Pins (call 515-242-3669 or email MollyPins@ClearChannel.com ) checks in and gives last-minute rundown and details on Mark & Gary's Great Iowa Tractor Ride; also previews this year's Taste fo Des Moines for us, the music, the food & the fun, July 18 & 19.

A "panel of experts" would best describe our show.  Not so much us, but the guests we invite to be on the show.  The hosts are actually several people, although you most often hear from the three of us: web guy Danny Bishop, FM radio disk jockey and home entertainment guru Corey Allen and Mac network administrator Dan Adams (in order of studio seating).  Other wise guys you hear on the show from time to time are WHO Historian, Attorney and Sunday news anchor George Davison and staff IT manager Jeff Hansen. Call us at 284-1040 or 800-469-4295. Or email us !

Geocaching to the Buddy Holly Shrine Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valenz and "The Big Bopper" performed their last show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake on February 2, 1959. Following the show, the three rock & rollers boarded a four-seat airplane in a light snow at the Mason City airport -- the plane being piloted by 22-year-old Roger Peterson. Five minutes into their fateful flight, the plane was observed (from the airport) drifting downward when the tail light went dark. In the early morning light, a search revealed that indeed the plane had crashed and all aboard killed. I've placed a virtual cache in memory of the four young men -- and to all who follow to pay their respects and remember them fondly through the monuments built. To find the shrine, plug the coordinated below into your GPS.   N 43° 13.2223 W 093° 22.8853 (WGS-84)  MapQwest

Hoaxes and Urban Legends? Will Bill Gates really pay you $500 for every email you forward to your friends?  Does little Michelle in Kenya really need a new liver?  Should you really delete that file on your computer if someone emails you & says it's a virus?  You probaby get all these claims in your inbox and wonder if you should alert your friends and collegues about it.  Fact is, it's probably just a hoax.  You can check to make sure by visiting Snope2.com or the Symantec web site.  www.snopes2.com

Real Estate Expert Robin Polder is a walking FAQ on Real Estate.  From learning how to avoid PMI (primary Mortgage Insurance) to deciding how much to ask for your home, she'll have some tried & true advise for you.  Feel free to contact her direct at robinpolder@dsmhomes.com or see her web site: http://www.robinpolder.com .

Online Dating Expert Ever wonder what kinds of people really get into online dating? Does it work? Are there horror stories? Ask Brenda Ross, our online dating expert from www.About.com and www.GeekCheck.com .

Recipe Lady Diane Roupe For info about the Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook, contact Diane by mail: The Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook, 904 12th St., West Des Moines, IA 50265.  Call (515) 267-1188.  One of the recipes we talked about was the Maid Rite.  While there isn't an exact Maid Rite recipe in the cookbook, we found several recipes on the web:  Recipe One | Recipe Two .

Who's Spying on You? In past episodes, we've spoken of unwittingly downloading and installing freeware/shareware containing spyware, which sends various information to an organization that in turn sells the information for money. This web site discusses that concept and what to do about it. http://www.cexx.org/ Ad-Aware is a program that will locate and delete known spyware, and will report to you when a program on your computer is unwittingly uploading info. Here's where you can download Ad-Aware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

Who's who at WHO, 29 WHO Radio personalities We've been spending a lot of time compiling raw information collected over the years, from picture books to one-sheet history pages written by station managers. Here's a page of people who we think have made significant historical contributions to this radio station from the beginning to present. CLICK HERE

Heating and Cooling Expert From Geothermal energy to hi-tech thermostats, Brian Leech of Alger-Leechman Heating and Cooling talked to us a while back with some helpful and interesting consumer tips.  Call Brian in Des Moines at 957-WARM (957-9276).

Iowa Sex Offender Database Across the state of Iowa, there are more than 5,000 individuals registered with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.  There are 770 out of state registrants.  Look at the stats .  Our guest was Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation Special Agent-in-chage Steve Bogle.

Spy on the satellites Where are the satellites in the sky? J-Track 3D will tell you exactly where hundreds of satellites are located in realtime.  There are options to show tracks (both sky and earth tracks), show only selected satellites, and even give you details about individual satellites.

Poll Shift Preparation Did you know the planet is going to shift on its axis in May?  That's the claim of a web site called www.PoleShiftPrepare.com apparently put up by some guy named Jeremy.  "Jeremy explains why he believes a large planet - up until now considered hypothetical by astronomers - will pass between the Earth and the Sun causing a pole shift in 2003. The pole shift will set off worldwide cataclysms - massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and hurricane force winds", according to the web site.  There are preparedness tips, news items and more details about what's supposed to happen.

UN Security Council Resolutions You hear about 'em.  Everyone's talking about 'em.  But do you know what they say?  For instance, when the President refers to UN Resolution 1441 for authority to use military force against Iraq.  In order to have an educated opinion, one should read the resolution.  In fact, you can read ALL UN resolutions right here !

A few good thoughts for any day... Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for may not follow.  Do not walk beside me either.  Just pretty much leave me the hell alone. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it. Sex is like air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted. No one is listening until you fart. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else. Never test the depth of the water with both feet. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them you're a mile away and yo

Urban Legends... ...are those stories you get in your email, usually forwarded to you by a friend, family member or co-worker, that are supposed to sound true and unbelievable, heart-wrenching or touching in some way.  You're frequently encouraged to pass them on to several other people ("send this to all your friends and you will have good luck and fortune all day").  You get the idea.  Now see some of the sites that debunk these myths.  There's even a site that will assist in writing them. Urban Legends Reference Pages http://www.snopes.com/ Urban Legend Zeitgeist http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/ Urban Legends and Folklore from About.com http://urbanlegends.about.com/ Urban Legends Research Center http://www.ulrc.com.au/ Urban Legends from ScamBuster.org http://www.scambusters.org/legends.html The Urban Legend Combat Kit http://netsquirrel.com/combatkit/ How Urban Legends Work from HowStuffWor

Testing your actual bandwidth So how fast is your Internet connection?  To find out, read on.  There's a myth that using the Ping command will give you tell you how fast your connection is.  The truth about ping is that is measures latency, the round-trip time it takes for a server to respond to a request.  Latency is critical for real-time gaming, but not nearly as important for typical surfing or large file downloading.  True bandwidth measuring is done by download/uploading a file from/to a server.  There are many factors that can affect this test, such as Internet traffic, server performance, connection speed and the performance of your on computer.  Here are some sites that discuss bandwidth in much more detail.  DSL Reports " (aka "Broadband Reports") is one of the most popular broadband sites, providing industry news, tweaks and tests.  Here's one of their bandwidth tests .  The Bandwidth Place has some quick speed tests.