Those who've moved to broadband connections and wireless links to each PC on their home or office network are unlikely to look back fondly on the days of 56K (or the not-so-snappy 300 baud of my first modem). Still, even if most Internet users really do have broadband, and (unless you've forsaken a landline telephone completely), dialup is a useful adjunct to even the spiffiest broadband access. And sometimes, it's the only access available. Most city dwellers don't face the distance limits of DSL (or even the geographic limitations of cable service), and cheapskate travelers know that free local calls are more common than hotels with free WiFi. However, wireless access and modems aren't the most common combination (especially when you're talking about laptops with a built-in modem port), and it's not fun being tied to whatever length of phone cord you have to hand. AlwaysOn Wireless's device called the WiFlyer (about $150) combines a wireless access point, a DHCP server, and a modem to make dealing with dialup a bit easier, and tosses in a few other features as well. The WiFlyer is a brilliant device, with some limitations; read on for my review.

dr-vjk asks: "I just bought a new *unlocked* HP iPaq h6315 PocketPC. This phone/PDA supports quad-band GSM, Bluetooth and Wifi. This is a huge improvement over my old travel kit (Sony P900, h4315 iPaq, and Apple iBook). I needed an unlocked unit as the standard h6315's are locked to the T-Mobile network which charges over a buck a minute to roam outside the U.S. I have tested it in Europe and Africa with pre-paid local SIM cards and it works great. It works out of the box with GSM networks around the world for voice and GPRS for IP Data. I loaded SJPhone in order to access my Vonage account over WiFI (Skype doesn't work on this unit yet). It was great talking as long as I wanted with friends back in the U.S. with no concern for long distance charges. They could also call my Vonage number in the U.S. and my PDA would ring in Europe."

ghettoboy22 writes "A local news station is reporting that a lawsuit is being filed in US District Court here in Alaska tomorrow morning, challenging part of the TSA's "CAPPS II" system. Here in Alaska, roads only link approx. 10% of the state, making air travel the equivalent mode of transportation as a traditional motor vehicle is in the rest of the country, and where being red-flagged means you couldn't even leave your own town/village! The matter is further complicated by the fact that many smaller towns in the state have no street addressing system, which is part of what CAPPS II aims to collect on travelers. Forbes.com is also carring a Reuters copy of the story as well. Here's to hoping it's the first step to a successful legal battle!"

An anonymous reader submits "David Blunkett, the UK's labour Home Secretary, today announced plans to fingerprint and iris scan all British citizens by 2013 for a new compulsory ID card. The majority of negative feedback to government consultation on the scheme was discounted because it was sent via an online service." On the other hand, securitas writes "Greece's Data Protection Authority - the national privacy watchdog - 'banned Athens International Airport from checking and recording passengers' fingerprints and irises as part of a pilot security program saying it was in breach of local privacy laws.' (That's 'pilot' as in 'trial,' not the people who fly the planes). The scheme, funded by the European Union and the Swiss government, involved embedding the biometric data on smart cards issued to travelers on a voluntary basis."

deerpig asks: "I spend more than half of my life on the road, mostly in far flung corners of Thailand (where I live), Laos, (I'm composing this in a forlorn spot over-looking over the Mekong River 15.48.718N 105.21.745E) Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, Malasyia and Japan. I carry two laptops with me and it is always a major struggle to keep all of the cables, adaptors, mobile phones and assorted gear I need for my work small and light enough to take as carry-on luggage (heavy travelers all despise checking in luggage). I've been able to find small or travel versions of nearly everything I need on the road with one exception; RJ45/RJ11 Crimpers. I have found that at least twice a month I'm in some weird situation that requires making a telephone or ethernet cable. And where I live and work it isn't possible to go to the local Fry's and buy a crimper. Since a good crimper is rather large and heavy, I am looking for smaller lighter crimpers which I could always carry when I'm traveling."

Most of the questions we got for crypto guru Bruce Schneier earlier this week were pretty deep, and so are his answers. But even if you're not a crypto expert, you'll find them easy to understand, and many of Bruce's thoughts (especially on privacy and the increasing lack thereof) make interesting reading even for those of you who have no interest in crypto because you believe you have "nothing to hide." This is a *long and strong* Q&A session. Click Below to read it all.