Filed under: Web services
How to check if your ISP is messing with your packets
A while back, the EFF caught cable provider Comcast using basic hacking techniques to restrict the use of Bittorrent on their connection. This irritated a lot of people, not only illegal file sharers, but also the growing number of consumers who use the bittorrent technology for legitimate purposes, such as downloading Open Source software or getting quality, legal media from one of Bittorrent's many partners.
The EFF, ever vigilant, has created an excellent guide to "packet shaping", the technique that ISPs use to futz with your data. In a nutshell:
- You the consumer have the ability to monitor your connection for suspicious packets using a tool called Wireshark.
- People who catch their ISPs in the act can send evidence to the EFF, which will in turn help their case to take legal action against sneaky ISPs.
Check out the white paper at their site, complete with cute illustrations and explanations that just about anyone ought to be able to understand.
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
