If it were not for God, I would not be here today!

Every now and then someone may face a life-changing moment that will leave a lasting impact upon their lives. These experiences can also have an effect upon our faith and belief in a deity that exists beyond our imagination. A God like no other, the One that brought all things into existence. My wife had an experience last year while giving birth to our beautiful third baby - a girl and here is her testimony of how God worked through the life of others to save hers. 

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If it were not for God, I would not be here today. I would have been dead and gone on this date 17 June. #mytestimony God is not done with you yet!

Figure 1. Tabu Airi. Named after my late bro.

 

After I gave birth to my princess, I told my mum I needed to go; please mummy just let me go... I gave my back to my family, my husband, my kids and the world off course! I lost 2 and half buckets of blood on that day. My mum held her faith up to her throat and never gave up praying to God pleading to keep my heartbeat. As I struggled through that moment, I heard my mum praying, casting all those women who passed away came calling for me to go with them. I kept telling my mum with that weak voice, mum just let me go, and I need to go...

 

I experienced that 5 minutes of RIP. I had total Peace that moment. I could not hear a word from my mum, I could not remember yesterday and I had no worries for tomorrow, just total darkness and fine Peace! After those 5 minutes of total darkness, I felt tears rolling down my cheeks; I knew God was not done with me. It is as if He said, Rosemary, I am not done with you yet. I could not sit up, my body turned pale. Then my mum went asking Doctors, Mid-Wives and Nurses for a blood packet. They responded by saying we do not have any blood available now and in fact, there was nothing in the Blood Bank. 

Setting up a SOHO network with VoIP and Data services in Packet Tracer

A simple tutorial on building a small office home office network that can be expanded via a wireless bridge to perhaps another building or room. This tutorial was used by my students to build a network with actual hardware for the IS/MCS 2020 Symposium. The setup is not very complicated and can be useful for small organizations or schools. 

Here is a short video of one of my students demonstrating the functionality of the setup.

The tutorial here shows you the configurations for the simulation in Packet Tracer. NOTE: Simulated network in PT works fine for most of the configs however it is not guaranteed everything will work well in actual hardware as IOS and config commands may vary. You may have different IOS version. PT does not have Engenius so TP Link devices were used in PT to simulate them so additional documentation will be included as a follow-up to this article (Part 2).

So here goes Part 1 of the configuration. (Note that the much of the tutorial will show the config commands and little explanation. I am assuming you have basic to intermediate level understanding of network concepts, otherwise this could end up as a very lengthy tutorial)

For the actual hardware configuration, these were the following devices that were used.

Device Model

• x1 2900 Series router
• x3 2960 Catalyst switches. (you can use 2950)
  
• x2 Engenius wireless bridges (ENH202)
  
• x4 Cisco 7945G/7960 IP Phones
• x2 TP Link Wireless AP

You could simulate this setup by opening a blank PT file and add the following devices shown in the image below. Alternatively, you can download the completed network file here.

Figure 1. The simulated setup in Packet Tracer

PART 1

Task1: Configure basic settings on all routers and switches. 

I generally keep the same settings and change passwords where security is of concern. Documenting configs is helpful for future reference. So the configs below will generally be the same across all routers and switches.

hostname __________ (you can use your own hostnames)
no ip domain-lookup
enable secret in40matic
domain-name informatics.net
service password-encryption
banner motd @
***************************
Device managed by Informatics
Unauthorized access prohibited!
***************************
@
line con 0
password In4matic2020
login
line vty 0 4
login local
transport input ssh
username admin password adminpass1234
crypto key generate rsa general-keys modulus 1024
wr

Task 2: Configure VLANs on all 6 switches

Configure VLANs to separate data, voice and management traffic on the Layer 2 devices, the 4 switches. Create the following vlans;

• Data #10
• Voice #150
• Native #99
• Management #100 (optional) 

config t
vlan 10
name Data
vlan 150
name Voice
vlan 99
name Native

Task 3: Configure EtherChannel on the switches as shown in Figure 1.

Although not required for a SOHO, its good practice to design and build the network with scalability in mind. Having said that we will configure etherchannel to increase the trunk link bandwidth to at least 200MB. 

Sw1

int range fa0/1-2
channel-group 1 mode desirable

Sw2

int range fa0/1-2
channel-group 1 mode desirable 

Sw3

int range fa0/1-2
channel-group 2 mode desirable

Sw4

int range fa0/1-2
channel-group 2 mode desirable

Living Off-grid: Solar lighting [2018]

[Still updating details of this post, quite a lot I had written down and lost]

In 2018 we spent the holidays in the village at our family home along the Maggi Highway, Makana Dobu. A lot has changed back home and although much of the land still looks the same there are a few homes up now and the community is growing bigger each year.

A few of the homes now have solar lighting but the usual setup a single 20W panel, one or two lights and a 12V battery. Just recently we had power poles erected and electricity brought in through a New Zealand government funded (have to confirm this) project. Before this project this was the off-grid setup we had at home.

Our house had the following equipment:

• 65 Amp battery - 12 volt

• 100W Solar Panel
• 50W Solar Panel
• Lights:
• 2W x2
• 8W x4
• 10W spotlights x2 

 

 

• Charge controller x1 rating 10Amps
• max panel 100W panel
• for >100W panel you need at least 15-20 Amps rating controllers.

 

The final setup on paper...

This was a draft on paper of how things were setup in the house.

Calculations:

• 65 Amps / Hour    X    12V    = 780 Watts/Hour

Everything depends on the load of appliances connected and used in an hour or so.

Formula

100W solar panel divided by 18 volts = 5.56 Amps

(18 V, Nominal output / max output if sun is strong)

5.56 Amps x no. of sun hours.

E.g. 5.56 A x 8 hours of sun = approx. 40 W total power.

Therefore, it depends on the sun (the hours of sunlight you get).

100W is able to give you 40amps in 8 hours of direct sunlight.

 

Figure 2. Uncle John wiring the charge controller

 

Figure 3. The charge controller

Evolving as a digital teacher: Tools of the trade (Part 7)

Have you ever seen some whiteboard animated videos that bring the message intended to come alive simply by using animation? I used to be fascinated at how they are able to do this and what skill level it would require to even do one. Well guess what, over the years, various tools and apps have been developed that anybody these days could come up with cool whiteboard animations all with the click of a button. Easier said than done as it really does take a bit of time and practice. 

Here is several proprietary whiteboard animation software that you may find on the market.

• VideoScribe
• Powtoon
• Moovly
• VideoRobot
• Prezi
• Adobe Animate and there's just too many to list all of them here.
  

Yes, I listed VideoScribe top of the list because that is what I have tried and have liked.

Generation Z - Digital Natives

While millennials were introduced to technology relatively early on in their lives, Gen Z don’t know life without it. Since social media and Google have been at their fingertips, students are used to instant information and teaching themselves anything they want to know with YouTube. 

With that in mind, students often expect instant results from teachers and find it much easier to learn from video than they do books. While this shift might take a bit of adjustment, it’s a great opportunity for teachers and students to develop their video skills.(2020, Educator’s guide to using animated video in and out of the classroom)

What is VideoScribe?

VideoScribe is the name of the software for creating whiteboard animations automatically. It is easy (trust me after several attempts), quick, and pretty inexpensive also for a very powerful and resource-rich tool. It was launched in 2012 by UK company Sparkol. After only two years on the market, it had more than 250,000 users in 135 countries around the world. It has remained since as a very popular whiteboard animation tool that is used for instructional videos to advertisements.

Here is a one-minute overview by VideoScribe.

I first downloaded a trial copy of this application back in 2016 and have been teaching myself how to use it by watching tutorials online and of course trying my hands at making short instructional videos. It really does require a bit of practice for those without any previous knowledge of using similar tools.

You can begin by watching this short tutorial from VideoScribe.

Here is the link to download a 1 week free trial. You may purchase the single user license for $14/month (approx. K50 monthly). Best option would be to get a team license (in an educational setting) as more members would mean less cost.

Since then I have learnt a few things about the tool and have managed to create a few short whiteboard animations to explain some basic concepts for my classes.

The fun part is the learning process. I've learnt to create a script first, organize what I like to call assets (images, text, transition, timing etc) in the script. Once you have this laid out then you can record and do the voice-over. 

Here are some sample videos I have created. (Please note they are the results of my 'learn-driving' this application :). I am still learning to do this properly.)

The first video was probably my first explaining the different route types.

 

An explanation on the purpose of DHCP. (You can hear the famous Madang Flying Foxes chirping away in the background. DWU is home to many of these flying foxes)

 Quick introductory to EtherChannels

The purpose of PPP

Hope this will inspire you to try out VideoScribe or even the other apps listed above.

Comment below if you use a different tool that achieves a similar or better result. Also let me know if you would like me to do a video tutorial on VideoScribe.

With that, keep tinkering with technology!

Subscribe to my channel!

Evolving as a digital teacher: Tools of the trade (Part 6)

A sample video of the many videos I have done and put up on Youtube for my classes. Note that this is the only second video I have listed as 'public' with the DWU logo. All these videos for my classes with the DWU logo are 'unlisted' so only students have access to them. I do not monetize these videos and they are the property of DWU (by contractual agreement ).

Note: I don't have the best tools nor do I have the best room space/setup but I make the most of what I have.

 

I use a Logitech Webcam for video and audio.

I do screen capture & editing using Camtasia. This handy tool has the capability to cancel out noise (requires a tweak). Get the 2020 version here.

Sometimes the live streams on the FB groups are done using OBS Studio (an open-source broadcasting software).

Graphics and video thumbnails are created using a site called canva.com

I use EpicPen to do the on-screen annotations.

I download non-copyright music for the background from tons of sites online. 

(Mind you several of my videos have landed me on copyright strikes because music downloaded and used without permission, so be careful when you use music from online and upload to Youtube)

 

#LifeOfADigitalTeacher

Evolving as a digital teacher: Tools of the trade (Part 5)

 

For us in PNG, online teaching may already be complementing face-to-face classes for some while others may be still planning on implementing it. We at DWU have already begun preparing and others have started teaching online. Among the plethora of tech tools available to achieve this you also have the pedagogy, one of them being the use of online discussion forums. Made even more popular through the many groups and pages on social media platforms that encourage this.

 

Leading an effective discussion in an online forum is a skill you can learn, much as you learned how to lead class discussions in person. An interesting article here on “The Chronicle of Higher Education” titled The Secret Weapon of Good Online Teaching: Discussion Forums

 

Flower Darby, the author, highlights six simple ways to foster meaningful conversations in an online forum:

1. Take part in the discussion.
2. But be strategic about your participation.
3. The better the question, the better the debate.
4. Ask students to write about something they find naturally interesting — like themselves.
5. Structure the online conversation.
6. Aim for organic, authentic conversation.

Read the article to find out more.

 

I really do not use discussion forums a lot in my online classes however when I do use them the participation in the conversation is not very encouraging in my opinion. Not a lot of my students respond to the discussion question. Even if they respond, the response is light and does not carry much thought in it to further discuss the point. Perhaps I too need to take into consideration a few of this pointers.

 

What is your take on this and how do you use discussion forums?

NICTA: Public consultation on Reference Interconnection Offer from PNG DataCo LTD on various Wholesale Access Services

NICTA has put up a public consultation on RIO from PNG DataCo on various wholesale access services on the August 19th, 2020.

The public consultation paper can be accessed via the link below.

https://www.nicta.gov.pg/2020/08/cp-0-14/

The consultative paper is in regard to a 'reference interconnection offer' put forward by DataCo.

The Reference Interconnection Offer is an offer document setting out matters relating to the price, and terms and conditions, under which DataCo will permit the interconnection of another carrier to its network. A RIO aims to provide and facilitate new entrants with sufficient information about a dominant carrier’s or another carrier’s network to assist it in its decision-making processes, and to provide a baseline for negotiating an interconnection agreement.

DataCo has divided wholesale access into five (5) different services, each with its own capacity, unit pricing per monthly basis, and conditions.

• Wholesale Internet Service (WIS)
• Domestic P2P Metro (up to 1km) over Fibre delivered to Customer Premises
• Domestic P2P Metro (more than 1 km) - over Fibre delivered to Customer Premises
• Domestic P2P Longhaul (DP2P-LH) over Fibre delivered to Customer Premises
• International P2P (IP2P) over Subsea Fibre delivered to at the CLS

Here is the updated (as of July 1st 2020) schedule of pricing for wholesale access services with details (Attachment B of the RIO). Note: this information is extracted from this consultative paper shared here for information purposes.

End-users (consumers) are hoping that lower prices at wholesale level will reflect at the retail end. 

The key matters associated with the RIO which NICTA considers should be highlighted are: 

• a.The form and minimum requirements of the RIO 
• b.Previous involvement in this RIO by NICTA
• c.Services covered in the RIO
• d.Relationship between the RIO and the proposed amendment to the Service-Specific Pricing Principles (Submarine Cable Services) Determination 2019

Each of these matters is discussed in the consultative paper and NICTA is inviting interested parties to consider and comment on the RIO.

DevPolicy Blog: No change in mobile internet prices in PNG

There has been much enthusiasm about new undersea internet cables in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and predicted improvements in internet pricing, speeds and reliability. This blog post looks at mobile internet prices in the first half of 2020.

Myself and two other colleagues collected data over a period of 6 months. The original article went through several edits before the final one was published to the Devpolicy blog.

During the refining of the article, two graphs were removed due to the fact that there was simply no change in the mobile internet prices so here are the graphs. As we continue to track the prices and observe any change in the prices than we will surely include graphs to illustrate the changes in the future article. Read the article on the devpolicy blog to make sense of what these graphs illustrate; there was simply no change despite several announcements made for a reduction in the prices.

The present state of interconnections between ASes in PNG

The Internet consists of thousands of Autonomous Systems (ASes) networks that are each owned and operated by a single institution. Usually each ISP operates one AS, though some ISPs may operate multiple ASes for business reasons. As is the case now with DataCo. The visual below shows you the interconnections between ASes within PNG, and compares the state of interconnections between the IPv4 and IPv6 address families. Notice there is ZERO interconnection for IPv6 to DataCo, only IPv4. (Writing an article on this very soon.)

From this visualization, you can also see which networks play an important connectivity role within our economy. Notice how the numbers (ASes) outside connect to the two ASes inside (17828, 136587) which belong to DataCo.

Over the last 5 years the number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 ISPs has grown in the country and should continue to grow with the PPC1 and CS cable pricing review (presumably lower pricing) and better arrangements through PNG IXP for ISPs and CDNs. I strongly believe that when this comes about it will bring new and real opportunities for economic development in the country. Research by the ITU has also shown that for every 10% increase in broadband penetration, GDP growth can be boosted by 1.21% to 1.38%. (Image source: https://stats.apnic.net/vizas/#)

Madang Harbor Cruise aboard MTS Kalibobo Spirit.

A rare opportunity to take a habour cruise aboard Melanesian Tourist Services (MTS) MV Kalibobo Spirit. This was an opportunity me and family could not pass when invited by bro Sibona Mani and Sir Peter Barter. Here are some of the moments captured using my rusty old Huawei phone. Videos aren't that very clear so if you want to experience it in person please do the right thing. Contact MTS!

You can find more about Melanesian Tourists Services on their website here. Stay in the Madang Resort Hotel or tour the nearby villages and islands aboard Kalibobo Spirit. You can also visit their Facebook Page to find out more...

Well thanks for watching!