Week Six I plan to cover Tools that will help you do all of the above

Tools fall into a lot of categories the bad thing there is not a tremendous about of overlap.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to comment on several categories of tools.
Automotive
Land working
Construction and Repairing (home and other)
Firearms

We are going to get started this week talking about Automotive tools and supplies.
It will make your life a lot easier if your have a shop. Even a place just to keep your tools out of the weather and to keep organized. Have a hacksaw with several blades. a few files and sand paper. You need to have a good set of jumper cables with heavy cable, extra assorted fuses. A battery charger, electric drill with bits. You ought to have a hand grinder that has grinding wheels and cut off wheels. A couple of different hammers, ball peen, regular claw type and a two pound maul.
The easiest way to get started in automotive tools is to buy a kit. Buy good quality, I prefer Craftsmen, but there are others out there. I would start small and add to them as you can and as you need to fix projects on your vehicle. I would find a toolbox that would accommodate the small starter set. As you become more familiar with them you will want to get another larger set. Leave the first set in your primary vehicle. Leave the second set in a large rolling toolbox. Get a kit that has a good selection of Standard and Metric sizes, and make sure you get all three types 1/4" 3/8" and 1/2" ratchets. Buy several sets of wrenches, the combination box and open type. Several set of assorted screwdrivers and pliers and several vise grip pliers. Add a multimeter and extra fuses. A hydraulic Jack, at least 5 tons is a must also a pair of jack stands. A mechanics creeper is great and easy on the bones, if you have a solid smooth surface to work on. It will allow you to work quicker safer and easier. Get a drain pan, to catch the fluids so they don't go on the ground. Used oil and fluids, have many uses, don't throw them away. While we are here you will need the fluids and filters to change. Go out and get several gallons of engine oil and coolant. I would a few bottles of brake fluid power steering and a case or two of grease and a grease gun. Starting fuild and extra bulbs, belts and hoses would be a good idea also.
Road flares and triangles. I ‘m partial to having one of those 12 volt jump starters also. If it is getting close to Winter, I always put in some chicken wire and kitty litter for getting out of slick spots. A short shovel for digging out of snow is a good idea. Some blankets and food is a good idea to have stored in your car of you get stuck. We talked about communications last week, but very important to keep as informed as you can about road and weather conditions.
This should give you a place to start, some of the tools will do double duty in other areas as well.
That is one of the reasons that a shop is very important to keeping things organized.

Chrysler's In-Car Wi-Fi Ready To Roll Aug. 25
The hotspot will have a radius of about 100 feet, and it will deliver download speeds from 400 to 800 Kbps and average upload speeds of 400 Kbps. By Marin Perez InformationWeek August 13, 2008 05:22 PM Starting Aug. 25, some Chrysler drivers will be able to turn their cars into rolling Wi-Fi hotspots. The company will be the first carmaker to offer Internet capability when it begins to sell its Uconnect Web system, which includes an antenna and trunk-mounted router that are hardwired into the car's electrical system. An EV-DO Rev. A cellular connection is made to the Internet, and a Wi-Fi hotspot that enables laptops and other devices in the car to surf the Web is created. More Mobility InsightsWhite PapersEleven Myths about 802.11 Wi-Fi Networks Physical Inventory, RFID Project for Stratum Global, Inc WebcastsReal-time Visibility of Mobile Inventory, Assets, and Field-Based Employees using RFID Improving Business Processes with WAN Acceleration ReportsCode Of The Road 6 Top Technologies For Remote Office Support ... And 2 To Avoid "With Uconnect Web all passengers in or near the vehicle are continuously connected to the Internet," said Rob Richard, director of sales and service marketing for Chrysler's Mopar division, in a statement. "This can make dinner reservations, check directions or weather, make online purchases, surf Facebook, MySpace, Disney (NYSE: DIS), or Webkinz, watch the latest YouTube videos, upload photos to a Flickr account -- all at the same time." The hotspot will have a radius of about 100 feet, and it will deliver download speeds from 400 to 800 Kbps and average upload speeds of 400 Kbps. To prevent unauthorized access, the connection can be secured with WEP encryption or WAN port restriction, and the system will only operate with the key in the ignition. Being able to check your e-mails in the car will come at a price, as the router will cost about $500 with a $35 to $50 installation fee. Along with a one-time $35 activation fee, the customer will also have to sign up for a $29 monthly subscription plan. The product will only be sold at authorized Chrysler dealerships, the company said. The technology is being provided by Autonet Mobile, which already offers a mobile Internet product that's used by Avis rental car. http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/wifiwimax/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210003709&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Mobility

Researchers offer new way to avoid bogus Web sites August 27, 2008 - 5:13pm
By JORDAN ROBERTSON AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Intercepting Internet traffic, and spying on the communication between two computers, is a gold mine for hackers. Now Carnegie Mellon University researchers hope software they've built will make it harder for criminals to hit that jackpot.
The software, a free download for use with latest version of the Firefox Web browser, creates an additional way for people to verify whether the site they're trying to visit is authentic.
Most browsers already alert users when a site appears bogus. One way is by warning that a site that claims to be equipped to handle confidential information securely hasn't been verified by a third party, like VeriSign Inc. or GoDaddy.com Inc. Those are two of many companies that sell so-called Secure Sockets Layer certificates, which generate the padlock icon in the address bar.
The problem, the Carnegie Mellon researchers say, is that many people are perplexed about how to proceed once they get one of those warnings about a bad certificate.
Some click through, going on to malicious sites that steal their personal information, while others retreat, skipping over harmless sites that used less expensive, "self-signed" certificates.
So the researchers _ David Andersen, Adrian Perrig and Dan Wendlandt _ created a program that performs a novel extra step. It can tap into a network of publicly accessible servers that have been programmed to ping Web sites and record changes in the encryption keys they use to secure data.
Any discrepancy can be a sign that hackers are rerouting traffic through machines under their control, a pernicious type of attack known as a "man in the middle."
As a result, the new program either overrides the security warning if a site is deemed legitimate, or throws up another warning if the subsequent probes reveal more red flags.
___
On the Net:
Carnegie Mellon researchers' site:
http://tinyurl.com/6cblaz

Bush urged to block Mexican military
Agents cite rash of incursions
The U.S. Border Patrol's largest union local has asked President Bush to put an end to the scores of Mexican military incursions into the United States that have put Border Patrol agents at risk of being injured or killed.
"It is disgraceful that Border Patrol agents are put in harm's way and our government doesn't do everything reasonably within its power to protect us from marauding Mexican soldiers and others," said Edward "Bud" Tuffly II, head of Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) in Tucson.
"Without a forceful response to these illegal incursions, an agent will eventually be seriously wounded or killed. It is only a matter of time," Mr. Tuffly said. "The incursions will not stop until the Mexican military units and their commanders are held accountable for their actions."
In a letter Saturday to Mr. Bush, Mr. Tuffly asked the president to "take a strong stand against" Mexican military incursions.
He said Mexican soldiers have made hundreds of incursions into the United States and that some of them resulted in agents coming under gunfire and being detained at gunpoint.
"It is a documented fact that the Mexican military is corrupt and is involved in protecting drug cartels, smugglers and other criminals," said Mr. Tuffly, a veteran Border Patrol agent.
The NBPC represents all of the agency's 16,000 nonsupervisory agents. Mr. Tuffly's local is the union's largest, with about 3,000 members.
White House officials said Wednesday that they had not received the letter and referred inquiries to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP spokesman Michael Friel acknowledged that the Mexican military has made incursions into the United States and said those incidents have been treated seriously and reported up the chain of command. He said protocols have been developed to ensure that the incidents are resolved as "quickly and safely" as possible.
"There is an international boundary for a reason and they are to be respected by both governments," Mr. Friel said. "We take very seriously our role in working with our international neighbors to address and resolve these situations."
Last week in separate letters to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Rep. Duncan Hunter raised what he described as "serious questions" about the Mexican military's presence and activities along the southwestern border.
He made the comments in response to an Aug. 3 incident during which a Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona about 85 miles southwest of Tucson. The soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist.
"The fact that the Mexican military is operating in such close proximity to the border, without any identifiable purpose, calls into question its activities and raises concerns about the vulnerability of our southern land border," said Mr. Hunter, a California Republican who played a key role in the government's efforts to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"When considering the frequency of incursions and the threat these encounters pose to our Border Patrol agents, it is critical that we take the necessary steps to ensure that Mexican military and law-enforcement personnel do not cross into the U.S. without our knowledge or consent," he said.
Officials at Homeland Security also referred inquiries to CBP.
Mr. Friel noted that the ongoing construction of 670 miles of fencing along the southwestern border "will result in a clearer delineation of the international border" and a reduction in the number of incursions.
Last week, the State Department and the Border Patrol in Washington described the Aug. 3 incursion as a "momentary misunderstanding," saying the Mexican soldiers did not know where they were and needed to make certain that the detained agent was who he said he was - although rank-and-file Border Patrol agents in Arizona said he was dressed in uniform and was driving a well-marked, white-and-green agency vehicle.
The incident occurred on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, a major corridor for smuggling humans and drugs.
Mr. Tuffly said the four Mexican military personnel who crossed into the United States on Aug. 3 did so after passing vehicle barriers that Homeland Security had erected at the border. The agent was in full uniform and was driving a fully marked Border Patrol vehicle, complete with red and blue lights, large green stripes down the side, and the large words "Border Patrol" on the sides and the rear of the vehicle, he said.
"A reasonable person would conclude that the soldiers knew exactly at whom they were pointing their rifles," Mr. Tuffly said. "Had the agent panicked and fired a shot or attempted to flee in his vehicle, there is little doubt the Mexican soldiers would have opened fire."
He described the State Department's declaration that the incident was a "misunderstanding" as "unfortunate."
"During past incursions, the Mexican government has denied it had soldiers in the area. They have blamed impostors, even when military Humvees were involved," he said. "Time after time they have gotten away with these incursions and time after time our government has not taken a forceful stand against them."
Mr. Hunter said in his letters that 43 Mexican military incursions have been reported in the past 10 months and more than 200 since 2006. In the letter, he asked what action the Homeland Security and State departments were taking "to address the incursion ... and limit or prevent the likelihood of similar incidents in the future."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/28/bush-urged-to-block-mexican-military/