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Toronto's KnowRoaming partners with TCL Alcatel for SIMFREE global phone

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

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At Mobile World Congress

KnowRoaming (a Toronto based telecom company) has announced a partnership with global handset producer TCL Communications. 

“The integration of our SoftSIM in Alcatel’s Pop 4-6 4G, A2 XL, and A3 XL handsets gives Alcatel’s customers a seamless way to stay connected and use their device as if they were at home”
— Gregory Gundelfinger, CEO KnowRoaming

 

Three upcoming Alcatel handsets will have the KnowRoaming SoftSim embedded in the phones. This means users will gain access to the global KnowRoaming network (50+ countries) and benefit from reduced roaming rates.

Armenia and Christianity

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Armenia is a country located in the southern Caucasus region. Christianity is said to have first arrived in Armenia in the year 301 AD, making it one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. The Armenian king Tiridates III was converted to Christianity by St Gregory the Illuminator after being tortured and imprisoned by the king himself. St Gregory is also credited with curing the king of a debilitating illness. Christianity then quickly spread throughout Armenia and became the country's national religion.

Who is Gregory the Illuminator?

Gregory the Illuminator was the man who first introduced Christianity to Armenia. He was also responsible for converting the Armenian king Tiridates III to the Christian faith.

Why did King Tiridates III torture and imprison Gregory the Illuminator?

King Tiridates III tortured and imprisoned Gregory the Illuminator because he was trying to prevent Christianity from spreading throughout Armenia.

How did Gregory the Illuminator convert the Armenian king Tiridates III to Christianity?

Gregory the Illuminator is said to have converted the Armenian king Tiridates III to Christianity after healing him of a debilitating

Branches of Christianity in Armenia

There are two main branches of Christianity in Armenia: the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church. The Armenian Apostolic Church is an autocephalous Eastern Christian church that recognizes the authority of the Catholic Church but is not in communion with it. On the other hand, the Catholic Church is in full communion with the Pope and the rest of the Catholic Church.

Christianity has played a significant role in the history and identity of the Armenian people. Armenia was the first country to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion, and the Armenian Apostolic Church has played a central role in the country's history and culture. Christianity has also been a source of strength and comfort for Armenians during times of hardship, such as the Armenian Genocide.

Beliefs of the Armenian Apostolic Church:

  • The Bible is the authoritative source of religious teachings.

  • There is one God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

  • Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross to save humanity from its sins.

  • Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He will return to judge the living and the dead.

  • Humanity is fallen and in need of salvation. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

  • The church is the body of Christ on earth, consisting of all those who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

  • The church is led by bishops, who are successors of the apostles.

  • The sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ, that give us communion with God. There are seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, marriage, and ordination.

  • We will experience both physical and spiritual resurrection. At the end of time, Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and the dead, and those who have been saved will spend eternity in heaven with God.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church is in communion with the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. However, it is not in communion with the Protestant churches.

What are the differences in beliefs between the Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Church?

The main differences in beliefs between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church are as follows:

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church does not recognize the authority of the Pope.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine, while the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is true God and true man.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church does not believe in purgatory, while the Catholic Church does.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church allows for the marriage of priests, while the Catholic Church does not.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church believes that the sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, while the Catholic Church believes that the sacraments are instituted by Christ and confer grace upon those who receive them.

Why is the Armenian Apostolic Church not in communion with the protestant churches?

The Armenian Apostolic Church is not in communion with the protestant churches because of differences in beliefs, such as the following:

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church teaches that the Bible is the authoritative source of religious teachings, while many protestant churches teach that the Bible is not the only authority.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church teaches that there is one God who exists in three persons, while many protestant churches teach that there is only one person in the Trinity.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church teaches that humanity is fallen and in need of salvation, while many protestant churches teach that humanity is not fallen and does not need salvation.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church believes in seven sacraments, while many protestant churches do not believe in any sacraments.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church teaches that we will experience both physical and spiritual resurrection, while many protestant churches teach that we will only experience spiritual resurrection.

  • The Armenian Apostolic Church teaches that Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and the dead, while many protestant churches teach that Jesus has already returned or will not return.

Canada has 12th fastest wireless networks

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

OpenSignal uses its millions of mobile users to map and test global wireless connectivity and they just released their latest global review summary. The 2 main takeaways are that wireless connectivity speeds are improving globally and users are still leveraging WIFI when available. 

Canada is the only western country to reach 20Mbps wireless speeds, making us the 12th best in the world. Our wireless may be expensive but at least it ranks well for performance. As expected, South Korea has kept its crown as the king of wireless speeds. 

For those wondering, our closest neighbor and friend, the United States of America ranks at the 20th position with a speed of 12.48Mbps. 

Talk to me about WIFI

Canada ranks 4th as it related to time on WIFI. Canadians spend on average ~60% of their time connected to WIFI. Again we rank better than the US at 10% more WIFI time than them. 

Roam Mobility launches USA Monthly Plans

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

I've written about Roam Mobility before:

Today Roam Mobility is launching new monthly plans that include unlimited talk, text and data. It is a middle of the ground offering between their day plans and their 3-month snowbird ones.

Although these plans were originally designed for Canadian travelers heading to the USA, it is really applicable to anyone going to the US (Europe, Asia, Middle East, etc).

At launch, there are 2 monthly plans (30 day) which both include unlimited talk and text but differ in their data offering:

  • 1GB of 4G LTE for $39.95
  • 4GB of 4G LTE for $64.95

Once you consume all of your data, you get unlimited 2G data. In my testing, the TMobile LTE network is excellent but their 2G network is so so.

All you need is a non-expired Roam Mobility SIM card and then you can choose these plans on their website.

Why a Canadian should choose Roam Mobility

Telus, Rogers and Bell have all started to offer special Roaming plans ($5-7 per day) where you consume your home monthly plan when in the US. The attractiveness of this plan is the ease of use. You keep your same SIM and number. 

Most Canadians have limited data plans and the risk you run is the overage charges once you've eaten your monthly allocation. With Roam Mobility, you have to switch SIM cards but you are given ample 4G LTE and even if you do bust your cap, you get unlimited 2G connectivity. At least there won't be any $50-100 surprises at the end of the month.

What is my review of Roam Mobility

I have tested almost every conceivable USA travel solution from Roam Mobility, KnowRoaming all the way to buying local SIM cards upon landing. I have found the Roam Mobility solution to be the most robust one I have used.

KnowRoaming provides "unlimited" data for $US8 a day but it is slower 3G. Additionally during my last trip to San Francisco, I couldn't get inbound calling to work and finally gave up after 45 minutes on the phone with their support person. I didn't have my Roam SIM so I was stuck paying the Telus $7 a day fee.

So for USA only travel, I would buy a couple of Roam Mobility cards and use them.

Link to monthly plans page

5 best Random Password Generators

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

1 - Random.org

Random.org has been one of my favorite sites for a long time. It uses atmospheric noise to generate its randomness which is much better than the logical pseudo-random generators used by many sites and service.

You choose the password parameters you need and it generates wonderfully random passwords to use with your password manager of choice.

Link

2 - Symantec Identity Safe

Symantec has been a mainstay of the security market since the 90s and they bought a company called PCTools (and its Secure Password Generator). As a PC Tool vendor, they will try to make you download their privacy tools but I wouldn't recommend their password vault.

Use the password generator on the right side of their site to generate high quality complicated passwords with the required complications. As an example, the above complications generated this password for me : dr-cr+wreF5p.

Link

3 - Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is a powerful knowledge engine created by the brainiacs behind mathematica, It is a superb tool I use regularly for problem solving but it also generate random passwords. Head over to their knowledge engine and enter Generate Strong Password. Then press the equal sign. 

Then choose the complications you want and press the equal sign again to generate you password.

then it generates your wonderful password

you press on Plaintext and copy it into your favorite website or password manager.

Link

4 - Lastpass password generator

My 2 favourite password managers are Lastpass and 1Password. Both have the capbility to generate strong passwords and you should use that functionality if you have those those. Considering most of Lastpass is now free to use, you really have no excuse.

But Lastpass also offers a web based secure password generator which is clean, easy to use and efficient. 

When you scoll up on that page after choosing your complications, you get a wonderfully generated password of your can click the button and have another one created for you.

5 - GRC Ultra High Security Password Generator

GRC is the home of Gibson Research Corporation. It is owned by Steve Gibson the Grand Poobah of internet security. He found the first spyware and wrote the first anti-spyware app. He is considered one of the most prominent security professionals and makes tones of tools available on his site. 

His site generates perfectly random long complex 64/63 character passwords and he then explains why his passwords are high quality. If you are interested in geeking out, its a wonderful read.