I searched the strobist flikr discussions and other associated forums for a cheap solution, but didnt find a good DIY write-up…hence this post. 

The Westcott Apollo light modifier tilted down after using the simple setup

So if you want to allow the westcott apollo softbox to be used with a light stand and STILL be able to tilt it downward without any funky choking up on the post, and have the softbox be used the way it was meant to be, then continue reading! 

I. Parts Needed (3 total, all less than $10…no need for a hollywood arm or anything like that.)
LOWES (I got everything at Lowes since its just 5 minutes from my house):
- PN#136135 SS Wing Nuts 1/4-20 (QTY 2) – $1.21
- PN#64767 Mending Plate 8″ – $1.88 (this mending plate is very solid and will not bend or flex…HINT: if you want to increase the downard tilt even more, get a longer mending plate.) 

EBAY:
-5/8″ Spigot stud Adapter with 1/4″ & 3/8″ Male screw – $5.40 (the seller has since dropped the price to $4.90) 

Heres what the spigot stud adapter looks like. The ebay seller is also noted.

II. Assembly
To assemble, just stick one end of the lightstand in the hole at one end of the mending plate, then put the spigot adapter in the hole at the opposite end and secure both with wingnuts. EASY as pie! 

Wingnut securing the Spigot adapter using the 1/4" stud end.

Other end of the mending plate secured to the lightstand with a wingnut

What it looks like fully assembled.

III. Misc.
Here are more pictures of the softbox with hardware installed and working together. 

Dont need to choke up on the post to tilt it down now.

Heres a shot taken a bit farther back. You can see how the hardware allows the flash to be mounted farther forward which in turn allows the softbox to tilt downward.

The hardware mod still allows the Apollo Modifier to tilt upwards.

 The Hardware really holds together solidly and is very easy to set up. Im very happy with it, just be sure to use sandbags on the lightstand since the center of gravity is now slightly off!

After some searching, I found that plugbox linux changes up the boot parameters using blparam. I figured that the /sbin/reboot was indeed working fine, but it would just freak out when trying to check for installed linux kernels on attached USB storage devices upon reboot. Reverting to the original bootload parameter worked for me and fixed /sbin/reboot so I didnt have to power cycle the unit by physically pulling the plug.

I didnt find this command easily by searching how to fix a broken reboot command so I figured I would post it on my blog for others who may run into the same problem.

To fix /sbin/reboot, SSH into your device, enable rw access to the file system and enter in:

/usr/local/cloudengines/bin/./blparam ‘bootcmd=run bootcmd_original’

you should be able to issue an /sbin/reboot and have it reboot like normal!

All you need is:
-A magic eraser (mr clean, or generic brand will do…I used the target magic eraser)
-Liquid dishsoap (any cheap dishsoap will work, joy, dawn, etc.)

Magic eraser and mild dishsoap together removes soap scum from the tub, tiles, and shower doors

Just take a dry magic eraser and put a dab of dishsoap in the middle of it, rinse the shower door with water and scrub away! It doesnt take much effort, and within a few scrubs the scum will be completely removed! I did this today with my shower door that had over 2 years worth of scum on it and it removed it completely…really. No joke. I was pretty impressed as nothing I tried before worked so easily and so quickly. The shower doors look brand new, tiles look smooth and reflective, and the tub looks great!

Seagate Dockstar

After setting up the dockstar, I installed openpogo as I wanted it to replace my NSLU2 which was acting as a transmission bit-torrent downloader and Asterisk PBX. It all installed pretty much ok, but with the exception of setting a static IP for the unit. I initially just set the DHCP options in my router to give it a static IP, but I wanted to know if there was an easy way to do this with the pogoplug software. I ended up emailing pogo support and below is what they told me:

Please read through these instructions carefully. Applying them improperly will result in a bricked or inoperable Pogoplug. By the way, we already have logged an enhancement request to add this functionality in the Web interface at my.pogoplug.com though I have no information regarding a release date for such an update.

You will need to first activate Pogoplug using the default setup I.S.P. modem => router => Pogoplug with an functioning DHCP Server.

Next enable SSH: To enable SSH, login to http://my.pogoplug.com, navigate to the Settings page, select Security Settings, and from the main pane, enable SSH for your Pogoplug. Choose your own SSH password.

Now SSH into your Pogoplug with the username: root and the password you set previously.

At the bash shell prompt, you can assign a static IP just as you would on any linux machine. For this example, I will use eth0:3 aliased interface so we don’t lose our current static IP we are using for SSH. I will also assume my new static IP to be assigned is 192.168.77.3 and the default route gateway is 192.168.77.1 and the DNS name server is 192.168.77.2

To persist these changes after a power loss or reboot of the pogoplug, issue the following commands at the bash prompt.
-bash-3.2# mount / -o remount,rw,noatime
-bash-3.2# echo ‘ifconfig eth0:3 192.168.77.3 netmask 255.255.255.0′ >> /etc/init.d/rcS
-bash-3.2# echo ‘route add default gw 192.168.77.1′ >> /etc/init.d/rcS
-bash-3.2# echo ‘echo “nameserver 192.168.77.2″ > /etc/resolv.conf’ >> /etc/init.d/rcS
-bash-3.2# mount / -o remount,ro
-bash-3.2#

When done properly, your Pogoplug should continue to function when attached to a DHCP network.

I wanted to post this because I could not easily find it online or in their forums, so I thought this could save someone the time and hassle of contacting their technical support.

The real motivation for me to use asterisk and ooma was to save moolah. With ooma, albeit with the up-front cost of $200, one can cancel their phone line and stop paying those pesky monthly bills. Our monthly bills were not as absorbitant as others, yet the reasoning behind me getting it was to get more for the same. I canceled my ATT $10 internet (768k down) and $10 phone with only local calling…(total monthly charge of $32-$37 with taxes and long distance charges that we didnt make), and opted for a 12mb down 512k up cable internet connection for $37.99. I would then still have a home phone number which I could take with me if I moved, and have super fast internet (in my standards). With asterisk in the mix, I could then share out my ooma with my family and allow them to make calls to the US for free as well (my sister lives in australia). Also, if I am overseas, I can make free calls to the US. I also have gizmo5 and google voice working together to provide my individual extensions in asterisk with DID numbers, but thats for another post.     

For those of you who do not know what ooma is, its a VOIP hardware solution which gives you a dedicated phone line and “unlimited” calling to the US, all you need is an internet connection. I got my ooma core from radio shack for $199 and will never have to pay phone bills again (ooma core does not have an annual regulatory fee, while the ooma telo, and ooma hub only, does). Ooma makes its money off the upfront cost of hardware, and also by selling its ooma premier service. This service gives you cool features, but features that asterisk allows you to do and with more customization (and maybe for a little more effort). The Linksys SPA-3102 is an ethernet voice gateway with FXO port that has the added functionality of routing, and it also acts as an ATA to allow your regular analog phone to connect with a VOIP provider using the FXS port.

Ooma hub wiring setup

The Ooma hub can be hooked up to your existing phone lines in several ways. Currently, I have my ooma phone port plugged directly into my existing home wiring jack with a splitter which also has my fax/answering machine plugged into it. This configuration allows all the phone jacks in my home to access the ooma hub without the use of the ooma scout. This is essentially the same wiring configuration as one receiving phone service from the telco. However, you lose the instant second line feature you would otherwise be provided when using the ooma scout adapter. To connect the SPA-3102, just plug a phone cord from the Line port on the adapter to a jack in the wall, or if it is near the ooma hub, into a splitter which shares a line plugged into the Phone port on the Ooma hub (or directly into the hubs phone port without a splitter). If you are on a call using a phone plugged into my wiring configuration and dial out using asterisk through the Line port on the SPA, the adapter will report a 503 message to asterisk and stop the call from taking place and interrupting.

If one wants to make sure the line is not busy when receiving/making a call when using the ooma as a regular analog telephone line as well, another configuration one can use, is to hook up the ooma scout and connect it directly to the ooma hubs ’wall’ port via phone line. One would then connect a phone line from the SPA-3102 Line port to the scouts ’wall’ port. This enables the scout to communicate with the ooma hub and enables the instant second line feature should the first line be active when a call out from the asterisk box takes place.

Linksys SPA-3102 Configuration

SPA-3102 Remote Management for LAN Setup       

The SPA-3102 has four interface ports in the rear, Internet, Ethernet, Phone, and Line. If you plug in a computer to the ethernet port via cable, it will provide your computer with an ip address with which you can then enter in the gateway address from an ipconfig and hit the spa3102 web gui. With this web gui, youll be able to configure the device. We dont want to have to plug in a cable each time to configure the device, so we will enable the web interface on the spa3102 when it is connected to the Internet port (with which it will receive a dhcp address handed out to it from your router currently on your network).       

-Log into the webgui for the spa-3102 when you are connected to the ethernet port
-Click on the admin and advanced links at the top right to get the elevated setup access
-Goto ‘WAN Setup’ Tab
-Change ‘remote management’ option to ‘yes’
-Click the ‘submit all changes’ button at the bottom.       

-Connect your spa-3102 to your network via the internet port.
-Log into your spa-3102 and look at the status screen with the computer still plugged into the ethernet port on spa3102. You will find the dhcp address the spa-3102 received from your router which is connected to the Internet port.
-Disconnect your computer from the ethernet port on the spa-3102
-Log into your 3102 via the dhcp address that it received from the internet port.       

SPA-3102 PSTN Line Setup:       

Now we begin the configuration of the SPA to be used with asterisk. In this setup, I will not enable Line1 which makes the SPA-3102 an ATA adapter as well (allowing calls made to your voip provider to ring the analog phone connected to the PHONE port). In this setup, I just use the SPA as a gateway which allows me to make and receive calls (using the LINE port on the SPA) from any extension that is connected to my asterisk pbx. Under the LINE 1 tab in the SPA, ive set ”Line enable” to no.        

NOTE: When things are configured properly, and the PSTN Line is registering with asterisk, the LINE LED on the SPA will light up and remain lit (same with the Phone port if Line 1 is enabled). If things arent communicating correctly, the LED will not be lit (I have the spa registering to asterisk).       

-Log into the SPA web gui
-Click on the admin and advanced links at the top right to get the elevated setup access
-Click the ‘PSTN Line’ tab       

Where you enter in your asterisk server IP info and whether or not it will register to asterisk.

Proxy and Registration      

-Proxy – Change 192.168.1.77 to the ip address asterisk is on your network. I put the ip in the outbound proxy, its not necessary as ‘Use Outbound Proxy’ is set to ‘no.’
-Register – ‘yes’
-Make call without reg and Ans call without reg – Change options to ‘no’      

Subscriber Information      

-Display name – can be anything
-User Id – can be anything but for simplicity sakes when configuring asterisk, use a name without spaces
-Password - can be anything      

This is where you enter dialplan information, and options to configure sending calls from asterisk to the pstn port.

 Dial Plans      

This section of dial plans are accessed by the entire page of the SPA PSTN Line tab. There are eight DP fields because it allows you to create different dial plan options to be used throughout this tab. Voip-to-PSTN, and PSTN-to-VOIP sections both reference these dialplan fields as ‘DP.’ As you can see in my screenshot, Dial Plan 2: is filled out. In my setup, this command tells the SPA that any calls answered after the PSTN-to-VOIP gateway option answer delay is reached, to be sent to the S extension in asterisk. You may enter any extension such as (S0<:102@asteriskIP>).      

VOIP-to-PSTN Gateway Setup      

-VOIP-to-PSTN gateway enable - ‘yes’
-Line caller DP – set to ’1′ (this option references Dial Plan 1:  and the default (xx.). This just passes anything sent from asterisk to the SPA without any change)
-One Stage Dialing – set to ‘yes.’ If set to no, then the SPA uses 2 stage dialing, and it screws up asterisks calling out to the Line port.      

The PSTN-to-VOIP configuration, where you configure how to send calls from the Line port (pstn) to asterisk

 PSTN-to-VOIP Gateway Setup      

-PSTN-to-VOIP Gateway enable - ’yes’ (in the screenshot above, i have it set to ‘no’ as I do not want the spa to pick up the line and forward to my extension s@192.168.1.77 as defined in Dial Plan 2:. This essentially turns off any calls going to my asterisk system. I have my asterisk system setup to forward the call from the pstn to my cell phone when this is turned on, and only used while traveling far away from home. When I am not traveling I have a fax/answering machine on my ooma and want it to pick up instead, so it is disabled.      

 If you are in an asterisk/voip only configuration and want all calls to be routed straight to your asterisk system without worrying about any analog answering machines or fax picking up/ringing, then set to ‘yes’      

-PSTN CID For VoIP CID – set to ‘yes’ if you want callerid to be passed onto your asterisk system
-PSTN Caller Default DP – set to ’2′ as in my Dial Plan 2: it allows calls to be routed from Line port (pstn), to extension S on my asterisk pbx      

FXO timer values (sec)      

-PSTN answer delay - this option is to change the length of time the SPA-3102 picks up the call coming in from the PSTN and forwards it to your asterisk system. The default is 16 which allows the line to ring for a little too long before sending it off to Asterisk. A number of 3-5 should be good for callerid to be gathered and sent along with the call to asterisk.
-PSTN Dial Digit Len – set to .1/.1 otherwise calls may take longer to start connecting. This essentially shortens the speed at which digits are dialed at. You dont want digits to take forever to be entered do you?      

Awesome. You are now finished configuring your SPA-3102 to act as a SIP trunk on the SPA-3102 side. All you need from here to configure asterisk is the username and password you specified in the Proxy and Registration section. Now on to the Asterisk side of things…      

Asterisk Configuration      

This setup is for asterisk 1.4. I found that many guides found on the internet do not seem to work for my setup. I was not able to set my SPA as a peer, but had to configure my 3102 to register to asterisk as an extension in order for everything to work correctly. I also found many internet guides had sip trunk settings which were no longer used for version 1.4. Now lets tell asterisk theres a device to communicate with in the Users.conf (for you it might be Sip.conf) file in the asterisk directory. 

Users.conf or Sip.conf     

Users.conf or sip.conf configuration in asterisk. this command sets up the SPA to be used as an extension from which calls can be made and received.

 -[pstn] – Put the username you specified on the SPA-3102 in between brackets. In my example above, replace [pstn] with your username. The tricky part here is that the name between brackets is your username, even if you specify username = as something else, asterisk will not allow your 3102 to register with it.
-type = friend - Sets as an extension which can be dialed out from (see here for more info)
-port – I saw several guides saying to put in port = 5061, this is unecessary as this configuration automatically connects to this port. You may need this if it was set to type=peer, but I was never able to get it to work as one.
-disallow – This configuration also disallows any voice codec other than ulaw, alaw, and gsm as the NSLU2 does not have enough horsepower to transcode the higher compression the other codecs use.
-context = pstn-in – this is the label for where incoming calls are sent to in my extensions.conf file.
-host = dynamic – as the spa is registering to asterisk, the ip address of the 3102 does not need to be specified here and will be obtained during the spa-3102 device registration. I could change the ip address of the spa-3102 on the unit and it would still register with asterisk.     
-secret = passwd - replace ‘passwd’ with the password you entered in the spa-3102

Other than that, this is all thats needed for the PSTN Line to register to asterisk and send and receive calls.     

Extensions.conf     

Extensions.conf is the the file which tells asterisk how to handle incoming/outgoing phone calls.

Lets configure outgoing calls first, as it requires very little configuration. Below is all i need to put into my default context in order to make outgoing calls out of the Line port (we previously specified ‘pstn’ as a trunk/user in users.conf/sip.conf) on my SPA-3102. Below, the _XXXX. tells asterisk that any number dialed with more than 4 digits should go out through the SPA (I have 4 digit extension numbers configured). Without this configuration, asterisk would try to place a call to an internal extension number, only to find that the extension (the phone number dialed) did not exist.

Simple outgoing dialplan used in the default context in my extensions.conf

In my users.conf (maybe your sip.conf) file, I had the pstn user (pstn is the username specified in the spa3102) use context pstn-in as the label to goto which contains the code for how to handle the calls coming in from the Line port or PSTN.     

Extensions.conf tells asterisk how to handle a call. pstn-in is the context defined in my users.conf/sip.conf

In my spa-3102, my Dial Plan 2: had code (S0<:s@192.168.1.77>). This essentially sent the incoming call from the PSTN Line to the S extension in asterisk. Asterisk knows that the call is coming from the pstn user defined in the users.conf/sip.conf file, and found that context pstn-in was specified. It then initiated the commands under the pstn-in section. The commands listed above, answers the call, plays a sound file that nobody is available to take the call, then says “call-forwarding” and proceeds to ring my cell phone number (8001112222 is the cell number, change it as desired. proxy01.sipphone.com is my gizmo account which forwards it out through a google voice DID number).     

Alternatively, if you just want to have the incoming pstn call sent to several or all extensions on your asterisk system, you can substitute my ‘Dial’ line with the one below and change my extension numbers to match yours (where 6000, 6100, 6200 are my extensions/phones registered with asterisk):     

exten = s,n,Dial(SIP/6000&SIP/6100&SIP/6200,20)     

Thats all there is to it, good luck!

So when my wife and I had our first child (boy, 6 lbs 5 oz. born nov 18th), we quickly realized that we needed more space in our car to carry the usual odds and sods that babies tend to need while out and about. So our dilemma was either to get a larger used car (10k etc.), or to get a rack system (sub 1k) and see how much space it would provide us. We opted to try the cheapest solution first. 

Finished Cargo box and Yakima rack installed

I picked up a set of yakima crossbars, 6 lock cores, and Q-towers off craigslist, and purchased the correct Q-clips from rei and another sale off craigslist (to build the base system for my corolla, one needs crossbars, q-towers and q-clips). The total came out to be $190 for all of the above (new would be around $375), still expensive but acceptable. After initial installation and test drive, the next step was to stop the obnoxiously loud wind noise which was created by the crossbars while traveling faster than 35mph. A quick google search turned up that to do so cheaply (meaning not buying the $70 wind fairing), all one had to do was to take a thick nylon bungee cord ($2) and twist it around the bars (car manufacturers use this same principle on their radio antennas to alleviate wind noise as well). This worked beautifully, as all wind noise caused by wind running through the crossbars was eliminated. 

After the base rack system was installed and all obnoxious side-effects minimized, it came time to ”build” the cargo box which would hold some of the bulky objects one would pack for a weekend getaway. Fortunately, I found a suitable container at work. It was a used Abex pop-up exhibit travel case which was somewhat aerodynamic and made of durable plastic since it was made for shipping and travel. One can pick up similar shipping cases (which do not need to be abex branded) for pretty cheap off ebay, I did a search and found them for about $50-100 with shipping included (search ebay for ‘shipping case’). 

I then purchased two 1″ x 1.5″ x 0.125″ T6061-T6 extruded aluminum tubes cut to 36″ long (my front crossbar distance from the rear crossbar is 32″)  from onlinemetals.com ($30), and some U-bolt hardware, 2″ bolts, stop-nuts, and large fender washers from lowes ($16). I was pretty impressed that the U-bolts fit the yakima crossbars perfectly and snugly. I then measures and drilled 4 holes in the aluminum tubes to run the U-bolts through, did a test fit on the rack crossbars for fitment, and then proceeded to mount the aluminum tubes onto the cargo box. 

U-Bolt and Aluminum tube Installed

I eyeballed the placement of the tubes onto the cargo box, and drilled two more holes for each aluminum tube. I then marked the centerpoint of those holes onto the cargo box and drilled four holes into the cargo box. These four holes would allow me to run the bolts through from the inside of the cargo box through the tubes, and allow them to be securely attached. 

All four bolts and stop-nuts installed through and secured

Bolt, fender washer, and nut installed (added electrical nut to protect car paint in case it hits top of car).

Top of bolt and large fender washer inside cargo box

After the installation of the bolts, the cargo box needed to be weatherproofed a little. I used some door weather-stripping that i had laying around and lined the lip of the seam where the cover would butt against. After that, the cargo box was finished! 

Cargo box mounted on yakima roof rack (notice the nylon bungee cord wrapped around the crossbar. I doubt it needs to be there with the box mounted since the box would stop the wind from whooshing over the bars. I was just too lazy to remove them)

I have since taken a trip to Tahoe in the middle of heavy wind/rain/snow/freezing temperature storms and have yet to have the cargo box fail on me. The four bolts with large fender washers securely hold the box to the aluminum bars. The weather stripping keeps the water and snow out, and the box is aerodynamic enough to keep my gas mileage at 28mpg (without passengers/cargo I get about 30-31 mixed driving. The mpg hit might be because as I was carrying 5 passengers and their cargo as well). The wind noise is very acceptable, and just noticeable at speeds of 75mph. 

The cargo box in some harsh conditions

Overall, for saving some money, this is a project that is well worth it (spent less than $250) . My sister in law even mentioned that she thought it didnt look any worse than commercially built cargo boxes and worked just as well!

Ive come across many different organizations, many different pleas for help, and many different solutions  proposed on how to get rid of this evil, but what I do not see for the layperson, is an easy to use framework for understanding the issue of human trafficking. In my own experience, the step from caring about the issue to appropriate action has been impeded by a lack of knowledge, guidance, and the direction on how one can get involved (in a manner which one might be most beneficial). If youve ever felt like you had to do something about the issue, but just didnt know what TO do, or even where to start, you know what I mean. The problem just seems so immense and abstract to fully grasp, and if one did get involved, it seems negligible that it would even make a difference.

The barriers to entry for this issue caused me much grief, but it also forced me to really think about the issue and to understand it systemically, and it was only after somewhat understanding the scope of the issue did specific solutions make sense…So I suppose this blog post is my meager attempt to formalize a concept of how the issue of Human Trafficking may be tackled, handled, and perceived, which would then allow a layperson (like me) to understand and begin to take the necessary steps to get involved.

This is a framework which will be continually developed as I learn more from interacting with others involved in the field, and with those who have far greater experience in dealing with the issue of human trafficking and modern day slavery…So bear with me!

Part I – Super Fast Overview of the issue

Slavery is not a new concept. It has been happening ever since the start of this country, and has been in existence since the egyptians built the pyramids. Its easy to forget that the same principles that motivated owning slaves in the past are still currently operating in our “modern” world. Yet, it was only recently where weve decided to legally define it.

In the The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), severe forms of trafficking means – 

(A) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or

(B) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

So there you have the modern day definition of human trafficking, and ultimately where you get the term ‘modern day slavery.’ I wont go into detail about Human Trafficking and how it manifests itself because that is readily availble on the internet and can be found in any “awareness” video, publication, or media (callandresponse, notforsalecampaign, etc.) . Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery takes many forms, debt bondage, sex slavery, and forced labor, to name a few. But just know that it happens everywhere and probably no further than a few blocks away from your home.

Part II – The Scope

Upon first learning of the issue and seeing the atrocities that have been commited through video, images, or whatever expose’ they’ve watched, it seems that most individuals feel angry….Or maybe disgusted is a better term. They then wonder what there is to do to stop this from happening before they even know what causes it (I can relate, I was the same way). Their main motive is stopping it from taking place.

When human trafficking takes place, it usually involves treating the victim as an object, something to be owned, traded, sold, used, abused, and otherwise kept like a piece of property or good. It is mostly if not completely dehumanizing, and essentially pulls at our core values of how we ourselves want and expect to be treated…as human beings with certain unalienable rights and liberties. And because the victim is not, we become outraged and angry; we wouldnt want that for ourselves or anyone we care about. There is also a tinge of internal conflict with this dilemma…Its “Un-American,” immoral, and inhumane, yet it still coincides with our other core values of capitalism, and the “American-Dream.” And this tends to further complicate and fuel the consternation we feel.

One must understand that Human Trafficking and Modern Day slavery revolves around one key issue. Economics. And when I mean economics, I mean the values, principalities, and dynamics of it all. This means everything from market competition guiding the supply and demand for a good or service, and it also means the standard of living (values, expectations, etc.) one is accustomed to experiencing (big screen tv, hummer, and all). It is this principle of being able to improve a perceived standard of living or even existing for that matter, which motivates the entire system of human trafficking.

Therefore, if the victim is treated and perceived as a good or service to be bought and sold, we must also look at the issue of human trafficking and modern day slavery through an economic lens in order to understand its dynamics.

Lets take for instance that you are out shopping for a new toy for your 4 year old daughter. You happen to be at a toy store in your local mall and notice a shiny new stainless steel slinky. Its even slightly multicolored and not plastic like the ones youve played with in the days of old. Being a conscientious buyer, you then pick up the box and look at where its made (thank heavens it was made in the U.S.of A since you only support U.S. made products!). After confirming the manufacturing origin as the U.S.A. you pay for the item and are happy that you have made such a fine purchase.

Lets begin by breaking down the simple act of buying this toy slinky. For the slinky to be purchased, several things had to happened beforehand, raw material had to be acquired (steel), manufacturing had to form the raw material into the slinky (toy company), there then had to be a market/marketplace for the slinky to be sold (the store), and finally, the slinky had to be sold to an end user (you) who created the demand for the slinky in the first place. Without one of the four steps listed above, the transaction would never have taken place.

• Without raw material, there would be no slinky manufactured.
• Without a means for production/manufacturing, the raw material would just sit there.
• Without a market/marketplace there would be no opportunity for the transaction of goods and services.
• Without the end user, there would be no demand for the slinky and it would not be sold.

Likewise, there are FOUR distinct stages of development involved with human trafficking.

1. Raw Material – The exploited
2. Manufacturing – The exploiters
3. The Market/Marketplace - Place of transaction between end users and manufacturing (ig. brothels and johns).
4. The End User – The Johns or users of the good or service offered.

It is important to note that each stage of human trafficking has its own seperate core of operating values and must be looked at as a unique set of motivating principles (for each particular stage) in order for the entire scope to be understood. Personally, I feel it is only until one breaks down the entire issue into these stages does the scope of the issue move from huge and intangible, to manageable and understandable.

III. Lets break it down

It is important to note that much like a crime, these stages need two things to operate, motive and opportunity. Within each stage are unique core operating values (motive), and within each stage, there is the environmental, social, and political context (opportunity) which allows the activity to take place.

So lets break the stages down in terms of human trafficking.

Raw Material:
Who we are dealing with –  The exploited (typically those who have little education, money, opportunity, and social status).

The motivating core value is personal gain. However ”personal gain” in this section tends to be the economics of living, or namely trying to seek out a basic living or better standard of living. Many people who are exploited/trafficked come from impoverished families, lands, and from an “undersireable” social status or caste. These individuals typically have little opportunity to support themselves let alone a family, and are forced to sort through limited opportunities which will allow them to engage in the economic system in order to sustain their lives (ig. buy food). It is this limited scope of opportunity and “desire” for a better life (or basic subsistence) which allows those in the Manufacturing  Stage to exploit them.

Manufacturing:
Who we are dealing with: The exploiters, the recruiters, traffickers.

The motivating value is personal gain (somewhat similar to the raw material motive, possibly even the same). Although “personal gain” may rely less on eeking out an mere existence, and more so on sustaining or obtaining  a ”desireable” standard of living. The recruiters and people who begin to exploit the raw material are essentially making economic decisions to exploit the raw material as they seek to gain (money, livelihood) off of the exploitation (sale, transportation, procurement) of another.

These individuals are the “hunter-gatherers” of the raw material, and harvest, trick, train them, using any means available to ready their victims to meet the demand in the market/marketplace. Interesting to note,  the same motive for seeking a livelihood in the raw material stage is essentially the same principle for the manufacturing stage, yet may differ in necessity and degree of choice (some trafficked individuals turn around and traffick others to make a living).

Market/Market Place:
Who we are dealing with: The market can be virtual or physical. The internet can be used as a vehicle for the exchange of goods and services, as well as local brothels and farms.

The motive for this stage is supply and demand. Business transactions take place in a context where the exchange of goods and services take place. This can be a brothel, finances exchanged over the internet, street corner, or parked car.

End User:
Who we are dealing with: Anyone who desires a return on investment for a particular good or service. People who want sex for money, people who want labor for cheap, people who want a feeling of control over another, etc. Johns, Factory Employer, etc.

The motive for this stage is personal gain. The end user is a person or entity who is ultimately exchanging a good for a service, or a good for a good; money for sex, money for a human to be used as a slave. The End user and manufacturing stages lines may blur at this level as manufacturing may end up being end users as well, while still providing goods/services to another end user. Ig, pimps and brothel owners may make their sex slave not only prostitute and earn them income, but do their personal bidding as well. 

A visual of the four different stages of Human Trafficking.

In the above illustration, the top descriptions (words above the boxes) represent the WHO that is involved in the stage, the words within the boxes represent the core operating values within that stage, and the bottom words (underneath the box) identify the stage within the issue of Human Trafficking. Here, I substituted the motives of “personal gain” with more tangible and specific motives.

IIII. How does this apply?

When applied to human trafficking/modern day slavery, the above framework allows an interested party the ability to separate the overwhelming issue into several manageable sections. Once separated, one can then anticipate how activity in a certain field will address the issue as a whole. When one asks “how can I help stop human trafficking with the skills that I have?” the framework provides an understanding how their skill set may address certain aspects of the trade, and uncovers the aspects which are left unaddressed.

For example, say I have a strong technical background and have knowledge in computerized networking and internet surveillance tracking systems which identify possible terrorists or criminals. I would then look at the stages of human trafficking and discern where those special skills may prove most useful. Here, these skills might best be utilized in the stages of Manufacturing and End User, but less so in the raw material or marketplace stages. 

Lets take another example. Say that I have a heart for those who are victimized by the trade, I would then look at my skill set, passion, and knowledge of a particular area and apply it to the stages where it may provide itself most useful. It may be that my passion for victims and their plight, combined with my advanced nursing degree may lead me to an organization which specializes in working with those who have been victimized. In this case, it would apply to the first stage of the issue…the exploited.

This can be useful when evaluating social services and its offerings and placing them within the issue. A service which seeks to support victims in aftercare will certainly address the raw material stage, but might not address the manufacturing, market, or end user stages. Law enforcement which aims to crack down on brothels will address the marketplace stage, but not necessarily the raw material, manufacturing, or end user stages.

Another working principle of this framework is the idea that each stage is motivated by values. One must realize that when one addresses the operating values of the different stages, one essentially changes the shape and function of the system itself.

Say for example you work for an advertising firm which invests millions of dollars into changing the social consciousness of factory employers, and now those employers look upon hiring and using forced labor with disdain. It has effectively “put a bullet” into the end user (the factory employer), which creates less demand for forced labor, which in turn forces manufacturing to find other means of earning a living. The numbers exploited by manufacturing is lessened (for it is less in demand), and thus slows the process. Granted, this example is highly simplistic and ideal, and more bullets would have to be put into the issue…but you get the idea.

Although economic principles and the laws of supply and demand are the tangible operating forces of human trafficking, values (held or not held) cannot be overlooked and are really the reason why things are the way they are. One must address the external factors of the the system (poverty, lack of police, prosecution, etc.), but one must also address the motivating values of the issue as well. Healing a symptom is not curing the disease.

IV. What now?

So there you have it, a framework for understanding the scope of human trafficking. It is by no means comprehensive, as it does not take into account law enforcement, NGO’s, and other social services which seek to address this problem. It is meant to be a tool which helps one take the next step from anger and disgust, to informed and intentional action (specifically, seeking out organizations, task forces, other law enforcement and related social services which address the four different stages).

In short, find what interests you. Evaluate your skillset and seek out opportunities where those skills can be utilized. Be political, be vocal, be administrative, be whatever youre good at. Do what it takes to be proactive in finding your own specific way to help stop human trafficking and end modern day slavery.

The motorcycle up for trade

Ford F150 traded for a kawasaki ninja

 This bad-ass F150 is one ugly beast, but it will definitely see more “action” than my friend will now that he owns it.

New LG VX5500

Software. I know I needed to get some sort of software to interface the phone to the computer, and after some googling, I found Bitpim (www.bitpim.org). Bitpim is a FREE and open source software (free was the magic word!) software that does the same thing (although less elegantly) that other products that cost about $30 do. It supports many phones(*1), and is continually upgraded. Did I also mention its FREE? After one downloads and installs Bitpim, all one needs is the interface to communicate with the phone and in my case, this was either a USB cable or bluetooth adapter.

The teeny tiny bluetooth adapter from Ebay

Hardware. I realized that my laptop did not come equipped with a Bluetooth adapter and buying a USB cable specifically for this phone didnt make much sense as I wouldnt want to have to purchase another cable in the future for any new phone I upgraded to later. I quickly found a good option from ebay. Its a super tiny bluetooth module supported by Windows Vista. It cost less than $5 with free shipping, and arrived in ten days (from Hong Kong). Windows picked it right up and I was now bluetooth enabled. So next thing I needed to do was to get Bitpim to work with the LG Vx5500…heres what I did:

1. Pair your phone with the computer using bluetooth (you will have to put your phone in discovery mode, and follow the prompts given to you by windows after clicking ‘add’ in the bluetooth properties window). After this is done, click on the COM ports tab and view the com port your phone is set to.

My phone is the VX5500, and is connected to COM16

2. Install, download, and run Bitpim (Bitpim does not currently support the VX5500 natively, but by choosing a phone that has been supported some of the features like browsing the filesystem work).

3. Click on the icon with the screwdriver and wrench (settings button).

Bitpims settings window

• Select LG-VX8560 (chocolate 3) <—important.
• Then click on the browse button located next to the COM Port section (in my example, im using COM16, the port my phone is connected to).
• After the window refreshes, select the COM port which was associated to your phone in the previous bluetooth settings window. Click ok and ok to exit out of the settings window.

**NOTE: Bitpim will not autodetect your phone. But by manually specifying the settings listed above, Bitpim will connect and communicate with your phone.**

4. Now you must use the filesystem view/pane to reliably transfer your photos and ringtones. To enable this view, click on the View menu at the top of the window, and put a checkmark next to the View Filesystem option. You should now be able to see the Filesystem Pane/Window.

After enabling filesystem view, and expanding the directory tree

5. It takes a few seconds to get the directory listing after expanding the / folder. Your ringtones will be placed in the 10889/Ringtones folder shown above, and your pictures/wallpapers will be placed in the 10888 folder listed below.

wallpaper/photo directory

6.  Now that you have the locations for your ringtones and wallpapers, here are the guidelines to put them onto the phone.

• Ringtones can be in .mp3 format, but NEED to be renamed to xxx.aac (song.mp3 –> song.aac), then added by right clicking on the pane to the right of the filesystem tree, and clicking on New File… Select your .aac file and upload it. After uploading your files, you must reboot the phone for the file to be seen by the phone. Either power cycle the phone, or right click on the viewing pane and click ‘reboot phone.’

*NOTE* To make the ringtones, I didnt bother with any sound editing software, and just went to http://makeownringtone.com/ and uploaded an mp3. I then used its tools to shorten the song length, and encode it into a lower bitrate, and have it saved as an .aac file. Easy as pie. highly recommend it! Oh yes, try to keep the ringtone to less than 30 seconds…

• Main wallpapers for the LG VX5500 use a pixel dimension of 176 x 220, and front lcd image dimensions are 96 x 64 pixels. Upload these images in the same manner as uploading ringtones to your phone, but using the 10888 directory (you might even see other photos you have taken listed in that directory). Reboot the phone to have the changes take place on the phone itself.

*NOTE* To make the wallpaper, I didnt fuss with any image software. I just took a picture and uploaded it to http://mobopic.com/upload/eng. It allows you to zoom, crop, and just enter in the size of the wallpaper and it does it all for you. Fast, easy, and FREE!

So far, the only thing I want to be able to do now, is to save my phone contact list to my computer. I wasnt able to figure out how to do that, but im sure bitpim will support it in the future. Until then, im not too worried about that as im doing everything that I wanted to do, without the Verizon wireless charge. Once again, I showed my wife, and she made me put ringtones on her phone! Im a hero!

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*1 Phones bitpim currently supports: LG-AX8600, LG-C2000, LG-G4015, LG-LX570 (Musiq), LG-PM225, LG-VX10000 (Voyager), LG-VX3200, LG-VX4400, LG-VX4500, LG-VX4650, LG-VX5200, LG-VX5300, LG-VX6000, LG-VX6100, LG-VX7000, LG-VX8000, LG-VX8100, LG-VX8300, LG-VX8500 (Chocolate), LG-VX8560 (Chocolate 3), LG-VX8600, LG-VX8610 (Decoy), LG-VX8700, LG-VX8800 (Venus), LG-VX9100 (enV 2), LG-VX9700 (Dare), LG-VX9800, LG-VX9900 (enV), E815, E815m, K1m, V325, V325M, V3c, V3cm, V3m, V3mM, V710, V710m, SCH-A870, SCH-A930, SCH-A950, SCH-U470, SCH-U740, SPH-M300MEDIA, SPH-M300PIM, VM4050, LG-UX5000, SPH-A460, SPH-A620 (VGA1000), SPH-A660 (VI660), SPH-A680, SPH-A740, SPH-A840 (Telus), SPH-A840, SPH-A900, SPH-N400, SCP-6600 (Katana), SCP-6650 (Katana-II), SCP-7050, SCP-8400, MM-5600, MM-7400, MM-7500, MM-8300, PM-8200, RL-4920, RL-4930, SCP-200, SCP-2400, SCP-3100, SCP-3200, SCP-4900, SCP-5300, SCP-5400, SCP-5500, SCP-7200, SCP-7300, SCP-8100 (Bell), SCP-8100, VI-2300, LG-LG6190, LG-LG6200, LG-LG8100, LG-LX5450, LG-LX5550, LG-PM325, LG-TM520, LG-VI125, LG-VI5225, LG-V 10, LG-VX4600, LG-VX5400, LG-VX8350, LG-VX8550 (Chocolate 2), LG-VX9400, SCH-A310, SCH-A650, SCH-A670, SK6100, SPH-N200.

I learned much of this information from searching through forums located at www.howardforums.com/. Unfortunately, its scattered and sometimes difficult to understand for a newbie. Hence the blog post.