The Indian Techdatabase

Google Services - Disruption/Outage - April 17 2013

2013-04-17T19:03:00.001+05:30

This is to keep everyone posted of the service disruptions/outage for most of Google services namely Google Mail, Google Drive, Docs and Admin + API control panel.

Google's own service monitor confirms the same. Follow the below link to know more.

http://www.google.com/appsstatus#hl=en&v=status&ts=1366223399000

While Google is up and running again, happy FB'ing! :)

Deb

The Worst Case Scenario: Credit Card Blocked due to fraudulent transactions.

2013-02-10T03:00:00.000+05:30

The Worst Case Scenario: Credit Card Blocked due to fraudulent transactions.

First bike, first credit card, first of everything else are always exciting. The anxious wait related to the same and then on the day the innervoice which proudly loops within "Yes, this is finally mine..."

For some its a happy moment and for some the happiest one.

I had the same feeling too on a couple of occasions including the currently discussed topic: Credit Card.

I got myself a CC a year back and since then I had been swiping it often. I would definitely like to assert that a CC indeed helps you understand the value of money and regularize your spending habits. (Well there would be people who will not agree to me on this).

I use the credit card for swiping at physical POS (point-of-sale machines, the ones at the malls/petrol pumps etc) as well as for online purchases.

For online purchases, you need to enter the CC number, Expiry date, CVV number and a password (often referred as Verified-By-Visa code or MasterCard-SecureCode) For more details you can visit: https://www.3dsecure.icicibank.com . This Verified-By-Visa code or MasterCard-SecureCode is an additional protection only for Indian transactions and for not transactions on international sites.

This is where the problem happened. I recently registered a domain name for a friend, but used this international service provider and as the rulebook says, I was not asked the above VBV code (my CC being a VISA card). Post this successful transaction, I noticed my card to be blocked and neither swiping nor online transactions were successful and was shown a "Transaction Declined" error.

Within a couple of hours, the bank customer care called me informing that the CC has been blocked due to repeated fraudulent international transaction attempts of USD3000, USD300 and USD300 respectively.

Hopefully the transactions didnot go through as the bank's security algorithm's were swift enough to deactivate my card right away. The bank issued a new credit card within 10 days and have been swiping it since then.

This has been learning for me and I will be even more careful while transacting on international portals.

I would like to share some cautious tips hoping such a situation not to happen with you:

1. An InternetSecuritySuite is highly recommended, if not atleast an Antivirus. Do remember that security suites are not "fill-it-forget-it" applications, you need to ensure from time to time that the program license and virus database is updated. (An expired license will deactivate the antivirus and will make your system vulnerable to the WWW). You can download Avast Antivirus (www.avast.com) etc or buy a copy of the same.

2. Do not transact on multiple PC's until its something very urgent. The reason is pretty much like driving someone else's car. You dont know what the existing problems are in it and you might end up paying for any resultant damages because of you. Always try transacting only on your system or mobile phone.

3. If you use a mobile phone for monetary transactions, be sure to install a mobile antivirus. There are a couple of free mobile antiviruses as well as paid ones (Try Kaspersky mobile).

4. Gone are the days when we used only one web browser, currently we are spoilt by options. We have IE, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari etc. and almost all of them come with custom addons/extensions to make your online life easier. Though all addons/extensions have disclaimers like they wouldn't peep into your browsing data and behavior, but to stay on a safer side why believe them? Always do digital transactions on only one browser and ensure that you are using the most updated version of the browser with no addons/extensions installed.

5. If you intend to make an international transaction prior to it call the bank's customer care and ensure the protection the bank has implemented so that the transaction is fraud free.

I will update the list as and when I come across any future changes to my secure surfing habits.

Your comments/feedback are welcomed.

Deb

Where you rank socially?

2013-01-10T01:43:00.001+05:30

Our parents have friends (well not Facebook ones) but real human ones, some funny, some ever-complaining and some reliable. This same architecture we have in our life too, only difference is in this "tech" age, our friends are electronic from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and so on. For some we are those funny ones, for a couple of friends we are the complaining and then the popular ones.

So where do we rank with our e-reputation or as Klout refers to "influence"? Visit www.klout.com and see for yourself.

Wikipedia describes Klout as:

Klout is a San Francisco-based company that provides social media analytics to measure a user's influence across his or her social network. The analysis is done on data taken from sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, and measures the size of a person's network, the content created, and purports to measure how other people interact with that content. [Source: Wikipedia]

Your Klout number depends on your interactions within your registered social networks. My klout score is shown below. Whats yours?

There are similar tools like, Kred Influence Measurement and PeerIndex, but i liked Klout the most.

Do note: in order to access Klout, you need to register with your FB/Twitter etc logins and also link these accounts for accurate estimation and needless to say all these registrations and linking are over secure connections and nothing is saved with Klout.

Dont hesitate to leave your comments below.

GoodDay!

Satyam CEO's wife email fraud!!!

2010-06-15T20:55:00.002+05:30

Hi All, first of all a simple question! How does it feel when a CEO (in this case Ex-CEO) emails you for financial help or asks for your bank account to transfer money?? Feeling blessed!! Sounds similar??

Well this post is actually related to such "money transfer" emails with a twist! This has the name of Ramalinga Raju and her wife asking for your bank account! The "money transfer" trick finally percolated to the Indian scenario. WOW.

The email read:

Namaskar,
My name is Radha Ramalinga,I am the wife of B. Suryanarayana Raju Ramalinga,the younger brother of Byrraju Ramalinga Raju,former chairman,founder and owner of Satyam Computers.

I do have a proposal for you,which would be of immense financial benefits to you and I.

My husband and his brother are currently in big trouble in India,I need your assistance to help me move some funds from Holland to India or anywhere where it would at least be of some help to our family.

I would give you more details of this proposal if you show yourself willing to take on it,I assure you that you would most certainly be compensated but please I would kindly request you to keep this matter confidential.

I am currently here in the UK where it is a bit safe for me and my kids.
You can reach me on my personal email id which is apdream1@gmail.com

Yours sincerely,
R.Ramalinga

Namaskar, Yours sincerely etc etc are well included to pretend as if it came with a honest intention but the user forgot to take care of the email ID. Poor fellow!

Do find a screenshot of the original mail below!

This is just an precaution to all not to take any action on such mails.

Do visit my other blog The Indian Techdatabase for tech updates and news.

Play songs according to your mood!!

2010-04-21T03:23:00.001+05:30

Got a good news, Happy... Under pressure, Instrumentals... something bad happened, Sad... or enjoying the rain, feeling Nostalgic or Romantic.. Whatever may be the mood be there's always songs associated with it.

At times we really feel listening to them, but consider a typical example, You just returned from a cool engaging walk with your mate, feeling like cherishing the moments through soft, silent soothing songs when all of a sudden after the current track ends starts a hip hop fast paced regional song.. Feeling disturbed, even I would be.

Well of late technology has been able to recognize (nearly) songs according to the beats, flow and accordingly predict songs for the mood you select.. Happy, Sad, Romantic.. But again you cant get a proper free stable version of it. (if you are able to find one, lemme know :)

So lets Do-It-Ourselves and that too with your favorite media player.

Idea: Renaming the "Genres" or "Album" ID3 tag name to the desired Mood according to the song.

To do this:

Step 1: we go to http://www.mp3tag.de/en/download.html and download the free utility for tag editing. This can be done through any media player also but for most of the players its limited to tagging one song at a time and this soft allows to tag multiple songs at a time saving your time and lot of anxiety.

Step 2: Its a easy-to-use software. decide on the moods you want like.. Party, Sad, Happy, Romantic, Instrumentals etc. This being done, change the fields ("Genres" or "Album") accordingly and save the file/s (most important).

Step 3: Once set import your music collection to the MP3 Tag and then select-and-tag the songs according to the mood. Tag either "Album" or "Genres" field. Like, Its its a soothing calm romantic one, set it as romantic.

Step 4: Once this is done.. Thats it.. Alls Well. Import the songs according to "Genres" or "Album" you have selected and play them.

Now you will have only music playing according to the mood set.

You can also copy the songs to your portable media player too and hear to them on-the-go.

Queries.. Shoot them to me.

Something trying to fool your system on April 1st.. BEWARE.

2010-03-28T18:28:00.001+05:30

Time for another web attack! Though security firms affirm that no new systems would be attacked this April 1st, but its always good to stay alarmed!

Do follow the one I wrote one year back... The written things are old.. but the dangers are still fresh..
Goto http://techdb.blogspot.com/2009/03/dont-let-malwares-fool-you-on-april-1st.html and protect your online entity..

You can also visit this link (http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=conficker_worm) for more updates on this worm!

Wishing a happy and safe computing.

Utilities to install after a fresh Windows flushover!!

2010-03-19T20:37:00.003+05:30

Hello all, I am back from hibernation..
Thinking of formatting your system because of that unruly, nasty virus issue, or system being slow, file errors.. etc etc!

Formatting OS once a year (or two) is a good practice. It keeps your system flushed off of all the slowness etc issues.

I am pretty sure once the formatting is over one finds himself in a tornado of confusion which software to install (unless you keep a note of it).
Well TechDatabase presents an extensive guide to the most important and essential utilities to install once a fresh install is done! and that too all of them are opensource/free.

So lets start!!
.

Utility 1. Motherboard utilities

This is the most important set of utilities one needs to install before thinking of installing anything else. This includes the drivers for Video, Audio, LAN, Chipset among others.!

Utility 2. Any hardware specific drivers

Like those of Sound/Video card, Modem etc. This is pretty important like Utility 1.

Utility 3. Antivirus
Get that dusty Antivirus cd out from the rack (if you bought one) or download the free version you rely on like Avast (www.avast.com) or AVG (www.free.avg.com) etc.

Utility 4. AntiSpyware
Install Antispyware apps you rely just after the antivirus install (no specific reason though!!). Get Spybot (www.safer-networking.org), MalwareBytes (www.malwarebytes.org) etc.

Utility 5. Firewall
This install is as important as having a lock to your house. Install firewall compulsorily. Get Comodo Free (www.comodo.com), ZoneAlarm Freewww.zonealarm.com) etc.

Utility 6. Internet Browsing Apps
Needless to go deep into this point. Install Firefox (www.mozilla.com/firefox) or Opera (www.opera.com) or Chrome (www.google.com/chrome) according to your taste (If you have internet!)

Utility 6. Download Accelerators
Next is to install your favorite download accelerator/s. to pump up the downloads. Get FDM (www.freedownloadmanager.org), Orbit (www.orbitdownloader.com) etc.

Utility 7. PDF Reader
Installing cumbersome and heavy app for this task is meaningless.. Get a lighter one. Install Foxit Reader (www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader).

Utility 8. System Cleaners
This is another important set of apps to install to keep your system running smooth and slow-free. Get CCleaner (www.ccleaner.com), Disk Cleaner (www.diskcleaner.nl) etc.

Utility 9. USB Protection apps
With the invasion of USB devices on our daily lives also comes the risks attached to them. Eradicate them by using USB Manager.

Utility 10. Audio/Video Players and Codec packs.
The serious installations are over!! Time to enjoy the lighter side of computing. Get your favo media players, Winamp (www.winamp.com), VLC (www.videolan.org), KMPlayer (www.kmplayer.en.softonic.com) etc.

Thats on my list..
Got anything else.. post it here.
Comments/queries - shoot them too.

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The Softwares mentioned here are in no way related to The Indian Techdatabase and are independent entities.
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Cough into your cellphone and get diagnosed.

2009-11-12T19:48:00.000+05:30

MOBILE PATH LAB
Cough into your cellphone and get diagnosed
Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN | November 11 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Seattle: There may be a small change in etiquette a few months down the line. Cover your mouth with your cellphone , instead of your hand, when you cough; your mobile may be able to tell whether you have a cold, a flu, some other respiratory ailment, or if its just an irritated throat.

A research company that proposes using acoustic vocalization analysis software to measure and interpret cough characteristic of pneumonia has won a $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of 76 projects named by the Foundation in its third funding round of its Grand Challenges Explorations.
The proposal is just one of several emerging ideas that could turn the cellphone into a medical diagnosis tool, eventually replacing a stethoscope (which may not be around to celebrate its bicentennial in 2016) and even becoming a personal scanner.
STAR Analytical Services two-page application on Using Acoustic Analysis of Cough to Diagnosis Pneumonia was one of 3,000 proposals the Foundation recognized as falling outside current scientific paradigms and having the potential to lead to significant advances in global health , criteria for winning the prestigious grant.
In their application, Stars researchers Suzanne Smith and Joel MacAuslan said analyzing distinctive cough sounds with new software (based on a pre-recorded data base of thousands of coughs of all kind of ailments from people of both sexes, all ages, and other variables), could lead to dramatic improvements in the management of respiratory illness in the developing world and interrupt epidemics far more rapidly.
For instance, such a tool could enable a mother in the distant African outback or Indian village without immediate mode or means of transportation to transmit the sound of her childs cough by cellphone to a city hospital, where a doctor checks this vital sign and determines the course of action.

Cough is one of the most common symptoms of illness and a common mode of disease spread, yet we dont use technology in any way to measure or understand what coughs mean, Smith said, adding that for acute infections, measuring cough could become as familiar as recording temperature .
If the proposal leads to successful software tools, cough measurement may become one more vital sign available by phone. Already, researchers have been toying with mobile phones to monitor vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and oxygen saturation readings.

The cellphone is perfect because its like a wristwatch that you carry around, says Shankar Sastry, dean of engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, whose lab has dramatically advanced facial recognition algorithm. The obvious advantage with the cell phone he said was it can also can access and communicate information.
Eventually, experts are predicting that people will start to take control of health monitoring and maintenance , altering the dynamic of health care and changing the physician-patient relationship.

Virus can exploit your PC for child porn.

2009-11-12T19:42:00.000+05:30

Virus can exploit your PC for child porn
Pranksters, Paedophiles Can Tap Comps Without Users Knowledge To Remotely Store Their Stash
November 10 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Of all the sinister things that internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography .
Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this twist, its your reputation thats stolen. Paedophiles can exploit virus-infected PCs to remotely store and view their stash without fear theyll get caught. Pranksters or someone trying to frame you can tap viruses to make it appear that you surf illegal websites.

Whatever the motivation, you get child porn on your computer and might not realize it until police knock at your door.
An Associated Press investigation found cases in which innocent people have been branded as paedophiles after their coworkers or loved ones stumbled upon child porn placed on a PC through a virus. It can cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove their innocence.
Their situations are complicated by the fact that actual pedophiles often blame viruses a defense rightfully viewed with skepticism by law enforcement.
One case involved Michael Fiola, a former investigator with the Massachusetts agency that oversees workers compensation . In 2007, Fiolas bosses became suspicious after the internet bill for his state-issued laptop showed that he used 4 1/2 times more data than his colleagues . A technician found child porn in the PC folder.
Fiola was fired and charged with possession of child pornography , which carries up to five years in prison. He endured death threats and he was shunned by friends. Fiola and his wife fought the case, spending $250,000 on legal fees. They liquidated their savings, took a second mortgage and sold their car. An inspection for his defense revealed the laptop was severely infected. It was programmed to visit as many as 40 child porn sites per minute an inhuman feat. While Fiola and his wife were out to dinner one night, someone logged on to the computer and porn flowed in for an hour and a half. Prosecutors performed another test and confirmed the defense findings. The charge was dropped 11 months after it was filed.

At any moment, about 20 million of the estimated 1 billion internet-connected PCs worldwide are infected with viruses that could give hackers full control , according to security software maker F-Secure Corp.
Paedophiles can tap viruses in several ways. The simplest is to force someone elses computer to surf child porn sites, collecting images along the way. Or a computer can be made into a warehouse for pictures and videos that can be viewed remotely when the PC is online.
But paedophiles need not be involved: Child porn can land on a computer in a sick prank or an attempt to frame the PCs owner. In the first publicly known cases of individuals being victimized, two men in the UK were cleared in 2003 after viruses were shown to have been responsible for the child porn on their PCs. AP

Virtual goods start bringing in real cash.

2009-11-08T23:50:00.000+05:30

Virtual goods start bringing in real cash
Netizens Pay Hard Money To Get Ahead In Online Games Or To Give Friend A Gift
Claire Cain Miller & Brad Stone | November 8 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

San Francisco: Silicon Valley may have discovered the perfect business: charging real money for products that do not exist. These so-called virtual goods, like a $1 illustration of a champagne bottle on Facebook or the $2.50 Halloween costume in the online game Sorority Life, are no more than a collection of pixels on a Web page.

But it is quickly becoming commonplace for people to spend a few dollars on them to get ahead in an online game or to give a friend a gift on a social network. Analysts estimate that virtual goods could bring in a billion dollars in the US and around $5 billion worldwide this year all for things that, aside from perhaps a few hours of work by an artist and a programmer , cost nothing to produce.
Its a fantastic business, said Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Venture Partners , a venture capital firm that has invested $10 million in several virtual goods companies. Because its digital, the marginal cost for every one you sell is zero, so you have 100 percent margins.

The companies that create and sell virtual goods, including Zynga, Playfish and Playdom, three online gaming startups in the San Francisco area, say they are recording significant revenue and profits, which have been elusive for many web companies.
Virtual goods have been popular in Asia for years. In the US though, only ardent video game fans spent money on them, mostly for swords and spells in virtual fantasy realms. That is rapidly changing, driven by the popularity of widely appealing games for social networks like Facebook and mobile phones like the iPhone.
The people playing these games on social networks dont define themselves as gamers they are just killing time, having fun, Liew said.

In Restaurant City, a game by Playfish on Facebook, 18 million active users manage their own cafe and stock it with virtual casseroles and cakes. In Zyngas game FarmVille, 62 million agrarian dreamers cultivate a farm, plant squash seeds and harvest their crops with tractors . These games and many others have casual gamers reaching for their wallets , along with a few rationalizations, as they make the peculiar purchase of pixels on a computer screen.

Its an experience, like going to the movies. Thats how I describe it, said Sara Merrill of Parsonfield, Maine, who plays Pet Society on Facebook with her two young sons five times a week.
Recently, the family used a credit card to buy $20 worth of the games currency , then bought items like a haunted mirror and a potion that helped their pet, Demon Baby, grow bat wings. Its still cheaper than taking the kids to Target where they will ask for a toy, she said.
Some game fans claim that in some cases, virtual goods can be better than the real thing. Jamie Kwong, a 13-yearold in Altadena, California, spends hours a week on a paper doll site called Stardoll, buying dresses and handbags. She created Juillet606, with brown eyes and hair to match her own. Unlike the actual paper dolls she used to play with, the tabs do not rip off.

With Stardoll it all stays on there, my brother cant get on it, and everything is good, she said. NYT NEWS SERVICE

Interesting:
> Analysts estimate that virtual goods could bring in a billion dollars in the US and around $5 billion worldwide this year all for things that, aside from a few hours of work by a programmer, cost nothing to produce

> The companies that create and sell virtual goods, including Zynga , Playfish and Playdom, three online gaming start-ups , say they are recording significant revenue and profits, which have been elusive for many web companies

Tech isnt causing social isolation.

2009-11-07T20:37:00.000+05:30

Tech isnt causing social isolation
November 7 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Washington: Contrary to popular belief , technology is not leading to social isolation and Americans who use the internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, according to a new study. All the evidence points in one direction , said Keith Hampton, lead author of the report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Peoples social worlds are enhanced by new communication technologies.

The study found that 6% of Americans can be described as socially isolated lacking anyone to discuss important matters with. That figure has hardly changed since 1985, it said. The diversity of peoples core networks tends to be 25% larger for mobile users and 15% larger for basic internet users, and even larger for frequent Internet users. AFP

What happens to your inbox after you die.

2009-11-05T23:16:00.000+05:30

WEB WORLD
What happens to your inbox after you die
November 5 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Melbourne: Saving that parting email from your first love in your inbox Well, chances are, after you pass away, your spouse and the entire family will know about the long-held secret.
This is because web email services like Hotmail and Gmail do not let users specify what should happen to their messages when they die.

In fact, email services owned by internet giants like Google and Microsoft have a policy of keeping your data after you die and letting your next of kin or the executor of your estate access it. These services can hold tens of thousands of messages.
Accounts with Gmail can hold up to 7GB or roughly 70,000 emails with a small to medium picture attached to each and they archive the messages youve written as well as received. When it comes to deleting the data, Microsofts Hotmail will remove an account if it is inactive for 270 days, while Gmail leaves the responsibility to the next of kin. Of the top three providers, only Yahoo refuses to supply emails to anyone after the user has died. The users next of kin can ask for the account to be closed, but cannot gain access to it.
A Yahoo spokesperson said the only exception to this rule would be if the user specified otherwise in their will.

Meanwhile, social-networking site Facebook has recently publicised a feature called memorialisation that lets the family of deceased users keep their profile page online as a virtual tribute.
MySpace, on the other hand, says it addresses the issue of family access to sensitive data on a case by case basis . ANI

Green battery runs for years.

2009-11-02T23:28:00.000+05:30

NON-STOP ENERGY
Green battery runs for years
November 2 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Washington: Scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a new, environmentally friendly silicon-air battery capable of supplying non-stop power for thousands of hours without needing to be replaced.

Created from oxygen and silicon, such batteries would be lightweight, have an unlimited shelf life, and have a high tolerance for both humid and extremely dry conditions.

Potential uses include medical applications (example, powering diabetic pumps), sensors and microelectronics structured from silicon. Silicon-air batteries will be used like the ones already in use today , said lead researcher Yair Ein-Eli . But by using silicon a safe, non-toxic , stable and more common material we can create batteries with infinite shelf life and high energy capacity, he added.
Silicon-air batteries would be able to provide savings in cost, weight as they lack the built-in cathode used in conventional batteries. ANI

Facebook wins $712m in damages.

2009-11-01T16:02:00.001+05:30

Facebook wins $712m in damages:

November 1 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Facebook has won $712 million in damages after a California court ruled against a spammer for trying to get personal information from the users of the social networking website. The court ordered Sanford Wallace to pay Facebook the money after the company complained that he had used the site to induce members to click on messages that appeared legitimate but were actually designed to capture personal information.

Wearing your cellphone on hip weakens pelvic bones.

2009-10-31T22:09:00.001+05:30

Wearing your cellphone on hip weakens pelvic bones

October 31 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Accra: Are you wearing the cellphone on the waist belt If yes, think twice.
In a new research, health experts have warned that wearing a cellphone on ones belt could lead to decreased bone density in the area of the pelvis that is commonly used for bone grafts.

The report, carried out by Tolga Atay and colleagues of Suleyman Demirel University in Turkey, is one of the first to document bone-weakening effects of cellphone use.
However, the researchers said that the findings were preliminary , said GNA. Even though findings have not been conclusive, the World Health Organisation and scientists have called for precaution in the use of cellphones.
It would be better to keep mobile phones as far as possible from our body during our daily lives. With long-term exposure , electro-magnetic fields from cellphones could weaken the bone, potentially affecting the outcomes of surgical procedures using bone grafts , the report said.
The report said the researchers measured bone density at the upper rims of the pelvis in 150 male cellphone users who carried their phones on their belts. Out of the 150 men, 122 carried their phones on the right side and 28 on the left side and they had all used cell phones for an average of six years. PTI

Drive your car simply by using a smartphone.

2009-10-31T22:04:00.000+05:30

Drive your car simply by using a smartphone
October 29 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Sydney: Want to be James Bond Well, you can imitate him to a certain level thanks to a newly developed iPhone app that allows a driver to control a full-fledged passenger car just via his or her smartphone.
Created by German university researchers to take part in an American military driverless car challenge, the amazing automotive app can let a user drive a vehicle remotely via one of the clever phones. Although the iPhone controlled car has been under development for some time, it is only now that the researchers have released a YouTube video featuring the remarkable app in full action.

The clip shows an iPhone screen featuring a steering wheel and brake and accelerator buttons, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. ANI

Now, machine helps to have breakfast in bed.

2009-10-31T22:02:00.000+05:30

Now, machine helps to have breakfast in bed
October 29 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

London: For all those who feel too lazy to prepare their own morning meals, scientists have come up with a machine in the style of Wallace and Gromit that automatically cooks breakfast, including an omelette, toast and freshly squeezed orange juice.

The 15-metre long device was created by Yuri Suzuki, 26, a design teacher in London, who worked at the Royal College of Art, along with Masa Kimura, 28. The gadget, developed in the Platform 21 exhibition centre in Amsterdam, saw contributions from scores of helpers and designers. It cooks up omelettes from scratch before toasting bread, which it can butter and add jam to depending on taste. Also, the early morning pick-me up of coffee is available at no extra effort as well as freshly squeezed orange juice.

Suzuki, who was born in Tokyo and has lived in Hackney, east London , for three years, said that Hollywood films had inspired him to come up with the device. He also said that it should be possible for lazy people to come up with their own version of the device. If someone wanted to make one for themselves it might not leave you that out of pocket, the Telegraph quoted him as saying.
We bought a lot of the stuff from a car boot sale, so it didnt cost that much in total the project was probably 900. When you look at movies like Pee Wee Herman and Back to the Future , there are breakfast machines in them.
It was completely automated, it worked on its own.
It is absolutely massive and is 13 metres by three metres and in total took 88 hours to build, spread over 11 days it was an incredible effort, he added. ANI

New midair threat: fire from batteries in gadgets.

2009-10-31T20:37:00.000+05:30

New midair threat: fire from batteries in gadgets
Christine Negroni | October 28 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Battery fires in personal electronic devices can be scary. But if a battery ignites on a plane, the risks are much greater.
With more people traveling with an assortment of portable electronics sometimes a plane has more devices than passengers fires are occurring on airliners with increasing frequency. More than half of the 22 battery fires in the cabin of passenger planes since 1999 have been in the last three years. One air safety expert suggested that these devices might be the last unrestricted fire hazard people can bring on airplanes.
This month, the Federal Aviation Administration along with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued special advisories to airlines about yet another gadget: the credit card readers that many have begun to issue to flight attendants to ring up sales of food, drinks and other amenities.

While airlines have used portable credit card readers for several years, the FAA said earlier this month that they needed approval from the agencys hazardous materials division. Like the majority of hand-held consumer electronic devices, the readers are powered by rechargeable lithium batteries, which the government considers hazardous.
While no fires from credit card readers have been reported , the list of spontaneous combustion events with other devices reads like a thriller. Last month, a portable DVD player was dropped on an American Airlines flight, causing a fire. In March 2008, a United Airlines employee placed a flashlight in the storage compartment of a Boeing 757 at the Denver airport. A report said the flashlight exploded like gunshots , turning the on-off switch into a projectile.
In 2004, an ABC News camera exploded on a plane being used by presidential candidate John Edwards. A seat caught fire, causing an emergency return to the airport. Even more events go unreported, authorities said. NYT NEWS SERVICE

Malware within: Hackers embed PCs at point of sale.

2009-10-21T19:19:00.000+05:30

Malware within: Hackers embed PCs at point of sale

October 20 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Washington: Tens of millions of US computers are loaded with scam security software that their owners may have paid for but which only makes the machines more vulnerable, according to a new Symantec report on cybercrime.

Cyberthieves are increasingly planting fake security alerts that pop up when computer users access a legitimate website. The alert warns them of a virus and offers security software, sometimes for free and sometimes for a fee.
Lots of times, in fact theyre a conduit for attackers to take over your machine, said Vincent Weafer, Symantecs vicepresident for security response.
Theyll take your credit card information, any personal information youve entered there and theyve got your machine, he said, referring to some rogue softwares ability to rope a users machine into a botnet, a network of machines taken over to send spam or worse.

Symantec found 250 varieties of scam security software with legitimate sounding names like Antivirus 2010 and Spyware-Guard 2008, and about 43 million attempted downloads in one year but did not know how many of the attempted downloads succeeded , said Weafer.

In terms of the number of people who potentially have this in their machines, its tens of millions, Weafer said.

It was also impossible to tell how much cyberthieves made off with but affiliates acting as middlemen to convince people to download the software were believed to earn between 1 cent per download and 55 cents.

TrafficConverter.biz, which has been shut down, had boasted that its top affiliates earned as much as $332,000 a month for selling scam security software, according to Weafer. REUTERS

Soon, drug to wipe out bad memories.

2009-09-19T23:30:00.000+05:30

Soon, drug to wipe out bad memories

John Harlow | Times of India Bangalore | September 14 2009

Scientists believe they could one day be able to create a drug to remove unhappy or embarrassing memories, from the death of a pet to childhood teasing or a failed love affair.
Research by Andreas Luthi, of the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Switzerland , has found that, after receiving treatment, laboratory animals stopped being scared of sounds associated with electric shocks, indicating the memories had been erased.
They had been given a drug that dissolves a sheath around the amygdala, an organ in the brain where mammals store memories of fear.
Joseph LeDoux of New York University said human brains had similar sheaths and that drug treatment and therapy could help human sufferers overwrite memories with cheerier thoughts.
A memory-cleansing pill formed the plot of the Oscarwinning film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, in which Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey erase memories of their soured love affair.
Ashok Hegde, a neurologist at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, said mockery topped many peoples lists of the memories they want to erase. SUNDAY TIMES, LONDON

HongKong is worlds spam capital .

2009-09-11T23:31:00.000+05:30

HK is worlds spam capital

September 11 2009, Times of India Bangalore

Hong Kong: Hong Kong is under siege from legions of zombies attacking people with spam and leaving in their wake a trail of destruction costing millions of dollars a year, analysts have warned.
It sounds like the plot of a surrealist B-movie but it is the worrying scenario computer users are facing in a city which has been awarded the title of spam capital of the world.
The problem has taken a sinister new twist with the rise of so-called zombies computers infected by a virus that are sending reams of spam, or unsolicited emails, without their users knowledge.
There are an estimated 4,000 zombies active in Hong Kong and their criminal puppet masters use them to fire off thousands of messages offering products ranging from jewellery to pornography . AGENCIES

Nokia's Linux-based N900 Is Now Official.

2009-09-07T23:27:00.000+05:30

Nokia's Linux-based N900 Is Now Official.

By: Shayne Rana | Aug 28, 2009 | www.Tech2.in.com

Finally the Nokia N900 has made an official appearance as the company has marked the next phase in the evolution of Maemo software with the new device recently. Taking its cues from the world of desktop computing, the open source, Linux-based Maemo software delivers a PC-like experience on a handset-sized device.

The Nokia N900 has evolved from Nokia’s previous generation of Internet Tablets and broadens the choice for technology enthusiasts who appreciate the ability to multitask and browse the internet like they would on their desktop computer. Running on the new Maemo 5 software, the Nokia N900 is designed to empower users to have dozens of application windows open while running simultaneously and taking full advantage of the cellular features like the touch screen and QWERTY keyboard.

>> For the full article Click Here.

Ten months on, Conficker still prowls the world.

2009-08-30T15:58:00.000+05:30

200 COUNTRIES AT RISK
Ten months on, Conficker still prowls the world

John Markoff August 30 2009, Times of India Bangalore

It is still out there. Like a ghost ship, a rogue software program that glided onto the internet last November has confounded the efforts of top security experts to eradicate the program and trace its origins and purpose, exposing serious weaknesses in the worlds digital infrastructure.

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The program, known as Conficker, uses flaws in Windows software to co-opt machines and link them into a virtual computer that can be commanded remotely by its authors. With more than five million of these zombies now under its control government , business and home computers in more than 200 countries this shadowy computer has power that dwarfs that of the worlds largest data centers.

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Alarmed by the programs quick spread after its debut in November, computer security experts from industry, academia and government joined forces in a highly unusual collaboration. They decoded the program and developed antivirus software that erased it from millions of the computers. But Confickers persistence and sophistication has squelched the belief of many experts that such global computer infections are a thing of the past.
Its using the best current practices and state of the art to communicate and to protect itself, Rodney Joffe, director of the Conficker Working Group, said. We have not found the trick to take control back from the malware in any way.

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Researchers speculate that the computer could be generating vast amounts of spam. There is also another possibility that concerns them: That the program was not designed by a criminal gang, but instead by an intelligence agency or the military of some country to monitor or disable an enemys computers. NYT NEWS SERVICE

Healthy Tech :: What you should know about Swine Flu.

2009-08-08T11:58:00.004+05:30

Hello Friends...

Its hardly couple of days and India is already gripped by the infectious palm of Swine Influenza. A death in Pune, then several detected positive of this Virus. Pune, West Bengal, Mangalore and now Gujarat... The Swine Flu's Reign is expanding slowly..

Without taking much of your healthy time, Here i am listing out some links which would be helpful for you to understand this epidemic and also to stay away from it.. Do go through and shield yourself of the effects of this flu.

Link 1: World Health Org.: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/

Link 2: Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_influenza
Link 2.1: Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic

Link 3: Rediff.com: http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/aug/07/slide-show-1-faq-on-swine-flu.htm

Link 4: SwineFluIndia: www.swinefluindia.com

Link 5: SwineFlu India: http://www.swineflu.co.in

Link 6: Google Search Results: http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=swine+flu+india&btnG=Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=

Take Care. Take good care of Swine Flu.
- Blog Admin.

Teenage Internet Addict Beaten to Death in China.

2009-08-04T16:32:00.000+05:30

Teenage Internet Addict Beaten to Death in China
Tech2 [www.tech2.in], August 4, 2009

A teenager in a Chinese camp meant to help people fight Internet addiction was beaten to death by camp workers.

Public security authorities in south China's Guangxi Zhuang said they have detained four people in Nanning City in association with the death of the teenager.

The detainees, all workers from the Nanning-based Qihang Salvation Training Camp, are suspected of beating 15-year-old Deng Senshan to death, a police official said.

Deng Senshan's father said that his son surfed the Internet all day every day and he was at wits' end about how to handle the child.

"Several days back, I saw an ad for the training camp on TV claiming it could help children kick Internet addiction, so I decided to give it a try," Deng senior said.