InternetsLife.com Latest Blog Posts

Gigabit internet finds a new home in Omaha, Nebraska

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:46:54 GMT

When it comes to gigabit internet, the headline buzz usually involves Google and some mid or south western American locale. But not today. No, today, the ridiculously high-speed internet spotlight falls on Omaha, Nebraska where local provider CenturyLink is poised to launch a pilot service. Starting Monday, the telco's Lightspeed Broadband package ($150 a month for standalone service or $80 a month as a bundle) will go live for nearly 10,000 subscribers and continue to rollout to a footprint just shy of 50,000 residential and enterprise subs by October. Further expansion plans for the greater metro area all hinge upon whether CenturyLink can turn a profit on the service, but the company will continue to sign-up enterprise subs outside of this pilot zone for the next two years. The path forward -- at least, to us -- is pretty clear, Omahans: vote with your wallet if you want to preserve the gigabit bragging rights.

Source: engadget

The Internet Association, a group backed by Google and others, decries FBI’s ‘flawed’ wiretap mandate

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:09:18 GMT

US Internet lobby groups have been making the headlines in the country of late. Ever since the launch of FWD.us, pronounced forward US, the advocacy group that includes Mark Zuckerberg and other powerful names in Silicon Valley and aims to push the industry’s agenda on matters concerning immigration and education in D.C., technology seems to be at the forefront of political news.

The recent development with CISPA had again put technology on the political news agenda, and late last week, several outlets reported that Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were joining Zuckerberg’s cause, adding their names to the long list of supporters that the group already boasts.

The latest lobby group to make it into the news is the Internet Association, a lobbying effort fronted by Michael Beckerman and that works towards preserving the interests of the Internet industry members. According to its website, the IA’s members include a range of Web heavyweights, such as Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and eBay.

The IA has released a statement today, condemning reports that the FBI is seeking to gain more powers against Internet companies by notably requiring them to install online surveillance backdoors at the risk of being penalised.

The statement, which was made by the president and CEO, Michael Beckerman, reads as follows:
“The Department of Justice has not made the case for granting law enforcement broad new powers over Internet companies for purposes of new wiretap authority. There are a number of serious unintended consequences with this flawed proposal. A wiretap mandate for the Internet is dead on arrival.”

What is clear from the emergence of FWD.us, the CISPA-related blackouts and now the elevation of IA’s status is that the Internet industry is finally making itself heard in Washington. And the new power players reflect the shift that the industry has seen in recent years; Facebook’s heavy presence in the lobbying scene can be seen as a parallel to its place in today’s Internet economy.

More worrying is the fact that the US government and other federal bodies have been trying to push for stricter control over online activity. CISPA passed the House last week, and now these reports about the FBI seeking more power over companies, it may be time to really fear for the neutrality of the net.

The draft proposal would make online communications more easily intercept-able, just like phone communications have been following the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. Companies would have to comply with the demands of government agencies to intercept user communications or face the consequences of heavy fines, which will start in the region of tens of thousands of dollars, quickly escalating over time.

Pressure already exists on companies such as Twitter and Facebook to hand over data and personal inter-user communications, but, if such a proposal were to be passed, it would make the process easier for government agencies and harder for Internet companies to ignore.

Source: thenextweb

Who should control the internet?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:02:27 GMT

There's a battle raging for control of the internet. Yesterday, the European Parliament voted to reject the idea that the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) should gain regulatory control over the web. It was a welcome move for lobbyists who had campaigned against the famously secretive ITU, saying that its proposal goes against the idea of a free and open internet. Less impressed will be Russia's number one, Vladimir Putin, who had expressed hope that "international control" could be established over the internet "using the monitoring and supervisory capabilities of the International Telecommunication Union". That's the same Russia that recently implemented a law that allows the government to force any website offline without any legal trial. It's supposedly meant to protect against child porn and other shady websites but many fear is a front to allow the Government to shut down political opposition on the sly – in other words, legal censorship.

Action stations
Google recently launched a campaign to keep control of the web from ITU, pushing the message that the internet should be 'free and open'. While seemingly laudable, Google's position does come with ulterior motives: one of the ITU's major proposals for the web is to bring in a 'sender pays' proposal. This would mean that any company providing a lot of "content" over the web (be it words, pictures, videos or anything else) would have to pay ISPs and other communications companies to deliver that content. If you're Google, a company that provides a serious amount of stuff not least of which is the world's biggest video sharing site, a plan like that is going to make a significant dent in the old finances. However, Google has long been a proponent of the open web and if that just so happens to align with its business model, it says, that shouldn't be a problem.

Google's chief legal officer David Drummond calls this "a happy coincidence". "We are not ashamed to say the open web is good for the world, and happens to cerate good opportunities for business," he told The Guardian – a sentiment later echoed by co-founder Sergey Brin who admitted that without an open internet, Google would not be the company it is today. Indeed, Google has been careful to disclose as much information as possible relating to take-down notices it receives from both private companies (usually copyrighted videos or music) and governments who request it remove sites from search results for reasons ranging from terrorist-incitement to political speech.

UN-do
Although the ITU seems to have the commercial interests of its 700 telecommunications industry members at heart, it is at least part of the United Nations and, as such, isn't governed by any one country.
Most of the bodies that regulate and oversee online activities are based in the US - for example ICANN, which controls the domain naming system. The American government doesn't directly control these bodies but it is still loathe to concede power over the web to the ITU or UN, as expressed in its initial proposal document taking umbrage at the ITU's proposed regulation changes.

The UK government, meanwhile, has spoken of the importance of keeping the web free and open, a position that jives with web-founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee's feelings on the matter. The issue of web regulation and control will be hashed out at a major international meeting of the ITU's member states in Dubai on December 3. For anyone who spends any amount of time online, it's a crucial one to keep an eye on.

Source: techradar

The internet's best commenting system just got even better

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:21:16 GMT

Hey, look. Editable and collapsible comments! There's a post about how it's supposed to work at Blog Huddle, but really, everything you need to know you can learn just by playing around down in the comments section.

If you've been lurking for awhile, now is the PERFECT time to go ahead and sign up for an account to see this thing in action. Auto-updating (no refreshing the browser), threaded (to keep replies next to each other in nice little sub-conversation packages), and now both editable and collapsible. Awesome. It's bound to get completely irrelevant to anything and utterly squirrely down there today, so why not jump in now?

Source: rockytoptalk

Rocket Internet’s coupon aggregator CupoNation partners with Habitat, Marionnaud, and Levi’s for launch in France

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:36:18 GMT

German savings platform CupNation has launched in France today, partnering with local retail stores Habitat, Marionnaud, and even Levi’s in France. This is the startup’s eighth market, having already launched in India, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Austria, India and Brazil. The startup also announced they have hired Marc-Antoine Thiriat, a former product development intern at l’Oreal, as their country manager for France – this falls in line with the typical setup for Rocket Internet companies, who tend to hire young ambitious techies with enough previous experience to beat the learning curve.

Cuponation promises up to 60% savings for users at their favorite stores, both online and offline. The site currently offers discounts for items pertaining to fashion, cosmetics, sports, travel, and books, targeting “digital shoppers.” Their site already has some pretty well-known French brands on board, like RueDuCommerce, Micromania, Spartoo.com, even Futuroscope. I personally don’t know of any equivalent service that exists in France today, so I’m looking forward to giving this a whirl.

Source: rudebaguette

Internet security is in your hands too

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:17:34 GMT

It is common for most stories on cyber crime to talk about the user as a victim. But have we ever considered that the user can be part of the problem, purely through lack of awareness?

One of the most recent examples is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) on Spamhaus— one of the biggest till date — where millions of computers were used to launch an attack that nearly choked the Internet. While this particular method of attack is one of the oldest and not the most sophisticated, it’s proven to be very effective, time and again. Dating back to the late 1990s, networks of ‘zombie’ machines have been used to try and knock websites offline, making them unusable, often preventing e-commerce. Sometimes denial-of-service attacks are mere Internet “joyrides”, at other times they may be orchestrated by competitors or persons with malicious intent.

In fact, in 2007, the Internet in Estonia was shut down due to denial-of-service attacks that were caused by being overwhelmed by ‘botnet’ contact, and Georgia was severely disabled by botnets in 2008.

MECHANICS OF DDOS
So how does DDoS work? DDoS attacks are most commonly executed by botnets, an extremely sophisticated and popular type of network that not only infects systems, but also gives criminals control of the compromised computers. This begins with the criminal mastermind infecting vulnerable systems around the world with a small piece of malware, either downloaded by clicking on a malicious link, or opening a spam email. This method allow cyber criminals to take control of multiple systems at a time, and turn them into zombie computers, which operate as part of a powerful botnet to spread viruses, generate spam, and carry out large-scale attacks. Networks of ‘zombie’ computers are flourishing across the world, and India is one of the most-infected countries.

Bots often spread across the Internet by searching for vulnerable, unprotected computers to infect. When they find an exposed computer, they quickly infect the machine and then report back to their master — called a command-and-control server. Their goal is then to stay hidden until they are instructed to carry out a specific task.

The real-world equivalent of this is sleeper agents who infiltrate an organisation until it is time to launch a coordinated strike. By choking the web, the attackers have made a statement. Three decades ago, there weren’t as many users on the Internet for its slowdown to have a powerful impact. Further, there weren’t enough mainstream users, who often have no clue about the dangers lurking around the corner and are therefore not prepared to face them, who could be unwittingly compromised for the cyber attackers’ malicious purposes.

In real life, we’ve heard countless stories of individuals at airports who have become unknowing carriers of contraband. The same thing is happening on the Internet, where innocent users are tricked into downloading malware that is the carrier of something more insidious. Ignorance is not a defence in a court of law, and the Internet can be as unforgiving. Building strong protective mechanisms, and staying cautious by following security best practices, are the only ways that users can ensure they are not pawns in the hands of cyber attackers.

Source: thehindu

Solving the Internet's Congestion Problem

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:57:20 GMT

An open, neutral internet has been a force for sweeping social change: democratizing information, commerce, and access to jobs, triggering GDP growth and a rising standard of living. Our collective ability to equally access and innovate on internet platforms, from search and social networks, to content and commerce sites, is fundamental to continued growth. It is not a given.

With internet innovation comes congestion. The amount of content shared and accessed by the world's 2.4 billion Internet users is constantly increasing — in volume, and in size. It is outpacing the internet's, and Internet Service Providers', ability to efficiently deliver it.

Internet penetration and usage continues to expand at exponential rates. But the issue is not just a growing internet population. It's the growing fidelity demands of today's internet population, as they transition from text, image, and standard-definition media-sharing, to high-definition (and even 4K) file transfer. Innovation in content quality has surpassed innovation in internet delivery. Today, billions of people are increasingly using the same pipes to deliver billions of HD media files. We're facing a congestion crisis.

Barriers to TCP Innovation
The way that the Internet combats congestion is through a protocol called TCP. TCP is a regulator that's designed to allocate Internet capacity evenly across all applications that use it. This 'congestion control' keeps the Internet from being overwhelmed. Every single computer, smart phone, smart TV, and web server — every single internet-connected object or device — relies on this protocol. So, in order to upgrade the TCP protocol, you would have to upgrade the entire world's internet devices. Billions of them. Simultaneously. No practical solution for TCP innovation exists.

The All-You-Can-Eat Internet
Today, the primary business model for the consumer internet is all-you-can-eat usage. This has successfully driven widespread internet adoption, and Internet Service Provider (ISP) profitability. However, the model separates subscriber revenue from the cost of the network. The same person can use more internet bandwidth without increasing revenue gains for the network. As more powerful applications for the internet emerge, congestion builds with increased usage, which has the potential to result in diminished margins for providers.

Congestion, rather than raw usage, is the key driver of this phenomenon; given that the Internet Service Provider network is largely a fixed-cost asset. Like any fixed-cost asset, such as the Interstate highway system in the U.S., it is cheap to operate and expensive to upgrade. It is congestion, like rush hour on the roads, that drives the necessary upgrades and cost of the network. Congestion, or the threat of it, forces more capacity (capital expense) to be added to the network, in a never-ending race to keep up with internet growth.

The Challenge:
If we want to create a sustainable future for the internet, we need a new way of solving the congestion problem. Today, the solution is simply to add more capacity. Thus, we have seen the internet's core evolve (from the original 56kbps links of the ARPANET backbone, to T1 (1.5Mbps) lines, and on and on to the multi-Gigabit links of today's core network). Likewise, consumer connections are increasingly capable. Dialup has been replaced with DSL and cable; emerging FTTH offerings promise upwards of 1Gbps. More internet has been at the heart of every serious solution to the congestion problem, but the internet keeps inventing new applications to fill this capacity; in turn, increasing demand for internet capacity.

We need a better solution. Is it new pricing models for the consumer internet that try to re-couple network cost to revenue? Do we need a new set of incentives that can help manage the internet's growth? Do we need new economic models where applications pay consumer networks for access to users? Do we need government regulation to ensure a level playing field on the network for applications, giving tomorrow's innovators the same access as yesterday's Googles, Facebooks, and Amazons? I've heard arguments for all of the above.

Or do we need better technologies that can be more efficient at using the internet we've already got?

What the Business Community Needs to Do:
ISPs are spending more and more money to provide bandwidth. These costs are being passed on to the business community, as well as to individual households and mobile plans. We are all impacted by internet congestion. And it will take cooperative innovation to fix this problem, and restore the health of the internet. As business leaders, we must get involved and lead this change.

The pricing models and economic systems underpinning the internet will not be easy to change, and have served us well so far. Regulation will inevitably bear unintended consequences. Only through technology do we have the power to solve the problems facing the internet, while preserving its ultimate value.

One of the best technologies that we can apply to the issue of internet congestion is something called distributed computing. Full disclosure: I am the CEO of BitTorrent, Inc., a distributed computing company. Needless to say, I believe in this technology. Here's why:

Distributed computing systems work with unprecedented efficiency. You don't need to build server farms, or new networks, to bring an application to life. Each computer acts as its own server; leveraging existing network connections distributed across the entirety of the internet. BitTorrent is a primary example of distributed computing systems at work. Each month, via BitTorrent, millions of machines work together to deliver petabytes of data across the web, to millions of users, at zero cost. And BitTorrent isn't the only example of distributed technology at work today. Skype uses distributed computing systems to deliver calls. Spotify uses distributed computing systems to deliver music.

The idea of distributed computing isn't a new one. In fact, the principles of distributed computing are the core principles of the original internet, which was designed as a distributed system of loosely coupled elements. The internet was designed to be simple at the core, and intelligent at the edge. And these core properties are what proved to be the internet's advantage over the centralized phone network it replaced.

As we look to solve for congestion, and the future of internet innovation, we can look to the past. The principles of the original internet, and the principles of distributed computing, allow for:

Resilience, resource pooling, and infinite-scaling
Distributed technologies follow the original design principles of the internet, distributing data to make it more resilient. Distributed networks are people-powered and efficient, allowing users to reliably pool resources and scale infinitely. Because resources are widely distributed, they can rely on other parts of the network that are not congested. Effectively, the entire built network is utilized. This reduces congestion pain points.

User-network prioritization
Distributed technologies put users in control; allowing people to express intent to their networks (e.g., to prioritize specific content over others), and prioritizing their needs from inside the network. This means your Skype conference call takes network precedence over your software download, running in the background. This also means that these activities don't compete for bandwidth.

Greater security, data control, and privacy
Today, much of our download information is stored on servers, and within ISP network infrastructure. Adding more bandwidth requires adding more machines; each of which is vulnerable to theft or attack. Distributed systems decentralize information. There are no intervening servers. This gives users control of their data, and their privacy.

Support for new and emerging applications
Distributed technologies support new and emerging applications, by adding network efficiency. Skype and Spotify could not exist without distributed computing. Nor could platforms like Facebook or Twitter, which rely on distributed technologies for system updates.

Re-imagine any application using these principles — from content delivery to social networks, storage to search — and you'll see that distributed technologies make the internet better.

We have inherited more than two decades of open internet innovation; and with it, unprecedented opportunity, access, and growth. Now, we have an obligation to uphold this legacy. We have the tools at hand to preserve it for generations to come. And now, we need to employ them.

Source: blogs.hbr

Creative Magma Tips for Web Design

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:30:13 GMT

Web Page
Any text file with the extension '.html' is termed as a web page. It may contain information in the form of text and/or graphics. A web page may contain hyperlinks, commonly known as 'links'.

Basic Steps
The first step in learning to design a web page is to know the basics of HTML. HTML is the abbreviated form of 'HyperText Markup Language'. It is quite a simple language to learn and once you get used to formatting in HTML, designing a web page becomes child's play. It is possible to insert text as well as graphics into a web page with the help of HTML. The 'notepad' available on your personal computer comes in handy for learning HTML. After you finish designing a web page, it can be viewed with the help of a software known as the web browser. Along with HTML, newer tools like the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), are used to add value to the content presented on the web page. The layout of the web page is designed by using CSS. Making use of appropriate colors enhances the overall look of the web page. The HTML color codes can also be used in designing.

Domain Name Registration
Registering the domain name gives a singular identity to the website.

Hosting the Website
After creating a web page with the help of HTML, you need to upload it on the world wide web (WWW). Web hosting services provide space on the world wide web for organizations and individuals to host their websites. Some hosting services charge the owners of the websites, while others provide space for free. The free services often display pop-up advertisements on web pages in return for the hosting space.

Web Design Tips for Dummies
Here are some important tips to be kept in mind while designing a web page. Navigating through your web page should be easy for users. The links present on the page should point to relevant information. If the process of navigation becomes cumbersome for the user, he may soon lose interest in the site. A website should provide a clean interface for the user.

The phrase, web designing, conveys the importance of artistic skill in creating web pages. Learning the technical aspects of web designing is important till a stage but after that creativity holds the key to better web designing.

Graphic Design Intern
The Graphic Design Intern is an artist who must create visually appealing designs that will touch, move, and inspire those who look at them. They are responsible for ensuring that our business is properly displayed through our web site, flyers, menus, etc. as well as our clients! The Web Design Intern is motivated by a genuine and natural artistic expression.

Responsibilities:

    Brainstorm and mock up design ideas
    Presents ideas to team and clients
    Meets with clients and adjust designs to fit their needs or taste
    Project schedules
    Uses computer software to execute designs and layouts
    Builds strong relationships and create value for our clients and for yourself
    Assist and develop flow charts, brand strategy documents, and general collateral
    Help with public relations, copywriting, client follow-up, and other events that may become a priority
    Keep open communication
    Operate with integrity and follows all assigned tasks through to completion
    This internship may be worth credit hours through your college or university programs

Source: articlesbase

How does blogging about science benefit students?

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:49:58 GMT

Why should students blog about science? Don’t they have enough to do already?

Last Thursday night I participated in a panel discussion about science blogging (see the video) at ScienceOnline Seattle (#scioSEA)(video) and mentioned that we have two students blogging for us at Bio-Link. A question I saw afterward via Twitter, from @NurhafizPiers was this:

didn’t get to answer the question Thursday night, so I’ll answer now. We’re doing an experiment. My student bloggers and I are going to try and figure out if their blogs help them get jobs when they graduate. This probably won’t work for everyone, but this is a pilot project. You could say we’re doing the “Proof of concept” experiment.

My hypothesis: My hypothesis is that a science blog for a science student can serve the same purpose that a portfolio serves for an artist or a set of articles serves for a writer. Your blog can be your record of accomplishments.

Not only can your blog document your work, your blog can show that you can write, that you can spell (not a skill to take for granted), and can give you a chance to describe what you’ve done.

Background & Rationale

When I taught biotechnology students full-time, I had them keep an industry-standard laboratory notebook throughout our year-long course. Not only did this practice teach them about working in a GMP environment, the notebooks were a great asset in a job interview. They could pull out their notebook and show graphs they had made in Excel. They should show photos of agarose gels, dried protein gels, or calculations for making buffers or counting cells.

The feedback we had from students and success we had with employers validated the idea of keeping good notebooks and bringing them along to interviews.

When I was an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, I had a really hard time getting my first job in a lab. I would go to the job office every month and scan the openings but all the jobs seemed to be restricted to work-study students. Since I didn’t have work -study (or know what it was for that matter), I didn’t think I was eligible to apply for anything.

One day, I did hear about a potential job. It was a summer internship doing microbiology at Land of Lakes. I applied and got called for an interview. I was so excited! An actual job doing microbiology in real life!

But I wasn’t prepared for the interview at all. The interviewer asked me what equipment I had used in my coursework. I was speechless.

“Uh, um, a microscope?” I stammered.

Needless to say, I didn’t get hired.

Nor did I forget.

I don’t want students to be in that position. Having some kind of prop like a notebook, or a blog, is really useful. Instead of talking about yourself, you can blind ‘em with science.

Show them your notebook.

Take them to your blog.

Do anything that lets you focus on something else, relax, and show what you can do instead of how nervous you can get.

Our Methods: Photos, tagging, and of course the blog

Blog: Our students describe what they’ve been doing in lab and add photos as documentation. One student even adds protocols! Check out her list of skills learned!

Photos: Photos are your proof that you did what you say did. If I were still teaching biotechnology, I would have students photograph everything! I’m grateful that my our two student bloggers, Jennifer Newsted (Portland Community College) and Mandy Hunter (Madison College, WI) seem to know that intuitively.

Tagging: Tagging is a tool that can help you organize your work and find the posts that describe what you’ve done. One concern biotech employers always have is: to what extent did you really do all those techniques that you claim to have mastered on your resume. Sure, you say you know HPLC, but how does your interviewer verify this?

Guess what?

This is something you can do with your blog. Many blogging platforms allow writers to tag their posts.

Our student bloggers add tags for their lab techniques. The tags are listed after the posting time. If I click a tag, I can see a list of posts that reference that technique. Then, I can look at the posts and see what they did. Here’s an example below.

Source: scienceblogs

The Internet’s Kevin Bacon Effect: Any Web Page Can Be Accessed From Any Other In Just 19 Clicks

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:05:49 GMT

In theory, every actor and actress in the planet could be connected to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. And in theory, according to Hungarian physicist Albert-László Barabási, every random web page can be accessed from any other random page by clicking just 19 times or less.

That's what he discovered in his research, which was just published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Barabási found out that, while web pages are barely hyperlinked to other pages, there's a group of pages that make possible the 19-steps-or-less rule. These pages are the Kevin Bacons of the web, from search engines to aggregators like Reddit or publications like Gizmodo, making it possible to make that surprisingly quick connection.

He believes that this is caused by the same reasons that make the Kevin Bacon effect, the rules of human societies that make us connect in the real world. He also realized that the connections are not random but distributed in hierarchical themes. And even more interesting: his research claims that, no matter how much the web grows, the steps to connect one random page to another random page will never pass the 19 clicks mark. [Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society via Smithsonian]

Source: gizmodo