Widespread use of smart phones by employees to perform work related activities has introduced the idea of using these devices as an authentication token. As an example of such attempts, RSA SecureID software tokens are available for iPhone, Nokia and the Windows platforms. Obviously, mobile phones would not be able to provide the level of tamper-resistance that hardware tokens would, but I was interested to know how easy/hard it could be for a potential attacker to clone RSA SecureID software tokens. I used the Windows version of the RSA SecurID Software Token for Microsoft Windows version 4.10 for my analysis and discovered the following issues:
What if Facebook is really worth $100 billion?
Facebook’s success therefore depends on conformity. Why is Facebook so valuable? Because everyone (even this writer, reluctantly) is on Facebook. Why aren’t people still on Myspace, or a dozen other social media contenders?
Because the nature of the communication itself requires everyone to be on the same system, just as Microsoft a generation ago forced everyone to use its operating system and software. It is not just the so-called Network Effect, but Facebook’s raison d’etre: to advertise one’s conformity to commercial culture in a way that preserves the illusion of individuality.
Google Generates 6 Times More Revenue Per User than Facebook
Facebook is back in the spotlight today after raising $500 million from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and a Russian investor. With all the hype that Facebook may go public in the near future, now is a great time to take a look at whether Facebook users are particularly valuable when compared to the competition:
This story dated 1/5/2011. I have not looked at how they tabulated these numbers but statistics can favour whoever wrote the mathematical formula. Interesting nonetheless.
Pion Core – The Open Source Stream Computing Platform
Pion Core is an open source software platform for building stream computing (also known as complex event processing) applications. Pion uses the most modern C++ libraries and techniques to enable best in class enterprise scaleability. It can distribute processing tasks across any number of CPU cores as well as across disparate servers.
via Pion Core – The Open Source Stream Computing Platform | Pion Development Community.
Linux accessibility – what is it and why does it matter
I stopped using Windows because I could no longer afford to use it. At the time when I completely switched to Linux (approximately June of 2007) the price for a popular screen magnifier was US$600 to US$700, not including the price of upgrades to new versions when they were made available. Even to this day, the price for a standard version of a very popular screen reader among blind users starts at US$895. Oh, the software does its job, but you have to go into debt to use your computer. That’s tough if you are a student or if you need your computer for work related activities. Believe me, I’ve been there.
In 2007 I realized that the Compiz Enhanced Zoom Desktop (or simply Ezoom) plugin did everything I needed a screen magnifier to do – it did it well, and it did it for free! I was sold on Linux from that point on.
via DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD..
Google Chrome Becomes World’s No. 1 Web Browser; Still No. 2 In US
Internet Explorer’s global market share has been steadily decreasing since May 2011, dropping from about 43.9 percent to 31.4 percent of all worldwide users. In that time, Google Chrome has continued to climb from below 20 percent (19.6 percent, really) to nearly 32 percent of the market share. The current trends suggests Chrome usage will only increase while Internet Explorer will continue its decline.
via Google Chrome Becomes World’s No. 1 Web Browser; Still No. 2 In US – International Business Times.
That was fast!
Cloud mega-uploads aren’t easy
Google and Microsoft don’t offer formal data ingestion services to help users get lots of data into the cloud, and neither seems set to do so anytime soon. Quite how would-be users take advantage of the hundreds of terabytes both offer in the cloud is therefore a bit of a mystery.
via Cloud mega-uploads aren’t easy • The Register.
I also have been wondering about this for my measly 2gigs I want to upload to a cyberlocker. My upload speed is more or less 30KBytes/s or ~100M/hour. Therefore 2G upload would take 20 some hours which is kind of impractical. The article covers import/export services of various cloud providers. I’m interested in Rackspace…
Rackspace offers a similar service, dubbed Cloud Files Bulk Import. Optus, the Australian arm of telecoms giant Singtel, will happily offer a similar service. Australian cloud Ninefold does likewise, branding it “Sneakernet”.
Good old sneakernet is back. That brings the memories.
colloidaldisplay
The combination of the ultrasonic waves and ultra thin membranes makes more realistic, distinctive, and vivid imageries on screen. This system contributes to open up a new path for display engineering with sharp imageries, transparency, BRDF and flexibility.
via colloidaldisplay.
version control – What’s the best Web interface for Git repositories?
version control – What’s the best Web interface for Git repositories? – Stack Overflow.
- gitweb, which is developed together with git, and is written in Perl. Works both as CGI script, and legacy mod_perl script. There is repo.or.cz duct tape (soon to be released as Girocco), which together with gitweb make for git hosting interface. I think it most commonly used web interface; it is used for example by kernel.org.
- cgit is is a fast (caching) and lightweight webinterface written in C. It is used for example by freedesktop.org
- git-php and ViewGit are git web interfaces written in PHP.
Google Changes Tack on Android
Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers early access to new releases of Android and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter. That is a shift from Google’s previous practice, when it joined with with only one hardware maker at a time to produce “lead devices,” before releasing the software to other device makers. …