UNI TECH BLOG I

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If you think the computer you see right in front of you will always be the same. In terms of technology, and yes, Shape then guys, think again! You’ve got a valid reason to do so for designer Sophia Yung has come up with the inventive futuristic computer design named Lotus. It’s named so because it’s shaped like lotus.

Imitating the lotus plant, the cool new computer system is endowed with amazing technology. Integration with one of the five human senses viz. olfaction is what I find the coolest trait of Lotus besides its design. Also, there’s a smell spray, artificial intelligence, and video and keypad projector that will help develop progressive visual and interactive relationship between the user and the computer. Besides all this, Lotus will add to your home decor with its looks and smart design. Do I need to spend more words? I’m actually spell bound!

By Harry McCracken

- FOXNews.com

The Web is an amazing source of TV, from the latest shows to classic reruns. And these sites, services, and software can help you explore it all.

Hulu

Popular Web site Hulu lets you watch television shows over the Internet. But there are a wealth of new alternatives to the site.

TV or PC? That’s the question I find myself asking these days when I’m in the mood to watch the tube. There are still plenty of reasons to opt for the HDTV in my living room: It’s got the biggest and best picture, the most theater-like audio, and — overall — the best selection of stuff to watch. But so many popular programs are now available online that I’m just as likely to catch them on my PC.

TV on a TV may still be the most immersive experience, but TV on a PC feels far more personal. For one thing, most of it is available on demand, on your own schedule. For another, there’s an ever-expanding universe of sites, services, and software designed to make it a cinch to find both shows you know you love and ones you haven’t discovered yet, and then watch them your way. Such as these five winners, all of which work on both Windows PCs and Macs and are absolutely free.

Explore a site that’s half TV Guide, half TiVo. You’ve got favorite TV shows, old and new. And Clicker is an extremely slick way to find everything from Lost to The Dick Van Dyke Show. It covers both free sources (such as Hulu and the sites of the major networks) and paid ones (like Amazon and Netflix), and lets you search by title or performer, or browse by category. You can add entire series to playlists and get notifications by e-mail when new episodes are available, making the service a sort of virtual DVR that helps you keep on top of your faves and play catch-up when necessary.

Make any computer a media center. Boxee is a hot piece of software that lets you browse and enjoy a bevy of digital content, including paid and free video on the Web, files on your computer or home network, music, photos, and more. It’s meant to appeal to folks who have connected their computers to their TV sets: You can breeze through the whole user interface with a remote control, and everything’s got a sheen that looks great in high definition. But it’s fun to use even if just to watch TV on your laptop or desktop monitor.

Try a better Netflix. Netflix may still be synonymous with DVDs by snail mail in little red envelopes, but its Watch Instantly feature — which gives every Netflix subscriber unlimited on-demand access to a profusion of movies and TV shows — is one of the best ways to spend a few bucks a month on internet content. Oddly enough, though, finding stuff to watch is surprisingly frustrating: when you search on the Netflix site, the Watch Instantly titles are often overwhelmed by the ones that are still only available on DVD.

Enter Instantwatcher.com, an ingenious, ingeniously simple site that does one thing: help you locate items you can Watch Instantly. It shows only films and episodes available for instant viewing, and it tells you what’s popular right now. Find something that catches your fancy, and one click loads it up in Netflix’s player.

Capture, convert, and move streaming video. Most free TV on the Web streams to your PC, which works just fine for one-time viewing on a broadband-connected computer. But you’ve got to be online to watch it, and can’t save items for offline viewing or move them to gadgets such as your cell phone, media player, or game console.

RealNetworks’ RealPlayer SP is a clever application that changes that. Install it, and you can download and save video all over the Web, then convert it and transfer it to your other devices. Other services and software offer similar features, but I don’t know of any that make the job as easy as RealPlayer. The downside? It doesn’t work with copy-protected content, such as most of the shows that big-name entertainment companies make available on the Web. That still leaves a wealth of stuff to watch, including most of YouTube.

“Google” your cable or satellite box. Did I say this column was about how to get more out of Internet TV? I fibbed a little. LocateTV is a search engine that lets you track down programming that’s available via your cable and satellite subscription, complete with episode guides, reminders, and other features that are reminiscent of Clicker. Tell it your zip code and provider, and it’ll restrict its results to shows available locally, and will give you the channel numbers you need to tap on your remote.

LocateTV is a vastly more efficient way to navigate through thousands of hours of programming on hundreds of channels than scrolling through a never-ending programming grid on your TV. It’s pretty cool when you think about it: The Internet is so powerful a force that it can make TV better even when you aren’t watching TV on the Internet.

Harry McCracken blogs at Technologizer, his site about personal technology. He’s also the former editor in chief of PC World. Follow him on Twitter as @harrymccracken.

For a hacker common methods for finding your IP address is through chatrooms, looking up domain names on a domain name registrar site, or running programmes that can create a log of all valid IP addresses.

In a chatroom, all a hacker has to do is right click on a chat ID and get the IP address. A domain registrar can yield a website’s employees’ names, phone numbers, fax numbers, physical addresses and IP addresses. In ‘social engineering’ a hacker verbally chats up the user and gets his IP address and other important information. Here’s looking into how a hacker can break into a PC and misuse it.

How it works

With the users IP address, a hacker can send programmes to his PC to test the system for vulnerabilities. He can even find bugs, or holes in the software. The file- and print-sharing options allow the hacker to access the user’s hard drive, load any programme on the drive and delete/change any file on his PC.

The hacker may use ‘Trojans’, which pretend to do useful tasks–like playing a video or greeting–but actually help him access info from the computer and/or even take it over. Programmes that allow the hacker ‘backdoor’ entry to a computer are commonly available.

These programmes are used daily and legitimately by many systems administrators for remote systems. Hackers change the names of their programmes to make them look like legitimate system programmes.

Or they create a hidden folder on the user’s computer to keep programmes. The most common way that viruses are spread is through e-mails. Usually, the virus is not in the e-mail itself, but as an attachment.

Cracking passwords

Hackers use programmes to crack passwords. Even a password-protected computer can be broken into and other passwords then cracked.

A password cracker dictionary has common computer terms and phrases, names, slang and jargon, easily typed key sequences (like ‘qwerty’), and phrases one might commonly use as a password.

Programmes to crack passwords are handed out with copies of these dictionaries. A common method for cracking passwords is to get a copy of a system’s password file. It lists all encrypted passwords on the system.

Security breach

A hacker can steal and delete files, load dangerous programs on a PC and involve people in computer crime. He can get your home, office and even bank passwords.

A hacker can even see the screen as the user sees it, watch every move of his mouse and see every word he types.

Often, the hacker is not interested in the hacked system. He just wants to hack into larger systems or send e-mails. A hacker can load a programme onto hundreds of hacked PCs and then direct the PCs to bomb a particular firm’s server with junk mail or problem messages.

Specific measures

The user must keep in mind not to visit chat rooms unless they are closed and he knows the administrator. One must almost never open an attachment that ends in .DLL or .EXE, even if the email is from one’s best friend. The only time one can open such attachments is if he knows what’s in them.

In order outwit script-based viruses; it is adviceable to ask an expert how one can open scripts in Notepad or Wordpad. Then he should get someone who knows Visual Basic to look at it. If the user is not on his PC, but sees its modem lights flash, it means a hacker could be testing for vulnerabilities.

Password protection

A good password is easily remembered, but not easily guessable. It should be kept a secret, never written down and never saved in a file. When a website asks if a password should be saved, always say no. A password ideally should have at least six or more letters, numbers or punctuations.

The letters should be in capitals and lowercase. It should not have four or more letters found consecutively in the dictionary. Here reversing the letters won’t help.

Indiatimes Infotech

Ever wondered what a $100 million can buy you? A posh house? An SUV? How about a gadget? Yes, in fact you will need much more to buy these gadgets then you would to buy a posh house or an expensive car!

With designers extending their midas touches to the world of gadgetry, you have gadgets like mobile phones, cameras, MP3 players, TV and more costing over a few hundred million dollars,

Sizzling both in features and looks, these gadgets stand for luxury. Here’s over to the gadgets for the deep pocketed.

Most expensive computer

Ever wondered which is the most expensive PC on the Earth? Its Earth Simulator built by Japanese company NEC. The system was developed for JAXA, JAERI, and JAMSTEC in 1997 for running global climate models to evaluate the effects of global warming and problems in solid earth geophysics.

Earth Simulator also held the distinction of being the fastest supercomputer in the world from 2002 to 2004. Located at the Earth Simulator Center (ESC) in Yokohama Japan, the computer is capable of 35.86 trillion floating-point calculations per second, or 35.86 TFLOPS.

In March 2009, Earth Simulator was replaced by Earth Simulator 2 which is an NEC SX-9/E system.

Price: 206,600,000 pounds

Most expensive phone

A British company last year unveiled what is believed to be the world’s most expensive mobile phone — a gold iPhone encrusted with nearly 200 diamonds.

Called the iPhone 3G Supreme, it was reportedly commissioned by an anonymous Australian businessman. The phone, designed by Stuart Hughes for the Liverpool-based Goldstriker International, is made from 22-carat gold. It has 136 diamonds in the front bezel and an Apple logo made out of no fewer than 53 diamonds. The phone’s front navigation button comprises a rare diamond of 7.1 carats.

The phone, which took over ten months to make, ships with a seven kg chest crafted from a single block of granite, offset with Kashmir gold and lined with Nubuck leather on the inside.

Price:1.92 million pounds

Most expensive television

Italian manufacturer Keymat Industrie’s Yalos Diamond bags the title of the world’s most expensive TV.

Plated in white gold and studded with 160 diamonds (20 carats), the TV has 1080i and 720p high definition picture formats and has a picture contrast ratio of 1200:1.

Made by Japanese designer Takahide Sano, the TV has no visible screws or welds. Launched in Berlin, Germany in 2006, the Yalo Diamonds comes in 32, 37, 40, 46 and 52-inches.

Price: 67,175 pounds

Most expensive laptop

You think Apple makes one of the priciest laptops? Read this. In 2007, luxury manufacturer Luvaglio London announced that it will release by special order the most expensive laptop ever sold, with a price tag of a million dollars.

Though the system’s full details are not available, reports say that the laptop has a 17-inch widescreen LED lit screen, a Blu-ray drive, 128GB memory, an integrated cleaning device, and a diamond power button that doubles as the laptop security feature.

In 2005, the Dutch company Ego Lifestyle BV released the Tulip E-Go Diamond laptop, which previously held the world’s most expensive laptop title. The notebook has over 80 total carats of diamonds and retailed for $355,000.

Price: $1 million

Most expensive MP3 player

You thought media pioneer Apple makes the most expensive media players in the world. You got it wrong. London-based Meng Duo Ltd launched the world?s most expensive media player — Presidential MP3 by Douglas J.

Studded with several diamonds, it comes with a VIP membership and will be hand delivered to the buyer anywhere in the world. The player is available in a choice of white or yellow gold exterior casing.

The player includes 1GB of memory, a 65k color screen for video playback and support for audio and video file formats. Measuring 2.28 x 1.55 x 0.27 inches, other key features include USB 2.0, a OLED color display and 10 hour battery life.

Price: 25,000 pounds

Most expensive camera

Meet one of the world’s most expensive camera, Hasselblad H3DII-50. The multi-shot full-color camera comes with a 50-megapixel CCD sensor that captures four shots in a row, moving the sensor by one pixel between each shot to record full RGB values at each position.

Hasselblad H3DII-50 MS is said to be an ideal device for high-end photographers who use their pictures for big commercial projects.

Price: $34,000

Most expensive BlackBerry

UK-based designer Alexander Amosu, known for making world’s most expensive gadgets, launched what is being termed as the world’s most expensive BlackBerry.

The device is made of out 18 carat yellow gold and is studded with 4,459 diamonds with a net weight of 28.43 carats. Designer Alexander Amosu’s device is understood to have taken 350 hours to manufacture.

The device can be personalised with the owner’s name and company logo. Just like Vertu phones, the phone comes with a concierge service available at any time. Only three editions of the device will ever be made.

Price: $200,000

Most expensive computer keyboard

How about a keyboard costing $4440. Made by PFU, part of the Fujitsu Corporation, Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional, is a made-to-order keyboard handcoated with Urushi lacquer.

According to reviews, the keyboard is coated many times using a special brush made from the hairs of virgins and then powdered with gold dust. Happy Hacking Keyboards lack numeric keypad, and keys outside the typewriter key area are mainly accessible through the Fn key.

Price: 2,190 pounds

Most expensive computer mouse

Ever thought of a computer mouse as a fashion accessory? Made by Swiss manufacturer Pat, this is the world’s most expensive mouse.

The device is cast from 18 carat white gold and set with 59 brilliant cut diamonds. The world’s most expensive mouse comes with a 3-button wheel optical mouse design, options for USB or PS/2 connections for either PC or Mac, a 800 dpi Resolution, and a 3 year warranty.

What adds to the pricey tag is that it comes in two designs: Diamond Flower and Scattered Diamond layout. Buyers can also personalise the mouse by adding their initials in diamonds, and can choose from yellow, red or white gold with white or black trim.

Price: 12,494 pounds

Most expensive amplifier

The AudioNote Ongaku is the priciest amplifier in the world till date.

The Ongaku has five line level inputs. It employs two NOS VT4-C (211) tubes, an original NOS Telefunken 6463, and two NOS 5R4WGB rectifiers. Audio Note builds it own silver-wired driver transformer on a double AN-Perma nickel C-core. AN tantalum resistors, Black Gate electrolytics, and another silver wired transformer (output this time) complete the innards.

Price: 56,000 pounds

Most expensive speakers

Transmission Audio’s Ultimate system holds the title of the world’s most expensive speaker.

Ultimate consists of twelve 500W speakers, an Audio Laboratory BP-1 dual-mono power amp and a BC-1 preamp. In addition, Ultimate also features forty 15″ subwoofers and another twenty-four 8″ woofers. On the high-midrange and high frequency levels, ribbon technology is employed for high fidelity and reliability.

Each Ultimate speaker comes with its own 31,000 Watt power amplifiers. The manufacturer also claims the Ultimate can generate up to 146dB SPL.

Price: $2 million

Future of Web? Thoughts, Images Can Be Transmitted To Minds Without An Interface

London: Ever wanted to communicate your thoughts without speaking a word? British scientists have created a system for “brain to brain” communication”, a development researchers claimed will allow people to send thoughts, words, images directly to mind of others.

The system developed by researchers at the British University of Southampton, has been hailed as the future of the internet, which would provide a revolutionary way to communicate without the need of keyboard and telephones.

It was claimed the technology, the first of its kind, would allow people to send thoughts, words and images directly to the minds of others, particularly to people with a disability.

“This could be useful for those people who are locked into their bodies, who can’t speak, can’t even blink,” said the lead scientist Christopher James.

However he cautioned that his experiments were “the first baby steps” towards technology that would allow people instantly to send thoughts, words and images directly into the minds of others.

Scientists used “brain computer interfacing”, a technique that allows computers to analyse brain signals, that enabled them to send messages forward by a person’s brain signals through an internet connection to another person’s brain miles away.

According to James, during transmission two people are connected to electrodes that measure activity in specific parts of the brain. The first person generated a series of zeroes and ones, where they imagined moving their left ram for zero and right arm for one.

After the first person’s computer recognizes the binary thoughts, it sends them to the internet and to the other person’s computer.

A lamp is then flashed at two different frequencies for one and zero. “It’s not telepathy,” James said. He added: “There’s is no conscious thought forming in one person’s head and another conscious thought appearing in another’s mind”.

“The next experiments are to get that second person to be aware of the information that is being sent to them. For that, I need to get my thinking cap on, so to speak.”

British scientists recently experimented

with brain-to-computer interface

Humans can communicate through the power of speech, but can they do so using the power of thought? We are not talking telepathy here, but reading another person’s brain signals. Scientist at the University of Southampton, UK, recently experimented with brain-to-brain communication, using brain-to-computer interface (BCI) technology.

The experiment involved two people who were attached to an EEG or electroencephalograph amplifier, two computers, an internet connection, and one LED lamp. The first person was asked to transfer his thoughts through a computer.

He was asked to move his arm, meaning he had to think “Move my arm.” His thoughts were translated into computer language, which consists of a series of binary digits, zeros and ones. When the second computer received the signals sent via the ‘net, the second person saw flashing LED lights. The first person’s thoughts were transferred through these light patterns. The patterns were matched with the binary digits.

A minor miracle? Not at all, says Neeraj jain, senior scientist at the National brain research centre in Manesar, Haryana.

“this is not true brain-to-brain communication, because the signals were not directly transferred to the brain of the second person. But it’s still an advance for the BCI technology because it shows a new way of hoe the technology can be used.”

Whatever we think, feel or do originates from change in activity in the brain, which is in the from of electrical signals. These signals occur even as the brain plans something – an activity, for instance. If one had the technology to read the signals sent out during the planning process, one could read someone’s thoughts before he acts.

But is this merely a scientific puzzle, without any practical relevance? In fact, brain-to computer interface can have a number of applications such as controlling a robot in a virtual reality environment. It can also have a medical application by helping the paralyzed or disabled to control gadgets that enhance the quality of their lives. Jain says, “If you can control a cursor on the computer, you can control a number of devices-a robotic arm, a wheelchair.”

That may be the face of the future but it is not likely here in India any time soon. India and much of the world boasts several methods of reading brain signals, but brain-to-computer interface is still in the early stage and commercially unavailable in India or anywhere else.