IRON KEY : World's Most Secure Pen Drives

1.         Pen drives are dangerous and have even been banned by few organizations including the prestigious armed forces after one scandal of security leak came to light few years back in navy.Is that the solution? Now it is like marta kya na karta wali baat….”i don’t have control over it so better ban it”.Good News for those who still desire to use pendrives in a much much safer way then available in the market.IRON KEYS have come to take care of the security issue of pendrives.What is IRON KEY? Read on…….. 

2.         The IronKey drives are very small, very portable, and very convenient. They come in configurations of 1Gb, 2Gb, 4Gb, and 8 Gb’s. IronKey’s Secure Flash Drive is similar to an iPod, as its hardware, software and online service all rolled into one product. The IronKey Cryptochip uses US government-approved AES, CBC-mode, 128-bit encryption at the hardware level. 

3.         All models come in a sleek, stainless-steel, waterproof case that is sturdier and heavier than other USB drives. The case has been injected with an epoxy compound that blankets the inner workings and keeps them dry and shock-resistant. Security-wise, the case would be extremely difficult to pry open without destroying what's inside. 

4.         IronKey has a password generator that can create passwords up to 99 characters in length at either normal strength with alphanumeric characters or stronger strength, which includes all keyboard characters. To use the IronKey flash drive, you need to activate an online account. This is a necessary step to enable certain services -- such as online password backup, device and software updates and to access IronKey's encrypted Web-surfing service, which uses Mozilla's Firefox. Besides creating an online username and password, you are asked to supply answers to three supplemental authentication questions that will verify your identity in case you ever lose your username or password. Failing to answer the questions accurately will lock you out of your account permanently. 

5.         IronKey e-mails an activation code that you must enter in a window to complete your online setup. IronKey allows you to change personal security information at any time by accessing account settings. If someone does happen to gain access to your flash drive and they fail to type in the correct password more than 10 times, IronKey will self-destruct, permanently locking out users and wiping out all the data on the drive. 

6.         From a speed standpoint, IronKey is fast. Hd Tach tests showed speeds well above the competition: IronKey's speed is 31MB/sec. burst speed; an average read rate of 29.6MB/sec., and a 6-millisecond random access rate. The CPU utilization rate is vastly higher than any other driver on the market by as much as 22%. SLC memory lasts about 100,000 write cycles and MLC memory lasts about 10,000 writes. 

7.         Special Solutions USA is an exclusive distributor of IronKey Secure USB flash drives for the Indian market. 

8.         More on https://www.ironkey.com/

Download video from Magazines/Billboard: MMCC

1.         Imagination is one key to success today. Had we never imagined things, things would not have come up as they have today.Today I read this article on Indiatimes.com/ InfoTech Tab about Mobile Multi-Colour Composite (MMCC) 2D-Barcode.Now it looks like just another IT dictionary term which has a complex name but a simple function and utility. It goes like this……

 2.         Ideate(…means imagine) a magazine with an advertisement of a mobile phone manufacturer with a bar code printed something like inset. From this bar code, can u think of downloading ringtones, product info, Video? Can you? Puzzled, I am sure. This has no more remained a subset of imaginativeness, it has become unfeigned today with this technology, which is known as Mobile Multi-Colour Composite (MMCC) 2D-Barcode. 

3.         The MMCC is a color 2D barcode designed for storing high capacity data on printed media and displays, tailor made for camera mobile phone applications. Using the MMCC, the user can retrieve digital content to their camera mobile phone directly from the barcode by capturing an image of the barcode and decoding it on their mobile. According to the scientists, by taking a photo of the barcode, users can download complex information, such as videos, voice recordings or text, instantly to their mobile.

4.         Why named 2D Bar code ? 2D means 'two dimensional'. 2D barcodes comprise more information than conventional one dimensional linear barcodes. Conventional barcodes get wider as more data is encoded. 2D barcodes make use of the vertical dimension to pack in more data. Data is encoded in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. As more data is encoded the size of the barcode can be increased in both the horizontal and vertical directions thus maintaining a doable shape for easy scanning.

 5.         Advantage of 1D over 2D : Although 1D barcodes hold a more belittled amount of data it is 'spread' over the whole height of the barcode. The barcode contains a high degree of redundancy. This means the barcode can be read even with considerable degradation. If your application needs only a few characters (up to about 15) then a 1D barcode is probably the best solution. Increasing the height of a 1D barcode does not increase its capacity but it does increase its redundancy thus making it more resistant to abasement and obliteration and making it easier to scan.

6. In Japan the 2D Barcode has even been placed on Billboards(picture inset).[Source: http://cootieshot.wordpress.com] 

The visitor takes a picture of the Barcode on the Billboard and their phone brings up more information about the deceased person, pictures of them or any other content the family or pre-deceased and now occupant so chooses. In spain they are being used to contain detailed train maps to make travel easier and most interestingly in a recent Holland Inovation Fair placed a code on each visitor’s badge and each presentor’s tent. The visitors didn’t have to exchange business cards if they wanted to learn more about eachother’s ideas. They simply scanned the other person’s barcode and their information was sent to their cellphone through SMS.

 7.         As on date, Bartender comes as one of the leading software’s in creating 2D barcodes.I could not find any thing on the price aspect as to how much it costs today. So next what? Download something from your news paper or download movie trailers from movie magazines……grrrrrrrr8……Future is bright…………. For now keep waiting till the technology reaches your doorstep.

THE LINK : BJP & OPEN SOURCE!!

1. Rajnitee and IT ?Do they share a relation in our country? Do they meet anywhere in Indian scenario?Have you ever heard a technical IT buzz word shooting from any of the mantri’s mouth.I am sure in most cases the answer would be NO. 

2. Recently I read this article at the http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4272163.cms wherein it adverted that Mr L.K.Advani has said that if his party comes to power, it will actively promote opensource software and internet telephony. Now irrespective of  whether Mr Advani knows what open source software is or not,or whether he just recited what he was told to by IT savvy speech writer,the good good news is that IT is buzzing now in politics.

 3. The power of open source software is still lying completely unexploited in our country for most of us don’t know what opensource has in store for us.All paid softwares ex any Software developer viz Microsoft,Corel etc to name a few has an equivalent in opensource costing free which unfortunately now one is aware.Did you still not understand ? Read on for what is open source? 

4. Open source software (OSS) is defined as computer software for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that meets the Open Source Definition or that is in the public domain. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified forms. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. The term open source software originated as part of a marketing campaign for free software. A report  states that adoption of open source software models has resulted in savings of about $60 billion per year to consumers.(…thanks wiki) 

5. So Mr L K Advani’s party seems to be the first to realize the power hidden in this.Good!Isn’t it…….Now why open source doesn’t seem to be a success in India?One line answer….may I attempt?........”because Microsoft’s Cracked Windows Xp and Vista are available for free in any gali,mohalla of the Hindustan.So the next motto for a political party would be to crack those crackers!!!!!!!!!!For now its INDIA SHINING!

PictBridge

1. Any time we wish to take  a printout of clicked pics from our camera,what do we do?Either insert the memory stick directly into the card reader of lap top/pc or we connect thru the regular interface cable.In both the cases,we need to have a computer as a via media.So to kill this form factor,PictBridge has arrived.Whats PictBridge?...read on....

2. PictBridge is a technology that was created to allow the user to transfer pictures from a camera phone (or digital still camera) to a printer without a PC or image-editing software. PictBridge makes printing digital photos easier and more accessible. A number of manufacturers have direct printing  methods on the market today. The drawback is that some of these direct printing methods are proprietary, which means that you can only print your pictures when everything is provided by the same manufacturer.Its formal name is "Standard of Camera & Imaging Products Association CIPA DC-001 — 2003 Digital Solutions for Imaging Devices".

3. PictBridge is typically implemented using Universal Serial Bus ports and the USB protocol. PictBridge-capable printers typically have a USB Type A receptacle which is then connected by cable to the USB port of a PictBridge-capable digital camera (typically a Type Mini-B). The user then uses the camera to select the pictures to print, which the printer then retrieves from the camera and prints. 

4. The good thing is that it is not just limited to printing from Camera's,it can be a mobile which is PictBridge enabled.The limitation to use this is both the devices have to be PictBridge enabled.As on date most of the high end Canon brand models are supporting this PictBridge.Just like Lightscribe logo the PictBridge too has its small green label as shown in set.

5. Just a start on the right road.......FUTURE IS BRIGHT...for now we have to bear with limitations and enjoy what we have.

Be CAREFUL

1.         We all drive our respective vehicles daily from one point to another without agnizing what risk we are always at. Disregardless of how we drive, what matters most is how others drive.3-4 months back on way from Gurgaon to Noida I saw this mangled, mutilated remains of a so  called Car(INSET). A small mistake, be it in form of being tired on a long drive or speaking on phone or just driving casually would lead one’s soul out of this globe.

2.         The sole purpose of posting this is to promote the tag “DRIVE CAREFULLY”.

Fight of the Browser's : ACID3 TEST

1.         I recollect the first interaction with the web with the services of Internet Explorer 3.0 some time in 1997.Then there was a alternative of Netscape Navigator 3.0 only.So between the two in those days,there was sinewy competition and I would appreciate that the choice between the two mattered owing to individual’s personnel choices. I liked browsing with Netscape Navigator and Ujjwal (my only IT savvy friend then…) liked it with IE 3.0. 

2.         So there were no standards then to decide upon which one is actually better. Time graduated to the early 2000’s and in came a lot many browsers each arrogating to be the best amongst lot. These included Amaya, Konquerer, Phoenix, Galion and the list is endless. Anyone interested in knowing about these unheard names today may just google and inquire about them…..now on way to superannuation!!! 

3.         Those which endured the decade long fight of the browsers included Safari, Opera, Mozilla to name a few and few new one’s to include Google Chrome, Flock. 

4.         Now after a decade of evolution , few standards spranged up to finally one make adjudicate about which one is actually better.The standard I am going to mention is ACID3 TEST. Nothing to do with Sulphuric or Hydrochloric acid. 

5.         Acid3 is a test page from the Web Standards Project that checks how well a web browser follows certain web standards, especially relating to the Document Object Model and JavaScript.

 

6.         When successful, the Acid3 test displays a step by step increasing percentage counter with colored rectangles in the background. I tried on mine ie Google Chrome and it scored 78/100(Picture In Set).The percentage displayed is based on the number of sub-tests passed. It is not representing an actual percentage of conformance as the test does not keep track of how many of the tests were actually started (100 is assumed). In addition to these the browser also has to render the page exactly like the reference page is rendered in the same browser. 

7.            Further to this I inquired about why Chrome scored 78,it was because prior to conduct of test it was supposed to be set to its original default settings which I did not do. So I surfed few forums on what has been the score of other browsers. This lead me to conclusion that as on date Chrome scores over others at least in ACID3 test and being a sincere Chrome user my self...believed the same quickly....thanks for wiki for info!

IT ostracized!!!!!

1.         Few days back a petition was filed at the Bombay High Court calling for a ban on Google Earth citing that terrorists used this mapping service to plan attacks on key emplacements in Mumbai, on 26/11. It reminded me of a similar instance of army wherein few years back Pen Drives were banned following some breach of security information.

2.         “ Mindset” comes as the key to such pudden-head and dullard bans. Such Mindset is linked to the low IQ and literacy level of such decision seekers. I have also read articles wherein similar bans were asked for WiFi connectivity at various places.Now moving on these lines I have a few sample bans which should also be taken care of to eliminate security breach:

a.         Why not ban manufacturing Vehicles in which the terrorists or the offender moved from the source          location to the destination location quickly?

b.         Why not ban mobile phones across India so that they cannot plan further?

c.         Why not ban manufacturing or accessing computers in this country owing to which all this is taking place?

d.         Why not ban manufacturing Guns/Rifles and ammunition?

e.         Why not simply ban INTERNET in India?

3.         So why just pendrives or google earth? It is indeed staggering the way decisions are being made and sought in this country. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to me if access to Google Earth is banned in this region in some time.

4.         What we actually need is to find a way out to tackle these…elimination is not the solution.

5.         The IT quotient of aam aadmi (which indeed hold the majority) needs to actually improve before it gets too late.Be it the defence or the civil.Till the time the defence General saab knows what can be more lethal then pen drive,till the time judge saab of the court knows what power IT holds today…what decision will he be able to make?However big they may be in terms of respectable positions and appointments,they would still form the TAO group(harayana wala) who still believe ke bhayaa ye computer shamputer kuch na karkey dega…karna sabko khud padega…………!!!!!!!

Fighting LIGHTSCRIBE !!!

1. I bought my laptop few years back and I had exploited all its features including Blue Tooth,WiFi,Web cam,running high processing softwares to test its 2GB RAM,CD/DVD Writting etc but not LightScribing.

 2. This term in easy terms would mean printing on CD/DVD just like you take a printout on paper…..will get more clearer from the picture inset…..I had read some theory on this on how it works and what is the procedure of doing the light scribe but practical always remained a backlog till last week when I got the opportunity to do some thing on it.

 3. LightScribe is an innovative technology that uses a special disc drive, special media, and label-making software to burn labels directly onto CDs and DVDs. These have a limitation of being in Black & White only as on date. Because the labels are laser-etched—not printed—there's no ink, no smudging, and no peeling. Your labels can be whatever you want them to be. Create one-of-a-kind designs with your own photos, text, and artwork using your label-making software. Or choose from the many free templates available on the net.

4. The first thing I required was the light scribe DVD.Now finding lightscribe DVD in a small town (..I hope the jalandharite’s don’t mind on that....)is also a problem . Shopkeepers have to be explained N number of times of what it is ? and still they never understand. You usually get comments like “kya saaab....matlab cd pe screen  printing ha ha ha....That apart I finally got one opportunity on leave to visit the IT hub Nehru Place in New Delhi.

5. At Nehru Place,I got to know of the variety of Light Scribe DVDs available.They range from Rs 400/- to Rs 1800/- for a set of 10.To find out the reason of difference in price it was not the company or brand,but something to do with the quality of laser coating on the DVD.The costlier the DVD,the better would be the contrast and the cheapest of them would give you a relatively darker burn but would be good enough to see the image you have burned.So I went ahead with the Rs 400/- to experiment with.

6. Next thing was the software. My laptop came preloaded with Home Vista Basic which made its way to heaven immediately on arrival since I wanted it to work with Vista Ultimate. So the preloaded Light scribe HP software was gone and I thought of installing it from the SWSETUP/LSHSI folder.As i started it , I got the message “UPDATE_SHELL_COMMAND” property must be set on the command line”…so straight I asked god!!!…(Has google become God?)..so came many answers and threads to solutions but nothing could solve it.So I started looking and experimenting with numerous third party software’s and I tried “Sure Thing CD Labeler”. The name of the software went with the meaning and solved my problem. Easy Installation, Easy Writing, No Hassles,No DLL’s missing and no message to mess with ““UPDATE_SHELL_COMMAND”.So got my first LIGHTSCRIBE as shown in pic.

INTEL & BIKE

1. When I first got to know of the joint embarking between Intel & OCC ie Orange County Choppers,global manufacturers of rugged & custom choppers(….we call bikes). I read the whole article once again to believe it and leaped 15 years back …of course in memoirs…when I got my first bike Hero Honda SPLENDOR.This bike ruled the Indian roads for a good 5-6 years with no stiff competitors around till 2001 when Bajaj PULSAR was launched with the DTSI 150/180cc with the option of a DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER….the first of its kind in the bike segment in INDIAN context.

2. The kind of spark this created to the bike customers was stupefying.In no time Pulsar swept over the bike segment complete in all aspects. Marketing, sales, roads….colleges, schools, offices….Pulsar made its comportment every where just because of its Male look(..as advertised) and of course a small  contributing factor was the electronic speedometer which made Bikies like me think then if ever computer will do something with bike. 

3. So it first happened about 2 years back when Intel® and Orange County Choppers got together to build an Intel® themed masterpiece. They needed a computer that could take all the abuse the bike would dish out and still be flexible, portable, and powerful enough to power all the systems of the bike.Black Diamond Advanced Technology (Black Diamond), a technology development firm specializing in the design and implementation of rugged electronic systems, provided engineering support to create a fully computerized Intel® themed motorcycle by Orange County Choppers.The following are the key features of interest :

a.         “Sunlight Viewable Detachable dashboard” and fully computerized processes on the motorcycle such as keyless ignition and electronically controlled kickstand activation.Keyless ignition is replaced by finger print recognition software. The figure shows a pictorial representation of how the dash board looks like.

b.         Designed to meet military specifications to endure shock, vibrations, dirt, water and extreme temperatures). PC features a custom module that allows for easy portability of the computer, which is mounted between the handlebars on the motorcycle.Portability means you can take the detachable dashboard from the parking stands to your office and open Microsoft Word and do some office work after attaching the keyboard.

c.         Rear-mounted cameras that replace standard rear-view mirrors,so web cam time is no more confined to your desktops and laptops...it has started making presence felt in vehicle infotainment.

d.         Audio and video systems integrated with the handlebars and headset in the helmet 

e. Wireless connectivity including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.

f.        Processor details includes 1.0 GHz Intel® Celeron® M processor, 1GB of 400 MHz DDR2 and can run Windows XP, Vista, CE, Mobile or Linux, packing the power of a desktop PC in a lightweight, handheld rugged form factor.