Personalities Behind Facebook

We all know Facebook filed its IPO setting the stage for the internet industry’s biggest coming-out party and one of Wall Street’s most hotly anticipated events of 2012, with a valuation of over $100 billion. Here is a look at some of the personalities behind the world’s largest social network.
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive and co-founder

We all know Zuckerberg, portrayed as a brilliant, ambitious and ruthless empire-builder in the 2010 movie “The Social Network,” founded Facebook with Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz and Eduardo Saverin while at Harvard University in 2004.
The 27-year-old frontman, who has repeatedly said he was in no rush to go public because that might distract employees and dilute his control, decides the direction and product strategy of the company. Forbes estimates Zuckberg’s net worth at $17.5 billion, making him the 14th richest man in the United States.
Peter Thiel, investor and director

The billionaire Stanford alumnus and former Wall Street trader was Facebook’s first outside investor and director. Thiel co-founded online payments service PayPal and sold it to eBay Inc for $1.5 billion in 2002.
Christopher Cox, vice president of product

Cox organizes Facebook’s product strategy and oversees product management and design.
He joined the company in 2005 as a software engineer and was involved in the first versions of Facebook features such as the News Feed and Inbox.
Dan Rose, vice president of partnerships

A former Amazon.com Inc manager who helped develop the “Kindle” digital book reader, Rose oversees Facebook’s partnerships, forging ties with Hollywood film studios, game makers, mobile phone companies and even carmakers. Rose also takes the lead on mergers and acquisitions.
David Fischer, VP of advertising and global operations

Fischer is responsible for much of Facebook’s vast and highly profitable advertising network. He runs sales, advertiser marketing and customer operations.
During seven years at Google Inc, Fischer helped build that company’s online ad network into the largest in the world. Before that, he was deputy chief of staff at the Treasury Department during the Clinton Administration.
Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer

Sandberg, one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley, oversees business operations including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy and communications.
Another former Google employee, Sandberg built and managed Google’s online sales channels for advertising and publishing and operations for consumer products.
Before working for Google, she was chief of staff at the Treasury Department under President Clinton.

Heroes and Villians of the Hacking world

The head US National Security Agency recently warned that the notorious internet hacking group, Anonymous, may soon have the ability to attack the entire US power grid. However, this does not mean hackers are all bad people. There are White Hat or ethical hacker too.
They identify security weaknesses in computer systems and networks but instead of taking advantage of these loopholes, expose the weakness to the system’s administrators allowing them to fix the breach. So, like everywhere there are good and bad hackers. Here are some international hacking heroes and villians.
Hero: Steve Wozniak

Co-founder of Apple and the company’s original engineering brain, Woz got his first kicks out of the Blue Box, a phone phreaking device that allowed him and Steve Jobs to make long-distance calls for free by imitating the tones that routed signals on the AT&T network. The duo sold more than 100 Boxes for $150 each.
Hero: Tim Berners-Lee

The World-Wide Web was not on his mind when Lee and a friend were caught hacking at the Oxford University.
Both were banned from using the university’s computers during their study tenure. Maybe that’s why Lee soldered one for himself using iron, TTL gates, an M6800 processor and an old television.
Hero: Linus Torvalds

The star of the ultimate hacking fairytale. Torvalds cobbled together a makeshift operating system titled ‘Linux’ and shared the program at an online forum.
Feeds poured in with fixes, improvements and new features. Code contribution became the USP of Linux, an operating system built on central hacker ethic: free for all.
Hero: Tsutomu Shimomura

Not an intuitive hacker, he was prodded to showcase his skills when Kevin Mitnick hacked Shimomura’s home computer.
The result: a good cop bad cop chase that ended with Mitnick in jail. Shimomura didn’t escape scrutiny: he hacked Mitnick’s cell phone to track him to an apartment near Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Hero: Richard Stallman


Dubbed the father of free software. He earned the badge as a ‘staff hacker’ at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he cracked a password system.
He moved on to tinkering with the code of a printer and finally ended up with the big one: The GNU Project that writes free software and mass produces its operating system.
Villian: Kim Dotcom

Known as Kim Schmitz, Kim Tim Jim Vestor and ‘Kimble’, Dotcom’s hacking credentials are dubious. Be it cracking Citibank to transfer $20 million to Greenpeace, or hacking Osama Bin Laden’s Sudanese account, no claim has been verified.
But he is known for phone phreaking and has been arrested for online piracy.
Villian: Kevin Mitnick

The US Department of Justice says he was “the most wanted computer criminal in United States history.” Mitnick started by bypassing punch cards to hitch free rides on LA buses. Later, he hacked databases of corporate giants like Nokia and Motorala.
Finally a peeved Shimomura out-hacked him and Mitnick was jailed for 5 years.
Villian: Jonathan James

At the age of 16, James installed a backdoor into the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency server and messed with user names, passwords and strategic emails. Next up was the NASA database from which he stole software worth $1.7 million. The result: in 2000, James became the first juvenile to be imprisoned for hacking.
Villian: Kevin Poulsen

Law officers think he was “the Hannibal Lecter of computer crime” but hacker buddies knew him as Dark Dante.
Poulsen’s biggest hit: cracking Los Angeles radio’s phone lines to ensure he was caller number 102, slated to win a Porsche. The FBI got interested when he hacked their database and soon it was prison time for Poulsen.
Villian: Robert Tappan Morris

The brain behind the first computer worm to attack the Internet – the Morris Worm. Released in 1988, it infected over 6,000 machines. Morris claimed he wanted to test the reach of the Net. Law officers didn’t buy the theory: he served three years’ probation, 400 hours of community service and paid a fine of $10,500.

What is DTH service and its uses

DTH services are available in every nook and corner to avail the service just buy DTH setup box and the service is bundled with 6 months free with 120 channels according to your selection of the package.. These are all sim based , we have to charge it and enjoy the required channels providing by the service provider..

Doordarshan will launch its Direct-To-Home telecast from April 1. Broadcasters like Star and Zee are pushing hard for DTH services in India [ Images ] too.

So what is this DTH all about? How, if at all, does it help the customer? Is it good? Let's find out.

What is DTH?

DTH stands for Direct-To-Home television. DTH is defined as the reception of satellite programmes with a personal dish in an individual home.

DTH does away with the need for the local cable operator and puts the broadcaster directly in touch with the consumer. Only cable operators can receive satellite programmes and they then distribute them to individual homes.

How does DTH work?

A DTH network consists of a broadcasting centre, satellites, encoders, multiplexers, modulators and DTH receivers.

A DTH service provider has to lease Ku-band transponders from the satellite. The encoder converts the audio, video and data signals into the digital format and the multiplexer mixes these signals. At the user end, there will be a small dish antenna and set-top boxes to decode and view numerous channels. On the user's end, receiving dishes can be as small as 45 cm in diametre.

DTH is an encrypted transmission that travels to the consumer directly through a satellite. DTH transmission is received directly by the consumer at his end through the small dish antenna. A set-top box, unlike the regular cable connection, decodes the encrypted transmission.

How does DTH really differ from cable TV?

The way DTH reaches a consumer's home is different from the way cable TV does. In DTH, TV channels would be transmitted from the satellite to a small dish antenna mounted on the window or rooftop of the subscriber's home. So the broadcaster directly connects to the user. The middlemen like local cable operators are not there in the picture.

DTH can also reach the remotest of areas since it does away with the intermediate step of a cable operator and the wires (cables) that come from the cable operator to your house. As we explained above, in DTH signals directly come from the satellite to your DTH dish.

Also, with DTH, a user can scan nearly 700 channels!

Does one need to put two dish antennae and pay double subscription per month if one has two TVs [ Get Quote ]?

For multiple connections in the same premises, one can use the same connection. However, every television set will need to have an individual STB.

Also, DTH is a national service and the STBs enable a viewer to change service providers without changing the STB, even if one moves from one city to another.

Can a CAS set-top box be used for DTH?

No, these are different set-top boxes.

Why is DTH is being discussed now?

Doordarshan plans to launch its DTH telecast from April 1. The government has said it will provide 10,000 dishes free across eight states for increased community viewing of the DTH service. The government is estimated to be investing over Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) in this DTH venture.

There are four serious contenders for DTH services in India: Doordarshan, Star, Zee, and Data Access.

Is DTH superior to cable TV?

Yes. DTH offers better quality picture than cable TV. This is because cable TV in India is analog. Despite digital transmission and reception, the cable transmission is still analog. DTH offers stereophonic sound effects. It can also reach remote areas where terrestrial transmission and cable TV have failed to penetrate. Apart from enhanced picture quality, DTH has also allows for interactive TV services such as movie-on-demand, Internet access, video conferencing and e-mail. But the thing that DTH has going for it is that the powerful broadcasting companies like Star, Zee, etc are pushing for it.

So why are broadcasters pushing for DTH?

In DTH, the payments will be made directly by the subscriber to the satellite company offering the service.

A big problem that broadcasters face in India is the issue of under-reporting of subscribers by cable operators.

Consider the cable operators pyramid. Right at the top is the broadcaster. Next comes the Multi Service Cable Operator (MSOs) like Siticable, InCable, etc. Below them are the Access Cable Operators (ACOs) or your local cable guy who actually lays the wires to your house.

The local cable operators or the ACOs then allegedly under-report the number of subscribers they have bagged because they have to pay the MSOs something like Rs 30-45 per household. Showing a lesser number of households benefits ACOs.

With no way to actually cross check, the MSOs and the broadcasters lose a lot. Broadcasters do not earn much in subscription fees and are mostly dependent on advertisement revenue to cover their costs, which is not sustainable and does not offer high growth in revenues for broadcasters.

The way out of this is to use a set-top box so that it will be clear how many households are actually using cable or going for DTH where broadcasters directly connect to consumers and can actually grow revenues with a growth in the subscriber base.

Why do Doordarshan, Zee, Star think DTH will work in India?

Today, broadcasters believe that the market is ripe for DTH. The prices of the dish and the set-top box have come down significantly. Overall investments required in putting up a DTH infrastructure has dropped and customers are also reaping the benefits of more attractive tariffs.

The major thing that DTH operators are betting on is that the service is coming at a time when the government is pushing for CAS (conditional access system), which will make cable television more expensive, narrowing the tariff gap between DTH and cable.

Will DTH be cheaper than cable or more expensive?

DTH will be definitely more expensive than cable as it exists today.

A set-top box is a must for DTH. Earlier, when CAS made set-top box mandatory for households, the costs between DTH and cable would not have been too wide.

But CAS on the backburner now -- which means no set-top box (a must for DTH), the price gap between DTH and cable will be wide.

In Oct 2002, Siticable, which is owned by Zee, said that the cost of the installation equipment, which includes the receiver dish and the set-top box, would be priced at around Rs 3,900. Siticable is looking to rope in 1 million subscribers in 15 months.

Other estimates say that digital cable set-top box may cost Rs 4,000, a DTH decoder dish is unlikely to cost less than Rs 7,000.

DTH's minimum subscription could be priced around Rs 500 per month.

Some reports say that an entry level DTH STB will cost about Rs 7,000 (including taxes and installation cost at consumers end). A more advanced STB with value added features like PVR (Personal Video Recorder), PSTN connectivity, Gamming console, channel management system, etc. may cost as much as Rs 15,000.

What is the history of DTH in India?

DTH services were first proposed in India in 1996. But they did not pass approval because there were concerns over national security and a cultural invasion. In 1997, the government even imposed a ban when the Rupert Murdoch-owned Indian Sky Broadcasting (ISkyB) was about to launch its DTH services in India.

Finally in 2000, DTH was allowed. The new policy requires all operators to set up earth stations in India within 12 months of getting a license. DTH licenses in India will cost $2.14 million and will be valid for 10 years. The companies offering DTH service will have to have an Indian chief and foreign equity has been capped at 49 per cent. There is no limit on the number of companies that can apply for the DTH license.

So, what's the buzz? Will DTH finally be the one that rules?

The cable system is well entrenched in India and is showing quite rapid growth. If DTH had come to India in 1996-97 (like Star had originally attempted), then it could have made a significant breakthrough.

Europe is an example of this. DTH developed there before cable and now controls nearly 80 per cent of the total satellite television subscriber base. But in US, cable rules because it came before DTH.

DTH will definitely cut into the existing cable user base. It will make the local cable operator less important and take business away from him. It will give consumers greater choice.

But it is likely to be an up market premium product and most middle class households will stick to cable.

 

Importance of Digital Signature

A digital signature helps to keep a document that is transmitted electronically authentic - meaning the recipient of the document knows who has created it, and is also assured that there have been no alterations to the document after it left the sender.
The digital signature used by the sender of the document `encrypts' or locks the document. He uses keys to encrypt it. Only the authorised recipient, who has the appropriate key to the document, can open it once he receives it. Software takes care of the digital signature processes.
For more information on how a digital signature keeps a document tamper-proof, please look up this URL: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/

Contact with Extra-Terrestrial life within 12 years

 

Contact with Aliens likely within 12 years

Humans could make contact with alien life within 12 years, with the aid of the world’s largest radio telescope, a leading UFO expert has claimed.
One of the key questions whether extra-terrestrial life exists, could be answered by 2024 with the development of a supersized £1.3 billion radio telescope, the Daily Express reported.
The development of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope will unleash “new and exciting possibilities”, according to former UK ministry of defence UFO project leader Nick Pope.
“I will be controversial and give you an exact year of when I believe first confirmation of contact will be made and that is 2024, the year in which if everything goes according to plan the Square Kilometre Array will be fully operational,” said Pope, who studied UFO sightings for 21 years.
The SKA, to be started in 2016, is set to be the world’s largest radio telescope and will answer some of the fundamental unanswered questions of our universe.
Made up of thousands of radio wave receptors covering 4,921 square km of the Earth’s surface in the Australian outback, scientists have claimed it will provide alternative views of the universe than those seen with optical telescopes.
Scientists leading its development have suggested the SKA will be 50 times more sensitive, and will survey the sky 10,000 times faster, than any other telescope.

NASA to turn asteroid into space station

 

 Asteroid  space station to orbit the Moon

London: NASA scientists are planning to capture a 500,000 kg asteroid, relocate it and transform it into a space station for astronauts to refuel at on their way to Mars. 
It would be the first time a celestial object has ever been moved by humans, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.
The White House’s Office of Science and technology will consider the USD 2.6 billion plan in the coming weeks as it prepares to set its space exploration agenda for the next decade.
A feasibility report prepared by NASA and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) scientists outlined how they would go about capturing the asteroid.
An ‘asteroid capture capsule’ would be attached to an old Atlas V rocket and directed the asteroid between the Earth and the Moon. Once close, the asteroid capsule would release a 50 ft diameter bag that wrap around the spinning rock using drawstrings, the paper said.
The craft would then turn on its thrusters, using an estimated 300 kg of propellant, to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a gravitationally neutral spot.
From here space explorers would have a stationary base from which to launch trips deeper into space.
“The idea of exploiting the natural resources of asteroids dates back over a hundred years, but only now has the technology become available to make this idea a reality,” the report said.
“The feasibility is enabled by three key developments: the ability to discover and characterise an adequate number of sufficiently small near-Earth asteroids for capture and return; the ability to implement sufficiently powerful solar electric propulsion systems to enable transportation of the captured asteroid; and the proposed human presence in cislunar space in the 2020s enabling exploration and exploitation of the returned asteroid,” it said.
NASA declined to comment on the project because it said it was in negotiations with the White House, but it is believed that technology would make it possible within 10-12 years.

1960 Classic Ferrari is world’s most expensive car

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Auctioned for 4 Million Pounds

A 1960 classic Ferrari could fetcha whopping four million pounds and become one of the world’s most expensive cars when it is auctioned next month.
The stunning 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione is one of just 74 models built by the Italian car maker.
It’s three-litre V12 engine gives a 0-60mph time of less than six seconds.
A similar model sold in 2011 for over 3.1 million pounds. The classic Ferrari market has skyrocketed over the past 18 months, The Sun reported.
The 250 GT was the 17th model in the series to roll off the production line in 1960 and has had just four owners over the past 52 years.
US auctioneer Shelby Myers said: “There is nothing that trumps the magnificent style, drivability, and sound of the 250 SWB Berlinetta.
“Ultra-exclusive, it is certainly one of the most desirable Ferraris ever produced. Rarely do such important cars come to public market,” Myers said.