Wednesday, December 29, 2010

NNN, Next New Networks Raise $1 Million Amid Youtube Acquisition

Next New Networks has raised $1 million in debt financing. According to this SEC filing and some big boys are behind the NNN and Ross Levinsohn from Fuse Capital, Bijan Sabet from Spark Capital, Goldman Sachs and Saban Capital Group are listed as investors.
The NNN manages and produces it's own video content as well as managing independent film makers. If the rumors of YouTube acquisition are true, NNN will provide the first inhouse video production facility for YouTube and Google TV.
I guess we need to wait and see if the rumors are true.So we can "Watch and Be Merry"
NNN via TC

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Quantum Cryptography Is Safe From Detector Blinding Attacks.

Toshiba’s Cambridge Research Laboratory announced today that they have discovered a simple method to prevent detector blinding attacks on quantum cryptography.  Quantum cryptography is a method to distribute digital encryption keys across an optical fiber cable. The protocol has been proven to be perfectly secure from eavesdropping.But recently a paper suggested ways of blinding the detectors, the Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) avalanche photo-detectors that are commonly used in quantum cryptography. This would have been one way to eavesdrop on the data stream and capture secret keys.
Following is the press release;
30 November 2010, Cambridge, UK
The Cambridge Research Laboratory of Toshiba Research Europe announced today that it has discovered a simple method to prevent detector blinding attacks on quantum cryptography.
Quantum cryptography is a method to distribute digital encryption keys across an optical fibre. The protocol has been proven to be perfectly secure from eavesdropping. However, any differences between the theoretical protocol and its real-world implementation can be exploited to compromise the security of specific systems.
A recent paper published in the September edition of Nature Photonics suggests a method to blind the Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) avalanche photo-detectors that are commonly used in quantum cryptography. If successful, this attack could allow an eavesdropper to gain information about the secret key.
Now an investigation by the Cambridge team, to be published in the December edition of Nature Photonics, demonstrates that the detector blinding attack is completely ineffective, provided that the single photon detectors are operated correctly.
The new study shows that the attack is only successful if a redundant resistor is included in series with the single photon detector, or if the discrimination levels are set inappropriately. Furthermore, by monitoring the photocurrent generated by the detector it is possible to prevent all bright light attacks on avalanche photodiodes.
Dr Andrew Shields, Assistant Managing Director, Toshiba Research Europe, comments, “Quantum cryptography is now entering a new phase in which the security of particular implementations is carefully analysed and tested. This is important to uncover any security loopholes and to devise appropriate countermeasures. It will allow real-world devices to approach the perfect security that can be proven for the protocol.”
Toshiba recently implemented its quantum key distribution (QKD) technology in the quantum cryptography network set up in the Tokyo metropolitan area in October 2010. In a series of trials Toshiba demonstrated record average secure bit rates on installed fibre in the network. A secure bit rate of 304 kb/s was demonstrated, averaged over a 24 hour period, on a 45 km fibre despite a relatively high loss on the link of 14.5 dB. In April 2010 the same team announced an average secure bit rate of 1 Mb/s for a laboratory based demonstration on a 50 km fibre spool.
For further information about the work of Toshiba's Cambridge Research Laboratory in Quantum Information Technology, go to 
http://www.toshiba-europe.com/research/crl/qig/index.html

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

DOT P2P, Decentralized Open Domain Name System

With the recent flurry of government take downs of piracy or torrent related sites like onsmash.com, users are revolting, in a different way, by designing a new DNS system that bypasses usual ICANN route.
The laughing matter of the project, DOT P2P, initiated by a group of enthusiasts is that the backbone of the system will be bittorrent based. And the the new domain extension will be .p2p.

“By creating a .p2p TLD that is totally decentralized and that does not rely on ICANN or any ISP’s DNS service, and by having this application mimic force-encrypted BitTorrent traffic, there will be a way to start combating DNS level based censoring like the new US proposals as well as those systems in use in countries around the world including China and Iran amongst others.”
perhaps everyone will get a p2p domain now in case the sites get closed down for right or wrong reasons. But that depends on how you look at copyrights and government control.
You can read more about the p2p TLD at torrentfreak and at the Dot-P2P project itself.

Monday, November 29, 2010

InfiniBand Marriage, Mellanox Will Acquire Voltaire for $218 Million

Cyber Monday comes in different forms to different people. But the share holders of Voltaire Ltd got a real nice present, in to the tune of cash price of $8.75 per share.Mellanox Technologies has entered a definite agreement to acquire Voltaire Ltd. for a cash value of $8.75 per share, equivalent to approximately $218 million. Providing there are no regulatory problems, the deal will close in the first quarter of 2011.
Press release by Mellanox;
SUNNYVALE, Calif., and YOKNEAM, Israel, Nov. 29 -- Mellanox Technologies, Ltd., a leading supplier of end-to-end connectivity solutions for servers and storage systems, and Voltaire Ltd., a leading provider of scale-out datacenter fabrics, announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Mellanox will acquire 100 percent of Voltaire's outstanding ordinary shares for cash at a price of $8.75 per share, or a total equity value of approximately $218 million ($176 million net of cash).
The terms of the transaction have been unanimously approved by both the Mellanox and Voltaire Boards of Directors. The transaction is currently projected to close in the first quarter of 2011, subject to certain closing conditions. The combination of the two companies will strengthen Mellanox's position as a premier, end-to-end connectivity solutions provider for the growing worldwide datacenter server and storage markets. According to Gartner*, worldwide server shipments are expected to increase from approximately 9 million in 2010 to 11.2 million in 2014, and worldwide storage systems are expected to grow from approximately 1.8 million in 2010 to 3.2 million in 2014.
The combined businesses currently have approximately 700 employees and achieved revenues of $217 million for the twelve months ended Sept. 30, 2010.
Mellanox currently anticipates that the transaction will be accretive to its fiscal 2011 non-GAAP earnings by $0.02 - $0.05 or more per share. With highly complementary products, markets, customers and strategies, Mellanox expects the proposed acquisition of Voltaire to enhance its market position as a leading provider of end-to-end connectivity solutions for servers and storage systems. The combination will also help Mellanox achieve meaningful revenue and cost synergies over time, with estimated, annualized cost synergies of at least $10 million by the end of 2012.
Mellanox's Board of Directors has indicated its intention to nominate Ronnie Kenneth, the chairman and CEO of Voltaire, to join its Board of Directors at Mellanox's Annual General Meeting of shareholders, which it currently anticipates will be held in May 2011. Mr. Kenneth has indicated his intention to join the Board of Directors of Mellanox.
Mellanox and Voltaire believe that employees represent one of their most important assets, and Mellanox looks forward to combining employees from both organizations under one unified management team. Mellanox expects to run the combined business from both companies' current offices located in Israel, the United States and around the world. Further, Mellanox intends to retain both companies' existing product lines and will converge such lines in future product generations to ensure continuity for customers and partners of both companies. Through this acquisition, Mellanox expects to achieve additional scale to permit it to operate as a larger, more successful and more profitable enterprise, thus increasing value for the combined company's shareholders and customers.
"The combination of Mellanox and Voltaire will create a leading provider of connectivity solutions for our customers by leveraging the complementary strengths of our companies. Together, we believe the combined company will be a stronger business partner and system solutions provider, delivering customers a comprehensive range of end-to-end connectivity solutions," said Eyal Waldman, president, chairman and CEO of Mellanox Technologies. "We welcome the great talent from Voltaire and look forward to completing the integration of our employees to create a superior combined company."
"We believe this is a great transaction for our customers, employees and shareholders," said Ronnie Kenneth, chairman and CEO of Voltaire. "We expect the combined company to offer our customers the financial strength of Mellanox, industry-leading solutions and world-class development teams that drive innovation and enhance market opportunities."
Mellanox believes that the Voltaire acquisition will strengthen its leadership position in providing end-to-end connectivity systems and will expand its software and product offerings in the growing worldwide datacenter server and storage markets it serves.
Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Voltaire shareholders will receive $8.75 for each ordinary share of Voltaire that they hold at the closing of the transaction. The proposed acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the approval of Voltaire's shareholders.
In connection with the transaction, J.P. Morgan acted as exclusive financial adviser to Mellanox, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as exclusive financial adviser to Voltaire.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Piratebay Lose Appeal, Get Reduced Sentences And Increased Fines.

The Swedish appeals court found the founders of piratebay guilty and upheld the 2009 ruling against them that found them sentenced to a year in jail and heavily fined. The new ruling reduces the jailterms but increases the fines.

Fredrik Neij (born April 27, 1978) alias ‘TiAMO’:
Guilty of contributory copyright infringement
10 months in prison
A share of the $6.5 million in damages

Peter Sunde (born September 13, 1978) alias ‘brokep
Guilty of contributory copyright infringement
8 months in prison
A share of the $6.5 million in damage

Carl Lundström (born April 13, 1960)
Guilty of contributory copyright infringement
4 months in prison
A share of the $6.5 million in damages
"It is now time for The Pirate Bay, whose operators have twice been convicted in court, to close. We now look to governments and ISPs to take note of this judgment, do the responsible thing and take the necessary steps to get The Pirate Bay shut down." said the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry.
I wonder how many other piratebays will pop up? Or something like piratebay in North Korea!
Read more at torrentfreak

Monday, September 13, 2010

Godaddy.com Goes on the auction block

I have a quite a few domain names registered at Gogaddy.com and I was surprised to read the WSJ article indicating Godaddy, the Big Daddy Bob Parsons, is looking to sell the company.
With posted revenue between $750 million and $800 million in 2009 from 43 million domain names registered and various other services like e-commerce and web hosting, there should be plenty of people to bid. It is speculated the bids could reach as much as 1 Billion dollers.


Wednesday, August 11, 2010

BSDCan Through A Googlers Eyes

BSDCan through the years - Google Open Source Blog

I learned my UNIX abilities on a BSD box as a youngone, a very young one. Berkeley Software's release was running on my fathers, I guess, 286 PC.
Ever since then, like the Googler, Kirk Russell, Site Reliability TeamI too have had a BSD machine at home. I too have attended BSDCan, a few times. But I did not go this year.
Kirk takes you through the years of conferences and meetings with a lot of information. Read his post to refresh your BSD memory or to learn a lot about BSD, if you do not know what it is.

Monday, July 19, 2010

OpenStack. RackSpace OpenSources The Cloud Code

While Oracle leaves us in limbo about SUN purchase and the open source' direction, Two big players, NASA and RackSpace has come forward to make the cloud, open.
OpenStack. An Open Source Cloud Initiative By RackSpace And NASA. | VOIP IP Telephony

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Fly With Google! Google Purchases ITA For $700 Million



Google just announced about its purchase of ITA, a Cambridge, Massachusetts based Flight information provider for to airlines, travel agencies, and online reservation systems. Basically, it is the center of flight data.
A consortium of rivals including Microsoft, Kayak, Expedia, and Travelport; has tried to stop Google from getting it's hands on ITA by trying to beat Googles offer, last spring. But Google’s $700 million was bigger than theirs, I guess. Microsoft, Kayak, Expedia, and Travelport rely on ITA for their flight data needs.

"ITA's very talented team has created an impressive product to organize flight information," said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google. "Their technology opens exciting possibilities for us to create new ways for users to more easily find flight information online, and we're looking forward to welcoming them to Google."

"It is a privilege to work with a most skilled and dedicated team to build innovative technologies that people use every day," said Jeremy Wertheimer, CEO & President, ITA Software, Inc. "We are all looking forward to continuing and expanding our efforts as part of Google."

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Javazone, Brilliance Made Into A Movie, Java Rocks!!

Javazone,Brilliance Made Into A Video, Java Rocks!!
Only thing missing was Steve Ballmer dude breaking chairs. :)

Javazone

Blogger Mobile : Mobile Blogging On Blogger With Ease!

You can blog on blogger from anywhere in the world, where there is a telephone signal. From you mobile or smartphone, just send a message to go@blogger.com (After setting up of course) and you will be publishing in no time.

Here's how to start a mobile blog:

  1. Text REGISTER to BLOGGR to create your mobile blog. The text and/or photo in your message will be uploaded to that blog right away. We'll message you back with the address, (so you can visit your new blog on the web) and a token (so you can claim your blog and access it from your account).
  2. OPTIONAL - If you feel like changing anything on your new mobile blog or if you already have a Blogger account and want the posts to go to your existing blog, you can log in to go.blogger.com and enter the token we sent to your phone. You'll then have the option to claim your new mobile blog and merge it with your existing blog. Note to users whose blog address does not contain blogspot.com: Once you make the aforementioned switch, new mobile posts will be published to your chosen blog but mobile posts published prior to the switch will not be moved over automatically.
Requirements
Text messaging capable mobile device with a text messaging plan. This service is free from Google but charges from your carrier for usage may apply.

Friday, June 25, 2010

ICANN Approves Sex Domain : XXX

The board of net overseer Icann has given initial approval for the creation of the .xxx domain at its conference in Brussels.
Backers of the porn domain, including ICM registry, wich campaigned for it were elated and the prospect of getting a tripple X, or dot XXX domain.

"great news for those that wish to consume, or avoid, adult content" said Stuart Lawley, chairman of ICM.
ICANN assumed that it errored when it initially denied the request for the domain extension. ICM has said it expected the first .xxx domains to go live in early 2011. It said it had more than 110,000 pre-reservations for .xxx domains.
BBC

Monday, June 21, 2010

Soluto, No Frustration Software,

Soluto, Anti frustration software

Soluto - Anti Frustration Software from Soluto on Vimeo.
Thankfully I have been able to keep my PCs clean and my Macs even cleaner. With most of my CPU power devoted to certain utilities, I have been able to keep my PCs worm free, virus free and mostly trouble free. But it is not easy for regular user. I get called in by family and friends when their computer begin to act like someone walking on molasses. Yes I do not mind helping, but instead of manually walking through the troubles and cleaning them one at a time, a all in one tool will be nice.
Then I found Solutos solution. Yes you should try it. It is free and does what it says it does, solve problems and reduce frustrations. They attack the problems in two fronts, technically and socially. The patent pending software with low level detection capabilities will solve your problems and share the knowledge with others through PC-Genome.

Soluto's PC Genome is a knowledgebase of PC frustration data built automatically through the usage of Soluto software. Its objective and statistical information, gathered and analyzed by Soluto, is also editable by the community.
Visit Soluto and reduce your frustrations.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Canon Europe announces new advertising campaign for EOS 550D and PowerShot SX210 IS with Videos shot on Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon is promoting the new comers, EOS 550D and PowerShot SX210 IS which are a part of "take stories" line up. The advertisements will run through out Europe. Just like the TV campaign for Canon 7D, this series were also shot entirely on Canon Digital Cameras, 5D Mark II, mixed with stills and films taken on the EOS 550D and PowerShot SX210 IS.
The EOS 5D Mark II which sports full frame sensor and full 1080p HD movie capabilities helped to capture the electric atmosphere and encompass the capabilities of EOS 550D and PowerShot SX210 IS.

“Any image can show a place, a person or an event but a great picture or video tells a story. With Canon’s photo heritage and passion for images we set ourselves apart. Our campaign based on unique stories during the carnival aims to inspire, educate and enable anyone to take more than pictures; we want them to take stories.” Commented Nigel Taylor, CIG Marketing Communications Director at Canon Europe.


To view the Ads, visit the Take Stories campaign: www.canon-europe.com/takestories.
Canon Press release

Mac Mini (Unibody) Unboxed!

Engadget has unboxed the new Mac Mini Unibody and yes it looks it belong in the living room, The power brick is gone, and you don't need putty knives to change memory! Those two factors make it appealing but the Lenovo mini attach to the back of the TV easily. But I guess, Apple was always for show offs.
Looks good.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Newzbin Liable For Copyright Infringment, Finds UK Judge.

The London High Court court case between Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, Columbia Pictures against Newzbin Ltd has ended with judge finding Newzbin liable for the copyright infringement. Newzbin will be required to filter out illegal copies of movies from its NZB index.
Torrentfreak says that

Justice Kitchin found that:
i) Newzbin operates a site “designed and intended to make infringing copies of films readily available to its premium members”.
ii) The site is structured to promote infringement by guiding members to infringing copies via NZBs.
iii) Use of the NZB feature “inevitably” results in the creation of an infringing copy.
iv) Newzbin encouraged and induced its editors to make reports of movies protected by copyright and assisted users to infringe by providing advice.
v) Newzbin profited from infringement.
Well I guess $1 million operation will come to an end, spring the site again somewhere else and when the movie houses get there and another $1 million later, hop to another countery.
Torrentfreak

Friday, March 26, 2010

Give a jump to your blog with "Blogger Template Designer"

If you are a blogger user, there is new comer to "Blogger in draft" that will let you do wonders with your blogger template with fantastic, Blogger Template Designer. This is certain to excite you like it did me. Watch the video and follow the link.
Simply put, you will get;

15 new, highly-customizable templates from our design team, split into four families: Simple, Picture Window, Awesome Inc, and Watermark
One-, two-, and three-column layouts for each template, with complete control over the size and arrangement of the columns
Hundreds of background images and patterns from iStockphoto, the leading microstock image marketplace

Blogger in Draft: The Blogger Template Designer