Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders.
An RFID tag is an object that can be applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radiowaves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.
A basic RFID system consists of three components:
An antenna or coil
A transceiver (with decoder)
A transponder (RF tag) electronically programmed with unique information
The antenna emits radio signals to activate the tag and to read and write data to it. Antennas are the conduits between the tag and the transceiver, which controls the system's data acquisition and communication. Antennas are available in a variety of shapes and sizes; they can be built into a door frame to receive tag data from persons or things passing through the door, or mounted on an interstate toll booth to monitor traffic passing by on a freeway.
Human implants
Implantable RFID chips designed for animal tagging are now being used in humans. An early experiment with RFID implants was conducted by British professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick, who implanted a chip in his arm in 1998. Night clubs in Barcelona, Spain and in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, use an implantable chip to identify their VIP customers, who in turn use it to pay for drinks.
In 2004, the Mexican Attorney General's office implanted 18 of its staff members with the Verichip to control access to a secure data room. (This number has been variously mis-reported as 160 or 180 staff members.
Security experts are warned against using RFID for authenticating people due to the risk of identity theft. For instance a man-in-the-middle attack would make it possible for an attacker to steal the identity of a person in real-time. Due to the resource-constraints of RFIDs it is virtually impossible to protect against such attack models as this would require complex distance-binding protocols
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
Is there life on Mars?
A photo taken by NASA’s Spirit Rover showed four years back shows a woman-like figure descending a shallow slope. NASA didn’t make a fuss then, but now it has created a furore, and the images were only shown on Chinese websites.
The point is if human faces can be seen in the clouds then that doesn’t mean that they are really there.
HG Wells had people running for their lives after airing War of the Worlds on the radio. And in 1976, a human face's photo from NASA's Viking orbiter had people swearing they had finally found ET.
NASA however, dismissed it as a trick of nature and lighting. Much more believable are the frozen carbon dioxide clouds on Mars.
Found recently, their unusual shape suggests Mars still has cyclical air currents like those on Earth.
Mars could have had flowing water once as rovers have found surface chemicals and what looks like a dry seabed that usually need water to form.
To see Mars for yourself you have to go to Google Mars. Just like Google Earth, it gives you high quality satellite images that you can zoom into for free.
Like Mars, other distant planets that could harbour life have been found. Not just scientists, but millions like you and me use our PCs to hunt for ET through the SETI project.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Microsoft Milan Surface Computer Playtable: computing table
With all new computers and phones the designers are talking computer interaction and touch (just look at the iPhone), this is the first product from Microsoft’s Surface Computing group (a tabletop computer code-named Milan).
Microsoft Milan Surface Computer Playtable Features:
- Wi-Fi enabled (put a WiFi digital camera on the table top and the machine downloads the photos automatically)
- Interact with photos much like actual physical photos (pass them around the table)
- Music application turns the table into a virtual jukebox
- Concierge application that helps you pull together an itinerary for a day out in a strange city
- First generation Microsoft Surface Computer aimed at retail and in bars and hotels
- Browse the Web
- Imagine controlling a Media Center PC like this
- Interactive slideshows
- …and so much more
World’s Cheapest Car - Tata Nano !!
Tata Motors from India has launched the world’s cheapest car in the Asia’s biggest Autoexpo in Delhi city named TATA NANO..
Some of the salient features of the car are :
- 634 cc Engine
- 4 Gears
- 5 seat capacity
- Engine on backside and luggage space in front.
- 3 color variants now. 1 classic model and 2 deluxe models
- Cost around 2500$ - thats 1 lakh Indian rupees
- Upto 70 kmph speed
- Around 20km/liter mileage.
- Cool, sexy interior and exterior
- Petrol model. Diesel model will be coming to.
Artificial Cornea Gives Hope To The Blind
Major advancements in technology like this one are what makes the future worth looking forward to. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have invented an artificial cornea that may well be the key to restoring sight for our people with damaged corneas.
“Our artificial corneas are based on a commercially available polymer which absorbs no water and allows no cells to grow on it,” says IAP project manager Dr. Joachim Storsberg. “Once our partner Dr. Schmidt Intraokularlinsen GmbH has suitably shaped the polymers, we selectively coat the implants: We lay masks on them and apply a special protein to the edge of the cornea, which the cells of the natural cornea can latch onto. In this way, the cornea implant can firmly connect with the natural part of the cornea, while the center remains free of cells and therefore clear.” What is special about this protein is that it can survive the later thermal sterilization of the artificial cornea without being damaged, as it does not have the three-dimensional structure typical of large proteins. Such a structure would be destroyed during the sterilization process, leading to changes in the material’s properties. The optical front part of the implant is coated with a hydrophilic polymer, so that it is constantly moistened with tear fluid.
Researchers in Dr. Karin Kobuch’s working group at Regensburg University Hospital have already tested these corneas in the laboratory and found that their cells graft very well at the edge and cease growing where the coating stops. The optical center of the implant thus remains clear. The first implants have already been tested in rabbits’ eyes - with promising results. If further tests are successful, the technology will be tried on humans in 2008.”
How Computer Viruses Work
Viruses show us how vulnerable we are -- a properly engineered virus can have a devastating effect, disrupting productivity and doing billions of dollars in damages. On the other hand, they show us how sophisticated and interconnected human beings have become.
For example, experts estimate that the Mydoom worm infected approximately a quarter-million computers in a single day in January 2004. Back in March 1999, the Melissa virus was so powerful that it forced Microsoft and a number of other very large companies to completely turn off their e-mail systems until the virus could be contained. The ILOVEYOU virus in 2000 had a similarly devastating effect. In January 2007, a worm called Storm appeared -- by October, experts believed up to 50 million computers were infected.
When you listen to the news, you hear about many different forms of electronic infection. The most common are:
Viruses - A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has the chance to reproduce (by attaching to other programs) or wreak havoc.
E-mail viruses - An e-mail virus travels as an attachment to e-mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim's e-mail address book. Some e-mail viruses don't even require a double-click -- they launch when you view the infected message in the preview pane of your e-mail software [source: Johnson].
Trojan horses - A Trojan horse is simply a computer program. The program claims to do one thing (it may claim to be a game) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your hard disk). Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically.
Worms - A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, as well.
Blu-ray Discs
In 1997, a new technology emerged that brought digital sound and video into homes all over the world. It was called DVD, and it revolutionized the movie industry.
The industry is set for yet another revolution with the introduction of Blu-ray Discs (BD) in 2006. With their high storage capacity, Blu-ray discs can hold and play back large quantities of high-definition video and audio, as well as photos, data and other digital content.
A current, single-sided, standard DVD can hold 4.7 GB (gigabytes) of information. That's about the size of an average two-hour, standard-definition movie with a few extra features. But a high-definition movie, which has a much clearer image (see How Digital Television Works), takes up about five times more bandwidth and therefore requires a disc with about five times more storage. As TV sets and movie studios make the move to high definition, consumers are going to need playback systems with a lot more storage capacity.
How Blu-ray Reads DataOn Guard
Blu-ray discs are better armed than current DVDs. They come equipped with a secure encryption system -- a unique ID that protects against video piracy and copyright infringement.
The Blu-ray disc overcomes DVD-reading issues by placing the data on top of a 1.1-mm-thick polycarbonate layer. Having the data on top prevents birefringence and therefore prevents readability problems. And, with the recording layer sitting closer to the objective lens of the reading mechanism, the problem of disc tilt is virtually eliminated. Because the data is closer to the surface, a hard coating is placed on the outside of the disc to protect it from scratches and fingerprints.
Blu-ray also has a higher data transfer rate -- 36 Mbps (megabits per second) -- than today's DVDs, which transfer at 10 Mbps. A Blu-ray disc can record 25 GB of material in just over an hour and a half.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sarah Lockwood Winchester (ghost house)
Early life:
She was born in Connecticut as Sarah Lockwood Pardee, a daughter of Leonard Pardee and his wife Sarah W. Burns. [1] On September 30, 1862 in New Haven, Connecticut, Sarah married William Wirt Winchester, the only son of Oliver Winchester, the owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
The couple had one daughter, Annie Pardee Winchester, who was born on July 12, 1866, but died after a few weeks. Sarah fell into a deep depression following the death of her daughter, and the couple had no more children. Oliver Winchester died in 1880, quickly followed in March 1881 by William, who died of tuberculosis, giving Sarah approximately 50 percent ownership in the Winchester company and an income of $1,000 a day.
Origin of the Winchester House:
The grieving Sarah felt that her family was cursed, and sought out spiritualists to determine what she should do. A medium allegedly told her that the Winchester family was cursed by the spirits of all the people who had been killed by the Winchester rifle, and she should move west to build a house for herself and the spirits. The medium also is claimed to have told Sarah that should construction ever stop on the house, she would die.In 1884, Sarah moved to California and purchased an eight-room farmhouse under construction from Dr. Robert Caldwell. It stood on 162 acres (0.7 km²) of land in what is now San Jose. Immediately, she began spending her $20 million inheritance by renovating and adding more rooms to the house, with work continuing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for the next 38 years. She was fascinated with the number 13 and worked the number into the house in many places. (There are thirteen bathrooms, windows have thirteen panes, and so forth.)
After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, Sarah was trapped in her bedroom for a short time, no more than a few hours. However, when she got out, she told the construction crews to stop working on the almost-finished front part of the house and left most of the extensive earthquake damage unrepaired; she thought the spirits were angry with her because the front rooms were near completion. Work continued on new additions and remodeling the other parts of the structure.
Due to the lack of a master plan and constant construction, the house became very large (160 rooms) and quite complex; many of the serving staff needed a map to navigate the house. The house also features doors that open into walls, staircases that lead nowhere and windows that look into other walls.
Sarah's death:
Construction stopped on the Winchester Mystery House when Sarah died on September 5, 1922 at the age of 83. She was buried next to her husband and infant child in Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut.
Sarah Winchester left a will written in 13 sections, which she signed thirteen times. The belongings in Winchester Mystery House were left to her niece, Mrs. Marian Merriman Marriot (M is the 13th letter of the alphabet) who immediately auctioned them off. It took days just to load all of the belongings into trucks. The home was auctioned off and in the early 1970s, the owners turned the home into a museum and asked for a fee to explore the labyrinth home.
Essential softwares for windows
If you are using Windows XP on your system, you need some extra tools to keep it running in optimum speed and good condition. After installation of XP, you also need to install some must have programs to see that your PC is up-to-date. So here goes the big list of all must-have programs.
Antivirus Software:
Antivirus program is essential for your PC. There are thousands of virus in the computer world. These transmit from one PC to other in many ways. Internet is the major transmitter. Downloads from internet and even improper browsing habits is suspectible to virus infection. Removable media’s like Pen drive, CD, Floppy can also transmitt virus. So your PC needs a antivirus program which will be scanning each and every file that gets into your PC. In other words, you need a antivirus software which has On-access scanner.
But since it is essential, you need to choose an effective antivirus program which also uses mimimal system resources.(read the TOP8 antivirus post)
Spybot- Search & Destroy
Spybot S&D detects and removes spyware. It doesn’t have On-Access scanner. Hence there will be no problem installing it with Windows Defender. It supports Windows 95, 98, ME. NT, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, PE, Mobile, Linux and Unix.
Download
After installation, you need to manually update the definitions.
VLC Player
This is a highly portable media player which plays almost all video and audio formats. It can also be used as a server in unicast or in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. It supports Windows, Linux and Mac platforms. Hence it is named as VLC LAN Player.
Download
K-lite Codec Pack
Many times you might have come across instances when your media player refuses to play certain video and audio files due to lack of codec. Codecs are needed for Media players to play video and audio files. Due to copyright issues, not all media players come bundled with all codecs. Hence there is a requirement of a all-in-one package which will get rid of codec problems. K-lite is one such codec pack which is absolutely free and highly rated on internet.
Download
Ccleaner
Windows leaves behind loads of unwanted files upon time. Installation and uninstallation of programs also leaves behind unwanted registry entries which will slow down the system considerably. So one needs to have a crap cleaner and registry cleaner installed.It removes junk unwanted and temporary files and also invalid registry entries. Run Ccleaner atleast one in a week to keep your system clean.
Download
Revo Uninstaller
Revo Uninstaller is a freeware innovative uninstall utility much faster than Windows Add/Remove applet. After the program's regular uninstaller runs, you can remove additional unnecessary files, folders and registry keys that are usually left over on your computer. Even if you have a broken installation, Revo Uninstaller scans for an application's data on your hard disk drives and in the Windows registry and shows all found files, folders and registry items so you can delete them.
Download
Java
Now-a-days, many websites use java plug-in for playing games, adding interactive content etc. These applications are written in the Java programming language and are termed as “applets”. One should have this installed to experience the internet world.
Download
Adobe Flash Player
Many websites and programs add flash content to make it interactive and eye catching. Hence you should have this installed to see that you don’t miss out something. Certain program installations itself uses flash player.
Download
Winrar
This is a file compression utility alternative to Winzip. Winrar can open Winzip files too. But Winrar compressed files can’t be opened by Winzip. Now-a-days, people exchange data using Winrar. Many internet downloads are winrar based. Hence it makes sense to have it.
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did u know..?
Strange Will
Madam A. Clara Gunjman made a strange will. she declard that whoever visited mars first would inherit all her wealth. none has succeeded so far and the money still lies wit hthe french government.
Spiders
Wolf spiders inhabit the deserts and have a special ability or an extra sensory modality. They can produce (and perceive) Seismic Vibrations by tapping their feet on the sand which produces a typical Drumming sound. They communicate through these vibrations and also try to attract the attention of their potential mates.
Post It
In 1970, Spencer Silver was working at the 3M research labs trying to develop a strong adhesive. What he actually came up with, was weaker than what had already been developed. It stuck, but then it easily unstuck.
That seemed like a pretty useless invention, until 4 years later when a colleague was singing in the church choir. He used markers to keep place in the hymn book but they kept falling out. So he coated them with Spencer's glue. They stayed in place but came off easily without damaging the pages. And hence, the 'Post-it note" was born.
Newtons Disc
A Newton disc is a disc with segments in rainbow colours. When you rotate the disc, the colours fade to white; In this way Isaac Newton demonstrated that white light is a combination of different colours.
Fat Man & Little Boy
Little Boy was the codename of the atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945 by the 12-man crew of the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb ever used as a weapon and was dropped three days before the "Fat Man" bomb was used against Nagasaki.
"Fat Man" is the codename of the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare. The name also refers more generically to the early nuclear weapon designs of U.S. weapons based on the "Fat Man" model. It was an implosion-type weapon with a plutonium core.
Black Hole
A black hole is an object with a gravitational field so powerful that no form of matter or radiation (including light) can escape once it is less than a certain distance from the center. As not even light can escape, black holes appear black (resulting in the name for these objects)
INFO ON BEGGING
Begging is a crime in India, though no one knows of this and never seen it being forced
Shocking effect
An electric shock can occur upon contact of a human or animal body with any source of voltage high enough to cause sufficient current flow through the muscles or nerves. The minimum current a human can feel is thought to be about 1 milliampere (mA). The current may cause tissue damage or heart fibrillation if it is sufficiently high. A fatal electric shock is referred to as electrocution.
When you get a shock, different kind of muscle reactions take place depending upon the intensity (amount of current flowing through body). Typical is first the muscle contract, effectively you pull off your hand from the conductor, and then it freezes.
Mail Bombs
A mailbomb (or mail bomb), also called parcel bomb, letter bomb or post bomb, is an explosive device sent via the postal service, and designed with the intention to injure or kill the recipient when opened.
Mail bombs are usually set to explode immediately on opening, with the intention of seriously injuring or killing the recipient. Parcel bombs may have excessive postage because a bomber usually does not want to mail a parcel over the counter, having to deal with a clerk, or because he doesn't want to take any risk the parcel will be returned to him for postage due. Letter bombs may feel rigid, or appear uneven or lopsided. Package bombs may have an irregular shape, soft spots, or bulges. Oil or grease stains are also indicated as warning signs.
The explosive action is achieved by the spontaneous reaction of some chemicals on coming contact with air.
Smiling Buddha
The Smiling Buddha was the first nuclear test explosion by India on May 18, 1974 at Pokhran. It was also the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the permanent five members of the Security Council.
Smiling Buddha was the code-name of the project because May 18, 1974 (the official test date) was Buddha Jayanti, a festival day in India marking the birth of Gautama Buddha.
The then-PM Indira Gandhi was not present at Pokhran so as to keep this operation confidential until the last minute. In her full cabinet, only her NSA and private secretary knew about it.
On May 18, 1974, when the blast occurred successfully, Dr Ramanna wanted to tell this news to the Prime Minister, who was miles away in Delhi. The hotline was not working, so he went to a nearby village and called her from an ordinary landline and said "Madam, Buddha has finally smiled."
Ringa Ringa Roses
The rhyme originated in Europe during the great plague attack in the 17th century....
and it meant
RINGA RINGA ROSES =Ring-shaped reddish rashes on the skin
POCKET FULL OF POSES/POISES (sweet smelling)= THey believed the disease spread thru bad smell...
HUSHA BUSHA= Constant sneezing was a symptom of Plague
WE ALL FALL DOWN= Sicne there wasnt an effective cure to the disease..they all died!
Message to Public.
Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago, in a movie theatre, a person felt
something poking from her seat.
When she got up to see what it was, she found a
needle sticking out of the seat with a note attached saying
"You have just been infected by
HIV".
The Disease Control Center (in Paris ) reports many similar
events in many other cities recently. All tested needles were HI V Positive.
The Center also reports that needles have been found
in cash dispensers at public banking machines. We ask everyone to use extreme caution when faced with
this kind of situation. All public chairs/seats should be inspected with vigilance and caution before use. A careful visual inspection should be enough. In addition, they ask that each of you pass this message along to all members of your family and your friends of the potential danger.
Recently, one doctor has narrated a somewhat similar
instance that hppened to one of his patients at the Priya Cinema in Delhi . A young girl, engaged and about to be married in a couple of months, was pricked while the movie
was going on. The tag with the needle had the message
"Welcome to the World of HIV family".
Though the doctors told her family that it takes about 6
months before the virus grows strong enough to start
damaging the system and a healthy victim could survive about 5-6 years, the girl died in 4 months, perhaps more because of the "Shock thought".
We all have to be careful at public places, rest God help! Just think about saving a life by forwarding this message. Please, take a few seconds of your time to pass along.
With Regards,
Arvind Khamitkar , I.A.S,
Director of Medical & Research Div, Chennai.
ICE read this very important.
W e all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.
If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) Campaign
The concept of "ICE" is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name "ICE" ( In Case Of Emergency).
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as "ICE."
For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!
Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile Phones today!!!
TOP 8 antivirus
In this article we will show eight best antiviruses on the Earth. In first place we have Kaspersky Antivirus, in the second - Symantec Norton AntiVirus, but in the third place is Bit Defender AntiVirus!
1.Kaspersky AntiVirus 7
- the wicked file detection 96%
- system load 10%
- user interface: very handy
- the wicked file detection 96%
- system load 10%
- user interface: very handy
- the wicked file detection 96%
- system load 12%
- user interface: very handy
- the wicked file detection 90%
- system load 5%
- user interface: handy
- the wicked file detection 90%
- system load 4%
- user interface: handy
- the wicked file detection 92%
- system load 4%
- user interface: good
- the wicked file detection 91%
- system load 2%
- user interface: good
- the wicked file detection 82%
- system load 9%
- user interface: good
how to instal XP
Windows xp installation for those who have not do it.
What do you need:
- Windows XP Professional/Home CD
- Computer with CD/DVD optical appliance
CCleaner 2.04.543
CCleaner (formerly Crap Cleaner) is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's fast!
Cleans the following:
Internet Explorer Cache, History, Cookies, Index.dat.
Recycle Bin, Temporary files and Log files.
Recently opened URLs and files.
Third-party application temp files and recent file lists (MRUs).
Including: Firefox, Opera, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, Office XP, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and more...
Advanced Registry scanner and cleaner to remove unused and old entries.
Including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more... Backup for registry clean.
Windows Startup tool.
download
Monday, January 21, 2008
vistamizer 2.2.1.0
Change the appearance of your Windows XP by giving it the Vista look!
VistaMizer modifies your system files, so that when you reboot after installing VistaMizer, you won't even remember how your old desktop looked like.
Here are some key features of "VistaMizer":
· Vista-Look for Windows XP, MCE or Server 2003
· Modification of the own system files
· multilingual
· completely free choice for the modification files
· check the files for compatibility during the installation
· backup from the original system files
· re-modification of the system files after Windows Updates
· rebuilding of the original system files with un-installation
screenshots
download
