R.I.P Internet Explorer!

 
Microsoft has finally announced that it will put Internet Explorer out to pasture when Windows 10 launches. All they need to do now is come up with a name for its replacement.
Let's be honest, there's not a huge amount wrong with Internet Explorer these days. And even if there is, Firefox and Chrome are just as bad in their own way. So while Microsoft's decision to kill off the name "Internet Explorer" is sad, it's also not that much of a surprise. After all, post-IE6 its name has more or less been mud.
Speaking at Microsoft's "Convergence" event Chris Capossela, CMO for Microsoft, suggested that the new version of IE, known as Project Spartan, would not entirely replace the old browser. Instead, Windows 10 would have both, with IE being used for fallback where compatibility was needed.
Meanwhile there's a suggestion that it will only be in certain versions of Windows 10 that IE will remain, but that will probably only apply to the Enterprise editions, where some business users might have "mission critical" apps that rely on IE to operate.

What's in a name?

Apparently testing has already been done on some names, but when Microsoft asked Chrome users what name they liked best, they usually opted for one that had "Microsoft" at the start.
So the new browser might be called Microsoft Spartan, or something similar. Clearly the Microsoft brand carries some weight behind it, and it's not all negative, which is good to know.
It's also worth remembering that the move away from IE might have some benefits for Microsoft's cross-device strategy. For one thing, the new browser might work on Windows Phone, Windows 10 and Xbox One. This move to one set of code is something everyone should be very excited about, not just for the new browser but for apps in general.

is it really possible to become a Internet Provider? Yes, you can.

Becoming an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not an easy task. The biggest obstacle to becoming an ISP is the large amount of capital required for the equipment and building needed. Network bandwidth, cooling and power are all resources that have to be planned.

1. Find a suitable building to house the ISP's data center. Ideally, the building should have raised floors to route cables.
2. Purchase and install UPS units, a diesel power generator and HVAC units. The UPS and diesel power generators are needed when city power is interrupted by a power outage. The HVAC units are needed to keep the data center cool, because the equipment running the ISPs generates heat which can damage equipment.
3. Enter into a peering arrangement with one or two upstream Internet providers. Your ISP has to have its own connection(s) to the Internet via peering arrangements. 
   
    
   4. Ideally, you should go with at least two upstream providers. Most ISP's use more than 5 to ensure speed, connectivity and reliability.
   5.Buy high-speed fiber optic lines from the local telecommunications utility to connect to the upstream Internet provider(s).
   
   
   
   6. Purchase, install and configure enterprise-grade routers, switches and computers. Do not go the cheap route on the equipment or the customers will complain early and often about your ISP's slow performance. All this equipment forms the backbone of the ISP's network.
   7.If the ISP is selling Internet DSL connectivity to consumers, set up a customer installation process whereby customer orders for service are routed to the local telecommunications utility for connection over the telephone system.
   8.If the ISP is selling web-hosting services, configure the computers to run as a virtual private server (VPS) so that customers can host their own websites in their own virtual instance at the data center.  
    
   Courtesy: http:wikihow.com 

Is Outernet is the future of Internet?

For 60 percent of the world's population, regular internet access is about as common as flying cars. Nearly 5 billion people today lack basic internet access either because they live in remote, rural areas or due to restrictive censorship on the part of the local government.

But where the internet has failed, the Outernet hopes to succeed. It's working to get a new breed of satellite-based communication off the ground, promising to give even the most remote corners of the globe access to the whole of humanity's collective knowledge.

The Outernet is the brainchild of the same-named New York-based tech company, a free content distribution system that would provide basic web access broadcast via a series of geostationary and LEO satellites, as well as cube sats using a combination of datacasting and User Datagram Protocols.

Datacasting is exactly what it sounds like: the wide area broadcast of data using radio waves rather than physical mediums (like cable, telephone, or powerlines). User Datagram Protocols, or UDP, is very similar to conventional over-the-air radio or television broadcasts in that it's uni-directional. The data is beamed from its source to any device within range and there's no guarantee that it will be received, just like radio stations broadcast their signals without regard to which or how many radios are currently in range to catch it.

UDP is one of the most basic forms of Internet protocol. Invented back in 1980, it's a connectionless transmission model—in that it doesn't require someone to be on the other end of the line when the data is sent.

Radio for the digital age

In essence, the Outernet is a modern analog to conventional radio broadcasts. The signal originates from a single, central location—originally a radio station's broadcast tower, but, in this case, the Outernet HQ in NYC—and travels across a variety of wavelengths until it hits a suitable receiver—previously a pair of rabbit ears, now a 20-inch satellite dish—where the end user can flip between "stations" by modulating the received frequency.

But rather than rely on terrestrial radio stations, the Outernet bounces its signal up to a series of satellites then back down to a suitable receiver. This receiver doubles as a Wi-Fi hotspot then connects to a computer or mobile device and transfers the received data as a digital file. And since there is no two-way communication—just like you can't talk to your radio and expect a reply—the system requires much lower bandwidth and, therefore, much less money to operate.

"When you talk about the internet, you talk about two main functions: communication and information access," The company's co-founder, Syed Karim, told the BBC. "It's the communication part that makes it so expensive."

Humanity's public library

On the information side, the company has begun forming what it calls a "core archive" of knowledge based on information gleaned from 5,000 Wikipedia entries, Project Gutenberg, and a smattering of copyright-free e-books. The early plan—which definitely has some kinks to work out—is to crowdsource what content is broadcast and make decisions based on user requests and upvotes.

What's more, since the system in uni-directional, it's far more difficult to censor—just as shortwave radios served as vital information lifelines for those stuck behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Initially funded by a news media investment company, Outernet's mission is to provide free, anonymous, educational information, available to regions facing government censorship or otherwise off the grid.

In August this year, the startup started beaming this data across 200MB of leased geostationary satellite bandwidth, which reaches throughout North America and most of Western Europe, with plans to expand to the rest of the globe by July, 2015. Should the company's IndieGoGo fundraising efforts work out, it could boost the daily broadcast limit to 100GB in the near future.

A single receiver in a central African village, according to Karim's recent Ted Talk, could provide reams of valuable information to as many as 300 local residents—everything from agricultural texts to health, and human services. "If you were in the vicinity of a hotspot receiving the data from the satellite, you would be able to connect with Outernet on your phone and see Librarian—our index software—as if it was just an offline website," he said. "There you would find the data, stored in files."

In addition to disseminating evergreen information, the Outernet could very well also be used for emergency alert broadcasts which would be updated multiple times an hour instead of the average rate of once every week or so.

The plan is n0t quite perfect, however, as Mark Newman from the technology research firm Ovum, pointed out to the BBC:

When you start to think about the needs of rural communities in developing markets, what they are going to be most interested in are things that impact their daily lives - subsistence, crops, weather and healthcare. I question whether by sourcing content centrally and distributing it locally, you will meet those local needs - both in terms of content and language. Literacy is also going to be an issue. Delivery by audio rather than text would be something to look at, but that would use up more data.

An ambitious project

Still, some internet is way better than no internet. And with estimates placing global internet reach on par with what Outernet can provide still 15 to 20 years away, the Outernet could provide a valuable stop-gap service until conventional 'net access becomes viable.

To that end, Outernet has partnered with the World Bank in South Sudan to perform a test run of the service next July. Should it prove successful, the company hopes to increase its coverage area and begin offering the self-contained receivers, called "lanterns," from its Indiegogo campaign around that time.

And even if the Outernet itself fails to take off, it is far from the only free access system currently in development. Two of the biggest names in tech have already thrown their weight behind similar strategies. Google's Project Loon would see fleets of high altitude balloons bouncing 3G signals from the stratosphere back down to the Earth's most remote regions. Facebook's Internet.org, on the other hand, envisions swarms of drones and LEO satellites performing the same function. Even Space X is rumored to be building a satellite fleet to bring internet to the far-flung corners of the globe.

So, regardless of who actually comes up with the winning design, the internet is bound to become a truly global phenomenon—including the third world. [LA Times - Indigogo - Wiki - BBC]

Courtesy: http://gizmodo.com

New technique for generating electricity

Research scientists at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have demonstrated a new technique for generating electrical energy. The new method can be used in harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations of the environment and converting it into electricity. Energy harvesters are needed, for example, in wireless self-powered sensors and medical implants, where they could ultimately replace batteries. In the future, energy harvesters can open up new opportunities in many application areas such as wearable electronics.

Research scientists at VTT have successfully generated energy by utilizing the charging phenomenon that occurs naturally between two bodies with different work functions. Work function is the amount of energy needed to remove an electron from a solid and it determines, for example, the well-known photoelectric effect. When two conducting bodies with different work functions are connected to each other electrically, they accumulate opposite charges. Moving of these bodies with respect to each other generates energy because of the attractive electrostatic force between the opposite charges. In VTT's experiment the energy generated by this motion was converted into useful electrical power by connecting the bodies to an external circuit. This new energy conversion technique also works with semiconductors.
In many sensor applications and medical implants such as pacemakers, electricity is typically provided by batteries. Research into small energy harvesters that turn mechanical vibration into electricity has focused on piezoelectric and electrostatic devices. Unlike these devices VTT's technique does not require an integrated battery, electrets or piezo materials.
VTT estimates that the new electricity generation technology could be introduced on an industrial scale within three to six years. Energy harvesters and new sensing solutions are among the projected megatrends of the near future. Energy harvesters can replace batteries and other energy sources in applications where maintenance is difficult or impossible.
The findings of the study were published in the Scientific Reports online journal.

Energy-generating cloth could replace batteries in wearable devices

From light-up shoes to smart watches, wearable electronics are gaining traction among consumers, but these gadgets' versatility is still held back by the stiff, short-lived batteries that are required. These limitations, however, could soon be overcome. In the journal ACS Nano, scientists report the first durable, flexible cloth that harnesses human motion to generate energy. It can also self-charge batteries or supercapacitors without an external power source and make new commercial and medical applications possible.

Is India a perfect test bed for piloting Big Data projects?

While many Big Data projects are being piloted across the world, India with its vast population (volume), variety (multi-lingual and diverse culture) and velocity (the pace of data being added on a daily basis), appears to be perfectly positioned for piloting Big Data projects.
One of the first Big Data projects of massive complexity is India’s UID or Aadhar, as it is commonly known. Everything about Aadhar, which aims to provide a unique identity to 1.2 billion residents, is ambitious. Aadhar’s scope is to capture 12 billion fingerprints, 1.2 billion photographs, and 2.4 billion iris scans. Aadhar enrolment module processes about 1 million enrollment every day. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has already issued 56 crore Aadhaar numbers, with an average generation of about 13-14 lakh Aadhaar numbers every day.
Aadhar exhibits all the values that are characteristic of Big Data. The size of the data is huge and it is estimated that this database will be 10 times larger than the largest existing biometric database, which is created by FBI from the U.S. Once the system is fully developed, it can become the foundation or the platform to check an individual’s identity across multiple services such as free education, public distribution systems and pension schemes.
The Big Data angle was also apparent during the recent elections, where major political parties used Big Data analysis effectively to improve the efficiency of their campaigns. By mining social media effectively, political parties like the BJP managed to read the pulse of the voters accurately, which played a major role in their success.
More recently, Hyderabad-based startup Modak Analytics, built a Big Data-based electoral data repository of 81.4 crore voters. When you put this data in perspective with respect to other countries, the U.S. has close to 19.36 crore voters, Indonesia has 17.1 crore voters, Brazil has 13.58 and U.K. has 4.55 crore voters. Clearly, the scale at which India operates is massive. Apart from the volume, the startup had to deal with variety (12 languages) and velocity (due to frequent data changes).
Used effectively, Big Data analytics can significantly improve governance and efficiency of public services. For example, India with its rapid population growth and economic development is facing a serious water crisis. Can Big Data analytics come to the rescue?
A case in point is the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which is using Big Data and predictive analytics technology from IBM to create systems for monitoring water distribution systems. Bangalore’s massive population growth (from 5.4 million in 2000 to over 10 million) has put tremendous strain on the city’s water supply and distribution systems. In partnership with IBM, the BWSSB has built an operational dashboard which serves as a “command center” for managing the city’s water supply networks. Around 45 percent of the water supplied by the BWSSB goes unaccounted. Implementing this solution will help minimize unaccounted water by detecting large changes in water flow, through real-time monitoring.
While Big Data is certainly no ‘silver bullet’, India’s scale, variety and velocity of information flow, offers service providers the perfect opportunity to innovate and test out innovative solutions.

Start buying furniture because they can now charge your smartphone

A new range of futuristic furniture has been developed that can charge smartphones, which that will bring an end to wire-filled rooms.

LONDON: A new range of futuristic furniture has been developed that can charge smartphones, which that will bring an end to wire-filled rooms.
Swedish firm, Ikea, has become the first in the UK to launch a revolutionary range of furniture with built-in wireless charging spots, the Daily Star reported.
The phone-boosting fittings include tables, lamps and bedside cabinets. The new range will go on sale next month with prices starting at 30 pounds.

Courtsey: timesofindia.indiatimes.com