Daily Bits

The Internet’s Carbon Footprint Will Make You Think Twice

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If you are concerned for the environment, then this post just might make you think twice about spending so much time on your computer and on the Internet. According to The Guardian, the carbon footprint of the Internet is astounding: 300 million tones of carbon dioxide per year. Just to make that more understandable:

• Almost as much as all the coal, gas, and oil burned in Turkey or Poland
• More than half of the fossil fuels that the UK burns
• Imagine every person in the UK flying to the US and back – twice.

Astounding is the word, right? It makes you think – all the effort you’ve been putting into making the world a better place might be going down the drain. All because you spend so much time on the Internet. (Yeah, I am talking about myself here.)

Then again, the Internet does help cut back on energy consumption in so many ways. The same article outlines a couple of points:

• Smart grids are possible because of the Internet, and we all know they save energy.
• Tools such as video conferencing software help cut back on flights (read: higher carbon footprint).

More interesting are the ideas that Leo Hickman posted about a year ago. In his article, he posed the suggestion of cutting back on Internet usage:

Might we now have to ration our use of the internet to ensure its very survival? If so, what would be considering a fair share of the internet? Thirty minutes of browsing a day per person? Fifty megs of download a day? Just as we are being asked to “do our bit” for the environment by flying less, using public transport more, eating less meat and the like, might we now be asked to download fewer bulging multimedia files?

Call me biased and totally subjective, but just how accurate are these figures anyway? Isn’t it possible that the situation isn’t that bad? But yes, this post is making me think twice.

Photo credit: Green Office Projects

Toshiba Wipe Adds More Security for Sensitive Data

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Paranoid about the sensitive data you have in your hard drive? Toshiba just might have the answer for you with their new technology called Wipe. This technology involves self-encrypted hard drives. Basically, the security lies in the fact that sensitive data can be wiped out from the drive when the system is turned off or when the hard drive is taken out of the system. In case someone tries to steal your HDD, you are safe!

Here’s an excerpt from the press release made by Toshiba:

…Wipe for Toshiba Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) models, a technology that allows special security capabilities, such as the world’s first ability for sensitive user data to be securely erased when a system is powered-down or when a SED HDD is removed from the system. The feature can also be used to securely erase user data prior to returning a leased system, system disposal or re-purposing. Wipe was created as an enhancement to Toshiba’s Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) hard disk drives.

Toshiba announced its latest 2.5″ 7200rpm SED HDD model in July 2010, to address the increasing need for IT departments to comply with privacy laws and regulations governing data security. Designed to the Trusted Computing Group “Opal” Specification, Toshiba’s SED models provide advanced access security and on-board encryption for client systems such as notebook computers.

This technology can be applied to hard drives for laptops and other mobile devices. Businesses that use electronic equipment such as printers and photocopiers with hard drives can also benefit from this new technology.

It is easy to see how individuals and entities who have particularly sensitive information will find great use for Wipe. The question is this: just how much will this set you back? So far, it doesn’t seem like exact figures have been released. We’ll find out soon enough, I am sure.

Netflix to Add More Films

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Movie enthusiasts will be happy to hear that they will be able to access more movies from Netflix soon. It’s not that the service has a shortage of choices. However, this move is necessary in order to remain at the head of the game. Internet streaming is definitely becoming the medium of choice for the average consumer, and Netflix is simply providing for the need.

How is Netflix going to manage this? They’ve struck a deal with Epix, a company that holds the rights to films from Lions Gate, MGM, and Paramount. This pretty deal is going to cost Netflix a hefty $900 million over the next five years, money that is sure to come rushing back to them.

What’s going to happen is that hit movies like “Iron Man” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” are soon going to be available for streaming. Netflix is offering a package that combines streaming access and DVD deliveries for only $8.99. If there are going to be a whole lot more big titles coming Netflix’s way, then customers just might be flocking to avail of their service more and more.

They’re not stopping here, though. It seems that they also have HBO (the main competitor of Epix) in sight. When this subject was brought up, Ted Sarandos (Netflix’s chief content officer) replied, “Every deal expires, and every deal has to be renewed.” Indeed. And, if they get the rights to HBO’s content, there really might be no stopping the company. As long as they’re offering reasonable packages, I don’t really see any problem.

TechCrunch Claiming iPhone to Verizon in January – What if?

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There’s an interesting post up on TechCrunch that makes a pretty bold claim. From the site:

Smartphones like the iPhone are built from a collection of components, which are sourced individually from suppliers—e.g. the iPhone 4’s cellular baseband (the core chipset used in mobile phones to handle voice and data communications) comes from Infineon and its GPS chipset from Broadcom.

Component purchases and manufacturing starts don’t typically reveal strong links to individual handset OEMs. But in some cases components have a DNA which is traceable through the supply chain. For example, iPad rumors became much more concrete when we knew Apple was procuring large LCD screens.

[Read more…] about TechCrunch Claiming iPhone to Verizon in January – What if?

Private Browsing Not So Private After All?

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How often do you use the private browsing capabilities of your chosen Internet browser? For one reason or another, I am sure that the average person will find this capability useful. While I am not going to prod as to why you would need to go incognito while browsing, you ought to know that there is supposed to be a flaw in the whole private browsing model.

Researchers from Stanford University and Carnegie-Mellon University have recently studied the private browsing model being used by major Internet browsers, and they say that it is not that foolproof; at least not as foolproof as we would like to believe. They released their findings in a paper titled An Analysis of Private Browsing Modes in Modern Browsers.

Their conclusions?

We analyzed private browsing modes in modern browsers and discussed their success at achieving the desired security goals. Our manual review and automated testing tool pointed out several weaknesses in existing implementations. The most severe violations enable a local attacker to completely defeat the benefits of private mode. In addition, we performed the first measurement study of private browsing usage in different browsers and on different sites. Finally, we examined the difficult issues of keeping browser extensions and plug-ins from undoing the goals of private browsing.

The next time you face the need to go incognito while browsing, make sure you take these things into consideration. Your best bet is to use your private computer and regularly take steps to ensure your security.

YouAndMeArePure: New Dating Site for Virgins

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In this day and age, many consider the subject of virginity to be outdated or preposterous. It is thus refreshing to hear about the new web site called YouAndMeArePure, which is dedicated to those who have managed to abstain from sex before marriage (whether by choice or due to circumstances, I have no idea). All sorts of dating web sites can be found online these days, why not one for virgins? (Check out the one for Apple geeks.) I know many of you are probably chuckling or shaking your heads in disbelief, but hey, each to his own!

So who came up with this idea? Husband and wife team Jose and Lety Colin decided to create the dating web site as they themselves met and got married when they were still, well, virgins. They believe that this plays an important role in their bonding as a couple, and they also believe that there are other people out there who hold the same belief.

If you think about it, they might not have such a big audience. Based on the press release of the web site, “current statistics show that about 30 percent of Americans say they have had one or no sex partners since turning 18.” Whether or not that is true, that’s not such a large figure.

Oh, the couple is not stopping at targeting the V-market (yeah, I made that up). They have a sister web site dubbed YouAndIAbstain.com, for people who are – well, you know what it’s about.

If this is your kind of thing, then check the web sites out. You never know what you will find. Then again, we know just how people can say/write anything online. Take the same precautions as you would on any other dating web site! 😉