Connecting With People Without Unlocking Your Phone Screen

Connecting With People Without Unlocking Your Phone Screen

Would that be even possible? Yes indeed! This new advanced mobile app called Lolok replaces that traditional Android phone lock. With its “synchronized whiteboard”, it is now possible for people to do the following:

  • Share Photos
  • Leave Notes
  • Drawing on one’s lock screen

And the good thing about that is you don’t need to navigate further on your phone, it right there on your own lock screen.

Loklok works like any other messaging app. After downloading you can choose a group of friends that you prefer to use this app with. And from there, you can now enjoy communicating with your friends in a unique, funny and creative way. A simple reminder, just like the other messaging apps, messages in Loklok are also “ephemeral”, this means that only the last conversation or image will be kept on their servers. Once the screen are all cleared, items will no longer be recovered.

Kwamecorp promotes this app by saying that this is their first version release and they’ve already had users over 10,000 that have been trying it out. They have been getting an outstanding amount of feedback. And from feedbacks that they have gotten from their Beta testers, they have been putting more focus on the app’s usability and privacy, hoping to make it more stable for everyone to use.

Loklok is free to download through the Google Play store. It is available for all Android users. For now the use of this app is restricted in Apple for some obvious reasons; however, Loklok CEO Guillermo Landin wants to address this concern in order for this app to reach a wider audience. He openly expressed this possibility in a statement. He said he is planning to branch this app out to iOS, but most likely in a different manner. He also confirmed that iOS version is now being worked on, but did not guarantee any dates for its launching as they want to assure an equally good version as that of the android. It is safe assume that the exclusivity of this app will soon be over.

This is yet another great innovation for people to enjoy!

Dec 28 2014
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How Internet Users Can Be Protected From Data Risks

How Internet Users Can Be Protected From Data Risks

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is used for secure communication over the internet. Currently, only 33% of websites use the more secure HTTPS in their websites. Google developers have warned people of the risks they face every time they visit websites that do not use HTTPS. The proposal to mark non-HTTPS connections was done through a message posted to the development website of Chrome by Google engineers working on the browser.

What will be the implications of marking non-HTTPS connections?

Once the changes are implemented a pop-up will appear when a user visits a website that does not use HTTP as notification that the connection has no data security. This will solve the issues of browsers that did nothing to protect their users from unsecure connections. This will limit the threat from cyber thieves who are abusing the vulnerabilities of unsecure connections to steal data and sensitive information. So much data have already been compromised from ecommerce sites that make use of credit card payments. HTTPS makes use of well established cryptographic systems that can scramble data while it travels from a user’s computer to a website and back again. HTTPS provides authentication for the website as well as the server it is communicating with that there is no one eavesdropping or tampering with contents of communication.

The impact to non-HTTPS websites

According to statistics that have been gathered through Trustworthy Internet Movement, only about 33% of website uses HTTPS for secure browsing. The warning from Google will force website owners to migrate to encrypted HTTPS data security. It may cost money and time to be able to adapt to the technology but it will benefit the site in the long run. Many of the large websites that people are familiar with like Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo and Gmail use HTTPS by default. Google has also prioritized sites using HTTPS in their ranking. HTTPS will provide authenticity in protecting pages of different types of websites to ensure secure accounts and user communications that will make web browsing more private. HTTPS is very important over unencrypted networks like Wi-Fi since anyone using the same local network connection can easily discover sensitive information.

Many online stores or e-commerce websites don’t have this option available. This does not mean these sites cannot be trusted, but rather needs more vigilance from the consumer’s side, especially when making online payments.

Dec 27 2014
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Water-Proof Splash Bag For Cement

Water-Proof Splash Bag For Cement

Due to customers’ positive response with rain-proof paper bags, Mondi answered with another water-proof product which they call the Splash Bag. This bag is said to withstand rain and humidity up to two hours compared to the regular paper bag.

It is known that all paper bags used to package cement and other powder is vulnerable when raining. To solve this problem, Mondi partnered with Lafarge which is one of the leading producer of cement. The said collaboration was made to develop the new water-repellent paper bag specifically suitable for packing cement. The Splash bag can withstand anything wet and is also machine-finished. Compared to standard paper bags, it is less moisture-absorbent. Its water-proof surface is made of a sack kraft paper also produced by Mondi using Advance Protect technology. The said surface can also withstand high tensile strength preventing the paper bags from rupturing. It is less moisture-absorbent so it is great even on damp storage spaces.

The Splash bag was tested alongside the regular paper bag and the difference is pretty obvious. Rain simulation was made on the Splash bag and it was observes that the water pools in the surface then evaporates after a few seconds leaving the bag completely dry. While the standard paper bag absorbs rain water, softens the paper bag and eventually causes the bag to rupture. The said test also shows that the Splash bag can be exposed to rain for up to 2 hours while it can be left on damp ground for up to 12 hours.

After two hours of testing, the bag was then lifted, moved and poured without any problem. This is great news since less bag ruptures means less costs. Paper bag breakage is a common problem encountered in construction sites which is also one of the sources of costs. A breakage means another trip to the warehouse to get new bags and clean-up costs. Splash bags also helps maintain the good condition of the filling despite damp conditions inside the warehouse.

Construction workers are already impressed by how water-resistant the new Splash bag is and how it remains intact and easy to handle.

Dec 26 2014
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What Business Can Expect From SEO In 2015

What Business Can Expect From SEO In 2015

There are many ways with which to create brand awareness through media like television and radio, but they cost a substantial amount of money. On the other hand, if a potential customer finds your site by typing a keyword or a keyword phrase on search engines, you get website traffic for free. This is what is referred to as organic traffic in SEO. SEO is a cost effective strategy that will bring in new customers; however, what is the forecast for SEO in 2015?

Mobile searches should be the priority for 2015

According to a study made by Nielsen on behalf of Google, 74% of mobile owners use search engines when they want to make an online purchase with 83% making a purchase within the day and 55% within the hour. Mobile shopping broke all records in the last Black Friday sales outpacing the traffic coming from traditional desktop computers. Mobile shopping has become the new tradition which means that your business must consider responsive web design. However, it does not mean that your focus should be solely directed at mobile, since PC’s remain important.

Semantic search in action

Google has become rather good in understanding what people mean with their queries. For a business it is important to create content that is helpful to a relatively large number of queries even if the exact keyword is not used. Greater emphasis should be placed on the keywords that consumers will type of their browsers. This means that placing more focus on search queries and the content around which keywords can be used like using synonyms instead of using the same keyword over and over again.

Ranking content based on its value and interest

Google always ensures that their users gain the best search experience that is why Google tries to rank content independent of the website on which it has been written for. If a writer has a good number of followers due to content that is valuable and interesting, the content ranks higher in the search engine results regardless of the website’s overall authority. If you’ve got a goal for SEO this 2015, do it with unique and informative content.

Dec 24 2014
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Secure Quantum Network – Technology For The Future

Secure Quantum Network – Technology For The Future

One of the most serious challenges faced by the internet is hackers but scientists have introduced a device that releases a single precisely shaped photon of light that can pave the way for the quantum internet that will reduce the vulnerability of the internet to hackers. Quantum computers are overwhelmingly powerful and impenetrable and a future network of quantum computers can solve the problems that are beyond the capabilities of current machines.

What is a Quantum Computer?

In the development of the quantum computer, information is encoded on a single photon of light that can be produced on demand. This information is provided by Prof. Andrea Fiore of Eindhoven University of Technology and her colleagues who have developed the nanoscale device that can sculpt the shape of individual photons. The nanoscale device is important to produce the photon when necessary. The shape of the photon depends upon how smooth the energy it contains is released since most of the energy will be released at the start of the process with the remaining energy trailing towards the end. The emission takes place in just one billionth of a second but it gives a photon its lopsided shape.

Importance of a Quantum Network

The importance of quantum networks cannot be overestimated particularly for governments so that communication between computers can be impenetrable to hackers. If it is found out that someone has read data during transmission, it is automatically changed so that hacking can be easily detected. Quantum computers are theoretically possible but none have been successfully built. When nanostructures re integrated into devices and chips, it will pave the way for the efficient exchange of photons between quantum chips which will be used in the future quantum network.

In order to make the most of quantum computers, it is important to have a quantum internet. However, the possibility of the quantum network is not going to happen next week because the UK government still has to fund the development of this technology with £120 million. Once this radical technology becomes successful, it will make certain computation like forecasting the weather a lot easier to perform. It will also help pharmaceutical companies in their development of new drugs since the interrogations of large databases will be speeded up.

Dec 23 2014
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Flight Delays in London Due to Computer Failure

Flight Delays in London Due to Computer Failure

The Guardian reports how the London airspace was severely affected by a system failure on Friday. The said system failure originated from Swanwick’s main national control centre.

After more than an hour of no operation, flights were able to start departure around 4:15 in the afternoon. The one hour restriction caused lengthy delays and flight cancellations to passengers arriving and departing from London’s biggest airports. From 50 flights that were cancelled in Heathrow, the numbers are still increasing.

After the problem was resolved, flights resumed and operations were back to normal. The cause of the failure is still under investigation by Air traffic controller Nats. At first, power outage was assumed as the cause of the problem but it was later revealed to be computer related. The said restriction caused flight delays around hundreds of international airports and is expected to cause a domino effect even among airports far from London.

A Nats spokeswoman confirmed that the Southern UK’s leading control centre for airspace, located in Swanwick, Hampshire, experienced a technical failure. They are getting the incident reports running. The exact cause is still unknown but it was confirmed to be related to technical failure.

The spokeswoman reached out to apologize for any inconvenience caused by the incident.

Last December, the same computer failure affected Swanwick’s operation for almost 12 hours. Thousands of passengers were stranded then because hundreds of flights were cancelled.

Experts think that the newly updated software on the computers might be causing the glitches.

Maclean, a DMK aviation consultant, shared some of his insights. “The way the airspace is sectorised is designed to cope with this, so that if you have a glitch in one operations room, the whole of the UK is not affected. It sounds very much that it was the upper airspace sector which was affected, which means the contingency is that the London terminal area which handles the lower airspace would have taken over some of the flights.”

“Because of the sheer volume of traffic, the first way that we deal with it is flow control. They simply stop all of the traffic heading for airspace. If a plane’s on the ground it’s not a risk. But at its most basic, controllers can still talk to the airplanes because they’ve got radio systems.”

“Because they don’t take any risks at air traffic control, they like to empty the skies. But because they have landed some planes, it shows they still have some capability.”

Dec 22 2014
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