Oracle : What Is Real Application Clusters?

The Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) option was first released in a blaze of publicity as part of Oracle 9.0.1 in the summer of 2001. It is considered by many within the Oracle community to be the most significant feature introduced in Oracle 9i.
Although RAC has been marketed as an entirely new feature, much of the technology was
inherited from Oracle Parallel Server (OPS), which was introduced in Oracle 6.0 and developed
steadily over the next decade.

A cluster consists of multiple interconnected servers that appear to end users and applications as if they are one single server. A RAC database allows multiple instances residing on different servers in the cluster to access a common database residing on shared storage. The combined processing power of the multiple servers in the cluster can provide greater throughput and scalability than is available from a single server. A basic RAC setup is depicted in Figure 1-1.





Oracle defines the database as being the structures that reside in files permanently on disk, including the datafiles, the control files, and the online redo logs. In the case of a RAC cluster, the database must be located on shared physical disk storage that all servers in the cluster must be able to access equally. The servers communicate with the shared storage via a storage network. The instance is defined as the structures that are created in memory within the operating system running on a server, including the Shared Global Area (SGA) and the associated background processes. An instance must be started before a database can be created. All persistent data is stored in the database files and will remain on disk when the instance or the operating system is shut down.

An instance can only mount and open a single database. In a single instance environment, as the name suggests, there is a one-to-one mapping between an instance and a database. A database, however, may be mounted by one or more instances on separate servers. The database may be accessed as long as at least one instance is started and has mounted it.

The servers in the cluster are bound together using cluster management software called Oracle
Clusterware, which enables the servers to appear as though they are a single server. Servers in the cluster communicate with each other using a dedicated private network known as the cluster
interconnect. In a RAC cluster, each instance can execute transactions concurrently because database access is coordinated to ensure data consistency and integrity. Instances exchange messages with each other across the interconnect to manage the state of individual Oracle data blocks and locks. Each server is also connected to a public network that allows the cluster to communicate with the outside world, including clients and application servers.

Internet Security : Identity Theft and Fraud

Identity theft has been an issue not onlyto those big and powerful companies but including us normal people.
Since we are now in the internet age where one information could be access and shared in an instant.
This may be a good news for us because it brings us ease of accessing our information in a breeze.
It also means that it will expedite the time our information will be processed. But this leap of technology is a double edge sword, because it will also mean that our private information is easily or can be easily accessed and stolen.
This was proven by some many hackers, more particularly by Kevin Mitnick and many more. Banks and multinational companies bend on their knees by this kind of attacks because as what those hackers say, the weakest link in IT Security are people.
We are on a paradigm shift in securing our identity and defense against fraud.

There are may kind of Identity Theft and Fraud attacks and according to
Identity Theft Resource Center dentity theft is sub-divided into four categories:

• Financial Identity Theft (using another's identity to obtain goods and services)
• Criminal Identity Theft (posing as another when apprehended for a crime)
• Identity Cloning (using another's information to assume his or her identity in daily life)
• Business/Commercial Identity Theft (using another's business name to obtain credit)

Nowadays its a must and a necessity that we should safeguard our identity and privacy and there are many companies that would do this for you.
And I have one that I see is a good way to invest in our Identity security.
Its LoudSiren this is a Place and Manage Fraud Alerts. It protects your phone number from theft and warns you of possible attacks. You can have your peace of mind that you are secured because this is powered by Debix which was selected by several States as sole ID Theft solution.

Site Operating System and Server by Candidate

Site Operating System and Server by Candidate

• Joe Biden (Democrat) - Linux, Zope by Interlix
• Hillary Clinton (Democrat) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by Paul Holcomb
• Christopher Dodd (Democrat) - FreeBSD, Apache by pair Networks
• John Edwards (Democrat) - Linux, Apache by Plus Three
• Mike Gravel (Democrat) - Linux, Apache by Voxel Dot Net, Inc.
• Dennis Kucinich (Democrat) - Linux, Apache by New Age Consulting
• Barack Obama (Democrat) - FreeBSD, Apache by pair Networks
• Bill Richardson (Democrat) - Linux, Zope by Interlix
• Wesley Clark (Democrat) - Linux, Apache by Voxel Dot Net, Inc.
• Al Gore (Democrat) - Linux, Apache by Rackspace
• Sam Brownback (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by RackForce Hosting, Inc.
• Jim Gilmore (Republican) - Linux, Apache by 1&1 Internet, Inc.
• Rudy Giuliani (Republican) - Linux, Apache by RackSpace
• Mike Huckabee (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by LNH Inc.
• Duncun Hunter (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by Individual
• John McCain (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by Smartech Corporation
• Ron Paul (Republican) - Linux, Apache by Rackspace
• Mitt Romney (Republican) - Linux, Apache by Rackspace
• Tom Tancredo (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by Interland
• Fred Thompson (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by LNH Inc.
• Tommy Thompson (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by Time Warner Telecom, Inc.
• Chuck Hagel (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by Individual
• Newt Gingrich (Republican) - Windows Server 2003, Microsoft-IIS/6.0 by Smartech Corporation

It’s fascinating to me that the Dems are predominantly Open Source… except for Hillary Clinton and the Republicans are predominantly Microsoft with the exception of Ron Paul, Jim Gilmore, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

I predict FreeBSD will win the election ;)

Oracle : Allocated, Used & Free space within datafiles

REM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REM Filename: dffree.sql
REM Purpose: Shows current size, used & freespace within the datafiles.
REM Author: Kam Muhamad Sirajdin [mdsirajdin@yahoo.com]
REM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TTI "Allocated, Used & Free space within datafiles"

COLUMN free_space_mb format 999999.90
COLUMN allocated_mb format 999999.90
COLUMN used_mb format 999999.90

SELECT SUBSTR (df.NAME, 1, 40) file_name, df.bytes / 1024 / 1024 allocated_mb,
((df.bytes / 1024 / 1024) - NVL (SUM (dfs.bytes) / 1024 / 1024, 0))
used_mb,
NVL (SUM (dfs.bytes) / 1024 / 1024, 0) free_space_mb
FROM v$datafile df, dba_free_space dfs
WHERE df.file# = dfs.file_id(+)
GROUP BY dfs.file_id, df.NAME, df.file#, df.bytes
ORDER BY file_name;

TTI off

How to set-up SSH and not requiring a password every time it logs into a remote machine?

How to set-up SSH and not requiring a password every time it logs into a remote machine?


It is important to note that, since the SSH protocol is a highly secure one, it does not accept just the traditional .rhosts on the users login for accepting a remote connection without password verification.

The implementation of SSH1 and SS2 are slightly different, and from OpenSSH to SSH2 vary too. Since most of the Linux machines are running OpenSSH2, we will describe here how to make the "trick" for avoiding a password every time when running openssh2 on both client and server.
For detailed information about the class of key verification and encryption that ssh uses, see the ssh and related man pages or online documentation at http://www.openssh.com/manual.html

The basic idea is, however, that in the cryptosystem that ssh uses (RSA or/and DSA) the encryption and description are done using different keys
Basically, what the user (client) needs is to generate a public/private key pair. The server will know the public key, but only the client will know the private key.
When the client connects to the server, it tells its own public key. If this key is allowed (if it is between the know public keys list on the server), the server will send a random number to the client. This encrypted number can only be decrypted if the appropriate decryption key is used, and this decryption key is the client's private one. The client then uses then its own private key and decrypt the number. If this is done correctly, the server will grant the access with no more questions. As you can see the system is safe, because the client never tells anybody about its private key; and this key cannot be inferred using the public one.

What must be done, then , is to generate a public/private key pair, and copy the public part into the appropriate place on the server side.
For doing this, on the user's home directory, on the client machine, type

local> ssh-keygen -t dsa -f .ssh/id_dsa

-t tells the type of encryption
-f tells where to store the public/private key pairs. In this case, the .ssh directory on home is being used

A password will be asked; leave this part blank, just pressing
Now, go the .ssh directory, and you will find two new files: id_dsa and id_dsa.pub. The last one is the public part. Now, copy the public key to the server machine

local> cd .ssh
local> scp id_dsa.pub user@remote:~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub

Of course, this time you will need to enter the password.
Now, login into the server machine and go to the .ssh directory on the server side

local> ssh user@remote
remote> cd .ssh

Now, add the client's public key to the know public keys on the server

remote> cat id_dsa.pub >> authorized_keys2
remote> chmod 640 authorized_keys2
remote> rm id_dsa.pub
remote> exit

and that's all.
Next time you log into the remote server, no password will be asked.
Note that this system will work while none of the machines change its IP address and for the specific user, so it is still safe.

Oracle : How to query a holding lock in your oracle database

ever wonder why can't you compile your procedure,function or package and if you look at the database for locks you could not find one, well maybe there is a holding lock in your object that you are trying to compile or edit. One way to know this is by issuing the sql statement below, you will see who is waiting(session) for that object and who is holding(session) for that object.

select /*+ ordered */ w1.sid waiting_session,
h1.sid holding_session,
w.kgllktype lock_or_pin,
w.kgllkhdl address,
decode(h.kgllkmod, 0, 'None', 1, 'Null', 2, 'Share', 3, 'Exclusive',
'Unknown') mode_held,
decode(w.kgllkreq, 0, 'None', 1, 'Null', 2, 'Share', 3, 'Exclusive',
'Unknown') mode_requested
from dba_kgllock w, dba_kgllock h, v$session w1, v$session h1
where
(((h.kgllkmod != 0) and (h.kgllkmod != 1)
and ((h.kgllkreq = 0) or (h.kgllkreq = 1)))
and
(((w.kgllkmod = 0) or (w.kgllkmod= 1))
and ((w.kgllkreq != 0) and (w.kgllkreq != 1))))
and w.kgllktype = h.kgllktype
and w.kgllkhdl = h.kgllkhdl
and w.kgllkuse = w1.saddr
and h.kgllkuse = h1.saddr;

if this query returned some rows then it is up to you to identify which SID to kill

Oracle : How to Check free memory in your SGA

rem -----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem Filename: sga_free.sql
rem Purpose: Reports free memory available in the SGA
rem Date: 09-Jun-1998
rem Author: Frank Naude, Oracle FAQ
rem -----------------------------------------------------------------------

select f.inst_id,pool,name,
sgasize/1024/1024 "Allocated (M)",
bytes/1024 "Free (K)",
round(bytes/sgasize*100, 2) "% Free"
from (select sum(bytes) sgasize from sys.gv_$sgastat) s, sys.gv_$sgastat f
where f.name = 'free memory'
/

Oracle : How to query row locking in oracle database

issue this sql command to see there are locking rows or object in your oracle database

set lines 160
col object_name for a20
col terminal for a20
col username for a20
col sid_serial for a20 justify left
select /* + rule */ a.inst_id, b.object_name, '''' || c.sid || ',' || c.serial# || '''' sid_serial, c.username,c.terminal, c.sql_hash_value, c.last_call_et,
decode(a.locked_mode,
0,'None',
1,'Null',
2,'Row Share',
3,'Row Excl.',
4,'Share',
5,'S/Row Excl.',
6,'Exclusive') lock_mode
from gv$locked_object a,
dba_objects b,
gv$session c
where a.object_id = b.object_id
and a.session_id = c.sid
and a.inst_id = c.inst_id
order by 7 desc
/

Oracle : How to check your undo segment

can't drop the undo then maybe one of its segment is
still being used issue this command to see the undo segments

SELECT RN.NAME,RS.STATUS
FROM V$ROLLNAME RN,V$ROLLSTAT RS
WHERE RN.NAME IN
(SELECT SEGMENT_NAME FROM DBA_SEGMENTS
WHERE TABLESPACE_NAME = 'NAME OF YOU UNDO')
AND RN.USN=RS.USN;

Oracle: How to multiply a column in oracle

do you want to multiply a column in your table one way to do it is by this

SELECT EXP (SUM (LN (ABS (x))))
* DECODE (MOD (COUNT (DECODE (SIGN (x), -1, 1, NULL)), 2), 1, -1, 1) *
nvl(max(decode(x,0,0,null)),1) prod
FROM t

Oracle : A way to optimize your statistics in oracle

Adding Index and optimizing your query is not enough if you have a very bad statistics in your database, so one way to do it is to have a statistics of your database,schema and tables and oracle is kind enough to give us a tool to use it its called DBMS_STATS. an example here is how to gather stats of a table

SQL>BEGIN
DBMS_STATS.GATHER_TABLE_STATS
( OWNNAME => 'SCOTT',
TABNAME => 'EMP',
ESTIMATE_PERCENT => 99,
METHOD_OPT => 'FOR ALL INDEXED COLUMNS SIZE AUTO',
CASCADE => TRUE
);
END;
/

Oracle: A simple way to query and copy grants from one instance to another

suppose you want to copy all the grant of an object in a database to another database the way to do it is to create a recursive query to generate an SQL grant command:

sql> select 'grant ' || privilege || ' on ' || owner||'.'||table_name || ' to ' || grantee from dba_tab_privs where grantee = "GRANTEE YOU WANT TO COPY"

Oracle: How to kill an oracle process in an Linux Operating System

The first thing you should do is to identify the process that you will kill by issuing a sql command like this

col program for a50
set lines 1000
SELECT s.inst_id,
s.sid,
p.spid,
s.osuser,
s.program,
p.inst_id,
p.addr , s.paddr
FROM gv$process p,
gv$session s
WHERE p.addr = s.paddr
and s.inst_id = p.inst_id

after issuing it will somewhat look like this

INST_ID SID SPID
---------- ---------- ------------
1 298 26066
1 299 26070
3 303 5854
1 304 26078
1 303 26082
3 125 6025
1 306 26084
3 304 6029

(please use v$ and not gv$ if you are not using a RAC configured DB and omit the column INST_ID in your query)


so choose the spid(for example you choose spid 6029) you want and go to the linux console and issue

$> kill -9 6029

that's it you have killed an oracle process through a linux command line

Oracle: How to watch parallel session in a RAC configured Database

This is the sql statement that you will issue to see your session if it did use
a parallel slaves

sql>select a.insT_id,a.sid,a.program,b.start_time,b.used_ublk,b.xidusn||'.'||b.xidslot||'.'||b.xidsqn trans_id from gv$session a, gv$transaction b where a.taddr = b.addr and a.inst_id = b.inst_id and (a.sid,a.inst_id) in (select z.sid,z.inst_id from gv$px_session z where z.qcsid = &sid) order by sid
/

please omit the sql> prompt when copying

iTunes movie rentals vs. Netflix: It’s Apples (Jobs variety) and oranges

Apple makes a big plunge into the movie rental business and almost instinctively folks dust off the “Netflix is screwed” line. However, you may want to hold off on that Netflix obituary (again).

Now it’s entirely possible that Apple’s movie rental service (gallery, blog focus, video) will be a hit for the iPod carrying masses. And I’m sure I’ll rent a movie when I travel. But Apple’s movie rental service doesn’t spell the demise of Netflix for a bevy of reasons. Here are a few:

• Apple’s movie rental service is confined to the PC and the iPod/iPhone unless consumers buy Apple TV, a device that promises to be better the second time around but still is another box in an already cluttered living room.
• Apple’s rental service is the same pay per view model everyone is used to, but Netflix’s model is subscription based. Some consumers will be fine with a rental that self destructs 24 hours once a movie is initiated. Other people–heavy movie watchers–appreciate the all-you-can eat approach of Netflix. They are two different audiences that can coexist. One audience cares that Netflix has a catalogue of 90,000 titles compared to Apple’s 1,000 titles. The other audience could care less.
• iTunes movie rentals are designed to sell iPods. That’s a big distinction there. Apple’s biggest goal with its movie rental launch was to get all the studios on board so you’ll buy its devices. To do that Apple basically agreed to the same model cable companies go with. You pay $2.99 to $3.99 to view a movie for 24 hours. Netflix’s model is designed to deliver a recurring subscription revenue stream. Simply put, Apple isn’t wasting its time trying to put Netflix out of business.
• The game is to get into set-top boxes. Apple wants you to buy a new box for movie rentals in a couple weeks. Netflix will be embedded in LG set-top boxes in the second half of the year. In the long run Netflix’s plan may make more sense, but good luck ousting the incumbent providers.
• Netflix’s real worry is Blockbuster not Apple. Apple’s service will take time to gain mass adoption. Blockbuster has much more potential to give Netflix a headache with pricing pressure and its replica mail delivery model.

Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalists Announced

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 16, 2008 – At 194 high schools across the country today, 300 seniors were named semifinalists of the Intel® Science Talent Search (Intel STS) 2008. America's oldest and most prestigious science competition, the Intel Science Talent Search – often called the "junior Nobel Prize" – brings together the best and brightest young scientific minds in America to compete for $1.25 million in scholarships. Each of the 300 Intel STS semifinalists receives $1,000 with an additional $1,000 to their respective school, resulting in $600,000 in total awards.

This year's semifinalists were selected from 1,602 entrants hailing from 45 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Male and female entrants were represented equally and their research projects cover all disciplines of science including biochemistry, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, behavioral science and medicine and health.

Over the past 66 years, the STS has produced winners of the world's most prestigious academic honors. Six former finalists have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. STS finalists have also been awarded the Fields Medal, the National Medal of Science and MacArthur Foundation Fellowships.

"This year marks Intel's 10th year of sponsorship of this historic competition, and we are honored to be a part of a program that is fostering the talent of America's brightest young minds," said Intel Foundation President and Director of Education Brenda Musilli. "These students are solving difficult problems that will have a real impact on generations to come."

On Jan. 30, 40 of the 300 semifinalists will be named as finalists and will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for a week-long event in March. A total of $530,000 in scholarships will be provided by the Intel Foundation with each finalist receiving at least $5,000 and a new laptop run with the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor. Of these finalists, 10 students will be chosen for top honors with the grand prize winner receiving a $100,000 scholarship. These top winners will be selected based on rigorous judging sessions while in Washington, D.C. and announced at a black-tie banquet on March 11.

Society for Science & the Public (formerly Science Service), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the public engagement in scientific research and education, owns and has administered the STS since its inception in 1942. Elizabeth Marincola, president of Society for Science & the Public, said, "With their dedication and achievement in disciplines ranging from environmental science to bioengineering, the 300 Intel STS 2008 semifinalists have distinguished themselves as the nation's top young researchers. Focused on solutions to the pressing issues of our time, their work reaffirms the vision of Society for Science & the Public to inform, educate, and inspire the world around us."

Intel added sponsorship of the Science Talent Search to the extensive Intel Education Initiative portfolio in 1998 to spotlight the need to improve math and science education in the United States. Since then, Intel has increased the total annual awards and scholarships from $207,000 to $1.25 million and reinvigorated the competition by adding awards for the schools and introducing technology to the experience, through program elements such as laptop awards for all 40 finalists.

Intel's commitment to education extends far beyond Intel STS: from local schools to global universities, Intel works to help improve the quality of education around the world. Over the past decade alone, Intel has invested more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions to help teachers teach, students learn and universities innovate – particularly in the areas of math, science and technology.

To learn more about Intel's commitment to education around the world, visit www.intel.com/education. To learn more about Society for Science & the Public, visit www.societyforscience.org.

Internet 'heroes and villains' vie for ISPA awards

The Internet Service Providers' Association has published the nomination lists for the "hero and villain" categories at its annual awards.

Every year, ISPA praises a "hero" and slams a "villain" at its U.K. Internet Industry Awards ceremony. Last year's hero was Vodafone Content Standards Manager Annie Mullins--for helping in the fight to make the Internet safer for children--while the European Commission was named top villain based on its domain registration rules for businesses.

The hero nominations this year include Facebook (for retracting its controversial Beacon tracking system), the Financial Services Authority ("for keeping a keen eye on the promotional Web sites of financial services and warning that they are not fair or clear enough"), and Stephen Timms, the U.K's minister of state for pensions reform (for pushing for faster broadband speeds through a nationwide fiber rollout). Also nominated as heroes are Peter Robbins, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, and Derek Wyatt, member of Parliament, who has chaired the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group since 1997.

Much of the villain nomination list is devoted to those individuals and organizations who are trying to put limitations on Internet use. The British Phonographic Industry association is named "for its heavy-handed approach against consumers rather than engaging in constructive dialogue with the Internet industry when dealing with file-sharing," while Conservative leader David Cameron gets a mention "for buddying up with the music industry and trying to appeal to a younger audience." French President Nicolas Sarkozy also gets a drubbing for trying to tax Internet access and mobile phone use, and HM Revenue & Customs gets a mention for losing 25 million U.K. citizens' personal data.

BT Wholesale is also on the villains' list "for changing the whole engineering plan for 21CN only six months before the launch date." 21CN is the new fiber-based spine of the U.K.'s Internet connectivity, currently being rolled out to replace the old copper-based infrastructure, and ISPA's nomination is a reference to a change BT implemented in the way customers were supposed to be migrated from the old network to the new.

BT responded quickly to its nomination, claiming in a statement that BT "changed the plan in response to specific requests from industry."

"There is now a one-step, customer demand-led approach to migration, which is what industry wanted us to deliver," read Tuesday's statement. "We regret that we were not able to provide communications providers with more notice, but engineering the world's most ambitious next-generation network and the services they support is no small feat. The aim of the entire industry is to deliver next-generation broadband to as many end users as possible, and that is what we are doing."

Apple MacBook Air Is World's Thinnest Notebook, Looks Absolutely Amazing

It's real. The fabled MacBook Air actually exists. It's ultra-thin, can have a normal hard drive or a solid state one and, except for a couple ports, it's all about wireless connectivity. It's a stunning .16 inches thick at the bottom and .76 inches on the top. The black keyboard (reminds me of some of those black-over-aluminum Braun designs) is LED backlit, sightly recessed MacBook-style, with rounded edges all around. The latch is magnetic and has a gorgeous 13.3-inch screen with ambient-light sensor and, get this, multitouch trackpad.



The MacBook Air is all "green": bromide and PVR free, packaging is 56% smaller and mercury and arsenic-free glass. Looks like Al Gore will be getting one to fly in his private jet.

HD DVD fires back, slashes hardware & software prices

HD DVD's response to being unceremoniously jilted by Warner going into CES was ... nothing. A canceled press conference, downtrodden Toshiba press conference and rumors of further losses left great doubt that red had anything left in 2008, but now HD DVD is firing back. Leveraging its "approximately 50% market share in 2007" -- we're not sure where that number comes from either, we've contacted Toshiba for clarification -- indisputable lead in the notebook market and 100% compatibility with internet-enabled HDi features, Toshiba has announced it is not laying down yet. Effective yesterday, the HD-A3 MSRP has dropped to $149.99, the 1080p-capable HD-A30 to $199.99, and the top of the line HD-A35 to $299.99. Combined with an extended "perfect offer" of 5 free HD DVDs with every purchase, Toshiba's HD DVD Concierge service, and a sudden 50% off sale on Amazon, it seems this format will not go quietly into the dark. Fire sale to clear suddenly obsolete inventory or real chance to hang onto its remaining supporters? This could be the best -- or worst -- time to pick a side in the HD war.

Update: Amazon is also having a 50% off Blu-ray sale, so whatever your format of choice, pick up some discs and let the movie studios know who you rep.

BenQ's emaciated 8 megapixel DSC X800: just barely three-dimensional

It may not be the biggest name in consumer electronics, but when it comes to stuffing megapixels into ridiculously-skinny packages, there aren't many out there who do it better than BenQ. Case in point is the new eight megapixel DSC X800, which, at just 9.8 millimeters at its thinnest point (14mm at its fattest), is not only slimmer than the recently-announced DC X835, it even gives the company's trimmest seven megapixel shooter, the 12.5-millimeter DC X725, a run for its money.Besides its pocketability, however, this model doesn't offer much in the way of high-end features: 3x optical zoom, 3-inch LCD, digital image stabilization, VGA movie mode, and a rather non-standard microSD slot are par for the course here.

Final Macworld predictions?

Tomorrow morning the tech world will tune in as Steve gets on stage to kick off another Macworld expo -- an event Apple usually uses for only its biggest product announcements. There are all kind of crazy rumors going around, but this year there are a few picks that have seem to stuck: an ultraportable MacBook (Pro) of some kind, iTunes movie rentals, and, of course, the iPhone SDK. But what rabbit will El Jobso pull out of his hat marked one-more-thing? Find out tomorrow when we bring you our live coverage at 9AM PT

Samsung Develops Single-Chip RFID Reader for Mobile Devices

[Samsung announces new single-chip RFID reader making information retrieval from movie posters, clothing, and museums or tourist exhibits from a mobile device possible.]

Seoul -- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today the development of its new single-chip radio frequency identification (RFID) reader for mobile devices. Embedded RFID reader chips can provide consumers with product or service information retrieved from RFID tags incorporated in items such as movie posters, clothing, and museums or tourist exhibits.

According to market research firm RoA Group, the global demand for mobile RFID is expected to grow from $26.9 billion in 2007 to $701 billion by 2010, for a compound annual growth of 196 percent.

"We are enabling anytime, anywhere mobile access to information," said Dr. Chilhee Chung, senior vice president of Samsung Electronics' System LSI division. "RFID chip reader systems allow consumers to pull context-specific information into their mobile devices while on the go. Our mobile RFID single-chip technology is an important step in the evolution of ubiquitous computing environments."

While it can be embedded into devices such as mobile handsets and handheld readers used in retail stores, initially the major application for Samsung's new RFID reader chip is expected to be in card-type readers that plug into mobile handsets. This will provide consumers with immediate access to the new technology.

Designed for a UHF range of 900MHz, Samsung's new chip integrates an analog front end, a base-band modem, a processor, and a memory chip. The chip's 6.5mm x 6.5mm small form factor and ultra low power consumption level of 850mW are ideal for mobile applications.

More...

Chimps' Memories Superior to Those of Humans

Chimpanzees have an extraordinary photographic memory that is far superior to ours, research suggests.

Young chimps outperformed university students in memory tests devised by Japanese scientists. The tasks involved remembering the location of numbers on a screen, and correctly recalling the sequence.

"There are still many people, including many biologists, who believe that humans are superior to chimpanzees in all cognitive functions," said lead researcher Tetsuro Matsuzawa of Kyoto University.

"Here we show for the first time that young chimpanzees have an extraordinary working memory capability for numerical recollection - better than that of human adults tested in the same apparatus, following the same procedure."

Hacked MySpace page serves up fake Windows update

Using a hacked MySpace profile, online criminals are trying to trick victims into downloading a malicious Trojan Horse program by disguising it as a Microsoft update, according to researchers at security vendor McAfee.

The attack is certainly not widespread -- McAfee has seen it used on only one MySpace profile -- but it does show how sites like MySpace can be abused by criminals.
Web surfers are presented with what appears to be a popup window advising them to download the latest version of Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, which was just released this Tuesday. This software is distributed by Microsoft to help Windows users rid their systems of malware.

In reality, the popup window is just part of a larger image that takes up most of the computer screen. If the user clicks anywhere on this image, his computer will then begin to download the Trojan program.

The Trojan, known as TFactory, is a well-known piece of code that has been used by criminals for well over a year, according to Dave Marcus, a security research manager with McAfee.
Hackers were able to launch this attack because they either discovered a flaw in the MySpace code or found a way of taking over user accounts, Marcus said. "Our best guess is [the owner of the one MySpace profile] just got their password and user name phished," he said.
Social networking sites allow their members to use an array of powerful Web programming tools that are increasingly coming under the scrutiny of hackers looking for ways to misuse them.
In November, hackers found a way to serve up Web-based attack code from the MySpace profiles of Alicia Keys and a number of other musical artists.

Sony Ericsson's Z555

The Z555 incorporates Sony Ericsson's Gesture Control, letting you mute the phone or snooze its alarm without having to interrupt what you're doing. When a call comes in, a movement of your hand back and forth over the phone mutes the ringtone. The colors and designs that appear within the phone's themes can update automatically as the year goes by. Linked to the phone’s calendar, the Z555 knows when it's time for summer to become fall. The phone will be available in the first quarter.

Bill Gates explain the difference between Microsoft and Apple

Taken from Gizmodo.com
In the first segment of our Bill Gates CES 2008 interview, we asked the difference between Apple's approach and Microsoft's approach when it comes to product releases. Apple steers clear of products that might be iffy in their first iteration—portable music rentals; DVR—whereas Microsoft rolls out stuff that may not be quite ready. Bill's response is illuminating, direct and humble.

link for the video
bill gates video

AMD Introduces World's First Comprehensive, Cutting-Edge PC Platform

AMD has unveiled the AMD platform codenamed “Spider,” combining next-generation AMD Phenom™ quad-core processors, ATI Radeon™ HD 3800 series graphics and AMD 7-series chipsets to deliver accelerated computing for the Ultimate Visual Experience™. The platform can deliver upgradeability and customization for scalable enthusiast performance, leading-edge performance and bandwidth to deliver next-generation HD experiences, and industry-leading platform performance-per-watt for flexibility and headroom.

On December 19, 2007, AMD released a new AMD Phenom™ 9600 Black Edition quad-core processor with Clock Multiplier Control for tunable performance. The newest Black Edition processor can improve platform performance by unlocking the potential of AMD OverDrive™– the industry’s most powerful Windows-based performance tuning utility.

HP Goes Phenom

Written by Chris Tom

Saturday, 05 January 2008

Thanks to for this link to Betanews talking about HP implementing Phenom in their media PCs. Though a check of HP's current list of pre-built models showed its larger-footprint Pavilion m8330f being powered by a single dual-core AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+, several press sources yesterday were given advance word that HP plans to show it with AMD's quad-core Phenom 9500, which is a big leap forward while staying at the $959 price point. In keeping with the trend toward RAID configurations in media PCs, the m8330f will continue to use a pair of 360 GB hard drives, in addition to its standard 3 GB of memory and NVidia 8500 GT graphics card.

Intel Opens Fibre Channel Over Ethernet Code to Reduce Network Cost and Complexity

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 18, 2007 - Intel Corporation has released a software initiator package to drive the development of Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) solutions for the Linux* operating system. FCoE is a proposed specification that will allow Fibre Channel SAN traffic to run over Ethernet. By consolidating LAN and SAN traffic onto a single fabric, FCoE will simplify network infrastructure in the datacenter.

The FCoE software package is now available for download at www.Open-FCoE.org and can be modified according to the terms of the GPLv2 license. As part of the package, Intel has included a target simulator, so Linux developers can test and modify the FCoE software stack. Open-FCoE.org is open to all FCoE developers for source code download, code contribution and feedback.

"Server virtualization, database growth and compliance requirements have created a greater need for network storage," said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manger of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group. "FCoE makes it easier and less expensive to connect servers to the SAN. We're taking a leadership role by releasing this stack and supporting industry standardization efforts. We expect the open source community to use this initiator stack to create reliable, standards-based FCoE solutions for their customers."

Cisco Systems submitted the initial FCoE proposal to the Fibre Channel standards body, T11, in April. As a member of the T11, Intel is committed to working with Cisco and other companies to drive industry enablement of FCoE.

"Fiber Channel over Ethernet will be a key capability for our customers offering seamless server and storage access in the data center," said Jayshree Ullal, senior vice president of the Data Center, Switching and Services Group at Cisco Systems. "The emergence of 10 Gigabit Ethernet bandwidth combined with Cisco's proposed extensions to Ethernet, enables a lossless and resilient fabric for Data Center I/O consolidation. Cisco is pleased to see Intel taking a leadership role in FCoE."

The new FCoE initiator code is based on a specification being developed by the T11 in the FC-BB-5 work group. The FCoE specification is expected to be completed in 2008.