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August |
Newsletter |
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Issue
57 |
Included in this months issue:
How to create a "super password"
Say goodbye to those wimpy, eight-letter passwords.
The 12-character era of online security is upon us, according to areport published this week by the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The researchers used clusters of graphics cards to crack eight-character passwords in less than two hours.
But when the researchers applied that same processing power to 12-character passwords, they found it would take 17,134 years to make them snap.
"The length of your password in some cases can dictate the vulnerability," said Joshua Davis, a research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but for now, 12-character passwords should be the standard, said Richard Boyd, a senior research scientist who also worked on the project.
The researchers recommend 12-character passwords -- as opposed to those with 11 or, say, 13 characters -- because that number strikes a balance between "convenience and security."
By John D.Sutter
Disposable Printer Concept
Along the same lines as disposable cameras designers Yuexun Chen & Chia-Chen Hsiao have imagined the next step in disposable devices the disposable printer.
Simply buy a cartridge printer off the shelf, according to the paper size you plan to print on and plug in your USB camera to start printing your photo.
Information like number of prints, print speed, print resolution and colours is provided on the packaging itself. The printer is powered by an internal battery and connects via USB. to your laptop or camera.
The case for the printer would be made from recycled paper and the once the printer is empty would be recycled again ready to print another day.
By Julian Horsey
Awesome Star Wars Cupcakes
And why not...
'Biofuel cells' could power gadgets with energy drinks
Battery-like "biofuel cells" could in the future run on an energy drink or even vegetable oil, says a researcher.
A prototype cell has been described at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in the US.
The idea makes use of mitochondria, the power stations that in most living cells turn food into energy.
While applications may be far in the future, the work is a milestone in the integration of parts of a living cell into an electronic device.
Shelley Minteer of St Louis University in Missouri, US, said the devices could in the future replace disposable batteries in some applications.
Dr Minteer has been part of a wider research effort that is borrowing some of nature's tricks for energy production.
From BBC Technology News
Saudi Arabia Bans Blackberry Smartphones
We told you earlier in the week that the UAE were looking into banning RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones , now Saudi Arabia has officially confirmed that all BlackBerry smartphones will be banned from August the 6th.
The ban has come about as RIM and local mobile phone carriers were unable to bring the BlackBerry devices in compliance with Saudi Arabia rules, and the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission has said that they have informed local carriers that they will need to terminate BlackBerry services within a couple of days.
By Roland Hutchinson
Computer gamers crack protein-folding puzzle
WHO says computer games are a waste of time? Players of the online game Foldit have managed to devise ways of folding proteins that had eluded both experts and protein analysis software.
Foldit presents players with proteins whose amino acids they can manipulate to alter the protein's shape. The goal is to find the lowest-energy configuration, which is the shape that the protein would naturally adopt (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature09304).
The game, developed by Seth Cooper and colleagues at the University of Washington in Seattle, isn't just an intellectual challenge. It could also help in the design of proteins that have a therapeutic role. In April, the team reported that a player had found a way to fold a protein that could potentially help in neutralising an influenza virus.
From NewScientist
Cyglo LED Bike Tires
If you want to make sure you are seen whilst out cycling at night, you may want to check out these fun Cyglo LED bike tires . The Cyglo LED bike tires have LEDs embedded in the rubber, and as soon as your wheels turn they will give off a circle of light around your tire.
The Cyglo LED bike tires were created by UK inventor James Tristram, and they are powered by the wheel turning, so there is no need for extra batteries to keep them working.
By Roland Hutchinson
Future on display: Technology you'll want to stroke
Whatever you might expect from the latest computer technology, fur is unlikely to be one of them.
An unusual display at the SIGGRAPH computer graphics and animation conference in Los Angeles this month is all about the senses, and uses optical fibre to create a surface that feels furry.
Humans are naturally inclined to stroke furry objects, say Kosuke Nakajima from Osaka University, Japan, and colleagues. So, they say, we will need no instructions to interact with a furry display. "The surface of the Fusa2 display is covered with fur made of optical fibres. When a user stands in front of the display, they begin to touch its surface without any suggestions and instructions," says Yuichi Itoh of Osaka University, who is project manager of Fusa2.
By Catherine de Lange
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