Thursday, October 05, 2006
Sketch a Web page
internetThe tool is called InkKit, it works with a tablet computer and uses some sophisticated rules that will allow it to transform code drawn by hand into a real application. InkKit is able to determine whether the input is writing or a drawing, and a tablet's built-in handwriting recognition procedure has been included.
Users would have to follow some basic rules, such as drawing a rectangle with a triangle pointing down at one side to produce a drop-down menu...
Something we already do, mmh?
Source: NewScientistTech, 3 days ago.
Labels: internet
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Internet 2 ... he's back and tells why
Internet
Here is a intro sentence which leaves you dubitative.
It is done purposely.
Founded in 2002, Moonv6 is a joint operation of the University of New Hampshire, the U.S. Defense Department, the North American IPv6 Task Force and the Internet2 university consortium. 'Cause Yes, Internet 2 is a reality, and is a non-profit consortium which develops and deploys advanced network applications and technologies, mostly for high-speed data transfer. Its purpose is to develop and implement applications and technologies up to 10 Go/s as IPv6, IP multicasting, Quality of Service. The goal is not to create a separated network but to ensure that the new applications can work on the current Internet.
And IPv6 ? pronounce Internet Protocol version 6.
Because of a shortage of address on current protocol IP (version 4), but also to solve some of the problems revealed by its use on large scale, the transition towards IPv6 started in 1995. Among the essential innovations, one can quote:
- the increase from 232 to 2128 of available addresses ;
- mechanisms of configuration and automatic renumerotation ;
- IPsec, QoS and multicast ;
- the simplification of the headings of packages, which facilitates in particular the routing.
The Network Time Protocole should less interest you. It is a protocol for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. NTP uses UDP port 123 as its transport layer. It is designed particularly to resist the effects of variable latency.
Back to the news: researchers set up a wide-area link between the University of New Hampshire and the military’s Joint Interoperability Test Center at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. to run NTP over both regular IP (known as IPv4) and the emerging IPv6.
"This is the first time anyone has demonstrated NTP over an IPv6 WAN," says Erica Williamsen, an IPv6 engineer at the UNH Interoperability Lab. "Both sites were able to synchronize time."
Voila, great, we learn many things about the Internet 2.
Source: NetworkWorld, last week.
For those who do not know:
- As example of this high-speed network that is Internet2, these researchers could download 860 Go in less than twenty minutes. Equivalent of 180 DVDs in a small van which goes through Brussels.
- With the new protocol IPv6, 2128 fixed addresses will be availables on the Internet. Will it be enough? In the future, should we foresee another shortage? Actually, that represents 667 millions of billions addresses by mm² on the Earth.
Labels: internet
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Comparison VoIP calling rates: 12 products
internet 
Regularly, we propose a comparison of the calling rates to give a call from your computer to a mobile or landline everywhere in the world.Well, this is over.
Since the website VoIP products exists, that does not worth anything.
Indeed, the update is weekly and is about 12 products: Skype, Gizmo, Yahoo Messenger, SIP discount, VoIP Buster, VoIP Stunt, InternetCalls.com, poivY, voipcheap, voip discount, WebCall direct, and Free Call.
For about 50 destinations (against the 200 we proposed before - allright here is the previous version).
Some notes:
- unfortunately, only tariff comparison, no test on quality.
- This is for United States. A page for Europe exists. On the latter, you have an explanation for each product, even Google Talk that can be used only to talk from PC to PC (or you can use gateway-companies but it is not taken in account here).
- 7 of those products are sub-products of VoipBuster.com !
- As always, be attentive to the contract. Some items are rather demanding and can lead to the cancellation of an unused credit.
- As opposed to what is written, the rates of Windows Live Messenger is different acoording to the place you give the call! And it's almost always most expensive.
- Calling between 2 computers is always free.
- The prices are in USD cents per minute including VAT, except those of voipcheap.co.uk which are in English pence per minute. Here is an excellent currency converter website.
Labels: internet
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Cellars full of clandestine captchators
internetMore and more websites protect themselves from spam by using captchas, these twisted words we must re-type to prove we're human, not a machine.
More and more, these captchas are twisted, less and less we can read them, more and more it's irritable. And David Jeske, a technical director of Google, comments: "We know there's no perfect panacea, but we think this is a great tool to prevent malicious activity".
In Novembre 2005, the World Wide Web consortium published a paper informing that the captchas do not identify the human users correctly and can be thwarted by the intelligent programmers.
The workgroup noted, and that's my point, that some "spam companies" hire people to decipher captchas!
Could you imagine that? Cellars with tens of underpaid men, the eyes tired and continuously focused on 7 twisted characters that they must type on an old gray keyboard? Dark look and shining face, the whip waits for them if they do not reach their quota of captchas...
Fortunately, several Web sites explore new solutions, like audio captchas or simple enigmas. Good news for you, little captchator...
Source, because everything's true (except maybe the cellar) : The wall street journal online, beginning of the month.
For those who do not know:
A CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, trademarked by Carnegie Mellon University) is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to determine whether or not the user is human. The term was coined in 2000 by Luis von Ahn, Manuel Blum, and Nicholas J. Hopper of Carnegie Mellon University, and John Langford of IBM. A common type of CAPTCHA requires that the user type the letters of a distorted image, sometimes with the addition of an obscured sequence of letters or digits that appears on the screen. Because the test is administered by a computer, in contrast to the standard Turing test that is administered by a human, a CAPTCHA is sometimes described as a reverse Turing test.
Labels: internet
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Minority Cube
internetIt's a 3D cube totally controlled by your webcam.
Labels: internet
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Yahoo messenger is the cheapest...
internet 
Regularly, we propose a comparison of the rates of different solutions for voice over IP, in others words software to give a call on the Internet.
Since Windows Live Messenger (the ex-MSN messenger of Microsoft) arrives on the market, it's interesting to update it.
The usual competitors stay Yahoo Messenger, Skype and VoIPBuster. Our last advices and notices are still corrects. And Microsoft makes the surprise with a product not really competitive : the rates are higher than others from Europe, and in a middle range from the United States. As you could understand, the rates are different according to the place you give the call! The first time we see that in the Internet telephony! What's the reason? Take a real advantage of the standard of living in every country? Smart but not honest at all...
Conclusion: Yahoo is mainly less expensive, Skype is the more expensive when calling from the United States (except the current promotion), WLM is the more expensive when calling from Europe. VoIP can be cheap if you give many calls and if you pay attention to the contract.
The comparison file can be viewed here or you can download it as a pdf file.
For each destination, the cheapest is in yellow, the more expensive is in gray. About Windows Live Messenger, you can compare rates from France here.
Labels: internet
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Events occur in real time...
internet Eurostar, the railways company that links Europe and UK, have lost the possibility to buy the domain name Eurostar.eu because a small Belgian diamond cutter, Eurostar Diamond Traders, first introduced the request.
Eurostar, SNCF and SNCB asked the cour (tribunal de commerce de Paris) to force the diamond cutter to withdraw its request, but no success.
According to Eurid, the rule is clear and the distribution of the names is done in the order of arrivals. Actually, the diamond cutter made the request the same day than the railways company, but 6 minutes before.
This post exists just for this conclusion. Eurostar : 6 minutes too late.
for those which do not know :
EURID is in charge of the domain names "eu".
source : lesoir.be, January
Labels: internet
Monday, May 22, 2006
Skype without wire and without PC
internetSince last month, you can give a cheap call with skype from anywhere, and without a computer!
All you need is Wifi access point to the Internet.
You surely have a small wireless router? or your neighboor ?
Netgear is a small company specialized in networks, with or without wires. She was the first to propose this Skype phone, of the same size than a small classic mobile phone. Same for the weight (90g).
When you switch it on, it connects to your Skype account. Your contacts appear, up to you to contact them as you do usually ... for free if they are on their computer (or like you, with a NetGear phone!)
And if you call on this good old classic phone, you pay the SkypeOut rate.
for those which do not know :
Install a Wifi network
Siemens proposes another solution, a good one apparently, since more than one year !
Labels: internet
Friday, May 19, 2006
skype, yahoo, VoIPbuster : comparison of the rates
internet A few weeks ago, VoIpBuster modified its rates all around the world (and Skype too, but to a few countries). Here is an update of our comparison file between Skype, Yahoo Messenger and VoIPbuster.
What to remember :
- Skype is still the most expensive, for all countries except Pakistan.
- VoIpBuster wins on many fields, especially in Adorre, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Georgia, Hong-Kong, Peru, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, Thailand and Venezuela where it became free on landlines, and staid free on others like Luxembour or Japan.
- VoipBuster also becomes less expensive on landlines of Costa Rica, Indonesia, Macao or South Africa.
- Yahoo becomes less expensive on mobiles of Tawain and landlines of United States, where VoIPBuster was free but is not anymore !). Note that SkypeOut is now free within the US and Canada to all landlines and mobiles, until at least the end of 2006.
But cost is not everything and quality is also very important for voice over IP. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a good comparison. If you test some of those products, don'y hesistate to let a comment.
for those which do not know: VoipBuster is free towards several destinations but you must nevertheless buy a credit of call. Without that, the communications are cut after 1 minute. This credit of call remains simply intact...
Caution ! there are small notations on the website :
For example : Max 300 minutes per week of free calls, measured over the last 7 days. Unused free minutes cannot be taken to the following week(s). If limit is exceeded, a minimal rate of 1ct/min will be charged (as shown in the VoipBuster software)
Or Credit in your VoipBuster balance remains valid for 120 days after your last purchase (unless stated otherwise if you for example buy credit by phone). If you buy new credit before your old credit expires any old credit left in your account will also remain valid.
Those restrictions are too much !
Labels: internet
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