DRM – Definite Rip-off Machine

Truth about – Digital Rights Management

Long ago Digital content was sold in digital media, then came the Internet. And then came “the piracy”! Digital content was distributed illegally, which is BTW totally different from “Sharing”. And then came DRM with an intention to whoop piracy’s ass, but eventually got carried away.

 

In a vague description DRM is a technique used by the sellers, dealing with digital content to control / limit the content even after the customer has paid hard earned cash for it. It mainly puts a sense that customers are taken for helpless goofy ducks!

It’s implemented both software and hardware perspective. For eg music, ebooks, movies, set top boxes, media centers preciously everywhere.

DRM uses high level cryptographic algorithms which usually uses public key cryptography. Each company has it’s own way of generating the “master key” which is corresponded to the customer through servers. The numbers generated are random in nature and thus hard to tweak. On top of that the algorithms are combination of different math based, usually the numeric based algorithms. Some of the examples are

–        Symmetric Key cryptography

–        Elliptic Curve Cryptography

–        Digital signature Algorithm

–        One Key Message Authentication code

–        Encrypt Control word etc

These algorithms are so called hack-proof ones.( Exceptional to a few hack-creed, but then these people are either ethical or work for the company, unlike the infamous “ANONYMOUS”.)

The implementation in the hardware goes another level higher. The components like the set top box card slot, the receiver or the media player have inbuilt DRM which ask for the signatures. This DRM is implemented onto their firmwares as well.

COMCAST one of the leading broadcast service comes with a DRM card slot.

Intel, the leading PC maker desperate to get in Media center has come up with Intel Insider, which’s totally DRM. On  leaking of it’s master keys, it has now chickened out to impose a law on to penalize such an individual. How Brave!

Microsoft came with all the Windows 8 certified hardware to be secure-boot. An approach to make it impossible to install Linux/GNU. You can never stop Linux Gates!  It also holds proprietary for Play-Ready which’s a DRM deployment.

Sony PSP with official firmware works only with expensive PSP CDs. However thanks for Homebrew game community making it possible to play so many games.

 

Some of you chumps might be thinking “oh, this is fair enough”.

Here’s few butt-stinging DRM virtues for you boys and girls.

–        Folks are restricted to listen to music for a limited number of times even when you’ve purchased the track. Fair-play comes up with this stupid idea.

–        Movies or music can’t be stored or copied or shared. You can’t store copies of Harlod and kumar anymore. Disney, Sony etc support this mental cause.

–        Ebooks can’t be ported to devices, even when you’ve paid for it. Amazon’s DRM holds credit for this lame concept.

–        VIDEO GAMES COME WITH LIMITED NUMBER OF INSTALLATIONS. YA HAVE TO STOP THIS, MAN! Kickass game developers like Blizzard are moving to this strategy. That day is not far where you gottu pay for every COD mission. 😦

Currently there’re many Laws protecting the DRM. But sane folks are protesting against it from being implemented everywhere. Organization like Defective by Design (DBD), Electronic Frontier Foundation etc  across the world are fighting to stop this mean machine.

DRM are kinda Corkblockers. There’re other ways to fight piracy.

However since DRM is not widespread and fully implemented everywhere folks around are still breathing free.

Plus it’s not that they’re impossible to hack. Game CD’s have been cracked within 2 hours of release, but it’s just that there’s just too many over-complications for the legit user. Hence he thinks “Why pay for some shit, when you can get it for free”.

Myself having worked on DRM, I think the technology should benefit the humanity in lieu get commercialize. There’re serious problems to be solved. Let’s not solve problems, which actually aren’t.

BasementWorks.tk  believes “Technology is meant for all”! How about you?

galaxy note ??? now what the hell is that ?

There came smartphones eating the computer’s space , then there were tablets crunching the laptop’s space too. Now what the hell is a NOTE ?

Now this thing from samsung looks like an integration of a smartphone and a tablet. If you think it’s a smartphone , then its 5.3 inches on hand and is quiet large. And if you feel its a tablet , then at the same 5.3 inches its too small to imagine. May be this is made to bridge the gap between both the phone and a tablet.

(( Something like a dashhound and doberman crossbreed. I wouldn’t consider Great Dane ))

 

This device reminds me of those days when touchcreens had to be operated using a stylus. This galaxy note has a good capacitive touch , though there is a stylus for it. The company wants to target the busy business crowd who are usually at the management level who keep giving presentations and reports even when there are at different places and hence making the shitty presentations good.

But I still wonder why this note is created when there are already so many smartphones and tablets. Is samsung crazy? Lets have a look at all the key features and decide it.

model name: Samsung Galaxy Note aka Samsung GT-N7000, Samsung I9220

Bold and elegant

This has almost all the features of a smatphone and also goes till supporting the 4G LTE network. But 4G ? How many of the countries have rolled out 4G? May be let us consider it for the future.

Other key features includes Bluetooth 3.0 which supports faster data transfer, an 8mp camera with 1080px HD video for amazingly clear pics and HD videos is like watching on a HDTV. The best part is the super-AMOLED screen which is till date the best display ever used. Super-AMOLED techonlogy was created by Samsung which shows very sharp images and brilliant colors. Its my personal experience , and the super-AMOLED screens are rich in colors. No other kind of display can be better.

It is one of those latest breed of phones with dual core processors clocking upto 1.4GHz
Some websites still claim that NFC is available with the device but still not sure it works.

With 1GB of RAM (as much as my desktop’s) , i think it should run any kind of app smoothly without any glitchess.

And obviously it runs on the Android Operating giving you access to millions of free apps. Right now it runs on Gingerbread 2.3.5 and is doubtfull of getting an ICS update just like other as you know samsung guys are little lazy.

Having a 2500mAh battery , it surely gives you better battery back up for hours and hours of heavy use.

My hands on experience was great as it was fast and smooth. It really worked upto my expectations. 
But at 5.3 inches this large peice and 178g is pretty big and heavy on hands. Best suited for those large hands.

Reasons to go for it:
1. If you have lots of presentations and office work to be completed(and if your boss is a dick).
2. To use it with 4G network for faster internet access (may be in future if 4G rolls out in INDIA)
3. NFC – Near Feild Communication for paper less transactions
4. Better battery life, RAM and memory
5. Need for a good display that works well even under bright sunlight.
6. 8MP camera with 1080 HD video playback. If you are one of those hobby photographers who like clicking all the time.(yea even if you are a facebook poser to simply upload pics like a professional photographer)

Networks support: 2G, 3G, 4G

Dimensions: 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm
Weight: 178 g

DISPLAY: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size: 800 x 1280 pixels, 5.3 inches (~285 ppi pixel density)

Internal 16GB/32GB storage, 1 GB RAM
DATA GPRS , EDGE , HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth: Yes, v3.0 with A2DP, EDR
NFC: YES

Primary CAMERA 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Secondary CAMERA – 2 MP
Video: 1080p@24~30fps
Android OS, v2.3.5 (Gingerbread)

CPU Dual-core 1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A9
GPU Mali-400MP

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official site www.samsung.com/in/galaxynote
check the unboxing video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhovjaqEIrU

Protect OUR Internet

SOPA – Stop Online Piracy Act 

PIPA – PROTECT IP Act

You must have heard about the buzz made in the internet about SOPA and PIPA  from few days. Many of you would be wondering what it is and why people are  creating such a scene out of it. It’s time you know it and pour in your support.

What does SOPA and PIPA mean to common people like us?

We all know that internet is such a valuable resource that we cant imagine  our live without it. It is the best thing that has ever happened to mankind.

We can’t start our day without google. We can’t learn anything or do homework without wikipedia. We cant meet our friends without facebook. They have become a part and parcel of our daily life. Its really hard  to imagine ourselves without these even for a day. Just one day without internet in like putting you inside a prison wihtout any access to  light,water, or air.

Internet is the backbone supporting eveything. Without the backbone its really hard to withstand. Every human has the right to access whatever information he/she needs. The internet needs to free and open. I didnt mean internet for free  of cost, it just means that it should be free from all bullshitting laws and rules. We don’t like when someone gets into our private space. Internet is never biased to anyone. It always served the purpose when in need.

But there is always an enemy for the good.

Here the enemies are SOPA & PIPA.

Both SOPA and PIPA are US government’s HOUSE BILLs.

Since US is the main country governing the internet, it has almost  all the power to take control over it. And moreover US got this habit to poke their long white nose in every issue.

Let me throw some light on these two enemies

SOPA – Stop Online Piracy Act – This act intends to stop piracy so  that it wont effect the intellectual property of its respective owners. There are many websites hosting free and pirated stuff online like  the mediafire.com , megaupload.com , thepiratebay.com , etc.   They usually never restrict you about the content you upload or download. That is the reason why many people use for pirated stuff. If SOPA bill is passed , then such websites will be immediately banned and completely  removed from the internet. Thus , resulting in heavy losses to many  companies and businesses. SOPA is a threat to freedom of speech. It is restricting you from expressing and sharing whatever you want.

PIPA – Protect IP act – The bill defines infringement as distribution of illegal copies, counterfeit goods, or anti-digital rights management technology. Even PIPA is similar to SOPA. The Protect IP Act says that an “information location tool shall  take technically feasible and reasonable measures, as expeditiously as possible, to remove or disable access to the Internet site associated with the domain name set forth in the order”. In addition, it must delete all hyperlinks to the offending “Internet site”. Which means if the bill is passed , they can block whichever site they want and do whatever they want to do.

These stupid goofy people in the governmental organizations hardly know anything about internet and they want control over it for their benefits. These politicians are the same everywhere…

In China , the govt secretly funded the hackers to attack google.cn since it was displaying some content against their govt.(this is really stupid – fucking chinese – you criminal minded people will never change).

Again , in India , the politicians are indirectly pressurising many websites to filter content that is against the govt. If not , they may face a ban.

In the USA. Previously they attacked wikileaks and now they want the whole internet in their hands. . . . . .

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Do you really want such fools to take away your freedom? – No !

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They took our jobs..said nothing!

Took our gasoline..said nothing! 

Took out Osama…said nothing! 🙂 

Now they cannot take away our INTERNET!

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 Atleast internet is the only place you can actually express yourself freely. Its never biased or acts stupid.

Wikipedia has blacked out for a day (19-jan-2012) to spread awareness and fight back against SOPA & PIPA

Its time for us to fight back!

Lets support the cause and protect the internet.

Start sharing and spreading this page.

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If you live in US , then Visit http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/SOPA/Blackoutpage to pour in you support.

If you live outside the US , then please read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more

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You can sign a petition through google here https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction

Please enter a valid US zip code. If you live outside US , then give some random US zipcode.

IT’S NOW OR NEVER!!!!

Mirror On the goddamn WALL who’s the best of ’em ALL?

Finally the day has come where tablets start selling like hot cakes.   The year 2011 is considered the year of tablets. I mean the tablets like the ipad, kindle, galaxy tab, etc , not the the pills which your granny takes for medication.

If you ever thought of buying one and was really confused , then this is the right place for you to decide. Here we get you an insight of 5 best & latest tablets from which you can choose from….

Let us show you the close competitors before we begin with the comparison.

1. Ipad

Don’t mistake it for an exam pad. It is the already legendary digital pad which is developed and marketed by the american computer bigass giant Apple Inc. Used to access the audio-visual content which includes ebooks, pictures, movies, music, games and other web content to name a few. Runs on apple’s IOS. It is thin, slim, sleek , light and fast. It’s got Apple OS X. (In the pic shown with Griffinn Ipad belt accessory)

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2. Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an Android-based tablet computer produced by the korean company Samsung. Even this tablet looks and works quite similar to the ipad but its however much smaller and lighter compared to it.

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MAKE WAY FOR NETWORK CODING…

Damn, seems like a long time don’t it? Well apologies for such a long gap.
I’d recently been to a seminar in IISc,Bangalore which was all about the upcoming technologies. I really found some major truths about the companies. The fact that’s really happening is technologists are “SABOTAGING” minds of the population.

If you really ponder it over we DON’T actually need so much of sophisticated, complicated asswoopin technology or in that case “this rapid growth in technological development”. The customers are forced to switch for the new technology. Sometimes it even happens that a person is getting acquainted with a particular gadget, suddenly his lustful mind is lured by a latest one, which he really doesn’t need! I mean come on ….who doesn’t wants to hangout with the new chick in the neighborhood!!!?

LATLONG

LATLONG (9008890088) – sms based gps – lost in Bangalore ? help is just an sms away.

You would have definitely used Google maps to pin point a location or the distance to a location from your home. And while travelling you always thought gps was a reliable service. Google maps will need you to always have an internet connection and a gps service will surely cost you for the subscription. However, both are not so reliable in India due to the small roads and streets which appear neither on Google maps nor gps. There is a service which is free and works really well. And it just runs with the power of an sms. Its called latlong. With sms offers raining everywhere it costs you nothing.

www.latlong.in

It basically offers 2 types of services:

1. Source to destination

(eg. hebbal to majestic) – gives u the directions

format: sms HEBBAL TO MAJESTIC to 9008890088

And in no time you will receive a reply sms something like this:

dist: 9.8Km

Approx by auto: Rs.87

Hebbal flyover,Hebbal >

Mehkri Circle >