Third-gen Intel SSD's offer 300 and 600 GB capacities
By Paul Ridden
11:12 April 3, 2011
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Intel's third generation SSD 320 Series storage solution benefits from a capacity increase up to 600GB, and is said to be 30 percent cheaper than the previous series (All images courtesy of Intel)
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The fact that Solid State Drives (SSD) offer significantly better performance over hard disk drives is now well established. They're faster, require less power to run and – as they contain no moving parts – offer a more rugged storage solution. At the moment, though, HDD solutions are much cheaper and can store more data on a single device ... but the gaps are closing. Intel has now upped the available storage capacity on its new third generation SSD 320 Series to a spacious 600GB, and has managed to lower the cost by 30 percent.
Intel has added a couple of storage capacities to its new Intel SSD 320 Series, which replaces the company's X25-M drives launched in 2008. In addition to new SATA II (3Gbps) 40, 80, 120 and 160GB models, there will also be 300 and 600GB versions – with the 1.8-inch format drives running to 300GB, while the 2.5-inch will go all the way up to 600GB.
Based on the company's 25nm NAND flash memory, the new Series "features an advanced architecture that employs 10 parallel NAND flash channels equipped with multi-level cell NAND flash memory," says Intel. "With powerful Native Command Queuing that enables up to 32 concurrent operations; the Intel SSD 320 Series drastically outperforms traditional hard disk."
The highest capacity drives offer 39,500 input/output operations per second (IOPS) random reads and 23,000 IOPS random writes, and sequential write of 220MB/s and 270MB/s read – which is not as fast as the company's 510 Series drives, but is still pretty quick.
The Intel SSD 320 Series also offers extra data security features such as hardware- and firmware-based power-loss data protection to help save data stored in temporary buffers in the event of a unplanned shutdown, 128-bit advanced AES encryption and ATA user password which can be set to require authentication at boot. The free-to-use Intel SSD Toolbox utility for Windows contains a number of drive management and diagnostic tools, and users can also download some free drive cloning software to help with the migration of data from the old storage device to the new SSD solution.
Based on 1,000 unit quantities, the 40GB unit will be made available to OEMs for US$89 each, with the 80GB priced at US$159, 120GB at US$209, 160GB at US$289, 300GB at US$529 and 600GB at US$1,069. Consumers will need to check outlets for retail prices.
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Monday, April 4, 2011
Third-gen Intel SSD's offer 300 and 600 GB capacities
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Oyster - the world's largest working hydro-electric wave energy device
The world’s largest working hydro-electric wave energy device has been officially launched in Scotland. Known as Oyster, the device, stationed at the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) Billia Croo site near Stromness, was installed this year and is, at present, the world’s only hydro-electric wave energy device which is producing power.
Oyster produces power by pumping high pressure water to its onshore hydro-electric turbine which feeds into the national grid to power homes in nearby Orkney and beyond.
The device is wave energy company Aquamarine Power’s first demonstration-scale wave energy device. The company believes that a farm of 20 Oysters would provide enough energy to power 9,000 three bedroom family homes.
Oyster is designed to capture the energy found in near-shore waves in water depths between 10-16m (33-54ft). There are minimal moving parts and all electrical components are onshore, making it robust enough to withstand the rigors of Scotland’s harsh seas.
Speaking at the launch, Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond MP, MSP, who was given the honor of switching on Oyster, said: “I’m delighted to see first-hand the full-scale Oyster now installed and operating offshore. This is a key milestone for Aquamarine Power and for Scotland’s marine renewables sector.
“Scotland's potential renewables capacity is estimated to be around 60GW. Our waters hold around ten percent of Europe’s wave power potential and as much as a quarter of its tidal power potential. The EMEC provides world-leading test facilities for Aquamarine and other companies to develop the technology needed to harness this huge untapped potential.
“I am delighted to confirm further R&D funding of almost £1m (US$1.66 million approx.) to Aquamarine Power for the development of Oyster 2, which could be installed within two years.”
Minister Salmond added that the Scottish Government was working to ensure it capitalized on its rich natural resources that would help it meets its ambitious climate change targets and would create more high-skilled green jobs. The marine energy industry could provide as many as 12,500 jobs, contributing £2.5 billion (US$4.1 billion) to the UK economy by 2020. Marine energy such as that produced by Oyster has the potential to meet up to 20 per cent of the UK's energy demands.
Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power, Martin McAdam, said: “This is a fantastic day for the wave energy industry and for Aquamarine Power. We have proved what we always believed – that wave energy can produce sustainable zero-emission electricity to power our homes. The UK has one of the best wave resources in the world. Now it also has the best technology.
He said that with the additional funding, Aquamarine Power would press ahead with the development of next-generation commercial-scale Oyster.
“This is exactly the kind of support the industry needs. With continued support of this nature we can help decarbonise our electricity supply and build a major, world-beating industry here in the UK.”
Managing Director of EMEC, Neil Kermode, said EMEC was delighted to see Oyster up and running.
“I look forward to Oyster being joined by many more machines in the coming years,” he said.
Its performance will now be monitored and the results from the testing will provide a basis for the design of the next-generation commercial-scale Oyster.
Watch a short video of Oyster in situ here or see an outline of how it works below:
World’s Largest Tidal Turbine will generate enough power for 1,000 homes
The oil and gas fields of the North Sea have been meeting the power needs of the UK population for a number of years but such things have a finite lifespan and there are different ways to get power from the sea. The world's largest and most powerful tidal power turbine has just been unveiled by Atlantis Resources Corporation ahead of installation at a special berth at the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland. The AK1000 will shortly be secured to the seabed off the choppy waters of Orkney and connected to the grid at EMEC. The company claims that the turbine is capable of generating enough electricity for 1,000 homes and is the first of a series of turbines to be deployed.
Atlantis Resources Corporation unveiled the AK1000 turbine at Isleburn Engineering in Invergordon, Scotland, where the system assembly took place. It will be transported from there to EMEC in Orkney later in the summer. Designed to withstand harsh weather and rough open ocean environments such as those found off the Scottish coast, the company says that the turbine will produce 1MW of predictable power at a water velocity of 2.65m/s – enough to satisfy the electricity needs of over 1,000 homes. The horizontal axis turbine weighs some 1,300 tonnes, stands over 73 feet (22m) high and has a rotor diameter of just over 59 feet (18m).
It's expected that it will have little or no impact on the environment due to the low rotation speed during operation and the unique twin rotor set with fixed pitch blades should eliminate the need for sub-sea nacelle rotation and so improve operational reliability.
Atlantis CEO Timothy Cornelius said that the turbine, "represents the culmination of 10 years of hard work, dedication and belief from all our partners, staff, directors and shareholders. The AK1000 is capable of unlocking the economic potential of the marine energy industry in Scotland and will greatly boost Scotland's renewable generation capacity in the years to come."
The unveiling of the AK1000 was shortly followed by an announcement by Scottish Power that it has plans to install hundreds of tidal turbines in the coming years. Equipment manufacturer, Burntisland Fabrications has just been awarded a contract to build a full-scale tidal turbine prototype for Scottish Power which will pave the way for a 10MW tidal energy project off the west coast of Scotland.
Deforestation driving CO2 buildup
Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes had an impact on the global carbon cycle as big as today's annual demand for gasoline. The Black Death, on the other hand, came and went too quickly for it to cause much of a blip in the global carbon budget. Dwarfing both of these events, however, has been the historical trend towards increasing deforestation, which over centuries has released vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as crop and pasture lands expanded to feed growing human populations. Even Genghis Kahn couldn't stop it for long.
"It's a common misconception that the human impact on climate began with the large-scale burning of coal and oil in the industrial era," says Julia Pongratz of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, lead author of a new study on the impact of historical events on global climate published in the January 20, 2011, online issue of The Holocene. "Actually, humans started to influence the environment thousands of years ago by changing the vegetation cover of the Earth's landscapes when we cleared forests for agriculture."
Clearing forests releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when the trees and other vegetation are burned or when they decay. The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide resulting from deforestation is recognizable in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica before the fossil-fuel era.
But human history has had its ups and downs. During high-mortality events, such as wars and plagues, large areas of croplands and pastures have been abandoned and forests have re-grown, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Pongratz decided to see how much effect these events could have had on the overall trend of rising carbon dioxide levels. Working with colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Germany and with global ecologist Ken Caldeira at Carnegie, she compiled a detailed reconstruction of global land cover over the time period from 800 AD to present and used a global climate-carbon cycle model to track the impact of land use changes on global climate. Pongratz was particularly interested in four major events in which large regions were depopulated: the Mongol invasions in Asia (1200-1380), the Black Death in Europe (1347-1400), the conquest of the Americas (1519-1700), and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty in China (1600-1650).
"We found that during the short events such as the Black Death and the Ming Dynasty collapse, the forest re-growth wasn't enough to overcome the emissions from decaying material in the soil," says Pongratz. "But during the longer-lasting ones like the Mongol invasion and the conquest of the Americas there was enough time for the forests to re-grow and absorb significant amounts of carbon."
The global impact of forest re-growth in even the long-lasting events was diminished by the continued clearing of forests elsewhere in the world. But in the case of the Mongol invasions, which had the biggest impact of the four events studied, re-growth on depopulated lands stockpiled nearly 700 million tons of carbon absorbed from the atmosphere. This is equivalent to the world's total annual demand for gasoline today.
Pongratz points out the relevance of the study to current climate issues. "Today about a quarter of the net primary production on the Earth's land surface is used by humans in some way, mostly through agriculture," she says. "So there is a large potential for our land-use choices to alter the global carbon cycle. In the past we have had a substantial impact on global climate and the carbon cycle, but it was all unintentional. Based on the knowledge we have gained from the past, we are now in a position to make land-use decisions that will diminish our impact on climate and the carbon cycle. We cannot ignore the knowledge we have gained."
Ambitious project to green the desert to begin in Jordan
An ambitious project that aims to turn arid desert land into a green oasis took a step closer to becoming reality last week when an agreement was signed on the rights to develop a pilot system in Jordan. The Sahara Forest Project’s (SFP) first facility will be located on a 2,000,000 square meter (21,527,821 sq. ft.) plot of land in Aqaba, a coastal town in the south of Jordan where it will be a test bed for the use of a combination of technologies designed to enable the production of fresh water, food and renewable energy in hot, arid regions.
The partners behind the Sahara Forest Project are Bill Watts of Max Fordham Consulting Engineers, Seawater Greenhouse, Exploration Architecture and the Bellona Foundation, an international environmental NGO based in Norway, who have been working on the idea since 2009.
In 2009, after first studies showed that the concept was feasible and economically viable, the project was presented internationally at the December 2009 UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, where it was well received. In June, 2010, Jordan’s King Abdullah II saw a project presentation during a visit to Norway and was impressed enough to say he was ready to facilitate its implementation in Jordan.
The main pillars of the project are saltwater greenhouses, concentrated solar energy, and cultivation of traditional crops along with energy crops such as algae, which all come together in one location to solve a whole range of environmental problems.
The SFP would use saltwater greenhouses to grow crops throughout the year in desert locations without any supply of freshwater. Seawater is evaporated from grilles at the front of the greenhouse to create cool humid conditions inside. A proportion of the evaporated seawater is then condensed as freshwater that is used to irrigate the crops, re-vegetate surrounding dry areas and provide water to the concentrated solar power plant.
The solar power plant is in turn used to generate electricity to power the pumps to transport the seawater from the Red Sea to the saltwater greenhouse and the fans to circulate the humid air within the greenhouse. The greenhouse will also be used to cultivate algae to absorb CO2 and provide biomass to be used for energy and food production.
The project partners say that, in essence, when these different technologies are put to use in a combined approach, the processes will start “feeding” each other and provide not only environmental, but also commercial benefits.
The project envisions three separate stages of development. In depth studies will be carried out throughout 2011, construction of a Demonstration Center is slated to start in 2012, and commercial-scale development is set to start in 2015.
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Low-cost touchscreens made with carbon nanotubes
Over the past decade, touchscreens have risen to dominate mobile phone and other mobile consumer electronic device interfaces – and their popularity shows no sign of waning. Capacitive touchscreens, the type most commonly used in consumer electronics, usually use a conductor made of indium tin oxide (ITO). This material is well suited to this purpose due to its excellent conductivity and its transparency in thin layers. Unfortunately there are few deposits of indium in the world, which has prompted a search for alternatives. One such new alternative are touchscreens containing carbon nanotubes, which researchers claim offer comparable performance to ITO, but are much cheaper.
The main components of the new electrode material developed by researchers at Fraunhofer are carbon nanotubes and low-cost polymers. The electrode foil is composed of two layers. One is a foil made of inexpensive polyethylenterephthalate (PET) like that used to make plastic bottles. The second is thin film that is formed when a mixture of carbon nanotubes and electrically conducting polymers that is applied to the PET as a solution dries.
These combinations of plastics have not been particularly durable in comparison to ITO because humidity, pressure or UV light put a strain on the polymers causing the layers to become brittle and break down. The carbon nanotubes solve this problem by hardening on the PET to create a network that firmly anchors the electrically conducting polymers and provide much improved durability.
Ivica Kolaric, project manager from Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, concedes that "the electrical resistance of our layer is somewhat greater than that of the ITO, but it’s easily enough for an application in electrical systems,” and its advantages over ITO far outweigh its drawbacks.
In addition to indium’s limited supply, ITO layers are also fragile, lack flexibility, and the process to deposit them onto a surface requires a vacuum and is costly. In contrast, the researchers say carbon is renewable, low-cost and available all over the world from organic matter such as wood and the thin foil is flexible, making it suitable for applications other than touchscreens.
“We could even make photovoltaic foils out of it to line corrugated roofs or other uneven structures,” says Kolaric, who has already set up a pilot production where the foil can be enhanced for a wide range of applications.
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
How to Avoid Cell Phone Radiation? Safety Tips
http://lovebeats.org/community/index.php?topic=16284.0
How to Avoid Cell Phone Radiation? Safety Tips
Cell phones have become very common now-a-days, as almost every one of us has a cell phone. Cell phone also creates radiation when it is in use. This radiation is harmful for the body. There are few things that can reduce the cell phone radiation exposure by as much as possible.
Daily we are swimming in a sea of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) produced by electrical appliances, power lines, wiring in buildings, and other technologies that are part of modern life. From the dishwasher and microwave oven in the kitchen and the clock next to your bed, to the cellular phone you hold to your ear is dangerous and becoming a serious health risk.
EMR from cellular phones, both the radiation from the handsets and from the tower-based antennas carrying the signals have linked to develop health problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, brain tumors, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and more. The effects are cumulative and safety measures should be taken now before it is too late.
Tips to minimize effects of Cell phone Radiation:
These are some steps to minimize the effects of cell phone radiation exposure.
Headset: A headset is a cell phone accessory that can considerably reduce radiation exposure to the brain. Not a Bluetooth headset or a wireless headset but a headset that plugs into the phone, eliminates cell phone radiation near your brain.
Speakerphone: Speaker phone must be used as often as possible. Speakerphone also reduces the cell phone radiation exposure because you do not have to keep the cell phone near you.
Avoid Bluetooth and wireless handset: These cell phone accessories produce their own radiation along the radiation produced by the cell phone. The use of these accessories must be avoided.
Cell Phone Radiation Shielding Case: exposure while the mobile phone is in your pocket or clipped to your belt this can prevent radiation. It dissipates the radiation so that it decreases going into your body. They also have clips and antenna radiation disbursers.
Limit your calls: Many of us make unnecessary calls. Reducing needless calls will reduce radiation exposure.
Wear an air tube headset: The regular wired headset has been found to intensify radiation into the ear canal. The wire transmits not only the radiation from the cell phone but also serves as an antenna attracting electromagnetic fields from the surroundings.
Don’t put the cell phone in your pocket or belt: The body tissue in the lower body area has good conductivity and absorbs radiation more rapidly than the head. One study shows that men who wear cell phones near their groin could have their sperm count dropped by as much as 30 percent.
Purchase a phone with a low SAR (Specific Absorption Rate): Most mobile phones have a SAR level listed in its instruction manual. The SAR level is a way of measuring the quantity of radiofrequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body.
Use a scientifically validated EMF protection device: There are advanced technologies obtainable nowadays that strengthen the immune system against the effects of EMF. The EMF radiation causes a problem only when the cumulative effects due to repeated exposure weaken the body’s ability to repair it.
Other steps:
* If using the phone without a headset, wait for the call to connect before placing the phone next to the ear.
* Do not use the cell phone in enclosed metal spaces such as vehicles or elevators, where devices may use more power to establish connection. The metal enclosure also acts as a Faraday cage that traps the radiation and reflects it back onto the occupants.
* Do not make a call when the signal strength is one bar or less, which means the phone must work harder to establish a connection.
* Children should be allowed to use the cell phone in cases of emergency only. Because of their developing skulls, the radiation can penetrate much more deeply.
* Avoid carrying cell phone on the body at all times. Do not keep it near the body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table, particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on “flight” or “off-line” mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.
* Make sure that the keypad is positioned toward the body and the back is positioned toward the outside while carrying it, so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from you.
* Avoid using the cell phone when the signal is weak or when moving at high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new relay antenna.
* When possible, communicate by text messaging rather than making a call.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Israel launches world’s first hybrid solar power station
Photo takenon 24 June,2009 showsthe solarreceiver ofthe world’sfirst hybrid
solar thermalgas turbinepower stationat KibbutzSamar insouthernIsrael.
XINHUA
KIBBUTZ SAMAR, 25 June — AORA,
A leading Israeli solar energy technology company,launched Wednesday world’s first hybrid
solar thermal power station at KibbutzSamar in southern Israel.
This marked the first time that concentratingsolar power (CSP) stations can provide
environmentally-friendly power 24hours a day, according to AORA’s CEO,
Haim Fried. AORA’s “Power Flower” station, named due to its unique yellow tulip design, consists of a field of 30 tracking mirrors (heliostats) situated on half an acre of land.
Each of the station’s 30 heliostats tracks the sun and reflects its rays towards the top
of a 30 meter-high tower housing a special solar receiver along with a 100 kilowatt gas
turbine. The patented receiver uses the solar energy to heat air to a temperature of 1,000
degrees Celsius and directs this energy into the turbine, which converts the thermal energy
into electric power that will be fed directly into the national grid.
Xinhua
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Naval Expansion Makes China a Growing Power
Mar 17, 2009
By Richard D. Fisher, Jr.
In late 2008 and during the first weeks of 2009, Chinese and Russian sources provided new insights into China’s ambitions to build aircraft carriers and air wings to equip them. This data was then assessed in light of China’s momentous December 2008 decision to dispatch a small People’s Liberation Army Navy flotilla to prosecute Somali pirates (see related story on p. 21), resulting in wide commentary about the country’s ambitions to build a much larger conventional navy. Absent from much of this analysis, however, is an adequate understanding of China’s progress in assembling a phalanx of space, air and naval forces designed to pose an effective asymmetrical threat to large conventional navies.
A three-level Chinese military challenge is unfolding for Washington and its allies. A long-standing debate over whether China intends to build a large conventional navy to defend its increasingly global interests is being settled in the affirmative, justifying a continued investment by the U.S. and its allies in large naval forces. At the same time China’s success in fielding effective asymmetrical capabilities makes necessary the development of defensive systems, it also undermines the continued justification for large conventional platforms like aircraft carriers, which could be sunk if found. A third challenge emerges when China successfully deploys its asymmetrical systems, either on unique platforms or by sale of elements to allies.
Much of the justification for this large technology and capability investment has been provided by China’s requirement to quickly assemble the means to prevent the U.S. from aiding Taiwan if China forces “unification” without building a correspondingly large conventional military. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) planners in the early 1990s assessed that if U.S. military access to the western Pacific was denied or impeded, China’s military threats to Taiwan would become more credible and have the desired political effects. This period begins to see early PLA efforts to invest in modern military capabilities: new C4ISR systems; space and airborne weapons; and a naval expansion that focuses on regional-denial capabilities.
This is China’s near-term goal, but it also provides building blocks for future power projection. Perhaps the most important enabler for the PLA’s transition from a regional to a global force will be advances in C4ISR. A key aspiration of PLA doctrine since the late 1990s has been to apply ever more sophisticated information technologies to military endeavors. With its roots in the now famous 1986 “863 Program” to fund high-technology military research, C4ISR progress has benefited from the PLA building one of the world’s most advanced national fiber-optic grids in the 1990s, plus creation of one of the world’s leading computer chip and hardware sectors. These have enabled the PLA’s steady progress in creating C4ISR capabilities in space, on the ground and in cyberwarfare.
China has made dramatic progress in building space information architecture with communication, navigation and surveillance satellites. So far the PLA controls only two dedicated communication satellites, one of which supports Ka-band tactical communication links. But the PLA is thought to have access to a larger number of communication satellites controlled by China’s satellite companies.
An initial constellation of four BeiDou navigation satellites (navsat) was placed in orbit in April 2007. Only capable of China-region coverage with the help of ground-station broadcasts, they have a secondary text-communication function. China’s larger goal is to loft a 30-satellite Compass navsat constellation by 2015. This will provide global coverage and complement and compete with the U.S. GPS, Russian Glonass and European Galileo navsat systems.
China launched the first two HuangJing high-resolution electro-optical surveillance satellites on Sept. 5, 2008. These will eventually comprise a constellation of at least four electro-optical and four Russian-aided radar satellites, the first to be launched this year. This follows the YaoGan surveillance satellite constellation, which consists so far of two planar radar satellites and two electro-optical satellites. China intends to fly some of these satellites in formation, which could yield data to support 360-deg. mapping and 3D mission-planning programs. An electro-optical, surveillance-satellite program with Brazil was recently extended by three satellites (making five total), and China has long been a major consumer of commercial satellite imagery. Chinese sources also indicate that the PLA is developing dedicated missile-early-warning satellites.
An important achievement was the Apr. 25, 2008, launch of the PLA’s first TianLan data-relay satellite, which supported last September’s Shenzhou-7 manned space mission. More capable data-relay satellites that will support real-time global targeting missions can be expected. With a competitive small-satellite sector centered in aerospace universities, China is fast emerging as a leading developer of micro- (50 kg., or 110 lb.), nano- (30 kg. and less) and pico- (5 kg. and less) satellites. China launched three microsatellite missions in 2008, including BanXing-1, which operated in formation with Shenzhou-7. China, like other space powers, expects that expensive large-bus satellites will give way to formations of less expensive, less vulnerable and easier to replenish microsatellites.
PLA inner-space surveillance capabilities include advances in radar and electronic intelligence systems. A recent network of bistatic, long-range, over-the-horizon radar facilities for the first time allow the PLA to monitor naval and air activities more than 1,000 km. (620 mi.) at sea. The PLA has added fixed and mobile tactical radars, including active phased array, digitally enhanced long-wave radar useful for counterstealth operations and long-range passive radar similar to the Ukrainian Kolchuga system, which China reportedly purchased. China has many electronic intelligence and signals intelligence facilities, including sites in Cuba and, reportedly, Myanmar.
PLA surveillance capabilities will soon be enhanced by the acquisition of high-altitude long-endurance (HALE), medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) and vertical-takeoff unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Chengdu Aircraft Corp. is developing a HALE UAV that is a dead-ringer for Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk, while Guizhou Aircraft is developing a novel box-wing HALE drone. Guizhou and Chengdu are also developing MALE UAVs, while vertical UAVs are emerging from China’s helicopter companies and design groups.
Command and communication capabilities benefit from a proliferation of digital and broadband platforms across all PLA services, which aid the development and implementation of joint-forces doctrines and more efficient command structures. National, theater and field-level command posts combine data and video from top command sources to the field, for use along the command chain, while broadband capabilities have helped revolutionize PLA logistics and access to military education. The laptop computer is becoming ubiquitous in the PLA.
In addition, the PLA has made strides in equipping its services with modern computer-based training simulators, from fighter cockpits to submarine command decks, missile and tank crew trainers and personal computer-based infantry-decision trainers. It is reasonable to expect the PLA to follow the example of the U.S. and others in creating networked simulation training for disparate joint forces.
An example of increasing C4ISR prowess occurred last Dec. 8, when according to Chinese accounts, China’s maritime surveillance agency was able to take advantage of precise information concerning the location and patterns of Japan’s coast guard ships, to catch the latter by surprise and move its ships in to assert claims to disputed islands in the East China Sea.
The PLA’s precision surveillance is being combined with new capabilities for precision strike—see our next installment.
Richard D. Fisher, Jr., is a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center of Arlington, Va., and author of China’s Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach (Praeger, 2008).
Photo: USMC
Friday, March 20, 2009
RSF lists Burma among 12 “Internet Enemies”
http://www.mizzima.com/news/world/1839-rsf-lists-burma-among-12-internet-enemies.html
by Mungpi
Friday, 13 March 2009 18:16
New Delhi (Mizzima) - Paris-based media watchdog, Reporters Without Border (RSF), has listed military-ruled Burma among 12 countries, which it has called “Internet Enemies” for censoring online freedom of expression.
In a report published on Thursday, entitled “Enemies of the Internet”, the RSF identified 12 nations, that it said had systematically restricted the flow of information to the people by denying them access to the internet and banning sites that it deemed “undesirable”.
The list of such nations included, Burma, China, North Korea, Vietnam, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Cuba and Tunisia.
According to the report, Burma’s military rulers have displayed their high-handedness on the few internet users in Burma, by arresting and sentencing at least 14 journalists and two bloggers to long prison terms.
Out of an approximate nearly 50 million people, only about 40,000, mostly urban dwellers, have the privilege of access to the internet, the report said.
In 1996, Burma had introduced a law on television, and video along with the Electronic Act, which banned the import, possession and use of a modem, without official permission. The offense was punishable with up to 15-years of imprisonment, for damaging state security, national unity, culture, the national economy and law and order.
Burma has two government-controlled Internet Service Providers, namely the Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT) and the Bagan Cybertech, which was later renamed as Myanmar Teleport.
Besides monitoring public cyber cafes by conducting surprise checks on internet users and asking the café managers to keep track records of users, the prohibitive prices of getting a connection at home, also restricts the population from accessing the internet.
The report said, the Burmese military junta due to its fear of losing control over the internet, had made laws relating to electronic communications and the dissemination of news online, the most dissuasive in the world, exposing internet-users to very harsh prison sentences.
Internet users in Burma could be simply arrested and sentenced to long prison terms, if they were found surfing or browsing dissident websites, international news sites, and exiled Burmese Media sites, including Mizzima News.
Nay Phone Latt, a 28 year old, owner of two cyber cafes in Rangoon, was arrested in January 2008, and sentenced to over 12 years of imprisonment, under the Electronic Act for possessing a film, which the junta said was “subversive”.
Similarly, popular comedian Zargarnar was also sentenced to 35 years under the Electronic Act, for posting pictures and information on the impact of Cyclone Nargis, which revealed the government’s failure to adequately assist the victims.
The report said, “All of these countries mark themselves out not just for their capacity to censor news and information online, but also for their almost systematic repression of internet users.”
The report, which made a study of 22 countries, also said there were “at least 69 people behind bars, for having expressed themselves freely online.”
The RSF also puts 10 other countries including Australia and South Korea, “Under Surveillance” for adopting worrying measures that could be the beginning of abuses on internet users and imposition of censorship on freedom of expression online.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Myanmar, Thailand to cooperate in generating electricity from wind
http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24005&Itemid=32
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Myanmar Ministry of Energy and its Thai counterpart have agreed to cooperate in generating electricity from wind in Myanmar's coastal regions during this year as a follow-up of a solar-system electricity production cooperation project, sources with the Myanmar Hydrology and Meteorology Department said yesterday.
Under a memorandum of understanding between the two parties, Thai electrical experts will come to Myanmar in the near future to make feasibility on installation of energy measurement apparatus.
Last year, the two parties had constructed five solar energy measurement towers in five regions of Yangon, Mandalay, Shwe Bo, Meikhtila and Pyay, the report said.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is making endeavors to apply tidal wave to generate electricity to electrify coastal villages in cyclone-hit region, according to engineering circle.
The project will be implemented by organizations led by the Myanmar Engineers Association during this year.
Such way of generating electricity was once applied in 2006 to affect Ngaputaw village in Ayeyawaddy division but due to cyclone Nargis last year, the project was put off.
Meanwhile, application of bio-digesters, which produce bio- energy out of animal waste, became widespread in 2007 after innovation years ago.
According to local report, since bio-digesters were introduced in Myanmar's two divisions of Bago and Ayeyawaddy, it has electrified over 2,000 houses in 12 villages.
Monday, March 9, 2009
From (& To) Russia, With Love-ONLINE HACKERS
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/03/from_to_russia_with_love.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
If you ask security experts why more cyber criminals aren't brought to justice, the answer you will probably hear is that U.S. authorities simply aren't getting the cooperation they need from law enforcement officials in Russia and other Eastern European nations, where some of the world's most active cyber criminal gangs are thought to operate with impunity.
But I wonder whether authorities in those countries would be any more willing to pursue cyber crooks in their own countries if they were forced to confront just how deeply those groups have penetrated key government and private computer networks in those regions?
As Security Fix documented in When Cyber Criminals Eat Their Own, a common misconception about hacker groups in Russia and the former Soviet nations is that they avoid targeting their own people. On the contrary, aggregate statistics from recent attacks and outbreaks strongly suggest that perception no longer matches reality.
One gradual but notable shift on this front has been the increasing willingness of Russian and Eastern European cyber gangs to target companies in their home countries in virtual shakedowns known as distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, according to exclusive data provided by cyber security research firm Team Cymru (pronounced kum-ree).
In DDoS assaults, cyber gangsters demand tens of thousands of dollars in protection money from businesses. If the businesses refuse to pay, the criminals order hundreds or thousands of compromised computers that they control to flood the Web sites with meaningless traffic, crippling the businesses and preventing legitimate visitors from transacting with the sites.
This video animation, provided by Team Cymru, depicts the targets of DDoS attacks between Jan. 1 and Mar. 1, 2009.
While it's difficult to tell from the video, over the 60-day period depicted here, Team Cymru counted some 45 distinct DDoS incidents in which Russian Internet addresses were the target of the attack (an enlargeable version of this movie can be seen here).
Team Cymru's Steve Santorelli said firms in China and Russia are no more insulated from DDoS attacks than their Western counterparts.
"It's clear from our monitoring that Chinese and Russian victims are much more common now than they were a few years ago," Santorelli said. "There are several possible reasons for that but it's a definite trend that many other in the security community have also noticed."
There also is evidence that cyber crooks have deeply compromised some key Russian and Eastern European government agencies and corporations, as well as top officials at those entities.
Some of the more granular data to support that comes from TrustedSource, which is McAfee's global intelligence system that assigns reputation to networks based on activity it sees coming from them. The following data sets show that TrustedSource recently has observed virus e-mail and spam originating from a variety of government agencies and banking institutions in Russia.
According to McAfee, compromised Russian banks include:
Rusfinance Bank
OGO Bank
Tusarbank
Link Capital Investment Bank
The Maritime Bank
Vladivostok Alfa Bank
Bank Eurotreid
Bank Voronezh
Bashcreditbank
Enisey's United Bank
Inter-Svayz Bank
McAfee's data suggests that computer systems in the following Russian government offices also are controlled by cyber gangs:
Ministry of Taxation, Nazran region
Russian State Internet Network
Regional Finance & Economy Institute
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
Medical Center of Russian Federation President's Department
Pension Fund of the Russian Federation
Personal Network for the Russian Federation Justice
JSC Chechen Cellular Communication
Dmitri Alperovitch, McAfee's vice president of threat research, said online criminals are largely indiscriminate about their targets and will attack any organization of financial or other interest to them.
"This data disputes the prevalent myth that's been popular in the cyber security community that online criminals, of which a significant number are believed to reside in Eastern Europe, prefer to focus on targets in Western countries and tend to shy away from attacking people or companies in their local jurisdiction," Alperovitch said. "Clearly, the Internet knows no geographical boundaries and it is now apparent that cyber criminals will attack any target of opportunity presented to them."
As Security Fix showed in January, some of the largest collections of victims with data-stealing malicious software installed on their PCs are in Russia. This too, may be a factor of the indiscriminate malware economy: Many of the most common data-stealing keylogger programs - such as Zeus and Limbo - are sold as plug-and-play kits that will just as happily infect an American PC as they will Russian computers.
Just a few minutes of digging through more than 30 gigabytes of keylogged data intercepted by security researchers yielded some interesting results, and more than a few important victims in Russia and Eastern Europe had their corporate Microsoft Outlook e-mail credentials stolen, along with other user names and passwords. Among them was Vladimir Novikov, head of the corporate management department for Gazprom Neft, one of the largest oil-producing companies in Russia. Mr. Novikov did not return e-mails seeking comment.
By Brian Krebs | March 3, 2009; 2:40 PM ET Cyber Justice , Fraud , From the Bunker , Misc.
Previous: "Koobface" Worm Resurfaces on Facebook, MySpace | Next: Fanning the Flames of the Browser Security Wars
CommentsPlease email us to report offensive comments.
Brian, In the animation there is one spot in North America near the great lakes that appears as being attacked about 90% of the time. I watched a few times, and that one spot appears to be attacked considerably more than any other spot shown. Any ideas where this place is and why it would be such a consistent target?
Posted by: lostinthemiddle | March 3, 2009 6:51 PM
@lostinthemiddle -- I have no idea. But I will ask. Looks sort of like the target may be in Canada.
Posted by: BTKrebs | March 3, 2009 7:35 PM
I continue to be impressed with the depth and originality of your reporting, Brian. I hope The Post appreciates your work.
Posted by: Dawny_Chambers | March 4, 2009 6:56 AM
I second that and raise you a 'I truly value the ability to ask you a question in the comments knowing you will read and respond if appropriate'. It makes a big difference.
Posted by: lostinthemiddle | March 4, 2009 9:25 AM
This development is actually most welcome. As an unintended consequence, perhaps the governments being attacked will finally take notice and do something. Of course, the dismaying news is that some government agencies are themselves complicit, whether by design or otherwise.
Too bad we can't invent an electronic analogy to counter-artillery weaponry that instantly targets the source of incoming shells, computes a solution, and fires back destroying the source.
Posted by: peterpallesen | March 4, 2009 11:21 AM
@lostinthemiddle -- so I asked the Team Cymru guys about the target you mentioned. their response:
Yep, that's an attack taking place on an IP located in Ontario -
Toronto, in Canada. It was initiated by an HTTP based botnet in China
and the attack command stayed there for a long time, hence the impact on
the video.
Posted by: BTKrebs | March 4, 2009 2:17 PM
Excellent piece.
Not even the lesser cyber transgressions such as the pfishing expeditions launched from who knows where get resolved by the FBI. Having tried to get the Baltimore office of the FBI to go after those sending pfishing messages my total net response or even a email back from them is exactly 0. Corporations who have had their corporate names and identities purloined by the pfishers also seem unwilling to aggressively go after the pfishers.
Citizens need protection that only governments can provide. If we cannot get resolution of pfishing expeditions how can we expect the government to successfully resolve the greater cyber invasions described in Kreb's good work?
Posted by: absiebert2 | March 4, 2009 3:54 PM
absiebert2 has a point:
A couple of years ago, I received 2 phishing Emails that appeared to be from a well-known very large bank. I had once had an account there, so I did not automatically delete them. The Emails were artfully crafted with graphics copied from the bank's website. But one or 2 sentences were tell-tale that the writer did not usually speak English, so I examined the "click here" to see where it was really going - overseas!
I printed them out each time and took them to the bank branch. No one there had any idea what to do, as if they had never seen such a thing. Worse, they did not perceive it as damaging to their image.
I suggested to the branch manager that he probably would not be able to interest law enforcement in this, but it would be wise to send it up the line to his bosses, to get a warning printed on the next month's statements that the bank would never ask for info by Email. The larger the bank, the more likely phishers would broadcast in their name, hoping to snare a customer.
Not being a customer, I never found out if he took my suggestion seriously.
Eirík Þorvaldsson
Posted by: EirikThorvaldsson | March 5, 2009 1:03 AM
@BTKrebs
Thank you for the follow up.
Posted by: lostinthemiddle | March 5, 2009 1:15 PM
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More hi-tech gimmicks for the Army-BURMA
The Burma Army has received Russian-made 1L117 radar last month, a group of border watchers reported recently.
An unknown number of the radar sets were transferred to the Army in Rangoon on 23 February and 25 February, according to the report.
One of them is due to be installed at Loi Mwe, 20 miles south of Kengtung and 82 miles north of Maesai.
Photo: Lianozovo Electromechanical Plant (LEMZ)
The radar provides a maximum range of 350 km (218.75 miles). Besides, it has the advantages of “low cost, high reliability, simplicity and friendliness of operation control” plus “Built-in identification ‘friend or foe’ (IFF) interrogator,” according to its catalogue.
The Russians already have an improved updated model: 1L117M.
SHAN reported in January that the Burma Army has put to use the UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) maps and has been training in another Russian-made lgla MANPADS (Man portable Air Defense System).
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News related to Shan & Burma, including other interested news items are collected and posted from time to time for your information.Those interested are requested to write to "Shan Herald Agency for News"
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
IT-themed fiscal stimulus plan worth ¥6 trillion being drafted
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20090301a1.html
Kyodo News
The government is drafting a ¥6 trillion information technology-related fiscal stimulus plan that includes subsidies to citizens who replace their appliances with new energy-saving models, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
The three-year plan offers to pay ¥5,000 for each new purchase of an energy-efficient appliance, such as an air conditioner or refrigerator, the sources said.
It will also offer ¥10,000 subsidies for antennas designed to receive terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in an attempt to encourage electronics purchases to bolster the flagging economy, they said.
It also calls for sending Internet content to elementary and junior high school students residing in mountainous areas or remote islands to improve their knowledge of foreign languages and other subjects they might come across during entrance exams.
The details of the ¥6 trillion stimulus plan will be settled around late March after consulting a council that advises Prime Minister Taro Aso.
The IT program will constitute part of a larger fiscal policy package being drawn up by the ruling coalition. Some legislators have proposed boosting the size of fiscal expenditures under the larger package to ¥20 trillion or more.
The IT plan will be the core of the larger package, but it is expected to be financed by a supplementary budget for fiscal 2009 and subsequent measures expected to be taken for the three-year period lasting through fiscal 2011, the sources said.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Myanmar to introduce GAP system in breeding fish for export
http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23348&Itemid=32
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Myanmar will introduce the Good Aqua-culture Practice (GAP) system to replace the natural one for all fish breeding ponds to improve the quality products for export in the next fiscal year 2009-10 starting from April, sources with the Fishery Department said on Wednesday.
The project will be implemented together with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as agreed.
The fish breeding under the GAP system calls for using clean water and non-chemical feed in the undertaking for natural growth.
Fish for export will require GAP recommendation issued by the department, the sources said.
According to official statistics, in the fiscal year 2007-08, Myanmar exported 352,652 tons of marine products, gaining 560 million dollars.
However, Myanmar estimated a drop by 80 million U.S. dollars or 14.2 percent in its marine export earning in the current fiscal year of 2008-09 ending March.
The estimated fall of the export earning is attributed to the impact of last year's May storm, the global financial crisis and flash surge of hard currency exchange rate.
The commerce authorities revealed that purchase order from abroad was down by 50 percent compare with normalcy, while domestic purchase power fell by 40 percent.
Along with the reduction of foreign market demand, price of fish also dropped in the domestic market.
The country's fishery sector remained as the fourth largest contributor to the gross domestic product and also the fourth largest source of foreign exchange earning during the past five years.
With a long coastline of over 2,800 km and a total area of 500, 000 hectares of swamps along the coast, the country has an estimated sustainable yield of marine products at over one million tons a year.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
North Korea Announces Plans for 'Satellite' Launch
http://www.freevoa.com/2009/02/north-korea-announces-plans-for.html
Feb 24, 2009
North Korea has spelled out in its clearest terms yet its intention to launch what it describes as a "communications satellite."
A South Korean watches television news showing file image of North Korea's missile, at railway station in Seoul, 24 Feb 2009
Official North Korean media broadcast a statement Tuesday from the country's science ministry saying "preparations to launch an experimental communications satellite are now making brisk headway."
North Korea has not specified when it will conduct the launch, which it says will carry a satellite named Kwangmyongsong 2 into orbit. North Korean media says the successful launch will be "another giant stride forward in building an economic power."
It is the clearest confirmation Pyongyang has given of U.S. and South Korean suspicions the North intends to launch a long-range rocket potentially capable of reaching the United States. South Korea's Defense Minister rejected the notion of a satellite launch Tuesday, saying the North was planning a ballistic missile test.
Baek Seung-joo, a senior researcher at the state-backed Korean Institute of Defense Analyses in Seoul, says Tuesday's announcement means a launch is now inevitable.
He says this is just like 2006, when North Korea carried out its nuclear weapons test after announcing it first. Now that they have gone public, he says, Pyongyang cannot help but conduct the launch in order to demonstrate its strong will.
North Korea's last test of its most advanced long-range missile was in 2006, a few months before the nuclear test. It triggered sharp United Nations sanctions in the form of United Nations resolution 1718, which also prohibited future missile launches.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry repeated warnings Tuesday that a North Korean launch would violate that resolution, and trigger more U.N. punishment.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies, says the legality may not be so black and white.
He says labeling this a satellite launch may help Pyongyang skirt the United Nations resolution, which mainly dealt with ballistic missiles.
Joseph Bermudez, a senior analyst with Jane's Defense Weekly, is one of the world's top experts on North Korea's missile programs. He says even if the launch is a satellite, the North's missile program will benefit.
"So anything they could do to develop the Space Launch Vehicle is very much applicable to a ballistic missile program," he said. "Materials and technology for one could help the other."
Bermudez has said satellite imagery indicates the launch could come any day now. Many South Korean experts have a more conservative estimate, saying a launch is unlikely before next month.
Posted by Learner at 10:14
Labels: News
Myanmar Plans Full Coverage of Public Access Centers in Whole Country
http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/02/24/1821s457543.htm
2009-02-24 20:30:56 Xinhua Web Editor: Xu Leiying
Myanmar has planned full coverage of public access centers (PAC) in every township in the country to facilitate communication links, according to the Myanmar Info-Tech Tuesday.
Over 400 PAC opened in 44 townships in Myanmar since 2004, the sources said, adding that plans are underway to open more PAC in the remaining townships especially in the rural areas.
According to the telecommunications authorities, the number of internet users in Myanmar has reached over 300,000, up from merely dozens in four years ago.
Myanmar has been striving for the development of ICT to contribute its part to the national economic development. In December 2007, Myanmar's first largest ICT park, also known as the Yadanabon Myothit Cyber City, was introduced in Pyin Oo Lwin, a northern city of Myanmar in Mandalay division.
The cyber city, which covers an overall area of 10,000 acres (4, 050 hectares), is located in the hilly Pyin Oo Lwin near a highway, 67 km east of the second largest city of Mandalay in the north, and 20 percent of the cyber city area produce software and hardware.
The internet of the cyber city not only links with the whole country but also connect neighboring China, Thailand and India.
With the establishment of the cyber city, more and more local and foreign information technology (IT) companies have sought investment in the cyber city for the development of IT business undertakings.
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