Ever thought who send the first spam mail?
Thirty years ago next week, Gary Thuerk, a marketer at the now-defunct computer firm Digital Equipment Corporation, sent an email to 393 users of Arpanet, the US government-run computer network that eventually became the internet.
Thuerk sent the ad for a new computer model from his own email address, and had a co-worker type in all of the addresses by hand - It was the first spam email ever!
That commercial message, sent on 3 May 1978, drew a swift and negative reaction. Recipients complained directly to Thuerk, who had made no attempt to hide his identity, and DEC was reprimanded by the Arpanet administrators.
Today spammers target not just email, but also websites, blogs, social networking sites, and cellphones. Spamming went underground as people quickly learned to hide their identities and locations. A cat and mouse game has ensued. Organizations like the Spamhaus Project publish lists of IP addresses known to produce spam. ISPs use the information to block email to their users from those addresses.The latest spam filters use Bayesian filters that learn to distinguish spam using the content of emails, or systems that identify new spam through digital "fingerprints". However spamers use multiple counter methods like mutation, zombie machines to bypass these filters.
While the cost to spammers remains low, ISPs and we pay a higher price because of the bandwidth wasted, and the cost of the filtering technology. Research estimates that the cost of fighting spam will be $140 billion globally in 2008.
How would you like to be charge a rupee per email? Well, thats where the world seem to be heading towards!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Booming economy is running out of STEAM!
At the end of a cold and stormy winter, China has just 12 days of coal reserves at most power stations. Some provinces, including Hebei, bordering Beijing, have less than a week's coal left. This is a record low, the state electricity regulatory commission revealed on Tuesday.
China relies on burning coal for 70% of its electricity. Coal imports, which started last year, have also failed to meet the difference between supply and demand. Such is the demand for power from an economy that has been growing by 10% a year for more than two decades.
The International Energy Agency says China increased capacity at coal-fired power stations by 100 gigawatts in 2006, the most recent year for which figures are available.
The deputy head of the Chinese electricity regulatory commission, Wang Yeping, said the country is likely to be short of 10 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity by this summer.
Power shortages
That will cause brownouts and power shortages, particularly in southern provinces, where the spread of air conditioning systems is competing with industry for power.
The coal mining industry, and the rail network needed to bring the coal to the power plants, are both struggling to keep up with the drive to build ever more generating capacity. The strains raise questions about how much longer China's breakneck industrialization can continue.
Last year, by most calculations, China exceeded the US to become the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter – though its emissions per head of population remain far lower. Both countries are heavily reliant on coal for their power, which produces more CO2 per unit of energy than other major fossil fuels.
China relies on burning coal for 70% of its electricity. Coal imports, which started last year, have also failed to meet the difference between supply and demand. Such is the demand for power from an economy that has been growing by 10% a year for more than two decades.
The International Energy Agency says China increased capacity at coal-fired power stations by 100 gigawatts in 2006, the most recent year for which figures are available.
The deputy head of the Chinese electricity regulatory commission, Wang Yeping, said the country is likely to be short of 10 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity by this summer.
Power shortages
That will cause brownouts and power shortages, particularly in southern provinces, where the spread of air conditioning systems is competing with industry for power.
The coal mining industry, and the rail network needed to bring the coal to the power plants, are both struggling to keep up with the drive to build ever more generating capacity. The strains raise questions about how much longer China's breakneck industrialization can continue.
Last year, by most calculations, China exceeded the US to become the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter – though its emissions per head of population remain far lower. Both countries are heavily reliant on coal for their power, which produces more CO2 per unit of energy than other major fossil fuels.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Let's hear it for Tanzania
Despite being one of the world's poorest nations, it has become a role model in how to reach global targets for reducing death rates of children and mothers - putting most of its poor African neighbors to shame.
Reports released last week in The Lancet (vol 371, p 1276) and this week at a summit in Cape Town, South Africa, show that of the 68 nations that account for 97 per cent of the world's childhood and maternal deaths, only 16 are on track to meet Millennium Development Goals to cut deaths in children under 5 by two-thirds, and maternal deaths by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015.
It makes me feel good to know that a nation and its political agenda are directed to their own welfare and not just the welfare of a few rich men!
Reports released last week in The Lancet (vol 371, p 1276) and this week at a summit in Cape Town, South Africa, show that of the 68 nations that account for 97 per cent of the world's childhood and maternal deaths, only 16 are on track to meet Millennium Development Goals to cut deaths in children under 5 by two-thirds, and maternal deaths by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015.
It makes me feel good to know that a nation and its political agenda are directed to their own welfare and not just the welfare of a few rich men!
Monday, April 21, 2008
I was born 30!
Here’s a fun question to ask people after a few drinks: What’s your perennial age?
I’ve observed that everyone has a perennial age that appears to be set at birth. For example, I’ve always been 30-years old. I was ill-suited for being a little kid, and didn’t enjoy most kid activities. By first grade I knew I wanted to be an adult, with an established career, car, house and a decent cricket game. I didn’t care for my awkward and unsettled teens. And I’m not looking forward to the rocking chair. If I could be one age forever, it would be 30.
When I ask people about their perennial age, they usually beg it off by saying they don’t have one. But if you press, you always get an answer. And the age they pick won’t surprise you. Some people are kids all their lives. They will admit they are 12-years old. Other people have always had senior citizen interests and perspectives. If you’re 30-years old in nominal terms, but you love bingo and you think kids should stop wearing those big baggy pants and listening to hip-hop music, your perennial age might be 60.
Another way to divide people is by asking if they live in the present or the future. I live in the future. I don’t dwell on the past. I’m always thinking about what’s next. When I sit down for a movie – no matter how much I expect to like it – I always look at my watch and imagine it being over. My mood is mostly determined by my expectations of how tomorrow will be. This works for me because I’m an optimist, and the future can’t disappoint me in the present.
Other people live in the moment. If today isn’t just right, they believe today is a bad day. Tomorrow is too far away to influence how they feel today. That’s a good point of view as long as today is going well.
Some people are locked in the past; it sneaks into all of their conversations and colors their perceptions more than it should. They spend their lives either consciously or unconsciously trying to turn the future into the past. They tend to be unhappy.
So what age are you? And what timeframe do you live in?
I’ve observed that everyone has a perennial age that appears to be set at birth. For example, I’ve always been 30-years old. I was ill-suited for being a little kid, and didn’t enjoy most kid activities. By first grade I knew I wanted to be an adult, with an established career, car, house and a decent cricket game. I didn’t care for my awkward and unsettled teens. And I’m not looking forward to the rocking chair. If I could be one age forever, it would be 30.
When I ask people about their perennial age, they usually beg it off by saying they don’t have one. But if you press, you always get an answer. And the age they pick won’t surprise you. Some people are kids all their lives. They will admit they are 12-years old. Other people have always had senior citizen interests and perspectives. If you’re 30-years old in nominal terms, but you love bingo and you think kids should stop wearing those big baggy pants and listening to hip-hop music, your perennial age might be 60.
Another way to divide people is by asking if they live in the present or the future. I live in the future. I don’t dwell on the past. I’m always thinking about what’s next. When I sit down for a movie – no matter how much I expect to like it – I always look at my watch and imagine it being over. My mood is mostly determined by my expectations of how tomorrow will be. This works for me because I’m an optimist, and the future can’t disappoint me in the present.
Other people live in the moment. If today isn’t just right, they believe today is a bad day. Tomorrow is too far away to influence how they feel today. That’s a good point of view as long as today is going well.
Some people are locked in the past; it sneaks into all of their conversations and colors their perceptions more than it should. They spend their lives either consciously or unconsciously trying to turn the future into the past. They tend to be unhappy.
So what age are you? And what timeframe do you live in?
Life after Death
What does a coral reef look like 50 years after being nuked? Not so bad, it seems!
Last Friday, as I was moving my documents around for archiving, came across this interesting fact about a coral reef that has risen from its own ashes – just like the Phoenix!
Three islands of Bikini Atoll were vaporized by the Bravo hydrogen bomb in 1954, which shook islands 200 kilometers away.
The ecologists estimate that the diversity of species represents about 65% of what was present before the atomic tests. Although the ambient radiation is low, people have remained at bay.
The ecologists believe that the nearby Rongelap Atoll is seeding the Bikini Atoll, and the lack of human disturbance is helping its recovery.
Boy, sometimes I wonder how the world would be if humans were extinct!
Last Friday, as I was moving my documents around for archiving, came across this interesting fact about a coral reef that has risen from its own ashes – just like the Phoenix!
Three islands of Bikini Atoll were vaporized by the Bravo hydrogen bomb in 1954, which shook islands 200 kilometers away.
The ecologists estimate that the diversity of species represents about 65% of what was present before the atomic tests. Although the ambient radiation is low, people have remained at bay.
The ecologists believe that the nearby Rongelap Atoll is seeding the Bikini Atoll, and the lack of human disturbance is helping its recovery.
Boy, sometimes I wonder how the world would be if humans were extinct!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
A life long journey of Debunking
Post the last 26 years of my life - I have come to believe that free will doesn't exist. I believe we are controlled by instincts and conditioning. The more knowledge we have, the better decisions we can make. Observing my family and friends over the past few years has only made this thought stronger.
Below are some questions I ask myself –
Do you get to choose what sounds good or bad to you?...what tastes good or bad?...what smells good or bad?...what looks good or bad?...what feels good or bad?I don't believe we get to choose. We are wired a certain way to know good from bad. We are also wired to choose good over bad.
Do you get to choose a joke is funny and then laugh at it?
Do you ever get bored? Why? Did you choose to get bored? Why not just choose not to be bored? Thinking about it – I wud have done way better in acadamics, if I could choose not to be bored with school and studying.
Can drug addicts just choose not to be addicted?Do people choose to have multiple personalities?Do people choose to be bipolar?How does dementia affect free will?
How do salmon know to swim back up river to spawn all at the same time? It is genetically controlled. It cannot be a learned behavior because the entire previous generation are dead.
We are humans and we are wired to act in certain ways just like other animals are wired to act a certain way. Dog breeds have definable behavioral characteristics that distinguish them from other dog breeds. Why? Because they are controlled by instincts that are passed down by genetics. We use training to condition them to act in a manner that is pleasing to us. But, we don't get to just choose any training method we want to get the behavior we want. We have to supply a stimulus that will give us the correct reaction. That reaction is dictated by the dog's instinct which is controlled by the brain which is an expression of DNA.
Below are some questions I ask myself –
Do you get to choose what sounds good or bad to you?...what tastes good or bad?...what smells good or bad?...what looks good or bad?...what feels good or bad?I don't believe we get to choose. We are wired a certain way to know good from bad. We are also wired to choose good over bad.
Do you get to choose a joke is funny and then laugh at it?
Do you ever get bored? Why? Did you choose to get bored? Why not just choose not to be bored? Thinking about it – I wud have done way better in acadamics, if I could choose not to be bored with school and studying.
Can drug addicts just choose not to be addicted?Do people choose to have multiple personalities?Do people choose to be bipolar?How does dementia affect free will?
How do salmon know to swim back up river to spawn all at the same time? It is genetically controlled. It cannot be a learned behavior because the entire previous generation are dead.
We are humans and we are wired to act in certain ways just like other animals are wired to act a certain way. Dog breeds have definable behavioral characteristics that distinguish them from other dog breeds. Why? Because they are controlled by instincts that are passed down by genetics. We use training to condition them to act in a manner that is pleasing to us. But, we don't get to just choose any training method we want to get the behavior we want. We have to supply a stimulus that will give us the correct reaction. That reaction is dictated by the dog's instinct which is controlled by the brain which is an expression of DNA.
I am loosing on “Time”
I used to strangely feel that life was not stopping by for me to do all that I wanted to. At first i thought it was my hunger for success that was keeping me away. As i aged, felt it was my lathargy that kept me away - Last week I felt it was indicisiveness.
But today, i know its none of the above - rather "Time" itself thats missing from my equation of a content life :(
Let’s see - have a typical life and try to live it in the healthiest way. You might allocate your 24-hour weekday this way:
Sleep: 8 hours
Exercise: 1 hour
Work: 9 hours
Eating: 1 hours (leisurely)
Hygiene: 1 hour
Travel: 1 (Commute, errands)
That leaves you three hours for family time, shopping, food preparation, chores, household repair, volunteering in the school, and so on. If you have a dentist appointment, or your talkative relative calls, or American Idol has a two-hour special, you’re tapped out.
It’s a challenge to live a happy life if you aren’t giving enough attention to all of those categories, yet doing so is nearly impossible.
One time management strategy is to be independently wealthy, freeing up eight hours a day. But that option isn’t available to many. And apparently it isn’t fulfilling because most rich people continue to work full schedules.
Another strategy is to ignore the fact that you are slowly killing yourself by not sleeping and exercising enough. That frees up several hours a day. The only downside is that you get fat and die.
A third path is to work less than you could, live economically, enjoy each day as it comes, and try not to think about living on cat food when you retire.
Which strategy have you picked?
But today, i know its none of the above - rather "Time" itself thats missing from my equation of a content life :(
Let’s see - have a typical life and try to live it in the healthiest way. You might allocate your 24-hour weekday this way:
Sleep: 8 hours
Exercise: 1 hour
Work: 9 hours
Eating: 1 hours (leisurely)
Hygiene: 1 hour
Travel: 1 (Commute, errands)
That leaves you three hours for family time, shopping, food preparation, chores, household repair, volunteering in the school, and so on. If you have a dentist appointment, or your talkative relative calls, or American Idol has a two-hour special, you’re tapped out.
It’s a challenge to live a happy life if you aren’t giving enough attention to all of those categories, yet doing so is nearly impossible.
One time management strategy is to be independently wealthy, freeing up eight hours a day. But that option isn’t available to many. And apparently it isn’t fulfilling because most rich people continue to work full schedules.
Another strategy is to ignore the fact that you are slowly killing yourself by not sleeping and exercising enough. That frees up several hours a day. The only downside is that you get fat and die.
A third path is to work less than you could, live economically, enjoy each day as it comes, and try not to think about living on cat food when you retire.
Which strategy have you picked?
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