Google Nose - Now smell your searches!

Few hours ago, Google's launched it's "Scent"-sational service called "The Google Nose" (Beta) that boasts of having over 15 million Scentibytes of data that can transmit smell through your devices! Just type in a search item and click on "Smell" towards the right side of the screen.



Here's what Google says about this new Innovation of theirs

The new scentsation in search

• Coming to your senses: go beyond type, talk, and touch for a new notation of sensation.
• Your internet sommelier: expertly curated Knowledge Panels pair images, descriptions, and aromas.
• Take a wiff: the Google Aromabase - 15M+ scentibytes.
• Don't ask, don't smell: For when you're wary of your query - SafeSearch included.

A few points to keep note of
If you are experiencing problems with Google Nose^BETA, please note the following:

• "418: Scent transfer protocol error" indicates system congestion; please try again later.
• Due to technological constraints, not all smells are compatible with all devices.
• Refrain from licking or biting your screen.
• Try upgrading to a modern browser, such as Google Chrome.
• It is April Fools' Day.

ISO 27001 - Collaborative approach to Organization ISMS and Cyber Security Strategy

During the period when I was pursuing my Masters Degree in Information Security at The Cardiff University, My Supervisor Dr.Pete Burnap suggested me to research on ISO 27001 Risk assessment as part of the curriculum. Now that the results are out and I had been awarded a distinction, I thought its best if I was make my work available for all in the academic community to share without restriction. So here you go!

Abstract
Although successful Risk Assessment (RA) methodologies have been developed over the years to model complex systems, Conventional Risk Management (RM) techniques are outdated, increasingly becoming daunting and complex with a steep decline in the ability to mitigate emerging or unknown threats. Much of RA conducted within an organization is based on an individual’s perception of risk and most controls are implemented with doubt and uncertainty since prediction is inherently hard.

Typical RA reports are treated as classified and are self contained within Organizations as they believe that it could potentially compromise their security leverage against “Real World Threats (RWT)” or competing Organizations. A clear case of clouded uncertainty exists when assigning tolerance indicators and risk metrics leading to bad decision making among managerial authority to which we shall refer to as “Cognitive bias”. An ill-informed RM strategy could cost dearly to the organization. The problem is complex, however the solution need not be.

This work aims to make Risk Management more approachable & standardized by suggesting a framework following the ISO 27001 methodology where anonymized (Privacy Preservation of public data achieved by K-anonymity) RA reports can be shared among various organizations grouped across industry sectors to enable mutual and collaborative defense against cyber crime and facilitate informed decisions about “True security risks” without the fear of specific privacy disclosure. This could potentially help managerial authority make efficient decisions that can be validated & to focus on improving security controls within organization and worry less on ball parking likelihood of probable risk, its risk factors and flawed estimates.

Embedded PDF

   Web Based Open Risk Assessment Framework for ISO 27001 by madzindia1

Samsung Galaxy S4 - Bringing the war to an apple garden near you

Samsung boasts that The Galaxy S4 is the next big upgrade to your arsenal for the never ending ancestral turf war against Apples and Oranges. First impressions show Samsung Galaxy S4 specification to be loaded to the brim with all the fire power you would ever need!

The yet to release the Galaxy S4 super-phone is scheduled for sometime in April 2013 and promises of several advanced features that would put its biggest competitors (read Iphone 5 or The HTC One) in a heated battle that could span for ages. When i went through the specification sheets, the first thing that caught my eye was obviously the "Galaxy S4 eye tracking" feature. Yes folks, the nifty new device boasts of a super wide 5 inch HD screen but the innovative advancement lets you control your screen navigation merely by tracking the movement of your eyes. Never did I thought that Samsung would let us play psychic :p You never would have to lift a finger to navigate through those menus ever again!

As always, the S4 features sleeker and better design improvement over its previous models being thinner and lighter with a newer "textured grip" that keeps the phone in place when you hold it in your hands. According to The BBC sneak peak, The majority of the focus seems to be more on the Software rather than the underlying hardware itself. According to Samsung, they have reworked their basics ensuring that this phone makes your life a lot easier eliminating unwanted clutter in menu and navigation system, intelligent technology that switches profile when it senses you working out or in the office attending a meeting that requires your every bit of attention. Although not to boast of revolutionary features, the Samsung S4 is one phone to look forward to. I am interested in the eye tracking feature and would definitely love to see how "intelligent" is Samsung's S4 as compared to Siri or the HTC Sense capabilities.

Sony Xperia Z - What people say

The Sony Xperia Z seems to be the newest offering from Sony Corporation which they claim as"The Best Of Sony, in a premium Smartphone". The 5-inch screen with full 1080p HD display coupled with all the goodness of Sony's years of experience in mainstream audio visual engines could put this device in the premium class segment of the mobile market. Rather than going in to the details of every gates used in the inner silicon chip, we shall highlight only those details that matter the most to an everyday user. However a detailed configuration list is available over here from GSM Arena.

The highlights

• Quad band + 3G network
• 5 inch full HD touchscreen (1080p) with a pixel density of 441ppi. [compare iPhone 5 has 326ppi; Samsung S3 has 306ppi; Nokia Lumia 920 has 332ppi]
• Android OS jelly bean with Custom Xperia UI
• primary 13 megapixel rear camera and a secondary front 2.2 megapixel camera
• Dust and water resistant
• All other bells and whistles like GPS, accelerometer, multi touch up to 10 inputs, 16GB storage, 3.5mm jack for headphones and active noise cancellation microphone.

Personally, the specification on the charts looks impressive and the screen touch quality is supposedly better than most other competitor's displays. However, reviews online seem to slightly contrast against the company's claim of a crisp clear screen. The intelligent battery life stated by Sony does its job. Nonetheless, the phone has sleek killer looks, the dust and water resist totally complements you road warriors and lazy bones (pun intended) who love to "accidentally" spill liquids on their gadgets ;)

A 360 degree view of the phone can be seen by clicking on the link. Yes, I love GSM arena...

If you own an Xperia Z, let us know your opinion by commenting below!

Amazing Precision! How pencils are made

We all use pencils. THey are the most simplest tools used for writing. Even a nursery kid would use pencil to doodle something up. But have you ever wondered, how these simple pencils are made? Here's a video

Maximum Armor Mode!

Remember The Nano Suit from Crytek's Crysis Game? Rejoice, its out of the game and into your life, well almost... Check it out here!

Apple Ipad: The other alternatives

Everyone has an Apple Ipad these days, Ahem..,I mean everyone, almost everyone wishes to have an Ipad ;) Should you be defined as one among the queue or do you dare to look beyond the Ipad? Here are some alternatives that are sure to get your attention.

Call from mysterious number makes your mobile handsets explode

For the past two days, there has been a bizarre news flocking the Assam region of India. Victims say that their mobile phone exploded soon after they received a call from an unknown number.