Category Archives: General

May 9, 2013

Brute force attack failed!

This morning, my personal Website was subject of an attempt to break into the administrator account with a brute force attack. Due to the advanced security features that I have put in place at this Website, the attempt failed and I was notified of the attack after a certain threshold of login failures was reached that was significant enough to trigger such a notification. The IP number identified could be traced to a location near the city of Changsha in the Hunan province in east-central China.

Brute force attack from China

Dear attacker,

thank you for testing (and failing to break into) the security of my Website. You provided me with a convincing argument to keep the security features in place, despite making it more cumbersome for myself to log into the admin account. Needless to say I will not reveal the nature of these features.

Have a nice day!

October 3, 2012

Amazing mind reader reveals his ‘gift’

Watch this and be reminded about what a mind reader could know about you.

Amazing mind reader reveals his ‘gift’ – YouTube.

August 16, 2012

Iran threatens to disconnect from the Internet

Iran to switch to a Intranet, dubbed the “Halal Internet”. Can a nation simply flip a switch and disconnect itself from the web? Some commentaries suggest that this is not feasible, that a lot of content would need to be re-created in Iran. However, is it not much the same like a corporate Intranet, allowing some traffic through while disallowing some other? What do you think?

via Iran threatens to disconnect from the Internet – Outside the Box – MarketWatch.

August 2, 2012

“I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” – Kyle Wiens – Harvard Business Review

“After all, sloppy is as sloppy does.” – Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit

Do you agree with this sentiment? Would you hire (or not) someone who uses poor grammar in their application? How do you feel about those who don’t know the difference between “there”, “they’re” and “their”?

via I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why. – Kyle Wiens – Harvard Business Review.

July 19, 2012

History of the Internet in a Nutshell

 

Check out the interactive Infographic History of the Internet in a Nutshell on mashable.com

These have been 21 very exciting years for me since I started using the Internet in late 1990!

How many of the developments pictured in the above Infographic do you remember?

July 10, 2012

Top 10 Universities in the World

It makes me very proud to see Princeton among the Top 10 Universities in the World:

Princeton University, USA: This Princeton based private university houses 180 buildings spread over 500 acres provide education via various faculties including social sciences, humanities, engineering and natural sciences and draws international students for higher studies in America.

Kudos to the other institutions of higher education who also made the list: Cambridge University, England – Harvard University, USA – Yale University, USA – University College London, United Kingdom – MIT, USA – Oxford University, UK – Imperial College London, UK – Chicago University, USA – California Institute of Technology, USA

 

Source: http://toptensbest.com/top-10-universities-in-the-world.html/

July 7, 2012

UN Human Rights Council – The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet

The following is the text of the landmark decision by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, adopted without a vote on 5 July 2012. The press release of 6 July 2012 summarizes the resolution as follows:

“In a resolution on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet the Council affirmed that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression.”

United Nations – Document A/HRC/20/L.13

General Assembly

Distr.: Limited

29 June 2012

Original: English

Human Rights Council

Twentieth session
Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development

Algeria*, Argentina*, Australia*, Austria, Azerbaijan*, Belgium, Bolivia (Plurinational
State of)*, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Brazil*, Bulgaria*, Canada*, Chile, Costa Rica,
Côte d’Ivoire*, Croatia*, Cyprus*, Czech Republic, Denmark*, Djibouti, Egypt*,
Estonia*, Finland*, France*, Georgia*, Germany*, Greece*, Guatemala, Honduras*,
Hungary, Iceland*, India, Indonesia, Ireland*, Italy, Latvia*, Libya, Liechtenstein*,
Lithuania*, Luxembourg*, Maldives, Malta*, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco*,
Montenegro*, Morocco*, Netherlands*, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine*, Peru, Poland,
Portugal*, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Korea*, Romania, Serbia*,
Slovakia*, Slovenia*, Somalia*, Spain, Sweden*, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia*, Timor-Leste*, Tunisia*, Turkey*, Ukraine*, United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland*, United States of America, Uruguay: draft resolution
(* Non-Member State of the Human Rights Council)

20/…The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations,

Reaffirming the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

Recalling all relevant resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and the
Human Rights Council on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, in particular Council resolution 12/16 of 2 October 2009, and also recalling General Assembly resolution 66/184 of 22 December 2011,

Noting that the exercise of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of
expression, on the Internet is an issue of increasing interest and importance as the rapid pace of technological development enables individuals all over the world to use new information and communications technologies,

Taking note of the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, submitted to the Human Rights Council at its seventeenth session,¹ and to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session,² on freedom of expression on the Internet,

  1. Affirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression, which is applicable regardless of frontiers and through any media of one’s choice, in accordance with articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
  2. Recognizes the global and open nature of the Internet as a driving force in accelerating progress towards development in its various forms;
  3. Calls upon all States to promote and facilitate access to the Internet and international cooperation aimed at the development of media and information and communications facilities in all countries;
  4. Encourages special procedures to take these issues into account within their existing mandates, as applicable;
  5. Decides to continue its consideration of the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, on the Internet and in other technologies, as well as of how the Internet can be an important tool for development and for exercising human rights, in accordance with its programme of work.
____________

¹ A/HRC/17/27

² A/66/290

Source: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session20/A.HRC.20.L.13_en.doc

UN Human Rights – Internet (Word Doc)

 

July 6, 2012

A Victory for the Internet – NYTimes.com


By CARL BILDT

Published: July 5, 2012

Source: A Victory for the Internet – NYTimes.com.

In a ground-breaking vote on an issue that affects all of us, the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday endorsed a resolution upholding the principle of freedom of expression and information on the Internet.

The broad support for the resolution demonstrated that maintaining the free flow of information on the Internet is a global call and not something pushed only by a few Western states.

In recent years I have frequently spoken about Internet freedom, an issue which is a priority to the Swedish government. I have condemned the harassment of bloggers and online activists and called for a strong global coalition of states to support the simple but salient fact that freedom of expression also is applicable to the Internet.

The group of countries that presented this resolution — Brazil, Nigeria, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States — truly represent a global coalition. And the support by other states (India, Egypt and Indonesia, to name a few of the more than 80 co-sponsors) and global civil society was overwhelming. Together, we are building a global alliance for the freedom of the Internet.

As technology and the Internet evolve, so should the work in the United Nations. From a limited group of countries rallying behind a short statement on freedom of expression on the Internet two years ago, we have seen the interest and support soar.

The vote in Geneva on Thursday was a breakthrough of fundamental importance. Beyond affirming that freedom of expression applies also to the Internet, the resolution also recognized the immense value the Internet has for global development and called on all states to facilitate and improve global access to it.

We are rapidly entering into a new world of hyperconnectivity. Mobile data traffic alone is set to increase 15-fold in the next five years. It reaches everywhere, and we see the new networks challenging the old hierarchies everywhere.

Just one example: In past decades, massive crimes could be committed in Syria and other countries without us even knowing. But we can now follow what is happening minute by minute, megabyte by megabyte.

Today, with nearly the entire globe covered by mobile networks, the problem of physical access to the Internet is almost a forgotten issue. What is increasingly worrying is what kind of access people are being offered.

We cannot accept that the Internet’s content should be limited or manipulated depending on the flavor-of-the-month of political leaders. Only by securing access to the open and global Internet will true development take place.

The governments of the Human Rights Council now for the first time have confirmed that freedom of expression applies fully to the Internet. A global coalition for a global and open Internet has been formed.

This is truly important, but we must not stop here. The challenge now is to put these words into action to make sure that people all over the world can use and utilize the power of connectivity without having to fear for their safety. This work is far from over.

Carl Bildt is foreign minister of Sweden.

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on July 6, 2012, in The International Herald Tribune.

 

July 6, 2012

This is Our Planet

Very nice time-lapse video of our beautiful planet Earth, with images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center
eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/

This is Our Planet via Vimeo

February 19, 2012

The Top Ten International Relations Undergraduate Programs | Foreign Policy 01/2012

The Top Ten International Relations Undergraduate Programs | Foreign Policy.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/03/top_ten_international_relations_undergraduate_programs?page=full

Where to start your fast-track to running the world.

JAN/FEB 2012

These rankings are part of the Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) survey, conducted by Paul C. Avey, Michael C. Desch, James D. Long, Daniel Maliniak, Susan Peterson, and Michael J. Tierney. All additional information provided was added by Foreign Policy and is not part of the survey results.

1. Harvard University

Student-faculty ratio: 7:1
Tuition: $39,849
Website: http://www.gov.harvard.edu/
Campus international relations organization: Harvard International Relations Council
Why go to Harvard? You get to rub elbows with some of the most prestigious academics in the world, from FP contributors like Joseph S. Nye and Stephen M. Walt to Harvey Mansfield. Not only is it the oldest center of higher education in the United States, Mr. Bartley’s — just across the street — cooks a mean hamburger.

2. Princeton University
Student-faculty ratio: 6:1
Tuition: $37,000
Website:  http://wws.princeton.edu
Campus international relations organization: International Relations Council

Why go to Princeton? President Woodrow Wilson’s convictions were forged in its halls, and the university’s tradition of impacting how the United States approaches foreign policy is carried on today by former Director of Policy Planning Anne-Marie Slaughter. It features a range of other outstanding thinkers on foreign policy, from G. John Ikenberry to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer. Bonus points: The hospital that appears in the opening credits of the hit TV show “House, M.D.” is actually Princeton’s University Medical Center.

3. Stanford University
Student-faculty ratio: 6:1
Tuition: $40,500
Website: http://www.stanford.edu
Campus international relations organization:  Society for International Affairs at Stanford
Why go to Stanford? The Hoover Institution — which counts Condoleezza Rice and Fouad Ajami as fellows — is the premier conservative public policy think tank in the United States. Drive an hour north to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury District for some serious cognitive dissonance.

4. Columbia University
Student-faculty ratio: 6:1
Tuition: $45,290
Website: http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu
Campus international relations organization: Columbia International Relations Council and Association

Why go to Columbia? The only way to get closer to the intellectual debate that animates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a 5,000-mile plane flight. The late Professor Edward Said’s intellectual home has long been the scene of contentious debates over the conflict — Norman Finkelstein and Alan Dershowitz are just two recent combatants. University President Lee Bollinger has also proven not to be someone to shy away from a fight, inviting Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2007 to address the university in free intellectual debate. Not everyone was convinced.

5. Georgetown University
Student-faculty ratio: 10:1
Tuition: $41,393
Website: http://sfs.georgetown.edu/
Campus international relations organization: Georgetown International Relations Club
Why go to Georgetown? In the nation’s capital, you get to learn at the feet of the men and women who don’t just theorize about international affairs — they practice it. From former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to fresh-out-of-government former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Colin Kahl, its faculty is full of professionals who know all about the hard work of translating theory into policy. If you imagine yourself as the next Bill Clinton, this is the place to meet thousands of other students who do too.

6. Yale University
Student-faculty ratio:  6:1
Tuition: $40,500
Website: http://www.yale.edu/
Campus international relations organization: Yale International Relations Association
Why go to Yale? Its foreign-policy student group has the top-ranked model U.N. team and a whopping operating budget of $250,000, which is uses to send its members across the globe during school breaks. When you’re not traveling to Singapore or Honduras, a faculty that includes famous thinkers such asBruce Ackerman and Robert Dahl may also know a thing or two.

7. University of Chicago
Student-faculty ratio: 7:1
Tuition: $42,783
Website: http://cir.uchicago.edu/
Campus international relations organization: University of Chicago Model United Nations Team
Why go to the University of Chicago? If you have a grim fascination for understanding why the world economic system is in a state of collapse, this is the school for you. The University of Chicago’s Department of Economics has fielded more Nobel Prize laureates than any other university — a fact it is not, and should not be, shy about pointing out. FP contributors Robert Fogel and Raghuram Rajan will tell you why China is rising, why the global financial system is collapsing, and what we can do about it.

8. Dartmouth College
Student-faculty ratio: 8:1
Tuition: $42,996
Website: http://www.dartmouth.edu
Campus international relations organization: Dartmouth Model U.N. Conference
Why go to Dartmouth? If you’re looking for small-town New England charm and an Ivy League intellectual pedigree, it’s hard to do better than Dartmouth. The college is also home to experts who know all about closed regimes: There’s Libya expert par excellence Dirk Vandewalle and Jennifer Lind, who currently has her hands full trying to figure out what’s going on in Kim Jong Un’s North Korea. The school’s Greek life was also the inspiration for the antics in National Lampoon’s Animal House — so rest assured, you’ll have a good time.

9. George Washington University
Student-faculty ratio: 13:1
Tuition: $44,148
Website: http://elliott.gwu.edu
Campus international relations organization: George Washington International Affairs Society
Why go to George Washington? It’s where FP Mideast Channel editor Marc Lynch hangs his hat!Nathan Brown, Amitai Etzioni, and a whole slew of other professors can also show you how Washington’s foreign-policy machinery really works.

10. American University
Student-faculty ratio: 13:1
Tuition: $38,071
Website: http://www.american.edu
Campus international relations organization: American University International Politics Student Association
Why go to American University? Students here take their politics out of the classroom — since 2006, it has been named by Princeton Review as the most politically active university in the United States three times. It also has an active international presence, falling within the top 10 of all universities for number of students studying abroad and joining the Peace Corps.

Methodology: The authors are researchers with the Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) project at the College of William and Mary. The fourth wave of the TRIP survey explores the views of international relations (IR) faculty from every four-year college and university in the United States, as identified by U.S. News & World Report, for their views on various international issues. The results include the responses of 1,582 faculty members, representing more than 40 percent of IR scholars in the United States, collected between August and November 2011. The parallel survey of practitioners surveyed 244 current and former policymakers who served from 1989 to 2008 in national security decision-making roles at the level of assistant secretary, director, and designated policymaking groups within several U.S. government agencies.You can find complete results from the survey of U.S. IR scholars here.

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