GOOGLE LAUNCHES M-LAB -TO TEST YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION

Global Tech Giant Google along with a couple of non profit partners has launched measurementlab.net called MLAB in short to enable users to test their internet connection using google's own list of diagnostic tools.The MLAB aims to check broadband connections by briefly communicating with a server elsewhere on the internet to reveal possible interference and traffic management by service providers.
Apart from helping users to check their broadband connection using its Network Diagnostic Tool,MLAB seems to offer much more including the Glasnost which helps to detect whether your Internet access provider is performing application-specific traffic shaping. Currently, you can test if your ISP is throttling or blocking BitTorrent.The measurement server records the user's IP address, and all data packets received by the server from your computer or sent by the server to your computer. In addition, it monitors errors in the communication with the server and the throughput of the transfers for those communication "flows," and sends them to the server.

The NPAD (Network Path and Applicaton Diagnosis) tool diagnoses some of the common problems effecting the last network mile and end-users' systems. These are the most common causes of all performance problems on wide area network paths.

The Diffprobe which helps to detect if an Internet access provider is classifying certain kinds of traffic as "low priority," providing it with an inferior level of service. DiffProbe actively and non-intrusively probes the network path and tries to diagnose the nature and extent of traffic discrimination.

The NANO attempts to detect whether an ISP is degrading the performance of a certain subset of users, applications, or destinations.NANO will conduct some tests between the client and an M-Lab server, such as generating downloads of different types of application traffic. This data will be sent to the M-Lab server.NANO will also monitor the user's network traffic and collect summary statistics about performance when the user visits popular Internet destinations. Rather than generating tests, it monitors the user's activity in the course of his or her normal Internet usage.

The MLAB is being released only in its beta form and services like Diffprobe and NANO are not yet available fully.Besides providing the users with essential diagnostic tools,google is inviting researchers who would like to help expand the platform and ensure its growth and success.

HOW TO E-MAIL WITHOUT AN E-MAIL ADDRESS? - SEA MAIL

Feeling tired of typing in those long email addresses? Then look no further , for Semantic e-mail Addressing is your way out.
No need to type in even the recipient's e-mail addresses, or even their names

Semantic email addressing (SEA) lets users send email to a semantically specified group of recipients. It provides all of the functionality of static email mailing lists, but because users can maintain their own profiles, they don't need to subscribe, unsubscribe, or change email addresses. Because of its targeted nature, SEA could help combat unintentional spam and preserve the privacy of email addresses and even individual identities.

Stanford University has revelaed this e-mail system radically change how users specify where their messages are supposed to be delivered.Technical details, such as the need to specify an e-mail address, get hidden inside the system, so that everyday users no longer have to pay attention to them. If a person(say X) wants to send email to another person (say Y), then X could simply type Y's name as a recipient, and his most recent e-mail address would automatically be selected.

This feature can also be extended to delivering mass emails to groups but the limitation being the amount of information thae system has about each recipient of the group.Rich database can seemingly solve this problem but the technical challenge is setting up an integrated version of the data that SEAmail can access easily is still at bay.But this email system cannot be foolproof and we have to wait a bit longer to see it work out more functionally for wider use

Google's New Chrome OS Could Face Security Challenges

Even though banks have upped online security with extra features to authenticate users, cyber thieves have become smarter. Some criminals have already learned how to bypass the banks' second layer of protection.

McAfee noted one new technique that involves interrupting a legitimate transaction to make an unauthorized withdrawal, while simultaneously checking the user's transaction limits to fly below the radar and avoid alerting the bank.

McAfee said another target for online crooks this year will likely be Google's new operating system, Chrome. The tech giant, which has already released a Chrome browser, is expected to release an entire open source operating system this year to rival Microsoft 

Windows, Linux and others.

As the "new kid on the block," McAfee predicts attackers will attempt to break the code and prey on consumers.

While Microsoft has a lot of experience with operating system security and regularly sends out patches, it will be a brand new world for Google.