PC News : Hard Drive manufacturers reducing warranty periods

Seagate and Western Digital are cutting back on hard drive warranties, in some instances from five years to one, in order to save money or redirect it to product development.


Seagate's warranties on certain drives will be reduced as of Dec. 31, and WD will follow beginning Jan. 2. All drives shipped prior to those dates will continue to carry the current warranty term associated with the products.

The warranty period reductions, first reported by The Register, mean some of Seagate's and WD's most popular drives for desktops and laptops will no longer carry three- or five-year warranties.
In an email response to Computerworld, Seagate said it was reducing warranty periods as a way to standardize its terms "to be more consistent with those commonly applied throughout the consumer electronics and technology industries.

"By aligning to current industry standards, Seagate can continue to focus its investments on technology innovation and unique product features that drive value for our customers," the company said.
In other words, Seagate is redirecting money previously spent on upholding longer warranties in order to invest in product development.

Source >> Hard drive manufacturers slash warranty periods

By short, they're cutting the warranty periods of 5 to 3 (this isn't new) and 3 to 2 years (now this is new).
Still, no matter if they change it to 1 year or 5 years warranty period, we still need to get some redundancy on the important data we hold in case shit-hits-the-fan.

*psst, my DVD-RW still serves it purpose static data storage.

Sony's Immersive Movie Experience - FTW !!!

Seriously ? I wish to have a Holodeck as chrismas present this year !

World's Biggest Android Tablet

I want the screen, ditch the tablet !

Internet Censorship - The old-new censorship

Current advancement of mobile tech which allows people to surf the net and do more than browsing, we get to record videos, take pictures, send mails or files instantly to the web.

With such convenience, comes another issue, censorship and restrictions.

Sometimes this can be applied by a country's admin or the ISP just with a little solid evidence of "breaking the law", not even broke....yet.

The censorship can be used as a effective method to block out unwanted or bad web sites, but at the same time can be a political tool or propaganda. For example, China with the great firewall or some western countries with laws that prohibits file sharing or P2P services or even videos of truth gets altered, modified, falsified and blocked out from the public's view or knowledge. The internet has become a new playground for the modern battlefield since 1990s and got hotter after the 2K, lol.

Lets see how it can impact alot on our lives :

Start with the most basic need for the internet then the downside of it,

Knowledge / News, It used to be a unbiased format for delivering news to the people with wide audience from all country, with various constructive discussion. Again, being easily altered and falsify without proper or real source it can be doing a devastating effect on the public like using scare tactics for various purposes.

Entertainment, used to be a medium that brings international entertainment to one cable. Nowadays, custom tailored to selected audience in selected country thus creating the wall around the people instead of bridges.

Work efficiency, it usually helps encourage less usage of paper for reprinting purposes and spreading works across the globe easily and working anywhere. But this again gets affected when entertainment can be accessed easily, which then comes those who are less computer literate that exposes company secret to the competitions accidentally*.

Information/data sharing, back then internet is a place for sharing pure creativity and self-improvements. Somehow, the world isn't filled with a 100% of these people. Its filled with people who wanted instant fame and attention thus sharing stuffs that isn't supposed to be sharing or stuffs not "cool" at all.

Ok, those are few of the effect of the internet on our lives and there's more of it, depending of what we're talking about, this is just a general view on things about it. The censorship comes in and does it job to filter out those unwanted stuffs, ie like mad porns or accidentally exposed porn (dumbazz), falsified news webs, again more crap videos, and other illegal stuffs. Fine with that, not much of effect. But it's a two sided coin that is able to help or destroy.

Most massive impact is on knowledge/news, where politics battle across the web with false accusation, image destroying battle for votes or anything that crosses the word "politics".

Tech News : Boston Dynamics - PETMAN

T-800 anyone ?
Those who don't know or recall who BD is, they're the ones who is part of the team that made the BigDog, four legged bot.










Also SMALL DOG !!

Tech/Science : Quantum Levitation (Mag Levitation)

Hoping to see more developed tech based on that which no longer requires the super cooled conductor below -160c to work !

Also, read more about it on :
www.quantumlevitation.com


www.sonoftrinity.blogspot.com

Tech News : Nokia - Flexible User Interface

This looks good for the next version of phones, imagine some users rage reflex or rage responds on the phone after being fired by their boss.

AMD Bulldozer - A struggling uphill battle

I've been reading lots of the new AMD Bulldozer reviews and articles, from low detail to high detail. It certainly reminds me of the first Phenom where it failed to live up to its hype. Do not be mistaken by my words because I'm not saying it's a bad processor, it's just over-hyped. On quite a few famous forums and imageboards, there's tons of hardcore fans kept placing their trust on the bulldozer architecture saying it'll crush Intel's Sandy, which I lol'd. 

AMD has been critically pushed down since the Intel Core2 vs Athlon64 vs Phenom and at the same time AMD was having trouble managing the company internals I believe since awhile before and after the acquisition of ATi technologies. Thing's got worse, after so many years of using AMD still I can't say I'm too much of a fan or hardcore AMD user these days, not from the first phenom release, check my sys specs, all the AMD procs are usually used 2nd hand procs and only a few which is bought retail back in the good old days of AMD. 

Seriously ? I actually loved my C2Q 6600, extremely OCable, extremely efficient (for its time) and alot more better than the AMD counterpart at the time until its being replaced by the little more efficient (less heat, more speed) PII X6 I'm using and surprising and sadly I really need "MOAR" cores for what I do.  OC ability on the Phenom II was good, but not amazing. What is more disappointing is AMD using such marketing gimmicks like Spider platform, Dragon platform or Leo platform ? Seriously WTF ? 

Plus, eyefinity shouldn't be in the gaming section, why ? Because games with multiple screen looks like shit with thick (3~5cm on each LCD side is still thick) bezels between screens. Wish dell released the big and curvy wide screen and do gamers justice. Eyefinity ? Should have been promoted more on professional or business usage, not the gamers. End of the day people still dig the Green Guys 3D tech over some 9 screen gaming.

Back to original topic, the current bulldozer is a disappointment not because it's not faster than Intel's Sandy, but the hype generated among the users and some marketing dudes, the last thing to hope for is the price. The upper hand AMD always good at was the price, it may not be fast, many people will still get it if its cheap enough to get whats done. For example, even if Sandy is able to get 100fps on 1080p games and Dozer is getting say like 70fps ? it's good enough due tot the reason most user's LCD is capped at the 60hz refresh rate and won't do any good. If the gamer or user is a hardcore, hardcore I mean really hardcore and money is not an object, by all means spend it on the best of the best.

Lastly, expect to see lots of noob or half-noob professional tech enthusiast shy away from bulldozer because of the review's dissapointment. Me ? I don't really care anymore (since AM2 socket) lol.

Btw, AMD....where is your own Physics API ? still waiting for others to make the whole thing for you ? Havoc is Intel's, mind you. There's still tons of Open API you can work with, work with it and make the whole physics thing free and unified. There, one of the freaking silver bullet on the API solution. 

picture by : Me ! :)

News: Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet (Wired)

A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.

The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying their missions overseas. Nor have there been any confirmed incidents of classified information being lost or sent to an outside source. But the virus has resisted multiple efforts to remove it from Creech’s computers, network security specialists say. And the infection underscores the ongoing security risks in what has become the U.S. military’s most important weapons system.

“We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back,” says a source familiar with the network infection, one of three that told Danger Room about the virus. “We think it’s benign. But we just don’t know.”

Military network security specialists aren’t sure whether the virus and its so-called “keylogger” payload were introduced intentionally or by accident; it may be a common piece of malware that just happened to make its way into these sensitive networks. The specialists don’t know exactly how far the virus has spread. But they’re sure that the infection has hit both classified and unclassified machines at Creech. That raises the possibility, at least, that secret data may have been captured by the keylogger, and then transmitted over the public internet to someone outside the military chain of command.

....... 

Photo courtesy of Bryan William Jones

Looks like there is another security issue raised on the Reaper since the previous case where insurgents tapping in the view of the reaper with cheaper technology.
Well, even the military didn't saw this coming earlier, at least the found it at the end.


More on Source : Wired
Article by : Noah Shachtman

The Respected Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Image Source : Kotaku

Well, this is the day everyone feared coming even though there was hate and love towards him, no one is perfect. 

Steve Jobs, the great inventor for various products and marketing ideas that sprung apple into the biggest I.T company with revolutionary products such as the iPod and the iPhone. He will be badly missed, without him the technology currently will not be pushed as far as he wanted. 

I still remember the first time I started using Adobe Photoshop was on the Power Macintosh desktop with an old Motorolla processor, further on the iMac then the later the Power Mac. It helped me gain interest on making images with computer, always been.

I do hold some hate with him back then and at the same time liking his view and method of paving the future path for others, since Steve Jobs is no longer with us that hate turns into a mushy "missing" feeling. *sob* lol. His legacy will continue with the remained Apple staffs with current new appointed CEO Tim Cook, wish him the best on continuing the good and innovative ideas that Apple.Inc is known for. 

Steve Jobs, My endless imaginary salute with manly tears. 

Thoughts on current gen HID (Human Inteface Design) - The Mouse Legacy (Part 1)

Point devices are used mostly with complex tasks like 3D to medical situations, keyboards, there's not much changes except for the Optimus Maximus which is amazing actually. 

Well, after seeing the new update article on Tom's Hardware days ago about the Corsair new gaming hardwares, the mouse caught my eye and reminds me of the Cyborg R.A.T mouse which having almost the same functionality. Recent bloom of multi-touch capable devices and it's no surprise lots of designs will be based on it and what's left with the old drag and click mouse is to enhance it, just like how the CPUs started included a memory controller and more cores, what is left is to squeeze more efficiency out of it until a new design surfaces.

(I still remember back then when I suggestied some touch functionality on household appliances, and my lecturer laughed at my idea, today the world is filled with touchscreens, everywhere...anywhere.) 

My idea wasn't just for blings, it was the practical use like cooks don't need to do hard cleaning when there's sauce stuck in the oven buttons or some mechanics worrying their oily fingers might stain their machine buttons, with a little cleaning liquid and cloth, simple rub keeps the touch interface clean.

After all of this, It makes me wonder what will be the next revolutionary design ? we have old ball mouse to scroll-ball mouse to optical/laser mouse to multi-touch button-less mouse and along the way with various customizable functions from hardware to software. 

(Seriously, I think the Apple Magic Mouse is under-utilized until today as there is more that can be done with it.)

Lemme do a quick guess, its gonna be our finger tips and after that, our thoughts ! Hold on ! We've have those already, but is it good enough yet, It doesn't requires any touch on any surfaces but the interface must be big enough to do a accurate interaction. Upcoming part two, more about HIDs !

www.sonoftrinity.blogspot.com 

Case mod vid (good for newbies to drool)

I gotta admit, some of the videos are kinda old (should have posted it long ago, lol) but the case still lasts forever provided it doesn't rust. Anyway, enjoy.









Most of all my favorite case mod of all time, TF2 turret and CM stacker Yamaha mod (sometimes dream of having so much extra space for pure caseless freedom).







Some of the mod videos on youtube are not really the best of the best, most of best mods are either plastered on forums or mags.

Tech News : Sharp 8k4k - A 7680x4320 pix display << Kickass

Sharp 8k4k (7680x4320 pix, thus 8k/4k), its basically a extremely high resolution display what enables ultra high res without rescaling the original picture quality. This is the dream screen for most graphics designer or other scientific usages that requires a big screen that provides best resolution and detail. Fancy playing shooter games on it ? I bet you get to see more details with sniper when watching closer from the screen.

www.sonoftrinity,blogspot.com

Cyborg R.A.T. 5 Gaming Mouse Review

 

The Cyborg R.A.T mouse caught my eye for sometime now, it’s one of my most wanted gaming peripheral aside from the Maximus Optimus keyboard. 

The R.A.T. comes in 4 models, the “3”, “5”, “7” and the “9”. The 3 is the normal and simple non-adjustable type while each numbers progressively represents a more adjustable type. 

The only difference between 7 and 9 is 9’s a wireless model but consists the same functionality of the 7 with modular parts to replace like having different grips and wings etc (wish it can fly). The 5, lacks some of the capability of the 7 like…..shit it’s too complicated to explain. Watch some videos then. 

You can check out the 7 here and imagine the 7 being wireless, you get a 9. Easy peasy.

Head Clearing Section - Usability

First let me explain about my view on what is a good mouse. This is for clearing the misunderstanding biasness, I’m basically choosing this mouse is due to the reason of having adjustable configuration of the mouse. As a HID (human interface device), it has to be extremely configurable based on different occasion like normal web usage, gaming, light art creations etc. 

I try not to mention some brands here, especially with the few current famous but overhyped brands which tend to over promote its gaming capability and functionalities.

Lets break down how to choose a perfect or at least near perfect mouse, even there’s no such thing as 100% perfect. 

Comfort

This is the most important part of choosing a mouse, unlike choosing a computer casing or the aesthetics , it affects the user’s experience in long term basis which is a very big deal.
You don’t wanna get serious RSI don’t you ?

Method of Judgment

Functionality

Now, the difference of over-promoting and promoting its functionality is close but different.
Over-promoted tend to glorified too much of the functions and blinding off the actual advantage and disadvantage of the product while promote is more of an introduction and explanation (yes, seriously).
Ie; able to do OVER9000!!11! APMs like a fukken pro ! <<< screw this shit !

Aesthetics

Now on the looks part, it doesn’t really matters much, what matters is the feeling and the comfort of the mouse.
But if the comfort is what you want, you may look for a mouse with similar comfort but with more bling. 

Durability

Now this is important, nobody wants a good stuff gets worn out too quick due to heavy usage. The material used on the mouse affects us in long term usage plus you don’t want to go mouse hunting unless you have an obsession of collecting various mouse. But when a mouse have to go, it has to go. 

Price

Finally this justifies whether if the mouse is worth such price for its comfort, build quality, and bundles.
If its crap plastic, its crap no matter how over-promoted it is.

Now I’m doing this mouse review like a usual middle-man minded style even though I’ve paid for it and eyed for it since its announcement.
If any part of it sucks, it sucks and gets blasted in words.

Showoff Zone

Tech Specs

• DPI range - 125-4000dpi (in 125dpi steps)
• Acceleration - 30G
• Polling Rate -Dynamic up to 500Hz
• Tracking Speed - Up to 2.8m/sec
• Always On
• PTFE "Slick" Feet
• Gold plated connector
• Braided USB cable

As usual, the box outlook before showing the insides

Ok, first I gotta say it reminds me of my action figures when they first unboxed with cable ties around their limbs etc.

Above shows how the mouse is being locked in place and the weight storage.

 These are the contents of box

Front view

 Top view showing the mode button (left next to left click) and real time DPI increase/decrease below the center scroll wheel

Rear view showing the thumb-buttons and weight system

 Gold plated connector and cable

 Bottom view of the aluminum frame and weight system

 Twin eye laser tracker thingy, it's operating and it doesn't show any lights.

This is how the mouse looks like when the palm rest is extended and the weight slots are filled with max weight doughnuts, lol.

Cyborg Smart Technology software for mouse function adjustments

Judgement time !

Okay, now let me say a few things about the model types. I do like how the placed the products in terms of price/value compare to some other gaming mouse especially with the customization on the 5/7/9. Personally I'd take the R.A.T. 7 but it seems like I can't find any on local retail (prefer going to shops and showrooms), R.A.T 9 however is just a wireless version of the 7.

GAMING

The R.A.T 5 so far gives me the pleasure of head shooting bots real friggin far away with sniper in UT3 which is amazing all thanks to the red tiny button that allows me to reduce the DPI real time when in sniping mode instead of relying on the a single DPI setting. Let me snow you how far can I do a head shot in UT3.

 Thanks fraps for the awesome capture tool !

Ignore the full weapon list, I have to use "loaded" command to load myself a sniper rifle even though its 20 steps away, just to show you anyway. Tested on Torlan Classic map in UT3, taken in video first, then screen shots from video.

As you can see above single shot head shot, notice bullet count and distance. In UT3 my mouse sensitivity is quite high due to my skills are more of a close combat monkey using flak cannon, bio rifle or the red hot tri-barrel rocket. I'm proud to say, this mouse actually enabled me to snipe in UT3 without missing much like I used to, lol.

Seriously, I'm able to snipe further but the bots ain't running further up but downstream of the river.

Nuff said on gaming, I can snipe further without missing much now !

DESIGN AND COMFORT

The R.A.T. 5 design is pretty good if you ask me, but there is something I like to note about why I prefer the R.A.T 7. 

The 5 does not have the adjustable height for the palm rest but ONLY length and same goes to the thumb rest which cannot be adjusted like R.A.T. 7 does. But hey, it's a R.A.T 5 isn't it ? 

Given the price point it's acceptable. So far I've gotten used to the mouse and starting to speed up because when I first using the mouse, it feels awkward especially the feeling at the palm and thumb rest area. 

The weight does help alot, especially into shooting games while waiting for a prey into your scope with your mouse in your palms idle, you don't want sudden unnecessary mouse movements.

FUNCTIONALITY 

Now this rat does pack a punch with so many customizable buttons and wheels. 5 buttons excluding the center click via wheel, you get to program the macro keys via Cyborg ST (Smart Technology) software.
For example :

Well, its a bit too much isn't it ? Still it shows you what it can do. Other than that its even capable of doing non-gaming functions while in desktop, which comes the help of managing profiles via ST tool.

Aesthetics & Durability - The Looks and the Toughness

Seriously, its one badass looking mouse non can compete in terms of looks compare to the rat. The aluminum frame does help the mouse hold up as a solid piece of hardware instead of the raz....er...crap, opps !
Other than the frame, the locking mechanism on the mouse is solid as it is with the need for hex key or allen key to open it up. Plus the weight does help making the mouse feels more solid. 


Value of product 


Well, this mouse is priced around RM260 locally in Malaysia and truthfully ? not many people knows about this mouse if I mentioned to the general population around me even the computer literate ones or even the gamers. (yes, its a sad mouse world for rat over here).

As you can see the circle, which is the most obvious of the both picture, the big circle seems abit more smoother if you look carefully.


The R.A.T. 5 actually does alot more than gaming, while playing with some drawing in Adobe Photoshop the real time switching helps reduce the sensitivity of the cursor while doing lasso or some sketching.
If you ask me if its worth every cent I paid ? hell yea ! Its one kickass mouse I'll stick for years to come until it breaks down by diablo-ed to death.

www.sonoftrinity.blogspot.com

Second Lost update ! More pictures !

The Lost Hardware Update......not really about "LOST"

Its been awhile since I've updated something here. I've been busy previously with me job and with lots of stuffs recently plus I've setup some storage system to store my files ranging from musics, pictures to movies or even some backup game images.

Anyway, let me make a list of reviews I'm going to update soon !

• Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch
• Madcatz (Saitek) R.A.T. 5 Optical gaming mouse
• Zalman CNPS 8700LED CPU HSF 

There ! Also some of them is already work in progress ! but I won't mention which is first to be done and updated, just to keep it a suprise ! lol !
Here's a sneak peek of the stuffs !

 

Where's the Wacom tablet you ask ? well, its at the back of the second picture and sneaky enough as a preview. 

www.sonoftrinity.blogspot.com

Hardware Review : Gigabyte Nvidia GTX460 1Gb OC Twin-Flow

Introduction
Well, I'm sure this is late BUT since now the Nvidia GTX4xx is getting cheaper after the launching of the GTX5xx series and sure is the good time to consider getting some upgrades for the two year old gaming desktops.

The box outlook is filled with stickers, most notably is the 3 years warranty and the free game sticker.

These are the common contents in the box, a pair of molex to PCIE power converters, DVI to VGA converter and the Mini-HDMI to standard HDMI converter and ? a free online game which I don't care much. lol

Now, as you notice Gigabyte changed the cooler into something different instead of using the stock GTX460 fans. This is mostly due to improving the heat management of the card as nowadays GPUs are getting hotter and hotter albeit Nvidia or AMD cards.

Good thing to see that they sticked to using the conventional exhaust grills, some vendors did some fancy design that actually affect the airflow of the exhausted heat.

You can see the contact between the core and heatsink.

PCIE power connectors, now this card's power connectors are faced towards the front of the card instead of the top where some users might have problem with smaller cases, for example i'll be having less problem fitting into my Silverstone SG03. However things may be differ if the case had alot of hdd blocking its way.

No caps touching the heatsink, no problems.

Testing Methodology

1. All the settings of the free benchmarking tools are running on default resolution and settings.
2. All the settings of the applications especially on games are tested on maximum detail, what differs is the resolutions of the display. 

Results

TESTS	RESULTS
HWMonitor (Celsius)
20 Min Stress	70c / 73c
20 Min Idle	36c / 38c
3DMark Benchmarking - 3DMarks(GPU)
3DMark06 Basic Edition	19247 (SM2.0 = 7107) (SM3.0 = 8922)
3DMark Vantage	9195 (Total H9946)
3DMark 11 Basic Edition	P3298
PCWizard 2010 Graphics Benchmark
Texture	6998 FPS/Marks
Texture Fullscreen	487 FPS/Marks
Particles 3D	37 FPS/Marks
Vertex	33 FPS/Marks
Billboard	1463 FPS/Marks
Crysis Demo– GPU Timed Bechmarking 1280x1024 / 1920x1080 @ 2x AA @ Max Settings
Min FPS	23.40/ 16.58
Max FPS	31.40/ 20.28
Average FPS	36.63/ 23.64
GTA4 – TBoGT 1920x1080
Average FPS	22.62
Unigine Heaven DX11 Benchmark 1920x1080  (Tessellation Off/On – Extreme)
FPS	41.0 / 21.8
Scores	1034 / 549
Min FPS	23.5 / 11.5
Max FPS	76.7 / 53.7

Conclusions

Now, after seeing how the card performed I'm actually impressed by its performance but disappointed due to the faulty card at first and got it replaced with another one within two days. First card gave problems with artifacts after two weeks usage, suspected overheat due to faulty heatsink fan and the second came in good so far after few months now. 

Based on a price point view, its totally worth getting if user is looking for a long lasting gaming + bang for the buck hardware for the next 3 years, look no further. Currently since the release of the GTX560 Ti especially the card is priced pretty much close to RM700~RM800 and the GTX460 is priced around RM600~RM700 with a little lesser and unnoticeable performance difference when playing at 1920x1080 at high or medium-high details and some AA turned on.

My first choice was the AMD HD5850 or the AMD HD5830 at the time, the release of the Nvidia GTX460 changed everything i thought of during the time for mid range graphic cards. The GTX460 1Gb performance comes very close to the HD5850 and priced below or equivalent to the HD5830, making it a killer card at the ranks. Not too long after that, AMD released a re badged-or-simple redesigned HD6xxx series card with characteristics almost similar to the HD5xxx series, that didn't caught my eye though.

www.sonoftrinity.blogspot.com - More reviews coming real soon !

World News: This the truth, and the truth hurts

The day part of the Internet died

SHUTDOWN: Egyptian riot police clash with anti-government protesters in Suez, Egypt. The country unplugged itself entirely from the Internet to try and silence dissent. - AP 

 

SAN FRANCISCO: About a half-hour past midnight Friday morning in Egypt, the Internet went dead. Almost simultaneously, the handful of companies that pipe the Internet into and out of Egypt went dark, as protesters were gearing up for a fresh round of demonstrations calling for the end of President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule.

Egypt has apparently done what many technologists thought was unthinkable for any country with a major Internet economy: It unplugged itself entirely from the Internet to try and silence dissent.
Experts say it's unlikely that what's happened in Egypt could happen in the United States because that country has numerous Internet providers, and ways of connecting to the Internet. Co-ordinating a simultaneous shutdown would be a massive undertaking.

"It can't happen here," said Jim Cowie, the chief technology officer and a co-founder of Renesys, a network security firm in Manchester, New Hampshire, that studies Internet disruptions.
"How many people would you have to call to shut down the US Internet? Hundreds, thousands maybe? We have enough Internet here that we can have our own Internet. If you cut it off, that leads to a philosophical question: Who got cut off from the Internet, us or the rest of the world?"

In fact, there are few countries anywhere with all their central Internet connections in one place or so few places that they can be severed at the same time. But the idea of a single "kill switch" to turn the Internet on and off has seduced some American lawmakers, who have pushed for the power to shutter the Internet in a national emergency.

Unprecedented
The Internet blackout in Egypt shows that a country with strong control over its Internet providers apparently can force all of them to pull their plugs at once, something that Cowie called "almost entirely unprecedented in Internet history."
The outage sets the stage for blowback from the international community and investors. It also sets a precedent for other countries grappling with paralysing political protests - though censoring the Internet and tampering with traffic to quash protests is nothing new.
China has long restricted what its people can see online and received renewed scrutiny for the practice when Internet search leader Google Inc proclaimed a year ago that it would stop censoring its search results in China.

In 2009, Iran disrupted Internet service to try to curb protests over disputed elections. And two years before that, Burma's Internet was crippled when military leaders apparently took the drastic step of physically disconnecting primary communications links in major cities, a tactic that was foiled by activists armed with cellphones and satellite links.

Computer experts say what sets Egypt's action apart is that the entire country was disconnected in an apparently co-ordinated effort, and that all manner of devices are affected, from mobile phones to laptops. It seems, though, that satellite phones would not be affected.

"Iran never took down any significant portion of their Internet connection - they knew their economy and the markets are dependent on Internet activity," Cowie said.

When countries are merely blocking certain sites - like Twitter or Facebook - where protesters are co-ordinating demonstrations, as apparently happened at first in Eqypt, protesters can use "proxy" computers to circumvent the government censors.
 The proxies "anonymise" traffic and bounce it to computers in other countries that send it along to the restricted sites.

But when there's no Internet at all, proxies can't work and online communication grinds to a halt.

Stunned
Renesys' network sensors showed that Egypt's four primary Internet providers - Link Egypt, Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt, Etisalat Misr - and all went dark at 12.34am.
Those companies shuttle all Internet traffic into and out of Egypt, though many people get their service through additional local providers with different names.
Italy-based Seabone said no Internet traffic was going into or out of Egypt after 12.30am local time.
"There's no way around this with a proxy," Cowie said. "There is literally no route. It's as if the entire country disappeared. You can tell I'm still kind of stunned."
The technical act of turning off the Internet can be fairly straightforward. It likely requires only a simple change to the instructions for the companies' networking equipment.
Craig Labovitz, chief scientist for Arbor Networks, a Chelmsford, Massachusetts, security company, said that in countries such as Egypt - with a centralised government and a relatively small number of fibre-optic cables and other ways for the Internet to get piped in - the companies that own the technologies are typically under strict licences from the government.
"It's probably a phone call that goes out to half a dozen folks who enter a line on a router configuration file and hit return," Labovitz said. "It's like programming your TiVo - you have things that are set up and you delete one. It's not high-level programming."

Zero
Twitter has confirmed that its service is being blocked in Egypt, and Facebook reported problems.
"Iran went through the same pattern," Labovitz said. "Initially there was some level of filtering, and as things deteriorated, the plug was pulled. It looks like Egypt might be following a similar pattern."
The ease with which Egypt cut itself also means the country can control where the outages are targeted, experts said. So its military facilities, for example, can stay online while the Internet vanishes for everybody else.
Experts said it was too early to tell which, if any, facilities still have connections in Egypt.
Cowie said his firm is investigating clues that a small number of small networks might still be available.
Meanwhile, a program Renesys uses that displays the percentage of each country that is connected to the Internet was showing a figure that he was still struggling to believe. Zero. - AP

Seriously, this looks as bad it could be. To those who still think internet is forever the place for freedom, think again because someone on the top who controls it shut it down and there you've lost your internet life and your freedom of expression.

The worse part is the officials @ Egypt totally shut down ALL communications, cellphones, internets, and all outgoing connections to other country. Just like they've been teleported to somewhere back into the stone age.

What I'm trying to say is, the internet is not ours and not theirs because whoever controls the master connection out of the country is the master of the connection. They can take it as they see fit, they can refuse providing us the service when being pressured by another higher power. You may be paying for it, but you are not the master of it. I can imagine n00bs jumping out of windows because they can't DOTA or people can't check their facebook for a day.


Source :

www.sonoftrinity.blogspot.com