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| It's just like burning a CD...into genes. (Image courtesy assignmentexpert.com.) |
Showing posts with label storage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label storage. Show all posts
Data And DNA: Encoding Digital Files Into Genetic Material Creates Serious Storage Space
Humanity is accruing data at an unprecedented rate. All those Tweets, tags, photos, cat videos, terrible novels, decent screenplays, drafts of terrible novels that might eventually become decent screenplays, and everything else we shoot, snap, sing, strum, or smash into a computer is adding up. There's the possibility of etching literary works into crystals, sure, but what about those of us who need some somewhat-simpler storage? A new answer might surprise you...because it's also PART of you...
Will History Be Written By Lasers And Preserved On Crystals?
Have you ever written something so mellifluously elegant, so heartwrenching, or so damn dirty that you hid it away on a disk? How about preserving important family history in your formerly-current computer's format? If this happened twenty (or even ten) years ago, that disk is likely now obsolete. How can we keep our digitized information in perpetuity when it's tougher and tougher to stay caught up with upgrades?
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| Now we can keep track of all of man's crazy fairy godparents, right up until we all find out whether they're real or not. (Image courtesy messagetoeagle.com.) |
This Message Will Self-Destruct: CIA and Homeland Security Seek To Officially Destroy Thousands Of Emails
When you delete your emails, it's likely just to remove clutter, liberating your inbox from constant coupons, ads, e-pleas, etc. But when the CIA and Homeland Security want to delete emails, considerably more eyebrows are raised.
According to engadget.com, two of our most totally-not-shady Big Brother organizations want to delete all of their emails that are seven years or older, as well as the emails of all CIA employees who have been retired for 3 years. A plan of action was shown to the National Records and Archives Administration (NARA) that indicated this intent, with only 22 top officials' correspondence to survive the digital culling.
For two organizations who thrive on intelligence (one where it's in the very title of the company), this seems like a bad idea. Numerous senators, including Dianne Fenstien (D-CA), are actively opposing this plan, fearing the expunging of evidence.
The motion was made by the CIA as part of an effort to help streamline its email collection for better management, a mission that NARA had asked of all government agencies to figure out a plan for. Homeland Security's excuse was that it would free up valuable server space ($50 a terabyte per month) and that deletion could also possibly thwart the intended intelligence-gathering of Einstein, their government-website traffic-tracker.
While this would be a win for private privacy, the overarching scope of government intel is something that people don't want to be able to simply vanish like so many extraordinary renditions before it.
Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation told Gizmodo, "It's kind of sad. I want to applaud the government for choosing to discard unnecessary data about people. But we have good reason to question the government's reasons because of what we've learned about what we've NOT been told."
If you think the government shouldn't be doing the modern equivalent of shredding countless files and burning the confetti, you can tell NARA right here.
According to engadget.com, two of our most totally-not-shady Big Brother organizations want to delete all of their emails that are seven years or older, as well as the emails of all CIA employees who have been retired for 3 years. A plan of action was shown to the National Records and Archives Administration (NARA) that indicated this intent, with only 22 top officials' correspondence to survive the digital culling.
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| History now seems to be written by the digital winners. (Image courtesy news.yahoo.com.) |
For two organizations who thrive on intelligence (one where it's in the very title of the company), this seems like a bad idea. Numerous senators, including Dianne Fenstien (D-CA), are actively opposing this plan, fearing the expunging of evidence.
The motion was made by the CIA as part of an effort to help streamline its email collection for better management, a mission that NARA had asked of all government agencies to figure out a plan for. Homeland Security's excuse was that it would free up valuable server space ($50 a terabyte per month) and that deletion could also possibly thwart the intended intelligence-gathering of Einstein, their government-website traffic-tracker.
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| They can stash endless info on regular citizens, but heaven forbid their own emails get retained. (Artwork by Will Varner / Image courtesy twistedsifter.com.) |
While this would be a win for private privacy, the overarching scope of government intel is something that people don't want to be able to simply vanish like so many extraordinary renditions before it.
Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation told Gizmodo, "It's kind of sad. I want to applaud the government for choosing to discard unnecessary data about people. But we have good reason to question the government's reasons because of what we've learned about what we've NOT been told."
If you think the government shouldn't be doing the modern equivalent of shredding countless files and burning the confetti, you can tell NARA right here.
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| Uh...thanks but no thanks. (Image courtesy reanimatedresidue.wordpress.com.) |
Ashes To Ashes, Sludge To Sludge: Once You've Died, Get Liquefied?
Here's some news that's sure to brighten/frighten you for Halloween season: now, instead of traditional burial or cremation, after death you have the option to be liquified.
It might make your skin crawl, but that's just because you still have skin to worry about. For those who are planning what they want done with their body when their spirit has hit the road, the new "alkaline hydrolysis" may be the best final answer. This way, you won't take up too much space or badly impact the environment after you've crossed the finish line in the human race.
According to the mirror.co.uk, the process is simple: a body is put into a stainless-steel container with water and potassium hydroxide, then pressurized and heated for about three hours, like a creepy crock pot. A green and brown syrup with an odor like...well, like a dissolved corpse...will be what remains of your remains, as well as a fine white ash.
It won't take up the space a conventional burial would, it won't emit various effluvia into the atmosphere like a cremation, and the cask-distilled small-batch human juice won't be accidentally mistaken for shots if you have an Irish funeral. The you-goo is disposed of by your mortician, but the ash is returned to to whom you bequeathed it, and it can still be kept in a vessel or distributed back to the earth if desired.
So if you haven't got the budget or archers sufficiently skilled in firing flaming arrows for your postmortem party, here is an option for a clean and earth-friendly exit. Good going!
It might make your skin crawl, but that's just because you still have skin to worry about. For those who are planning what they want done with their body when their spirit has hit the road, the new "alkaline hydrolysis" may be the best final answer. This way, you won't take up too much space or badly impact the environment after you've crossed the finish line in the human race.
According to the mirror.co.uk, the process is simple: a body is put into a stainless-steel container with water and potassium hydroxide, then pressurized and heated for about three hours, like a creepy crock pot. A green and brown syrup with an odor like...well, like a dissolved corpse...will be what remains of your remains, as well as a fine white ash.
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| Yay, my sweet embrace of death will be ecologically friendly! This totally makes up for all the littering I did in the '50s. (Image courtesy bioresponsefuneral.com.) |
It won't take up the space a conventional burial would, it won't emit various effluvia into the atmosphere like a cremation, and the cask-distilled small-batch human juice won't be accidentally mistaken for shots if you have an Irish funeral. The you-goo is disposed of by your mortician, but the ash is returned to to whom you bequeathed it, and it can still be kept in a vessel or distributed back to the earth if desired.
So if you haven't got the budget or archers sufficiently skilled in firing flaming arrows for your postmortem party, here is an option for a clean and earth-friendly exit. Good going!
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| If there's a way death can be "healthy", this is it. (Image courtesy snlabetterway.com.) |
This (Text) Message Will Self-Destruct (Your Hard Drive's Data)
Security of your digital information now means security of the majority of your life. Though it's possible to use a service that will release your valuable documents in the event of your untimely demise, what if you just need a complete destruction of data?
Look no further than the Autothysis128t. According to ign.com, the 128-gigabyte hard drive is specially created for cautious compilers' control. It's encrypted with a password, but for an unbeatable extra level of security, an onboard cell radio is standing by to eradicate your info with a mere text message.
The Autothysis128t can be programmed to automatically go scorched-earth on your saved files in several ways, such as if it's unplugged from your computer, or if too many passwords are attempted to crack it. But the real killswitch is the text-based execution order (textecution?) that you personally choose and fire off should the situation require it.
Thus, in event of theft or loss, the device will murder your data beyond all known recovery techniques as soon as you hit "send." For $1600, it's an expensive security measure, but can you put a price on perfect privacy?
The Autothysis128t can be programmed to automatically go scorched-earth on your saved files in several ways, such as if it's unplugged from your computer, or if too many passwords are attempted to crack it. But the real killswitch is the text-based execution order (textecution?) that you personally choose and fire off should the situation require it.
Thus, in event of theft or loss, the device will murder your data beyond all known recovery techniques as soon as you hit "send." For $1600, it's an expensive security measure, but can you put a price on perfect privacy?
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| For all of your most sensitive materials. |
Dead Drop: Darknet Service Will Be Your Whistleblower If You Mysteriously Disappear
It's hard out there for a whistleblower. With Bradley "Chelsea" Manning in extreme custody, Edward Snowden hiding out in Russia, and numerous other knowledge-droppers dead under sketchy circumstances, one would be deterred before breathing a word of any new top-secret info - no matter how damning. However, if you do happen to have your hands on some hot intel, and fear for your safety because of it, a new service will release your documents if you end up disappearing or dead.
The service, called Dead Man Zero, is accessible only through the deep web. According to vice.com, it costs around $120 (paid in bitcoin.) One uploads their files to a secure cloud, then the site requires password updates (set at a variable time preference by the user), which if not established will trigger a release of the documents to the user's desired outlets (lawyers, journalists, etc.)
“So what if something happens to you?” Dead Man Zero's site ponders. "Especially if you're trying to do something good like blow the whistle on something evil or wrong in society or government. There should be consequences if you are hurt, jailed, or even killed for trying to render a genuine and risky service to our free society...Now you have some protection. If 'something happens' to you, then your disclosures can be made public regardless.”
It adds, "If events overtake you, you can still overtake your adversaries."
Of course, for anyone paranoid enough to use this service, a secondary dose of worry ensues. Is the cloud secure enough? Will the site sustain long enough to make certain my documents really do survive me? Will they follow through with their promise despite what the intel may contain? Yes, it is a gamble. But so is possessing information worthy of this kind of necessity. For true protection of what is too dangerous for public knowledge, it's either a service like this, or a buried chest full of documents and some keys distributed to your close associates...which do you feel is truly the safest?
The service, called Dead Man Zero, is accessible only through the deep web. According to vice.com, it costs around $120 (paid in bitcoin.) One uploads their files to a secure cloud, then the site requires password updates (set at a variable time preference by the user), which if not established will trigger a release of the documents to the user's desired outlets (lawyers, journalists, etc.)
“So what if something happens to you?” Dead Man Zero's site ponders. "Especially if you're trying to do something good like blow the whistle on something evil or wrong in society or government. There should be consequences if you are hurt, jailed, or even killed for trying to render a genuine and risky service to our free society...Now you have some protection. If 'something happens' to you, then your disclosures can be made public regardless.”
It adds, "If events overtake you, you can still overtake your adversaries."
Of course, for anyone paranoid enough to use this service, a secondary dose of worry ensues. Is the cloud secure enough? Will the site sustain long enough to make certain my documents really do survive me? Will they follow through with their promise despite what the intel may contain? Yes, it is a gamble. But so is possessing information worthy of this kind of necessity. For true protection of what is too dangerous for public knowledge, it's either a service like this, or a buried chest full of documents and some keys distributed to your close associates...which do you feel is truly the safest?
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| You could always test their security by uploading a treasure map to the cloud and laying booby traps for anyone who comes after it. Just an option. |
BitTorrent Launches Secure Alternative to Cloud Storage
From Torrent Freak:
BitTorrent Inc. has opened up its Sync app to the public today. The new application is free of charge and allows people to securely sync folders to multiple devices using the BitTorrent protocol. Complete control over the storage location of the files and the absence of limits is what sets BitTorrent’s solution apart from traditional cloud based synchronization services.
Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Skydrive and Mega are just a few examples of the many file-storage and backup services that are available today. All these services rely on external cloud based hosting to back up and store files. This means that you have to trust these companies with your personal and confidential files, and that your storage space is limited . . .
BitTorrent Sync’s functionality is comparable to services such as Dropbox and Skydrive, except for the fact that there’s no cloud involved. Users sync the files between their own computers and no third-party has access to it.
Besides increased security, BitTorrent sync transfers also tend to go a lot faster than competing cloud services. Another advantage is that there are no storage or transfer limits, so users can sync as many files as they want, for free.
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