Fall Colors!

What Does It Take to Get a Job at Google?

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Intel’s Parallel Extensions for JavaScript

Intel’s Parallel Extensions for JavaScript, code named River Trail, hooks into on-chip vector extensions to improve performance of Web applications. Details of Intel’s attempt to get on the JavaScript juggernaut emerged last month at its developer event.

The prototype JavaScript extension offered by Intel is intended to allow JavaScript apps to take advantage of modern parallel chip capabilities. Sequential gives way to parallel, at least in theory.

In-browser games and image editing are pitched as examples of application elements that would take advantage of new eight-core processors, blogs Intel’s Stephan Herhut.The software is said to ”play nicely” with the WebGL JavaScript API to OpenGL for 3D visualization in the browser. Intel has a beta Firefox extension for interested developers. Says Herhut:

You can download a prebuilt version for Windows and 64 Bit MacOS [from github] or build it yourself. For the latter, we have written a README that explains the process. Once you have the extension installed, take a look at our demos to see what is possible.

Why should the browser be a second fiddle to the operating system? As browsers, JavaScript, and HTML5 gain more influence, top-tier chip makers will start to adapt their libraries to Web application demands. More, including material on API design or the beginnings of API documentation, is on a RiverTrail wiki.

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Hackers break SSL encryption used by millions of sites

Researchers have discovered a serious weakness in virtually all websites protected by the secure sockets layer protocol that allows attackers to silently decrypt data that's passing between a webserver and an end-user browser.

The vulnerability resides in versions 1.0 and earlier of TLS, or transport layer security, the successor to the secure sockets layer technology that serves as the internet's foundation of trust. Although versions 1.1 and 1.2 of TLS aren't susceptible, they remain almost entirely unsupported in browsers and websites alike, making encrypted transactions on PayPal, GMail, and just about every other website vulnerable to eavesdropping by hackers who are able to control the connection between the end user and the website he's visiting.

At the Ekoparty security conference in Buenos Aires later this week, researchers Thai Duong and Juliano Rizzo plan to demonstrate proof-of-concept code called BEAST, which is short for Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS. The stealthy piece of JavaScript works with a network sniffer to decrypt encrypted cookies a targeted website uses to grant access to restricted user accounts. The exploit works even against sites that use HSTS, or HTTP Strict Transport Security, which prevents certain pages from loading unless they're protected by SSL.

The demo will decrypt an authentication cookie used to access a PayPal account, Duong said.

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Highly Useful HTML5 Reference

Highly useful HTML5 Reference

[Click to see the original] 

Microsoft download from The Garage: Mouse without Borders - Next at Microsoft - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Microsoft download from The Garage: Mouse without Borders - Next at Microsoft - Site Home - TechNet Blogs: Mouse Without Borders is a project I’ve been familiar with for the last 6 months or so and it’s a wonderfully useful tool. In a nutshell, it allows you to reach across your PC's as if they were part of one single desktop. I have two PCs on my desk at work connected to 3 LCD screens and using Mouse Without Borders I can move my mouse between the 3 screens, even though one of them is attached to a different PC from the other two. What’s more, I can move files between the 2 computers simply by dragging them from one desktop to another. In fact you can control up to four computers from a single mouse and keyboard with no extra hardware needed – it’s all software magic, developed by Truong Do who by day is a developed for Microsoft Dynamics. The software is easy to setup and in addition to enabling drag and drop of files, you can lock or log in to all PCs from one PC, and as a whimsical bonus is it allows you to customize your Windows logo screen with the daily image from Bing or a local collection of pictures :) I regularly use it to have one PC dedicated to social media streams while I work away on my other PC connected to two screens.

The video above both explains and shows Mouse Without Borders far better than I can using words. The project is testament to the power of The Garage which helped Truong develop the user interface and setup the usability tests that have helped the tool become very accessible and easy to use. As well as that, The Garage and its regular Science Fairs inside Microsoft helped expose the project to 9,000 people before it was ready for external release. Now that day has arrived and I’m delighted to announce here on Next at Microsoft that Mouse Without Borders is ready for download.

InfoQ: Limiting Work in Progress and Scrum

InfoQ: Limiting Work in Progress and Scrum: Limiting Work In Progress works in the same way that Scrum does. You see Scrum doesn't really solve any problems for you and neither does limiting Work In Progress, it just exposes the problem for what it really is which makes it easier to solve. If it's a business area problem, then it's easy to show and prove to the business making the solution easier. If it's a tendency of the team to juggle the entire sprint backlog, then bring in a WIP limit and measuring over a couple sprints might be enough to prove to them the virtues of this new idea.
If your Scrum team can't solve a problem on it's own, then they come to you (the Scrum Master). It's your job to hunt down whoever can unblock the team as quickly as possible and solve that problem. What will your developers do while you're on your manhunt? Partnering up on a single programming task would work great, maybe having a WIP limit of 8 for a team of 7 or a WIP limit of two for each single developer. Use your sprints to experiment here if it seems like something you want to implement.
Just remember to wear comfortable shoes since you'll be walking a bit more than normal for at least a little while.

www.TheServerSide.com accounts hacked?

I just received an email from TechTarget, informing me of the 'recent' breach with user accounts of www.TheServerSide.com and www.TheServerSide.net. The breach reportedly occurred on Jun 3, 2011.
It has further said 'only' email-ids and passwords were accessed (it does not store any CC or SSN info)!
Seems like this is the season of hacks - Gawker, Playstation Network (PSN) and various other Sony sites, Toyota...who is next in queue of getting hacked?

PS: I have not accessed my account on theserverside.com for a long time now. Let me see if I can access it. Looks like they have updated the passwords. Sending a request for password reminder. Waiting to hear from them now...

Tweets as a Newspaper!

I came across paper.li few days back, courtesy @ideafactory and was immediately hooked to it. paper.li 'creates' a newspaper out of the timeline on your Twitter account. Here is a snapshot of my 'newspaper'.

As you may notice, there are some white spaces around. But overall, it is a nice template and gives a good feeling to overall content. There has been an effort to make different sections based on the hash-tags (my assumption). Videos and Photos different sections.
You can generate newspapers for any tags or you can generate newspapers out of Twitter lists. I have created Bollywood Newsline from one of such list.

Rajneesh Garg's Daily
Bollywood Newsline
The Tech Front
The India Daily
The Photography Daily

Book Review - HTML5: Up and Running

If you don't know about the new features available in HTML5, now's the time to find out.

Good introduction to core features of HTML5

Book starts with the history of HTML and then describes the details of the HTML5 specification for some of the more prominent features, and how you can use the new features to improve your website/webapps; New elements are introduced one by one - tags, canvas, video, geo-location, storage, offline web apps, new form features and microdata. Author Mark Pilgrim also introduces a nifty JavaScript library, Modernizr, used to check the HTML5 capabilities of the requesting browser (None of the mainstream browsers supports all features of HTML5, though all support some/many aspects of it). Most of the stuff in the book can be read independently, so, you can skip topics and then can always come back. A web version of this book is available at DiveIntoHTML5.org website maintained by the author and you can browse and explore it at the same time. The linked website is full of interesting illustrations. Both book and website compliments each other. Whether you buy the book or read it online, it’s the best introduction to the topic you’ll find.

The book is a good start for someone getting into HTML as well for someone who wants to increase his knowledge base.  If you are looking for a book to learn about core features of HTML5, this book might be of your interest.

Disclosure: I’m writing this post as part of O’Reilly’s blogger review program. While I’m not getting paid to review books, I sure am getting to read them for free.

HTML5: Up and Running by Mark Pilgrim

Book Review - Building Android Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

The idea behind the concept of Web Apps is quite simple and interesting - to allow to create apps without bothering to learn the mobile platform specific SDKs (iOS or Android usually).

 A mobile platform provides two ways to access applications - native apps and web apps. A native app can get at the special hardware in Android/iOS, uses the SDK and it can be sold in the app store. A web app, on the other hand, can't use the hardware, can't be sold in the app store but it is much easier to create.

The main focus of this book is to customize your website/apps to look good on an Android powered device. So, basically, you create the customized versions of the applications/websites for mobile from your knowledge  of basic page creation technologies i.e. HTML, CSS and Javascript. 

This book also shows the use of these along with jQuery and WebKit browser. There is an intrdouction to HTML5 (Local Storage and WebSQL database). 2 chapters are devoted to understanding and working with PhoneGap frmaework. You would enjoy working with PhoneGAp for using the accelerometer, making the phone buzz and using geolocation options.

If you know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you already have the tools you need to develop Web Apps. There is a basic introduction to HTML, CSS and Javascript in book. However, this book would benefit those with a good working knowledge of these web technologies. If you are not comfortable at these, you may find yourself a handicap for creating web apps.

Building Android Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript By Jonathan Stark

Disclosure: I’m writing this post as part of O’Reilly’s blogger review program. While I’m not getting paid to review books, I sure am getting to read them for free.