What is Wayback Machine?

Governments all over the world have, from time to time, strong armed telecom operators to block a number of websites, search engines and social media platforms. The Chinese government has restricted access to Google and Facebook while Twitter is blocked in Iran. Various Torrent and Porn sites were red-flagged by Department of Telecommunications in August 2015 and were subsequently blocked by Internet service providers.

In what is believed to be another case of internet censorship, DoT has reportedly asked ISPs to block an online archive called Wayback Machine, also known as archive-it.org, to prevent piracy of recently released Bollywood movies “Lipstick under My Burkha” and “Jab Harry Met Sejal.” The non-profit organization which runs Wayback Machine, two recent orders by Madras High Court were behind the block. The court orders identified a list of websites which includes Wayback Machine to be blocked for hosting a pirated copy of the two Hindi movies. However, it appears that the ban is yet to be enforced by all ISPs. 

Wayback Machine or archive-it.org is an online library of webpages, ebooks, videos, audio, games and software. It was founded by a non-profit organization called Internet Archive in 2006. As of now, it has 15 petabytes of data in the form of 273 billion webpages from over 361 million websites. It was developed to preserve digital content for research, educational purposes, and for the general public to access previous versions of an important website where a webpage which may have been changed or deleted by the publisher. 

The webpages can be archived by any users by typing the website URL and browsing to specific page they want to be saved. The right to archive videos or other content is available only to partner organizations and paid subscribers. The website has tie-ups for content with over 400 organizations in 16 countries and it includes university libraries, state archives, historical societies, NGOs and museums. 

Blocking it will affect researchers or students who rely on the vast library of research work available on it. It is also a valuable tool for activists who want to archive articles, circulars, or government documents so they will remain available forever, even if the source webpage or link to it has been taken down.

Nine YouTube hidden features

YouTube is normally the first choice for a majority of users when it comes to viewing or sharing videos. Google is always adding features to the service to improve functionality and performance. Here is what you can do to get the best YouTube.

It’s easy to make an animated GIF from a portion of YouTube video. Open the YouTube video of your choice and in the address bar of the browser, add the words ‘gif’ before YouTube (it should be gifyoutube.com). The site will redirect you to another page where you can select up to a 15 second clip from the video to convert to GIF. Once you have selected the animation time, a new page will give you the option to add, text effects and stickers. Once done, you can download the GIF to your computer.

You can share a video with playback starting at a set time. When sharing, look out for the “Start at” box. Check it and enter time. Or you can just add ‘?t=2m10s’ to the end of a short URL (for playback starting at 2 minutes and 10 seconds, in this example).

Karaoke YouTube is a great Karaoke companion. There are loads of music videos that come embedded with lyrics as subtitles. To use it as a Karaoke machine, you can connect your phone or laptop to your TV and use a mixer to attach external speakers and a microphone. If the lyrics are not present or not good, get a free browser extension called YouTube Lyrics – it will show you lyrics right next to the video. Change Caption styles if you enable subtitles closed caption on a video, you can press B on the keyboard to cycle through different colors and styles for better visibility.

YouTube has a full screen TV mode available if you want to watch videos from a distance. Just type http:www.youtube.comtv in the browser to launch the TV mode. TV mode can easily be controlled using your keyboard and has a dark theme so that it’s easy on the eyes in a dim room. You can browse through various categories as well as search for videos.

Many videos have background music. Head to http:www.mooma.sh, and then you can identify the background track using MooMa search function. Copy and paste the YouTube video link on MooMa and it will scan through its database of millions of songs to identify the song in less than a minute.

Magic Actions is one of the most feature rich browser extensions for YouTube. Once you added the extension, it opens a settings page where you can enable a lot of handy features including volume control using your mouse scroll wheel, force HD or 4k video playback, hide ads, bypass country restrictions, enable cinema mode as well as a speed booster for faster video loading.

While the desktop browser version does not offer an option of saving videos for offline play back, the YouTube app for iOS and Android has this option. For any video, you want to save for offline viewing, simply tap on the button that says ‘Add to offline’ and the video will be downloaded and saved to the My Videos section of the YouTube app. These can be viewed later without Internet connectivity.

Playing a 360 degree on YouTube is simple. Given the availability of cheap VR headsets, it’s only natural for YouTube to offer 360-degree video. To upload 360 degree video you first need to download and install the 360 video metadata app from http:www.github.comgooglespatial-mediareleases. In the app, open the 360 degree from your computer and check the box that says Spherical. 

Facts about Giza Pyramids

One of the most interesting Giza Pyramids facts is that the Great Pyramid held the record as the tallest structure in the world built by man for almost four thousand years. It was not until the Eifel Tower was built in Paris, France. All Pyramids in Egypt, including those built on the Giza Plateau are situated on the west bank of the River Nile because that is where the sun sets every evening, symbolizing the realm of the dead.

Inside the main chamber of the Great Pyramid lies a granite coffer that is far too large to have fit down the narrow passageway at the entrance. This realization has led historians and archaeological to believe that the Great Pyramid was built around the coffer rather than it being brought inside. The Pyramids of Giza were once covered in a white casting made of glimmering limestone which was so polished that it would reflect the sun rays. The original pyramid with its casing stones would act like gigantic mirrors and reflect light so powerful that it would be visible from the moon as a shining star on Earth.

The size of the Great Pyramid of Giza is enormous measuring 756 feet at its base and 455 feet in height. In fact, the pyramids are so big that can be visible from space on clear days. No other man made structure in the world can boast this incredible fact. The quarry of Aswan, about 525 Miles upriver, was the site for the stone used to make the massive blocks that comprise the pyramid and it has been suggested that there are enough blocks in the three pyramids to build a 10 feet high 1 feet thick wall around France.

Modern Egyptologists now believe that the pyramids were built by thousands of skilled workers rather than slaves. It is known that Pharaon Khufu’s nephew Hemiunu was appointed head of construction for the Great Pyramid and that Khufu provided good food and clothing for his workers. The Great Pyramids of Egypt now stand a full 3 miles south of the spot where they were originally built. That’s how much the earth’s surface has shifted in the last 4500 years. The Great Pyramid’s base is a perfect square and each side of the square measuring 756 feet. The base spans over 13 acres of land and is big enough to accommodate nearly 10 football fields.

200 Years of Cycling

Much to the chagrin of amateur history Claude Reynaud, the 200^th anniversary of the invention of the bicycle is likely to pass by with little pomp or fanfare as millions of pairs of eyes gaze at television screens or from the roadside to watch Chris Froome and his rivals battle for yellow jersey glory.

Billions of people use bicycles, many on a daily basis, and yet few are aware of this important milestone. Reynaud has fought a 50-year battle to defend the memory of the invention of the bicycle. He even houses a museum in its honor at his chateau in Domazan, in the Occitanie region of France. Reynaud said it was on June 12, 1817 that “for the first time, a man took a two-wheeler and went on a road” in the Mannheim region of what was then the Grand Duchy of Baden, now part of Southwest Germany.

Baron Drais’s “velocipede” (nicknamed the ‘dandy horse’) had no petals or a chain and required the rider to propel his “Laufmaschine” (running machine) by pushing off the ground with his feet. But the Baron’s genius was that “he discovered balance on two wheels”. “Like all ingenious inventions, it seems obvious, but someone had to think it. He invented the two-wheeler!”

However, the running machine was far from a resounding success and had its faults, notably proving difficult to control on bumpy surfaces. When Drais organized a demonstration of the velocipede at the Jardin de Luxembourg Park in Paris in 1818, “it was a disaster”. At first, it didn’t work; he couldn’t sell it, people made fun of it. But the idea had taken root and was soon being copied, particularly in France, although many draisines were adorned with horse’s heads. In 1866, Pierre Lallement attached pedals to the draisine and invented a pedal-powered velocipede.

The next stage in the development of bicycle saw a huge front wheel attached with a small rear wheel, but it was a machine that was far from stable and resulted in some spectacular crashes. It wasn’t until 1885 that two similar-sized wheels were attached to the velocipede. After that it was just a case of technical improvements, but all the ideas already existed – brake cables, pedals, chains. The bicycle enjoyed an exponential success, especially from 1890 with the invention of the tyre. Reynaud Chateau de Bosc welcomes 6,000 visitors to its museum but the amateur historian’s greatest regret is that he doesn’t own an original Laufmaschine to put on display.

Book Review – The Ocean of Churn

History is the art of researching facts well and building compelling narratives based on the said facts. Few modern scholars do this better than Sanjeev Sanyal. Asian histories have been rendered in a biased manner since time immemorial. As a famous saying that goes, until an animal has its own history, the history of the hunting will always glorify the hunter. If we take any history curriculum in Indian Education system, we can read leaps and bounds of Mughal Empire, the British regime, the Sultanates and such similar accounts.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to read the histories of Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas in greater detail and their glories have been limited to few pages here and there. This book, one of a kind in its genre, breaks that stupor and gives us a riveting account of how the Indian Ocean has shaped the human history. Indian Ocean is itself a big mystery. It holds many unresolved or undiscovered history that is hidden deep into its core. Author Sanjeev Sanyal tried to uncover this in this vast researched and well-articulated book and succeeded in satiating his readers.

The book opens up by a fascinating tale of how the Pallava dynasty has traced an heir to their kingdom when the erstwhile King, Parameshwara Verman II died in 731 CE. A delegation of Brahmin scholars, which travelled across the Indian Ocean to the far ends of Cambodia and got back an heir that traced his roots to the Pallava dynasty from five long generations ago and reign of Nandi Verman II has started.

The Ocean of Churn begins its journey even before the formation of the Indian Ocean. It talks about the super continent called Gondwana that existed more than 270 Million years ago and the mighty Saraswati River and how it dried up due to the tectonic plate shifts, how the Himalaya has been formed, and how the races have been migrated from India to outside world. This book traces the history through the Ocean way. How people set up its civilization, how their trade hub got established, what was their commercial aspects, how they dealt with various traders inside and outside their territory and so on.

From Harappan times, Indians have been trading with the world in many ways. Maritime trading is the major aspect during those times when land routes were hardly discovered. The powerful Chola king, Rajendra Chola made a naval attack on the Sri Vijaya Kingdom of Sumatra by 1025 is one such example. Chola Empire was one of the powerful empires in the entire South Asia region during that time. There were a major geo-political-economic alliances or rivalries between Indians, Chinese and the Sri Vijaya Kingdom.

Kerala being the hub of the maritime trade have witnessed a vast amount of geo-political-economic tradeoffs. As a testimony to those, even today in Kerala, we have the world’s second Mosque and India’s first mosque (Cheraman Perumal Mosque) built by the king Cheraman Perumal by the orders of Mohammed the prophet himself in 629 AD. We also get to see the memorial of St. Thomas (doubting Thomas fame), a disciple of Jesus, who visited Kerala via sea route.

Overall, this book is a well-researched one. It starts right from the origin of India Ocean due to the tectonic plate shifts and ends right at the transformation of Bombay to Mumbai with the reclamation of land over the Ocean. This book is full of rich details of all kingdoms that throve around the Indian Ocean, Indian Coastline and several islands of the Indian Ocean that also had cultural trade ties with India and its kingdoms.

Women’s Tennis after Serena Williams

Who do you expect would square off in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon this year? It’s comparatively easy to predict the men’s final line-up. The top five players of the men’s tour account for 47 of 50 Grand Slam Titles since 2005. In women’s tennis, uncertainty is the dominant theme.

Serena Williams, who has won 72 singles titles, including 23 Grand Slams (a record in open era, starting 1968, and one short of the all-time record held by Margaret Court), has taken a break from the game as she is expecting a child. After Serena, who can be a new star in Tennis? Jelena Ostapenko – 20 year old Latvian won the French Open last month, she became the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Maria Sharapova won the Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17.

After winning the French Open last year, Garbine Muguruza of Spain played in 19 tournaments till the event this year. Her best performances were three semi-finals finishes. World No.1, Angelique Kerber, won two Grand Slams last year. This year, the German has hardly made any statements. Of the 12 tournaments she has played so far, her best finish was in the Abierto GNP Seguros finals in April. At the French Open, she lost in the first round.

An open race to the No.1 spot could be good news for the rest of the field. World No.2 Simona Halep of Romania, after a slow start this year, Halep was the runner-up at the 2017 French Open. Karolina Pliskova, the world No.3 from the Czech Republic, is another contender for the year-end top ranking, having won four titles so far this year. Still, the field is wide open.

Of the 33 tournaments played this year till 26 June, only Elina Svitolina from Ukraine has won four titles. Three others – Karolina Pliskova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Johanna Konta – have won two titles each and a staggering 23 women have won a title each this year. The return of Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azerenka from Belarus and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic could help the WTA Tour. 

Countries that tried GST before India

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), India’s biggest tax reform since Independence, will unify a $2 Trillion economy into a single market. This big tax overhaul will be a test for India. Not only does the country’s size and diversity make the challenge daunting – 1.3 Billion people, 29 states, 22 official languages – it’s also implementing multiple rates. Here are some countries who had implemented GST are –

Canada – When Canada implemented its goods and services tax in 1991, retailers offered customers “Don’t Blame Me for the GST” stickers amid cash-register snafus and vending machine meltdowns.

Australia – Three years after pledging in 1995 to “never” introduce a GST, Australia PM John Howard reversed his policy for the 1998 election, saying he was seeking a mandate to implement a 10 percent tax on most Goods and Services. He barely won amid a voter backlash, but that narrow victory was enough to legislate a GST that’s been used to fund health care and schools funding for the states. It excludes some politically contentious items such as fresh food, pre-owned real estate, medical and education services. Current PM Malcolm Turnbull toyed with the idea of increasing the tax to 15 percent, but ruled that out in February 2016.

South Korea – Following the introduction of a value added tax in 1977, a game of hide and seek broke out between tax officials implementing the new system and market vendors seeking to avoid taxation, prompting newspaper Dong-A llbo in 1978 to describe the year as a “365-day nightmare”. The day the indirect tax regime applied some taxi drivers thought the new system applied to taxi fares and argued with customers that they need to pay 10 percent more than the price on the meter.

Malaysia – Following the implementation of GST in April 2015, there were reports cash registers weren’t calibrated to deal with the new regime, government agencies weren’t ready and GST refunds were delayed.

What is Lidar Technology?

Spacecraft use it to measure distance. Farmers use it to work out which fields need fertilizer. Archaeologists use it to map topography. And, crucially for Uber Technologies Inc. and Alphabet Inc. Waymo, self-driving cars use lidar to navigate.

As carmakers and technology entrants scramble to develop autonomous vehicles, lidar has become a highly coveted technology. And now it’s at the center of a lawsuit pitting Waymo against Uber, the ride hailing seeking to create its own autonomous vehicle empire. Waymo, the self-driving car business of Google parent Alphabet, accused Uber of stealing its lidar designs.

Lidar is a radar-like system that uses lasers instead of radio waves to build a 3-D image of the surrounding landscape. Since satellite navigation systems are only accurate to within a 16 Feet and can be easily flummoxed by high rise and glass fronted buildings, autonomous vehicles require an array of other sensors to position themselves precisely and maintain awareness of nearby pedestrians, vehicles and other objects.

Lidar comprises a series of rotating, stacked lasers that shoot out at different angles. Each layer is called a channel, and is made up of two laser beams. The signal from each individual channel creates one contour line, and together, those lines generate a 3-D image of the surrounding environment. That means that, the more lasers in each stack, the higher the resolution. Velodyne, for instance, manufactures products with 16, 32 and 64 laser channels.

The main hurdle to lidar becoming a widely adopted technology in mass-produced cars is cost. A 64-channel unit from Velodyne can cost more than $50,000, while the lower end 16-channel product sells for $7,999. Since a car might require several lidar units, it quickly makes the cost prohibitive for anything but the most expensive luxury cars. Velodyne and competitors such as Quanergy Systems Inc. are working to reduce the price. That would be accelerated by major orders for mass market cars.

The appeal of lidar has prompted a race for the technology. Automotive supplier Continental AG bought a lidar business from Advanced Scientific Concepts Inc. in 2016, while France’s Valeo SA has teamed up with Canada’s LeddarTech to supply the product.

Book Review – The Fountain Head

“The Fountain Head” is definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read. It tells the story of a few people in New York of the 20s – 30s. There are 5 characters about whom a lot is written, and these are main characters of the book. The characters are Howard Roark – a brilliant architect. He keeps faithful to his beliefs and ideology. It’s a story of his struggle against people and opinions that oppose that ideology.

Dominique Francon – Newspaper women. Throughout the book she gets married with most of the main characters Keating, Gail Wynand and Roark. Each marriage is, in my eyes, a symbol of a different union. She magnifies the difference between the people she marries. Gail Wynand - one of the most influential people in the city. Owner of a huge press empire, and in particular of "The New York Banner" - the most widely circulated paper in the city. Peter Keating - begins as an excellent architecture student and rises as a famous architect. Eventually falls to pieces. Ellsworth Toohey - a reporter and organizer of communities in unions.

Howard Roark’s strength lies in his work. He an honest man, never distracted by the worldly entities, dedicated and focused, behaving bluntly, mostly take him for being rude, clear mind, and emotionally strong. Work gives him joy. He enjoys his work. On the other hand, there is Peter Keating. He is one of the most realistic characters of the book. Believe in success, but his way of achieving it is not so a likeable method yet fondly practiced all over the world. 

The main theme of "The Fountainhead" is the struggle of the free mind, creativeness and individualism (all symbolized in Roark) against the common opinion, "second-handers", people who think only about what other people think. This main theme is very important, as it is the philosophical main idea of the book and most of the characters revolve around it. He is an independent architect, caring little about the opinion of others. He builds in order to build, to create "right" buildings. Dominique, Wynand and Toohey all "understand" the theme, but differently. Wynand raises himself about all others. He is a freak of power, caused by a difficult childhood. He despises all "second-handers" and aspires to rule them, bending their opinions at his will. Toohey is a very smart and sleek man and he understand how to influence "second-handers", and builds a great supporting around him, which isn't really explicitly felt as supporting by anyone. Eventually, it becomes clear that he wants to take over Wynand Empire.

The narrative is straight and the dialogues exchange between the characters of the book is what droves the plot forward. Not at a single point the book disappointed me, but rather after every chapter it made me curious that helped to read it with more eagerness. Rand’s characterization is well thought and maintained throughout the book. Objectivism is the professional theme of the novel. One might say that Love is a sub theme but I did not see it is a sub theme.

The book enlightened me on the subjects of Collectivism, Individualism, Altruism, and provoked the thought about how society works is a rat race gone all wrong. It will enlighten you about the human parasites/second-handers. Also, it unmasks those who are hell bent on killing the spirit of individualism and want to empower mediocrity because individualism promotes the genius of human mind and mediocrity kills that genius. 

India GST Rates in 2017

The Goods and Services Tax has been one of the key things that have caught the attention of the market given its implications on earnings of companies. The government has kept a large number of items under 18% tax slabs. The government categorized 1211 items under various tax slabs. Here is a low-down on the tax slab these items would attract. Gold and Rough diamonds do not fall under the current rate slab ambit and will be taxed at 3% and 0.25% respectively.

No Tax Goods & Services – No tax will be imposed on items like Jute, Fresh Meat, Fish chicken, Eggs, Milk, Butter Milk, Curd, Natural Honey, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Flour, Besan, Bread, Prasad, Salt, Bindi, Sindoor, Stamps, Newspapers etc. Hotels and Lodges with tariff below Rs 1,000, grandfathering service have been exempted under GST.

5% Goods & Services – Items such as Fish Fillet, Apparel below Rs 1000, packaged food items, footwear below Rs 500, cream, skimmed milk powder, branded paneer, frozen vegetables, Coffee, Tea etc. will attract tax of 5%. Transport Services, small restaurants will be under the 5% category because their main input is petroleum, which is outside GST ambit.

12% Goods & Services – Apparel above Rs 1000, Frozen meat products, butter, Cheese, Ghee, Dry Fruits in packaged form, Animal Fat, Sausage, Tooth Powder, Ayurvedic Medicines, Umbrella etc. will be under 12% tax slab. Non – AC hotels, business class air ticket, fertilizers, Work Contracts will fall under 12% GST tax slab.

18% Goods & Services – Most items under this tax slab which include Footwear costing more than Rs 500, Biscuits, Flavored refined sugar, Pasta, Cornflakes, Jams, Sauces, Tampons, Camera, Speaker and Monitors etc. AC Hotel that serve liquor, telecom services, IT services, branded garments and financial services will attract 18% tax under GST.

28% Goods & Services – Chewing Gum, Bidis, Pan Masala, Chocolate not containing Cocoa, Hair Shampoo, Ceramic Tiles, Water Heater, Washing Machine, ATM, Vacuum Cleaner, Shavers, Hair Clippers, Automobiles, Motorcycles, Aircraft for personal use etc. will attract 28% tax – the highest under GST system. 5-Star hotels, race club betting, cinema will attract tax 28% tax slab under GST.

Future of Electric Vehicles in India

Electric Vehicles are growing in popularity and certainly in mind space. They are cleaner and more efficient and even fun. Their growth, however, is still considered just a market problem. The end user should choose on the basis of what it costs to buy and run, or how it performs, etc. Markets matter but there is also a need for government and policy inputs. EVs, after all, operate within broader energy and transportation ecosystems with their own distortions. Unless we understand Indian-use cases, driver limitations and opportunities, we risk ambitious targets that remain aspirational.

Indians are famously value conscious. This is why consumers love diesel cars, despite their higher MRP and pollution relative to petrol counterparts. Even at today’s low oil prices, running a diesel sedan can cost about Rs3.8 per kilometre versus petrol’s Rs5.5. In contrast, CNG costs roughly Rs1.9/km, but it’s not widely available. The cost of EVs depends on electricity price, which varies significantly. At Rs7/kWh (kilowatt hour) of power, they cost only about Rs1.1/km. This saves consumers driving 5,000km per year over Rs 20,000 annually, and taxis much more as they drive 10-15 times as much.

The catch is the upfront cost. EVs are expensive, primarily because of the battery. A single kWh of electricity is enough to go about 6km, so a 200km “full tank” range requires about 35 kWh of battery. Today’s prices for lithium ion batteries are about $250/kWh globally, which comes to Rs 5.7 lakh in battery costs, excluding import duties. Even with an eight-year lifespan and a 12% interest rate, justifying the battery costs on per kilometre savings alone means one would have to drive over 25,000km per year. However, when battery prices fall to $100/kWh, as projected a few years out, EVs can become a game changer.

Range turns out to be key: 5,000km per year is only about 15km per day on average, while an urban taxi may do 300km daily. Higher range means not only more battery cost but weight as well. In an ideal world, we would have a smaller battery pack and simply recharge periodically. In practice, taxi and fleet vehicles can only charge overnight, and even private users may have limits on charging options. Without fast-charging infrastructure—fast-charging an EV requires much more power than household 15 amp sockets, which can only offer about 3 kW of power, so 35 kWh takes almost 12 hours to charge—one inevitably has “range anxiety”. Unlike the US, most Indians don’t have a personal garage. Hence, widespread and company-agnostic public charging infrastructure becomes a key policy choice.

Not only are EVs efficient – with regenerative braking capturing energy otherwise wasted and also due to the inherent efficiency of motors, especially at low speeds they pollute less. We should value such environmental co-benefits, not just carbon reductions. We could compensate cleaner vehicles through reduced registration charges, or even aim for mandating EVs for taxis and selected public transport vehicles. These are often diesel and thus far worse polluters.

There are other distortions to consider. Over half of petrol’s pump prices are for taxes. Petrol taxes are 1% of GDP and diesel 2% and fully switching to EVs means affecting 2% of GDP. Of course, oil is predominantly imported, so moving to EVs should be a worthwhile trade-off. Plus, over-time more and more electricity will come from renewable sources.

What is Ransomware?

Computers across the world were locked up and user’s files held for ransom when dozens of countries were hit in a cyberattack that targeted hospitals, companies and government agencies. Malware is a general term that refers to software that’s harmful to your computer. Ransomware is a type of malware that essentially takes over a computer and prevents users from accessing data on it until a ransom is paid.

How computer is infected - In most cases, the software infects computers through links or attachments in malicious messages known as phishing emails. The software usually is hidden within links or attachments in emails. Once the user clicks on the link or opens the document, their computer is infected and the software takes over. Ransomware, like the name suggests is when your files are held for ransom. It finds all your files and encrypts them and then leaves you a message. If you want to decrypt them, you have to pay.

How it works - The ransomware encrypts data on the computer using an encryption key that only the attacker knows. If the ransom isn’t paid, the data is often lost forever. When the ransomware takes over a computer, the attackers are pretty explicit in their demands. In most cases, they change the wallpaper of the computer and give specific instructions telling the user how to pay to recover their files. Most attackers demand between $300 and $500 to remove the malicious ransomware; the price can double if the amount isn’t paid within 24 hours. Law enforcement officials have discouraged people from paying these ransoms.

How to avoid it - Users should regularly back up their data and ensure that security updates are installed on your computer as soon as they are released Up-to-date backups make it possible to restore files without paying a ransom. Users should also look for malicious email messages that often masquerade as emails from companies or people you regularly interact with online. It’s important to avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in those messages, since they could unleash malware.

Bitcoin – The Digital Currency

It’s worth more than an ounce of gold right now. It’s completely Digital and it’s the currency of choice for the cyber attackers who crippled computer networks around the world in recent days. When the attackers' "ransomware'' sprang into action, it held victims hostage by encrypting their data and demanding they send payments in Bitcoins to regain access to their computers. Bitcoin has a fuzzy history, but it's a type of currency that allows people to buy goods and services and exchange money without involving banks, credit card issuers or other third parties. 

How Bitcoins work – Bitcoin is a digital currency that is not tied to a bank or government and allows users to spend money anonymously. The coins are created by users who ‘mine’ them by lending computing power to verify other user’s transactions. They receive Bitcoins in exchange. The coins also can be bought and sold on exchanges with U.S dollars and other currencies.

Why are Bitcoins popular? - Bitcoins are basically lines of computer code that are digitally signed each time they travel from one owner to the next. Transactions can be made anonymously, making the currency popular with libertarians as well as tech enthusiasts, speculators and criminals.

Is it really anonymous - Yes, to a point. Transactions and accounts can be traced, but the account owners aren't necessarily known. However, investigators might be able to track down the owners when Bitcoins are converted to regular currency. For now, the three accounts tied to the ransomware attack appear untouched and it'll be difficult for perpetrators to cash in anytime soon without getting traced. 

Who's using bitcoin? - Some businesses have jumped on the bitcoin bandwagon amid a flurry of media coverage. Overstock.com accepts payments in bitcoin, for example. The currency has become popular enough that more than 300,000 daily transactions have been occurring recently, according to bitcoin wallet site blockchain.info. A year ago, activity was closer to 230,000 transactions per day. Still, its popularity is low compared with cash and cards, and many individuals and businesses won't accept Bitcoins for payments. 

How Bitcoins are kept secure? - The bitcoin network works by harnessing individuals' greed for the collective good. A network of tech-savvy users called miners keep the system honest by pouring their computing power into a Blockchain, a global running tally of every bitcoin transaction. The Blockchain prevents rogues from spending the same bitcoin twice, and the miners are rewarded for their efforts by being gifted with the occasional bitcoin. As long as miners keep the Blockchain secure, counterfeiting shouldn't be an issue.

How bitcoin came to be - It's a mystery. Bitcoin was launched in 2009 by a person or group of people operating under the name Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin was then adopted by a small clutch of enthusiasts. Nakamoto dropped off the map as bitcoin began to attract widespread attention. The currency obeys its own internal logic.

What is Blockchain Technology?

The Blockchain is an undeniably ingenious invention. By allowing digital information to be distributed but not copied, Blockchain technology created the backbone of a new type of internet. The Blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value.

Picture a spreadsheet that is duplicated thousands of times across a network of computers. Then imagine that this network is designed to regularly update this spreadsheet and you have a basic understanding of the Blockchain. Information held on a Blockchain exists as a shared — and continually reconciled — database. This is a way of using the network that has obvious benefits. The Blockchain database isn’t stored in any single location, meaning the records it keeps are truly public and easily verifiable. No centralized version of this information exists for a hacker to corrupt. Hosted by millions of computers simultaneously, its data is accessible to anyone on the internet.

Blockchain technology is like the internet in that it has a built-in robustness. By storing blocks of information that are identical across its network, the Blockchain cannot: Be controlled by any single entity and has no single point of failure. Bitcoin was invented in 2008. Since that time, the Bitcoin Blockchain has operated without significant disruption. The Blockchain network lives in a state of consensus, one that automatically checks in with itself every ten minutes.  A kind of self-auditing ecosystem of a digital value, the network reconciles every transaction that happens in ten-minute intervals. Each group of these transactions is referred to as a “block”. Two important properties result from this: Transparency and it cannot be corrupted.

By storing data across its network, the Blockchain eliminates the risks that come with data being held centrally. Its network lacks centralized points of vulnerability that computer hackers can exploit. Today’s internet has security problems that are familiar to everyone. We all rely on the “username/password” system to protect our identity and assets online. Blockchain security methods use encryption technology. The basis for this is the so-called public and private “keys”. A “public key” is a users’ address on the Blockchain. Bitcoins sent across the network gets recorded as belonging to that address. The “private key” is like a password that gives its owner access to their Bitcoin or other digital assets. Store your data on the Blockchain and it is incorruptible.

With Blockchain technology, the web gains a new layer of functionality. Already, users can transact directly with one another — Bitcoin transactions in 2016 averaged over $200,000 US per day. With the added security brought by the Blockchain new internet business are on track to unbundle the traditional institutions of finance. Goldman Sachs believes that Blockchain technology holds great potential especially to optimize clearing and settlements, and could represent global savings of up to $6bn per year.

History behind International Labour Day

What started as International Workers Day in Chicago in May 1886 further spread to other parts of the world, India being no exception. The first celebration of Labour Day in India took place in Chennai on May 1, 1923. Organized by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan, the red flag, an emblem of the labour class, was also used in India.

The party's leader, Singaravelu Chettiar, conducted 'May Day' celebrations in two places — one at a beach opposite Madras High court and the other at the Triplicane beach. He later presided over the meeting and a resolution declaring a holiday on the occasion was passed here. Certain other pointers explaining non-violent principles of the party, request for some financial aid and achieving independence for the workers of the world were discussed, too.

A nationwide public holiday, it highlights the labour movements for communist and socialist political parties. It is known by various names like Kamgar Din (Hindi), Kamgar Divas (Marathi) and Uzhaipalar Dinam (Tamil), the 'Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas'.

Until the official declaration in 1917, Russians celebrated the day illegally. Post this year, these celebrations were boycotted by Left Socialist Revolutionaries, anarchists and Mensheviks. It went on to become a significant official holiday of the Soviet Union, which they celebrated with parades in major cities. Since 1992, it is officially termed as 'The Day of Spring and Labour' and is a major holiday.

In Japan, while there's no officially designated holiday on the day, most people take their day off since it falls between other national holidays. Starting from April 29, the 'Golden Week' begins. This day is celebrated as Showa Day, the birthday of Emperor Showa, who reigned between 1926 and 1989. May 3, 4 and 5 are celebrated as Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day and Children's Day, respectively.

In New Zealand and some parts of Australia, this day is celebrated on the first Monday of October, while in US and Canada; it takes place on the first Monday of September. Every year, a theme is planned by the members of the International Labour Day, this year being 'Celebrating the international labour movement'. This theme becomes the centre point of the celebrations and activities like crossword puzzle, anagram puzzle, word search puzzle, code cracker puzzle, word scramble puzzle take place.