Computer Minds
Since the beginning of computational theory, man has often questioned the limits of computation and when it will evolve into more of a neural based system of machine learning and analysis. Questions such as these evoke ethicists and philosophers to question the limits of existence, and life beyond the scope of the normal dialogue. Indeed as we enter into the quantum era of technology, and push the ever so cumbersome limits of current physical thresholds of computation further, we recognize that one day things will change. At that time, it will be a new reality for humans and the world we live in. As mesoscale technologies evolve, there will come a time when linear processing no longer presents us with an adequate interface for the nanosized hardware components. The physical laws are different, as will be the coding mechanism. This forum is dedicated towards tracking the evolution of technologies and the possibilities for creating neural systems of computation. We will be examining the physical attributes of nano hardware creation, and possible implications for interface with the human mind and body.

Kite Surfing
Perhaps one of the most enjoyable, yet safe extreme sport is the little known sport of landsurfing and kitesurfing. Hooked up to an extended skateboard with all-terrain modifications, landsurfing is like no other sport. To begin with, there are two major differences between landsurfing and kitesurfing. Landsurfing is a newer sport and it involves a windsurfing sail (typically a storm sail) and it is hooked up to the board with all terrain wheels and shocks. Given reasonably flat terrain and moderate winds, you’ll have so much fun you’ll forget how weird it looks. Given a group of friends and shared experience, this sport may quickly define you as a person before it defines merely your hobbies. Kitesurfing is a different animal all together. Kitesurfing usually occurs on snow and ice; similar to snowboarding. It can also occur on water, similar to surfing. While both sports utilize wind as the mechanism for propulsion, kitesurfing takes extreme to a whole new level. Given the right environmental conditions, you’ll move pretty fast! Stepping on to the board is easy enough, but what happens when you’re strapped to your board and now have to control a kite specifically designed to send you rocket fast? You might want to consider wearing protective gear before trying this sport, because there is not much you can do to slow down. So which one is right for you? I prefer landsurfing to kitesurfing for a variety of reasons. Landsurfing, a new sport that has largely been driven to popularity by xxx who himself holds a patent for an advanced board design that enables better foot movement and control of the sail. Kitesurfing doesn’t allow you quiet as much control as does landsurfing. Perhaps the best thing about landsurfing is that you can do it during the summer months without need for an ocean, or a mountain. This means that those of us living too far away from mountains and oceans have an alternative! When facing strong directional winds, the kitesurfing board will pretty much carry you wherever the kite goes. Landsurfing will allow you to cut the wind in the same fashion as you would experience on water or with a sailboat. Seriously though, is there a clear winner among two extreme sports? I’m not sure that can be answered. If you are a speed junkie and consider a brief time airborne the aphrodisiac for you, then kitesurfing is the way to go. If you are more moderate in your sensation seeking endeavors (or don’t have personal injury insurance), but still want a taste of the wild side, then landsurfing is the only way to go. The requirements for open flat windy area are knot (yes that was a pun) as demanding for the landsurfer. Both are great work-outs, and both have the look and feel of the geek with attitude. A lot of the guys I know that participate in this sport are engineers themselves, so it seems to draw and intelligent crowd; post-grunge meets techie. This sport is definitely something to check out. http://www.landsurfer.com http://www.kiteflix.com/ http://www.eastcoastkiteboarding.com http://www.landsurfer.com/

Network Security
It seems almost everyday we hear about a new hack or a new vulnerability to network security. Typically these vulnerabilities are found by computer hobbyists who prefer to be known as hacker, rather than geek; though both may be true. To understand the origins and appeal to hacking, one must first examine how the sub-culture came to be. To begin with, its useful to set the record straight on the term “hack”. A “hack” more closely indentifies with a clever trick or useful way around a problem presented by system architecture. For example, the other day I was having difficulty consolidating all of the photos on my computer with Google’s Picasa program. Picasa has quickly become a leading opensource piece of software that sorts and catalogues photos. Given the amass of media and disorganized fashion they had been in, Picasa seemed like a useable alternative to purchasing an expensive piece of consumer software. Indeed it worked great, but then it couldn’t identify any of the media on my connected NAS drives that are also connected to my home network. Why? Well Windows XP handles NAS devices different than it does native hard drives connected to the motherboard. The Picasa program only searched for photos immediately available on the system that windows was installed to. This problem presents a common difficulty with software production and management. So how was the problem resolved? The problem was resolved through a hack. In my instance, I scripted a dynamic link that fooled Windows into thinking that the NAS drive was native. Of course this is a virtualization, but depending on how you look at a system and its operating system, all filesystems are virtualizations that bridge the computer hardware to the operating system. When the operating system does not natively support something that you wish to execute, then you must find a way around the problem; a hack. But what of those more elusive people that we hear about on the news for hacking into something more security concerned like a system network or a national defense related? Whether their motives be for good or evil, its pretty definitive to say that there is some good that comes out of a hack. As was eluded to before, a hack is a work around for a problem between software and hardware. When a network is hacked, it proves that a workaround exists and thus it is insecure. Under this peer test group basis, Linux was created and has successfully evolved from a command shell operating system to completely GUI (graphical user interface) oriented. Not surprisingly, Linux is often considered to be the most secure system build for network servers and private PCs. Linux has some great firewalls, and the greatest ability to customize them. All of those customizations are not without hassle however. Its far easier to use Windows because Windows is such a native and intuitive system. That withstanding, Windows is also very insecure. This is because Windows is designed for an open architecture framework. Whether you are running a Dell or HP, or similar hardware vendor built machine, the system architecture is different on every build. Among the system differences, there are also processor differences, although they are much more in-synch with the requirements of the operating system. This is because the operating system much be able to load all of its content on to the system and then utilize the processor. The physical architecture of the processor is very different among versions and brand names, but it must be held to a standard if windows is to use it. Currently there are only two major PC processor builders in the world; Intel and Athlon. Both design the physical elements and architecture of their processors to work with Windows. So it is easy to see given the diversity of variables that Microsoft must overcome that make Windows so easy to hack. Unlinke Mac, Windows is an open framework that is built to run on multiple types of systems. Mircosoft only makes software, whereas Apple has very tight integration between hardware and software. So in terms of hackability, it becomes easy to see why it occurs. The focus of this section will be to discuss a variety of elements of the hacking and open source development framework that occurs have become hot topic issues. Other examinations will not only discuss the technical aspects of the industry, but also the legal and privacy concerns as internet privacy becomes a larger issue while simultaneously computer internet networks grow larger in size and function. Stay tuned and join the debate as we examine the tech issues before the world at large. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/history http://www.itsecurity.com/