New Technology Reviews!.: Control

Tutorial: 14 Thunderbird tips to help you take control of your inbox

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/classifications/computing/internet-and-broadband/thunderbird-200-200.jpg"> Can't manage your inbox? Want to deal with attachments more efficiently? Revive your email account with these quick Thunderbird tips. 1. Filter messages into folders An inbox with only one main folder is a definite recipe for disaster. Not only will you receive spam mixed up with messages from trusted contacts, you'll end up with too much mail to deal with all at once. To get round this, create new folders (usually via File > New Folder) and then set up rules or filters for each one. 2. Back up and restore your mail and contacts Hard drive crashes are always possible, but your email can be saved in a flash. In Thunderbird, just copy your profile (C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\Defaults\Profile) to another drive to back up your emails. To restore backups, copy each folder you archived to the original location. 3. Work faster with mail templates To create a new template and use it as the basis for future emails, make a new message, add your text and formatting and select File > Save As > Template. To use this example as the basis for a new mail message, select the Templates folder and then double-click the one you just saved. 4. Tag your messages Alongside filters, tags are the best route to a tidy inbox. In Thunderbird, the default ones are 1) Important (red), 2) Work (orange), 3) Personal (green), 4) To Do (blue) and 5) Later (purple), but you can add your own. Highlight a message and press a number from 1 to 5. Filter rules can also be used to apply tags. 5. Compact messages To compact all folders in Thunderbird manually, click the account on the left and then select File > Compact Folders. If your mailbox is too large then try working with one folder at a time by right-clicking on one and choosing "Compact this folder ". 6. Make attachments as small as possible The <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4003/">Auto Zip Attachments extension</A> enables you to compress attachments automatically prior to sending, manually compress with the Auto Zip button, add a comment and password-protect zips. 7. Encrypt emails Using a personal email certificate such as the <a href="http://www.thawte.com/resources/personal-email-certificates/index.html?click=DoYouNeedTo-SecureMail">free Thawte option</A>, you can digitally sign your emails so that recipients can see they're really from you. You can also encrypt your messages so that only the intended recipients can view them, offering you real security. 8. Use IMAP rather than POP3 Most email clients support IMAP and POP to access messages from the server. If you're using a popular webmail client or a personal domain, you should be able to use IMAP, which is good for multiple machine use because it automatically synchronises. Handily, it can also be organised server-side. 9. Plan ahead Lightning is Thunderbird's personal organiser, and can be bolted on to the mail client to act as a handy calendar. It even has event filters. 10. Display birthdays This add-on displays birthdays from the address book as events in Lightning. Now you'll never forget a friend 's special day again. 11. Copy Gmail To make Thunderbird more like Gmail, turn on the threaded view. Go to Tools > Options > Advanced > General and click Config Editor. Now search for the preference "mailnews.thread_pane_ column _unthreads". Double-click to change the value to "false". 12. Add Gmail power Another Gmail-esque extension is GMailUI. The Expression search type enables you to enter multiple Gmail-like operators into the field, such as " from:amazon subject:order". 13. Navigate quickly Install the Nostalgy extension to copy or save a message. You can also use it to switch to any email folder quickly with the [C], [S] and [G] keys. 14. Transfer mail The Mail Redirect add-on is ideal for exporting Thunderbird messages to another address without having to forward them. It preserves all the message headers and bounces them to a new destination.

Tutorial: 14 Thunderbird tips to help you take control of your inbox

Can't manage your inbox? Want to deal with attachments more efficiently? Revive your email account with these quick Thunderbird tips. 1...

Google TV gets Android voice control app

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/computing/internet-and-broadband/images/google-crop-200-200.jpg"> Google has made a number of improvements to its Google TV service this week, with improved voice control via an Android handset and improved movie search. <a href="">Google TV</A> was launched back in October earlier this year. What's new with Google TV? "It's been two months since the first Google TV device went on sale," blogs Larry Yang, Google TV Product Manager. "Since then, we have been hard at work thinking about how we can make the platform even better for our users. "In fact, one of the greatest things about Google TV is that it comes with free, automatic "over-the-air" software updates that give you the newest features and content as we release them. It's as if Google TV goes up in value over time." As such, this week sees the first Google TV software update, which fixes a number of bugs and introduces four significant improvements to the platform, which are as follows: 1.Netflix The Netflix app has been upgraded "so that you can search, browse and watch any movie or show that is in the Netflix streaming catalog…. [and] add these titles to your DVD queue if you want them mailed to you." 2.Dual View Google TV's latest feature lets you "do things like watch Conan while tweeting about him on Twitter at the same time" with lots of new customization options now added so, for example, you can now "re-size and move the window however you'd like." 3.Remote Control App for Android Phones "What if you could control your TV with the power of your voice? Starting today you can download the Google TV Remote app in Android Market." You can see a short YouTube preview of these features below. 4.Movies "Say you're searching for a movie like 'Harry Potter'. Google TV now has a movie results page that shows you all films associated with the title so you can quickly watch what you want, wherever it's available -- ranging from sources like live TV, Netflix, and Amazon Video on Demand." Google TV users with Android phones can grab The Google TV Remote app now by simply <a href="http://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.tvremote">clicking here from an Android device</A>

Google TV gets Android voice control app

Google has made a number of improvements to its Google TV service this week, with improved voice control via an Android handset and improve...

Sphero toy ball rolls itself, you control it with your smartphone

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMm-PZMZON8tuz_-Zc254sa_TDY29nqfmLkcwAtOGtt7_Y4i0Nt-Phz5k1mhP8IE41B_YAxF6pgcAgPEprF0dZmbGFkCZvFpG8x7_ogjH4RPSywLRveSmLSCIBt93UbWO0OPvrwK5L_A/s1600/101212-sphero-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMm-PZMZON8tuz_-Zc254sa_TDY29nqfmLkcwAtOGtt7_Y4i0Nt-Phz5k1mhP8IE41B_YAxF6pgcAgPEprF0dZmbGFkCZvFpG8x7_ogjH4RPSywLRveSmLSCIBt93UbWO0OPvrwK5L_A/s320/101212-sphero-01.jpg" width="320"></a></div> 
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=latesttecompu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B003ZUYO72&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Don't have the airspace required for an AR.Drone? Gearing up for its CES 2011 debut, Sphero is a small, robotic toy ball made by Orbotix, and controlled remotely via Bluetooth and your smartphone's tilt sensor.

Sphero toy ball rolls itself, you control it with your smartphone

Don't have the airspace required for an AR.Drone? Gearing up for its CES 2011 debut, Sphero is a small, robotic toy ball made by Orboti...

How to Design Access Control & Authentication on a Web Page

Navigate to 4WebHelp, Alterlinks or HTMLlite. Enter a user name and then password for your page. These are password encryptors and are necessary to create the htaccess page. Each generator works identically the same. Highlight the code they give you and press "Ctrl"+"C" (in Windows) to copy it.Click "Start," type "notepad" and press "Enter." Press "Ctrl"+"V" to paste the code into your notepad file.Click "File > Save As." Click the file type from the drop-down and click "All files." Locate your website folder and save it as ".htpasswd" (without the quotes).Click "File," in Notepad, then "New." Type the following code into the document:AuthUserFile //path/to/.htpasswdAuthType BasicAuthName "Name for Password-Protected Area"Require valid-userReplace "/path/to/.htpasswd" with the path to the file, once it has been uploaded. Your Web host will have provided this information to you -- if you are unsure. This will password-protect the entire folder that it is stored in.If you want to only protect one page, add the following code (before "Require valid-user"):<Files "webpage.html">Replace "webpage" with the page you wish to protect. Add the following code after "Require..."</Files>Click "File," then "Save As." Click "File type." Click "All Files." Save the file with your website as ".htaccess" (without quotes). When you upload the two files, you will have password-protected your website.

How to Design Access Control & Authentication on a Web Page

Navigate to 4WebHelp, Alterlinks or HTMLlite. Enter a user name and then password for your page. These are password encryptors and are nece...

PCI DSS Compliance - Be in Control in Four Moves

The security standard calls for a broad range of security measures, but beyond the use of firewalling, intrusion protection systems and anti-virus software, the understanding of the requirements and responsibilities of the merchant are very often poorly understood.This guide simplifies the scope of the balance of PCI DSS measures to just four areas. - File Integrity monitoring - Event Log centralization - Security Vulnerability scanning for device hardening - Change Management process Understanding and implementing measures to address these four areas will make any QSA happy and get you compliant - and keep you compliant - in no time at all.File Integrity MonitoringAs a mandated dimension of the PCI DSS, FIM verifies that program and operating system files have not been compromised.Why is this important? The principal benefit of using FIM technology is to ensure that malicious code has not been embedded within critical application and operating system files. The insertion of a 'backdoor' or Trojan into core program files is one of the more audacious and elegant forms of hacking, and also one of the most dangerous.The PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) specifies the following "Deploy file-integrity monitoring software to alert personnel to unauthorized modification of critical system files, configuration files, or content files; and configure the software to perform critical file comparisons at least weekly" and also that for log files "Use file-integrity monitoring or change-detection software on logs to ensure that existing log data cannot be changed without generating alerts (although new data being added should not cause an alert)".Contemporary compliance management technology will provide pre-defined templates for all folders and files that should be tracked for File-Integrity, also allowing you to specify additional program folders and files unique to your environment, for instance, your core business applications.File Integrity Monitoring technology conducts an initial inventory of all filesystems specified and 'fingerprints' all files using secure hashing technology, generating a unique checksum for each file. The system will then audit all files being tracked on a scheduled basis every 24 hours (even though the PCI DSS calls only for weekly checks) with any changes, additions, deletions or modifications being reported to you.The latest generation of File Integrity Monitoring software also operate in a 'live tracking' mode for ultra-secure environments where file changes are detected and reported in real-time. Other options to consider are to track and identify actual changes to file contents, useful when tracking configuration files to provide you with a complete audit trail of change history - this can be applied to any form of files such as text and xml.Continuous Vulnerability ScanningAll security standards and Corporate Governance Compliance Policies such as PCI DSS, GCSx CoCo, SOX (Sarbanes Oxley), NERC CIP, HIPAA, HITECH, ISO27000 and FISMA require Windows and Unix Servers, workstations, and firewalls, routers and switches to be secure in order that they protect and secure confidential data.'Hardening' a device requires known security 'vulnerabilities' to be eliminated or mitigated. A vulnerability is any weakness or flaw in the software design, implementation or administration of a system that provides a mechanism for a threat to exploit the weakness of a system or process. For the PCI DSS, it is a requirement that all 'within scope' sites are scanned for vulnerabilities every quarter. This gets expensive in a large scale, multi-site estates, as well as being a time-consuming management overhead.Perhaps the biggest issue is that the results of any scan are only accurate at the time of the scan - any configuration changes made after the scan could render devices vulnerable and in a worst case scenario, devices could be left vulnerable to attack for a 3 month period. The ideal solution is to continuously track configuration changes. This is the only real way to guarantee the security of your IT estate is maintained. Using continuous configuration tracking technology allows you at any time to see the Compliance Score of any server and which settings need to be changed to re-harden the config. Any changes made should be reported, including Planned Changes which should also be reconciled with the original Request For Change or RFC record.Secure, Centralized Event Log ManagementLog analysis is a key weapon in the fight against any cyberattack. By gathering logs from all unix and windows servers, applications and databases, firewalls and routers, the method and pattern of an attack can be understood. Identifying the method and source of any attack allows preventative measures to be continually improved. This is why all security policies place log retention at their core. PCI DSS compliance requires logs to be gathered and reviewed daily, and retained for at least one year. Similarly for GCSx Code of Connection or CoCo compliance - Audit logs recording user activities, exceptions and information security events are to be retained for at least 6 months.For any compliance initiative, it will be necessary to gather logs from all - Network Devices - Windows, Unix and Linux servers - Firewall or IPS and IDS devices, Email and Web Servers - Database and Application servers - even IBM Mainframes - All other potentially useful sources of log informationAlthough the scope of most compliance standards will be largely satisfied at this stage, far greater value can be extracted from Centralizing Event Logs. Contemporary event and audit log management technology ensures all event logs are analyzed and correlated automatically, applying a comprehensive series of rules pertinent to any Security or Governance policy. Any breach of compliance will be alerted immediately allowing pre-emptive action to be taken before a problem arises. The best log management solutions provide pre-defined rules templates, allowing you to be in control of compliance straight out of the box.The following is a checklist of features available in today's best log management software - - All Security and Governance Policies supported via pre-packed Compliance Rule Templates - Real Time Security Warnings i.e. violation of file integrity monitoring rules - PCI DSS and GCSx Code of Connection supported 'out of the box' - Web-based Dashboard and integration with Servicedesk as standard - Powerful, keyword-based Event Log mining across any combination of devices and applications - Complete solution for all Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) requirementsThe latest generation of centralized log server software allows you to focus on true exceptions and important events by masking off the sometimes overwhelming flood of logs. Use the pre-built Compliance Templates and build your own keyword and logic-based correlation rules, allowing you to manage what really matters to your organization from a security and compliance standpoint.Change and Configuration ManagementITIL Best Practises identify Change Management as one of the key, central processes that should be understood and assimilated into an IT Service Delivery operation. Change Management as a process is intended to ensure that when changes are made, they are first verified as being completely necessary and adding some value to the organization, and if so, that changes are then well planned, documented and clearly communicated to ensure any potential negative impact from the change is understood and eliminated or minimized. The entire experience and knowledge of the enterprise is harnessed and greater efficiencies can be gained from 'one visit' fixes - i.e. a number of required changes can all be delivered during one planned maintenance window. A well maintained Configuration Management Database (CMDB) will often be used as a means of better understanding the 'downstream' effects of changes and or their impact on a number of critical business services.Crucially for any organization subject to Corporate Governance-driven security standards, changes to any IT system can affect its security. Installing application updates may introduce new vulnerabilities and making any configuration change may also render systems less secure and more prone to a security breach. The latest change and configuration management software tracks all changes to your infrastructure, exposing all unplanned changes and reporting clearly on the intended - and uniquely, the actual outcome - of any planned change. All network device configurations are automatically and securely backed up, with the option to remediate any unauthorized configuration change. Server configurations are tracked against either pre-defined security policies or your own personalized policy, with any deviations highlighted.And once firewalls, servers, workstations, switches and routers are all in a compliant state, you need to ensure they remain that way. The only way to do this is to automatically verify configuration settings on a regular basis. Why? Because unplanned, undocumented changes will always be made while somebody has the admin rights to do so - legal or otherwise! The configuration change tracking solution will alert you when any unplanned changes are detected as well as keeping an audit trail of planned changes, reconciled with the request for change details.This provides a unique 'Closed-Loop Change-Management Safety Net' - when changes need to be made to a device it is vital to ensure that changes are approved and documented - we make this easy and straightforward, reconciling all changes made with the RFC or Change Approval record. An open API allows integration with most service/help desks or other change management systems to establish a link between the change approval process and the actual changes that are made.	 	 		 			 				 					 						All NewNetTechnologies software solutions are built using the latest technology, which means they can be fully adapted to suit all business environments. For more information on <a href="http://www.newnettechnologies.com" target="_new">PCI DSS Compliance</a> view our software solutions on the website, which provide 100% of the features you need but at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions.

PCI DSS Compliance - Be in Control in Four Moves

The security standard calls for a broad range of security measures, but beyond the use of firewalling, intrusion protection systems and a...

Kinect Mated to a Gesture Control Robot

<img alt="Kinect Mated to a Gesture Control Robot" border="0" height="150" src="/113559matter.jpg" width="200"> It's raining sight capable robots ever since Microsoft's Kinect motion controller went open source. Willow Garage, a team of researchers and robotics experts, has paired Xbox 360's Kinect with a robot that is capable of gesture control. The team behind the robot is well known for developing their own open source Robot Operating System (ROS), which has gained popularity among robotics experts. Its line of PR2 robots have also been used for robotics research. The team has successfully mated Kinect with their PR2 robotics system and ROS for a gesture controlled robot interface. The video released by Willow Garage looks impressive, and holds great promise in engineering, defence and other civilian applications. With enough improvement, such a system may provide enough precision to perform remote medical procedures, explosive detonation and mine sweeping, and other implementations where robotic interfaces could be successfully paired with precise human control.

Kinect Mated to a Gesture Control Robot

It's raining sight capable robots ever since Microsoft's Kinect motion controller went open source. Willow Garage, a team of researc...

Electronic Medical Billing Software, HIPAA Compliance, and Role Based Access Control

HIPAA compliance requires special focus and effort as failure to comply carries significant risk of damage and penalties. A practice with multiple separate systems for patient scheduling, electronic medical records, and billing, requires multiple separate HIPAA management efforts. This article presents an integrated approach to HIPAA compliance and outlines key HIPAA terminology, principles, and requirements to help the practice owner to ensure HIPAA compliance by medical billing service and software vendors.The last decade of the previous century witnessed accelerating proliferation of digital technology in health care, which, along with reduced costs and greater service quality, introduced new and greater risks for accidental disclosure of personal health information.The Health insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996 by Congress to establish national standards for privacy and security of personal health data. The Privacy Rule, written by the US Department of Health and Human Services took effect on April 14, 2003.Failure to comply with HIPAA risks accreditation and reputation damage, lawsuits by federal government, financial penalties, ranging from $100 to $250,000, and imprisonment, ranging from one year to ten years. Protected Health Information (PHI) The key term of HIPAA is Protected Health Information (PHI), which includes anything that can be used to identify an individual and any information shared with other health care providers or clearinghouses in any media (digital, verbal, recorded voice, faxed, printed, or written). Information that can be used to identify an individual includes: Name Dates (except year) Zip code of more than 3 digits, telephone and fax numbers, email Social security numbers Medical record numbers Health plan numbers License numbers Photographs Information shared with other healthcare providers or clearinghouses Nursing and physician notes Billing and other treatment records Principles of HIPAA HIPAA intends to allow smooth flow of PHI for healthcare operations subject to patient's consent but prohibit any flow of unauthorized PHI for any other purposes. Healthcare operations include treatment, payment, care quality assessment, competence review training, accreditation, insurance rating, auditing, and legal procedures.HIPAA promotes fair information practices and requires those with access to PHI to safeguard it. Fair information practices means that a subject must be allowed Access to PHI, Correction for errors and completeness, and Knowledge of others who use PHI Safeguarding of PHI means that the persons that hold PHI must Be accountable for own use and disclosure Have a legal recourse to combat violations HIPAA Implementation Process HIPAA implementation begins upon making assumptions about PHI disclosure threat model. The implementation includes both pre-emptive and retroactive controls and involves process, technology, and personnel aspects.A threat model helps understanding the purpose of HIPAA implementation process. It includes assumptions about Threat nature (Accidental disclosure by insiders? Access for profit? ), Source of threat (outsider or insider?), Means of potential threat (break in, physical intrusion, computer hack, virus?), Specific kind of data at risk (patient identification, financials, medical?), and Scale (how many patient records threatened?). HIPAA process must include clearly stated policy, educational materials and events, clear enforcement means, a schedule for testing of HIPAA compliance, and means for continued transparency about HIPAA compliance. Stated policy typically includes a statement of least privilege data access to complete the job, definition of PHI and incident monitoring and reporting procedures. Educational materials may include case studies, control questions, and a schedule of review seminars for personnel.Technology Requirements for HIPAA Compliance Technology implementation of HIPAA proceeds in stages from logical data definition to physical data center to network. To assure physical data center security, the manager must Lock data center Manage access list Track data center access with closed circuit TV cameras to monitor both internal and external building activities Protect access to data center with 24 x 7 onsite security Protect backup data Test recovery procedure For network security, the data center must have special facilities for Secure networking - firewall protection, encrypted data transfer only Network access monitoring and report auditing For data security, the manager must have Individual authentication - individual logins and passwords Role Based Access Control (see below) Audit trails - all access to all data fields tracked and recorded Data discipline - Limited ability to download data Role Based Access Control (RBAC) RBAC improves convenience and flexibility of systems management. Greater convenience helps reducing the errors of commission and omission in granting access privileges to users. Greater flexibility helps implement the policy of least privilege, where the users are granted only as much privileges as required for completing their job.RBAC promotes economies of scale, because the frequency of changes of role definition for a single user is higher than the frequency of changes of role definitions across entire organization. Thus, to make a massive change of privileges for a large number of users with same set of privileges, the administrator only makes changes to the role definition.Hierarchical RBAC further promotes economies of scale and reduces the likelihood of errors. It allows redefining roles by inheriting privileges assigned to roles in the higher hierarchical level.RBAC is based on establishing a set of user profiles or roles according to responsibilities. Each role has a predefined set of privileges. The user acquires privileges by receiving membership in the role or assignment of a profile by the administrator.Every time when the definition of the role changes along with the set of privileges that is required to complete the job associated with the role, the administrator needs only to redefine the privileges of the role. The privileges of all of the users that have this role get redefined automatically.Similarly, if the role of a single user is changed, the only operation that needs to be performed is the reassignment of the user profile, which will redefine user's access privileges automatically according to the new profile. Summary HIPAA compliance requires special practice management attention. A practice with multiple separate systems for scheduling, electronic medical records, and billing, requires multiple separate HIPAA management efforts. An integrated system reduces the complexity of HIPAA implementation. By outsourcing technology to a HIPAA-compliant vendor of vericle-like technology solution on an ASP or SaaS basis, HIPAA management overhead can be eliminated (see companion papers on ASP and SaaS for medical billing).	 	 		 			 				 					 						Know any health care providers who complain about shrinking insurance payments and increasing audit risk? Help them learn winning Internet strategies for the modern payer-provider conflict by steering them to Vericle - Medical Billing Network and Practice Management Software, which powers such leading-edge billing services as Billing Precision (<a href="http://www.chiro-billing.com" target="_new">http://www.chiro-billing.com</a>), Billing Dynamix (<a href="http://www.pt-billing.com" target="_new">http://www.pt-billing.com</a>), and Affinity Billing, and is home for "Medical Billing Networks and Processes" book by Yuval Lirov, PhD and inventor of patents in artificial intelligence and computer security.

Electronic Medical Billing Software, HIPAA Compliance, and Role Based Access Control

HIPAA compliance requires special focus and effort as failure to comply carries significant risk of damage and penalties. A practice with...