'Invasion of the data snatchers,' screamed a New York Times headline in 1989, reflecting rising panic over insecure computer systems.
A hacker is a brilliantly devious criminal mind breaking the world's most secret IT systems for money or political espionage, if you believe many similarly hysterical press reports. In fact, the truth is a lot more intriguing.
"The Secret History of Hacking" uncovered the real story of a counter culture that has corporate America on the run.
Confusion and anxiety surrounds this word hacking, yet, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, hacker simply means 'an enthusiastic computer programmer or user' or 'a person who tries to gain unauthorised access to a computer or to data held in one'. There was nothing sinister about these early hackers, or phreakers. The driving force for this band of techno wizards was exploration.
The same spirit was at work with the appearance of the home computer. The pioneers were keen to share and explore the technology for its own sake. Among the most prominent players was Steve Wozniak who went on to develop the Apple computer. Only when the commercial element crept in did the shutters come down on the ownership of ideas.
A strong undercurrent of mischievous daring runs through the hackers' ethos. Since the sixties, hackers have been breaking into much of the globe's state-of-the-art electronic systems involving government, military institutions, businesses and individuals. The code was always 'look but don't touch'.
But now, as the world becomes ever more entwined with the Internet, some hackers are becoming more sinister, spreading damaging computer viruses and capitalising on access to personal files and millions of bank accounts.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
【achieving the unachievable】Discovery HD
An inquiry around the mystery behind the missing hole in M.C. Escher "Print Gallery".
M.C. Escher is among the most mathematical of artists. In 1956 he challenged the laws of perspective with his graphic Print Gallery, and found himself trapped by an impossible barrier. His uncompleted master-piece quickly became the most puzzling enigma of modern art, for both artists and scientists. Half a century later, mathematician Hendrik Lenstra took everyone by surprise by drawing a fantastic bridge between the intuition of the artist and his own, and completed Escher's work mathematically. This story is presented in the 52 minute film Achieving the Unachievable by documentary filmmaker Jean Bergeron.
M.C. Escher is among the most mathematical of artists. In 1956 he challenged the laws of perspective with his graphic Print Gallery, and found himself trapped by an impossible barrier. His uncompleted master-piece quickly became the most puzzling enigma of modern art, for both artists and scientists. Half a century later, mathematician Hendrik Lenstra took everyone by surprise by drawing a fantastic bridge between the intuition of the artist and his own, and completed Escher's work mathematically. This story is presented in the 52 minute film Achieving the Unachievable by documentary filmmaker Jean Bergeron.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Sell-off Again But Short Lived
Market manipulators use Greece referendum to trigger sell-off which is short lived. The duration of market sell-off is becoming shorter each time as market participants learn the strategy and do not want to sell at the bottom. Many market participants have not yet replenished the portfolio which is trimmed in the last sell-off when major US banks are downgraded. The sell-off is then followed by a strong rebound when market manipulators cover the short selling.
The short lived sell-off is the recent effort of market manipulators to use the positions on hand to drive market down. Since this is only overbought positions of market manipulators during short covering in the last sell-off, the amount available for selling is limited and thus the duration lasts less than two sessions. The sell-off attracts day traders and speculators to follow on the two days. But market participants do not react overly based on experience in prior sell-off. Instead, when market manipulators finish the selling, market participants follow closely and start to recover or buy back. As a result there is not extended panic selling and market manipulators make only relatively small profit as compared to prior sell-off events.
Many investors including institutional investors, individual investors, as well as hedge funds are still holding large amount of cash and waiting for market dip so that the portfolio can be replenished for the trimming in the last sell-off. As a result, there is no extended panic selling similar to that happened after US debt downgrade at which time market participants saw the first panic selling initiated by market manipulators after a long gradual selling from year high.
Since market peak in May, market manipulators have triggered one slow extended sell-off and four panic quick sell-off. The sell-off duration becomes shorter in each occurrence. If market manipulators have not acquired the positions sold in this sell-off at the bottom of last sell-off, a short-covering rally would cut a lot of the profit. If market manipulators maintain the sell-off strategy, the risk would be higher since equity positions are liquidated and new short selling positions will be needed for the next sell-off and it will require a larger stretch of the selling period, which is indeed getting shorter each time, to provide enough room for short selling and then short covering to make profit. Market participants would watch closely on the strategy of market manipulators next move. It may be extended panic selling on market disaster or some other strategy.
Tough Year for Hedge Funds
Hedge funds have posted a drop of 8% year to date, with Susan Roberts, RG Niederhoffer Capital Management.
Groupon shares soar in public market debut
Groupon, the company that pioneered online group discounts, saw its stock soar nearly 50 percent in its public debut Friday, showing strong demand for an Internet company whose business model is considered unsustainable by some analysts.
Have you heard? Buy the dip
With the S&P 500 about to end its best month in almost 40 years, many would be happy to cash in gains and start packing for the ski slopes.
But some underperforming investors are being cornered into putting yet more money into U.S. stocks.
The S&P 500 on Friday closed its fourth week of gains and is up more than 13 percent in October alone. But many, including hedge funds, were caught wrong-footed by the rally.
Hedge funds, among the equity market's power players, are on average sitting on losses of 8 percent for the year according to Hedge Fund Research. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is up for the year, if only a bit more than 2 percent.
Biggs Boosts Bullish Stock Bets
Barton Biggs, the hedge fund manager who bought stocks when the market bottomed in 2009, boosted bullish bets on equities in his Traxis Global Equity Macro Fund after European leaders took action to contain the debt crisis.
Investors remain too pessimistic, meaning the rally will continue as they change their mind, he said.
"There's a tremendous amount of money that's trapped out of stocks," Biggs said today. The rally is "going to continue for a while."
Biggs said that while he's not buying European stocks, he is drawn to their valuations.
"I must admit I don't own hardly any European stocks, but I'm intrigued by them because they are so cheap, and because it would certainly be a contrarian trade," he said.
The short lived sell-off is the recent effort of market manipulators to use the positions on hand to drive market down. Since this is only overbought positions of market manipulators during short covering in the last sell-off, the amount available for selling is limited and thus the duration lasts less than two sessions. The sell-off attracts day traders and speculators to follow on the two days. But market participants do not react overly based on experience in prior sell-off. Instead, when market manipulators finish the selling, market participants follow closely and start to recover or buy back. As a result there is not extended panic selling and market manipulators make only relatively small profit as compared to prior sell-off events.
Many investors including institutional investors, individual investors, as well as hedge funds are still holding large amount of cash and waiting for market dip so that the portfolio can be replenished for the trimming in the last sell-off. As a result, there is no extended panic selling similar to that happened after US debt downgrade at which time market participants saw the first panic selling initiated by market manipulators after a long gradual selling from year high.
Since market peak in May, market manipulators have triggered one slow extended sell-off and four panic quick sell-off. The sell-off duration becomes shorter in each occurrence. If market manipulators have not acquired the positions sold in this sell-off at the bottom of last sell-off, a short-covering rally would cut a lot of the profit. If market manipulators maintain the sell-off strategy, the risk would be higher since equity positions are liquidated and new short selling positions will be needed for the next sell-off and it will require a larger stretch of the selling period, which is indeed getting shorter each time, to provide enough room for short selling and then short covering to make profit. Market participants would watch closely on the strategy of market manipulators next move. It may be extended panic selling on market disaster or some other strategy.
Tough Year for Hedge Funds
Hedge funds have posted a drop of 8% year to date, with Susan Roberts, RG Niederhoffer Capital Management.
Groupon shares soar in public market debut
Groupon, the company that pioneered online group discounts, saw its stock soar nearly 50 percent in its public debut Friday, showing strong demand for an Internet company whose business model is considered unsustainable by some analysts.
Have you heard? Buy the dip
With the S&P 500 about to end its best month in almost 40 years, many would be happy to cash in gains and start packing for the ski slopes.
But some underperforming investors are being cornered into putting yet more money into U.S. stocks.
The S&P 500 on Friday closed its fourth week of gains and is up more than 13 percent in October alone. But many, including hedge funds, were caught wrong-footed by the rally.
Hedge funds, among the equity market's power players, are on average sitting on losses of 8 percent for the year according to Hedge Fund Research. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is up for the year, if only a bit more than 2 percent.
Biggs Boosts Bullish Stock Bets
Barton Biggs, the hedge fund manager who bought stocks when the market bottomed in 2009, boosted bullish bets on equities in his Traxis Global Equity Macro Fund after European leaders took action to contain the debt crisis.
Investors remain too pessimistic, meaning the rally will continue as they change their mind, he said.
"There's a tremendous amount of money that's trapped out of stocks," Biggs said today. The rally is "going to continue for a while."
Biggs said that while he's not buying European stocks, he is drawn to their valuations.
"I must admit I don't own hardly any European stocks, but I'm intrigued by them because they are so cheap, and because it would certainly be a contrarian trade," he said.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Electronic Game - "Game of NIM" Designed By Raymond Redheffer (Professor of Mathematics) Circa 1942
In 1948 Raymond Redheffer from M.I.T published an article on how to play the NIM device which he created through 1941 - 1942. It is a mathematical device designed to play the game of NIM. Public demonstration was done in 1948. His device was put on display at an open house exhibition on May 13, 1950. This device wins against anything but a perfect defense.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主 1/4
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主 2/4
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主 3/4
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主 4/4
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主 2/4
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主 3/4
28OCT2011 (齋sir)陳士齊分析民主精神 鬧爆人民力量 扼殺基層民主 4/4
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