Technology

Lankan engineer's research paper on energy acclaimed internationally

A research paper on energy savings presented by a Sri Lankan engineer has received international recognition. An international engineering publication in the USA, the Energy Engineering Journal, has published the research paper of Dr. Priyantha Wijesooriya on development of an optimising engineering tool for power dispatch processes.

In this research Dr.Wijesooriya, along with two colleagues, Prof. Arjuna De Zoysa of the Open University, Sri Lanka and Prof. Jose Martin, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Texas at Brownsville, USA, had jointly worked and has developed an optimising tool that could potentially assist energy dispatch processes in power generating utilities.

Dr. Wijesooriya said that this tool has the potential to assist power utilities to proactively select energy technology mixes using a prior-knowledge of resource depletion rates. The process considers the commercial cost of fuel as well as the futuristic and environmental aspects of fuel costs.

The depletion levels and overall fuel costs are factored into the optimisation that results in the best technology mix being determined for the day or time period concerned.

Both cost elements are 'new' from a research standpoint, and reflects on opportunity losses that current humankind imparts particularly on unborn generations in consuming limited fossilised fuel resources.

The optimisation tool assists to proactively conserve energy resources and when applied to a large power pooling utility, the fuel savings would be substantial, he said.

Dr. Wijesooriya submitted the research paper originally to the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL). However, the editorial board of the IESL rejected this work on grounds that one of the two referees appointed to approve the script, disagreed with its contents. Dr. Wijesooriya said that the accepted protocol of submitting the paper to a third referee was not followed.

The University of Oklahoma, the publisher of the "Energy Engineering Journal" received the same research paper subsequently (slightly re-organised, but containing identical subject matter).

After a refereed process involving three exponents on the subject, the paper was accepted for publication. It is noteworthy that not a single (US-based) referee had returned it even for minor revisions, Dr. Wijesooriya said. GW

Microsoft issues patch to fix IE

Microsoft has issued a security patch to fix a critical vulnerability in its Internet Explorer (IE) browser it said has attacked over 2m Windows users.

The flaw is believed to have already infected 10,000 websites. The "zero day" exploit let criminals to take over victims' computers by steering them to infected websites. Microsoft's Christopher Budd said the software giant "encourages all IE customers to test and deploy this update as soon as possible".

He also said the threat lead Microsoft to mobilise security engineering teams worldwide to deliver a software cure "in the unprecedented time of eight days".

The company's security response team said the patch consists of more than 300 distinct updates for more than half-a-dozen versions of IE in around 50 languages.

"Even with that, the release Emergency Response process isn't over," said Security Response Alliance director Mike Reavey.

"There is additional support to customers and additional refinement of our product development efforts."

Microsoft stressed that the flaw was proven to exist only in IE 7 on all applicable versions of Windows, but that IE 6 and the "beta" release of IE 8 were "potentially vulnerable". Users who have automatic updates turned on will receive the patch over the next 24 hours while others can access it via a download.

Wildfire

The AZN Trojan has been making the rounds since the beginning of December but became public knowledge in the last week. Unlike other exploits, users only have to visit a malicious site with Trojans or other malware to become contaminated.

Once an infected web page is opened, malicious downloaders are installed on the computer designed to record keystrokes and steal passwords, credit card details and other financial information.

The sites affected are mostly Chinese and have been serving programs to steal passwords for computer games which can then be sold for cash on the black market. Internet Explorer is the world's most widely used web browser with nearly three quarters of the market share.

Microsoft estimated that one in every 500 Windows users had been exposed to sites that try to exploit the flaw and the number of victims was increasing at a rate of 50% daily. Researchers at the software security firm Trend Micro said attacks were spreading "like wildfire".

"This vulnerability is being actively exploited by cyber-criminals and getting worse every day," said the company's advanced threat researcher Paul Ferguson. Microsoft labelled the bug as "critical," the most serious threat ranking in its four-step scouring program.

Firefox update

The update is something of an unusual move for Microsoft and underscores the seriousness of the zero day flaw. The company rarely issues security fixes for its software outside of its regular monthly patch updates. Meanwhile Mozilla has released a scheduled update for its open source Firefox web browsers for at least 10 different vulnerabilities. The bugs in the browser could have been "used to run attacker code and install software, requiring no user interaction beyond normal browsing," said Mozilla.

It is also reissuing calls for users to upgrade from Firefox 2.0 to Firefox 3.0 as soon as possible and said it is "not planning any further security and stability updates for Firefox 2". This means Mozilla will no longer support the Firefox 2 browser against future online scams and attacks. - Courtesy BBC

Oracle delivers rapid ROI for Asia Pacific customers

Oracle has gained a wide following for its market leading, social CRM solution - CRM On Demand - across a range of industries including Automotive, Communications, Financial Services, High Tech, Life Sciences, Media, Professional Services, Property, Public Sector, Retail and Distribution as well as Not for Profit.

Marketing Head, Holcim Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Smriti Kingsley said, "Being part of a global leader in cement manufacturing, it is imperative that we facilitate and adopt the use of best practices in our operations.

Our investment in Oracle's CRM On Demand solution, especially the Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant, is expected to greatly improve field sales productivity and customer responsiveness, even in areas without network coverage.

We are confident the use of Web 2.0 will foster more collaborative engagements with our customers, suppliers, employees and partners, resulting in increased profitability for our business."

AMD in strategic partnership with PC House

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) entered into a strategic partnership with PC House and appointed it as the distributor in Sri Lanka.

The partnership with PC House is aligned with AMD's strategy to increase its geographical presence and penetrate untapped markets. PC House is an established distributor of computers and accessories in Sri Lanka with 40 sales outlets and a distribution network.

Our effort is to attract capable and committed partners and enable them to reach AMDs innovative technology solutions to their customers. With AMDs microprocessors and graphic solutions, PC House now has a range of comprehensive computing solutions. PC House brings experience, local market knowledge and highly capable staff to match our growth ambitions in the Sri Lankan market, said Director Corporate Development of the AMD Shankar Narayanan.

AMD is becoming a popular choice among consumers as it offers a good value proposition to consumers through its wide array of products and solutions.

Our effort to address the needs of the customer has brought us together and we are certain, this association will help us penetrate the market more effectively, delivering the right solution to our customers. We believe that Sri Lankan customers are ready to embrace AMD's customer centric technology innovations, said Chairman, PC House S. H. M. Rishan.