Ten Things You Should Know about Electronic Signatures

In most developed countries, electronic signatures are becoming as valid as conventional signatures. An electronic signature is more than a digital signature and can take surprisingly varied forms, as discussed in this article. Moving to electronic signatures is an essential step of moving to complete e-business.

1. An electronic signature is defined as "an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record" ( see U.S. Code).

2. Courts have accepted e-mail messages, facsimile (FAX) copies of signed documents, encoded messages (e.g. telegrams), encrypted signatures and e-filings as valid electronic signatures, among others.

3. A digital signature involves programmed generation of a unique private key and a corresponding public key. At the signer's end, a digital signature is generated on the basis of a message and the private key. At the recipient's end, the signature is verified using the public key with the message and signature.

4. Digital signatures are easier to authenticate than the other forms of electronic signatures because cryptographic means are used for creating the signature, and can be used for sending the message. The signer cannot repudiate the signature on the ground that the private key has been compromised.

5. A trend is emerging to digitize the complete signing process. Documents are hand-signed and factors such as hand-pressure used for signing different parts are recorded and encrypted. It is much more difficult to forge all the different elements and authentication becomes more dependable.

6. Biometric signatures attach unique individual characteristics such as fingerprints and iris patterns to the documents. Modern passports and visas are examples of such documents which are verified by sensors scanning and matching these characteristics of the individual carrying the document.

7. All forms of electronic signatures, including biometric ones, have been forged or spoofed successfully. However, such duplication is much more difficult compared to conventional signatures, which can be forged by skilled forgers easily.

8. Businesses typically rely on other factors, such as a continuing business relationship, receipt of some payment under the contract and telephone conversations with the person concerned, to ensure the genuineness of electronic signatures.

9. Electronic signatures are an essential element of e-commerce that speeds up and extends the reach of business transactions and is being increasingly accepted by courts of law as binding on the parties.

10. Full authentication requires that electronic signatures be combined with some means to assure that the accompanying document itself is authentic and has not been altered since it has been signed. Encryption and locking of documents seek to provide such authenticity.

Electronic signatures can exist in different forms such as sending an e-mail that cannot be changed by users and attaching biometric signatures such as scanned fingerprints and iris patterns to documents. No form of electronic signature has been found completely foolproof. However, they are typically much harder to forge or spoof compared to conventional signatures.

AMD or Intel laptops - what 2010 could bring to the table

While the Netbook offers ever-smaller PCs for those for whom size is an issue, it has left the laptop manufacturers free to concentrate on functionality, performance and processor speed. The major battle is between the two giants of processors - AMD and Intel.

Intel - ahead of the game

The big news for 2010 is the introduction of Intel's new ‘Arrandale' chip, the mobile version of the dual-core 32nm Westmere line. This chip has the usual dual core processing facilities, but with the added advantage that it supports hyperthreading and that it will have both the 32nm processor die and a 45nm graphics die on the same chip. By integrating more features onto a single chip, Intel is going head to head with AMD's existing integrated chips, and the ones who will really benefit from this battle of the processors is the consumer as laptops become better able to support multiple functionality and integrated graphics processing.

With AMD, the big change will be the introduction of quad-core mobile processors and a new integrated graphics chip. This shows the trend for both manufacturers, who are both gearing up for 2011 which is when the current processor technology takes a big jump forward. They are both preparing the marketplace for the introduction of combined processor and graphics cores to form a single die from each company. The real winners here will be gamers and those who use their laptops for graphics packages such as CAD, with accelerated processing speeds, higher resolution and faster graphics download times.

In the meantime…

But all of that is in the future, so what about now? With so much advancement taking place at such a rapid pace, how do customers know whether to go for AMD or Intel? Intel has always had a much higher public profile (almost anyone into technology knows the Intel ‘theme tune', thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign), whereas AMD has always been more of a ‘backroom' boy. Although the two processors are comparable, it is Intel that gets all the press coverage and its Centrino range of processors are standard in almost any laptop of note. But AMD are fighting back, and trying to raise their profile with a public that thinks processors begins and ends with Intel. Where Intel has the edge is in Wi-Fi technology. Their most recent chips feature the latest version of Wi-Fi, known as 802.11n, and the even more up to date WiMax gives laptops a Wi-Fi signal of over several miles.

AMD has concentrated on graphics capability. Laptops have traditionally used low-end graphics chips that piggyback off other components. But now more than a quarter have stand-alone graphics chips, and it is here that AMD is making inroads. AMD has become better known amongst the gaming community, with its graphics chips delivering super-fast processing and exceptional quality and resolution, making AMD-installed laptops ideal for gaming or other graphics based applications.

Each has its own strengths, but to date, Intel has the lion's share of the laptop market. Which one to go for entirely depends upon the type of application you want to use your laptop for. What will be interesting to see is, with the advent of combined processor/graphics chips on the horizon, whether AMD will be able to take back some of a market that to date has been dominated by Intel.

Mass Affect 2 - Video Game Review

Mass affect 2 is a game that has made some small changes from its first version. Some say the graphics are better and others say there are some miner bugs in the game. And while there are some pros and cons to this exciting game, most gamers would agree that they are up for the challenge and can't wait to play it.

Almost everyone is attracted to the universe, so for anyone who is also a gamer, putting the two together can be magic for some people. This game has you spinning through the universe on a ship that had to be replaced. The first one blew up just seconds into the game.

The game begins with a tragedy as the SSV Normandy is attacked and blown to pieces and the fate of the protagonist Sheppard is unclear. Your job is to investigate the situation and look for clues. You also need to confront vicious forces behind the mystery. You owe an illusive man your life and he follows you wherever you go and stays in your shadows.

You rebuild a new team called the Normandy SR-2. Your team consists of wild characters that might have you in stitches laughing with their antics and jokes. Your crew will help you battle out any enemies shall they come your way.

The main plot is conventional science fiction and has a predictable close. You have to complete missions but not all missions are combating but as you build through the developments you actually build on your characters development. The writing and dialogue between characters is excellent and the characters have detailed facial expressions and voice matched to feelings giving into that sense of reality.

You can go into a third person shooter. Sliding the cover is easy, however as you move in and out of positions and hideaway locations, your characters, actions may be delayed enough to have you killed, these bugs in the game have some people complaining.

If you want to change weapons there is no more pop up screen to quickly access. This time you have to go all the way to the weapons locker room, to find your weapon and have it. Many gamers did not enjoy that feature at all.

The worst part of this game noted by reviews was the constant scanning that needed to be done. This is where a lot of game play is wasted. The reticule is slow and the entire process of doing it is long and worn out.

The shooting in number two has been much improved and contains all of the things you would expect in a battle targeted game. You can actively explore the worlds and meet many new characters that will prove to be only too helpful as your journey continues.

The game adjusts to the challenges and moves that you make. In the end of the game the choices that you made as you went along will determine the type of ending you get. This game will have you pushing right to the end just to see what happens.

This game got mostly good reviews. Everyone loved the idea of traveling through space, especially when a great crew was involved. It was also noted that many people did not find the bugs in the game to be too concerning and were able to continue in the game with no more distractions.

Easy Virus Removal

Whether you are seeking computer repairs in Brisbane or Belgrade it's worth remembering, many computer problems aren't hardware related, they're infections. It happens to everyone. Somewhere you catch a bug. Call it a Trojan, a worm, spyware, malware, or a self-replicating virus, your Windows computer is infected. What are you going to do? Cleaning up an infected PC isn't as hard as you may think. It takes the right tools, a systematic approach, and time.

Run your antivirus program. Almost all of us have an antivirus program installed on our computers. But frequently we've let that program become out-of-date, or we've failed to renew an annual license. Assuming your infected PC can still go on-line, update your antivirus program immediately. Occasionally malware programs are written to deny you access to common antivirus sites. In that event, download updates using another PC, copy to a flashdrive, and install your updates manually. Don't run your antivirus program from the Windows desktop. Most antivirus programs will allow for a thorough boot-time scan, before loading your start-ups and processes. Reboot and run your program.

Antivirus programs aren't enough. So many forms of malware can infect your PC; specialty tools are usually needed to clean up an infection. There are literally hundreds of spyware removal programs, but some are little more than another form of malware. Download the free program Spybot Search & Destroy, the industry standard. After installation download current updates. Once you have Spybot S&D, go back online and download Lavasoft's Adaware, a respectable adware removal tool. Again, install and update. Reboot your computer in Safe Mode and run Adaware, then Spybot S&D. Restart your computer in normal mode.

Removing an infection doesn't always speed up your computer. A full recovery requires more. Download two more tools, Combofix, and CCcleaner. These free programs will help you to find those last bits of malware, and to restore your registry. First run Combofix, which automatically reboots your computer, then CCcleaner. Follow the suggestions made by the programs. At this point in most cases your PC should be disease free.

Whether you're seeking computer repairs in Brisbane or Botswana, virus removal may be the answer.