Computer forensics as a career option

LOCAL information and communications technology graduates who have yet to decide on their area of specialty may want to consider computer forensics as a career.

Looking at the increasing number of cybercrime activities that are taking place locally and the fact that many companies are ill prepared to address the issue as well as the number of experts available in this field, computer forensic-related jobs certainly have a bright future.

Computer forensics experts here refer to people who have the skills to use scientific methods and computer technology to collect evidence by way of the digital media to counter any criminal act.

Based on feedback from local computer forensic communities, there are currently not many experts in this field yet as the subject is still new to a lot of people. For companies, the awareness on how to face this computer-age crime is also low.

Currently, there are no major cases of cybercrime involving large amount of losses in Malaysia, but given the expertise developed by cybercriminals, such incidents may just happen any time soon on our shore.

According to a computer forensic expert Mohd Khairuddin Abdullah from HeiTech Padu Berhad, almost 85 per cent of businesses and government agencies worldwide are experiencing increased cybercrime activities ranging from hacking, information theft, industrial espionage, Web page defacement, and intellectual property loss.

What’s surprising is that 71 per cent of the cybercrime activities come from inside the organisation. This shows that the staff themselves are misusing the computers to steal valuable data or help outsiders get access to inside information.

Normally, these cybercriminals get away undetected because companies don’t have the means or expertise to track or trace these people. This would certainly be a job for computer forensics experts.

Demand for such experts is increasing in more advanced countries like Europe and the US where many companies are facing real-time cybercrime activities.

In the UK, for example, computer forensics graduates have been in high demand for jobs with law enforcement since the field first appeared, but that demand is growing even larger as private firms begin recruiting cyber investigators.

Having computer forensics experts in a company is important in handling cybercrime cases because the digital evidence need to be guarded and preserved carefully as it is volatile and can easily be destroyed. Only those trained in computer forensics would have the skills in gathering, analysing, and presenting the needed data in court.

For those interested to venture into this new career option, locally, a number of institutes are starting to offer courses on computer forensics; and perhaps, as companies begin to understand the need for computer forensics experts, the demand for such profession will go up. It’s worth checking out.

Get set for wireless@kl

KUALA LUMPUR: Good news for KLites: limited wireless broadband access will be a thing of the past this time next year.

By September, they will be able to enjoy wireless broadband Internet access anytime, anywhere in the city without having to be near a hotspot; and for free, too, thanks to the KL Wireless Metropolitan Project, or "wireless@kl".

It will operate on WiMax technology operating on the 2.3GHz spectrum at a speed of 512 kilobytes per second.

"The project is one of the pioneer projects under the 'Klang Valley Broadband Push' (KVB90) to transform Kuala Lumpur into a wireless city with WiMax-based broadband," said Datuk Bandar Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony yesterday.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Packet One Networks (M) Bhd signed the deal yesterday.
"It is also in line with our Kuala Lumpur Structural Plan 2020 to make Kuala Lumpur a world-class city by then," said Hakim.

Packet One Networks (formerly known as MIBCOMM Sdn Bhd) will from next month begin installing 1,500 Wi-Fi stations around the city in commercial areas, offices, residential areas, community centres and other public areas.

By September, the service will be available to 80 per cent of Kuala Lumpur, and it will be available for free for the first two years. In the following two phases, 2,000 more stations will be installed.

"We will be the first in the country to deploy WiMax on the 2.3GHz spectrum," said Packet One chief executive officer Michael Lai.

"The first phase will cost RM60 million. RM10 million will come from City Hall and MCMC, while the rest will be borne by Packet One," said Hakim.

He added that the project would open up business opportunities and give the tourism industry a boost. It would also help close the digital divide by making the technology accessible to the middle- and low-income groups.

MCMC manages KVB90, which is aimed at increasing broadband usage in homes in the Klang Valley to 90 per cent by 2010.

Broadband penetration was measured at 36.1 per cent last June. In contrast, it was 86 per cent in Taipei, 75 per cent in Hong Kong and 73 per cent in Singapore.

45 Diet Tips

There a lot of diet tips you can choose to follow...But here is one of it that you can try. But the only way to make it succeed is your determination to strictly doing it. Good Luck!!

1) Resolve to never supersize your food portions-unless you want to supersize your clothes.

2) Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

3) Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.

4) When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.

5) Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups. Eat meats and starches last, by the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

6) Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you'll lose 5 lb in a year. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.

7) Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages.

8) Slow Down! Eating at a slower pace allows your mind to register the food that is in your stomach, and can prevent overeating.

9) Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

10) Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full."

11) Use mustard instead of mayo.

12) Eat more soup, the noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.

13) Cut back or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.

14) Limit alcohol to weekends.

15) Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3 pm.

16) At a buffet? Eating a little of everything guarantees high calories. Decide on three or four things, only one of which is high in calories. Save that for last so there's less chance of overeating.

17) Dance to music with your family in your home. One dietitian reported that when she asks her patients to do this, initially they just smile, but once they've done it, they say it is one of the easiest ways to involve the whole family in exercise.

18) Next time you're feeling wiped out in late afternoon, forgo that cup of coffee and reach for a cup of yogurt instead. The combination of protein, carbohydrate, and fat in an 8-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt will give you a sense of fullness and well-being that coffee can't match, as well as some vital nutrients.

19) If you haven't eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.

20) Drink more water! Water will not only prevent your body from becoming dehydrated, it will also help your body to continue to work efficiently throughout the day. Any type of calorie free beverages (ex. diet soda) can be consumed throughout the day as well. We often think that we are 'hungry' when we are actually just 'thirsty' so drink a glass of water before you head for the fridge!

21) Eat more fruit. A person who gets enough fruit in his diet doesn't have a raging sweet tooth.

22) Eat your sweets, just eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories per day for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.

23) Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night.

24) If you're eating at night due to emotions, you need to focus on getting in touch with what's going on and taking care of yourself in a way that really works. Find a nonfood method of coping with your stress.

25) Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: No more food.

26) Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity. No reading, watching TV, or sitting at the computer.

27) Eating late at night won't cause weight gain. It's how many calories--not when you eat them--that counts.

28) Walk around the mall three times before you start shopping.

29) Make exercise a nonnegotiable priority.

30) Fat-free isn't always your best bet. Research has found that none of the lycopene or alpha- or beta-carotene that fight cancer and heart disease is absorbed from salads with fat-free dressing. Only slightly more is absorbed with reduced-fat dressing; the most is absorbed with full-fat dressing. But remember, use your dressing in moderate amounts.

31) Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning.

32) If you're famished by 4 p.m. and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts--The same goes if your only choices are what's available in the hotel minibar.

33) Research suggests that you're more likely to lose weight if you monitor what and how much you eat by writing it down.

34) Tune in to an audio book while you walk. It'll keep you going longer and looking forward to the next walk--and the next chapter! Check your local library for a great selection. Look for a whodunit; you might walk so far you'll need to take a cab home!

35) Think yoga's too serene to burn calories? Think again. You can burn 250 to 350 calories during an hour-long class (that's as much as you'd burn from an hour of walking)! Plus, you'll improve muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance.

36) Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.

37) Try 2 weeks without sweets. It's amazing how your cravings vanish.

38) Use smaller plates or bowls during meal times to keep portion sizes in check and to avoid the temptation to "fill" the plate.

39) Watch out for "fat-free" products. With some products, the fat is often replaced with sugar, and it may contain just as many - if not more - calories! So it is always important to read food labels and exert calorie control!

40) Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.

41) Be careful of "empty calorie" beverages such as juice, soda, iced tea, and other "fruit" drinks. They provide you with a lot of calories, without a lot of good nutrition. They also fail to fill your stomach and satisfy your hunger.

42) Soups give you very good value for the calories. They are filling; a bowl of soup can be an entire meal. They are satisfying, for many people, they are more satisfying than raw vegetables, while many give you all the benefits of veggies (if you choose the soups chock full of vegetables).

43) On your next trip to the grocery store, load up on fruits and veggies and skip the candy and cookie aisles. Fool yourself by eating from dessert rather than dinner plates. Those two small steps added up to a huge but painless calorie reduction in a Pennsylvania State University study of 24 women.

44) Drinking water is a significant diet benefit, because the calorie-content of water is zero. Drinking water instead of milk, fruit juices or regular sodas helps to lower the calorie content of your diet and thus helps weight reduction.

45) An average 8 hours sleep burns about 450 calories, so your body NEEDS fuel at breakfast time. Not eating breakfast can cause your blood sugar levels to fall too low during the morning. A low blood sugar level may cause you to get a craving for high-calorie food. Also, going too long without food can cause your metabolism to slow down. Most surveys show that people who don't eat breakfast are more likely to be overweight.

Menara Kuala Lumpur

Received an invitation for Jamuan Hari Raya host by MMCSB at Menara Kuala Lumpur. The dinner take place at Mega View Banquet Deck at the highest floor - TH003! Wow...

Brief introduction.....

Amidst the city of Kuala Lumpur stands the Menara Kuala Lumpur at 515m above sea level. Majestically poised at a breathtaking height of 421 metres, the Tower doubles as Kuala Lumpur's best known ambassador.

Situated atop Bukit Nanas at 94m above sea level, it is on higher ground than the Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur. Menara Kuala Lumpur was constructed as a telecommunications tower to upgrade the quality of telecommunications and the clarity of broadcast transmissions.Menara Kuala Lumpur is one of the tallest concrete towers in the world, standing at 421m and built with 45,000 cubic metres of sturdy concrete.

Menara Kuala Lumpur ranks fourth amongst the tallest telecommunications towers in the world and was constructed over a period of four years and completed in May 1996. Menara Kuala Lumpur is designed to withstand wind pressures
of up to 90mph. Menara Kuala Lumpur is a member of the prestigious World Federation of Great Towers.

The four tallest towers in the world are CN Tower in Canada at 553m, Ostankino Tower in Russia at 537m, Shanghai Tower in China at 468m followed by Menara Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia at 421m - by 2007.

5 Ways to get motivated to lose weight

1. Keep on saying "So That"

Ask yourself "Why do I want to lose weight" and after you come up with a reason why... Just keep on saying SO THAT.

For example - Why Do you want to lose weight...

• I want to lose weight to look better SO THAT...
• I can feel more confident about myself SO THAT...
• I can be the best looking person at my high school reunion SO THAT...
• I can see the surprised looks on the faces of my classmates SO THAT...
• I may be able to go on a date with the person I had a crush on in high school

Can you see what's happening here?

The more times you say SO THAT the more and more motivated you'll become to lose weight.

2. Set deadlines and then reward yourself

For example... If your big weight loss goal is to lose 100 pounds in 10 months... Then you can set 10 deadlines where you have to lose 10 pounds every month for the next 10 months so...

Let's say on the way to your big goal to lose 100 pounds in 10 months you actual lose 12 pounds in your 1st month... You can reward yourself by buying yourself a new dress or going out to a movie and please... DO NOT reward yourself by sabotaging your weight loss plan or diet by eating stuff that's going to put weight back on and remember this...

The greater the reward is you have planned for yourself the higher your motivation will be to lose weight

3. Set deadlines and then punish yourself

If you don't meet your deadlines you have to punish yourself - so for example...

Let's say you miss your deadline to lose 10 pounds a month by losing only 9 pounds... You have to punish yourself by not watching TV for a week or by not going shopping for a month and...

Along with the reward and the punishment for meeting and not meeting your deadlines...

You can be sure you'll stay highly motivated to lose weight or whatever else you set your mind to.

4. Change Your Attitude

Don't say "I want to lose 25 pounds"... Say "I have to lose 25 pounds or I'll lose my job" or Say "I have to lose 25 pounds so my spouse won't leave me"

When you're thinking like this... You make your weight loss goals more like LIFE or DEATH scenarios where you have a gun to your head where You HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT OR ELSE!

5. Post a Picture Everywhere

Post of picture of what you want to look like when you lose weight everywhere you can.

If you were skinny in high school... Post your old high pictures everywhere and if you always had a weight problem then...

Cut out a picture of a person from a magazine, book, or even comic book that you want to look like and post that picture everywhere.

Posting pictures like this everywhere helps you "keep your eye on the prize"

Source : nowloss.com

7 Golden Rules to Look & Feel Good

1 . Exercise regularly for at least 20-30 minutes each time, 2-3 times a week.

2. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. Water is important to hydrate your body.

3. Eat a balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight.

4. Avoid eating foods that are high in sugar content, saturated fat and calories.

5. Eat in small portions. Stop eating when you are not hungry anymore.

6. If you do feel like snacking, try healthier alternatives such as a cereal bar, whole wheat crackers or a cereal.

7. Make sure you have enough sleep to make you feel better.

Source: milo.com

Cholesterol and Women

Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of American women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). As with men, elevated cholesterol levels signal danger for a woman’s health, putting her at risk for both heart disease and stroke.

Women usually have higher HDL ("good") cholesterol levels prior to menopause because estrogen (the female sex hormone) raises this level. Therefore, women are particularly at risk after menopause, when their estrogen levels drop along with their HDL levels, and their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels increase. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) found that over half of postmenopausal women needed to reduce their total cholesterol levels.

Men and women are also advised to maintain different levels of HDL cholesterol. Whereas men are considered to have low HDL cholesterol at less than 40 mg/dL, women have low HDL cholesterol at less than 50 mg/dL. Both men and women are advised to strive for HDL levels above 60 mg/dL.

Post-menopausal women are advised to be particularly aware of the relationship between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and cardiovascular disease. It was previously thought that replacing lost sex hormones in post-menopausal women would provide the same cardio-protective benefits experienced by women with normal levels of estrogen. However, several major studies have since found that estrogen/progestin therapy increases the risks of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, blood clots and overall cardiovascular disease.

Be aware and do exercise regularly!!