Essay - Scholarship

About Me~

My name is Joanda Febrian, and I was born in 18th February 2000.
I have 2 older brothers, Joshua and Daniel, and 1 younger sister, Natasya.
I lived in Surabaya since I was born, and I really like it here.
I like it here because in Surabaya I have so many friends, and most of my friends are from Cita Hati Junior High School.

Why Cita Hati?

I choose Cita Hati to be my school because Cita Hati is very close to my house and people said that a lot of successful and talented studied there and I want to be like them. Cita Hati teachers are also very good.

My Experiences

Indonesian Robotic Olympiad 2010 (IRO 2010) "The Best Innovative Solution"

Me and my team 'The Inquirers' the only team that consist of elementary student in the olympiad and we get "The Best Innovative Solution" Award. I am really happy to make my parents proud, and I also didn't forget to thank God for the chance He gave to me that time.

Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) 2011 Participant

I guess in this competition I didnt work the hardest, because I only became the rank 17th in East Java. I'm not really proud of that but I'm glad to finish well in the test and didn't give up until the end.

Canadian English Course (2013) Participant

I didn't enter the second round, but at least I did my best.

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) Mathematics 2014 Participant

The result is not published yet, but I really hope to receive the medal because I worked hard in that test.

Canadian English Course (2014) Participant

I haven't do it yet, but I will do better than my last participation.

And also I received many school trophies from my previous schools such as best mathematics, etc.
In Cita Hati I received 1 Most Outstanding Award and many other awards.

And many more in the future!

Student Council Cita Hati East Campus

My experience in student council Cita Hati East Campus 2012-2014 was really fun!
I did a lot of things and prepare many events with my friends, such as The House Olympics 2013 and ChiLeague 2014. Unfortunately this year, Cita Hati doesn't allow grade 9 students to enter the Student Council because of National Exam. I hope I can participate in the Student Council again next year.

Closing

With this essay, I hope I can get my scholarship in Cita Hati Christian Senior High School for next school academic year 2015-16. Thank you so much for your attention!

Joanda Febrian.

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Final Exam

My Final Journey

Hey guys, this could be my last post until a long time because I am now facing the Final Exam for this year. Thank you for visiting my blog, also after this school year end I may or may not continue posting my school stuff anymore. So, hope you enjoy my small and short blog and happy surfing.

Once again, Thank You !



Ok, now I'm going to study for my exam, wish me luck guys!

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Heartbleed Virus

Recently a flaw in the Internet code known as SSL was found, which allowed it to be exploited with malicious software, enabling others to steal information from individuals. Many websites over the past week have been updating their servers and security to try to work around the exploit, but for now it’s best to tread lightly while using personal information on the internet.

A description of the Heartbleed Virus is given by heartbleed.com. “The Heartbleed Bug is a serious vulnerability in the popular OpenSSL cryptographic software library. This weakness allows stealing the information protected, under normal conditions, by the SSL/TLS encryption used to secure the Internet. SSL/TLS provides communication security and privacy over the Internet for applications such as web, email, instant messaging (IM) and some virtual private networks (VPNs),” The website read. “The Heartbleed bug allows anyone on the Internet to read the memory of the systems protected by the vulnerable versions of the OpenSSL software.

This compromises the secret keys used to identify the service providers and to encrypt the traffic, the names and passwords of the users and the actual content. This allows attackers to eavesdrop on communications, steal data directly from the services and users and to impersonate services and users,” the website continued. Around Monday, April 7, 2014 the Heartbleed vulnerability was found in the Internet’s SSL code, which is a security code much of the Internet uses. The estimated amount of the Internet that was vulnerable to the breach was thought to be about 17 percent. According to a press release by Symantec, the company that makes Norton Antivirus, the Heartbleed Virus works by allowing people to view the history of systems using open SSL for security on their websites.

Through this they can get people’s passwords and even their credit card information. There’s a new fixed version of SSL available for websites to upgrade to. This updated version basically protects the services being affected from being able to be read like an open book. As soon as the upgrade is in place most websites recommend changing your password to something completely different, but don’t recommend changing it to something overly complex. Photography major Allison Curtis has received emails from several sites telling her to change her passwords. “The first website I received an email from was Norton which made sense since I use their anti-virus.

It told me to change my password for websites that had said to fix their vulnerability. But oddly I also received emails from places I have never visited before telling me to change all my passwords now which seemed odd to me,” Curtis explained. Web design major Joseph Plotner has also received mysterious emails. “Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed in my inbox websites sending me emails about ‘Heartbleed’ with many conflicting messages on how to keep my info secure. I personally wait until the log-ins of the websites I use tell me it’s safe to change my password but I am a bit scared that so many places I have never been to were also sending me emails,” Plotner said After the vulnerability was first found a lot of websites have begun to update their security for the accounts on them.

After the upgrades were completed many of these websites took an extra precaution by warning users on certain websites to change their password since it is now safe to do so without worrying about compromising their personal information. A man named Fillipo has developed a website that checks the servers of other websites to see if they are currently vulnerable.

He recently did an “Ask Me Anything” thread on Reddit, and detailed what his website does and even gave some more advice to users for what to do to browse safely on the Internet while this vulnerability is around. On the AMA, Fillipo said one of the best things to do is use an extension for browsers, either “Foxbleed” or “Chromebleed,” which check the vulnerability of the websites. If a red flag shows up, users should avoid logging into the website until it’s secure again. He also said to wait for the website to reveal what’s been exploited before panicking about anything like credit card information Fillipo also explained that even though there is currently a fix for the Heartbleed Virus, he wouldn’t be too surprised if another exploit is found again. The website currently shows that Cobra is not one of the websites vulnerable Heartbleed, so students don’t need to worry about logging into it.

source:
http://www.prospectusnews.com/heartbleed-virus-affects-internet-security-1.3163414#.U3tHIfmSyLA
http://365schoollife.blogspot.com/2014/05/heartbleed-virus.html#comment-form

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Question of Death?

You may have heard of Ask.fm

The social networking site allows users to post anonymous comments online. Kids as young as 13 years old are allowed on the site, everyone can see all the posts, and no one monitors the content.

"Anyone can say what they want, so people aren't going to be nice most of the time," Max Raykov says.

Robert Siciliano, a McAfee cyber security expert says Ask.fm is the new favorite sparring site for cyberbullies who want to tear people down without showing their face.

"There's no accountability with anonymity and the overall drama that takes place in social media exemplifies teen angst," Siciliano says.

The website BuzzFeed says Ask.fm has been linked to nine teen suicides in the last year.

People like 14-year-old Hannah Smith was found hanged by her sister in August after anonymous bullies on Ask.fm wrote things like: "every1 will be happy if you died. drink bleach. Go die."

"Teen suicides happen every day unfortunately, but the fact that a certain amount of teens were found with this on their phones or devices and their parents are equating to that definitely raises eyebrows," says Siciliano.

"Some of my friends have it and people do post mean things like you have no friends and stuff," 12-year-old Savannah says.

"I don't think it's okay for people to bully people on there," says Sophia Shaw. "You don't know what they're going through in life or how they will react to the situation."

Although Ask.fm has been referenced in so many teen deaths, Siciliano says the site doesn't deserve all the blame. He says parents have some responsibility too -- to know what their kids are doing online.

"Learn the technology, learn the apps, know how their online lives work," he says.

And one final thing that makes Ask.fm so dangerous is it originates in Latvia, so U.S. laws don't apply.

source:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/23900730/social-networking-site-askfm-linked-to-9-teen-suicides#axzz32sfqalzg

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Collaboration of Korean Internet Security

Blue Coat Korea and the Korea Information Technology Research Institute (KITRI) announced that they are going to work together on security research on May 20. The two companies will be conducting an information security campaign with special lectures, seminars, and conferences. The aim is to strengthen human and material resources in the information security area.

They are planning to offer a cyber forensic specialist course later on this year. Students will be learning how to analyze network traffic and upgrade security control abilities. This is crucial to properly respond to cyber attacks, to which Korea has recently been prone. 

Kim Ki-tae, CEO of Blue Coat Korea, said, “You’ve probably never seen a course on cyber forensics taught by an internationally certified lecturer in Korea,” and, “This is the chance to learn high-level global technology on cyber forensics ahead of time.” 

Yu Jun-sang, Head of KITRI, said, “Since the future of the information security industry depends on what we do, we are going to work thoroughly in obtaining the latest trends and technologies in security to make security experts.” 

source: 
http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/article/4756/security-professionals-blue-coat-kitri-collaborate-boost-internet-security-korea
http://365schoollife.blogspot.com/2014/05/blue-coat-kitri-collaborate-to-boost.html

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Snapchat Doppelganger

Facebook could be gearing up to introduce a Snapchat-like video message tool later this month, according to a Financial Times report. The app, known to staffers as 'Slingshot,' would enable users to send short video messages, and it would likely not be integrated with the social site's other applications, such as Facebook Messenger. Based on the timing of Slingshot's potential release, it's possible that a team within the company began working on the app shortly after negotiations to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion failed late last year, leaving Facebook to build its own competitor from the ground up. Still, while the new app appears to be nearly ready for primetime, the launch apparently has yet to be approved -- it's possible that Slingshot may never see the light of day. 

source: 
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/18/facebook-slingshot/

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The Bird Sings

Twitter may be in talks to purchase SoundCloud, a large service that is known by some as YouTube for audio. According to Recode, Twitter is "considering a deal" to buy the Berlin-based company, which lets anyone, from individuals to DJ collectives to bands, upload and share audio clips.

If true, the acquisition would be a very big move for Twitter, whicha has seen its stock battered over the last few months as investors worry that it is not growing fast enough. After going public last November at $26 a share, it quickly rose to $74.73 before beginning a long downward slide. As of this writing, the company's shares are at $32.36.

Screen-shot-2014-05-19-at-11-45-00-am.png There are two obvious reasons Twitter might want to buy a company like the privately held SoundCloud. First is Twitter's longstanding desire to get closer to the music industry. Its attempts so far, most notably with its own #Music app, have largely been unsuccessful. Second, SoundCloud is said to have 250 million users around the world, which could be a boon to Twitter as the social-networking company seeks to boost its growth.

Both Twitter and SoundCloud declined to comment, saying they don't address rumors. If Twitter were to buy SoundCloud, it would almost certainly be a very expensive acquisition. Last year, SoundCloud raised a $60 million round of funding that valued it at $700 million. To date, Twitter's most expensive purchase has been ad network MoPub, for which it paid about $350 million.

For SoundCloud, being part of Twitter could be appealing because of Twitter's success at selling ads. As Recode wrote, SoundCloud already offers its users a paid premium service, with additional features, but it doesn't have much in the way of an ads operation.

To some industry observers, Twitter buying SoundCloud would make sense for both companies. "A deal like this makes sense for Twitter, [because] it gives them a much needed push into media and adds into their business another really interesting and popular publishing platform," said Gartner analyst Brian Blau. "If SoundCloud can get a favorable music licensing deal to make right how their users get access to published songs, then we could see that music become even more deeply embedded into Twitter apps."

source:
http://www.cnet.com/news/twitter-reported-in-talks-to-buy-soundcloud/

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Chinese Internet Security Upgraded

BEIJING - A Chinese official in charge of regulating the internet has said Beijing must strengthen internet security because "overseas hostile forces" are using the Internet to "attack, slander and spread rumors", state media said on Sunday. Wang Xiujun, the deputy director of the China National Internet Information Office, said political security is fundamental, reported The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The struggle for ideological penetration RELATED STORIES China censors may have caused huge internet outage: group China soars to 618m online users Psst, did you hear? China's crackdown against online rumours Subscribe to our newsletters Wang's remarks coincide with a broad crackdown on online freedom of expression that has intensified since President Xi Jinping came to power last year. The crackdown has drawn criticism from rights advocates at home and abroad.

"Now, overseas hostile forces are using the Internet as a main channel to penetrate and destroy (us)," Wang was quoted as saying. "Using the name of 'Internet freedom' to repeatedly attack, slander and spread rumours in an effort to undermine our country's stability and national security." Winning "the struggle for ideological penetration" would "decide to a great extent the future of our party and country", Wang said. In February, Xi took the reins of a government body for Internet security, saying he aimed to turn China into a "cyber power". He said then that working on public opinion online was a long-term responsibility and the Internet could be used to "spread discipline".

The party renewed a campaign on online discourse last year, threatening legal action against people whose perceived rumours on microblogs are reposted more than 500 times or seen by more than 5,000 people. China maintains tight control over the media. Censorship is widespread and Internet users cannot access information about many topics without special software to circumvent restrictions.

Wang said China wants to strengthen its security of networks and information systems in part due to intrusions in cyberspace by foreign governments, according to the People's Daily. The case of former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden showed that "a few countries have used their superiority in Internet resources and information technology to conduct large-scale Internet surveillance and to steal a large volume of political, economic, military and corporate secrets", Wang said.

He did not name any country but questions over cyber-espionage have long cast a shadow over China-U.S. ties, with each side accusing the other of spying. The Defence Ministry said in March China would beef up its internet security after the New York Times and Der Spiegel reported that documents leaked by Snowden said the U.S. National Security Agency accessed servers at China's Huawei Technologies to obtain sensitive data and monitor executives' communications.

source:
http://www.enca.com/china-plans-strengthen-internet-security-foil-hostile-forces

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Another Virtual Reality Gadget

After a decade on the back burner, virtual reality is hot again. Most of this resurgence is down to Oculus, the headset maker that Facebook acquired for $2 billion this past March, but Sony is also making waves with a forthcoming headset called Project Morpheus.

The rub is that the Oculus only runs games designed specifically for its hardware, and Morpheus won’t work with anything but the PlayStation 4. That limits the number of games available to players, and creates more work for the developers interested in creating these types of immersive games.

But a Chinese company called ANTVR thinks it has hit upon a winning strategy for attracting more game developers to this new breed of VR headsets. It’s open sourcing part of its headset technology so that it can plug into multiple gaming consoles and even accommodate other kinds of hardware.

The designs for the ANTVR headset itself and its nifty convertible game controller are proprietary technology. But the designs and firmware for the wireless receiver–which sits between the headset, the controller, and the gaming console–are open source. That opens up a range of possibilities, such as creating custom controllers or using the ANTVR controller to control other devices.

You could write software for using ANTVR to control a Roomba vacuum cleaner robot, perhaps using the headset to watch the feed from the bot’s on-board camera.
For example, ANTVR co-founder Qin Zheng says you could write software for using ANTVR to control a Roomba vacuum cleaner robot, perhaps using the headset to watch the feed from the bot’s on-board camera. You could also make your own version of the receiver specifically designed to work with a game console or device not officially supported by ANTVR. “You can use the signal straight from the USB port,” Zheng says. “We will give the developer all the documentation and libraries.”

But open source isn’t the only way ANTVR plans to attract players and developers. The controller, which can be converted from a directional pad into a gun or light saber, is a major attraction. And Zheng says the headset’s aspherical lens will make it possible to display games that weren’t designed to work with ANTVR, which is something that Oculus can’t do because the spherical lens used by Oculuss distort normal images.

That also makes it harder to develop Oculus games, Zheng says. “It takes [developers] a lot of work to make their images work with Oculus,” he says. The aspherical lens should also make it far easier for developer to design games that work with the system. And since it will support Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, and Android out of the box, both players and developers will have plenty of options.

One challenge the company will face, though, is building trust as a newcomer to market. And after the Oculus acquisition, you might expect the gaming community to be cautious about crowdfunding another virtual reality platform. Zheng downplays that possibility. “We won’t sell the company,” he says. “I don’t think there is a very appropriate company who can work with us to finish our dream of the virtual reality.”

We’ll have to wait and see about that, but ANTVR has already raised over $177,000 dollars on Kickstarter and is well on its way to raising its goal of $200,000. That may have something to do with the price: the sets are being pre-sold at cost, which is $300, in order to get a foothold in the market.

Next, Zheng says the company will bring its own smart glasses product to market, which is what he actually set out to do a few years ago when he started working with head mounted displays. The glasses and the virtual reality system share the same goal. “I want it to be universal hardware for a lot of developers, makers and ordinary gamers,” he says. “I wanted it to be open for everyone.”

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Smart Skateboard?

A motorized skateboard—an idea so bone-headedly simple, it makes you wonder why these things aren’t everywhere already.

Turns out, the design problems involved in mounting an adequately powerful motor and its battery onto a slim slab of wood are not easily solved. It took the crew at Boosted Boards several years of experimentation with a series of decreasingly dangerous prototypes to get this particular board rolling.

And roll it does. Twin brushless motors sit at the back, where they spin the rear wheels by means of dual carbon belts—the same kind used in motorcycles and e-bikes. The motors get their juice from a 40-volt lithium ion phosphate battery mounted beneath the front of the board just behind the front trucks. The battery at front is connected to the motor in the back by means of a flat cable that runs the length of the bamboo deck. This makes for a cool visual detail—you can just barely make out a series of longitudinal ridges under the grip tape.

Speed is controlled with a hand-held remote. It has a dead-man trigger under your index finger and a back-to-front, spring-loaded throttle rocker under your thumb. Push the throttle forward to go. Push backwards to slow down and stop. Another neat detail: When you’re slowing down, the motor regeneratively charges the battery.

It’ll carry at least 250 pounds. I weigh 240, and I felt like the acceleration was pretty good when I tested it. I also had no problems going up and down modest hills. Anyway, it’s the deceleration that really takes some getting used to—you learn to bend your knees and lower your center of gravity before engaging the reverse drive. Otherwise, you’ll tip off of it. Top speed is 20 mph. There’s a governor on it, so it can probably go much faster, but 20 feels pretty damn fast. In most situations, I was comfortable cruising at closer to half that speed. It’s not as maneuverable as a regular street-style skateboard—there’s no kick tail, so you can’t kick-turn. It takes some practice, but it sure is a blast.

The range is roughly six miles, depending on hills and how much of a fat-ass you are. Of course, you can always just push it like a regular longboard, so you can’t get stranded when the motor runs out. In all, it’s a very fun, freeing vehicle and an excellent way of getting around town if you’ve got to go a few miles and you’re not a bike person (or a Segway person).

It’s also pricey. Each board costs $2,000. And that’s the other big reason you don’t see motorized skateboards everywhere: The good old non-motorized version of the same thing costs about 20 times less. But if want to roll into the battery-powered future, you can pre-order one on the company’s website.

source :
http://www.wired.com/2014/05/boosted-board/

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