Daily Archives: April 22, 2016

Review: Jitsi the ultimate SIP voice and video client …

Posted: April 22, 2016 at 9:44 pm

Clearly, Skype is the world's most popular voice and video chat client and it supports a wide variety of platforms. But if you are looking for an alternative that affords you privacy and more control, Jitsi is the answer. Touted by security conscious netizens like the Tor Project's own Jacob Appelbaum as an ideal alternative to proprietary software like Skype, Jitsi lets you audio and video conference on your terms using your own private Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server or any SIP service.

Jitsi is written in Java for cross-platform compatibility with other operating systems. Although this can translate into a slightly sluggish experience and a rather bland user interface, the software is remarkably flexible in its own right. In addition to supporting traditional SIP for online communications, Google Talk's protocol (XMPP) is also supported out of the box for audio and video chats as well as AIM, ICQ, Facebook, Yahoo and MSN. Jitsi also provides a means to encrypt VoIP traffic using SRTP or ZRTP encryption methods, which is something Skype doesn't provide and is a rarity amongst most SIP / VoIP clients today.

With the emergence of IPv6 connectivity, Jitsi is capable of initiating direct connect VoIP sessions, simply by providing the appropriate IPv6 address of the machine to connect to. For anyone behind NAT on a home router using IPv4 connections, tunnel brokers that provide IPv4 to IPv6 address translation can be used to get around pesky limitations imposed by NAT. Basically, this means that anyone from outside your network will typically have no problem reaching you.

As far as downsides go, the only issue I see with Jitsi, at least on the SIP side of the equation, is that SIP isn't nearly as commonplace as something like Skype and it may require additional VoIP configuration knowhow. With XMPP support available, at least Jitsi users can leverage their Google contacts right out of the box and get an experience similar to a more traditional SIP setup. Obviously though, Google will have access to your conversation data, whereby setting up a true SIP session gives you more control over your privacy.

For what it's worth, Jitsi is a fairly decent VoIP and chat client. Though not as shiny looking as its proprietary competitor Skype, Jitsi is still worth giving a try. It's free and if you don't have a resource-constrained system, the software should suit your online communication needs fairly nicely. Just be sure that you have the latest version of Oracle's Java Runtime Environment for best results. With Microsoft taking control of Skype and casting doubt on its future as a cross-platform service as well as the possibility of a programmed "back door" into the network, Jitsi could potentially fill the void nicely as an eventual replacement.

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Human Longevity, Inc. Announces 10 Year Deal with …

Posted: at 9:42 pm

"We are excited to establish this long term relationship with AstraZeneca who are now establishing themselves as a leader in genomic-focused research," said J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO, HLI. "We look forward to working together to use HLI's proprietary computational methods and genomic data insights to better inform clinical trials and drug development."

The HLI Knowledgebase, which was recently awarded a 2016 Bio-IT World Best Practice Award, is a key tool in the company's portfolio to transform how medicine is practiced. The Knowledgebase contains tens of thousands of high-quality samples with genomic and phenotypic data and can be used to help customers streamline drug development, aid in discovery of biomarker and companion diagnostics, and rescue and repurpose drugs from failed clinical trials.

About Human Longevity, Inc.Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI) is the genomics-based, technology-driven company creating the world's largest and most comprehensive database of whole genome, phenotype and clinical data. HLI is developing and applying large scale computing and machine learning to make novel discoveries to revolutionize the practice of medicine. HLI's business also includes the HLI Health Nucleus, a genomic powered clinical research center which uses whole genome sequence analysis, advanced clinical imaging and innovative machine learning, along with curated personal health information, to deliver the most complete picture of individual health. For more information, please visit http://www.humanlongevity.com or http://www.healthnucleus.com.

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To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/human-longevity-inc-announces-10-year-deal-with-astrazeneca-to-sequence-and-analyze-patient-samples-from-astrazeneca-clinical-trials-300255548.html

SOURCE Human Longevity, Inc.

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The Fourth Amendment – Privacilla

Posted: at 2:44 pm

Home > Privacy and Government > Privacy Law Governing the Public Sector > The Fourth Amendment

The Fourth Amendment

The Fourth Amendment is the primary, essential limit on the power of governments in the U.S. to inquire into people's lives, arrest them, and take their property. It is also what prevents governments and their agents from invading citizens' privacy.

The Fourth Amendment says:

The Fourth Amendment requires a search to be based on probable cause. That is, government investigators must have a rational belief that a crime has been committed and that evidence or fruits of the crime can be found. The question courts will ask when a citizen claims to have been unconstitutionally searched is whether that person had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the place, papers, or information that government agents have examined or taken.

In a society that both deplores crime and values liberty, there will always be a tension between law enforcement interests and the privacy of individuals. The modern age has increased the ability of criminals to hide crime and its proceeds, and law enforcement sometimes struggles to keep up. This sometimes inspires investigative methods that trample on the privacy expectations and Fourth Amendment rights of innocent citizens. The U.S. Supreme Court has not been a powerful guardian of the Fourth Amendment in recent years, further eroding some Fourth Amendment protections.

In addition, the growth of both the U.S. and state governments during the 20th century vastly increased the amount of information that governments collect. When information is collected for "administrative" purposes, like issuing licenses and benefits or collecting taxes, the government does not have to satisfy the Fourth Amendment. Unfortunately, sometimes this information is used by investigators, released or sold by government agencies, or just misused by rogue government employees. This invades citizens' expectations of privacy and violates their Fourth Amendment rights.

Links:

Rescuing Search and Seizure by Stephen Budiansky, The Atlantic Monthly (October 2000)

Comments? comments@privacilla.org (Subject: FourthAmendment)

[updated 10/30/00]

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Freedom Tower (1 World Trade Center) – The New York Times

Posted: at 2:42 pm

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Cond Nast is to lease one million square feet in the lead tower at ground zero in a deal worth an estimated $2 billion over 25 years.

The Port Authority has struggled to create an elegant and secure skyscraper while also containing costs.

Larry A. Silverstein, the developer of 4 World Trade Center, is taking up New York City on its commitment to lease one-third of the building.

In 2010, so much progress was made at the World Trade Center that officials saw no need to cook up fabricated milestones, as they had in the past. But in December, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey showed that old habits die hard. It announced in a press release (accompanied by this picture) that 1 World Trade Center - the building formerly known as Freedom Tower - had reached "halfway to the top." Meaning what? That the structural steel had reached the level of the 52nd floor in what will be a 104-story building.

Few people seem willing to question whether building 1 World Trade Center makes any sense.

The Timess David W. Dunlap describes how the new World Trade Center complex is taking shape.

Despite setbacks and public cynicism, the puzzle that is the new World Trade Center complex is being pieced together rapidly.

Photographs from the Timess Fred R. Conrad provide an intimate view of construction at the site of the World Trade Center.

The publishing giant has signed a tentative deal to anchor the skyscraper now under construction.

The Durst real estate family won a hotly contested bidding contest for a stake in 1 World Trade Center and is expected to invest at least $100 million in the tower.

A family that owns 10 Midtown Manhattan office towers is favored by some Port Authority officials, but a deal is not assured.

A Subway restaurant franchise is housed in cargo containers and raised by cranes that rise as the building goes up.

Having the publishing giant as a tenant would bring a particular cachet to 1 World Trade Center.

Mr. Libeskind is best known for his work as the master plan architect for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center.

Panoramic views of 1 World Trade Center show the progress of building.

The days when 1 World Trade Center was regarded as an unnecessary exercise in waste appear to be over.

The Port Authority, the city and Larry A. Silverstein have worked out a formula to finance the project.

The Port Authority hopes to raise money for 1 World Trade Center, still under construction, and hand off the job of marketing the space and negotiating leases.

Fresh bread will soon be baking high above ground zero.

The Port Authority says that 1 World Trade Center, the address of the fallen north tower, is the most practical way to market the building. It had been called the Freedom Tower.