Cloud Camera

Got myself a cloud camera a few days ago.

There are quite a number brands and models available in the market, but in the end opt for a D-Link cloud camera. Below are some of the features of the camera: 

• Remotely control the pan & tilt of the camera from PC or mobile phones
• Zero-light infrared sensor, allowing to see up to 8 meters in the dark
• Sound and motion detection alert
• 4x digital zoom

And it was quite easy to set up the camera. Just need to configure it to my home Internet network and link the device to a web-based online application and I am ready to use/control the camera from my PC. For the mobile phones, the applications are available to download for both Android and iPhone mobile phones.

The video feed from the camera to my PC/mobile devices is almost real-time, and the picture and video quality is quite clear. As long as both the router signal is strong for the source (camera at home) and the Internet connection is optimum at the receiving devices (PC, mobile devices), you can get a decent video feed. The audio and video data captured from the camera will pass through the router/modem and it goes to a centralised temporary storage (cloud), which will then feed the receiving devices for viewing. When the user swipe the device screen left/right to pan and up/down to tilt the camera, the data is now reversely sent from the receiving/viewing devices back to the cloud and transmit the instruction to the camera the perform the required tasks.

Primarily, the cloud cameras are used for home security surveillance, but it can also be used as a baby monitor or spying tool. Whatever the reasons people use cloud camera, security of the camera itself will always be an issue, as hackers are able to hack to remote devices and take control of the camera, which leads to breach of privacy of the camera owners. 

Workout with Technology

GPS watched has been around for some time and people use it for various reasons, commonly to monitor one's physical or fitness progress/results for their workout, training and recreational activities. I have a Suunto Ambit2 watch which comes with a heart rate monitor strap and have been using it occasionally when I go hiking or doing physical activities. 

Interestingly, there are a few technologies at work that I know of when I use my Suunto Ambit2 watch during and post hiking activities. During a hike, I'm able to turn on my GPS function to record the trail I'm hiking through and connect the watch to my heart rate monitor. This is use to monitor real-time the altitude, heart rate, calories burn, etc. After a hike, I can connect my watch to my laptop and load all the recorded details onto a web-based application for it to analyze and summarized my activities.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

The technology was developed by the United States government for military purposes in the 1960s. It is a space-based navigation system that provides location and time information anywhere on earth regardless of the weather conditions as long as there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. There are currently 31 satellites in orbit and this technology is available for commercial and private users.

Wireless Transmission

For both indoor and outdoor workout, the watch can be paired with the heart rate monitor chest strap. After strapping the chest belt, all you need to do is to set the watch to detect the heart rate monitor. Once detected, it will show on the watch your current heart rate percentage (the resting and maximum heart rate had to be pre-set based on your body weight, age, gender) and you are able to monitor your heart rate, calories burn, etc. as you are going through your workout. The watch is water resistance, so you can use it while swimming in the pool or in open water. After you are done with your workout, it will summarize your performance as well as the minimum recovery period before the next workout.

Data Transfer to Web-based Application

The watch has a USB connector for charging the watch and transfer the Logbook of activities recorded in the watch to a web-based application called Movescount at www.movescount.com. You need to register as a member and all your recorded activities are uploaded into your personal account. The features include settings of your body matrix and the application is able to analyse and present the statistics of your physical performance.  Members can set their account to public, for other members to look at their statistics and even download other member's running or hiking routes into our own devices. 

This is a handy devices for those who are training for competition, or even if you just want to see the progress of your performance, with all the technologies above working in the background.

Cyber Attacks on SCADA/ICS

A couple of months ago, some of the IT personnel and consultant did a presentation and demonstration at the office on the cyber threats to SCADA/ICS. From what I understand during the session, SCADA/ICS is part of of a system that controls remote equipment at manufacturing plants, oil platforms, power/nuclear plants, etc.

Traditionally, the two components of information technology network (IT) for business and desktop application is separated from operational technology network (OT) which consist of remote devices and control processes. With the availability of the Internet and current technology, organisations are bridging this two components with allows them to remotely monitor and administer their plants and platform.

It is uses coded signals that transmit from a control centre to remotely control the equipment, and if signals are hacked then the hackers are able to take control of the equipment. Imagine someone hacked into the SCADA/ICS of an oil production platform and sabotage the equipment by changing the settings, it can cause a lot of damages even loss of lives. 

As the technology becomes available for organisations to apply it in their operations, the threat from cyber attacks are potentially higher and measures are taken to ensure not only it is protected from external threats, but internally the employees need to have the awareness of not simply opening or copying email attachments that might allow hackers to get into the system.

SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is a system that operates with coded signals over communication channels so as to provide control of remote equipment (using typically one communication channel per remote station). The control system may be combined with a data acquisition system by adding the use of coded signals over communication channels to acquire information about the status of the remote equipment for display or for recording functions. It is a type of industrial control system (ICS). Industrial control systems are computer-based systems that monitor and control industrial processes that exist in the physical world. SCADA systems historically distinguish themselves from other ICS systems by being large-scale processes that can include multiple sites, and large distances. These processes include industrial, infrastructure, and facility-based processes. 

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCADA 

Check out this YouTube video on a staged cyber attack on a power grid. It shows how devastating this attack can be:

Online Shopping - My Bad Experience with HP

I am not an active online shopper, however I've bought some items online such as iPad from Apple Store, Samsung LED TV from Lazada, etc. All the experience from buying the items online were alright for me, from browsing through the websites to purchase the items, payment and delivery. If I remember correctly, for the iPad purchased from Apple Store, I was able to keep tracked on the shipping progress until the device reaches me. So, when I decided to purchase a laptop last month from HP, it should be as easy as click-buy-receive from an organisation as established as HP, but I was so WRONG.....

Before I share what I had (and still) to go through with HP, just a short write up on what is online shopping.

Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce or e-commerce. Online shopping also refers to as electronic retail (e-tail) or electronic shopping (e-shopping). Basically, instead of buying the product or services at physical shops, such as a shopping center or a brick-and-mortar retailer, customers are able to do purchase over the Internet using a web browser.

A straight forward concept and online shopping has been around long enough that customers find the experience convenient and time saving, especially for products that you have already decided to purchase beforehand. The technology behind online shopping has been refined to give customers a user-friendly and safe transaction. However, technology alone does not provide or guarantee good experience to customers, as people and processes also play a big role.

Now back to my HP story. I put it in chronological format for easy reading.

15 October

Browsed through HP online store and find the webpage user-friendly and fast to load. Purchase a HP laptop and it stated delivery the next day and HP emailed the order confirmation. Promising.

20 October

Made a follow up call to HP customer service. Customer service rep couldn't update the status but say will email the update. Received email notification in the evening - laptop has been shipped.

21 October

Emailed HP on how I can track the delivery activities and HP said will get back to me tomorrow to update. Then the parcel was received either on 21 or 22 Oct, but I didn't had the chance to open the box as I was occupied with work and MBA classes.

25 October

Finally, get to open the box after dinner. While booting/registering the laptop, noticed there's a AMD sticker on the laptop, but I ordered an Intel processor laptop. Thought HP might stick a wrong sticker and wait until the laptop is fully booted to check the system details. Upon checking, confirmed that HP had sent a wrong model laptop although the box that comes with it was correct. Immediately email HP customer service.

26 October

Waited until noon but no response from HP, then called HP customer service to follow up. HP rep said they received the email complain and told me to give them the serial number of the laptop. I was briefed that HP will replace the laptop and the rep said he will call me tomorrow before noon to get the serial number from me.

27 October

Waited for Alvin, the customer rep to call, but until I finished my lunch no one from HP called. Again, had to call the customer service and spoke to a different rep. I gave the rep the serial number and told her to please sort this as quickly as possible, just replace the laptop with the right model because all this hassle was due to HP's fault and I am willing to arrange my timing for HP to collect the wrong model.

Later that afternoon, HP sent an email telling me in order for them to further investigate, is for me to take photos of the serial number, the laptop and the box. Then they are able to proceed to find/replace my laptop.  At this point I already gave up with HP, as it seems they are not concern with my needs (which is, I bought a laptop to use it) but more interested to get me involved in their internal investigation. My expectation was that for HP to quickly replace the laptop when I return to them the wrong laptop and then HP can do all the investigation they want. Just don't get me involved.....

That's it, I'm done dealing with HP customer support. I emailed HP to cancel my order, return back my money and ask someone to pick up the laptop from me.

28 October

HP rep emailed and called insisting for me to provide them with the photos for HP to trigger my request to return and refund. This whole experience had turned from unpleasant to bad, as I felt I am being taken 'hostage' by HP - you want your money back, you do as what we told you to - although it was HP's sole fault that I'm in this mess.......

I told off the HP rep and said this is so WRONG and bad Supply Chain Management at the customer end. Took the photos anymore before going to bed as I want this to end quickly and emailed it to HP.

29 October

Guess what..... HP didn't have the courtesy to even acknowledge that the 'hostage' had forwarded them the photos they asked for their investigation. Left an email reminder in the evening to ask HP tp please update me the status.

30 October

Guess what..... again, silence from HP.

I had to call the customer service again to ask for an update. But HP customer rep said will call/email with me update soon. Yeah, right.

2 Nov

By lunch time, no one call or email for update. I had to emailed HP (again) for update. Later in the afternoon HP replied and said someone will call to pick up the laptop.

5 Nov

Kenneth from HP called to arrange for pick up. Since he said HP pick up/delivery hours on Saturday is from 9am - 1pm, I agreed to wait on Saturday and cancel all my previous plans for me to pass laptop back to them. I ask for the driver's mobile number, but Kenneth said it's OK and that I can him on Saturday if I need to. Yes, finally I can end this misery.

7 Nov

Pick up guy - no show

Kenneth - I called all morning but can't even get through. Not sure if he even gets my SMS.

Me - Still waiting......

HP = Horrible People / Horrible Process

So, what's my point?

Although online shopping can give customers like myself a good experience in purchasing and receiving goods, once things doesn't go according to plan, no matter how good the Technology behind online shopping has progressed, People and Process can make a difference to customers experience. I will continue to shop online definitely, despite this bad experience....... Maybe not from HP online store anymore.

By the way, I did purchased a HP laptop from a retail shop recently - same price but they throw in free mouse, bag and USB drive. Better value and better experience.

Fuzzy Logic

I came to know the term 'fuzzy logic' while I was still a student at Swinburne University in Australia back in 2003. During one of my assignments for my Bachelor of Multimedia (Animation), I presented a topic on MASSIVE software and the fuzzy logic that was used to develop the software. 

MASSIVE (Multiple Agent Simulation System in Virtual Environment) is a high-end computer animation and artificial intelligence software created by Stephen Regelous for the Lord of the Rings films (2001-2003) by Weta Digital. Traditionally, 3D animators need to animate individually the model's movements in a 3D environment to create the desired motions to be captured. MASSIVE on the other hand has the ability create up to thousands of  'agents' that has been pre-defined its behaviors to interact almost independently with each other in a 3D environment. This technology allows Weta Digital to generate many of the massive battle sequences in the LOTR movies. Since then, MASSIVE has created many award-winning visual effects for films such as Avatar, 300, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MASSIVE_(software) 

http://www.massivesoftware.com/features.html 

The term fuzzy logic on the other hand has been around since the 1960s. Traditional computing logic that we all are familiar with is the Boolean logic, or values of True (1) or False (0). Fuzzy logic can be either between zero (0) to one (1) where it can be 'partial True at 0.7' or 'mostly False at 0.3'. This allow the systems that uses fuzzy logic to have a more flexible application in terms of machine decision-making. Below is a link to a video that explains on the fuzzy logic theory. 

This triggered me to try to find out further on fuzzy logic applications in other areas or industries.

• Hitachi applied fuzzy logic for the Sendai Subway system in Japan. It uses a fuzzy controller to run the train on the Nanboku line to control the speed of the train. It is 10% more energy efficient than human-controlled acceleration.
• Heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system uses fuzzy logic to control the heating and cooling, and it keeps the temperature more steady that a traditional thermostat as well as energy saving.

• Car control systems and aerospace vehicle control systems

MIS 750 Assignment

This is my first blogging attempt.....can't be that hard, right?

Currently pursuing MBA at UiTM and as part of my MIS 750 module assignment, to create a blog page for sharing knowledge, news, updates, etc. on anything related to information system and technology.

Let the blogging begin!