FACEBOOK LOVE

EPISODE 1 FACEBOOK LOVE SERIES 1 AKINOLA’S MOSCOW ADVENTURE The facebook phenomenon was growing like wide fire, every one wanted to sign up to the new hot social media, some used it as a medium of advertisement, it also served as a medium were like mind...s could exchange views and ideas, to some it was a medium to meet new people and make new friends. Akinola was a young undergraduate in one of the country leading university, a level headed guy, who loved to move with friends from the day of booth cut, baggy jeans to straight jeans. Akinola was embarrassed by a girl, he was trying to woo. “Are you on facebook” asked by the girl. He paused a minute’s. The name “facebook” didn’t stick, “yes…” he sounded not too convincing. “What name are you using on facebook” asked the girl. “Name……….” replied Akinola. It was obvious he was lying. In a society where ignorance was a sin he found it hard to ask anybody, for two weeks the name “book” kept ringing in his head. “What’s this book of a thing” he mused. On his way to the lecture room one day, he overhead two girls discussing the “book” issue. It seems the “book” issue was the new trend in town and the phenomenon was more familiar with ladies. He was walking with him best friend and summons the courage to ask him, if he was to make jest of him it would be between the two of them. “Soji, I want to ask you a question” said Akinola “are you sure it’s a question or a favor because I don’t have money, replied Soji. “This is not about money” said Akinola “alright am all ears” replied Soji. “Do you know that “book” of a thing” he whispered. He looked around, whether any other person was around. “Why are you whispering, you are not talking to a lady, said Soji. “That book of a thing now” said Soji. “book” Soji echoed. “The new internet book revolution now” said Akinola. “Book revolution oh, do you mean facebook replied Soji. “Yes, that’s the name, what’s it all about” asked Akinola. “It’s an online community where people share ideas” replied Soji. “It’s not a big deal” remarked Akinola. “You can also reunite with old friends “Soji further explained. “Is that so? asked Akinola. Soji offered to help Akinola set up the account, he seemed to love the idea of reuniting with old friends. He lost contact with an old friend Musa, both of them attended Federal Government College Oaga together years ago. The last information he heard about Musa was that he was schooling abroad. He updated his status every day, he once dreamt of facebook while sleeping. He joined every group available, he searched for Musa his secondary school friend, and he was surprise at the location on his wall “Khartoun, sudan of all places”. He asked himself, Islamic Musa had won a scholarship to study Arabic at one of Sudan’s leading university, after three months he had about three hundred and sixty six friends. Akinola added new friends on a weekly basis. On one occasion……………………………..was online, one of those Akinola has added a few weeks earlier and accepted to be his friend. Conversation between Akinola and via facebook chat window AKINOLA: “Hi” MATHEW: “Hello” He checked Mathew wall and found Location: Moscow Russia Gender: Female Status: Complicated She add just one picture, both of them had so many things in common like, Music, Sport etc. they got along quickly, in one of their numerous conversation via facebook chat window:- AKINOLA: “Hi” MATHEW: “Hello” AKINOLA: “How are you doing?” MATHEW: “Fine thanks and you?” AKINOLA: “Am fine too, have been waiting to asked you this question?” MATHEW: “What?” AKINOLA: “Does the name Mathew mean mathew?” MATHEW: “Yes it does” AKINOLA: “Does a girl bear the name Mathew in Russia MATHEW: “In some cases” AKINOLA: “Cases” MATHEW: “My father died few days before I was born that is why I was named Mathew to immortalize him”. AKINOLA: “Am sorry for bringing that up” MATHEW: “No problem, did you get the message I sent” AKINOLA: “Yes I did, it was very encouraging” Their conversation get more personal both letting each other into their lives, after a while Akinola noticed Mathew had changed her relationship status, she was now single AKINOLA was worried about MATHEW picture her face looked like the face of a man. The lipstick on her lips were properly done and this but an end to his curiosity. The picture was just like a passport photograph. The face was cute. In the next conversation via facebook chat window she told AKINOLA about her sudden status change. MATHEW: “It’s been a long time” AKINOLA: “It just two days, and I have to take care of some school work” MATHEW: “The last two days has been hell” AKINOLA: “What do you mean?” MATHEW: “We finally called it quit” AKINOLA: “You mean your boyfriend” MATHEW: “Yes” AKINOLA: “How are you doing now?” MATHEW: “Have moved on with my life” AKINOLA: “What next?” MATHEW: “Looking at what the future holds” AKINOLA: “Am sorry” MATHEW: “Thanks” AKINOLA: “You just have one picture” MATHEW: “Yeah” AKINOLA: “Is that really your picture” MATHEW: “Yeah” AKINOLA; “It looks more manly” MATHEW: “Am a tomboy and a tennis player” AKINOLA: “Alright I have to go now” MATHEW: “Wait a little longer’ AKINOLA: “I have a lecture in twenty minutes” MATHEW: “Alright, talk to you soon” Mathew seems to be falling in love with Akinola judging by the messages she had been sending him. Akinola was still skeptical been sending him. Akinola was still skeptical about MATHEW, Akinola had heard of people using fake pictures, name and even location. He was wondering whether he might be a victim too. He was single and had nothing to lose, so he thought of given it a try. Their next conversation. AKINOLA: “Did you get my message?” MATHEW: “Yes I did” AKINOLA: “I don’t believe you are who you claimed to be” MATHEW: “What do you mean?” AKINOLA: “Take me to your “world” MATHEW: “World?” AKINOLA: “Tell me who you really are?” MTHEW: “Alright I would take you to my “World” if you promised to do the same” AKINOLA: “No problem” She claimed she was the one in the photograph, studying for her master’s degree in one of Moscow University, worked part time, just moved out of her boyfriend’s house to a friend’s apartment, her mum was in her sixties. AKINOLA: “I have to go now” MATHEW: “Baby stay a little longer” AKINOLA: “I wish I can, I got something to do” MATHEW: “Give me your telephone number AKINOLA: “011214578” MATHEW: “I got it” AKINOLA: “Later” MATHEW: “I love you, bye” Akinola was confused when he saw the word “Love” in her closing remark; he logged out, he waited a few minutes just starring at the computer screen. “What the hell am I getting myself into, humm nothing dey happen “Akinola muses. As he stood up his phone rang and he reaches for it in his pocket. The number showing on the phone screen was a little longer than the normal phone number, as he picked it a gentle voice spoke. “Its me” with a non English accent Akinola and Mathew discussion wasn’t too long, Mathew couldn’t pronounced English words well but could write good English. They both laughed because they could not communicate with each other properly. “I have heard stories of people finding true love via tie internet, maybe this is mine, let me keeping fingers crossed “Akinola mused meanwhile Akinola semester exam was fast approaching. Their next conversation was a bit lengthy. AKINOLA: “Baby how are you?” MATHEW: “Am fine” AKINOLA: “I just tagged your picture on my wall” MATHEW: “I saw it” AKINOLA: “Did you get my message on your voicemail” MATHEW: “Yes I did, I was at work” AKINOLA: “Really” MATHEW: “Your birthday is just a month away, any plans” AKINOLA: “Yes” MATHEW: “Let me into it” AKINOLA: “Nothing much” MATHEW: “I have a surprise for you” AKINOLA: “Me” MATHEW: “Yes” AKINOLA: “Tell me then” MATHEW: “It’s a surprise” AKINOLA: “Alright” MATHEW: “I told a friend about us” AKINOLA: “Really” MATHEW: “She likes you from the picture she saw” AKINOLA: “That’s nice” MATHEW: “She would soon be here to pick me for a party” AKINOLA: “Tonight” MATHEW: “Yes, what are you going to be doing tonight” AKINOLA: “Reading” MATHEW: “Reading?” AKINOLA: “Am starting my exams in a few days” MATHEW: “Baby best of luck” AKINOLA: “Thank you” MATHEW: “I would leave you for now so you can concentrate on your studies” AKINOLA: “Alright” MATHEW: “Can I have your home address?” AKINOLA: “Why?” Akinola was a bit reluctant; she didn’t give any excuse for asking him for his address. Akinola later gave her his address out of the feelings he was developing for her. Two days later Akinola received a package, he was amazed because he was not expecting anything. It came from Mathew, the package included wrist watches, clothing etc. Akinola could not believe how she knew his actual size. He tried calling her to thank her but her phone was switched off. The following day, Akinola received a call from her. Conversation between Akinola and Mathew via the telephone. AKINOLA: “Hello” MATHW: “Hello” AKINOLA: “Honey I tried calling you” MATHEW: “When?” AKINOLA: “Yesterday” MATHEW: “I was at the gay right rally” AKINOLA: “Gay?” MATHEW: “I meant rally” AKINOLA: “Anyway, thank you for yesterday” MATHEW: “That’s no problem honey, how are you preparing for your exams?” AKINOLA: “Fine thank you” Akinola gave his name quickly, he guessed it was money transfer, he was worried about the world “gay” he heard but at the same time, taught about her accent. “Is she gay” she mused “wetin she dey do for den rally or she be bisexual but she seemed “straight” wetin be my own, he be like say I don see my own “maga” o he mused again, in few hours she called back and gave Akinola the details of the ($300) three hundred dollars, she had just sent to him, it was then that Akinola confirmed. “This one na chop and clean mouth”. He showed his appreciation by sending her love messages via telephone and facebook. During the examination period they talked everyday on the phone. She showered him with love in form of gifts. Akinola had not told any of his friends but he was enjoying every bit of the experience. He was living large on campus, with all the gifts he was receiving from her, he confirmed she truly loved her, he started falling in love with her, for him, love was not in his “dictionary”. On the last day of his examination, the facebook love experience started. On one of their conversations, earlier he had memorized all the poems he could find on the internet just to express his love. Akinola’s friends suddenly noticed he was no longer interested in any of the campus girls again, when confronted he declined explanation. He still kept it a secret. Mathew’s birthday was fast approaching in a few weeks time. He was confused on what to give her as a birthday gift. In one of their numerous conversation facebook chat window. AKINOLA: “Hello baby” MATHEW: “Hi” AKINOLA; “How have you been” MATHEW: “Fine and you” AKINOLA: “Am fine too” MATHEW: “Baby I missed you” AKINOLA: “Missed you too” MATHEW: “When is your result coming out” AKINOLA: “Hopefully in the next two month, if we don’t embark on another strike” MATHEW: “What will you be doing in the next two months” AKINOLA: “Nothing” MATHEW: “Why don’t you get a part time job” AKINOLA: “It’s not easy getting one over here” MATHEW: “Have got an idea” AKINOLA: “What?” MATHEW: “I will tell you next time we talk” AKINOLA: “I hate surprises” MATHEW: “Am sorry but you have to wait” AKINOLA: “Honey, share it now” MATHEW: “I got to go” AKINOLA: “Wait a little longer” MATHEW: “In two hours, I will be online” AKINOLA: “Alright, till then, stay blessed love yeah” MATHEW: “Love yeah too” AKINOLA: ‘Bye” MATHEW: “Bye” For the next two hours Akinola was thinking what could be so important that she was keeping as a surprise. It could not be gift or money or maybe, she was contemplating a break-up with him. Akinola was so much in love just like “Romeo.” He just made up his mind for the worst, “No matter what the eyes sees it will never shed blood” he mused, in that spirit he logged on to his facebook page thirty minutes before the actual time. He was sweating profusely, the chair became too hot for him to sit, between the thirty minutes interval, Akinola updated his wall over five times and also changed his status from being “single” to be “in a relationship”, which made a lot of people online at the time to post several comments. She soon come online, and they had a conversation via facebook chat window. AKINOLA: “Hi baby” MATHEW: “You seems so anxious because you came online before me” AKINOLA: “Yeah, let the cat out of the bag, am waiting” MATHEW: “You’ve changed your facebook relationship status” AKINOLA: “Yeah what did you want to tell me” MATHEW: “I have just got off the phone with the embassy” AKINOLA: “So what does that have to do with me” MATHEW: “I made some enquiries about…..” AKINOLA: “Quit the suspense, tell me what’s up” MATHEW: “You know my birthday is in a few weeks” AKINOLA: “I know” MATHEW: “I want you to come over so we can celebrate it together” AKINOLA: “What” MATHEW: “Yeah” AKINOLA; “Are you serious” MATHEW: “I am” It was like a dream to Akinola because it was all coming fast, they met few weeks ago and all these were happening. AKINOLA: “Whoa” MATHEW: “I will send you the letter of invitation and all the necessary documents” AKINOLA: “Thank you” MATHEW: “No problem” Akinola was skeptical about the offer after a second thought “abi, she wan use me for money” he said to himself, but wait “I never hear oyinbo do blood money before,” come on boy this is your chance he thought in his mind. He updated his facebook wall “I feel good” he planned not to tell anyone until he gets there. As the old saying goes “ti isu eniyan ba jina a ma fi owo bo je ni” literally meant if you are experiencing a breakthrough you wait until it’s full manifestation before testimony” The preparation got on the way, with this surprise pack, Akinola love grew more for Mathew. She sent him his ticket’s details. He was to arrive on his birthday. He had the last conversation with Mathew via the facebook chat window before his trip to Russian. AKINOLA: “Baby what’s up” MATHEW: “Am fine, and you” AKINOLA: “Am fine too, but am anxious about tomorrow” MATHEW: “Baby everything gonna be alright” AKINOLA: “I hope so” MATHEW: “All my friends can’t wait to meet you” AKINOLA: “Really” MATHEW: “Yeah, have told them a lot about you” AKINOLA: “I can’t wait to meet them too” MATHEW: “The party planner is almost done with the venue decoration. AKINOLA: “That’s good” MATHEW: “I want to tell you something” AKINOLA: “Alright” MATHEW: “I don’t know whether this is the right time” AKINOLA: “Say it” MATHEW: “Let’s wait until we meet tomorrow” AKINOLA: “You know I hate suspense” MATHEW: “I know honey, but it will be good we talk face to face” AKINOLA: “Alright then see you tomorrow, I have to start packing now” MATHE: “Ok” AKINOLA: “Love yeah” MATHEW: “Love yeah too” Akinola was really excited, he wondered what the surprise could be, I can’t wait till tomorrow or does she want to propose to me” he thought. He has heart about women proposing to men in the western world but he tried to be open minded. Akinola went to the market to get some African beads and crafts like beads, adire, tie and dye. He arrived the airport alone with his small luggage heading for Moscow, Russia. He checked in just the way he had seen in the movies. He was with a business class ticket; they both called each other about seven times before he left the airport. This time their conversation was more smoother and her English more cleaver and he was also picking up some Russian word “…………………………………..” how are you “……………………………………” love you. Akinola hasn’t traveled in an airplane before, as the pilot announced that every body should fasten their seat belt, he began sweating profusely. Thirty minutes after the plane took off Akinola was more relaxed, as the hostess asked him for what he wanted, he was given the menu list, he saw regular meals but he wanted to try something else because he was traveling to a place he had never been before. He ordered …………………………………… because the man beside him ordered the same. The man was obviously a Russian, after about few minutes the food was served, it looked like a cereal. The food does not look pleasant to him as he turned to his right, the Russian man’s face could says it all that he was enjoying the meal. Akinola grabbed the spoon with courage and quickly closes his eyes as the spoon got to his mouth, to his surprise the meal tasted delicious. “Oh my God, food dey wey sweet like this” he said to himself, but after a while he dose off. The next thing he knew was that the plane had just landed and he said a little prayer and then alighted from the plane. He was cleared after at the immigration, custom and other departure. There were so many people at the airport but he saw some groups of the people carrying placards with names and some with pictures. He found someone wearing a jumper top, skinny jeans, hair premed, eyelid shaped with lipstick, earrings with muscular arms holding a plaque with Akinola’s name written on it. He walked further to check for Mathew. The person with the plaque kept following him as he took more steps so was the person and heard a voice saying wait!, wait!!, he decided to wait for the person calling him. He stopped and the person smiled at him with a funny accent “can I help you with your luggage” he gave a fake smile in return and replied “thank you” I am Mathew this way please” is she playing a fast one on me Akinola mused. Akinola followed Mathew but wasn’t felling comfortable as they got into the car, Akinola asked “please where is Mathew” and “he” replied “Am Mathew” I thought Mathew was a “she” not a “he” said Akinola. “That’s was what I was trying to explain to you yesterday” said Mathew, “that you are a gay” replied Akinola, “Yes” said smiling Mathew, but am not gay” said Akinola, “actually when I broke up with my boyfriend and met you, I don’t know what happened and I fell in love with you? Mathew replied. “Really” Akinola mused “I don’t believe this”. Akinola did not believe all Mathew said, he still felt something was wrong. As the car moved on, Akinola rested his arm on the window and looked outside and he kept looking at the “guy” from time to time, “how was your journey “he” asked “fine” Akinola replied, “is the venue still far” asked Akinola we’ll be there in few minutes” replied Mathew, “alright” he said and turn out to look at the beautiful city of Moscow. Something in him still felt it was a trick. As he alighted from the car he noticed that the neighbourhood was quite “he” helped Akinola with his luggage as “he” cat walked towards the house. His eyes were roving around for any suspicious activities. He stayed about ten meters away from the “guy” in case of any problem. The “guy” opened the door and entered, the house was so dark “come in” Mathew said. Akinola looked at his eyes and Mathew repeated the word “come in” he finally entered and the light suddenly come on and a wild shoots of “welcome” rent the air. ……………………………………………………………………. Sang in Russian which meant “Happy birthday to you”. The venue was filled up to the brim and decorated with colorful balloons and drapes. He was still shocked to the fact that Mathew was a “male” not a “female”. Everybody in the party showed him some love and all invitees were dressed like Mathew. It was now dawn on him that Mathew was a gay. He called Mathew aside for a little conversation. “I can’t do this” he said, “but u said you love me” replied Mathew, “I do, but ……….” said Akinola, “If you truly loves me let get along” replied Mathew. “This act is against my religion” said Akinola. “I know but I still love you” said Mathew. “Please show me the loo” asked Akinola. He was in the loo for about thirty minutes, just thinking of the problem he had put himself into. Knock! Knock! An authoritative knock on the loo’s door. “baby the guest are waiting for you” said Mathew he paused and said “am coming”. He rinsed his face with water and said a little prayer that God should put him through the day. It was time to cut the cake Mathew held him by the waist, which made him very uncomfortable and pictures were being taken. The master of ceremony announced that it was time for the couple to dance. “What, this people must be insane” Akinola mused. He rejected the offer and the crowds chorus his name “Go Ola!” “Go Ola!!” “Go Ola!!!” with their funny accent they thought he was shy. Akinola who was a good dancer couldn’t dance. He stood there like someone in a tree; Mathew was all over him “Go Mathew Go! Go Ola Go! Go Mathew Go! Go Ola Go!”. “He” gave Akinola a perk and he felt so disgusted. The party was fun with lots of food and drinks; it was only that Akinola wasn’t comfortable with the setting. The party was actually held at Mathew house and after everyone had left Akinola laid on the couch in the sitting room. The sitting room was littered with cans and bottles. As he was about dosing off Mathew came to sit beside him and this made him to stand up. Akinola brought out the gift from his bag and gave them to Mathew. Mathew wore the clothes and the beads and did a small fashion parade for Akinola and he found it funny. The next morning they had a long discussion. Akinola gave his reasons as to why they couldn’t date each other but he insisted he liked Mathew, but they could be good friend and thank Mathew for “his” good gesture and asked to be taken to the airport. Akinola had an open ticket and returned back to his country the following day. Mathew was sad but “he” let Akinola go and hoping that he would changed his mind. THE END Watch out for Akinola’s facebook phobia”

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Exerting a complete lockdown on your Facebook information is a complicated task that someone should write a book about, and which would take eternal vigilance to maintain.

But casual users of the world’s most popular social networking website can take seven easy steps to safeguard sensitive personal information and prevent it appearing to other Facebook users, marketers and across the Internet.

1. Make friends with your Profile Privacy Page: spend 1 per cent of your Facebook time exploring what it can do for you.

2. Control your contact information: you should limit it to close friends or — better yet — nobody. Let people contact you via a Facebook message.

3. Your “friends” aren’t really your friends: they include acquaintances, family and professional contacts. Put people into different Friend Lists — private groupings of people who can be given different privacy settings.

4. Pay attention to photos: avoid the ultimate Facebook nightmare — being tagged in an embarrassing photo that everyone can then see.

This is a little confusing and can be found under the Friends, Tags and Connections section in the privacy settings.

5. Control who can see your albums via the photos privacy page.

6. Remove your Facebook info from search engines like Google via the search privacy settings page.

7. Log out of Facebook when you leave the site.

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The adaptation of a gamut of web standards to the Indian context, especially those connected with the use of local languages in cyberspace, is expected to get a boost following the opening of an office of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in New Delhi on May 6.

The W3C India Office will function under the aegis of the Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL) programme, being implemented by the Department of Information Technology's Human-Centred Computing Division. TDIL has been working on the adaptation of W3C recommendations in India since 2006.

The W3C was founded by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web. It is jointly administered by three host institutions — Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, United States, European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, France and Keio University, Japan.

The W3C offices in different countries or regions are hosted by an organisation that is vendor-neutral such as a research institution, university department, or technology transfer institution. The TDIL is involved in the research, development, standardisation and spread of language technology in the country, with focus on the 22 recognised Indian languages.
Benefits for all

The W3C says its mission is to promote the development of the World Wide Web to its full potential “by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure the long-term growth of the Web.” This includes extending benefits accruing from the Web and related technology to all people “whatever their hardware, software, network infrastructure, native language, culture, geographical location, or physical or mental ability.”

The formulation of core standards relating to all kinds of technologies related to the web, and even broader approaches relating to its advancement, constitutes a key area of W3C's activity.

The country office is expected to broaden the organisation's base, by involving stake-holders in the region in its activities, help develop relationships with local technology or policy leaders and assist interested organisations in joining its fold.

It also will try to increase the “diversity of organisations” that are involved in its activities, in relation to industry, research, implementers, and user communities, and also promote international education and outreach programmes aimed at enhancing the W3C's profile in the country.

Apart from the Department of Information Technology, a handful of companies are presently among the members of the W3C. Member-organisations, including commercial, educational and governmental entities and individual members are usually those involved in the development or use of web technologies, or their deployment.

Internationalisation or paving the way for the use of web technologies with different languages, scripts, and cultures is a core focal area of the organisation's activities in different parts of the world. In India, language diversity throws up challenges in the development and promotion of web technology.

Understanding and satisfying the linguistic and cultural requirements of different communities, and gaining a better hold over the technological problems deriving from linguistic and structural differences is part of the mission.
Cascading Style Sheets

An example of how internationalisation will help in improving the rendering of web pages in local languages relates to Cascading Style Sheets, which are used to format text, colours and layout in web pages.

The specifications brought out by the W3C have to be adapted to ensure that the use of CSS results in text in Indian languages being rendered properly by browsers.

Facebook's new Open Graph strikes gold with websites

Talk about instant results. Facebook's social plugins under its new core API Open Graph, introduced at its F8 Developer's Conference in San Francisco last month, have truly struck gold. More than 50,000 websites have plugged in the new widgets within the first week and that number is growing fast. The entire web is reeling under a ‘Facebook-like' icon infestation.

With it, Facebook CEO and the world's youngest billionaire Mark Zuckerberg hopes to redefine web experience, with an eye on keeping Facebook the default login for web users in general.

Developers around the world, even while praising the sheer simplicity and ease of use of the new social tools – websites requiring to add the ‘facebook-like' widget will need to copy-paste and add just a single code to their website's HTML header – they also caution that there is no need for brouhaha. There might not be much ‘open' about Open Graph over the simple fact that it still requires users to have a Facebook account.

Essentially with the introduction of new social streams – ‘Like it,' ‘Friends Feed' and ‘Recommendations' – that can be hooked into websites, Facebook is trying to re-define the way social networks work. Until now, social networks worked as third party services that users and web administrators logged into and accessed for information. What ‘Open Graph' envisages is an all-pervasive social network, constantly feeding and integrating meta data.

According to Mr. Zuckerberg, the web is defaulting to social and hence the changes.

By integrating the new streams on their websites, web administrators are in effect allowing small social networks.

But like all Facebook initiatives so far, this move too has raised some concerns about privacy and security. Chris Messina, a San Francisco-based software professional who runs Citizen Agency, a consulting firm focused on effective and appropriate use of social media combined with open source values and practices, writes on his blog factoryjoe.com: “…those ‘like' buttons only work for Facebook. I can't just be signed in to any social web provider…it's got to be Facebook. And on top of that, whenever I ‘like' something, I'm sending a signal back to Facebook that gets recorded on both my profile, and my activity stream.”

Another controversy is about a policy change to allow the developers to store user data for more than 24 hours so that the new tools become popular. Whilst this has raised eyebrows within the Facebook community, the social network has clarified that only such data that users share under ‘public settings' would be open for developers to store.

New fibre-optics technology to speed up internet

It may look like a piece of gel but it’s a new nano-based telecom technology “enabler” that can make computers and the internet hundreds of times faster.

The technology, that may be in use only five or 10 years in the future, is being designed by Koby Scheuer of Tel Aviv University's (TAU) School of Electrical Engineering.

Mr. Scheuer has developed a new plastic-based technology for the nano-photonics market, which manufactures optical devices and components. His plastic-based “filter” is made from nanometre (a billionth of a metre) sized grooves embedded into the plastic.

When used in fibre optics cable switches, this new device will make our communication devices smaller, more flexible and more powerful, he says.

“Once Americans have a fibre optics cable coming into every home, all communication will go through it - telephone, cable TV, the Internet,” adds Mr. Scheuer.

“But to avoid bottlenecks of information, we need to separate the information coming through into different channels. Our polymeric devices can do that in the optical domain - at a speed, quality and cost that the semi-conductor industry can't even imagine,” Mr. Scheuer says.

In the next decade, fibre optic cables that now run from city to city will feed directly into every individual home. When that technology comes to light, the new plastic-based switches could revolutionise the way we communicate.

“Right now, we could transmit all of the written text of the world though a single fibre in a fibre optics cable in just a few seconds,” says Mr. Scheuer.

“But in order to handle these massive amounts of communication data, we need filters to make sense of the incoming information. Ours uses a plastic-based switch, replacing hard-to-fabricate and expensive semi-conductors.”

Semi-conductors, grown on crystals in sterile labs and processed in special ovens, take days and sometimes months to manufacture. They are delicate and inflexible as well, Mr. Scheuer explains.

“Our plastic polymer switches come in an easy-to-work-with liquid solution. Using a method called ‘tamping,’ almost any lab can make optical devices out of the silicon rubber mould we've developed.”

His biggest hurdle, says Mr. Scheuer, is in convincing the communications industry that polymers are stable materials.

“There is a lot of prejudice in this industry against plastics. But this approach could take us to a new level of communication,” the researcher says, according to a TAU release.

He also notes that the process is not much different from the way that mass numbers of DVDs are produced in a factory - except Mr. Scheuer works on a nano, not a “giant” micro, scale.

His device can also be used in the gyros of planes, ships and rockets; inserted into cell phones; and made a part of flexible virtual reality gloves so doctors could “operate” on computer networks over large distances.

These findings were published in Optics Express.

Keywords: fibre-optics, nano technology, semi-conductors, tamping

NASA Spacecraft Tracks Raging Saturn Storm

As a powerful electrical storm rages on Saturn with lightning bolts 10,000 times more powerful than those found on Earth, the Cassini spacecraft continues its five-month watch over the dramatic events.


Scientists with NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission have been tracking the visibly bright, lightning-generating storm--the longest continually observed electrical storm ever monitored by Cassini.

Saturn's electrical storms resemble terrestrial thunderstorms, but on a much larger scale. Storms on Saturn have diameters of several thousand kilometers (thousands of miles), and radio signals produced by their lightning are thousands of times more powerful than those produced by terrestrial thunderstorms.

Lightning flashes within the persistent storm produce radio waves called Saturn electrostatic discharges, which the radio and plasma wave science instrument first detected on Nov. 27, 2007. Cassini's imaging cameras monitored the position and appearance of the storm, first spotting it about a week later, on Dec. 6.

"The electrostatic radio outbursts have waxed and waned in intensity for five months now," said Georg Fischer, an associate with the radio and plasma wave science team at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. "We saw similar storms in 2004 and 2006 that each lasted for nearly a month, but this storm is longer-lived by far. And it appeared after nearly two years during which we did not detect any electrical storm activity from Saturn."

The new storm is located in Saturn's southern hemisphere--in a region nicknamed "Storm Alley" by mission scientists--where the previous lightning storms were observed by Cassini. "In order to see the storm, the imaging cameras have to be looking at the right place at the right time, and whenever our cameras see the storm, the radio outbursts are there," said Ulyana Dyudina, an associate of the Cassini imaging team at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif.

Cassini's radio plasma wave instrument detects the storm every time it rotates into view, which happens every 10 hours and 40 minutes, the approximate length of a Saturn day. Every few seconds the storm gives off a radio pulse lasting for about a tenth of a second, which is typical of lightning bolts and other electrical discharges. These radio waves are detected even when the storm is over the horizon as viewed from Cassini, a result of the bending of radio waves by the planet's atmosphere.

Amateur astronomers have kept track of the storm over its five-month lifetime. "Since Cassini's camera cannot track the storm every day, the amateur data are invaluable," said Fischer. "I am in continuous contact with astronomers from around the world."

The long-lived storm will likely provide information on the processes powering Saturn's intense lightning activity. Cassini scientists will continue to monitor Storm Alley as the seasons change, bringing the onset of autumn to the planet’s southern hemisphere.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. The radio and plasma wave science team is based at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Color images of the storm are available at: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://ciclops.org.