E-DEMOCRACY

8 MARCH 2008

Currently we hear a lot in the news about the voting machines and how they might be used in a fraudulent manner or be hacked by a specific political party in order to achieve victory in elections. How much of this is true and how much is merely a scare tactic.

After all people fear change and going to electronic voting machines is a change and it is coming whether we like it or not, because it makes sense and the voting exercise costs millions of dollars and is never perfect. Electronic voting can solve all these problems or as we are told could create many more.

And what about the future of the democracy and the future of online voting perhaps on your cell phone, your iPod or perhaps your home computer or laptop? We all know that day is coming as well and it could be right around the corner.

Can you just imagine Instant poling for the government, not thru third parties or media. The election results would be instantaneous and you could hold more elections many times per year so people can vote on different kinds of initiatives or on the direction of their government.

This could usher in a whole new age of eDemocracy or it might destroy our republic, as people instantly vote for instant gratification. Hopefully this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest for the best in 2008.

The Infrared Sauna Heater A Hot Way To Health

The infrared heater is an ideal source of warm, penetrating, therapeutic heat. The cost of electricity to operate an infrared heater is extremely low. The infrared heater is designed to provide a clean and efficient heat source. The infrared heater is suggested for use in home saunas to ease many types of illnesses and medical conditions.

The infrared heater is good at heating objects rather than the air. The beauty of this infrared heater is that it heats you directly without using energy heating your surroundings. Although that does not mean that your surroundings do not get warm, however it does not get anywhere as hot as a traditional sauna

The cost of electricity to operate an infrared heater is very low. It also has a low installation cost. This is due to the fact that it is a vent free unit it requires no chimney or venting. The heater uses low amounts of energy and has the ability to heat quickly, at a very low cost.

The beauty with the infrared sauna heater is that it does not require constant maintenance. The heater itself heats very quickly, unlike sauna stones you do not have to keep throwing water on it which can save you having to sit there and worry about weather it is hot enough or not. Using the infrared heater you just sit back and relax.

The far infrared heat is very helpful for healing the skin, blood circulation, and skin cell revitalizing. Infrared heat is not intended to cure ailments but is used to bring relief to symptoms. Did you know that Far infrared heat and Far-infrared therapy is FDA approved? This type of therapy is approved for pain relief., this can include ease of joint stiffness, detoxification along with increasing blood circulation. The beauty of far-infrared heat is that it is safe, efficient and low-tech.

Webcash Electronic Payment Services: Money Still Exchanges Hands, Just Without Ever Touching a Palm

Buying and selling products or services online just got a whole lot easier. Using Webcash, you can pay for purchases and receive money owed to you without ever touching an actual green dollar bill. Of course, not touching it might take some of the fun out of getting paid, but it's still your money just the same. It's virtual money.

So, you're saying to yourself right about now, "How is this Webcash feat performed?" A variety of online payment services have sprung up to make virtual payment a reality (no pun intended).

If you need to pay someone or someone needs to pay you all you need to know is their Webcash ID. If someone want to send you money through Webcash but you're not currently a member, no problem. You simply register (which is always free) and use it to start your own online shopping spree.

As you can see, buying and selling online no longer requires you to have a merchant account, which levels the playing field for home based businesses to accept online payments. Many electronic shopping carts are starting to implement Webcash as a payment option when checking out of online stores.

Now there's no excuse for not paying your debts on time. You may not be able to touch it, but believe me, "virtual money" is just as good as the real thing. Being paid electronically might not feel the same as someone placing "cold hard cash" in the palm of your hand, but it's still there: you just won't have to wash your hands as often.

Virtual payment system, anyone?

WEBCASH, a membership-free prepaid virtual payment system, was recently launched by WebOnline Dot Com Sdn Bhd. It allows subscribers to conduct online transactions offered by any participating e-commerce Web portal.

Webcash is an easy-to-use service and employs a prepaid method with the ability to top up via the Internet, card, voice call, and short message service/multimedia messaging service.

WebOnline is targeting 10 per cent of the registered 3.5 million local Internet service protocol users. According to WebOnline Dot Com's chairman Datuk Bhuhpat Rai M. Premji, the public can register their Webcash account online for free. Merchants will bear the transaction costs.

Bhupat adds that with Webcash, parents can let their children purchase things online within the credit allocated in their account. They can monitor their children's transaction with the transaction history. Values as low as RM10 can be loaded into a Webcash account, and amounts can also be transferred among account holders.

WebOnline has also incorporated voice over Internet protocol (PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone) capability for Webcash account holders called Space Webcash. They just need to download and install the software into their PC.

Calls to other Webcash members are free while calls to cell phones and landlines are charged at a discounted rate.

WebOnline Dot Com's chief executive officer Manirajah Kulanthavelu says that Webcash services utilises 128 bits Secure Socket Layer and a soft token system which requires a user to enter the password and a randomly generated pictured-text.

In the event a user's account has been hacked into, the user needs to open a complaint ticket online and stop the usage if an error or fraud has been detected. An immediate new account will be issued with the balance remaining intact.

© NST Tech & U Oct 4, 2007 p.04 Update
By Hazimin Sulaiman

Webonline : A boost to digital lifestyle

by Siti Nurbaiyah Nadzmi

MSC MALAYSIA (MSC), Multimedia Development Corporation (MDec) and British Telecom Multimedia Malaysia (BTMM) showcased five prototypes of broadband-based applications to prospective small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at Menara MSC Cyberport in Johor Baru recently.

Positioned as digital age lifestyle oriented products and services, these prototypes are offered to SMEs to develop into consumer and industrial end products.

BT Group head of Digital Home Research Programme Graham Seabrook said the five prototypes were researched in the UK and ready to be developed by Malaysian SMEs at no cost.

"We are offering this to Malaysian companies that have the resources and capabilities to develop these prototypes into commercial products," he said.

Seabrook said every prototype had potential to enhance the digital lifestyle from creating digital music jukeboxes at nightspots, uploading images from phones to digital frames at home to connectivity of electrical home appliances all via broadband.

The prototypes are Community Calendar (a calendar that allows the community to organise events), MyFrame (digital photo frame that provides information from traffic feeds to global positioning system), Zeta (interactive digital jukebox with short messaging system), Video Show 2.0 (upload, organise and show video content) and Smart Home (organise the entire household digital electrical appliances).

The programme, MSC Malaysia - BTMM Digital Lifestyle, was launched in July and since its introduction, the programme has inducted five SMEs - Kadena Media Sdn Bhd and Webonline Dot Com Sdn Bhd from Kuala Lumpur, Coraza Technologies Sdn Bhd, CEEDTeC Sdn Bhd and Increseo Media Sdn Bhd from Penang.

BTMM chief operating officer Dr Kamal Jit Singh said the programme was aimed to fast-track product development by Malaysian SMEs using the research undertaken by BT in United Kingdom.

"On the average, BT produces about three prototypes in a quarter, predicting trends and usage of the future."