Liberty, web activity, security…

Surfing the net at work has a downside – the Wi-Fi waves leave behind a lot of muck, claims a young techie.

BC: Hi, I had sent you an urgent mail regarding my travel plans. Did you see it?

AD: Sorry, new rules at work. No personal mails allowed…

BC: Surely, you could have checked it on your mobile…

AD: No, I’m not permitted to - it’s for official use only…

BC: Perhaps they’ve got a point. If you keep checking your personal mail or your Facebook account during working hours, it would definitely affect office productivity…

AD: Don’t get me started. We’ve been given Blackberries so that we can be connected to work, 24 x 7. So, if we are expected to work from home, why can’t we spend a few minutes at work on personal activities?

BC: That’s funny! A couple of years ago, you were shouting from the rooftops that your company had given you a smartphone and a laptop – you thought you had arrived in life…

AD: You’re exaggerating – the truth is, you have to take it when they give it. The least you can do is feel good about it.

BC: But how does checking mail on a phone compromise office security?

AD: If your phone gets infected and if you try to connect it to a network or transfer a file, you’ve provided an opening for an attack…

BC: See, I’ve always cautioned you about technology, but…

AD: Why blame technology for faulty workplace policies?

BC: Because in our times, chat sessions were typically around the water cooler – and they couldn’t stop us from drinking water.

AD: Well, things have changed for the better…

BC: Really? What about this sudden change at your workplace?

AD: It began with an employee opening a forward – the attachment let loose some kind of virus into the network.

BC: And…?

AD: The server crashed, a lot of files were lost and…

BC: …your company lost a lot of money.

AD: And a major client too.

BC: But I thought you guys had…

AD: Yes, firewalls, internet security, antivirus – we have the works…

BC: But are they enough to solve this problem?

AD: Why do you ask that?

BC: A nephew of mine was working in a multimedia firm where most sites were blocked. The young kids there took it as a challenge to unearth newer mail services and social networking sites on a regular basis…

AD: That’s not right. Imagine if this were to happen in a bank. An unsolicited mail that is opened or an infected USB that is plugged into a system can create unimaginable havoc…

BC: So what’s the solution?

AD: Security measures can work only when employees are careful about what they do online.

BC: But this kind of carelessness is normally displayed by junior employees – and in most cases, they have little or no access to classified information…

AD: Well, each organization uses the latest technology to turn its network into a fortress. But the minute someone like my friend at the workplace lets in a virus or worm, the walls of the ‘fortress’ end up being easily penetrated. So it really doesn’t matter who opens the door, the horse is sure to bolt…

BC: Or the Trojan horse is sure to come in...

AD: Right!

BC: The horse could well bolt, but it looks like office security is finding itself stuck between two walls…

AD: I don’t understand…

BC: A firewall on one side and Facebook’s wall on the other – I’m not surprised that office security is nowhere to be seen. 

Clicks like a mouse, sticks like a gecko…

Who would have thought that a lizard would trigger a revolution in the tech world?

AD: Hi, back from your walk?

BC: Yes! The cool breeze, the sunrise, the sight of the frothy waves - it’s probably why poets are so much in love with nature…

AD: Well, even the tech world has constantly sought inspiration from nature.

BC: How? By making computers hibernate?

AD: Very funny! You must have noticed the Catseye road reflectors during your early morning walks… They were inspired by the way the cat’s eyes reflect light in absolute darkness...

BC: I bet the mouse was one such inspiration too. Once you get one into your room, there’s no getting rid of it…

AD: You’re the only person in the world who can look at an airplane flying overhead and think of bird dropping.

BC: C’mon, I was just referring to the current generation’s obsession with technology…

AD: I don’t think that’s a new fad – it has existed from the time man stuck a pair of wings on himself and tried to fly… Besides, look at your shoes. The Velcro…

BC: I’ve read about how George de Mestral was intrigued by the way seeds with burrs latched on to his trousers. He then designed a texture that would replicate it.

AD: It’s not just plants – even the gecko has impressed scientists...

BC: Apparently geckos don’t blink – could that result in flicker-free monitors?

AD: Why don’t you try adjusting your screen refresh rate to minimise flicker? On the subject of geckos, I was referring to their incredible climbing abilities…

BC: Imagine how eerie it would be to watch a laptop climb on to the table by itself…

AD: Don’t be ridiculous, I was talking about robots that can climb any surface. Another big development has been a special kind of tape that works without any adhesive, and yet sticks…

BC: So it wouldn’t leave any marks on paper or on walls…

AD: That’s right, and scientists have even demonstrated its adhesive strength by suspending humans and objects from it.

BC: No humans please, the last thing the world needs is a Geckoman franchise, courtesy Hollywood.

AD: Too late – Spiderman has an archenemy known as Lizard who has gecko-like climbing skills too.

BC: Pardon the pun, but why can’t we just stick to Sellotape or Scotch Tape?

AD: This new product can make a huge difference across different fields… It can replace sutures in surgeries to bind the area operated upon. It could also be used as a medicine patch – just stick it on the body to dispatch medicine to a specific part.

BC: If it can replace vaccine injections, the man who makes it happen would be a hero to every kid because he would have achieved what even Superman couldn’t – take the pain out of childhood.

AD: Absolutely! The industrial segment is equally excited because now, anti-skid will take on a new meaning. Suddenly, driving on roads caked with ice will no longer be a challenge…

BC: What about industrial adhesives? It could spell relief for workers – they wouldn’t have to spend desperate evenings trying to get industrial glue off their hands…

AD: It could also be used to improve safety devices for workers who work in high altitudes…

BC: Perhaps we should request the International Olympics Committee to use it on their medals…

AD: What for?

BC: After each Olympic event, we hear about how a medal went out of our grasp - maybe gecko tape could fix that…