Three Steps to Steal Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the first peer-to-peer payment network and digital currency, which was introduced in 2009 by pseudonymous developer “Satoshi Nakamoto”. There’re three main ways including exchanges, mining and online services to get Bitcions.

Although with a very powerful encryption method such as encrypting your emails using the GNU Privacy Guard, it’s frequently revealed by the media that Bitcoins have been stolen. How does the digital theft work? As the owner of Bitcoins, the more details you know, the better you can protect your own property. Put simply, this stealing process includes the following steps: copying the keys, laundering money and changing money.

1.Copying the Keys

Bitcoin has a public ledger system which called the blockchain. It keeps track of an ever-expanding list of addresses and how many units of Bitcoin are at those addresses. By checking out the private cryptographic key, it confirms whether or not you’re the owner of Bitcoins. So, for thieves, it’s necessary to get the private keys.

They attacked online services which store the private keys for a mass of users and copied the database of private keys. Then they could control Bitcoins at these addresses under the circumstance of not moving them by the original owners.

2.Laundering Money

This is a key step to shifting Bitcoins from the original owners. Blockchain has a public record to which address the Bitcoins were transferred next, but for the moment, it’s not very useful for capturing the thieves, because Bitcoins is anonymous. With technological improvements, some clues the thieves left behind will be detected someday.

Laundering Bitcoin is done with “tumbler”, which randomly crisscross your Bitcoins with other users’ Bitcoins so that you get a clean address. Note that the whole process is operated as described below.

①The thief must transfer his stolen Bitcoins to a new address by the tumbler. He creates a new account firstly.
②The tumbler makes a note for him to transfer the same amount of Bitcoins from other users to the new address.
③There’s a clear path from the original owner’s address, so the tumbler doesn't make the transfer right away.
④Some time later, all his Bitcoins will transfer into his new address in the form of a small amount every time. It doesn't attract people’s attention like this.
⑤Because the tumbler is only accessible through the anonymizing Tor network, it’s hard for police to find any trace of the thief.

3.Changing Money

Now the thief has got clean Bitcoins. Owing to the fact that many places don’t accept Bitcoins, the thief has to convert his Bitcoins to real money. To find a rich buyer who just wants to get a discount and doesn't care about the thief's identity. It’s necessary to exchange as long as several months for safety.

Top 10 Christmas Gifts 2013

With Christmas approaching, everywhere is filled with Christmas cheer, it’s a good time to express our most cordial love and finest blessing. How to choose appropriate gifts for those we love? Well, electronic gifts are a good choice. Not only because it’s a creative digital product, but because it helps people to get more information and get ahead of themselves in some fields. Actually, digital gadgets can greatly enhance and support our digital lifestyles, then enrich our spiritual world. Below you will find, in no particular order, the electronic gifts we believe will find their way onto Santa’s sleigh this year.

1.Kindle Paperwhite

Amazon’s Paperwhite which features an easy to use touch screen, thinner and clear reading with a white background makes an ideal Xmas gift, the recipient gets a huge range of free classic eBooks and has access to the largest bookstore that features over 2 million titles. It’s suitable for children and book-lovers.

2.Kindle Fire HD

Kindle Fire has been simplifying reading for a few years now, but Kindle Fire HD takes the e-Reader to another level. It’s much faster than the previous version and features a stunning HD display. It suits someone who likes reading and watching TV just fine.

3.Google Nexus (7/10)

Google Nexus (7/10) comes loaded with all favorite Google apps – like Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, Hangouts and Google Now, which are designed for the cloud, everything is simple and works seamlessly across other devices. It’s very cost-effective and suits a person with comprehensive requirements.

4.iPad Air & iPad Mini

Whether it’s the full-blown Air or the Mini, Apple’s tablets come with all the trimmings like a gorgeous retina display. It’s a good fit for trendsetters.

5.Galaxy Tab 3 - Kids

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 - Kids is gaining popularity and could be an ideal gift for children this Xmas. There’s also another version of the device that has been specifically built for young children to use.

6.PS4 & Xbox One & Wii U

Three hot game consoles always occupy important positions in game players' hearts. If you want to send a Xmas gift to him, oh well, then you can consider one of hot game consoles. Read More: PS4 vs. Wii U vs. Xbox One: Which to buy?

7.Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear 

The headset is very suitable for music enthusiasts. Its sophisticated transducers, typically reserved for higher-end products, provide rich, detailed sound, and its luxurious materials are both beautiful and durable.

8.IK Multimedia iRig KEYS

iRig KEYS is the perfect foil for music lovers and performers. It’s a handy accompaniment to almost any decent music app, making it an ideal gift for this Xmas.

9.Sony QX10/QX100

The QX10 and QX100 are more than just a lens, they also pack an image sensor, thus allowing for much higher quality photographs. Just simply strap to your smartphone and turn it into a high-end compact. It’s right for shutterbugs and amateur photographers.

10.Misfit Shine

Misfit Shine is a pretty amazing product, which is cheaper, better-looking, and has better battery life. Just wear it around your wrist, or attached to your clothing, and use the free app to check how active you’ve been over the course of the day. It appeals to the aged and sporty people.

Epubor Christmas Carnival is here! Free Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

We would like to extend a warm thank you to our clients, family and friends for your continued support during 2013. We've had a fantastic year, filled with surpriseds, sweats, challenges and opportunities. We hope that you've had a great year too.

To show our deep thanks and appreciation for your support in 2013, we're offering $50 and $20 Amazon Gift Card for free! Any one can join this carnival with the giveaway widget below.



And there are more bargains on Epubor's Christmas Promotion page: http://www.epubor.com/promotion.html

Surface 2 vs. iPad Air: Which is better?

The Surface 2 has appeared in our eyes, which has the forward-looking shape design and compact size. It’s diverged in the two versions, including Surface RT 2 and Surface Pro 2. Surface RT 2 is often compared to iPad Air. In terms of popularity, Surface RT 2 is junior to iPad Air. But why? Let’s look at the following reasons.

1. Higher Price

The price of Surface RT 2 turns out to be similar in iPad Air, but the speed of Microsoft processor is far beyond Apple. Apple are running A7 chipset and ios 7, which claims that it’s eight times faster than the previous model. However, Microsoft are running NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 chip and running Windows RT 8.1. The original Tegra was plagued with under-performance issues.

2. Limited Function

The Microsoft ads look very cool, but the Surface RT 2 is just a tablet in nature and only supports applications from the windows marketplace. It has a large of limited functions that cannot run exe programs and haven’t an intuitive UI, even though the interface looks just like win8.

3. Too Few Apps

Actually, the iTunes store has an impressive selection (over one million), making the Windows selection look rather pathetic in comparison.

4. Screen Dims

It has an object of public denunciation when you game it seems like the brightness dims. Recently, a Microsoft spokesman said that they will go to fix the defect.

Generally speaking, iPad Air, for performance, function and entertainment, is vastly superior to Surface 2. If you’re simply intent on buying a tablet as a laptop replacement then the Surface 2 has to be considered.

Ok Google vs. Siri: Which is better?

It’s no secret that Google and Apple are fierce rivals. When Apple introduced the iPhone 4s and released Siri at the same time in 2011, it shook up the market. Only a short time later, Google Now was launched as a great response to Siri by Google, which is no worse than Apple in terms of development technologies.

Recently, Google brought “Ok Google” voice search to Chrome, users just download Google Voice Search Holtword for free from the Chrome Web Store and enable this feature by clicking the microphone icon on the right side of the search box, they can search by voice without ever touching the keyboard. Sadly, the Google Search Holtword Extension is just a beta and only works on Google.com now.

In such a situation Google Now and Ok Google work together, it’s an advantage against Siri. Well, which is better Siri or Ok Google? Below are pros and cons to both Siri and Ok Google, let’s look at contrast analyses which Natasha made.

1. Voice-to-Text

Google Now does basic dictation and the words appear as you speak without need for Internet connection. Whereas with Siri, you can't see all the transcription errors until you stop talking.
Siri has a better understanding of formatting controls. Whereas with Google Now, it can only understand basic symbols, like “period”, “comma”, “question mark” and “exclamation point”.

2. Semantic Comprehension

Sometimes, Siri is delay in simply understanding what user's saying, whereas with Ok Google, it won't let you down. There's a test to have done. In New York, someone took a train bound for Brazil and asked Siri what the weather was like in São Paulo (Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is 500 miles away from São Paulo, and its weather so distinctive, we could say it's a different country.), Siri replied, "Here's the weather for Brasilia, Brazil, through Wednesday next week." When he asked Ok Google, Ok Google replied, "Here's the weather forecast for São Paulo, Brazil, for Sunday night."
Additionally, Ok Google used a web service to correct what it had understood initially from the question to something that made complete sense. But Siri usually just apologizes for not getting what user said. Ok Google does better in speech recognition.

3. Internet Search

Google is the best search engine in the world, so Ok Google excels at providing Internet search. Ok Google is much smarter than Siri when it comes to web searches. You can use Ok Google to search, get directions, send messages, and perform other common tasks. If you make the same request, Ok Google is always faster and more accurate in carrying out your instruction.

4. Convenient Operation

When you drive carefully and need help from both Siri and Google Now, Siri has a clear superiority in convenient operation. You can ask Siri without turning your eyes away, whereas with Google Now, you have to click on the microphone icon. How unsafe it is to drive. Be assured that Moto X is an exception, and Nexus 5 has made the switch to access Google Now without actually touching it. That's a good development.

5. OS Compatibility

As is known to all, Siri is so loyal to Apple and can only be used on iOS. Google Now runs well whether iOS or Android.

6. Other Features 

Ok Google records a few seconds of ambient background noise in temporary memory to improve processing of your voice input, Google Cloud is evolving faster and the layer of intelligence is being studied.

All in all, Ok Google is just introduced and will be refined with a strong technical support, and Siri is a good choice as a personal assistant.