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100 cr for Grand Masti would be a great benchmark for adult comedies: Aftab Shivdasani

Grand Masti is doing huge, actually real huge business. The film is being patronised in a big way by the adult audience, both in multiplexes as well as single screens. With 60 crores already coming in 6 days, the film is seeing some good sustenance at the box office. No wonder, it has 
turned out to  be the unlikeliest candidate of 2013 to actually take a serious shot at gaining an entry into the 100 crore club. No wonder, Aftab Shivdasani, whose last release 1920 - Evil Returns was successful too, is ecstatic to the core.
A superhit already and en route to be a blockbuster. How did you guys make it possible Aftab? 
By not carrying any pretence whatsoever! Induji (Indra Kumar), Riteish, Vivek and I - all of us understood that we had to do the film with full conviction. If that wouldn't have been the case, Grand Masti wouldn't have worked. Of course all of us had apprehensions around the jokes. What you see is the end result but there was a lot that went behind making sure that none of us ever appeared in any kind of doubt whatsoever.

Weren't you apprehensive ever of jokes, most of which were below the belt and practically stayed there forever? 
No that wasn't the case since we knew from the very beginning that the film was not meant for children under 18. Yes, we were conscious of the fact that a small section may find the film vulgar. But then to please them, we didn't want to deceive our target audience. See, we were in the middle of one of the wildest college reunions that you have seen on screen. It is also the funniest and that is something that was made possible since our communication with the content was very clear. We were not making any bones about what we were doing. 

From the maker of Dil, Beta, Raja and Ishq, were you expecting something like that? 
But then I have worked with Induji in Masti and Daddy Cool as well; they had his brand of comedy so I wasn't really surprised. I know the kind of flavour that he likes; his kind of comedy is not subtle. Moreover, he is so good as an actor as well. It is very important to follow him well. In case of Masti, we had a seven day long workshop. For Grand Masti, even though we couldn't unfortunately have a workshop, the precedence had been set from the days of Masti. Induji felt that it wasn't necessary for us to do any rehearsals and just be spontaneous.

Before its release, a stay was put by a single-judge court in Punjab and Haryana, over allegations of vulgar dialogues and obscene content, besides scenes that degrade women. However, later the Punjab and Haryana high court gave the nod for its release as per its schedule. The movie starring Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani is a sequel to Masti, which was released in 2004

Hackers offered cash, booze to crack iPhone fingerprint security

 Hackers are gearing up for iPhone 5S release with a contest to crack the device's first-ever fingerprint scanner, a high-tech feature thatApple Inc says makes users' data more secure.

A micro venture capital firm joined a group of security researchers to offer more than $13,000 in cash along with bottles of booze, Bitcoin currency, books and other goodies to the first hacker who breaks the device in a contest promoted on the website.

Arturas Rosenbacher, founding partner of Chicago's IO Capital, which donated $10,000 to the hacking competition, said that the effort will bring together some of the hacking community's smartest minds to help Apple identify bugs that it may have missed.

"This is to fix a problem before it becomes a problem," he said. "This will make things safer."

Meanwhile, Forbes.com reported that a 36-year-old soldier living in Spain's Canary Islands, Jose Rodriguez, has already uncovered a security vulnerability affecting iOS 7, which Apple began distributing to existing iPhone and iPad customers on Wednesday.

The publication said that it is possible to bypass the lock screen of those devices in seconds to access photos, email, Twitter and other applications. It included a video demonstration on its website and advice on how users could thwart the bypass technique:

Among those gearing up for the fingerprint reader hacking contest is David Kennedy, a former US Marine's cyberintelligence analyst who did two tours in Iraq and now runs his own consulting firm, TrustedSec LLC.

"I am just waiting to get my hands on it to figure out how to get around it first," the founder of the DerbyCon hacking conference told the Thomson Reuters Global Markets Forum this week. "I'll be up all night trying."

Why worry?
Security experts worry about the implications of using the module to grant access to sensitive data on the phone and potentially enabling mobile purchases.

The fingerprint scanner on the top-of-the-line iPhone lets users unlock their devices or make purchases on iTunes by simply pressing their finger on the home button. It has been hailed as a major step in popularizing the use of biometrics in personal electronics.

Security engineer Charlie Miller, known in hacking circles for uncovering major bugs in the iPhone as well as circumventing security in Apple's App Store, said it could take fewer than two weeks for Kennedy or some other smart hacker to get around the new lock.

Once they're in, they could gain access to the cornucopia of data typically stored on a user's iPhone and might potentially be able to buy goods from iTunes and Apple's App store.

Apple declined to comment for this article.

To be sure, experts say they know of nothing intrinsically wrong with Apple's fingerprint reader, based on what the company has so far disclosed. Reviewers this week gushed over its ease of use and reliability.

The reader's sapphire crystal sensor is embedded in the phone's home button and reviews the fingerprint as a user touches it to verify his or her identity.

Data used for verification is encrypted and stored in a secure enclave of the phone's A7 processor chip. No information is sent to any remote servers, including Apple's iCloud system.

HD Moore, a well-known hacking expert and chief researcher with the security software maker Rapid7, said such protections mean "the bar is a little bit higher," but that certainly won't discourage hackers from trying to break the new technology.

"This is definitely something to target and something people will want to go after," he said.

Nothing personal
Apple shouldn't take hackers' enthusiasm personally.

All major electronics products are subjected to similar scrutiny as new features are rolled out, including devices from Google, Microsoft and Samsung Electronics.

For example, in 2012, Charlie Miller led a team that demonstrated techniques for taking over smartphones running Google's Android software through their use of near-field communications, or NFC, a wireless technology used for sharing data or making purchases at point-of-sales terminals.

Bugs are often disclosed by "white hats," hackers who unearth flaws and report them so manufacturers can repair them, preventing criminal exploitation. The hope is the good guys find them before "black hats" uncover them for nefarious purposes.

White hats have found multiple security issues with iPhones, iPads and in the App store since Apple launched its first smartphone in 2007. They say that scrutiny has helped make it one of the most secure devices on the market today.

Apple executives said at last week's iPhone launch that the new fingerprint reader, dubbed Touch ID, will help make phones far more secure by dint of its ease of use.

About half of all smartphone users don't bother to use current screen-locking technology because of the inconvenience of keying in multiple-digit passwords. Apple is betting users may be far more willing to avail themselves of a solution that requires a single finger-swipe.

"The technology within Touch ID is some of the most advanced hardware and software we put in any device," Dan Riccio, senior vice president of hardware engineering, said at the event.

Kennedy said he needs to examine the new iPhone to figure out how to best attempt an attack.

He said his choices include hacking the software that analyzes the fingerprint data, or physically opening up the phone and connecting it to a custom-built device that would impersonate Apple's fingerprint reader.

He added that it might be possible to lift a user's fingerprint from elsewhere on the device and somehow make a clone of it.

Rich Mogul, an analyst with the security research firm Securosis, said he planned to use it and expects it to be widely adopted despite the fact that hackers are circling.

"Nobody has gotten their hands on it to see what the weaknesses are and how easy it is to crack," Mogul said.

She fought obesity, asthma, Nina’s granny says

 Oblivious of the racial slurs being heaped on her granddaughter who won the Miss America pageant, Nina Davuluri's 85-year-old grandmother V Koteswaramma is rejoicing. 

"I am not surprised. I was always confident she would go places as I was aware of her abilities and dedication," said Koteswaramma. Her home at Moghalrajapuram was busy with family friends and relatives trooping in to congratulate the grandparents since Monday morning. 

Recalling how her grand-daughter struggled before reaching the pinnacle, Koteswaramma said that Nina overcame two obstacles, asthma and obesity. "I can only say that Nina will not stop here," she said. 

A relative said Nina was the only one in her immediate family who did not pursue medicine. While her parents, father Koteswara Chowdary and mother Sheila Ranjani, are doctors in the US, her maternal aunt and uncle too are doctors. Nina's elder sister, Meena, is in her third year of medicine. Her paternal uncles are also doctors in US. 

"Nina too wanted to study medicine and become a cardiologist. But she took a new route and has now won the Miss America title," Koteswaramma beamed. She said Nina was a loves Telugu films and culture and is a trained Kuchipudi and Bharat Natyam dancer. 

Koteswara shifted to the US soon after his marriage in 1981. Sheila is on the board of Montessori Kalasala as vice-president and visits the city at least once in two years. The girls of the Montessori celebrated the Nina's new title. 

Nina last visited Vijaywada city in 2007 soon after becoming first runners up in Miss America'soutstanding teen contest. However, except for Koteswaramma's close family circle, very few in the city knew of her until she was crowned Miss America. Nina is a graduate in cognitive science from Michigan university. 

Earlier, a Vijayawada girl, Gadde Sindhoora won the 'Femina Miss India' title and reached the Miss World semi-finals in 2005. 

How brands newsjack events on social media

Brands are continuously trying to humanize themselves to increase interaction with customers and become more likeable on social media. Not only do they interact with customers, they often indulge in 'friendly' chitchat with rival brands too - stuff that consumers seem to revel in.

Twitter has proved to be a great platform for such 'interactions'.

Most recently, in a move made out of fear, envy or sheer overconfidence, many smartphone brands tried to steal some limelight from the 'big'Apple event.

When Apple announced that the iPhone 5C would be available in multiple colours, many on social media pointed out the obvious 'coincidence' that Nokia too had earlier launched a series of brightly coloured phones.

Among those was Nokia (obviously). The tweet, which read "Thanks, #Apple ;)" carried an image of Nokia's Lumia range with the caption - Imitation is the best form of flattery.

Google Glass Could Soon Accompany Surgeons into the Operating Room

For the Everyman, wearing Google Glass seems a bit like overkill. Who needs to always be connected or record every minute of your life? But for specialty jobs that require a high level of expertise, say a heart surgeon, Google Glass might come in pretty handy, in fact it might just save your life. Surgeons and doctors may be some of the earlier adopter of Google Glass, which would allow them to view patient scans and monitor critical vital information while performing procedures. We just hope they aren’t using it to watch a PGA tournament or check their stocks while you’re under the knife. Think we’re years away still from Google Glass being used in surgery. Think again, it’s already happening. At the recent Rock Health conference in San Francisco, Dr. Pierre Theodore discussed his use of Google Glass during surgery to help him visualize anatomy while working on the patient. Glass was used to project images of the patient’s CT scans so Theodore could refer to them to help with the procedure. He explained that using Glass wasn’t disruptive, but in fact helpful to his work and described it as “akin to the switch a driver makes when glancing in the rear-view mirror.”

Google Glass can also be used to record a live surgery (with consent of course) for use in teaching situations. Since Glass allows hands-free recording from the viewer’s perspective, the video of a surgery from the surgeon himself is incredibly as a useful teaching tool. Other uses for Google Glass discussed at the Rock Health conference envision doctors wearing Glass while talking with patients to record histories and discussions for review at a later time. When connected with healthcare applications and software, like Augmedix is developing specifically for Google Glass, this could reduce the time doctors spend doing paper work and give them more time to attend to patients.