Ad: Manage updates with the Download App

Cipher

Cipher glass knows what you're drinking

The humble drinking glass has been redesigned countless times, but Belgrade-based Damjan Stanković has dreamed up one that knows what you're drinking.

The Cipher concept drinking glass indicates when you're quaffing orange juice, milk, or Coke. An apparently random mosaic of colorful squares on the wall of the glass turns into letters and words as it's filled with the appropriate liquid.

The visual trick is possible, thanks to the way the colored squares are arranged on the glass and the color of the liquid.

The designer says each "side" of the Cipher glass is reserved … Read more

Encryption consolidation may benefit the industry

There was a relatively small acquisition on Tuesday: nCipher, a U.K.-based encryption specialist, purchased storage encryption appliance vendor NeoScale Systems. This could be looked at as basic industry consolidation, but the impact could ripple further.

Encryption and, more specifically, key management really needs a set of standards to prosper and grow. Key management standards must include standard ways to connect encrypting devices to key managers, key managers to key managers, and so on. There are a few nascent standards efforts in this area, but nothing concrete.

Here's how this niche merger could impact the stalemate. nCipher has … Read more