According to AFP, he also admitted to hacking into a Fed computer server and installing a malicious software code there.

Lin, who is from Ipoh, travelled to the United States in October last year “for the purpose of selling stolen credit card and bank card numbers” but a purchaser was in fact an undercover US agent, according to prosecutors.

When he was arrested, Lin held over 122,000 stolen bank card and credit card numbers. The US Justice Department said Lin’s “cybercrime activities also extended to the national security sector”, including hacking into the computer system of a Pentagon contractor that provides systems management services for military transport and other military operations.

“Today’s sentence sends the message to hackers around the world that the United States is no place to conduct their business,” US Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement on Friday.

Dhillon Andrew Kannabhiran, founder and chief executive officer of hackers community Hack in The Box, said the stiff 10-year sentence was meant to deter hackers from hacking into government networks.

“Details of the case are not clear to me, but you can argue that 10 years for computer crime is harsh by any standards,” Dhillon told The Star.

“It’s definitely a sentence which is meant to send a message.” Dhillon said the hacker was “asking for trouble” “Hacking is a tool. Just like a knife can be used by a chef to prepare a meal or to stab someone. It is your motives that sets you apart. People who use their skills to commit financial fraud are not hackers, but just criminals,” he said.

Lin, according to a fellow hacker, deserved his punishment.

“Most hackers have the skills to breach a computer security system. But once you use your skills for malice, then you have committed a crime,” said a computer security consultant who wished to be identified as Sam. “If you are caught, you deserve to be punished like any other criminal.”

Sam said most people with hacking expertise, like himself, were hired by companies to “test” their computer security system. “Most of us use our skills to make a decent, legitimate living.”

Source: Yahoo Malaysia

“It is good to know that nature can surprise us when we are close to giving up hope, especially amidst our planets escalating extinction crisis,” amphibian scientists Robin Moore of the Virginia-based group said.

“Amphibians are at the forefront of this tragedy, so I hope that these unique species serve as flagships for conservation, inspiring pride and hope by Malaysians and people everywhere,” he was quoted in the release.

Malaysian researcher Indraneil Das set out with his team to rediscover the Sambas Stream Toad last August, searching after dark along the rugged ridges of a mountain range in western Sarawak state.

The toad was listed as one of the “World’s Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Frogs” as part of a campaign by CI and another group to encourage scientists around the world to seek out amphibians that had not been seen in a decade or longer.

After months of combing through the jungle, the Sarawak team eventually discovered a small toad up a tree, which turned out to be the missing Sambas Stream Toad. In total, they found three individuals up three different trees.

“Thrilling discoveries like this beautiful toad, and the critical importance of amphibians to healthy ecosystems, are what fuel us to keep searching for lost species,” Das was quoted in the release.

“They remind us that nature still holds precious secrets that we are still uncovering, which is why targeted protection and conservation is so important,” he said.

Das already made headlines last year after he discovered Asia’s tiniest frog, which is the size of a pea, in a national park in Sarawak state.

Sarawak and neighbouring Sabah states make up Malaysia’s half of Borneo island, which is shared with Indonesia.

Source: MSN

A mutant mosquito could worsen the situation in Malaysia. Who knows?

A similar trial in the Cayman Islands last year – the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been set loose in the wild after years of laboratory experiments and hypothetical calculations – resulted in a dramatic drop in the mosquito population in a small area studied by researchers. The plan has sparked criticism by some Malaysian environmentalists, who fear it might have unforeseen consequences, such as the inadvertent creation of uncontrollable mutated mosquitoes. Critics also say such plans could leave a vacuum in the ecosystem that is then filled by another insect species, potentially introducing new diseases.

Death caused by dengue will rise if no counter-measure action is taken

Government authorities have tried to allay the concerns by saying they are conducting small-scale research and will not rush into any widespread release of mosquitoes. The Malaysian government-run Institute for Medical Research said it released about 6,000 sterile male lab mosquitoes in an uninhabited forest area in eastern Malaysia on Dec. 21. Another 6,000 wild male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were also placed in the area for scientific comparison, it said in a statement.

The institute provided few details of the experiment, but said it was “successfully” concluded Jan. 5, and that all the mosquitoes were killed with insecticide. It said it is not planning to release any more mosquitoes until it analyzes the results. It was the first such trial in Asia, an official in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.

Duane Gubler, a professor specializing in infectious diseases at Singapore’s Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School who was not involved with the research, said the plan is likely to be effective in fighting dengue if it is combined with other biological control methods.

“We need new tools. Nothing we’ve done in the past 40 years has had an impact” on dengue, Gubler told the AP.

Using genetically altered sterile male insects against fruit flies and other flies that cause damage in cattle has been successful in places like the United States, Gubler said. He added that environmentalists should not be concerned, because the genetically modified mosquitoes would die quickly.

In the Cayman Islands, genetically altered sterile male mosquitoes were also set loose by scientists in a 40-acre (16-hectare) region between May and October last year. By August, mosquito numbers in that area dropped by 80 percent compared with a neighboring area where no sterile mosquitoes were released. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said last year the project was an “innovative” way to fight dengue after a lack of success in campaigns urging Malaysians to keep neighborhoods free of stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed.

The number of dengue-linked deaths in Malaysia increased 52 percent last year from 88 in 2009. The total dengue infections rose 11 percent from 2009 to more than 46,000 cases last year. Dengue fever is common in Asia and Latin America. Symptoms include high fever, joint pains and nausea, but in severe cases, it can lead to internal bleeding, circulatory shutdown and death. There is no known cure or vaccine.

Source: AP

Guava pulp also has many health benefits and this method minimizes disposal problems in the industry. Lycopene is the bioactive compound from the “pink” part of the fruit and is gaining popularity for its powerful antioxidant properties. For more details, please visit PECIPTA 2009.

It is based on the optimum setup of microwave power, time and temperature. This new process is chemical-free, quicker, very eases to operate and provides high yields of biodiesel, virgin coconut oil and cooking oil. For more details, please visit PECIPTA 2009.

DiGi aims to tap the growing popularity of the online space as an avenue to engage current customers as well as reaching out to new audiences through the portal. Realizing there are already similar local portals in cyberspace such as Mudah.com and Lelong.com, MySimplifieds features a few additional options not yet available on other sites.

With a few button clicks within the portal, sellers can promote their classified items to their friends on Facebook or contact list through email via the free webmail services that include Windows Live, Yahoo! Mail and Gmail. Soon, Friendster will be added to the list as well. The portal also allows users to use their mobile phone to sell, buy or browse via its alternative text-based WAP content.

Users can also check out the portal for regular special deals as well as contests. Users need to be registered before they can start transacting on the portal. Like many of its competitors, the registration and selling on the portal is free. MySimplifieds, which had a four-week trial run last December, has attracted close to 10000 members with approximately 6000 ad postings to date. For more info, please visit http://www.mysimplifieds.com

Topical palm-based nanoemulsions system was designed and developed to deliver the NSAIDS. There were many challenges when incorporating NSAIDS into current formulations. This increased the shelf life of modified NSAIDS nanoemulsions to more than three years with suitable rheology for topical application. They also showed higher percentage release of NSAIDS than creams or gels in the market. For more details on PECIPTA 09, please visit For more details on PECIPTA 09, please visit PECIPTA 2009.

The Underseas Worker was Welding the Structure

Oil Rig and Construction in Malaysia

Floating Gas Refinery. So Huge!

Flare Tower of the Oil Rig

Large LNG Ship

Qatar Gas Processing Plant

Even a Farm will be Used for Storing Crude Oil

One of the Biggest Steel Plant in Egypt

Unimaginable Risk for an Exploration Vessel in a Rough Sea

An Alternative to be Considered…….Nuclear Plant! (in UK)

Resource: Email