I was lucky enough to get a unit some time back to review. Yes, it was almost a few weeks back that I got the pair of easyKey dongle; but because I wanted to make sure that what I am getting is the real McCoy, I tested it inside out, outside in, and flip it around a few times for good measure. My data was secure, it was virtually hack-proof (virtually because if you have all the computer power needed and all the time, then yes, you can probably hack it - but I am not sure if you’d still be around to see it).

While I will go through the installation at the bottom of the post, I would like to highlight some mechanisms on how I thought it worked. When you first install the software, you will be prompted to create a drive. This drive that you are creating doesn’t really exist, but is really a .sdf file on your hard disk. The .sdf file is something like a .zip file except that it’s not really compressed although it is really encrypted.

When you plug in the easyKey dongle on on another occasion, it will prompt you for a PIN, following which the .sdf file will be "opened" up as a drive on your computer. Needless to say, deleting the .sdf file means that you will lose all data that you stored in this virtual drive. It is also noteworthy to mention that the dongle itself is not a thumb drive and the size of the virtual drive you create during or after installation is really taking up space on your hard disk.

What if your hard disk runs out of space - can you still create an encrypted virtual drive to store all your confidential stuffs? The good news is, you can. When you run the easySafe application, it will prompt you for your PIN; following which, it will prompt you for your easyDrive Name (which is like a volume name - for the techies), an easyDrive Size (which is the size of the virtual drive which is really the size of the .sdf file) and an easyDrive Location. Now, this location does not have to always be at C: or D:. In fact, if you have a USB drive, you can plug your USB drive in (assuming that you have at least 2 USB ports) and store the encrypted .sdf file on the thumb drive instead. Of course, doing so means that you’d have to insert both the thumb drive and the easyKey dongle everything you like to access your encrypted data.

In a nutshell, the easyKey dongle provides a 2-prong approach to data security. It is firstly a physical dongle - without which, there’s no way anyone can gain access to your data; and even if someone does manage to get hold of it, it has a second-level security by asking for a PIN. Without either, your encrypted data is safe even in the hands of others.

Many have also asked about why there are 2 easyKey dongles. The reason is quite simple. If you lose one dongle, there’s always another one. If you lose both… hmm… I hope you have a back up somewhere.

FAST easySafe is really the only hardware cryptography product available in the market with unique features. It protects all sensitive information in your computer, external hard disk, USB flash drive, SD card and other removable media.

And now, if you had been dying for the step through, here you go. (Click more to continue)

Read the rest of this entry »

This is a sensitive issue, so I am just going to make a single statement only. Leong Hwa Chan Si Temple’s Reverend Meow Ee earns peanuts too! For the uninitiated, the value of a single peanut is pegged at S$600,000 (S$1.35 = US$1 at present exchange rates). This came about because Mrs Goh Chok Tong, wife of Senior Minister Goh and patron of the NKF commented that "$600,000 per year is peanuts compared to the reserves the NKF has"; sparking The Peanut Controversy, in which the public was irked by this comment (Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._T._Durai).

It’s always the nifty gritty details that get people into unwanted limelight. If the monk is doing a good job and managing everything well and above board, would it be right for people like me to judge him? What rights do I have to say that he can’t indulge in life’s finer things (referring to his Mercedes-Benz) and that he can’t be paid more just because he is a monk?

Reading the article, I also wonder how does his pay come into picture - although it’s all about money. If money is indeed the root of all evil, and if owning more of it makes one more evil, then Singapore is quite filled with evil people. =)

Sorry, just a cheek-in-tongue.

AN ONGOING legal battle between a Buddhist temple and its former business partner has thrown light on the big pay cheques and business interests of its top monk.

A court was told that the Venerable Meow Ee, 41, of the Leong Hwa Chan Si Temple in the Novena area, had been earning $100,000 a year in the last few years; his bumper year was 2001, when he took home $660,000.

The monk and his family are also said to own several businesses and properties.

He took the stand last Thursday in the suit filed by construction firm United Fiber System (UFS) in 2005 against the temple and other parties - Hok Mee Property, Hok Chung Construction and a Mr Kek Kim Hok - over a payment dispute.

UFS is seeking, among other things, compensation for an unpaid $13.3 million loan to the partnership.

Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that the Venerable Meow has stakes in four companies under the name Chia Eng Soon.

Under cross-examination, he admitted setting up a company with his brother to help the temple sell covers for columbarium niches, but denied profiting from the business.

Asked about his Mercedes-Benz, he denied indulging in life’s finer things and said he bought the car while in his previous job as an army regular.

The temple’s dispute goes back to 1999, when UFS - then known as Poh Lian Holdings - financed a project with the temple and Hok Mee Property to build a columbarium.

The construction company handed out advances of $15.6 million and stood as guarantor for a $24.8 million loan, but the debt repayments went unmade.

Hearing resumes today.

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 20th May 2008