A free online stock trading system

I used to go to Yahoo Finance for watching stocks. Yahoo Finance is 'just enough' and I would like to have a more flexible tools. Therefore, I chose the opensource EclipseTrader. It is a Java application so I can run it on my Ubuntu Desktop as well as my Windows laptop. It provides the following features:

• Realtime Quotes (For US stocks only. Too bad for Hong Kong people)
  
• Intraday Charts
• History Charts
• Technical Analisys Indicators
• Price Patterns Detection
• Financial News
• Level II (Book) Market Data
• Trading Accounts Management
• Integrated Trading

Actually I am just interested in the charting parts because others such as trading accounts management can be done by Yahoo Finance or even e-banking, but a flexible charting system is necessary for people using technical analysis. The following screenshots are the charts of US Nasdaq index and a Hong Kong Stock HSBC. As you see, you can add some indicators such as RSI, Stoch, Bollinger Bands and more. You may argue that Yahoo Finance also provides such charts. However, it is possible to customize settings for the indicators. For example, you can just plot the moving average line with 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 days while EclipseTrader let you have some special value such as 2 days, 9 days, 19 days, etc.

To conclude, if you are a technical analysis based stocks buyer, you can enjoy plot different charts with this free tool. If you are a fundamental analysis based buyers, then Yahoo Finance can provide enough information already (Of course, you should see the financial reports for the companies as well).

Ref: Official site - Eclipse Trader

Create a "Encrypted Drive" with Truecrypt

Everyone must have some information that is confidential and not want to be accessed by others. However, when you left your laptop behind, lose it or even just a portable hardisk, your information are exposed. So anything can be done such that people can't read the confidential data?

With Truecrypt, you can setup a "Encrypted Drive" in Windows, or a "Encrypted mountpoint" in Linux. But before started the Truecrypt, the drive or the mountpoint is just a single file, or even a partition. People cannot decrypt the data from the file or the partition without the pass key which can be a password or a file.

There is also a 'hidden volume' feature. Encrypted data can be stored in an existing Encrypted drive/mountpoint but with a different pass key. So when you are forced to tell the pass key, you can just tell the 'less confidential' pass key and your data in the 'hidden volume' is still safe.

Using Truecrypt can definitely protect your data. But please don't forget your pass key or you will never get back the data.

Ref:
Truecrypt website: http://www.truecrypt.org
Doucmentation: http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/

Second Life in Linux

In these days I am playing second life which is a 3D virtual community. Very impressive about the 'economic'. It's because the currency in second life can convert into US dollar! That means you can try to 'earn' in your second life and than enjoy the result in the first life.

The official system requirement only supports Windows and MacOS which made my life not easy. I had no choice but using my only Windows based notebook to play. But now just heard that there is an alpha Linux version and I immediately downloaded and had a try. Now I can play in the 17" LCD monitor which makes my second life easier and enjoyable. Although it's alpha, the stability is still acceptable. The only problem is that the requirement of the graphic card and memory size is harsh. I found my old Nvidia card with 512MB is just enough to run the game.

Ref:
Official page: http://secondlife.com
Linux alpha download: http://secondlife.com/community/linux-alpha.php

Using FON to access Internet around the world

Can you imagine there is a 'global ISP' which can provide service using wireless (WiFi) over the world? FON is now doing!

Actually FON is not really a ISP, but it asks the community to share their network connection with a special wireless router to FON's members such that the members can access Internet using the shared wireless access points. Please note that members can access Internet once they detect there is a FON access point nearby, no matter you are in Asia, America, Europe, Africa or even Antarctica (Only if there is really an access point)!

Is the service free? Yes and no, it depends on how you share your network. Please have a look at the official site and the plans. But what shocks me is that how this model will upset the traditional ISP. I can even imagine we can use a WiFi PDA or smartphone to access FON network, then use VoIP software such as Skype to make cheap call, instead of using IDD or roaming services when we go traveling.

Now the critical point is the number of people who are willing to share the network. If there are enough people, the FON will be a great success business model, make the people get closer and closer.

Ref: http://www.fon.com (official) http://hk.fon.com (Chinese)

Windows Vista is not really welcome

While Windows Vista will be released very soon, more than half of Europe Enterprise do not consider to upgrade to this latest version.

In my opinion, the enterprises do not think Vista will improve their efficiency. In fact, some of them even think Windows NT or Windows 2000 are 'good enough'. Another problem is that the upgrade of OS will also lead to the upgrade of hardware. Therefore, they have to find a way to handle the retired old machines (Perhaps install Linux on old machines is a good choice).

As the era of Web2.0 is coming, many software will change to web available. As you see the services Google provides, you can use mail, calendar, docs and spreadsheets, IM. It's not surprised that a 'browser only machine' is good enough for most users in the future. If what we need is only a browser, why should we to buy a powerful Vista for just open a IE or Firefox?

Ref: http://taiwan.cnet.com/news/software/0,2000064574,20111711,00.htm