What would be our lifes without some humor now and again? I am particularly fond of dark humor (a little sarcasm here and there) but that is definitely not my exclusive preference. Hopefully, I will post here things that everybody can enjoy. Please leave your comments with links/videos/audio files and I will be happy to include them on the page!

Alexei

A page dedicated for all that is science. Here you will find posts on physics, chemistry, biology and all the other major scientific ventures of the human kind.

Enjoy!

Alexei

How could we live without art?  Beauty is essential in our everyday lives.  Sometimes we may not take the time to pause and really appreciate the magnificence of nature around us.  Let us not forget how wonderful life really is!

Hi there,

Thanks for checking out Enfomi. The latest version can be downloaded below.

About

Enfomi is my second open source project. I wrote it because I could not find an appropriate program to create a self-decrypting application that could be run on any operating system. This program is written entirely in Java and will run on almost any computer and operating system with a simple double-click. It supports 27 different encryption algorithms (combinations of algorithm + digest + padding for those who like to be precise). The list happens to include the strongest encryption currently available in the world (256 bit AES). For those of you who would like to know just how strong this is, here is a Wikipedia article. AES is currently the U.S. Government standard for encrypting TOP SECRET documents. Even more importantly, 256 bits means that your encrypted file are unlikely to be decrypted even by a supercomputer (at least for now).

Key Features

• Portable. One file is all you need.
• Self-Decrypting. That’s right…no more tedious installations. Create a self-decrypting archive and your file will be decrypted on any computer (provided you supply the right password, of course).
• Operating System independent. As long as your device runs Java 1.4 or above you will have no problem working with Enfomi.
• Strongest possible encryption. If you are lucky enough to live a in country where encrypting information with (currently) unbreakable algorithms is legal, this app may help you preserve privacy when you need it.

Requirements

Any Computer and Operating System combination running Java 1.4 or higher. If you do not have Java, you can get a current version here.
For encryption algorithms above 128bits you will be required to install special jurisdiction policy files. Please take note that this may be illegal in some countries (U.S. is OK). Carefully read the documentation included with these files before installing. Look at the bottom of the page after following one of these links:
Download policy files for Java 1.4
Download policy files for Java 5
Download policy files for Java 6
A readme file inside each download will explain how to install the files. For Java 5 or Java 6 users it is a pretty trivial process. Simply find your JRE directory (on Windows it is most likely to be found at: C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.x\lib\security) and replace the files in that folder with the ones from the zip.

Screenshots

Mac OS X

Windows Vista

License

Enfomi is licensed under the friendly Apache V2.0 License. However, be advised that it contains a 3rd party library that is licensed separately by Bouncycastle. Luckily, that license is also friendly

Downloads

Disclaimer:

Please be advised that I will not take responsibility for any illegal actions that may result from your use of this software.

The country in which you are currently residing may have restrictions on the import, possession, and use, and/or re-export to another country, of encryption software. BEFORE using any encryption software, please check the country’s laws, regulations and policies concerning the import, possession, or use, and re-export of encryption software, to see if this is permitted.

When you jump to the download page you will see three options: one for Java 1.4, one for Java 1.5 (also known as Java 5) as well as one for Java 1.6 (known as Java 6). If you know which version of Java you have on your computer, get the appropriate version of the program. If you have no clue then download the version for Java 1.4, that will be your surest bet. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

Enfomi refuses to run? Do not despair! I will put here as many helpful tips as I can think of. Please help me along. Suggest your troubleshooting tips in comments and I will include them in this section.

- Double-clicking doesn’t work?

There are three possible answers. First, if you are running linux then your environment may not be set up to open jar files with java. Open up a console, navigate to the directory with Enfomi and execute this command: java -jar Enfomi.jar. Secondly, if you are on a Windows computer then there are two tips I can give you. One: make sure that Java is actually installed. It does not come installed by default so either you have put it on your computer or you haven’t. If you haven’t, head over to Sun’s Java webpage and get yourself the latest version. Two, double-check that a version of java is in your operating system classpath. To do that: right-click on MyComputer->Properties->Advanced (tab)->Environment Variables (button) … Select ‘CLASSPATH’ in the bottom window, click “Edit…” If you don’t see a path to java as one of the variables then you will need to add it yourself. Go find out where your Java is installed (Typically C:/Program Files/Java/jdk1.x.x/bin). In the CLASSPATH window put a semicolon after whatever is already in there and add your path to Java bin directory. Hopefully, one of these tricks will fix your problems. An additional advice I give to people who have trouble with an installation on Windows is to simply reinstall Java. In many cases that fixes the problems that the users are having. Finally, on the Mac… well you know, it just works. No trouble-shooting required.

- I cannot encrypt anything with more than 8 characters for my password.

This is typically the case when you try to use one of the stronger encryption methods (i.e. above 128bits). If this is happening to you, download the Jurisdiction Policy Files above and follow the instructions. That ought to solve your problem.

This page and all of the following subpages are dedicated to technology in its various incarnations. At the moment I have one personal project that I have made accessible from this page. The list is bound to grow:

• Enfomi Encryption Application

Enjoy! Alexei

Hello and welcome to this little corner of the internet. I am primarily dedicating this blog to the exploration of the Christian way of life, its values, its teachings and its morals. Fortunately, I enjoy a variety of different topics and thus will try not to bore everyone to death with my philosophical ramblings. Hopefully, on this site you will find science, technology, art and religion coexisting in a beautiful symbiosis. There is plenty to learn from all disciplines of life and I hope to touch upon many topics and their impacts on humanity in general and each individual in particular. Please join me in my exploration.

Alexei

Advanced Features for Posters

For those of you who have posting privileges on this blog, here is a quick reference of some of the more advanced features.

1. You can embed any type of video or audio from anywhere on the internet (yes, google video and youtube works too) inside your post. To do so include this code [coolplayer] yourMediaLink [/coolplayer] in your post. The size, description and other options for your video can also be controlled. For these advanced options view the CoolPlayer Readme page.
2. Any image or image group you post can be presented in a way that does not redirect the readers away from this website. Check out what I mean by clicking on the image below. If you would like to use this effect, include rel=”lightbox[yourGroupName]” in the link (i.e. <a href=”…” rel=”lightbox[yourGroupName]“>) as you are posting the picture. If you are posting multiple pictures you can specify a group for them in the brackets, otherwise leave the brackets off.
3. When you use the rich text editor to write your posts (on the editing page it is labeled as the “Visual” tab), you can bring up an advanced toolbar by clicking on the button that says “Show/Hide Advanced Toolbar”. This toolbar will give you a lot more options, especially if you need to post video/audio media or data formatted in tables.
4. I have, for now, disabled the plugin that allows you to place RSS feeds inside of your posts. If you are an admin there is still a way to do this as I have done on the Technology page. Otherwise either talk to me about including RSS in your post or add a comment here. If there is enough demand, I will enable it once again.

Blog Details

This blog is based on the software provided by Wordpress.org with a custom look and feel and lots of plugins to extend its functionality.
I used a theme called “andreas_09″ by Andreas Viklund which was adopted for Wordpress by Ainslie Johnson and then further modified by me.
The header was made from a picture that I took while visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. Unfortunately, I do not know the author of the picture as my 5Mpx camera was unable to capture the details of the inscription. If anybody knows additional information about this painting, I will gladly include it here. The original photograph is below: