Instagram releases new filters and effects

By Nicole Arce, Tech Times

Instagram takes a jab at photo-editing mobile apps with nine new and slightly more complicated photo editing tools in its latest update.
The photo-sharing site, whose popularity rests mainly on the fact that it allows users to take and share good-looking photos without going through the rigors of Photoshopping them, takes a strategy shift with the newest Instagram 6.0 app. Instead of snapping a picture, choosing a filter and sharing it with friends, Instagram users can now choose to customize individual filters.
For example, using the Valencia filter can lend an antique faded look to photos, but it can wash out colors in some instances. This time, users can now adjust the strength of the Valencia filter, and all other Instagram filters, to maintain the subtle sepia fade without removing all brightness from the photo.
Aside from adjusting filter strength, the updated app also includes a variety of editing tools that offer more than Photos on iOS but less than a full-blown professional photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop. Instagram now lets users tweak photo brightness, contrast, warmth, saturation, shadows, highlights and sharpness and darken the photo's edges for a vintage feel. Users can also view their photos in before-and-after mode to see what kind of changes they have been making.
"When you go to select a filter, you'll now see a new wrench icon," writes Instagram in a blog post. "Tap it and you'll find a tray of photo editing tools ready for you to explore."
For now, there is no knowing if Instagram's more advanced editing tools will be loved or loathed by Instagram's 200 million users. One group of users are casual snappers who take pictures of whatever comes to their fancy, choose a filter and post to Instagram in a few seconds. Another group takes their photography more seriously and might even give their photos a run on Photoshop before sharing their creations with the rest of the world.

The World's Most Eligible Bachelor is Getting Married

George Clooney has yet to speak publicly amid the rumors he's engaged to girlfriend Amal Alamuddin. Regardless, everyone is wondering who this woman is that could possibly have locked down one of the most eligible Hollywood bachelors

 

A Reason to Smile

The Worlds Toughest Job Interview

Unlimited hours. No breaks. The most important job is also the world's toughest job.

This is by far the toughest job in the world.

No pay but worth every penny!

THIS IS FOR ALL YOU MOMS OUT THERE!

Don't forget to send your mom a card!

If you are mom who wants to make money while being at home I have an answer!

Find out how I have managed to make INCOME online while still being a MOM, which is my number one job! :)

Lasgo - Something

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What if the Moon was a Disco Ball?

Windows 8.1 Update will be available on April 8

By Wayne Williams / www.betanews.com

Microsoft has just unveiled the Windows 8.1 Update at Build, and it will be rolling it out to users of the tiled operating system on April 8. MSDN subscribers can download it today.
Thanks to leaks, we already knew a lot about it, and even posted our thoughts here previously on BetaNews. I called it a Frankenstein product stitched together with compromises, which it undoubtedly is. My colleague Mark Wilson calls it the final nail in Windows 8.1’s coffin, but Brian Fagioli thinks it’s great. You’ll soon be able to try it out for yourself, but in the meantime here’s what it offers.

First up, yes the OS will automatically boot to the desktop if you’re using a keyboard and mouse system. Great news for many people who hate the Modern UI.
There are two new buttons on the Start screen next to your username -- Search, which opens the Search charm, and Power, which lets you shutdown, restart, or send your computer to sleep. There’s a new PC Settings button on the Start screen as well, so you don’t have to mess around in Charms if you want to make changes in Windows.
Mouse users can now sort the Start screen in a more traditional way. Right-click an app and a context menu will pop up that will allow you to unpin that item from Start screen and/or taskbar, resize its tile or uninstall it. You can select and move tiles around by holding down Ctrl and selecting a bunch at once.
You can also now pin Windows Store apps to the taskbar by right-clicking an app, or holding down on it, and selecting Pin to Taskbar. The Windows Store app is pinned there by default. The OS can display all running apps on the taskbar.
Windows Store apps now come with a title bar, making it easier to minimize or close them, and split left or right. You can access the taskbar from within running apps. The taskbar also now pops up when you move your mouse to the bottom of a running Modern UI app, so you can easily switch between apps and "legacy" programs.
The store UI is being improved to make it easier to use with the keyboard and mouse too.
If, like me, you prefer to have the Apps screen as the default rather than the Start screen, there’s a new alphabetical view which lets you filter apps by letter.
When you install a new app, it will be highlighted in the Apps list to make it easier to find.

OKCupid asking users to stop using Mozilla Firefox

By: The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—An online dating service is encouraging its users to stop using the Firefox web browser because the new CEO of the company that makes it supported California’s former gay marriage ban.

Mozilla, the non-profit maker of Firefox, infuriated many employees and users last week by choosing co-founder Brendan Eich — who invented JavaScript — to lead the Mountain View, Calif., company.

In 2008, Eich gave $1,000 to the campaign to pass California’s Proposition 8. The ballot measure outlawed same-sex marriages in California until the U.S. Supreme Court left in place a lower-court ruling that struck it down.

OkCupid.com updated its home page Monday so people who access the site with Firefox see a message saying,

“Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.”

However, readers who want to keep using Firefox are able to access the site with a link at the bottom.

BlackBerry to release BlackBerry Messenger for Windows Phone by July

By:Lynn Schindler / www.inferse.com

Barely five months since the BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) Messenger app shelled out a space for Android based handsets and iPhones. Being a cross platform messaging service, BlackBerry Messenger, popularly recited as BBM, is accepted quickly and now that has over 85 million monthly active users.
During the MWC 2014, BlackBerry’s CEO, John Chen confirmed the launch of messenger for Windows Phone and now, has reiterated that BBM will soon be brought to the Windows Phone in fiscal Q2, probably between May and July. BBM is also slated to be released on Nokia X Software platform. The app will be snowballed into other Nokia devices, including some Lumia devices, too.
However, the point of contention is the fiscal year that Chen referred to at the conference. The Q2 of the fiscal year in Canada ends in June, whereas in the US it ends on March 31^st. Unless Chen was referring to the Canadian fiscal year, it seems quite unlikely that the BBM app will have Windows Phone users enthralled with its benefits, considering the US fiscal has almost drawn to a close.
Once the app is successfully launched for Windows Phone and Nokia X users, they will have an easy access to a sweeping set of features, inclusive of BBM chats, groups and channels, and new emoticons.  The users will be empowered to have instant BBM chats – both private and group, with group chats enabling them to conversate with up to 50 people at the same time. In addition, BBM users for Windows Phone and Nokia X will now be able to share photos, audio messages and other documents via a single tap. Over a 100 new emoticons will effectively add to people’s communication pool by granting expression in copious ways.
Launched in 2005, BBM etched its way out to become one of the best-known mobile apps for messaging and private social networking. Immensely popular for its privacy and control features, BBM has already embarked on a journey to thwart WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app. Once the much-anticipated app hits the Windows Phone Store, it would only be a matter of a touch before the users are able to reap its networking benefits.

BBM now supports sending large files and stickers

By: Berges Malu / www.dnaindia.com

After months of teasing, Blackberry on Tuesday released an update for their BBM app on both Android and iOS mobile operating systems, that brings with it a bunch of cool new features.
BBM users can now send stickers which are larger, more expressive images as compared to emoji icons that have made BBM a wildly popular chatting app.
David Proulx, Senior Director, BBM at BlackBerry said, “Stickers let you personalize your chats and strike the right chord with people around the world who rely on stickers in chats when they connect with colleagues, family, friends, peers and partners.” Users can also purchase sticker packs from the newly introduced BBM Shop. The app also adds the ability to send large files including images, up to a size of 16mb.
This update will bring both the Android and iOS versions of the App to v2.1 and will be available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in a few hours.

Traditional kuwaiti Sweet (Gers Egaile)

Gers Egaile - قرص عقيلي 
is a traditional Kuwaiti sweet. Light and delicious. Most people prefer to have it with tea or Arabian coffee

Two weeks ago I tried one of the best Gers Egaile in Kuwait !
Delicious, light and very tasty !  


Order via Whatsapp: +965 51007664
Instagram: EgailyDough

 

Manchester United vs Bayern Munich 1-1 Goals [1/4/2014]

Pharrell shouts out a HAPPY video made in Kuwait

Happy [Kuwait]

Kuwait National Freestyle Football

Kuwait National Freestyle Football Championship.
Andrew Henderson & Laura Biondo

Freestyle in Kuwait 2014

Fly Emirates - Cristiano Ronaldo and Pelé

Who is the greatest footballer of all time? Join two football greats, Pelé and Cristiano Ronaldo as they connect with fans in the Emirates A380 Onboard Lounge.

Everyone has a favourite player, and in our new video fans meet theirs as they fly Emirates. Emirates is connecting fans with their passions in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup hosted this summer in Brazil, where fans will see some of the greatest footballers in action.

All North Korean Men Students Forced to get Kim Jong-un Haircut

 

Until now, everyone in North Korea had to choose their haircuts from a list of state-approved styles. But now, all men in the hermit kingdom will be required to sport the same hairstyle as supreme leader Kim Jong Un, the BBC reports.Pyongyang introduced the new law two weeks ago but is now rolling it out across the country. Unfortunately, some North Koreans may not be thrilled about the new look.

Unbelievable Bus Shelter - Pepsi Max

Pepsi Max brings you the Unbelievable. Unbelievable feats and experiences created for you by Pepsi Max Pepsi Max surprise commuters with an 'unbelievable' augmented reality experience at a bus shelter on New Oxford Street in London. Watch their reactions as unbelievable scenarios unfold before their very eyes; from a giant robot crashing through the street to a passer by being abducted by flying saucers. 

Facebook buys Oculus VR

SAN FRANCISCO

 

A LONG-TERM bet on the future of computing. That is how Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Facebook, described the news on March 25th that his firm had splashed out some $2 billion on Oculus VR, a company that makes headsets that let gamers immerse themselves in fantasy worlds (pictured). Oculus isn’t the only firm trying to turn virtual-reality technology into real money by bringing it to the masses. But its combination with the giant social network is certainly eye-opening.

For a long time, gamers have dreamed of wearable headsets that make them feel like they are actually inside lifelike worlds. Thanks to big advances in computing power and software, that dream is much closer to becoming a reality. Oculus Rift, the prototype headset that Oculus has developed, was recently on show at SXSW, a techie fest in Texas, and wowed delegates lucky enough to wear it and experience the company’s digital rendition of the 700-foot Wall that protects the Seven Kingdoms in HBO’s fantasy series “Game of Thrones”.

Other companies have also set their sights on the virtual-reality arena. Sony recently unveiled Project Morpheus, a prototype of a virtual-reality headset that is designed to work with its PlayStation 4 gaming console so that, say, zooming around in the popular Gran Turismo driving simulator becomes even more compelling. Microsoft is also rumoured to be developing a headset of its own for its Xbox console.

Some gaming veterans will no doubt roll their eyes at all of the hype. After all, in the 1990s there was a period when PC-based virtual-reality gaming was touted as the Next Big Thing, but devices such as the Sega VR flopped because the primitive state of the technology left much to be desired. Gamers were often left feeling sick rather than elated after using their headsets.

Now, however, huge leaps forward in graphics processing power, cheap miniature cameras and wafer-thin, high-resolution screens have dramatically improved matters. That is why Facebook is confident that Oculus has a bright future in gaming. Already some 75,000 kits have been snapped up that help developers create games that will take advantage of Oculus Rift’s capabilities. David Ebersman, Facebook’s chief financial officer, reckons the future profits Oculus and Facebook make from gaming alone will justify its $2 billion price tag.

Perhaps they will, but the social network’s main motivation for buying the firm isn’t to zap the competition in virtual-reality gaming. It is to get its hands on a technology that it thinks could become one of the next big computing platforms to follow the personal computer and mobile phone. This is the “long-term bet” that Mr Zuckerberg was referring to.

Facebook isn’t the only big web firm that is fascinated by sophisticated headgear. Google, for instance, is touting its Glass smart specs as a new computing platform perched on the end of people’s noses. This week the company, which hopes to roll out Glass to the masses this year, unveiled a strategic alliance with Luxottica, the owner of high-end eyewear brands such as Ray-Ban and Oakley. Luxottica will help with the design and development of future iterations of Glass.

Google’s vision of the future involves overlaying the real world seen through its specs with information from its search engine and other services. Facebook’s is of people totally immersing themselves in virtual worlds where they will be able do everything from taking virtual classes together to communicating with distant friends as if they were standing in the same room. The two firms may not see exactly eye-to-eye on how this will all play out, but neither can be accused of being shortsighted.

Microsoft Office Finally Comes to the iPad, With Caveats

By Bonnie Cha / www.recode.net

When Microsoft released its Office Mobile app in June, it finally gave iPhone users a way to view and edit native Office documents on the go. While it worked well, it offered limited functionality. And let’s be honest, trying to do any real work on the iPhone’s smaller screen sounds about as fun as giving a cat a bath. That’s why many were hoping for an iPad version, and it has long been rumored that Microsoft was working on a version for the world’s most popular tablet.
Well, it’s finally here.
Available today from the iTunes Store, Office for iPad brings Word, Excel and PowerPoint to the tablet. It works on iPads running iOS 7.0 or later. With it, you can view, edit and create documents, collaborate with others, and work between your tablet and desktop. Like Office Mobile, though, the Outlook email client isn’t included, although Microsoft does offer an Outlook Web App for the iPad to get your emails.
Built from the ground up, the suite offers robust functionality, and does a nice job of bringing the familiarity of the desktop suite into a touch-friendly iPad experience. I used it on my fourth-generation iPad to write this column, fill out an expense report, and create a PowerPoint presentation, among other things, and it was evident throughout that Microsoft worked to optimize the suite for the iPad. This isn’t a case of taking the iPhone app and stretching it to fit a larger screen, or just dumping the desktop apps onto the iPad.

My first visit to Junk Yard

I was wondering where to have my lunch.. I really wanted to try something new.. And that was Junk Yard in Abu AlHasaniya 

Street Burger 

I loved the decoration 

---------

Place: 5/5

Food: 4/5

Atmosphere: 3.5/5

Prices: 4/5 

It was a nice experience 

Twitter eyes methods for making @replies and hastags invisible

By: Shane McGlaun / http://www.slashgear.com


Twitter is one of the most popular ways for people to keep in touch with friends and for brands to keep in touch with fans and customers. Two of the hallmark features of twitter are the @replies that people can make and the hashtags that help with searches. Those hashtags are often bizarre and long since #theycanbeashardtoreadasyoulike.

Sometimes those hashtags and @replies can get annoying on your posts so twitter is testing out ways that they can be hidden. The move to hide those long running and popular features is said to be an experiment that twitter is running right now. 

 

Like many features tested for various services and needs, this may be a feature for twitter that never sees the light of day. If you want to check out what twitter is trying out, you can see the test in the beta versions of the official app.
The change does make it much easier to read the replies and make the timeline look better, at least in my opinion. Check out the second image here to see what the change looks like. Do you think this is a nice change or do you prefer the original method.
SOURCE: Engadget

Route 94 - My Love

Download link

Top 5 iOS 7.1 Features! (What's New)

)

Mars One-Way

www.Mars-one.com

Mars One will establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Crews of four will depart every two years, starting in 2024. Our first unmanned mission will be launched in 2018. Join the Global Mars One Community and participate in our mission to Mars.

There were 200,000 people who applied to participate in a project called Mars One. It’s a private enterprise to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars and film a reality show along the way. The idea is to go in crews of four starting in 2024. The thing is, right now the technology can only get them there. "Mars One Way" documents the thoughts and theories of Five hopeful Mars One astronauts as they contemplate the reality of leaving planet Earth forever, for a new home on Mars. 


Mars One Way from VITA BREVIS FILMS on Vimeo.

Save Syria's Children

This is what war does to children

HAPPY dance - Kuwait

 I love it.. that was amazing work 
good job and keep going 
_____________________________
Filmmaker & Editor: Mohammed AlSaeed
Director: Taibah AlQatami
Sound Design & Ending Vocals: Omar Afuni
Crew: Dana AlJouder, Faisal AlHumaid, Ahmad AlQabandi, Haya AlEssa, Nasser AlQatami, Shaikha AlQatami, Athba AlEssa, Noor Behbehani, Fatema Behbehani, Abdullah Abdulrahman

Song: Happy by Pharrell Williams
Video Copyrights: Weoritu

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (8 March)

 

www.internationalwomensday.com

When: 8 March
Where: Everywhere
What: International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.
Why: Suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote. The word 'Suffragette' is derived from the word "suffrage" meaning the right to vote. International Women's Day honours the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women's success, and reminds of inequities still to be redressed.

Great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.
 

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.

So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

The Song of the Day

Florence + The Machine 
Spectrum (Calvin Harris Radio Edit)

Download

The pizza guy on Ellen show after the Oscars 2014

 

Was that a real pizza delivery guy at the Oscars? It sure was! He was here to tell Ellen about his experience, and to get his tip!
Ellen Show - Oscar Pizza Guy Gets His Tip 03/03/2014

iMessage free texting

iMessage allows users to send texts, documents, photos, videos, contact information, and group messages over Wi-Fi, 3G or LTE to other iOS or OS X users, thus providing an alternative to standard SMS/MMS messaging for most users with devices running iOS 5 or later.

 

iMessage also allows users to set up chats with more than two people - a "group chat". However, the group chatting features do not integrate very well with members in the group who have a different type of phone.

To use iMessage  

How can I tell if I am sending an iMessage or an SMS text message?

• Before you begin text entry, you should see "iMessage" in faint grey letters in the text entry box.
• The "Send" button will be light blue when sending an iMessage (as opposed to green for text messages).
• The bubble that contains your sent message will also be blue (again, as opposed to green for text messages).
If you're seeing "Text Message" or green buttons and bubbles, you're sending a standard SMS text message and not an iMessage.

 

Oscars 2014 Results: Complete Winners' List

By MICHAEL ROTHMAN / via Good Morning America

And the Oscar went to .... 

Best Picture:

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity"

"Her"

"Nebraska"

"Philomena"

"12 Years a Slave" WINNER

"The Wolf of Wall Street" 

Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"

Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"

Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"

Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" WINNER

 

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"

Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"

Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave" WINNER

Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"

June Squibb, "Nebraska" 

Best Director:

David O. Russell, "American Hustle"

Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity" WINNER

Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"

Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"

Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street" 

Best Actor:

Christian Bale, "American Hustle"

Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"

Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"

Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyer's Club" WINNER

 

Best Actress:

Amy Adams, "American Hustle"

Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" WINNER

Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"

Judi Dench, "Philomena"

Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County" 

Best Original Screenplay:

"American Hustle"

"Blue Jasmine"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Her" WINNER

"Nebraska" 

Best Adapted Screenplay:

"Before Midnight"

"Captain Phillips"

"Philomena"

"12 Years a Slave" WINNER

"The Wolf Of Wall Street" 

Best Animated Feature:

"The Croods"

"Despicable Me 2"

"Ernest & Celestine"

"Frozen" WINNER

"The Wind Rises" 

Best Foreign Feature:

"The Broken Circle Breakdown," Belgium

"The Great Beauty," Italy WINNER

"The Hunt," Denmark

"The Missing Picture," Cambodia

"Omar," Palestine 

Best Visual Effects:

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation"

"Iron Man 3"

"The Lone Ranger"

"Star Trek Into Darkness" 

Best Cinematography:

"The Grandmaster"

"Gravity" WINNER

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

"Nebraska"

"Prisoners" 

Best Costume Design:

"American Hustle"

"The Grandmaster"

"The Great Gatsby" WINNER

"The Invisible Woman"

"12 Years a Slave" 

Best Documentary Feature:

"The Act of Killing"

"Cutie and the Boxer"

"Dirty Wars"

"The Square" 

"20 Feet from Stardom" WINNER

 

Best Documentary Short:

"CaveDigger"

"Facing Fear"

"Karama Has No Walls"

"The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life" WINNER

"Prisoner Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall" 

Best Film Editing:

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity" WINNER

"12 Years a Slave" 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

"Dallas Buyers Club" WINNER

"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa"

"The Lone Ranger" 

Best Music (Original Score):

"The Book Thief"

"Gravity" WINNER

"Her"

"Philomena"

"Saving Mr. Banks" 

Best Music (Original Song):

"Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone"

"Happy" from "Despicable Me"

"Let It Go" from "Frozen" WINNER

"The Moon Song" from "Her"

"Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" 

Best Production Design:

"American Hustle"

"Gravity"

"The Great Gatsby" WINNER

"Her"

"12 Years a Slave" 

Best Short Film, Animated:

"Feral"

"Get a Horse!"

"Mr. Hublot" WINNER

"Possessions"

"Room on the Broom" 

Best Short Film, Live Action:

"Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)"

"Avant Que De Tout Perdre" (Just Before Losing Everything)

"Helium" WINNER

" Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa?" (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)

"The Voorman Problem" 

Best Sound Editing:

"All Is Lost"

"Captain Phillips"

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

"The Lone Survivor" 

Best Sound Mixing:

"Captain Phillips"

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

"Lone Survivor"
 

Five things we will remember from the ceremony

Ellen DeGeneres Opening Monologue at the Oscars 2014

Ellen Jokes Jennifer Lawrence Fall

Jared Leto wins oscars 2014

"Let It Go" from the movie "Frozen" sung by Idina Menzel

Lupita Nyong'o wins oscars 2014

Oscars Selfie - Ellen Oscar Selfie With Stars

Ellen Degeneres hands out pizza slices 2014 Oscars

Wasem Yousef: The wife has no rights to know everything about her husband !

The women rights in the Arab world depends usually on the man and what he wants ! 

here is one of the Islamic preachers, Wasem Yousef , said that the wife has no rights to know everything about her husband!

no seriously? 
Did he forget the equality of men and women in Islam? or maybe he just want to change the constants?!! I don't know

Apple Explains Exactly How Secure iMessage Really Is

Posted Feb 27, 2014 by Greg Kumparak / techcrunch

Millions and millions of people use iMessage every day. But how many people know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes, or what happens to a message once you send it?
Maybe a handful. Up until now, the vast majority of what we knew about iMessage’s inner workings came from reverse engineering and best guesses. This week, however, Apple quietly released a document that breaks it all down.
If you know your stuff when it comes to cryptography, you can find the document here. The iMessage bit starts at page 20, but there’s all sorts of crazy interesting stuff regarding cloud keychain and hardware security packed in there too.
If you don’t know much about crypto, I’ll try to break it down a bit below. I admittedly have plenty of gaps in my crypto knowledge, but I’ve triple-checked this with people who know considerably more about this topic than I.
Before we dive in to the deeper stuff, you’ve got to understand one overarching concept at play here. It’s a fairly standard concept in the tech world, but it’s not something that most people ever have to think about. It’s called public-key cryptography.
To over simplify it: imagine you have a mail box. This box has two keys. One key lets you drop mail into the mail slot, and one key lets you take mail out. The input key and the pickup key are entirely different; one can never be used to replace the other. You can give away a million copies of your input key, and no one could use it to do anything but put mail in. Unless they find a copy of your pickup key or find a weakness in the way your mailbox was designed, your message is safe.
This is the thinking behind public-key cryptography. Your “public key” is like the mail slot key. You can share it with the world, and anyone can encrypt messages to send to you. But the public key only works in one direction. Once a message is encrypted, that public key can’t be used to decrypt it, or reverse the encryption. Once encrypted, your private key (the mail pickup key, in the analogy above) is the only way (barring exploits/brute force with a supercomputer) to restore the message to its original readable form.
With that, here’s how iMessage works:

• When a user first enables iMessage, your device creates two sets of private and public keys: one set for encrypting data, and one set for signing data (read: signing data is a secondary blurp of data that helps to verify that the encrypted text hasn’t been modified after it was sent to the server. If these two things ever don’t match up, red flags start going off.)
• Your public keys are sent to Apple’s servers. Your private keys are stored on your device. Apple never sees your private keys.
• When someone starts an iMessage conversation with you, they fetch your public key(s) from Apple’s servers. Before that message leaves the sender’s device, it’s encrypted into something that only your device knows how to decrypt.
• So if Apple never has your private key, how do messages arrive at all of your devices in a readable form? How do your private key(s) get from one device to the other? Simple answer: they don’t. You’ve actually got one set of keys for each device you add to iCloud, and each iMessage is encrypted independently for each device. So if you have two devices — say, an iPad and an iPhone — each message sent to you is actually encrypted (AES-128) and stored on Apple’s servers twice. Once for each device. When you pull down a message, it’s specifically encrypted for the device you’re on.
• Some data (“such as the timestamp and APN routing data”, says Apple) is not encrypted.
• All of this independently encrypted/non-encrypted data is then encrypted as a whole package, on the trips between your device and Apple’s servers. This makes it considerably tougher for attackers sitting between you and Apple’s server to figure out what data is what, and what they should actually try to decrypt.
• Things change around a bit for long messages and pictures, allowing Apple to hold photos and other media on the iCloud servers without being able to view them. In those case, your device generates a new, random key and a URI (read: address for something on a server) which catalogs where on the iCloud servers the image/media is stored. Apple sends your device the key and URI (which again, only your private key can decrypt), and your device pulls that image down from Apple’s servers and turns it into something readable.
• Once your device has retrieved a message, that encrypted copy of the message is deleted from Apple’s servers. If you have multiple devices, another encrypted copy meant for another device might sit on their servers until it expires. Messages are stored for up to seven days.

Too long, didnt read? Basically: Unless Apple is omitting something or there’s some backdoor tucked into their many-layers-deep encryption (which, while unlikely, isn’t inconceivable) they really can’t read your iMessages without a fairly insane amount of effort. Sure, they could theoretically brute force their way past your private key. Or they could scrap the entire system and replace it with something with glaring security holes, and hope no one notices.
But the same could be said for any service where someone else is even temporarily storing your messages — when you’re putting things into a black box, even if you think you know exactly how that black box works, you’re trusting that the black box hasn’t changed. And if Apple intends on ever lurking through your iMessages, they’ve made it pretty damned hard for themselves.