Let’s Encrypt SSL encryption activated for pixelreality.net

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I have just activated the „Let’s Encrypt“ SSL encryption for pixelreality.net. Every connection should now be secured, as requests are redirected to the SSL-encrypted URL automatically. Please let me know if you experience any problems!

Big thank you to All-inkl for offering a One-click installation of a „Let’s Encrypt“ certificate and obviously, to „Let’s Encrypt“ and the Internet Security Research Group!

If you are hosting your website with All-inkl as well, just follow these quick steps to secure connections to your website:

  1. Log into the administration interface KAS
  2. Go to „Domains“
  3. Click on the „edit“ icon for the domain you want secure with a SSL certificate
  4. Click on the „edit“ icon for the SSL protection („SSL Schutz“)
  5. Go to tab „Let’s encrypt“
  6. Check the disclaimer
  7. Click on the „confirmation“ button („jetzt ein Let’s Encrypt SSL Zertifikat beziehen und einbinden“)
  8. Done!

To ensure redirection to the secured connection for any user you might want to consider setting up a redirect rule in your .htaccess file (at the root folder).

Our instant payments coverage

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The European Retail Payments Board, the European Payments Council and EBA Clearing are driving the implementation of a pan-European instant payments system. Within less than two years the new system (the messaging/clearing-infrastructure) is planned to be operational and ready for interested payment service providers to offer instant payments products on-top.

I am covering this exciting development together with some colleagues in a series of articles (to be continued – German only):
– Instant payments – the next big challenge for payment technology in banks since SEPA and PSD2
– Draft rulebook for SCT Inst published by EPC for public consultation – the next step

Collection of interesting banking and payment technology blogs

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For quite some time I have already planned to share my feedly Banking Technology and Payments feed list of interesting banking and payment technology/innovation related blogs that I follow and consume frequently. These blogs cover a broad area from central bank announcements to discussions on business model and technology innovations in the financial services industry. Post frequency in the linked blogs varies:

If you can recommend further sources, especially ones focusing on the German/European market, please share!

Interesting summary of blockchain technology at O’Reilly

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The summary article published a couple of weeks ago at O’Reilly focuses on the key concepts behind the blockchain technology (that is well-known from the crypto-currency Bitcoin) and explains four future areas of application of the technology in a more decentralized world:

  • Currencies – Exchanges, wallets, currencies mining, payment processing
  • Pegged services – Web services using the value store principle embedded into blockchain technology
  • Smart contracts – Manage and validate movement of assets or values
  • Decentralized autonomous organizations

Find out more at: http://radar.oreilly.com/2015/01/understanding-the-blockchain.html

BarCamp RheinMain 2012 – Impressions from my very first BarCamp visit

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Two weeks ago I visited the BarCamp RheinMain 2012 in Wiesbaden for a day with some colleagues from work. My intentions to visit were to see what’s going on outside the corporate world, to reconnect with the web development scene and hear about new stuff.

I attended 5 sessions:

1) „Wir brauchen einen neuen Workflow“ – Key thesis: We need a new workflow for project work in the web development/design/etc. areas. Well. That’s not news. The challenge of translating ideas of designers and/or clients into real world software has been a challenge 5 years ago as well. Photoshop dominating the thinking and processes of designers and other creative people and the frustrating browser-specifics it requires to implement it 100% have just gotten a little more complex with new devices such as smartphones and tablets. Finally, the death of fixed-width designs. I hope.

2) Twitternde Raketen… – ESA communications guy talking about social media in this organisation. Compared to NASA, it sucks. In particular, the use of spectacular space images is much more complex from a legal perspective compared to the „Big Brother“ in the US where all images are published under a CC licence. In Europe, the scientist creating the image has the right to decided whether he would like to share his image or not.

3) Techie stuff – Hard-core java script performance optimization by Ex-Zynga game engine developer. Great to see someone really knowing his subject and the technology. Bit to technical to be really relevant for me. But inspiring.

4) Gadgeteer – Hardware prototyping made easy. Session on how to set up simple Gadgeteer prototypes and what to do with them.

5) Live Game Development – Pong in 45 minutes? Almost 😉 Guy from session 3 demonstrated his java script framework for game development in a live programming session with almost no attendee with a computer. He did all the work and in the end, paddles and ball were moving on the screen. No rocket science.

For more info on the sessions please check out the official BarCamp website!

The organisation of the BarCamp was excellent in general. Great breakfast! Free lunch, even if it was eaten up pretty fast. Delicious cakes in the afternoon break. Plenty of space to sit and discuss. Only the coffee supply in the morning was not optimal.

Will I do it again? Probably!