Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Windows 8 Tells Microsoft About Everything You Install
August 25th, 2012Via: Nadim Kobeissi: Windows 8 has a new featured called Windows SmartScreen, which is turned on by default. Windows SmartScreen’s purpose is to “screen” every single application you try to install from the Internet in order to inform you whether it’s safe to proceed with installing it or not. Here’s how SmartScreen works: You download […]
California Approves Location Privacy Act: ‘Get a Warrant’
August 25th, 2012Via: ZDnet: A new bill designed to require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before collecting any GPS or location data from a cellphone or smartphone has been passed by California state legislators. The Location Privacy Bill 2012, which was co-sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), received […]
SSD Performance with TrueCrypt
August 25th, 2012Using CrystalDiskMark, I checked the speed of my OCZ Vertex 4 before and after I applied full disk encryption with TrueCrypt. I used AES-256 with no wipe. The performance hit is pretty substantial. The full disk encryption makes the SSD run between 18% and 39%[!] slower, depending on the metric. I know that some of […]
Could Microsoft Be This Cunning?
August 24th, 2012Update: Microsoft Will Allow Downgrades From Windows 8 to Windows 7, Vista Via: PC World: Microsoft will allow users of Windows 8 Pro to downgrade their new PCs to Windows 7 or even Vista, according to the operating system’s licensing agreement. Not surprisingly, users may not downgrade to the still-used-but-slated-for-retirement Windows XP. Downgrade rights — […]
The Solar Charging Kit for Africa You Want for Your Own Home
August 23rd, 2012Via: Good: Mike Lin and Brian Warshawsky find themselves in the unusual but enviable position of having stumbled on an unexpected business hit. The pair set out with a social goal and built a product for poor Ugandans. But this week, the gadget the pair built to help poor Africans without electricity start micro businesses […]
Why Windows 7 is the Next XP
August 23rd, 2012Why? If you ask me, it’s because I can make Windows 7 look and act pretty much like XP. Yep, after more than a decade of using Windows XP, I’ve finally moved to Windows 7 on my main rig. Microsoft isn’t pulling the plug on XP until 2014, but there are a couple of 64-bit […]
Private Crypto Key in Mission-Critical Hardware
August 23rd, 2012Via: Ars Technica: A private encryption key embedded into widely used mission-critical routers could be exploited by hackers to attack electric substations, railroad switches, and other critical infrastructure, security researchers have warned. The flaw, uncovered in devices made by Siemens subsidiary RuggedCom of Ontario, Canada, is the second this year to affect its Rugged Operating […]
Mobile Phones: Police Can Activate GPS Location Tracking If It’s Disabled
August 21st, 2012Via: Information Week: Can police access the GPS data on your phone? According to a recent court ruling, they can not only access it, but activate GPS location tracking if it’s disabled.
Mobile Phone Data Used to Predict Where People Will Be Tomorrow
August 20th, 2012Via: WiredUK: A team from the University of Birmingham has won Nokia’s Mobile Data Challenge with an algorithm that can predict where you’ll be in 24 hours. The software, developed by Mirco Musolesi, Manlio Domenico, and Antonio Lima, combines movement tracking with data from the people in your phone book. By looking at how someone’s […]
How Police Tracked Down Steve Jobs’ Stolen iPads
August 20th, 2012Recent commentary: With regard to the alleged privacy one supposedly enjoys with the iPhone: What privacy exists if the device is constantly phoning home to the carrier and Apple and both of them can be subpoenaed? Hmm. Via: PC World: The digital breadcrumbs left behind when people use Internet-connected gadgets are what led California investigators […]
