Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Feds Unlock Suspect’s Computer Without Her Help
March 4th, 2012As it turns out, the ex-husband provided a list of possible passwords to the government. Via: Denver Post: A dispute over whether requiring a bank-fraud suspect to unlock her computer violates the suspect’s rights against self-incrimination has shifted after federal authorities got into the computer another way. An attorney for Ramona Fricosu confirmed this morning […]
The Little White Box That Can Hack Your Network
March 4th, 2012Smaller organizations might not have the equipment or the expertise to defend against the Pwn Plug, but for enterprises to get nailed by this thing amounts to comedy gold. Note: The U.S. Department of Defense is a large Pwn Plug customer. *chortle* The first line of defense should be to train staff to resist social […]
Set Up Cameras Around Your House, Let Company Monitor Them for Marketing Purposes
March 3rd, 2012Oh sure. Why not? Via: Network World: The little cameras in your home are multiplying. There are the ones you bought, perhaps your SLR or digital camera, but also those that just kind of show up in your current phone, your old phone, your laptop, your game console, and soon your TV and set-top box. […]
Hayden Says Stuxnet Was, ‘A Good Idea’; Mentions Potential for Blowback
March 2nd, 2012Via: CBS: Could the Stuxnet virus that sabotaged the Iranian nuclear program be used against the U.S. infrastructure or other high profile targets? A retired American general who was the head of the Central Intelligence Agency when Stuxnet would have been created calls the cyber weapon a “good idea,” but warns it is out there […]
U.S. Court Approves Warrantless Searches of Cell Phones
March 2nd, 2012Via: Reuters: U.S. police can search a cell phone for its number without having a warrant, according to a federal appeals court ruling. Officers in Indiana found a number of cell phones at the scene of a drug bust, and searched each phone for its telephone number. Having the numbers allowed the government to subpoena […]
Internet and Blackberry Services Down at Pentagon
March 2nd, 2012Via: Herald Sun: THE US military’s Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) shut down access to the internet and Blackberry service while work was being done to fix an unspecified problem, yesterday. The shutdown, which came around 10:00am local time, meant that no one in the Pentagon had internet access. Many military downrange, including combatant commands, […]
Speech-Jamming Gun [???]
March 1st, 2012Via: ExtremeTech: Japanese researchers have created a hand-held gun (pictured above) that can jam the words of speakers who are more than 30 meters (100ft) away. The gun has two purposes, according to the researchers: At its most basic, this gun could be used in libraries and other quiet spaces to stop people from speaking […]
The Madness of Dmitry Itskov
February 29th, 2012Hopefully, consciousness is nonlocal and these lunatics have no chance of success. Otherwise… Well, let’s just say that I don’t want to find out what the Cheney daemon has in mind for me, when it emerges from my virtual bedroom closet, wearing a bozo wig and clown suit. What could possibly go wrong? Along these […]
Windows 8 Consumer Preview Presentation
February 29th, 2012I’m watching the live presentation that’s happening in Barcelona and it looks like Windows 8 is going to be using a cloud based log-in feature that is going to sync settings, and a lot of other stuff, across devices. I have no idea if there’s an opt out to let it function as a standalone […]
Google Once Considered Issuing Digital Currency
February 29th, 2012Via: IT World: Google once considered issuing its own currency, to be called Google Bucks, company Chairman Eric Schmidt said on stage in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress Tuesday. At the end of his keynote speech, Schmidt hit on a wide array of topics in response to audience questions. “We’ve had various proposals to […]
