Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Is Apple Going to Turn Mac OS Into a Tamperproof Vending Machine?
March 4th, 2011Via: Engadget: Apple’s not saying that it beats other tablets on the market. It’s saying “we do one thing, and these guys do something else altogether.” They’re not competition — they’re not even playing the same game! That’s not to say Apple has given up on PCs, and in fact, the company’s laptop sales are […]
Chinese Military Trains Messenger Pigeons
March 4th, 2011Via: Telegraph: China is training 10,000 messenger pigeons to deliver vital military communications in the event of the country’s communication systems breaking down. According to the Chinese state media, the pigeons are being trained by a special unit of the People’s Liberation Army in the central city of Chengdu. “They will be primarily called upon […]
CENTCOM Tries to Pull the ‘Persona Management Software’ Fat Out of the Fire
March 3rd, 2011Mmm hmm. Via: Washington Post: The U.S. Central Command says its new “Persona” social media “infiltration” software is designed to cozy up to extremist bloggers overseas, not law-abiding Americans chatting on Facebook or similar sites. Earlier this month, the Web buzzed with a report that the software was designed to “manage ‘fake people’ on social […]
New Hampshire: Bill Would Make Some Airport Screening Sexual Assault
March 2nd, 2011Via: WMUR: Lawmakers and residents engaged in heated debate Tuesday over a bill that would make random airport security pat-downs and body scans criminal in New Hampshire. The bill (HB628-FN) “makes the touching or viewing with a technological device of a person’s breasts or genitals by a government security agent without probable cause a sexual […]
Boston Dynamics Gets Military Contract to Build Running Quadruped and Humanoid/Biped Robots
February 28th, 2011Via: Wired: Boston Dynamics, the military engineering firm best known for its four-legged BigDog robot, has been awarded two contracts by DARPA to develop a pair of new robots: an agile humanoid called ATLAS and a speedy, animal-inspired quadruped called CHEETAH. ATLAS looks like a headless Terminator, with a torso, two legs and two arms, […]
Britain: Network Equipment Theft Cuts Mobile Phone and Internet Services to Several Hundred Thousand Vodafone Customers
February 28th, 2011Via: BBC: Vodafone’s mobile network has been disrupted following a break-in at its exchange centre in Basingstoke. The company said that several hundred thousand customers had lost voice, text and internet access. Burglars hit the facility in the early hours of Monday morning, stealing computer equipment and network hardware. Most of the users affected were […]
Homeland Security Will Soon Begin Analyzing DNA at Airports
February 28th, 2011Of course, initially, “It’s for the children.” Via: NextGov: The Homeland Security Department this summer plans to begin testing a DNA analyzer that’s small enough to be easily portable and fast enough to return results in less than an hour. The analyzer, about the size of a laser printer, initially will be used to determine […]
Army of Fake Social Media Friends to Promote Propaganda
February 25th, 2011Via: PC World: It’s recently been revealed that the U.S. government contracted HBGary Federal for the development of software which could create multiple fake social media profiles to manipulate and sway public opinion on controversial issues by promoting propaganda. It could also be used as surveillance to find public opinions with points of view the […]
New Stealth Bomber Could Control Drones, Fire Lasers, Bust Bunkers
February 24th, 2011Recovery! Via: Wired: The Air Force’s new stealth bomber might do more than just drop bombs, top generals said in recent days. The so-called “Long-Range Strike” plane — likely to be designated B-3 — could also carry bunker-busting, rocket-boosted munitions, high-powered lasers for self-defense and datalinks, and consoles for controlling radar-evading drones. These add-ons, described […]
U.S. Government Pays HBGary for Rootkits
February 22nd, 2011Via: Ars Technica: In 2009, HBGary had partnered with the Advanced Information Systems group of defense contractor General Dynamics to work on a project euphemistically known as “Task B.” The team had a simple mission: slip a piece of stealth software onto a target laptop without the owner’s knowledge. Research Credit: RJ
