Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Google Offers Two-Factor Authentication
February 10th, 2011I see this development as a sort of confidence trick, where Google is trying to get people to put more of their eggs into fewer baskets (that Google controls, of course). Two-factor authentication schemes offer strong security against unauthorized account access by miscreants, no doubt about it, but never forget that Google is God on […]
Robotic Lettuce Production
February 10th, 2011Via: Singularity Hub: The steady march of industrial automation continues to envelop the world. Many of us have a quaint early 20th century vision of agriculture, but the truth is that the farmer of the 21st century is a machine. Case in point: lettuce. With new hydroponic techniques, companies are able to grow lettuce in […]
Forgive Me iPhone, For I Have Sinned
February 9th, 2011Via: CBS: A new app for devices like the iPhone and iPad aims to take the intimidation factor out of Confession for Catholics — and the Church is giving it the thumbs-up. Forgive Me iPhone, For I Have SinnedYou’ll still have to tell a priest your sins in person, but “Confession: A Roman Catholic App” […]
Pentagon’s New Ground Robot Can Hear You Breathing… Through a Wall
February 9th, 2011Via: Wired: America’s robots make deadly weapons. But there are countermeasures to even the most fearsome bot now in service. To avoid detection by aerial drones, Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have begun traveling in smaller groups. In his excellent book War, Sebastian Junger even describes Afghan fighters covering themselves with blankets on sun-warmed rocks to […]
Homeland Security Hijacks Domain Names of Sites That Allegedly Linked to Copyrighted Materials
February 7th, 2011That’s right. Don’t believe it? Here it is, from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) / Department of Homeland Security: The websites seized yesterday were popular “linking” sites – a type of website that provides access, or “links,” to other websites where pirated sporting and pay-per-view events are hosted. Users simply click on a link […]
U.S. Has Secret Tools to Force Internet on Dictators
February 7th, 2011The de facto role of the US armed forces will be to keep the world safe for our economy and open to our cultural assault. To those ends, we will do a fair amount of killing. —Ralph Peters Oh sure. U.S. PSYOP is just going to provide open Internet connections to the oppressed masses… *roll […]
New Zealand: Rural Broadband Light at the End of the Tunnel is the Train
February 7th, 2011You’ve heard of putting a wolf in charge of guarding a hen house. In rural New Zealand, we’ll get two wolves on the job. The final announcement has not yet been made, so I suppose there’s a chance that it might not be as bad as it looks now. However, my money is on the […]
Hackers Penetrate Nasdaq Computers
February 6th, 2011Via: Wall Street Journal: Hackers have repeatedly penetrated the computer network of the company that runs the Nasdaq Stock Market during the past year, and federal investigators are trying to identify the perpetrators and their purpose, according to people familiar with the matter. The exchange’s trading platform—the part of the system that executes trades—wasn’t compromised, […]
Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down
February 4th, 2011Via: PC World: These days, no popular movement goes without an Internet presence of some kind, whether it’s organizing on Facebook or spreading the word through Twitter. And as we’ve seen in Egypt, that means that your Internet connection can be the first to go. Whether you’re trying to check in with your family, contact […]
Vodafone Colluded with Egyptian Regime’s Information Warfare PSYOP
February 3rd, 2011Via: AP: Egyptian authorities forced Vodafone to broadcast pro-government text messages during the protests that have rocked the country, the U.K.-based mobile company said Thursday. Micro-blogging site Twitter has been buzzing with screen grabs from Vodafone’s Egyptian customers showing text messages sent over the course of the demonstrations against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year-old regime. […]
