Daemon Technology Feed

CryEngine 3 by Crytek -- www.gametrailers.com

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:37:50 -0800

The new Crytek game development engine is pretty mind-blowing. Those who played Crysis will remember the destructible environments and realistic lighting & ragdoll physics, but it looks like Crytek has raised the bar again. BTW - The HD demo trailer is worth sitting through the 10-second ad to see.

Skinput -- Using Human Skin as User Interface -- www.engadget.com

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 21:16:27 -0800

Due to different bone densities, tissue mass and muscle size, unique acoustic signatures can be identified for particular parts of the arm or hand (including fingers), allowing people to literally control their gear by touching themselves. The added pico projector makes it even more interesting...

6 Awesome and Free Android Apps -- www.mashable.com

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 17:32:09 -0800

There’s no question that the iPhone has many wonderful apps, but Android’s (Android) smart syncing with existing tools, interesting Android-only experiments coming every day from Google (Google) employees, and its open marketplace model have yielded some tools that may give the average iPhone user pause.

Journey to Mars Could Take Only 39 Days -- yahoo.news

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 17:30:48 -0800

Franklin Chang-Diaz, a former astronaut and a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), says reaching the Red Planet could be dramatically quicker using his high-tech VASIMR rocket, now on track for liftoff after decades of development.

Augmented Reality iPhone App -- www.technologyreview.com

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:29:25 -0800

A new app makes it possible to identify people and learn about them just by pointing your phone.

Movies Don't Just Seem Formulaic... -- www.physorg.com

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:24:42 -0800

Hollywood movies have found a mathematical formula that lets them match the effects of their shots to the attention spans of their audiences. It's only a matter of time until development execs distil this into a piece of turn-key software that automatically rejects the next Shawshank Redemption without their having to read it...

Your Life As An RPG -- www.g4tv.com

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:48:08 -0800

Carnegie Mellon professor and ex-imagineer Jesse Schell lays out a vision of the future in which our lives become, essentially, one big RPG.

Doesn't Anyone Shoot on Location Anymore? -- www.mediabistro.com

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:46:41 -0800

This virtual backlot reel from Stargate Studios illustrates how heavily TV shows rely on green screens and visual effects for outdoor shots.

UK to Deploy Domestic Drones -- www.wired.com

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:35:10 -0800

The UK is building a national fleet of unmanned aircraft for surveillance, but they might do much more. Plans are being drawn up for these drones to use non-lethal force on human targets -- hypersound, disorienting green lasers, etc, etc.

Quite a troubling development for a peaceful democracy.

Wind Turbines to Light Streets -- www.engadget.com

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:31:05 -0800

The Turbine Light concept harnesses the power of the wind from cars rushing past on highways to light up the road. As long as traffic is actually moving that is...

Fusion Tests at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory -- www.sfgate.com

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 23:18:05 -0800

Scientists successfully fired an array of 192 laser beams at a helium-filled target no larger than a BB shot and instantly heated it to six million degrees Fahrenheit. This is a crucial test to show that the immensely powerful lasers can achieve safe fusion reactions that could be scaled up for the eventual production of unlimited and clean energy, a dream nuclear scientists have been pursuing for more than five decades.

More tests to follow this summer. Keep your eye on this $3.5 billion project -- it just might save our collective bacon.

Are Cosmic Rays Flipping Your Bits? --- www.lambda-diode.com

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 23:11:36 -0800

The more random access memory your machine has, the more likely it is that cosmic rays can introduce memory errors. A system on Earth, at sea level, with 4 GB of RAM has a 96% percent chance of having a bit error in three days without the use of error-correcting RAM. With ECC RAM, that goes down to 1.67e-10 or about one chance in six billion.

iPhone Security Flaw Discovered -- www.mobilecrunch.com

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 23:04:05 -0800

iPhone allows settings configuration files to be installed over-the-air through Safari, primarily to help enterprise businesses setup a bunch of iPhones as quickly as possible. This article shows that industrious hackers have figured out a way to exploit this feature to redirect handset packets through any server they wish.

Spray-on Liquid Glass -- www.physorg.com

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:59:48 -0800

Spray-on liquid glass is transparent, non-toxic, and can protect virtually any surface against damage from water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and bacterial infections. However, it's primary use will no doubt be in coating the workspace of colleagues who are out on holiday...

Executives Growing Fear of Cyberattacks -- NY Times

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:37:55 -0800

A survey of computer-security executives suggests that attacks on the Internet pose a growing threat to the energy and communication systems that underlie modern society.

Pick Locks Like a Pro -- onlineeducation.net

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:35:00 -0800

This diagram illuminates the mysteries of common combination locks -- and makes the case for choosing your lock wisely...

All Your Twitter Bot Needs is Love -- Washington Post

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:28:46 -0800

The brief snippets of communication in Twitter make it easier for bots to masquerade as human.

Truly Impressive 360° Degree Video Technology -- www.cnn.com

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:54:38 -0800

CNN demonstrates 360 degree video footage from Haiti by Immersive Media. You can pan the camera around while the video plays as if you're really there. Keep your eye on this technology because in my opinion it's better than 3D.

htaccess Tips Every Web Developer Should Know About -- www.devmoose.com

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:24:51 -0800

Apache's .htaccess (hypertext access) configuration file can be a very powerful Web development tool. Here are a score of tricks you may not know...

Plasma Rocket Technology -- www.videosift.com

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:20:24 -0800

Ad Astra Rocket Company has tested what is currently the most powerful plasma rocket in the world -- one capable of traveling to Mars in 39 days.

As the Webster, Texas, company announced, the VASIMR VX-200 engine ran at 201 kilowatts in a vacuum chamber, passing the 200-kilowatt mark for the first time. The test also marks the first time that a small-scale prototype of the company's VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) rocket engine has been demonstrated at full power.

U.S. Military Deluged by Drone Data -- NY Times

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:07:21 -0800

Remote-controlled drone aircraft are producing so much video intelligence that military analysts are finding it difficult to keep up.

Thieves Using Google Earth to Plunder Napa Valley Solar Panels -- Popular Science

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 15:10:32 -0800

Local police speculate that enterprising thieves are using Google Earth to find California wineries with solar panels for the taking. Now a Congressman has included a provision in the Technology Roadmap Act that would create a national registry to better track solar panel serial numbers.

U.S. Tech Worker Shortage Questioned -- eWeek

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 14:07:17 -0800

Recent report examines near-stagnant wages for U.S. workers and H-1B visa holders. None of this is news to anyone who works in IT. There are plenty of skilled workers in the U.S., but companies aren't keen on paying for them -- and our network infrastructure will suffer as a result.

Seven Things You Need to Know About Augmented Reality -- www.guardian.co.uk

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 11:20:16 -0800

Smartphones are bringing the once-SF concept of augmented reality into the everyday world...

Time Lapse Image of Milky Way -- www.break.com

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 21:43:26 -0800

15 hour time lapse of the night sky from Paranal Laboratory in Chile. Breathtaking...

Glowing Walls Could Spell End of Light Bulb -- Times Online

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 11:58:44 -0800

Light-emitting wallpaper may begin to replace light bulbs as early as 2012, according to a government body that supports low-carbon technology. Less clear is how wall-mounted paintings, shelves, and furniture won't get in the way. Perhaps glowing ceilings might be a better idea?

Fixing U.S. Drone Hacking Vulnerability -- Wired.com

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:42:25 -0800

The recent discovery that Iraqi insurgents had hacked into the video feeds of U.S. drone aircraft (using $26 worth of off-the-shelf parts) reveals a glaring weakness in the command and control of these unmanned vehicles -- the data link isn't encrypted! This article discusses the rather significant changes required to fix this problem.

Incidentally, the fact that any data transmission on a battlefield could be sent unencrypted is just mind-boggling. By definition a battlefield is a hostile environment...

Encrypt Your Thumb Drive Data -- Wired.com

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:38:44 -0800

You've got lots of confidential data on your USB memory stick. Bad things could happen if you lost it, so here's a Wiki that tells you how to encrypt the drive contents....

XM-25: U.S. Army's Future Weapon -- Liveleak.com

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:35:03 -0800

The U.S. Army is in final field tests for a squad-level weapon that gives pin-point indirect fire capability. It's a timed-detonation grenade round from the looks of it...

First-person Remote Control Flight -- www.liveleak.com

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:20:56 -0800

It's amazing how accessible this technology is. You can pretty much launch your own surveillance drones now. How long until camera-steadying technology makes it on board?

10 Augmented Reality Apps for Your iPhone -- www.mashable.com

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:59:26 -0800

Augmented reality is getting ready to explode into the mainstream. Now's the time for every early adopter worth his/her salt to grab a handset and start blazing a path through the clunky, buggy, alpha releases that will keep you on the cutting edge...

Alcohol Pill Can Get You Drunk Without Drinking -- Times of India

Sat, 5 Dec 2009 17:53:29 -0800

Russian chemists have created a technique that powderizes alcohol, allowing it to be consumed as a pill. This is useful for people who feel drinking is too much work, and also for the screenwriters of Hangover 2, who will need plot device to get things moving all over again...

Cool Superconductor Demonstration (no pun intended) -- www.break.com

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:03:47 -0800

I'm not sure how the events in this video are possible from a physics point of view, but natural laws seem to break down when electricity courses through very cold materials (French captions)...

A Personal Helicopter -- www.liveleak.com

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:57:04 -0800

Dangerous as hell, but undoubtedly this will pop up in my fiction somewhere.... It's just too cool.

Anonymity and the Dark Side of the Internet -- www.guardian.co.uk

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:49:09 -0800

Freenet software allows users complete anonymity as they share viruses, criminal contacts, and child pornography. This cuts to the heart of the matter: anonymity is critical for evading arrest by repressive regimes, but it also empowers criminals. Is there a balance that can be struck between anonymity and user-tracking?

For some time now, I've contended that our computer networks and the social networks they facilitate can form the fabric of society itself -- reputation-based darknets (encrypted networks), membership in which requires surrender of anonymity--but only to the others within that darknet (or community).

The Power of Search in Shaping Public Opinion -- www.imgur.com

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:28:07 -0800

As a comparison, search Google for images on 'Abu Ghraib.' Thankfully, we still address our past mistakes in all their ugliness, so that coming generations may learn from them. No good can come from white-washing the past and indulging in the fantasy of infallibility.

Facebook Friend Turns into Big Brother - Lacrosse Tribune

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:23:55 -0800

Local police have started mining social network imagery for easy arrests. Given the deplorable status of city and state budgets, you can probably expect more such cyber patrols...

fMRI Brain Scan Used in Murder Sentencing -- www.sciencemag.org

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:02:58 -0800

fMRI scans of brain activity have been used as evidence in the sentencing phase of a murder trial. I anticipate this technology will continue to expand -- particularly as cash-strapped states look for a silver bullet to clear their case backlogs. This makes it all the more imperative that we have a public discussion of the accuracy and effectiveness of the tech and the specific implementations of that tech.

Likewise, what legal standards will be used to constrain police 'searches' of people's minds? Do we need a 21st century Bill of Rights that covers 'search' of suspects' minds, clearly delineating what will and will not be permissable for authorities? Finally, is it only a matter of time until fMRI goes into widespread use in repressive regimes around the world where leadership wants to isolate and identify 'troublemakers' and 'dissidents'? Stay tuned....

Wave of U.S. Debts Coming Due -- NY Times

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:34:11 -0800

Treasury officials face a trifecta of headaches: a mountain of new debt, a balloon of short-term borrowing that comes due in the months ahead, and rising interest rates (just in case anyone thinks the scenario in the sequel to Daemon, is implausible...).

Age of Cyber Warfare is Dawning - BBC

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:32:05 -0800

Cyber warfare has moved from fiction to fact. Many nations are now arming to defend themselves in a cyber war and readying forces to conduct their own attacks

Visualizing Sound Waves with Fire - www.youtube.com

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:24:16 -0800

Very cool acoustic experiment with a PVC tube, propane, and speakers. Probably not suitable for the average dorm room, but then it would kick ass at 5X the size for a heavy metal band...

Water on the Moon - yahoo.news

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:45:13 -0800

The LCROSS rocket blasted a crater on moon that discovered up to 24 gallons of water in the debris cloud. It looks like long-term missions to the moon won't have to lift all their water after all, and this would also allow them to create rocket fuel for the return journey.

Breaking the Botnet Code - www.technologyreview.com

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:24:43 -0800

Software that deciphers botnet communications could help infiltrate criminals' networks.

Upcoming FPS, 'Modern Warfare 3' Captures Real Warfare -- The Onion

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:42:03 -0800

The Onion usually skewers a topic perfectly with their accurate, insightful satire. This one ably deflates the modern warfare cliches...

Cross Country Trip on Google Maps -- www.liveleak.com

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 20:40:21 -0800

I've always wanted to write a script that grabbed Google Map Streetview photos, gathering them into an animation of a journey. Well, someone's done it for me...

Wall Street is Rising but Main Street is Still Hurting. Why? -- www.pbs.org

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:38:25 -0800

Bill Moyers has on renowned economist James K. Galbraith to discuss what's happening with the U.S. economy.

Laser Gunship Torches Car -- www.wired.com

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 20:36:42 -0800

In case you think military lasers are still science fiction, here's one in action...

Deep Hydrogen in Rocks -- www.astrobio.net

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:35:02 -0800

Hydrogen exists in geological formations and can conceivably be released by fracturing (crushing the stone). Hydrogen off-gasses from the fresh fracture surfaces for hundreds of hours.

Renewable Energy in America -- www.technologyreview.com

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:33:39 -0800

Here's a map of the potential for existing renewable energy technologies in various regions of the U.S.

MIT Students Put Camera in Space for $150 -- www.ireport.com

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:32:09 -0800

An MIT class brought a rocket and a camera to the edge of space -- and took photos to prove it -- with only $150 worth of materials.

Laser Cooling Could Create Exotic States of Matter -- www.nationalgeographic.com

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:30:35 -0800

Lasers can actually be used to super-cool matter -- and in so doing create exotic matter.

The Venus Project

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:29:41 -0800

Rethinking society from the ground up, how would we do things differently?

How Real is the Threat from Autonomous Technology? -- www.economist.com

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 20:28:10 -0800

As botnets and malware continue to spread, how real is the threat to human liberty from these fast-evolving digital monsters?

Five Barriers to Adoption of Augmented Reality -- www.readwriteweb.com

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:26:52 -0800

Augmented reality seems about ready to explode, but there are still a few barriers to its widespread use.

Sophisticated Malware Rewrites Online Bank Statements to Hide Fraud -- www.wired.com

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:25:33 -0800

Malware authors have realized that they can hide their theft by simply recoding the victim's online bank statement to hide their withdrawals.

Layar - Augmented Reality for Mobile Devices -- www.layar.com

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 20:24:38 -0800

Here's a development platform for creating spatially-aware web objects...

Will Machines Outsmart Mankind? - NY Times

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:23:06 -0800

Increasing complexity of software and unanticipated interactions between networked software has begun to raise the specter of fairly dumb machines pushing humanity around...

Where Cell Phone Use Data Goes -- jeffjonas.typepad.com

Wed, 9 Sep 2009 20:21:11 -0800

Mobile devices in America are generating something like 600 billion geo-spatially tagged transactions per day. Every call, text message, email and data transfer handled by your mobile device creates a transaction with your space-time coordinate.

How a Fake Credit Card is Made -

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:20:08 -0800

Sophisticated ID thief rings can produce just about any credit card they need.

Why Identity Theft is Not Rampant in Europe - msncentral.com

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:18:41 -0800

In the EU government ID numbers and official records are not readily available for commercial purposes. Instead, they're used by the government. Whereas in the States, SS#'s are the gateway to all sorts of trouble.

High Speed Stock Trading Pays Off in Milliseconds - NY TImes

Mon, 3 Aug 2009 20:17:26 -0800

Forget value investing...the financial sector is focusing on gaming the system for profits.

That Haunting Feeling...it's just 19hz -- users.iafrica.com

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:15:29 -0800

An English researcher accidentally discovered that sound frequencies at 19Hz can bring on a feeling -- even the visual perception of a ghost....

High Speed Stock Trading Wars - www.arstechnica.com

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:12:04 -0800

High frequency stock trading measures success in different ways than traditional stock trading...

Aerogel, the Coolest Substance Ever - videosift.com

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:09:22 -0800

Aerogel is derived from a gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. The result is an extremely low-density solid with several remarkable properties....

Bulldozing the Suburbs - www.csmonitor.com

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:07:54 -0800

As American suburban life begins to make less and less sense economically, we'll be likely to see more subdivisions being plowed under -- the land redirected to more productive purposes.

Homicides in New York City By Location - NY Times

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 20:06:52 -0800

Here's a breakdown of every murder in NYC on an interactive map.

High Population Densities Cause Cultural Explosions - www.scienceblog.com

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:05:18 -0800

Close concentrations of people striving to succeed breeds radical cultural evolution. It makes sense, but it's no doubt not an entirely pleasant process (e.g., the massive shanty-town cities of the Third World).

Dead Man's Switch - www.deadmansswitch.net

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 20:03:33 -0800

Here's a way to let folks know you're dead via email -- even after you're dead. You can leave instructions, etc. Reminds me of a certain story. Hmm....

A Startling Vision of the Future - www.liveleak.com

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:02:22 -0800

It seemed so much better on the newsreel...

Relative Size Comparison of Stars in the Galaxy

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:28:39 -0800

If you think you have a handle on relative size in the universe, prepare to have your mind completely blown...

51 Things Blurred Out on Google Earth - www.focus.com

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:26:54 -0800

Back in the early days of Google Maps and Google Earth, the powers-that-be didn't seem aware that anyone could be looking in from above. Not so today, as these blurred out areas show (or don't show).

Telecom Tech Helping Authorities Track Protestors in Iran - news.bbc.uk

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 16:24:46 -0800

Although the technology revolution has made it possible for independent voices to get the word out about recent events in Iran, it also helps the authorities track who's doing the talking.

Disappearing Cities - Detroit - jamesgriffioen.net

Tue, 26 May 2009 16:22:17 -0800

The modern industrial hub city might be fading in America -- even as cities in the Third World grow ever larger. These images are haunting reminders of how change washes everything away eventually.

fMRI Lie Detection - www.psychologytoday.com

Wed, 20 May 2009 16:20:54 -0800

Research into fMRI lie detection reveals that secrets might be difficult to keep in the near future...

Is the Addiction-based Model for Gaming Evil?

Tue, 19 May 2009 16:13:54 -0800

Jeff Vogel contemplates addictive-based game design.

Simple Musical App That's Surprisingly Involving - lab.andre-michelle.com

Wed, 6 May 2009 16:09:22 -0800

Don't let the simplicity of this web app fool you. Play around with it, and you'll be amazed how much fun it is.

Make a Rope from Plastic Shopping Bags without Tools - www.metacafe.com

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:07:16 -0800

Although you're unlikely to need this skill, in the event you do --- it'll really impress the hell out of folks.

Can the Modern World be Built with Open Source?

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:24:29 -0800

Sure there are individual open source projects -- but what about organizing an entire society based on open source principles?

10 Immutable Laws of Computer Security - www.technet.microsoft.com

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:21:52 -0800

It never hurts to go back through the basics -- even though clients sometimes don't want to hear them...

A Cyber Attack on an American City - www.perens.com

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 15:19:30 -0800

On April 9, 2009, the northern California city of Morgan Hill was apparently the target of a carefully orchestrated cyber attack (which included physically cutting critical fiber optic cables). The results show just how vulnerable our hyper-efficient modern infrastructure is to such tactics.

Kites as a Source of Renewable Wind Energy - videosift.com

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:08:21 -0800

Some serious electricity generation can be done with high-altitude kite turbines. There's the question of what to do about hazards to aircraft from the tethers, but it's worth looking into -- particularly in areas where high-altitude winds are reliable.

Thorium as a Fuel for Nuclear Reactors - blogspot.com

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:04:06 -0800

Early in the history of nuclear energy, Thorium was ruled out as a fuel in favor of other fissionable materials. However, the increased safety and ubiquity of thorium makes it a much more logical choice to power nuclear reactors.

Drupal - An open source web content management system - www.drupal.org

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 15:01:15 -0800

Here's an open-source web content management system that's doing real work for non-profits, companies, and individuals alike. It requires some training to run effectively -- but then, what doesn't? The price is certainly right,...

Augmented Reality in Action - offworld.com

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:38:06 -0800

UK game company, Introversion, plays around with an augmented reality UI. Designer, Leander Hambley talks about it more in his blog post here.

Computer Repair Kit in a Thumb Drive -- Readwriteweb.com

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:36:29 -0800

Technibble recently released the second version of its popular Computer Repair Utility Kit, a collection of 57 hand picked tools to help you diagnose and repair your Windows machine.

Tiny GPS Receiver -- Engadget.com

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:31:29 -0800

Epson's Infineon XPOSYS chip is an Assisted-GPS device set for mass production in late 2009. The chip measures just 2.8 x 2.9-mm making it 25% smaller than other A-GPS chips on the market, according to Epson, while consuming half the power. The sensitivity has also been improved for a more accurate location fix while indoors.

If you need to know where all this is heading, just read Neal Stephenson's 'Diamond Age.'

Nano Fabrication Using Amorphous Metals - Yale.edu

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:29:40 -0800

Yale engineers have created a process that may revolutionize the manufacture of nano-devices from computer memory to biomedical sensors by exploiting a novel type of metal. The material can be molded like plastics to create features at the nano-scale and yet is more durable and stronger than silicon or steel. The work is reported in the February 12 issue of Nature.

Flying an RC Plane Down a 3.8km Tunnel -- Checkmycity.com

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 00:24:35 -0800

Enthusiasts fly their RC plane alongside their car while driving through a long highway tunnel in Europe. I can only imagine what would have happened if someone tried this in the Lincoln Tunnel in NYC. Tasers would no doubt have made an appearance..

1980's Sega Video Game Commercial - techeblog.com

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:22:09 -0800

Video games sure have come a long way in the last 25 years, but I don't the commercials ever got funnier than this one...

Parking Tickets as Malware Attack -- YahooNews.com

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 00:19:49 -0800

The last place anyone would expect to face a computer security attack is on the windshield of their car. Oh well, I guess that's why it's happening...

Build Your Own Motion-Activated Spy Cam -- Instructables.com

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 00:10:29 -0800

Home projects sure have changed over the years. I remember my first '150-in-1 Electronics Project Kit' (Page 154 of the 1977 Radio Shack Catalog). Now, kids and small governments of all ages can create their own Internet-enabled covert video and audio recording devices.

Whistleblower Says NSA Monitors Everybody -- dailytech.com

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:07:36 -0800

Massive dragnet sweeps up communications metadata, and financial records, while targets have all of their communications recorded.

So much for USSID-18...

Scientists Teleport Matter -- FoxNews.com

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:01:44 -0800

For the first time, information has been teleported between two separate atoms across a distance of a meter. This was achieved by the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland -- along with colleagues at the University of Michigan.

It makes you wonder what's going to be discovered in the next fifty years (assuming we don't burn out civilization first).

Hypersonic Sound Demonstration at TED in 2004 -- ted.com

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:59:14 -0800

Woody Norris, the inventor of hypersonic sound, demonstrates the technology at TED in February, 2004. For those of you who read Daemon and wondered if hypersonic sound was real -- wonder no more...

Ten Sci-fi Devices Nearing Reality - NewScientist.com

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:55:51 -0800

As William Gibson once said: "The future is already here -- it's just unevenly distributed." Lately tech has been advancing so rapidly you might need to update your understanding of what's currently possible on a weekly basis.

Liquid Wood is the Plastic of Tomorrow -- DW World

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:54:47 -0800

German scientists believe a new invention, liquid wood, could soon supplant the chemical in terms of everyday usefulness.

New Games Powered by Brain Waves -- physorg.com

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:50:49 -0800

Mattel demonstrated the game, Mindflex, at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 8, 2009. EEG sensors detect player brain wave activity to move a rubber ball through obstacles -- officially removing throught-controlled devices from the realm of science fiction.

Modern Society Vulnerable to Solar Storms -- nap.edu

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:06:18 -0800

Although solar flare ups have occurred infrequently over the eons, when they did occur pre-industrial man wasn't likely to notice. Modern electrical grids, communication systems, and navigational tools, however are susceptible to interruption by solar storms. It's possible that the next major disturbance could cause a temporary global blackout of critical systems, according to a report by the National Academies.

How to go about shielding systems from these flare ups? Is it possible (and if so, is it economically feasible)?

Scientists Closing in on Cloak of Invisibility -- Yahoo News.com

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:03:19 -0800

Researchers at Duke University, who developed a material that can "cloak" an item from detection by microwaves, report that they have expanded the number of wavelengths they can block.

NASA Detects Mystery Booming Sound In Deep Space - Gizmodo.com

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:59:55 -0800

NASA has detected a deep space sound that currently defies explanation. They don't have a single clue about its origin, according to Alan Kogut from the Goddard Space Center.

Huge surprises like this remind us that the universe is probably far more interesting than we can imagine...

Storm Botnet Cracked (And Why It Won't Help) - Heise-online.co.uk

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:04:18 -0800

Researchers have cracked the bot's command and control architecture, but that doesn't mean the botnet is doomed. Running a centralized extermination of a botnet entails making remote changes to tens of thousands of machines -- without the owner's approval. And that's a hell of a lot like a worm... Would it break some workstations? What if those workstations were running a medical lab? Or a prison perimeter control system?

So, cracking a botnet's DNA doesn't mean the monster can be slain. The cure might do more damage than the disease.

fMRI System Reading Someone's Mind - CBS 60 Minutes

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 21:03:15 -0800

Functional magnetic resonance imaging as depicted in my book is not fiction. While the documentarians in this 60-Minutes segment seem entertained by the prospect of a computer reading and correctly interpreting brain activity, the real-world ramifications are quite serious. How long until resource-rich but human-rights-poor nations begin to use such systems to identify potential agitators within their populations?

Certainly we can't roll back the clock on progress or ban technologies; however, establishing standards of ethical behavior in relation to these technologies is (at least) a start. Democracies should begin to consider legislation to address lawful versus unlawful searches of one's mind for information. One might take the search warrant laws as a foundation (e.g., no fishing expeditions - the warrant must explicitly state the information being searched for and what questions the subject will be asked, etc.).

Bottom line: There are interesting times ahead...

FBI Says 'Cybergeddon' is #3 Threat to U.S. - Yahoo News

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 00:27:58 -0800

Shawn Henry, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, told a conference in New York that computer attacks pose the biggest risk "from a national security perspective, other than a weapon of mass destruction or a bomb in one of our major cities."

Strange, but linking critical infrastructure together with an inherently open protocol doesn't seem like such a great idea anymore...

The Year 2038 Problem/Opportunity -- Wikipedia.com

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 00:26:11 -0800

The "Unix Millennium bug" (or "Y2K38") may cause some computer software to fail before or in the year 2038. The problem affects all software and systems that store system time as a signed 32-bit integer.

Most 32-bit Unix-like systems store and manipulate time in this format, and aging, embedded systems might be tricky to revise.

However, Y2K remediation vets probably see this for what it is: billable hours.

MI5 To Step up "Remote Searching" of Citizen PC's - Times Online UK

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 00:21:26 -0800

The Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain to routinely hack into people’s personal computers without a warrant. Information-sharing agreements between EU governments will make any information gleaned exportable to member states.

The question remains whether British police are l33t...

Pinhead Fusion Reactor Test Nears - Telegraph UK

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:19:27 -0800

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists will attempt to create an artificial sun on earth, possibly providing an answer to the world’s impending energy shortage. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) tests will begin this spring and involve focusing intense laser energy on a piece of matter the size of a pinhead for just a billionth of a second.

A Peek at Homeland Security's Files on Travelers -- Newsweek

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:16:16 -0800

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a copy of one reporter's travel dossier produces a shockingly detailed profile of his movements, communications, and means of payment.

Gen Y Soldiers Grok Remote Weaponry -- StrategyPage.com

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:13:34 -0800

After a childhood of playing video games, U.S. soldiers find the new CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations) as agile as a newly grown limb.

Scientists Extract Image Directly from the Brain - pinktentacle.com

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:50:14 -0800

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed a new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11.

Now, how could this possibly go wrong?

1984 Chevy Corvette Commercial - Youtube.com

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 22:46:51 -0800

Here's a little trip down memory lane. Now you know why the U.S. auto industry is on life-support twenty-five years later...

(And no, this isn't a parody)

Thieves Winning Online War - NY Times

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 22:44:36 -0800

As I said in my August 8th Long Now presentation, I think the Internet, while a pivotal development, needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. I just don't think we can continue hanging civilization's critical infrastructure on an inherently unsecurable network.

BotHunter, A Free Passive Network Monitoring Tool - bothunter.net

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:43:16 -0800

Make sure your computer is still your computer. Run this passive network activity monitor to see what network processes are active on your machine. You might find a rootkit that your anti-virus scanner missed.

US Warned of China 'Cyber Spying' - BBC

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:42:12 -0800

It appears that battalions of Chinese 'take home warriors' are testing the barriers of America's cyber defenses. The fact that many of the hardware components in those 'defenses' were built in China should be of interest here.

Creating Your Own Map-Wiki with 'My Maps' from Google - webmonkey.com

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:40:42 -0800

Google has created a Maps feature that allows you to Geo-tag comments and other information. It's basically an annotated map layer that you can share with others. Just remember that the terms of use mean you agree to share your geo-data with Google, too.

America's Next Top Hash Function - Wired.com

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:39:14 -0800

Bruce Schneier discusses the upcoming competition by the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) to replace the SHA family of hash functions. Submittals were due back in October, 2008, and it will take several years to sort out the most promising candidates.

Air-powered cars - Yahoo News

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:37:45 -0800

I can't tell if they're designed for actual use or as pun-bait for green-technology journalists...

Do You Really Need a Scanner? Use Your Phone -- Scanr.com

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:09:13 -0800

Cheap optics have improved to the point where you can start using your cell phone's digital camera as a scanner -- which you then upload to Scanr's web site (or to your own machine for printing).

Pakistan Declares Death Penalty for Cyber Crimes -- Wired

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 21:04:23 -0800

In case you harbored any doubts as to what governments fear most, Pakistan has moved hacking to the death penalty column (although the law states that the hacker needs to have caused the death of someone through their actions). Is that really a common enough thing in Pakistan that they need a special law for it?

Air-powered Car - Yahoo Finance

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 20:57:08 -0800

Compressed air might be useful to create a local commuter car that emits the very atmosphere that powers it. The only question is what energy you use to compress the air -- and that can change as local needs change.

Sinowal Banking Worm Has Gone Undetected For Two Years -- BBC

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 14:45:50 -0700

About 500,000 online bank accounts and credit and debit cards have been stolen by a virus described as "one of the most advanced pieces of crimeware ever created."

Web Security Firm Warns of Obfuscated Code - Security Focus

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:43:49 -0700

A new type of cyber break-in is resulting in a significant amount of data being stolen, underscoring that traditional software defenses are hard pressed to catch obfuscated attacks,

Can You Hack Your Own Web Site? - Nettuts.com

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:28:15 -0700

The best defense is...a good defense. This site steps you through a number of key considerations when trying to build a robust and secure site architecture. Props to Ben Charnock for putting this article together.

Author Daniel Suarez at the Long Now Foundation - longnow.org

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:25:41 -0700

This summer I spoke on the subject of Bot-mediated reality at the Long Now Foundation in San Francisco. The online Video and MP3 audiois now available for that seminar from Whole Earth Films' web site. I'd recommend watching the video, though, because I use a number of graphics in the presentation.

Thanks to Stewart Brand and the Long Now Foundation for having me!

Cybercrime Supersite was FBI Sting - Wired

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:22:27 -0700

In a show of cyber-savvy, the Feds decided that rather than try to hunt through the Web looking for bad guys, they could just set up the best Warez site on the Internet and the black hats would come to them. Who knew that cyber criminals could be so trusting?

U.S. Debt Clock Runs out of Digits - bbc.co.uk

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 12:20:19 -0700

First there was the Y2K problem. Now there's the 10TrillionInDebt problem. The answer? Reduce the debt? Hell no...let's add more columns.

And people wonder why the U.S. dollar doesn't go as far as it used to.

Fake YouTube Pages Spread Viruses - Yahoo news

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 12:16:09 -0700

In my first book, Daemon, there's an example of graphic decompression security flaws. It looks like they're still around, several service packs later. This one is a browser-based flaw that can result in a security compromise even from a reputable web site that accepts uploaded content. Now that it's been publicized there will hopefully be a fix on the way.

World Sunlight Map - Opentopia.com

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 12:14:38 -0700

A realistic-looking map of the world's sunlight at the current moment. If you can't have a window office on the International Space Station, then this is the next best thing.

Cool Button Camera - metacafe.com

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:09:02 -0700

In David Brin's book Transparent Society from a decade ago, he discusses the coming ubiquity of surveillance cameras. Well, now you can look back at the watchers with this tiny button-hole camera. Especially useful for turning consumer rip-offs into YouTube infamy... :)

What is 'svchost.exe'? -- howtogeek.com

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:06:14 -0700

If you've ever looked at your Windows Task Manager and noticed several instances of 'svchost.exe' running -- and wondered what's going on -- then here's an informative web page. It also covers the topic of worms and viruses masquerading as 'svchost.exe'.

SQL Injection Tool - sqlmap.com

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:01:05 -0700

If you're trying to bullet-proof your web site, here's a handy open source application developed in Python that can help you reproduce common SQL Injection attacks quickly. It's especially useful if you have a lot of web sites or sites with numerous user-input controls. If you like it, be sure to donate to the developers, Bernardo Damele and Daniele Bellucci

Foundstone Whitepapers - foundstone.com

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:59:37 -0700

Here's a great collection of whitepapers on IT security issues from the folks who brought you the 'Hacking Exposed' series of books.

iPhone Takes Screenshots of Everything You Do -- Wired.com

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:09:55 -0700

If you've got an iPhone, pretty much everything you've done on your handset has been temporarily stored as a screenshot that hackers or forensics experts could eventually recover. Surprise!

The Brightest Object Ever Recorded In the Universe -- scientificblogging.com

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:08:51 -0700

Back in March, 2008 a supernova 2.5 million times brighter than the most luminous supernova ever recorded effectively blinded optical and X-Ray telescopes. It also shattered the record for the most distant object ever recorded -- 7.5 billion light years. This one explosion was brighter than an entire galaxy, and if it happened in our own galaxy, we might all be dead from the radiation. The explosion was so massive, it's causing physicists to rework their models of the universe. It didn't manage to actually make the news, though.

Are Americans Losing their DIY Skills? -- Popular Mechanics

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:04:12 -0700

Just look at the Popular Mechanics Boy Mechanic books to see the kinds of skills that boys and teenagers were once routinely expected to possess . . .(and here's a hint: ganking is not among them).

"Main Core" Database - Democracynow.org

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:01:37 -0700

Designed for use by the military in the event of a national emergency or suspension of the Constitution, the 'Main Core' system is intended to implement a very different form of government from the one envisioned by our Founders.

The question is whether 'Main Core' is currently in use . . .

Can We Harness Energy from Space? -- Howstuffworks.com

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 23:59:58 -0700

With peak oil already here (or not far off), energy worries have begun to grip the collective psyche. However, a brief glance up at the sun should provide more than a little consolation -- it blows through more energy in a second than all of mankind has used throughout history. And that's just one star out of trillions.

So let's get up there and start innovating...

Computer Viruses Make it to Orbit - BBC

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:58:07 -0700

A computer virus is alive and well on the International Space Station. So much for that chance to start over with a better security model for all of eternity...

New attack against multiple encryption functions - Computerworld

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:15:02 -0700

Adi Shamir (who is the 'S' in 'RSA') has presented material at the Crypto 2008 Conference that has promised a new form of mathematical attack against a broad range of cryptographic ciphers, including hash functions (such as MD5, SHA-256), stream ciphers (such as RC4), and block ciphers (such as DES, Triple-DES, AES).

The new method of cryptanalysis has been called a "cube attack."

The Most Annoying Toy in the World -- Videosift

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:36:15 -0700

I defy you not to laugh out loud while watching this (careful of the sound volume if you're at work).

Web Service That Phones You With Ready Excuse -- www.lifehacker.com

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:30:31 -0700

Here's a service you can use to ring your cell phone at a specific time to provide a ready excuse to exit awkward or unpleasant social situations. Does this really sound easier than just excusing yourself like a normal person would? It's weasel-ware...

The Biggest Security Hole in a Decade: DNS Cache Poisoning -- NowPublic.com

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:27:17 -0700

"Six months ago, security researcher Dan Kaminsky was looking for a faster way to host data on the internet. What he found was the biggest internet security hole in a decade... and today the exploit code has been released into the wild."

Maybe we should have been more careful before we plugged half the damned economy into the Internet...

Bruce Schneier on Corporate Control of Your Devices -- Wired.com

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 12:04:58 -0700

Bruce Schneier expounds on the topic of government and private industry increasingly gaining control of devices you thought you owned and controlled. He points out: "It used to be that just the entertainment industries wanted to control your computers -- and televisions and iPods and everything else -- to ensure that you didn't violate any copyright rules. But now everyone else wants to get their hooks into your gear."

And eye-opening article. Be sure to check out his blog on a regular basis -- always informative: Bruce Schneier's Blog

Ender's Game Gets Real -- Slate.com

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:52:57 -0700

Raytheon has unveiled its "Universal Control System", a drone piloting system that resembles nothing so much as a first-person shooter. The difference here is that when you click 'fire', people die in the real world. Which brings the obvious question: How long before the Pentagon simply buys EA and starts having gamers run war bots in the real world while still thinking they're playing a game? Forget the draft and replace it with a monthly subscriber fee.

Remember when these types of scenarios were relegated to science fiction films? Damn, I miss those days... (Also: "Universal Control System"?! As a project name, I think it's overreaching just a tad)

Viacom's Legal Bots Need Tweaking -- www.theconsumerist.com

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:46:25 -0700

The bots designed to scour the web for illegally posted Viacom content need to have their logic improved. For example, "IF CONTENT = VIDEO THEN IT BELONGS TO VIACOM" does not accurately model reality. At least not yet.... :)

Triple Monitor World of Warcraft Rig -- YouTube

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:36:42 -0700

Check out the panoramic view on this guy's gaming system. With just a few more screens he'd have eyes in the back of his head. Helpfully, he describes the hardware he used to achieve this. Now all that remains is explaining the necessity of this purchase to your significant other...

Corporate Consolidation of Media -- www.neatorama.com

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:31:56 -0700

Explore the wide range of companies (five) that own just about every media outlet you can think of. And this is just the television consolidation...

10,000 Laptops/Week Go Missing -- Network World

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:24:11 -0700

According to the Ponemon Institute, more than 10,000 laptops are reported lost at the 36 largest airports in the US each week and, of those, 65 percent are not reclaimed. Seriously...what the hell?! Who doesn't bother to report a lost laptop at the airport? I suspect someone's not trying very hard to locate the owners -- especially since each laptop probably has owner information somewhere on/in it.

These devices probably wind up sold en masse, and who knows what confidential information goes along for the ride (the report doesn't state where they wind up).

Parallel Universes -- BBC

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 22:17:52 -0700

A BBC documentary examines current theories about parallel universes, and their implications. This is a five-part series that's one more reason to procrastinate (since another you in a parallel universe will do the work, you might as well be the inevitable you who doesn't....)

Top TED Talks - www.ted.com

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 22:11:23 -0700

The Top 10 TEDTalks of all time, as determined by online viewing popularity. Each talk is 8 minutes of pure insight into a wide variety of topics. Be sure to explore the TED site because all of the talks are fascinating.

BMW M3 Beats Toyota Prius in MPG Under Certain Conditions?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:39:55 -0700

UK show, Top Gear, puts an 8-cylinder BMW M3 against a Prius in a 10-lap driving test, and shows that big engines don't always mean less fuel efficiency -- how you drive matters more than you think. Likewise, the ecological impact of the Prius's battery packs (not to mention disposal of the toxic waste when they wear out after eight years or so), might make the Prius the less ecologically-friendly choice over the long-term.

The Web Site is Down...

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:47:47 -0700

Just an awesome video that neatly captures the IT support experience...

Photographs Fool Age-verification Scheme in Japan

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:45:54 -0700

With the full-scale rollout of Japan’s cigarette vending machine age-verification system just around the corner, a reporter has confirmed the existence of a minor flaw: magazine photos can be used to fool the age-verification cameras...

Skyscraper's 728-ton Stabilizing Ball in Action

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:37:05 -0700

The world’s largest ‘tuned mass damper’ sits near the top of the world’s largest completed skyscraper, Taipei 101 in Taiwan. It's a counter-pendulum to push back against building motion, whether by earthquake or wind. This video shows it reacting to the recent Chinese earthquakes.

MIT Students Develop Solar Dish Hot Enough to Melt Steel

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:21:43 -0700

The dish is composed of a set of 10 inch by 12 foot curved mirrors mounted to an aluminum framework using simple hardware like washers and zip ties -- but it concentrates the sun's energy so efficiently that it can cause two-by-fours to burst into flames almost instantly, and with a bit more effort, melt steel.

Viable Solar Energy Plants on the Horizon

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:27:23 -0700

BrightSource Energy is bringing the cost-per-kilowatt of solar power down within striking distance of conventional fossil fuels (or are fossil fuels rising to meet the cost of solar?). Either way, solar is becoming a viable alternative...

Smartphones Riskier than Laptops?

Sat, 7 Jun 2008 23:32:27 -0700

Although your laptop has more vectors to attack, you don't usually walk around with it on all the time, and the increasing complexity of smartphones has increased the options hackers have to compromise them.

Kill This Box - DDOS Defense Software

Thu, 22 May 2008 22:56:52 -0700

The company, yPigsFly, is putting their distributed denial of service (DDOS) defense software to the test by daring any and all to bring down their test server. They won't press charges -- so have at it...

Image Metrics Facial Motion Capture

Tue, 20 May 2008 22:52:10 -0700

This is a mind-blowing motion capture technology for rendering realistic, real-time actor performances from CGI characters. The fateful day is coming when a movie star doesn't really exist...they're a 3D model with a revolving series of human 'ghosts' inhabiting their geometry.

Air Force RFP for Cyber Warfare - fbo.gov

Thu, 15 May 2008 23:37:51 -0700

If you can take over the world from your keyboard, the Air Force wants to talk to you. The Federal Business Opportunities web site has quietly posted a request for proposals to architect an all-encompassing offensive cyber warfare capability. They use the term 'Dominant Cyber Offensive Engagement' (translation: 'All Your Base Belong To Us').

I'm sure all of this comes as a very rude shock to the Chinese -- who decided years ago that cyberspace was the place where they were most likely to achieve battlefield dominance over the U.S.

Projectile Dysfunction in Quake Wars - YouTube.com

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:36:26 -0700

A great machinema satire of ED ads using game engine from Quake Wars. (SFW).

What Google Knows About Spam - Matt Cutts

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:34:07 -0700

Here's a video of Matt's web spam presentation at the recent Web 2.0 Expo. Since he's possibly the leading authority on the topic of web spam, Matt's posts are always interesting.

Compare Relative Merits of Various Biofuels - gas2.org

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:32:57 -0700

Each biofuel feedstock has a different impact on overall greenhouse gas emissions, water and pesticide use, as well as the energy required to produce the fuel and its energy yield. Corn-based ethanol isn't just helping to raise fuel prices -- it's also wasting energy.

Cameras as Social Control in the Internet Age - Flickr

Thu, 8 May 2008 23:31:09 -0700

Obnoxious people beware: With everyone walking around carrying cell phone cameras and possessed of web publishing capability, it just doesn't pay to be a jerk. The Internet has become a powerful tool for shaming the those whose misdeeds might otherwise go unnoticed.

Kraken Botnet Infiltration Triggers Ethics Debate - eWeek

Mon, 5 May 2008 23:29:26 -0700

What happens when white hats seize control of a botnet? Do they cleanse the tens of thousands of infected host computers without the owners' consent? What if that 'bricks' the host's machine -- and what if that machine had critical data on it? The debate over whether you can ethically kill a botnet has begun...

Bots Push Back on Turing Test - Washington Post

Thu, 1 May 2008 23:28:16 -0700

Common tests used by Web sites to tell the difference between a human and a computer are being targeted by malware bots. And the bots are learning fast...

Watch GTA IV Live - Ustream.com

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:27:23 -0700

Bummed that Grand Theft Auto IV isn't yet available for the PC? Until it comes out in October you could always watch some other jackass play on his Xbox 360 via the magic of streaming video.

Movie Trailer to be Adapted into Feature Film - The Onion

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:25:56 -0700

This is quite possible my favorite satirical piece from The Onion. It perfectly skewers the fanboy phenomenon and nails the inability of major studios to rely upon anything but 'packaging' to sell a movie.

Genetic Privacy at Risk from New Legislation - cchconline.org

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:23:50 -0700

Genetic privacy, parental consent, and individual self-determination rights are at stake with the U.S. Senate’s passage of S. 1858, the ‘Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007.’ This paper outlines five key issues of concern.

Note: A basic rule I employ is that the more benign the title of the legislation, the more likely it is to screw you.

Automated Restaurant - BBC News

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:12:06 -0700

No need to talk with anyone at all. Combine this with ATM's, online shopping, and pumping gas off your credit card, and the isolation of the modern person is complete.

Maintaining friendships is a drag on the economy anyway... :)

Report Finds IRS Security Flaws - Associated Press

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 23:08:57 -0700

A report Monday from the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration expressed concern that a hacker might "gain full control of the IRS network" due to lax security safeguards on key systems.

Vehicle Tracking Through TPMS - HexView.com

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 23:07:12 -0700

Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) are becoming standard in all new cars, and each wheel of the vehicle transmits a unique ID, easily readable at a distance using off-the-shelf receivers.

RFID encryption cracked - EETimes

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 23:05:33 -0700

Germany's Chaos Computer Club has cracked the encryption scheme on the popular Mifare Classic RFID chip. The device is used in many contactless smartcard applications including fare collection, loyalty cards or access control cards.

Legal Battle Over WarCraft 'Bot' - BBC News

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:04:17 -0700

Blizzard is suing Michael Donnelly, the creator of the MMO Glider program, which performs key tasks in the game automatically, such as fighting.

Miami Preparing for 'Spy-in-the-sky' Security Drones - Reuters

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:18:47 -0700

Honeywell Corporation is promoting its wingless, pilotless drone observation platform in Dade County, Florida for use by civilian police.

Is it me, or does the idea of hovering drones observing everything over a U.S. city seem overly 'enthusiastic' from a policing point of view? I'm just glad we all discussed this and voted on it. Oh wait...

The Human Camera - YouTube.com

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:16:07 -0700

The eidetic memory of Natalie Phillips, a character in Daemon, has elicited some skeptical reader email. Fortunately, here's a real-world example that shows it's not just fiction...

Man with No Identity Baffles FBI - Channel 4 News

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:14:03 -0700

The Feds took into custody a man who has stolen so many identities for so long that even the authorities can't figure out who he is -- even with finger prints.

The Internet is a Fad -- Clifford Stoll in Newsweek, 1995

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:12:47 -0700

I think it's a safe bet that Clifford Stoll was not an early investor in Google. :)

Michigan Man Replicates Stonehenge By Himself Without Equipment - Exn.ca

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 23:08:45 -0700

Wally Wallington of Flint Michigan decided to see just how difficult it was for ancient people to erect 30-ton stones without the aid of pullies or the wheel.

It turns out, it's not hard at all...

Comcast Contemplates Putting a Camera in Your Living Room - Consumerist.com

Sat, 1 Mar 2008 23:04:43 -0700

Comcast's senior VP of user experience, Gerard Kunkel, is a forward-thinking guy. So forward, in fact, that he's proposed putting a camera in your cable set-top box to identify different people in the household as they sit watching television. The camera's software would suggest things each viewer might like to watch and serve up customized ads.

A camera in my cable set-top box that looks out into my living room? One that they assure us would not be using facial recognition or storing information? I swear, reality is going to put The Onion out of business...

Haptic Vests Now Shipping - Business Week

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:50:52 -0800

In my book, Daemon, one character wore a haptic vest called the 'Third Eye.' This was a garment able to project complex data to its wearer through low-voltage excitation of the nerves in the skin. This product is moving from the realm of fighter pilots into the realm of computer gamers. Although the 'virtual touch' device mentioned in this article uses physical actuators, the concept of receiving inputs through the skin remains the same.

Cold Boot Attacks on Encryption Keys - Princeton University

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:43:58 -0800

All the encryption in the world won't help you if a snoop can find your private key in DRAM. In this fascinating video, Princeton researchers demonstrate the persistence of data within DRAM chips (especially when chilled) and the drastic implications this poses to cryptography vendors storing private keys in dynamic memory. Now, your strong password can be circumvented in minutes as long as the intruder has physical access to your machine. In some cases, your machine doesn't even need to be on.

Thanks to Alexander Rose for pointing me to this article.

Marriage and War Spawn 10-Year Virus Outbreak - ZDNet

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:39:59 -0800

Catalysts for computer virus innovation often reflect the conflicts and desperation in the real world. Political upheaval and financial hardship can be indicators of a coming wave of malware attacks.

Digital Photo Frames Shipped with Virus Onboard - Yahoo News

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:32:34 -0800

As wireless is built into more and more household and business devices, you might find yourself (almost literally) bringing a Trojan horse through the front door. With products now pre-infected at the factory, items cannot be trusted out of the box, and might need to go through a period of quarantine and scanning prior to earning a spot on your shelf. What good is a picture frame if it's going to infect your Treo with a virus... or the smart phones of all your house guests?

Airbus A380 Cockpit , 360-degree view -- www.gillesvidal.com

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:24:11 -0800

For those in need of a first-person view behind the yoke of an Airbus A380, here's the site for you (aviation novelists, enjoy...) You can look up, down, back, front. I still wonder how on earth pilots can see clearly enough to land these things. My forays with Flight Simulator have been less than stellar on the landing part. But then again I keep trying to buzz the tower, and I hear that's frowned upon in real life...

Visuwords.com -- Visual Dictionary

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 23:19:43 -0800

This is an interesting use of graphics. The tool doesn't just present the definition of the word you're looking for, but also illustrates the interconnections between synonyms, related words and related concepts.

The Materials Economy -- TheStoryofStuff.com

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:15:16 -0800

The modern world is a complex system designed to do just one thing: create stuff. This is a great primer on how stuff moves through society, how society is built to serve stuff, and where all that stuff ultimately winds up.

Google Maps Gone Wrong -- YouTube

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:13:50 -0800

It's sometimes surprising how much detail you can get from Google Maps...

Cities of the Future: Think Small - Tech News World

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:07:14 -0800

Do you picture a massive, gleaming dome as the city-of-the-future? Urban planning and technology experts have begun to realize that thinking small and incorporating open space into urban design can achieve greater efficiency than huge projects. That's because huge also means complex -- with attendant waste and transportation problems.

The 4 Best Web Tools to Help You Eat Local -- The Daily Green

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:02:14 -0800

Local consumption will move from an environmentally-friendly decision, to an economic necessity as fuel costs increase in coming years. Here's a great resource for identifying locally produced food in your area. You'll also be helping your local economy.

Sandia National Labs Sunshine to Petrol Project -- www.sandia.gov

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:52:09 -0800

Team to chemically transform carbon dioxide into carbon-neutral liquid fuels.

Using fossil fuels (at least) twice, is one way to extend the horizon for our hydro-carbon economy. How we make use of the extra time it buys us is the key. Hopefully, we do more than just drive some more...

Showdown Set Between States and Federal Government Over REAL ID Drivers Licenses -- Associated Press

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:35:20 -0800

Homeland Security is intent on rolling out new national driver's licenses (as mandated in the 2005 Real ID Act), but some states are claiming this tramples on their rights to issue identification documents.

Aside from the turf battle, there's also security and privacy issues concerning the linked databases that would be required to store information on all Americans for the program. And is it a de facto National ID card?

Computer Pirates Can't be Stopped - Conde Nast

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 23:07:52 -0800

The companies that design anti-pirating software can't even protect themselves from digital brigands. Centralized control of intellectual property might be heading for hard times, and so too are the economies based primarily upon IP.

Micro-Robotic Fly Takes Flight - Harvard Magazine

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 22:11:37 -0800

Advances in materials science have made it possible to construct ultralight composite laminates that bend rapidly when subjected to an electrical current. One result? The first fly-sized aviator-bot.... (remote camera and microphone not yet available).

Hands Down, the Best RC Plane Rig Ever - Google Video...

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:02:42 -0800

Feel like putting in some flight hours--but concerned about your carbon footprint? Using this setup, an immersive flying experience is just a joystick away without ever heading to the airstrip.

Google Circa 1960

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 15:43:01 -0800

If Google existed in 1960, it would have worked a bit differently...

1954 - RAND Corporation's Concept for the Home Computer of 2004

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:57:25 -0800

Wow. It's like someone took a photo of my office. :)

Who among us hasn't grown weary from walking back and forth between the keyboard and the chrome control wheel? I hope someone comes up with a better arrangement soon...

Advertisements Beamed Into Your Head: Holosonic Sound - Advertising Age

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:17:13 -0800

Unfortunately this isn't science fiction, and it's not coming soon; it's here. Holosonic Research Labs beams audio advertisements at your head, utilizing the bones in your skull as the vibrating platform for sound reproduction. So that voice in your mind is no longer you -- it's a pitch for someone's product. Take a walk down Prince Street in New York, if you think it's sci-fi.

Sauron, the dark lord of Mordor, might have struggled with the ethics of this -- but apparently advertisers felt no such qualms. I can't imagine anything more intrusive than walking down the street and suddenly having another voice inside your head -- shattering your inner peace, not to mention one's sense of privacy. How long until a walk in a public place is beset with audio pop-up ads? And what's to stop unwanted communications that come from who-knows-what direction or source?

I suspect the impact of this technology on advertising will only be exceeded by the speed with which the general public destroys every projector they can lay their hands on.

My vote for best product of 2008 goes to the person who invents a jammer. :)

Laser Induced Plasma Channel Weapons - Network World

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:03:44 -0800

LIPC weaponry was the one technology in my book, Daemon, that readers found unbelievable. It didn't help that Ionatron took their demonstration videos off the web (most likely for security reasons).

Now, the U.S. Navy is moving ahead with LIPC weapons, and more information is available. LIPC involves the use of plasma filaments (generated by specific frequencies of laser light) as a virtual wire to conduct electricity. The idea is to electrically zap distant targets illuminated with a laser beam.

I notice that they've taken to calling it 'Man-made Lightning' -- which sounds like something from a green energy project. I mean, who wouldn't support man-made lightning? It's a Zeusian dream become reality.

Thanks to Slimjim100 for making me aware of this.

Inside a Spam Botnet -- SecureWorks.com

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 22:25:29 -0800

Botnets have come to resemble biological organisms, as their various strains branch, merge, and adapt to survive efforts to eradicate them. The developers of these variants serve as the reproductive mechanism for malware -- permitting botnets to evolve rapidly and become more and more complex. Over time, this will cause these organisms to interact in unexpected ways and could one day give rise to emergent behavior not specifically designed by anyone.

This article studies the inner workings of a Srizbi-variant spam-botnet involved in the widely reported 'Ron Paul' spam bombardment starting October 27, 2007.

Props to Rick Klau for the link.

What Were the First 100 Dot Com Domains Registered? -- The Longest List...com

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 22:05:15 -0800

Back in 1985 a month could go by without a new dot com registration. That was your one chance to register "google.com". Oh well..

See if you can guess which businesses were among the first to recognize the promise of the Web...

Wireless Keyboards Easily Cracked - HackaDay.com

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 21:42:54 -0800

You religiously apply OS and application patches. You go out of your way to use strong passwords -- but your 27mhz wireless keyboard is silently broadcasting everything you type all over the office. If someone sniffs the handshake between your workstation and your keyboard, they can crack the encryption key within 20-50 keystrokes. After that, you'll effectively have a remote (i.e.system-undetectable) key-logger recording your every stroke.

Here's a direct link to the whitepaper by Dreamlab Technologies: 27Mhz Wireless Keyboard Analysis Report

Cellphone Tracking Powers - Secret Warrants Granted Without Probable Cause

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:44:20 -0800

That stylish GPS tracking unit in your pocket (otherwise known as your cell phone) is leaving a data trail that will never go away. You might not realize that somewhere there's a database that knows where you've been every few seconds for the last year or more -- along with the records of who you frequently gathered with (their phones are tracked, too).

It's no surprise to many that the government has gained easier access to this data, but who else will have access to it five years from now...private security contractors?

This is just one example of the 'data pollution' Bruce Schneier spoke of at DefCon15 this year (go to 18:37min).

A Vending Machine for Crows - Wireless.is

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:19:55 -0800

Hide your coins--someone's designed a peanut-dispensing vending machine for crows. Highly intelligent, tool-using Corvids might soon be scouring the countryside for spare change.

What Exactly is the World of Warcraft Client Doing With Your Machine?

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:57:53 -0800

Blizzard Entertainment employs a program named Warden to search your machine for game-playing bots and cheats as you play World of Warcraft.  Sophisticated bot-herders and gold-farmers (like Greg Hoglund) are locked in a never-ending battle to evade detection by Warden and convert virtual gold into actual cash.

But the stakes were raised into worrying territory on Nov. 13th, when the  latest version of Warden (already polymorphic like many viruses) was found to contain a different random cryptographic hash function in every copy -- making it nearly impossible to predict or report just what it's doing on your machine.

It all depends on whether you trust a large corporation rooting around on your hard drive and network without your knowledge.  Who owns Blizzard?  Vivendi Games in Los Angeles, California.  Vivendi Games is a 100% subsidiary of Vivendi SA -- which owns (among other things) Universal Pictures, NBC, and more than a dozen record companies.  So you'd better have a license for all those MP3's.  Oh, and Vivendi is headed by...wait for it...Bruce Hack . :)

Thought Police: How Brain Scans Could Invade Your Private Life - Popular Mechanics

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:27:12 -0800

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging technology is rapidly advancing. The Cornell Law Review recently asserted that "fMRI is one of the few technologies to which the now clichéd moniker of ‘Orwellian’ legitimately applies."

You should understand the potential of this technology -- particularly since it has the potential to know everything about you...

Ladies Home Journal of 1900 Predicts What Year 2000 Will Be Like

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:31:28 -0800

"Ready-cooked meals will be bought from establishments similar to our bakeries today..." and "Photographs will be telegraphed from any distance..." and "Americans will be taller." Hmm, these editors didn't do too bad a job with their predictions. Oh, but then there's this: "A university education will be free to every man and woman." That one was way off...

Bluetooth People Tracking

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:33:12 -0800

A Dutch citizen demonstrates how to set up a network of sensors to record the movements of unique bluetooth devices (such as cell phones, PDA's, headsets, etc) in a given area. Using his method, one could track the movements and interactions of specific individuals by stationing cheap sensors throughout an urban area or alongside highways.

This differs from E911 tracking because the network can be created at low cost by private individuals using open standards against devices you're already carrying in your pocket. If advertisers aren't already gathering this data on you -- they soon will be.

Super Hi-Res Aerial Photo Map of Stockholm, Sweden

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:47:05 -0800

If you're interested in seeing what people are wearing in downtown Stockholm this season, this is the mapping company for you...

The Unaired 1994 Pilot for the Show '24' -- CollegeHumor.com

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 18:19:19 -0800

You just don't realize how much technology has changed in the past decade until you see something like this. Freaking hilarious...

Victorian Steampunk Laptop With Mahogony Case - Datamancer.net

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 18:12:11 -0800

Show up at the local Starbucks with this baby, and you'll really turn some heads. ..

The case features an elaborate display of clockwork gears under glass, engraved brass accents, claw feet, an antiqued copper keyboard, a quill mouse, leather wrist pads, and customized wireless network card. The machine turns on with an antique clock-winding key by way of a custom-built ratcheting switch made from old clock parts.

DARPA 2007 Urban Challenge Photos

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 00:28:49 -0800

I got a chance to check out DARPA's urban autonomous vehicle race this year in Victorville, California. AutoM8's are increasingly possible, and this race had six entrants successfully complete a 20-mile course of busy streets. The Cornell University bot was the least obviously automated (not much in the way of external sensors), and it looked sharp, too...

King Corn - a Documentary

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 00:15:24 -0800

An excellent documentary about the monoculture that is United States agriculture. It has a humorous sensibility which (to me) means more people are likely to see it. Good luck, guys...

Industrial Agriculture Killing Off the Bees? - HC News

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:35:50 -0800

A short-sighted attempt to increase efficiency has allowed a previously manageable pest to wipe out over half the bee colonies in the U.S. Larger bees, engineered through hive modifications, are uniformly vulnerable. Organic bees, on the other hand, are doing just fine...

Value of US Dollar Means Stock Market Is Actually Down a Third in Last Ten Years -- New York Times

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:32:23 -0800

Measured in euros vs. dollars, the SP500 has actually lost a third of its value in the last decade. It keeps climbing because the dollar keeps falling in value. Just buy dinner in Oslo, and you'll know what I mean...

RFID-Chipping of Students -- The Register

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:29:16 -0800

The purpose of the project was two-fold: 1.) microchip kids to track their movements, and 2.) to make George Orwell to spin in his grave. On both counts a great success...

On the Subject of Robot Armies - HSW article

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 23:20:01 -0800

A study of the current state of combat robot technology -- at least the stuff we know about. Anyone else concerned about robot armies in the hands of unelected individuals?

Default Password List - phenoelit-us.org

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:10:49 -0800

Find the product in this list, and bingo, here's the default password. Maybe now you'll change your password...

Is Your Site Banned in China? Find out... - greatfirewallofchina.org

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:05:08 -0800

Type in any web site URL, and this is what you'll see if you were in China.

By contrast, in the U.S.the site wouldn't be censored, but would instead be obscured by popup ads...

Find Out if Your Printer is Spying on You - Yahoo News

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 23:01:36 -0800

Modern printers place a series of invisible dots on each page, uniquely identifying the owner. You knew that, right? Of course you did...

Storm Worm, a new type of rootkit - Bruce Schneier

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 22:59:08 -0800

The Storm Worm is a new type of rootkit that morphs itself. It can also incorporate current news headlines to entice people to click on it. It's disturbingly similar to the Daemon in some ways...

Double the Range of Your Wi-Fi Router - MetaCafe

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 22:57:40 -0800

Using a nickel's worth of material, this video shows, step-by-step, how to supercharge your Wi-Fi router's antenna.

Steganography in Java - Dreaming In Code

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 22:56:22 -0800

A primer on the basic methods for concealing data with java.

Speech Recognition Robot Telemarketer - GearLog

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:53:22 -0800

Synthetic telemarketers that can understand basic responses have begun service. The Voice lives...

Hovering Camera for Domestic Surveillance - Boing Boing

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:49:10 -0800

British police testing aerial peeping bot. Bikini-clad lass first target...

Burning Seawater as Fuel - National Geographic

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:44:59 -0800

Saltwater can be made to burn when subjected to a specific radio frequency. If there's a net energy gain, this could certainly make things interesting...

Find Out If Your Computer Is Secretly Connecting to the Web -- LifeHacker.com

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:27:19 -0700

Computers compromised by malware receive and obey instructions issued from a remote host. Here's one way to determine if your computer is no longer your computer.

New Weapon Beams Pain Directly to Human Nerve Receptors -- Daily Mail

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:31:19 -0700

The U.S. army prepares to field a new beam weapon that employs microwaves to activate pain receptors in human targets. This brings up troubling moral questions.

Washington Ignores Cyber Threat - Wired Magazine

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:24:59 -0700

Last spring's cyber attack had a crippling effect on Estonia's government and the lives of its citizens. But officials from other vulnerable states -- like the United States -- paid little attention.

Computer Crime Highly Sophisticated - CRN Australia

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:23:07 -0700

Online crime and malware development have become a full-blown and extremely profitable commercial enterprise.

Botnets Are Getting Beefier -- EWeek

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:18:04 -0700

Researches say that botnets are moving to more resilient architectures that will make them even harder to track and fight.

Attack of the Zombie Computers is a Growing Threat - New York Times

Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:19:53 -0700

In their persistent quest to breach the Internet’s defenses, the bad guys are honing their weapons and increasing their firepower.

Cell Phones Might Be Listening Even When Off -- U.S. Dept of Commerce

Fri, 1 Dec 2006 19:15:16 -0700

The U.S. Commerce Department warns that a cellular telephone's microphone can be turned into a listening device, eavesdropping on conversations within the vicinity of the phone. This is possible even when the phone is turned off.

Attack of the Bots - Wired Magazine

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 19:11:57 -0700

Wired Magazine shows how one company fought the new Internet mafia -- and lost.

Is the BotNet battle already lost? - Eweek

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 19:09:32 -0700

Millions of home PC's are being remotely compromised by organized crime for nefarious purposes. There is a growing feeling of hopelessness among security professionals that these botnets cannot be eradicated.

Commerce Dept. Cyber Attack Traced to China - Washington Post

Fri, 6 Oct 2006 19:05:15 -0700

Hackers operating through Chinese Internet servers have launched a debilitating attack on the computer system of a sensitive U.S. Commerce Department bureau, forcing it to replace hundreds of workstations.

In the Dark About Outside Snoops - Business Week.

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 19:00:04 -0700

Six years after the 9/11 attacks, the United States government has so many contractors working for the intelligence services that it has no complete idea of their number or activities.

International Crime Rings, Not Hackers, True Internet Villains - The Age

Sun, 6 Aug 2006 18:58:11 -0700

Organized crime, not individual hackers, are the real villains on the Internet.