Password Security

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/16/twitters-security-br.html

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Blackberry Tour

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http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/07/12/blackberry-tours-come-and-get-em-on-sprint-and-verizon/#comments

Smart Q7 Internet Tablet

Here's something that looks pretty inviting...a portable, wireless Internet tablet ("webpad"). Built in China, this new product from Smartdevice is expected to be commercially available in the weeks ahead. With an expected price list of $190, this 250gram - 7" touchscreen tablet will be an "impulse" purchase that let's you surf the internet from the comfort of your couch, bed, the bus, or the airport.  Here are the specs:

• Processor: Sansumg ARM S3C6410 Processor 667MHz
  
• Screen size: 7-inch Touch-lens screen,800 X480 pixels
  
• Memory: 128MB DDR RAM
  
• Storage: 1GB Flash Memory
  
• Operating System: Ubuntu Linux
  
• Language: Chinese/English/German/French/Portuguese
  
• Memory card slot supporting up to 32GB microSD memory cards
  
• Wireless: supports WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
  
• Connectivity: 2.0 USB HOST supported to connect the high-speed EDGE, HSDPA network adapter or mobile phone
  
• Weight: 250g
  
• Battery: 4500mAH
  
• Warranty: One year
  

For more information, click here

The First Apple Trojan

Symantec recently confirmed that the first "pure" Mac Trojan had taken control of around 1000 computers.  Nicknamed iBotNet the piece of malicious code is embedded in pirated versions of the very popular Apple Works '09 and Adobe Photoshop CS4.  Although a first, Symantec said that there isn't really anything to be worried about as iBotNet has seized control of very few computers, compared to some of the more famous Trojans such as Conficker or CRYZIP.

The Intersection of Science Fiction and Green.

The car you see above may look like one of the many GM or Toyota prototypes that are still many years away from production but  in fact, this one is already on the road (in California.)  With an amazing 100 miles per charge (8 hours for a full charge) you might be thinking the Aptera is some million dollar one off wonder car but in fact, it costs a mere $20,000.  Pretty amazing considering it has: driver and passenger airbags, back up cameras, LED interior and exterior lights, RFID (radio frequency ID) key fob, Solar panel assisted climate control and GPS touch screen navigation all rolled into one 1500lbs package.  As good as this may sound however, I think the design of the Aptera is too much of a step forward on the design front.  I think the auto industry needs to ease into electric cars by using more conventinal design like the Toyota Prius or the Honda Civic Hybrid.   Although the radical design may not be the best, I do like the name Aptera which means a sort of wingless flight. 

High Tech Faucet

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Dvice.com recently posted a weird and wacky article on the ihouse faucet, a peculiar piece of hardware controlled with a touch screen.  Using internal lights, the faucet can also display the temperature of the water by changing the colour of its lights. You can also check your email, the weather, or your calendar via the screen.  For a more comprehensive article visit dvice.com

JetLev

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Who's Watching Big Brother?

When a security guard is trying to watch a bank of up to twenty monitors there is the obvious problem of not being able to see them all at once.  Ulas Vural and Yusuf Akgul of the Gebze Institute of Technology realized this and developed a system which recognizes when a security guard has overlooked particular footage on a particular monitor.  Using web-cam like iris tracking cameras, and some complex software, the system detects when a CCTV operator has his attention focused elsewhere by tracking the direction with which his irises are pointing.  Then, at the end of the operator's shift,  the program compiles a video of all the footage he missed, omitting parts where there are no moving people, cars, or objects. For more information >>

The Sixth Sense.

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Pattie Maes from MIT's Media Labs demonstrates the progress they are making at seamlessly providing relevant information through an ingenious portable, personal projection system. Very cool.

Tata Motors.

Tata  Motors, an Indian company, recently unveiled a miniature car called the Nano.  Starting at $2,500 or 120,000 rupees, it is primarily designed for emerging markets such as South America, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.    The Nano is a little over 10 feet long and nearly five feet wide. Powered by a 623cc 33 horsepower engine the Nano reaches a top spead of 105 km/h.  It has room for 4 passengers (looks a little tight!) and a small trunk (about enough room for a duffel bag). The deluxe model even comes with a radio, air conditioning, and sun visors!  For more information visit Tata Motors.  

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Conficker

Conficker is a piece of malicious software that has infected tens of millions of computers world wide.  On April 1st it was believed that  all the computers infected will try to contact a central server for instructions.  Although the exact whereabouts of the author are unknown, there is some suspicion that he might be based in Ukraine few of the computers there have been infected.   Microsoft has also offered  up a $250,000 reward for information leading to his capture.  There is much speculation as to what is really going to happen on/after April 1st. Is it just one big April Fool's joke, or will it send out massive amounts of spam mail, or will it gather and sell credit card information? Who knows. Maybe it will do all of them. Maybe none. Experts think that it may be as long as five days before they find out what the impact might be.  If you think your computer is infected however, back it up on to an external hard drive as soon as possible.  If not, still back up your hard drive, but also download antivirus software such as Trend Micro, McAfee, AVG or Norton.

For a thorough presentation on Conficker visit Third Brigade

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Google Street View

Google Street View, is a feature where you can view over 100 cities worldwide from a "street" view.   Google has accomplished this by teaming up with Immersive Media to capture the hundred of thousands of pictures needed to create this spectacular feature. Using special cameras (see right) they take continuous pictures from atop a moving car. After mashing them all together, it creates a realistic view as though you were actually walking down any given street.  Although this seems like a very cool, interactive feature which everyone should enjoy, there has been quite a bit of controversy over whether google should be allowed to continue with it.  Because of the outcry for privacy, Google has started blurring out people's faces and license plates to protect the privacy of the general public.  Although Google has "filmed" over 100 cities worldwide they have just recently introduced it to Canada.  Google expects the feature to be fully functional in about 2 to 3 weeks for Canadian cities. Check it out at www.google.com/streetview.

Falcon Northwest Mach V

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This is obviously a powerful machine. With a terabyte of storage, two graphics cards, and 12 gigabytes of ram it is at the top of its class in gaming computers. Some people might think this is overkill. I do not. When innovating a new frontier, whatever it is, there are always basic models, but there are also higher-end models which test drive all the features the standard models will likely have in the future. This is a great example. Most desktops nowadays have anywhere from 150GB of storage to 500GB of hard drive space. The Mach V has one terabyte (1024 gigabytes.) As the general quality of pictures, songs, and movies get higher, thus taking up more storage, the demand for bigger hard drives will increase. Plus, nobody can argue with that extremely stylish red finish. For more information about Falcon Northwest products visit http://www.falcon-nw.com/

Dell Adamo

Dell has recently clashed with Apple on the high-end netbook front. Rivaling the famed MacBook Air, Dell introduced their latest product: the Adamo. Neither of these are true netbooks, but neither can they be considered fully fledged laptops. "Adamo", originally a code name for the product, is a Latin phrase which means "to fall in love with." Although you have to pay top dollar for this machine ($2,700) you are getting some of the best engineering, craftsmanship and components available on the market today. Although I am a devoted Apple fan, I have to admit, this is an amazing feat of engineering and copycat design. For more information and a spectacular tour visit: http://www.adamobydell.com/ca

One Trillion Dollars...

With the economy such a hot topic these days we often hear politicians throw around large sums of money like "700 billion dollar bail out plan" and the such as if they were discussing what they had for breakfast. But what does a billion dollars really look like? This guy used google SketchUp (http://sketchup.google.com/) to demonstrate that 1 billion dollars is not a term that should be thrown around lightly. Find it here: http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html.

Photosynth

I recently came across a fascinating web based program called photosynth. The website, http://photosynth.net/Default.aspx allows users to virtually explore a place such as the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Lincoln monument. Using the hundreds of thousands of photographs of a particular piece of art, monument, or tourist attraction photosynth mashes them together to create a stunning Triple D replication. What's so neat about this software (you do have to download a small application) is its ability to take even the smallest part of an attraction, even a picture of a picture, and use it to recreate it. For a stunning demo visit http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth.html.