Topic: COMPUTER - on January 14, 2007 at 11:31:00 AM CET
You want a $100 computer? For $300? No sale!
One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a non-profit organisation with the goal of providing children in developing nations with laptop computers, today announced that "contrary to previously published reports OLPC has no plans to make the XO laptops available for sale to the general public."
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 13, 2007 at 10:34:00 AM CET
From iPhone to iGroan
A new mobile phone has been launched amid much fanfare and hype. But, as a survey reveals half of adults feel overwhelmed by technology, not everyone's jumping up and down.
Prancing around the stage at this year's Macworld conference, Apple boss Steve Jobs described his latest gizmo as "magical", history in the making and a "revolution". Some of those in the audience he was addressing had queued all night to witness the object of his superlatives. And it was... a phone.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 12, 2007 at 10:48:00 AM CET
$60 to keep crapware off of a Windows PC?
Earlier today Slashdot pointed me to a CBC article citing unnamed sources at Microsoft decrying the state of "craplets" on PCs. Just what are craplets? It's a cute nickname for all of the software an OEM installs on your new Windows PC before it arrives on your doorstep. Think: 2 or 3 ISP sign-up applications, instant messengers out the wazoo, and software for updating all of this software. And a lot more. Check out the CBC article for more basic details on what craplets are and why they make people, including Microsoft, angry.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 11, 2007 at 1:41:00 PM CET
The Fight Against Phishing: 44 Ways to Protect Yourself
It’s a scam that generates billions of dollars even when only 5 percent of the darts hit the target, it threatens the integrity of online transactions between customers and e-business houses, it’s a constant cat-and-mouse game between the perpetrators and the security guys hot on their heels – phishing, carding, brand spoofing, web spoofing – call it what you will, there’s no escaping the fact that the threat of this swindle is getting more dangerous by the day.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 10, 2007 at 1:38:00 PM CET
NSA backdoors built into MS Vista
THE USA GOVERNMENT'S cryptologic organisation, the National Security Agency, has admitted that it is behind some of the security changes to Microsoft's operating system Vista.
According to the Washington Post, the agency which was once so secret that it was jokingly referred to as 'No such Agency' has admitted making 'unspecified contributions' to Vista.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 10, 2007 at 1:33:00 PM CET
Analysis of Microsoft's Suicide Note
In a controversial technical analysis Peter Gutmann goes into fantastic detail about the recently released Vista operating system and its content protection scheme. One thing became clear to me after reading this analysis. Vista is being marketed to content producers, not consumers. If Windows XP was Microsoft’s attempt to embed a browser into the operating system then Vista is the attempt to embed DRM. Digital Rights Management technology has been applied to literally every ring of the OS architecture.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 9, 2007 at 11:21:00 AM CET
Ophcrack Live CD
The ophcrack LiveCD contains a full linux system (SLAX), ophcrack for linux and rainbow tables for alphanumerical passwords.
The liveCD cracks passwords automatically, no installation necessary, no admin passwort necessary (as long as you can boot from cd).
Honestly... Ophcrack is creepy. It cracked my (somewhat mediocre) 13-character alphanumeric password in about 5 minutes. Like most powerful tools, Ophcrack can be used for the forces of both good and evil, but for anyone who's been locked out of their Windows user account because you can't remember your password, Ophcrack can be very good.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 9, 2007 at 10:26:00 AM CET
IE 'unsafe' for 284 days last year
Using IE6 was "unsafe" 284 days last year even for users who patched their systems as soon as Microsoft released fixes. An analysis by the Washington Post's Brian Krebs revealed that exploit code for critical unpatched flaws in IE6 was available for three-quarters of the time last year.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 8, 2007 at 9:36:00 AM CET
The World’s First External Graphics Card
Asus has just revealed the world’s first external video card for laptop computers at CES Unveiled in Las Vegas. The XG Station is connected via Express Card also featuring USB 2.0 and Dolby digital headphone jack support.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 8, 2007 at 8:59:00 AM CET
Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) is an unauthorized made-for-television docudrama written and directed by Martyn Burke. Based upon the book, Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer, by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine, this film documents the rise of the home computer/personal computer through the rivalry between Apple Computer (Apple II and the Apple Macintosh) and Microsoft (DOS, IBM PC, and Windows). Noah Wyle and Joey Slotnick portray Apple founders Steve Job and Steve Wozniak. Anthony Michael Hall and John DiMaggio play Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 7, 2007 at 11:35:00 AM CET
Five Hackers Who Left a Mark on 2006
In the security year that was 2006, zero-day attacks and exploits dominated the headlines.
However, the year will be best remembered for the work of members of the hacking—er, security research—community who discovered and disclosed serious vulnerabilities in the technologies we take for granted, forced software vendors to react faster to flaw warnings and pushed the vulnerability research boat into new, uncharted waters.
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Topic: COMPUTER - on January 6, 2007 at 10:31:00 AM CET
Ein-Terabyte-Laufwerke "Rekordmarke geknackt"
Die Größe der PC-Festplattenspeicher hat mit einem Terabyte (1.000 Gigabyte) eine neue Rekordmarke geknackt. Der japanische Hitachi-Konzern will im ersten Quartal nach eigenen Angaben als Erster ein Laufwerk mit diesem Volumen in den Handel bringen.
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