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October 29 2011
HOWTO defend yourself against tear-gas
A flier circulating within the Occupy movement gives detailed instructions for defending yourself against tear-gas attacks, noting that it is "only for defense purposes" and warning "never incite violence."
Flier to OWS Protesters: "Defending Against Tear Gas"
(via Beth Pratt)
October 28 2011
W3i Suggests iOS Developers Use MAC Address As UDID Replacement
Mobile app monetization and distribution network W3i is announcing the results of its tests to determine whether or not an iPhone’s MAC address can serve as a replacement to the UDID (the unique device identifier), which Apple is phasing out as a way for developers to track an app’s users.
According to W3i, developers can and should begin tracking the iPhone’s MAC address as a UDID alternative, ...
Apple's lossless ALAC goes open source, it's like FLAC for iPods
Well, it's not nearly as exciting as a new iPhone, but Apple recently announced a bit of news that will set people in certain circles abuzz. The company's lossless audio codec, ALAC, is going open source. Similar to FLAC, the Apple Lossless Audio Codec offers some file compression while still delivering a bit-for-bit recreation of the original source material. The primary difference being that ...
Android Fragmentation Put On Display For All To See – Shows Embarassing History Of Support
An image displaying Android’s fragmented “orphans” is making its way around the web today. The graph tracks Android smartphones that today, are still “under contract” but got left behind in the dust when it came to updates (firmware update or maintenance). The chart was made after news that Nexus One owners would not be seeing an OS update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Here are some o...
October 27 2011
Charted: Android Fragmentation
Michael DeGusta has done an amazing job charting the fragmentation of Android by visualizing the history of operating system updates on Android smartphones for sale in the United States.
Compare this to iPhone updates (which DeGusta did), and it paints a telling picture.
Writes DeGusta:
I went back and found every Android phone shipped in the United States up through the middle of last year. I...
Why Google and Microsoft need to fear Siri
TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Tech.pinions' Tim Bajarin has opined on why they feel Google and Microsoft hate Siri, citing some excellent sources. As the article states, Google's Andy Rubin told the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, "You shouldn't be communicating with the phone; you should be communicating with somebody on the other side of the phone." Likewise, Bajarin quotes Microsoft's Andy Lees saying it "isn't...
October 26 2011
1907 open-top auto accessories
Pretty much every item for sale on this 1907 ad for "open driving" accessories would make my life better today in 2011, and I don't even own a car. Sleeve protector, robes and apron, raw hide tire bands, and bullet lamps, yes please!
October 18 2011
EU vs Facebook: Facebook's dossiers on Europeans breach EU privacy laws
An Austrian student has kicked off a movement that pits EU privacy rules against Facebook's data collection practices. Max Schrems requested a copy of the data Facebook had collected on him (which Facebook is required to provide under EU law) and found himself with more than 1,000 pages of data that demonstrated several clear breaches of EU privacy laws. Kim Cameron has a good writeup on the...
October 17 2011
iOS 5 Already Installed On 1 In 3 Eligible Devices
We could all argue until we were blue in the face on the merits of each platform’s update system, but there’s one place where iOS just has them all beat hands down: timing. If your device is going to support a big new update, you’ll pretty much always know as soon as said update is announced — and in most cases, the instant one compatible device gets the update, all compatible devices get the u...
Apple Sells Four Million 'Disappointing' iPhone 4Ss In Three Days
How to Create your own Google Maps
Digital Inspiration Technology Blog
Would you like to create a custom Google Map of all the wonderful cities that you have visited so far. Or maybe an annotated map that offers easy driving directions to the wedding venue? Or maybe you have customers in different parts of the world and you would like to display testimonials on one Google Map.
These are just some of the many scenarios where you may want to build your own maps...
October 14 2011
Like iOS 5? Thank a Hacker
Is Sprint 3G and 4G Data Traffic Routing Through the Department of Defense?
So there I am, with some time on my hands, and I start up some reading on the Evo 3D forums on XDA, when I come across an unusual thread (warning - some foul language in the link). It states that Sprint users should try something out... and prepare to be stunned. So, I follow instructions: pull off of my Wi-Fi, get onto 3G, open up a terminal emulator on my phone and get my 3G IP address. I...
William Gibson Interview
Illo: Rob Beschizza. Photo: Frederic Poirot
Author William Gibson discusses Victorians, John Shirley and the early days of his career. A longer version of this interview appeared in the 197th issue of Paris Review
INTERVIEWER
Do you think fiction should be predictive?
GIBSON
No, I don’t. Or not particularly. The record of futurism in science fiction is actually quite shabby, it seems to me. Used...
October 13 2011
Laser pointer leads to quick arrest
[Video Link] This police helicopter has gee-whiz visioning technology that makes it easy for the pilot to pinpoint a moron who flashed him with a green laser.
Laughing Squid: Man Aiming a Laser Pointer a Police Helicopter Is Quickly Arrested
October 11 2011
Researchers hack crypto on RFID smart cards used for keyless entry and transit pass
Researchers at a German universityhave published a paper detailing a security exploit of the MifareDESfire MF3ICD40, a widely used RFID smart card. The exploit, whichuses an approach previously used to break other wireless cryptosystems, demonstrates that even the relatively strong encryptionalgorithms used in "touchless" smart cards can be broken with a small...
October 04 2011
Strange Russian "numbers station"
October 03 2011
Why Linux Is Good For Low-End Smartphones
First lady of Iceland climbs security fence to join protesters
Dorrit Moussaieff, the first lady of Iceland, made a dramatic gesture over the weekend by joining a group of demonstrators hit by the debt crisis.
As the Icelandic president and MPs came under fire from angry protesters on Saturday, on their traditional walk to mass marking the opening of the parliamentary session, the President’s wife broke away to join the protest. Protesters, demanding that...
September 29 2011
No Joking: Feynman Is Brilliant
Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
