The Library of Congress ruled that users can "jailbreak" their iPhones--allowing the phone to run software that hasn't been approved by Apple. Another ruling protects consumers' right to unlock their phones so that they can operate on a network other than that of the carrier who originally sold the device. The third ruling protected the rights of artists who circumvent anti-pirating software in order to extract samples from DVDs for use in remixes. All three of these cases were deemed examples of fair use.

Original Article can be found at:
www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/25533/

Last post made by: whoa on Today, 05:32 AM

Sony has filed several patents on technology that allows two or more people to see different content from one screen 3D TV!
This is indeed possible through the separation of two images, which normally consist of creating a flow stereoscopic 3D.
Basically, a person could watch a movie, while two others were playing a video game.
The patents also include a pair of 3D glasses incorporating headphones in his mount, to ensure a separation of sound over image.

It is a concept for now, but that use of 3D rather interesting. Stay tuned.

clubic.com

Last post made by: Hezekiah Biles on Jul 27 2010, 07:33 PM

Unlike Microsoft Windows, Linux has a deserved reputation as a bullet-proof operating system. To teach computer security a University lecturer has deliberately produced the most damn vulnerable Linux you’ll ever see.

Damn Vulnerable Linux – or DVL for short – sure is a damn vulnerable Linux!

Its developers have spent hours stuffing it full of broken, ill-configured, outdated and exploitable software.

Oh sure, it’s still Linux, and the apps in question – Apache, MySQL, PHP, FTP and the like – are usable and were indeed versions in production. You could actually use this as a live Linux system if you really wanted.

The point is, however, you shouldn’t. The software loaded has been specially chosen because they have known security vulnerabilities. They can all be hacked, cracked, broken, exploited, tickled and generally misused.

The author of DVL – Dr Thorsten Schneider – came up with the idea so he could give practical lessons in his University classes. After all, the theory behind reverse engineering, buffer overflows, SQL injection and other popular techniques only goes so far. To really teach people how to hack, or how to protect themselves from hacking, you need to show it.

Thus DVL was born. The lessons it contains and the packages it uses were determined based on the collective communities at ReverseEngineering.net and Crackmes.de.

Like any Linux distro, you don’t need to run DVL on a dedicated machine. In fact, given its raison d'être you shouldn’t. The best recommendation is to devote a virtual machine to it under VirtualBox or some other sandpit environment.

NOTE: There is link to this Linux Distro in the Linux download section of this forum....

Last post made by: oceanbreeze on Jul 19 2010, 08:08 PM

The VSS Enterprise from Virgin Galactic made its first full-crew flight on Thursday, July 15, 2010, as it flew attached to its carrier craft VMS Eve. The entire privately owned venture is expected to be the first commercial project directed at space tourism.

Two members of VSS Enterprise were joined by three members of VMS Eve on the flight over the Mojave Desert in California.

The WhiteKnightTwo VMS Eve crew included Mark Stucky, Peter Kalogiannis, and Brian Maisler, while the SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise crew consisted of Peter Siebold and Michael Alsbury.

The 6-hour, 12-minute flight was conducted to test the systems of both spacecraft. Upon completion of the flight, officials with Virgin Galactic called the test flight a success.

The July 16, 2010 press release from Virgin Galactic, called “VSS Enterprise Makes First Crewed Flight,” stated “15th July was a significant milestone for Scaled Composites as the team march towards the first solo flights of VSS Enterprise (SpaceShipTwo).”

Scaled Composites, founded by Burt Rutan, is the company that built the two spacecraft for Virgin Galactic, founded by Richard Branson (within the Virgin Group).

The Virgin Galactic article added, “For the first time VSS Enterprise flew with crew on board. As planned, the spaceship remained attached to VMS Eve (captive) for the duration of the flight and numerous combined vehicle systems tests were conducted.”

And, “In addition and for the first time, the two crew members on board VSS Enterprise, evaluated all of the spaceship’s systems and functions from end to end in the air. Objectives achieved.”

Additional images and videos of the project are available on the Virgin Galactic webpage mentioned earlier.

Once operational, the VSS Enterprise is expected to stay attached to VMS Eve from liftoff to an altitude of 52,000 feet (16,000 meters). At which time, Enterprise will separate and climb to a maximum height of about 68 miles (110 kilometers)--enough to be considered a trip to space. The Karman line is considered to be the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space--an altitude of approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers).

VMS Eve will return to the runway, while VSS Enterprise will continue on its suborbital flight into space and then back into Earth's atmosphere. VSS Enterprise will then return to the runway, a journey of approximately 3.5 hours. The time of weightlessness for its passengers will be about 6 minutes.

The entire trip will cost a slightly modest $200,000 per ticket. At least 300 (no doubt) wealthy passengers have already signed up for suborbital trips to space with Virgin Galactic.

Source: http://www.itwire.com/science-news/space/40501-virgin-galactic-makes-first-full-crewed-flight

Last post made by: oceanbreeze on Jul 19 2010, 05:01 PM

Earlier today a report on TheNextWeb claimed that the App Store had been hacked and that a rogue developer had gamed the system by artificially driving sales to their eBooks. The rise in ranks were noted by competing developers who thought the rise strange given that the books all represented poorly coded Vietnamese-based books.

A couple of reviews left on one of the books revealed that at least two customers had their iTunes accounts compromised to purchase the books. This led to theories that a widespread attack specifically tied to this developer could be the cause of the rise in ranks. Which then led to a cascade of headlines suggesting that everyone's iTunes account was suddenly vulnerable to a coordinated attack. While we do believe that this developer had been trying to game the iTunes ranking system, it's hard to believe that their efforts affected more than a few hundred accounts worldwide.

The Book category in which we found these apps (note, they've been pulled from the App Store) is one of the lowest trafficked categories in the App Store. Based on sales reports we've received from developers, the number of daily sales required to hold a book in the #10-#50 rank seems to range from 50-250 sales a day. That means that even if every sale was based on a compromised account, the actual number of accounts involved are minuscule compared to the 100 million active iTunes accounts.

Now, on a separate note, the issue of hacked or compromised iTunes accounts is a major issue, and one not to be dismissed. However, this issue has been ongoing for years and we're not convinced there has been a major spike in activity. iTunes accounts are easy targets since they are so common. In our forums we have had a running thread on the topic since January 2008. A few reports appear every few months. There do seem to be a higher number of reports arising the past day or two of other iTunes accounts being hacked. It's certainly possible there has been an acute rise in the past few days, but the added press coverage will certainly attract more stories. Meanwhile, a blog post from 2009 similarly attracted a number of "me too" reports.

It's still a good idea to make sure your accounts are safe, and especially important to make sure you have good (and different) passwords on all your sensitive accounts. Common mistakes include easy to guess passwords and shared passwords across multiple accounts.

The story to big to post.. by TheNextWeb:
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/07/05/app-store-app-farm-steal-your-money/

Last post made by: Spacebunny on Jul 5 2010, 10:20 PM

On July 8, 2010, the first Space Based Space Surveillance satellite is set for launch for its mission to detect and track space objects, including space junk, in orbit about the Earth. The ability to track such objects will increase from thousands to millions.

The Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) system is a series of satellites and support ground structures, with the first satellite set to be launched into Earth orbit. The system will improve on the United States’ ability to detect and track space objects in orbit about the Earth.
This ability includes possible threats to U.S. assets in space (such as operational satellites) and debris (space junk) in orbit.
The prime contractor for the SBSS system is The Boeing Company, and one of the main subcontractor for the project is Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation.
The project is under the direction of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
The Space Situational Awareness Group (AFSPC), within the Space Superiority Systems Wing of the U.S. Air Force, is coordinating the project.
The SBSS satellite will be launched into space with the use of a Minotaur 4 rocket. It is expected to be in orbit at about 390 miles (630 kilometers) in altitude.
The satellite includes a large optical telescope, which has a mass of about 227 kilograms (with a weight of approximately 500 pounds on Earth’s surface), and an aperture of around one meter.
The SBSS system is expected to be able to detect objects as small as four inches (about 10 centimeters) across.

According to The Boeing Company’s website “Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) system”, “The SBSS program uses a constellation of sensor satellites to track space objects, and to accomplish space situational awareness for future space control operations.”
And, “The SBSS Pathfinder is a follow-on to the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration of the Mid-Course Space Experiment/Space Based Visible Sensor.”
Plus, “In March 2004, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, the Mission Area Prime Contractor for the Air Force, awarded a Boeing best-of-industry team, including Ball Aerospace and Harris Technologies, the contract to develop and initiate operations of the SBSS Pathfinder satellite.”
The SPSS system will provide the United States with the first-time ability to detect and track objects from space on a 24/7 basis.
With millions of objects in orbit about the Earth (most of them artificially made by humans), these objects could impact operational satellites, or even the International Space Station, also in orbit, or the largest sized ones could come out of orbit and crash into valuable property or people here on Earth.
The tracking of such space objects is vital for the safety of American and allied personnel, along with their assets in space and on the Earth.

The launch is scheduled to take place at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on July 8, 2010.
Currently, the U.S. Air Force uses a ground-based, international network of radar and optical telescopes to track objects in orbit about the Earth.
However, this system only monitors about 22,000 space objects, along with about one thousand active satellites.

Source: http://www.itwire.com/science-news/space/40195-tracking-of-space-junk-gets-big-boost

Last post made by: oceanbreeze on Jul 6 2010, 05:37 PM