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Google

Submission + - Google Activates Forward Secrecy SSL Feature (eff.org)

Submitted by esocid
esocid writes: Google has now enabled "forward secrecy" by default on all its search-traffic. What that means is that part of the key needed to decrypt the traffic is never stored, so that in the event of a security breach at Google, older, intercepted traffic can't be descrambled.

Other web sites have implemented HTTPS with forward secrecy before [...] but it hasn’t yet been rolled out on a site of Google’s scale. Some sites have publicly resisted implementing forward secrecy because it is more CPU intensive than standard HTTP or HTTPS. In order to address that problem, Google made improvements to the open source OpenSSL library, and has incorporated those changes into the library for anybody to use.

Submission + - Best way to accelerate embarrassingly parallel app 3

Submitted by
QuantumMist
QuantumMist writes: "I'm helping someone with an embarrassingly parallel application. What's the best way to spend $10K to $15K to receive the maximum number of simultaneous threads of execution? The focus is on threads of execution as memory requirements are decently low e.g. ~512mb in memory at any given time (maybe up to 2 to 3X that at the very high end). I've looked at the latest Tesla card and am having trouble justifying the markup for what's essentially "double precision FP being enabled, a few heat improvements, and ECC which actually decreases available memory (I don't need the ECC)." Spending close to $11K for the 4 Teslas in a 1u setup seems ridiculous when GTX cards can be replaced for a fraction of the cost? Note, they don't have to pay the power/cooling bill. Amazon is too expensive for this level of performance, so can't go cloud. Any parallel architectures out there? Any good manycore offerings that I've missed e.g. somebody who can stuff a ton of ARM or other CPUs in a box? It would be great if this could be easily addressed via a PCI or other standard interface. Should I just stuff 4 GTX cards in a server and replace them as they die from heat? It's mainly single FP operations that I'm parallelizing, but double precision would be "nice to have". Thanks for any thoughts!

Website: www.SinaBahram.com
Twitter: @SinaBahram"
Linux

Submission + - systemd journal (slashdot.org)

Submitted by
epiphani
epiphani writes: "After the recent kerfuffle around a replacement for syslog, Rainer Gerhards (the lead developer of rsyslogd, used in most Linux distributions) has responded to the paper in an attempt to clarify many of the misunderstandings. In his post, he points out the inherent misconceptions around the difference between syslog the protocol, syslog the API, and syslog the application, and makes the point that the systemd proposal ignores most of the last 10 years of enhancements to both protocol and application."
Privacy

Submission + - New Corp. Hacking Scandal Spreads to Gov't (securityweek.com)

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: The scandal revolving around the News Corporation’s now defunct British tabloid, “News of the World”, has entered a new phase with news that the hacking techniques used in the British tabloid media are reported to have extended into areas of national security, as detectives working for the Murdoch media empire may have hacked into the computer of a government minister responsible for Northern Ireland.

Scary stuff, yet the enterprise security community seems strangely quiet on the topic, aside from showing other journalists how easy it is to do.

Potentially, if you know the correct mobile number and you can guess 4 Digits, you too can be listening to your elected leaders personal messages. The chances are pretty good that it could be their birthday.

Does your security policy take the carrier into consideration? Does your security policy make a point of your users changing the default PIN?
Science

Submission + - Stephen Wolfram Bets on Singularity (fastcoexist.com)

Submitted by kodiaktau
kodiaktau writes: This week the Lifeboat foundation announced that Stephen Wolfram would be joining its organization. The purpose of the group is to think through scientific solutions to existential problems that might be used to save humanity from such risks as asteroids hitting the earth or some other diabolical disaster. Wolfram brings computational science to the table and has posited that the earth and universe can be understood as a computer program that can be significantly altered as we continue to advance in technology.
Science

Submission + - Wiping out mosquitoes with GM mosquitoes (gizmag.com) 1

Submitted by doug141
doug141 writes: Scientists are releasing genetically modifies male mosquitoes that produce flightless female offspring. The male offspring go on to wipe out another generation of females.This is similar to the way screwworms were eradicated in the U.S., except with nature itself making more of the modified males.
Field trials are already underway.
Apple

Submission + - Siri: Coming Soon to Apple TV? (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by
redletterdave
redletterdave writes: "Apple's new TV set-top, revealed by code found within the iOS 5.1 update, will reportedly feature the newest version of Bluetooth, called Bluetooth Smart (4.0). With this technology, Apple could potentially implement motion-sensitive controls and even Siri onto its TV platform. With the ability for Bluetooth 4.0 to connect with a greater number of wireless devices faster and more reliably, it's likely Apple will use Siri to help users control and navigate the Apple TV interface, especially for finding and discovering content. With the addition of Bluetooth, sources also say the next-gen Apple TV could become a gaming port. Bluetooth 4.0 can leverage the gyroscopes and accelerometers within the iOS devices to make any iOS handheld into a motion-sensitive game controller, which could potentially help Apple compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii."
Security

Submission + - Why Password Wisdom Is All Wrong (internetevolution.com)

Submitted by hapworth
hapworth writes: Contrary to popular wisdom, using complex passwords with varying letters and numbers is all wrong and far from secure, says Stephen Gallagher, a Red Hat Linux Software Engineer. The truth about creating safe passwords is three-fold, he says, requiring a second form of authentication, such as a smartcard or time-based authentication token; a "physical device on your person"; and, lastly and most importantly, creating long passwords with letters and spaces (e.g., "vagrant pizza mouse garden pick"). Says the developer, this approach "has effectively zero cost to a corporate environment while providing a significant gain in security."
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Video game consoles are 'fundamentally doomed' (bgr.com)

Submitted by zacharye
zacharye writes: Microsoft just sold nearly one million Xbox 360 consoles last week alone, but we’re nearing the end of the road for video game consoles according to one industry visionary. Richard Garriott, known for having created the fantasy role-playing franchise Ultima and the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Tabula Rasa, says converged devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets will soon render dedicated game consoles obsolete...

Submission + - Giant home made LED display with roughly 1500 LEDs (buildlounge.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: After hiring a professional lighting crew every year for a massive party, this guy decided to take matters into his own hands. He built a massive LED sign with roughly 1500 LEDs for about $800. The results are fantastic.
Businesses

Submission + - Patent Expires on Best Selling Drug of All Time

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The US patent has just expired on Lipitor, the best-selling drug of all time, as the first generic versions go on sale, marking the end of a brand that has dominated the drug industry, lowered the cholesterol of tens of millions of patients, and generated $10.7 billion last year in annual sales. But drug manufacturer Pfizer, dependent on Lipitor for almost one-fifth of the company’s revenue, does not intend to go down without a fight. Pfizer is employing unprecedented tactics to hold onto as many Lipitor prescriptions as it can with an aggressive marketing plan and forging deals with insurers, pharmacy benefit managers and patients to meet or beat the price of its generic replacements because even at the lower price, Pfizer has a huge profit margin because of the relatively low cost of materials for Lipitor. Some deals require pharmacies to reject prescriptions for low-cost generics and substitute a discounted name-brand Lipitor while other deals block generic makers from mail-order services that account for an estimated 40 percent of all Lipitor prescriptions. “Pfizer’s tactic of dressing up as a generics company is pulling the rug under the incentive system created to foster the development of generic drugs,” says attorney David A. Balto."
Security

Submission + - Cybercriminals Offer Complex Infection Services (net-security.org)

Submitted by Orome1
Orome1 writes: Services for fraudsters utilizing malware are not new — AV checkers, malware encryption and malware infection services have existed in the criminal underground market for several years. However, recent research has indicated changes in service scope and price due to service convergence and demanding buyers. Researchers came across a new group that besides offering infection services (for prices between 0.5 and 4.5 cents for each upload, depending on geography) also provides polymorphic encryption and AV checkers. This new one-stop-shop approach for malicious services is a natural evolution of the market — if the customers need to infect, then they also need to evade AV. Why not sell the whole package?
Apple

Submission + - Apple loses Samsung Oz ban (smarthouse.com.au)

Submitted by downundarob
downundarob writes: An Australian court has ruled against Apple, who have just lost their case against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia. Apple may also have to pay costs to its Tab rival, according to the ruling. However, Apple quickly sought to prolong the ban until Friday, when it will make a case for an appeal against the decision.
Hardware

Submission + - Harvard Creates Flexible Squid-Inspired Robot (harvard.edu)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A robotics team from Harvard University recently created a flexible robot made from polymers that's able to negotiaterough terrain and perform delicate tasks that were previously thought impossible forautomatons. The robot was modeled afterstarfish, worms and squid and it flexes a series of small, inflatable chambers embedded within its legs and its central spine to move.

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The best book on programming for the layman is "Alice in Wonderland"; but that's because it's the best book on anything for the layman.

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