Submission + - 10 Reasons it doesn't pay to be "The Computer (lifereboot.com)
Shaun Boyd writes: "Scroll down for the top 10 list."
Submission + - New York: 1 in 4 businesses use no wireless encryp (blorge.com)
secretsather writes: "New York war-surveyed: 1 in 4 businesses employ open wireless networks
It's unbelievable to imagine businesses who employ OWN (open wireless network) encryption on their wireless networks; even worse, its hard to imagine those that do utilize encryption to journey into the realm of WEP, as the term 'security' instantly becomes misleading. Take New York, for example, as businesses were recently 'surveyed' by an independent security specialist commissioned by RSA.
The survey was performed not by mail or in person, as one would expect, but rather, using a laptop with scanning software to detect both broadcasting and non-broadcasting access points (APs) across 802.11a, b, and g frequencies.
Of all APs war-surveyed, 21% were identified as using no encryption at all, while 15% of APs were identified as business HotSpots.
The remaining 64% of APs belonged to businesses with secured networks; however, only 49% of those using encryption, actually implemented a strong form such as WPA. The remaining are plagued with deceivingly-secure WEP encryption.
"As we evolve toward a 'wireless everywhere' world, we are witnessing enormous leaps in wireless connectivity," said Christopher Young, Vice President, Consumer and Access Solutions at RSA.
Young hits the mark, but drifts off by noting: "It is encouraging that almost half of all secured business access points are now using advanced forms of encryption."
51% of businesses, with encrypted wireless networks, who rely on WEP for network security, is simply not encouraging; it's disgusting.
In addition, 24% of business APs that use a form of security are still configured to their out-of-the-box settings, a mega no-no in the world of wireless security."
It's unbelievable to imagine businesses who employ OWN (open wireless network) encryption on their wireless networks; even worse, its hard to imagine those that do utilize encryption to journey into the realm of WEP, as the term 'security' instantly becomes misleading. Take New York, for example, as businesses were recently 'surveyed' by an independent security specialist commissioned by RSA.
The survey was performed not by mail or in person, as one would expect, but rather, using a laptop with scanning software to detect both broadcasting and non-broadcasting access points (APs) across 802.11a, b, and g frequencies.
Of all APs war-surveyed, 21% were identified as using no encryption at all, while 15% of APs were identified as business HotSpots.
The remaining 64% of APs belonged to businesses with secured networks; however, only 49% of those using encryption, actually implemented a strong form such as WPA. The remaining are plagued with deceivingly-secure WEP encryption.
"As we evolve toward a 'wireless everywhere' world, we are witnessing enormous leaps in wireless connectivity," said Christopher Young, Vice President, Consumer and Access Solutions at RSA.
Young hits the mark, but drifts off by noting: "It is encouraging that almost half of all secured business access points are now using advanced forms of encryption."
51% of businesses, with encrypted wireless networks, who rely on WEP for network security, is simply not encouraging; it's disgusting.
In addition, 24% of business APs that use a form of security are still configured to their out-of-the-box settings, a mega no-no in the world of wireless security."
Submission + - White Stripes go USB
Phone Dude writes: "For fans of Jack and Meg, it's probably a long-standing dream of yours to purchase the Icky Thump album on limited edition thumb drives complete with cartoon renditions of the rockers, but even if it that understandably bizarre scenario never actually crossed your mind, you can still make it a reality. Apparently, the White Stripes are offering up their latest album on two fairly rare USB drives, each sporting 512MB of internal space, an artistic rendition of one of the band mates, and thirteen rockin' tracks in Apple Lossless format. Only 3,333 of each will be created, and while just one will run you a whopping $57.50, you may as well grab the duo for a discounted $99. Of course, we're still not entirely certain if these things are actually licensed by the band, but it's safe to assume that a seven nation army of fans will have these bought up before the legal teams can even get their case together.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/12/white-stripes-a lbum-sold-on-limited-edition-usb-drives/"
Submission + - Intel V8 Octa-Core System, Full Performance Tests
MojoKid writes: In the April time frame,
details of Intel's dual-socket 8-core system dubbed
"V8" became available but only preliminary performance numbers were shown.
The platform consists of quad-core Xeon processors in an Intel 5000X
chipset-based motherboard, along with FBDIMM (Fully Buffered DIMM) serial
memory. This
follow-on article goes into significantly
more detail on the platform and showcases many more performance metrics on a
Windows Vista 64-bit installation. The
POV-Ray and Cinebench 95 benchmark numbers alone are something to smile
about.
Submission + - US falls to 24th place for broadband penetration (pressesc.com)
amigoro writes: "US fell to 24th place in terms of broadband penetration with 53%. South Korea led the pack with 90% having highs peed connections.
The US remains the largest broadband country in the world with more than 60.4 million subscribers in the quarter with 2.9 million new broadband additions but China is fast catching up and has cut the gap to the US from 5.8 million at the end of 2006 to 4.1 million at end of March 2007."
The US remains the largest broadband country in the world with more than 60.4 million subscribers in the quarter with 2.9 million new broadband additions but China is fast catching up and has cut the gap to the US from 5.8 million at the end of 2006 to 4.1 million at end of March 2007."
Submission + - Safari for Windows Gets Better Security
NoPhD writes: PCWorld is running an article that Apple has released Safari Beta 3.0.1 for Windows, an update to their recently-introduced Web browser for Windows XP and Vista. The new version is available for download from Apple's Web site or through the "Apple Software Update" application (bundled with QuickTime or iTunes for Windows). The security improvements in Safari Beta 3.0.1 include correction for a "command injection vulnerability," corrected with additional processing and validation of URLs that could otherwise lead to an unexpected termination of the browser; an out-of-bounds memory read issue; and a race condition that can allow cross-site scripting using a JavaSscript exploit. Apple notes that these security issues to do not affect the Macintosh version of Safari 3. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,132883-c,browser s/article.html
Submission + - Ad favorites through the years (computerworld.com)
jcatcw writes: "Computerworld has compiled a set of very amusing ads from the pages of its past for the 40th Anniversary issue. In what year would the question, "What is E-mail?" be answered with: "One of the most advanced methods is terminals talking to one another."
They're "versatile, dependable, compatible and maybe even sexy." What are they? These modems that are "all performers," according to a not-so-subtle ad.
"with WordStar, you have a true screen image of what your printout will look like before you print it! With WordStar, you'll erase, insert, delete and move entire blocks of copy."
Remember when "mobile" meant "luggable"? An NEC ad boasts of a laptop that only weighed 11.2 lb. despite its 640K of memory, dual 720K drives and five built-in programs. Woohoo!
A personal favorite: the Personal Mainframe."
They're "versatile, dependable, compatible and maybe even sexy." What are they? These modems that are "all performers," according to a not-so-subtle ad.
"with WordStar, you have a true screen image of what your printout will look like before you print it! With WordStar, you'll erase, insert, delete and move entire blocks of copy."
Remember when "mobile" meant "luggable"? An NEC ad boasts of a laptop that only weighed 11.2 lb. despite its 640K of memory, dual 720K drives and five built-in programs. Woohoo!
A personal favorite: the Personal Mainframe."
Submission + - 10 MORE Reasons Why HD-DVD Formats Have Failed (audioholics.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Almost exactly a year ago Audioholics wrote an eye-opening piece on the demise of both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc high definition DVD formats. On the anniversary of that article Clint DeBoer has penned a follow-up article called "10 MORE Reasons Why HD-DVD Formats Have Already Failed" that discusses each point in light of a year's worth of released hardware and software and whether his predictions were on the mark or just a bunch of hot air. The bottom lines are interesting and it does seem to indicate that his initial assumptions are still on track.
Submission + - Attorney sues website over his online rating (nwsource.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that a local attorney is suing legal startup Avvo.com over a rating that was algorithmically assigned.
The story touches over the controversy of computers grading humans. Such practices are not new: the New York Times earlier this year reported on Google using algorithms to determine applicant suitability.
But what happens when you don't like the result? Can a computer program be considered defamatory?
Why Music Really Is Getting Louder 388
Teksty Piosenek writes "Artists and record bosses believe that the best album is the loudest one. Sound levels are being artificially enhanced so that the music punches through when it competes against background noise in pubs or cars. 'Geoff Emerick, engineer on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album, said: "A lot of what is released today is basically a scrunched-up mess. Whole layers of sound are missing. It is because record companies don't trust the listener to decide themselves if they want to turn the volume up." Downloading has exacerbated the effect. Songs are compressed once again into digital files before being sold on iTunes and similar sites. The reduction in quality is so marked that EMI has introduced higher-quality digital tracks, albeit at a premium price, in response to consumer demand.'"
