The hack you posted is not an exploit of the phone - it was a hack against one of the services provided by iCloud. The phone, itself, was not compromised.

There was a report of spyware that could be installed on an iPhone - it required a jailbreak to install. It could not be done OTA and without physical access to the device.

Replacing a ROM chip is both a software and hardware modification. It is not stock, is it? So, out of the box, which platform is more secure at this time?

Now, once you modify the device as you have indicated, it's possible to make the Android more secure. But, as a stock device, it still lags, doesn't it?

And, you are right...you can't insert a custom ROM in an iOS device - best you can do is jailbreak - something I would never do because of the inherent risks.

Why do I refer to you as a "Fandroid"? You attacked the original poster's arguments where they stated that all but one of the items they listed were iPhone only. You said the features were available on Android as well. They aren't without custom, hardware and software modifications as you noted. You ignored their original point and called them a "fanbois". I called you on it.

Exactly how does that custom ROM get installed??? Does it require modification of a device? Hardware modifications are not stock, are they? Are these devices readily available from a major supplier or must they be custom ordered?

There has been no reported successful hack of iOS devices to install malware where the device wasn't jailbroken. If you know otherwise, please provide relevant links? This can not be said of Android.

Now, what happens on the backend is open to interpretation and subject to debate.

You called the other poster a fanboi. He might be, but you are clearly a FAndroid with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.

for the offshore workers who displaced American workers to know that their value is now being measured by whether it can now be done by a TI-84 calculator or a resurrected TRS-80 if a human is still required in some capacity. They will now know how it feels to have to compete for jobs managing their automated overlords for even less meager earnings than before.

And, one has to wonder how far the shockwave will go. Will engineering and middle-management type jobs now be offshored (something that, historically, has not worked well) further compounding the problem in the company's home country or will a job "firewall" protect those jobs while driving the economies of the offshore workforce into the dumper? Or, will it encourage the need for the countries with the offshore workforce to adjust and create strong, viable companies that directly complete with their former overseas employers?

I foresee that we will see companies opening new offices overseas to directly compete with local companies as a result of the new global economy that this level of automation will usher in.

It's going to be interesting.

Can we just grow and insert more humans into the power grid?

I would mod you up. Unfortunately, the directproject.org site and wiki aren't exactly well organized. I may take another stab at trying to read it later today.

No, doctors don't care what a SOAP note looks like. Nor should they care - that's the EHR/EMR provider's responsibility. But, the LE / Public Safety sector was able to figure it out how to represent all the various entities (and, trust me, there are LOTS). It really should be all that hard to figure out how to represent patients, addresses, phone number, vitals, progress notes, medications, procedures, insurance providers, etc. Then, those entities are combined in manners that make sense to accomplish specific goals.

In the NIEM world, not every provider gave the same information when they exchanged with others and not every system could handle all the various NIEM object. However, the data they did exchange( incidents, persons, subject, ,charge, arrests, vehicle info, etc) were in a common format that could be interpreted by NIEM compliant systems.

A bigger issue, since Congress won't allow for a national medical ID, is how to ensure that the correct information is exchanged, how to safely store it and how to protect it against unauthorized access and fraudulent usage.

There is a common believe that Macs don't get viruses or could, possible, be susceptible to malware. This week, we have seen several issues that first threaten the *nix community (which, OSX is built upon). The first was the bash bug. The second is a worm that is capable of infecting a Mac system. A few months ago, we had Heartbleed that again, was cross platform.

Yes...the Bash Bug - affects *nix machines including Macs. That means the Linux user is just as exposed. It does mean, in this particular instance, that Windows users get a break.

The Mac, link linux, has proven relatively immune to computer viruses. How many people do you know run anti-virus and/or anti-malware software on the linux desktops or servers? Exactly. The Mac is built on top of an *nix core, but is far more usable by the average user. However, when the built in safeguards are disabled, it's possible to install malware. And, it's very possible that the attack vector is an exploit of the bash bug. We don't know the method or attack vector used to infect those machines (in either of the two articles on Dr. Web). Likely, users downloaded and installed an unsigned OSX application which, unlike having to jailbreak your phone, is easy to do. That unsigned app carried and installed the worm. I say" likely", because we just don't know enough yet.

For those who aren't aware, Apple has a app store for OSX apps in addition to the iOS app store. Like it's counterpart, apps are checked by Apple and are digitally signed. A developer must belong to the Macintosh Developer network to sign their apps and have them sold through the app store. You always have the option to install apps from other sources, but they are unchecked and unsigned. And, you take your chances, just as on other platforms, if you download and install unknown code.

Apple has taken a beating these past couple of weeks on multiple fronts. The Apple haters are in full force. But, in this case, we don't know how the malware/worm was installed. So, is it fair to bust Apple's chops over it without knowing the root cause?

Who remembers the failed Clipper chip pushed during the Clinton administration and advocated by VP Gore?

Who remembers why it failed?

Those who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it....even if they have to force it down our throats.

I have read a fair number of the comments posted here. And, the prevailing consensus is that there really isn't a standard when it comes to sharing health data and medical records between EMR systems.

Somebody mentioned HIPAA EDI in a previous post - those standards, however, are for passing information between entities for claims and not medical records. Why are the records themselves not specified in a publicly published format?

When I worked in the public safety software business, we were involved in many data sharing initiatives across the country. Many states had established their own platforms (Ohio and Wisconsin were pretty far along). But, on the federal level, they introduced GJXDM followed by the more comprehensive NIEM (National Information Exchange Model). The states moved towards this standard. While fairly big and deep, it make it fairly easy for NIEM compliant system to share data with one another. And, while the states built their own "free" records management systems, LE wanted their preferred vendors and the platforms with all the bells and whistles to support NIEM. So, we did.

Outside of this arena, we have HR-XML (for use by Human resources and NOT free). But, if you want to play in that game, you join the group and write systems compliant with it. At least there IS a standard.

What is criminal, in my mind, is that health care systems do not have a standard for describing this information. Nor, do they have a secure infrastructure for passing EMR data even if they did. It should have explicitly detailed as a provision in the ACA (aka Obamacare) so that healthcare providers and insurance carriers to interoperate. EMR vendors and insurance carriers should be REQUIRED and their software certified to comply with data interchange standards (which, may need to be formulated).

EPIC is in a position to set the standard. But, they won't because it means other vendors can get in the pool. So, somebody with really deep pockets and altruistic mindset needs to fund the development of a public standard, set the certification standards, and make it happen.

Yes, read the analysis offered in another poster's comments.

So, the question begging to be asked is whether jailbreaking phones in China by the owner is a common occurrence or if the phones are sold "pre-jailbroken" by a larger agency and able to download and install these hacks at will?

The Android attack vector is pretty clear. Oddly, they don't know how it spreads to iOS devices. If it's not spread as an malicious, sandboxed app, then how does it get on an iPhone?

How about:
a) Phone was jailbroken.
b) Phone had a modified iOS installed.
c) Some vulnerability exists in one of the built in apps that allows malicious software to be installed outside of the confines of the sandbox.

Given it's happening in China during the protests and with a large iOS device blackmarket, I'm betting on (b) followed by (a) with a very slight chance of (c) and that this malware won't be seen in the rest of world anytime soon.

The number of trips to populate is likely to be somewhat smaller if you send men and women who can reproduce. Those offspring can reproduce (assuming there are both m/f offspring) after 18-20 years. And, of course, people will die of natural and unnatural causes. What will the average lifespan be? Average breeding span?

It would be an interesting equation to figure out as to how many trips it would actually take to make a genetically diverse community that also has other society needs met in order to function.

Still, it will be a massive undertaking to build a colony of that size without significant advances in propulsion technology paring the flight times from months to days or hours.

I, too, would beg to differ. As someone who has used the language / IDE since Delphi 1.0, I have to think you are probably a Microsoft/VB fan.

I worked for several companies whose products were written in Delphi. One application was a leading records management system for law enforcement and comprised over 1 million lines of code. Another was a commodities trading application that used JNI to communicate with a large collection of Java files. Another managed slot machines at a very large casino and interfaced with the AS/400.

Today, at version Delphi XE7, the tool can still develop native Windows apps. But, it can also cross compile to produce native OSX, iOS and Android apps (via the NDK). The language has evolved as well. Granted, the verbose syntax of Pascal still exists. It should be said, however, that .Net and C# were created by Delphi's creator (Anders Heidelberg) after he defected away from Borland.

The tool ran into some hard times due to some shakeups at Borland. Borland became Inprise (yeah, stupid name). People screamed but the damage was done even though they chose to rename themselves again from Inprise back to Borland. Borland spun off it's application tools division to concentrate on application lifecycle management tools. The spin off became CodeGear and operated on a small budget. Eventually, Codegear was acquired by Embarcadero which has had it's share of issues. Today, Borland is a shell. Biggest issue with the sell to Embarcadero was the concentration of release a product that was buggy and at a high price. They locked people into a costy upgrade path. They learned and have fixed a lot of issues. But, the high cost forced many shops and developers away from the product. Microsoft became the standard.

XE7 is an amazing tool if you want to develop Windows, OSX, IOS and Android apps. Database support is fantastic (I have the Enterprise version). It has UML modelling and code generation capabilities. And, now it supports tethering between mobile apps and the desktop over WiFi and Bluetooth (including LE) among many other cool features.

Before you knock the tool and language, you should actually try to use it. The only downsides are still the price and the fact that you still need a Mac to compile for OSX and iOS. This is more a limitation of Apple requiring the apps to be signed and the XCode tools are needed for this purpose. And, it doesn't develop web apps. If you want to be in that market, you need to select another tool. They used to include the FreePascal compiler for its ARM support. They now have their own native ARM compiler.

They have a 30 day trial for download. They also have another product, called AppCode, that is very similar to Delphi/RadStudio. That product is offered on a monthly subscription basis vs outright purchase. Not sure of it's other limitations.

The 3rd Party ecosystem took a hit for a while with many of the vendors moving towards .Net during the shakeup at Borland and haven't returned. Some of those vendors also felt shafted by both Borland and Embarcadero when they decided to offer products in those 3rd parties spaces and cut them out of the deal. Recently, there has been a lot of new release of components (old and new) on sites such as Torry.net.

While I still code in other languages when necessary, I still prefer to code in Delphi for my personal work. Sadly, it's personal as few enterprise IT shops will consider it these days because of the shakeups.

NOT in my house and NOT with the expected life expectancy listed on the packing! Of course, due to power fluctuations (we still have a 100A feed vs 200A and overhead wires), we constantly have bulbs burning out. Yes, major portions of the house wiring have been redone.

If they had surge protection in the bulbs, they would probably last a lot longer and I would get my money's worth due to the cost vs power savings (7W equivalent to 75W incandescent). My kids leave lights on all day...so it makes a big difference over time.

We just put in a "sunlight" white LED bulb in the kitchen to replace a CFL. Holy crap is that bright yet energy efficient!

Of those that changed their tune, they commented about trying to operate the larger device with one hand. Apple moved some things around to make easier. And, it's lighter and thinner than it's 2012 predecessors - a benefit of time and manufacturing processes. Machined metal vs plastic makes a difference as well in terms of how rigid the device is and how that feels in one's hands. Again, the benefit of time to review existing products and improved manufacturing processes.

So, I didn't hear any particular fan-dom responses because of Apple vs Android. I heard that Apple's take on it was a little more refined. One would expect that over the course of two years. Samsung will do the same on their next iteration.

Being said, I am a big guy (6' 1") with large hands. The 6+ still feels awkward to me. If I opt for one of the newer models, I would, likely, go with the straight 6 over the 6+. But, I am not due for an upgrade for another year. I can wait.

Of the best new features I would like to see? Improved battery life.

Good points. During the hiring process, it's fair to ask about training and conferences policies. And, if there is one you care about attending (one or regularly), you should negotiate it prior to accepting the hiring agreement.

Generally, if the training or conference is more for your benefit than the company's, they will resist sending you on their dime. If they are expecting you to attend, then they are responsible for all costs. If, as you suggest, the benefits of attending through PR or exposure is of value to them, then you can usually negotiate a compromise even when it doesn't directly benefit the company.

I managed to pull off having a developer's conference that I enjoyed attending added to my hiring agreement. They sent me for five years (regardless of location (continental US) until they restructured and forced us all to accept to new agreements or seek employment elsewhere when they incorporated. My conference benefit was terminated. Needless to say, I became willing to entertain offers for new employment as I saw it as a cheesy move.