The upgrade frenzy caused by Apple is really, really concerning. Just the labor practice alone[1][2] is appalling enough, not to mention the the amount of energy[3] it takes to produce a new device every 6 months. Can't people live with the same gadget for at least a couple/few years without going ape every time something new comes out?

[1] - http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/02/27/apple-child-labor-china-history-sketchy-manufacturing/
[2] - http://www.zdnet.com/blog/government/apple-may-be-poisoning-chinese-workers-and-doesnt-seem-to-care-should-we/9908
[3] - http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1119.html

Hmm.. the author calls it an exploit in the article. Seems to me that anytime you devise a method to utilize something that it wasn't really intended for is indeed and exploit, hack, workaround, kludge, whatever.

I think it's marvelous this person found a way to use the system in a way it wasn't intended. He/She is probably very bright. Thing is though, if you're going to mess around in places you really aren't supposed to, don't be surprised if someone takes issue with it. That's the risk you take. Used to be people used pseudonyms to mitigate some of the risk, but that's a whole 'nother discussion on privacy vs. idiocy.

I can see why they would be a bit ruffled over this. Seems like this could be in the same realm as an SQL injection attempt. It's just using JSON instead.

Ok, that's a problem. The reason the protocol is proprietary is because the company has put a lot of time, money and effort into developing their product. They want to recoup some of the development costs through the implementation of their protocol.

The DMCA thing well ...that's what the DMCA is. It's basically a catch-all b1tchstick that can be bent into whatever shape the law wants to blame whoever for whatever. The way dropbox handled things *is* pretty crappy IMO, but if you're going to be a dick and crack peoples websites.... expect to get dick'd back.

A password doesn't equate to security.

It would be a lot harder to prove someone else used your setup when it's 'secured' with a password, but it can happen. Besides passwords being a piss-poor way to secure *anything* these days, many people choose stuff like their kids names, or birthdays or other crappy dictionary words.

What's worse, is a lot of people and places are still using WEP, which is useless in terms of accountability, but it would be enough for a court to say "You say you secured your setup but someone cracked it anyway? Yeah, right"

Nobody I know (corporates included) use a password like(lei3%dk&l[_#=3 anyway because it's "too hard" for users to remember.

Passwords are pointless for proving, or disproving, accountability.

Slow roasted Greenpeace over a hickory smoked fire. Famous Dave's Devil's Spit barbecue sauce slathered all over, popping and sizzling in the hot coals as it slowly drips. Next to it, a rack of Greenpeace ribs slathered in the same sauce, cooks to perfection as it fills the air with a smokehouse aroma.

over a hot fire
I can't wait to take a bite
Greenpeace is cooking

> What's the difference nowadays with the way that major corporations treat their workers, and all in the name of serving the CEO's paycheck.

They didn't have penicillin then.

Malleability, Ductility, Tensile strength, Hardness, Abrasion resistance, Brittleness, Thermal conductivity, Thermal coefficient of expansion... they mention some of these, but the list goes on quite a ways.

It might be nice and light and easy to cover an airplane with, but if the plane hits a pebble on takeoff will it shatter a wing because it's really brittle? If same plane soaks up a bunch of rays sitting on the tarmac in 110F deg heat, does the stuff expand by a factor of 10? Likewise, when it gets to 40,000 feet does the stuff contract by the same amount? Another issue is shipping the stuff from Australia to wherever.. what kind of carbon footprint comes with the manufacting process and shipping it? Is adopting this stuff mainstream going to heat the planet even more?

I'm sure the stuff is made of awesome , but just sayin... it would be nice to see a little more in-depth info.

It's not like someone is going to break into your house to steal your iphone location logs. Besides, if my phone or ipad gets ripped-off, It may actually help to reveal where the thief's travels took him. Possibly implicating other theives. I think it's good that Apple is thinking ahead this way. Everyone can be an active participant in crime fighting.

Maybe this will even be enough of a deterrent that the 'other' handset manufacturers will adopt the same strategy for their devices. It could mean the end of technogadget theivery altogether. Also, this is a perfect example of an instance where Apple has pioneered another idea which will change the world to make it better, but they will never get the credit for it. Steve invented the Linux kernel you know... He and Chuck Norris.. it's all over the internet, go read it for yourself.