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Submission + - Why You Need to Protect Your Home from Cyber Pearl Harbor (Now!) (cio.com)

Submitted by
Curseyoukhan
Curseyoukhan writes: "At this very moment a terrorist hacker in Somewheristan is preparing to unleash what former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called a "cyber 9/11." With just a flick of a switch, we could all be left without electricity, water or Netflix for who knows how long.

Some of you probably laughed when I mentioned Netflix, but I did it for two reasons. First, to see if you are paying attention and, second, to get you thinking about your homes because, ladies and gentlemen, the home is the greatest and most-overlooked target today. Thankfully, my company — PurplexUs Inc. LLC — is here to help protect you and your home.

Bathroom scales, refrigerators, rice cookers, garage-door openers, ovens, clothes, washers, light switches and toothbrushes–do you know what they all have in common?

I didn’t think so.

All these devices can be used by a terrorist to kill now that they've been connected to the internet."
Science

Submission + - "Superomniphobic" nanoscale coating repels almost any liquid (gizmag.com) 1

Submitted by cylonlover
cylonlover writes: A team of engineering researchers at the University of Michigan has developed a nanoscale coating that causes almost all liquids to bounce off surfaces treated with it. Creating a surface structure that is least 95 percent air, the new "superomniphobic" coating is claimed to repel the broadest range of liquids of any material in its class, opening up the possibility of super stain-resistant clothing, drag-reducing waterproof paints for ship hulls, breathable garments that provide protection from harmful chemicals, and touchscreens resistant to fingerprint smudges.
News

Submission + - Cutting-edge tech giving Boeing 787 cutting-edge problems (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by
Curseyoukhan
Curseyoukhan writes: "Boeing is discovering the problem with using bleeding-edge tech. To improve fuel efficiency the 787 Dreamliner is more reliant on electric systems than any other commercial plane before it. For example, it has replaced its hydraulic systems with electronic ones. All those systems require nearly 1.5 megawatts of electricity. For the first time Boeing is using lithium-ion batteries, which weigh half as much as the nickel-metal hydride ones. So maybe it's no surprise that it has had problems with the electrical system and that one of those batteries caught on fire.

The 787 is also the most outsourced commercial plane in history. Boeing did that in order to speed up assembly and delivery. Not only has it slowed delivery but it likely also resulted in more problems in the assembly process."

Submission + - 3D Printable Ammo Clip Skirts New Proposed Gun Laws (forbes.com)

Submitted by Sparrowvsrevolution
Sparrowvsrevolution writes: Slashdot has closely followed the developing controversy around Defense Distributed, the group that hopes to create 3D printable guns to defeat gun control legislation. The group has yet to create an entirely 3D printable gun. But it's already testing the limits of gun control with a simpler invention: the 3D printable ammunition clip.

Over the past weekend, Defense Distributed successfully 3D-printed and tested an ammunition magazine for an AR semi-automatic rifle, loading and firing 86 rounds from the 30-round clip. That homemade chunk of curved plastic holds special significance: Between 1994 and 2004, so-called “high capacity magazines” capable of holding more than 10 bullets were banned from sale. And a new gun control bill proposed by California Senator Diane Feinstein in the wake of recent shootings would ban those larger ammo clips again. President Obama has also voiced support for the magazine restrictions.

Defense Distributed says it hopes to preempt any high capacity magazine ban by showing how impossible it has become to prevent the creation of a simple spring-loaded box in the age of cheap 3D printing. It's posted the 3D-printable magazine blueprints on its website, Defcad.org, and gun enthusiasts have already downloaded files related to the ammo holders more than 2,200 times.
Technology

Submission + - How The Cool Stuff At CES Will Ruin Your Life (itworld.com)

Submitted by
jfruh
jfruh writes: "Another CES has come and gone, and as usual the press has presented rather uncritically a list of super-cool gadgets that were unveiled at the show and that will make our world better. Let's leave aside the fact that many products show at CES never make it to market; Paul Roberts provides the pessimistic case on the big CES news, explaining how all these geegaws will strip away privacy, unleash an army of Clippys onto the world, and maybe even change human brains for the worse."
Privacy

Submission + - CES panel proves consumers would rather talk than act about online privacy (cio.com)

Submitted by
Curseyoukhan
Curseyoukhan writes: "There’s also the fact that they’re on a panel at CES. I am positive all six of these people are smart, thoughtful and pay attention to their online behavior. Who else would you want answering people’s questions? Who else could be less representative of the general population?

Another problem with the panelists’ answers is that they support the oft-repeated claim that privacy is the number one issue for Internet users. That claim is based on a lot of (well-done) interviews. However, here’s the trouble with using opinion surveys on something like this: Behavior doesn’t always match stated opinion. Even when it does the hugely different definitions of what privacy means makes the behavior itself questionable."
The Courts

Submission + - Supreme Court to hear case on Obama's alleged forged documents (examiner.com)

Submitted by
Examiner News
Examiner News writes: "On Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court scheduled a birther case brought on by Orly Taitz which calls into question Barack Hussein Obama's eligibility to be president of the United States. Dr. Taitz, a lawyer from Santa Margarita, Calif., also made the announcement on her website on Jan. 9."
Social Networks

Submission + - Point-and-shoot yourself with a nano copter

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The guys at Always Innovating has announced the MeCam, a self video nano copter to point-and-shoot yourself. The device hovers instantly, streams video to a phone, and can be controlled by voice and face movement. Unfortunately, Always Innovating doesn't sell to consumers but they hope to get licensing from social networking players.
Privacy

Submission + - Disney Wants to Track You With RFID (nbcnews.com) 3

Submitted by Antipater
Antipater writes: Disney parks and resorts have long had a system that combined your room key, credit card, and park ticket into a single card. Now, they're taking it a step further by turning the card into an RFID wristband (called a "MagicBand"), tracking you, and personalizing your park experience, targeted-ad style.

"Imagine booking guaranteed ride times for your favorite shows and attractions even before setting foot in the park," wrote Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, in a blog posting on Monday. "With MyMagic+, guests will be able to do that and more, enabling them to spend more time together and creating an experience that’s better for everyone."

Disney does go on to talk about all the things you can opt out of if you have privacy concerns, and the whole system seems to be voluntary or even premium.
The Media

Submission + - Al Jazeera Gets a US Voice

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The NY Times reports that Al Jazeera plans to start an English-language channel available in more than 40 million US homes, with newscasts emanating from both New York and Doha, Qatar after announcing a deal to take over Current TV, the low-rated cable channel that was founded by Al Gore seven years ago. But the challenge will be persuading Americans to watch the award winning network with 71 bureaus around the world — an extremely tough proposition given the crowded television marketplace and the stereotypes about the channel that persist to this day. “There are still people who will not watch it, who will say that it’s a ‘terrorist network,’ ” says Philip Seib. "Al Jazeera has to override that by providing quality news.” With a handful of exceptions, American cable and satellite distributors have mostly refused to carry Al Jazeera English since its inception in 2006. While the television sets of White House officials and lawmakers were tuned to the channel during the Arab Spring in 2011, ordinary Americans who wanted to watch had to find a live stream on the Internet. “There’s a major hole right now that Al Jazeera can fill. And that is providing an alternative viewpoint to domestic news, which is very parochial,” says Cathy Rasenberger. "If you watch us, you're going to like us. You are going to find it interesting," adds Robert Wheelock. "We offer an alternative. It's a broader coverage of news. It's a broader spectrum into countries that aren't traditionally covered.""
Security

Submission + - NYT Twists Imperva Antivirus Study into Utter Nonsense (cio.com)

Submitted by
Curseyoukhan
Curseyoukhan writes: "A recent New York Times story says antivirus programs are useless because they are terrible at detecting threats. But the story is based on a misreading of an Imperva study — which only looks at new the ability to detect new viruses. The story also overlooks the fact that antivirus software can detect older threats that are just as dangerous as new ones,"

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