[H] Enthusiast Archives: June 2009Archive Listing


Sunday June 28, 2009

Google Earth Used for Koi Theft

If you’ve got some expensive fish in your outdoor pond, you might want to invest in some video monitoring. Apparently, there’s been a surge in koi carp theft in the UK in recent weeks and police say that the thieves are using Google Earth to locate ponds that are easy pickings. Since those fish are worth hundreds of dollars in the open market, they’re an attractive target. I always thought that tool was a bit fishy. *rimshot* big grin

PCSO Gregory said: "Google shows what is in your garden and you can see people's ponds. One of the properties targeted has an eight foot fence and is set back from the road. The pond is in the corner and can't be seen. Unless you were standing right next to the wall, you wouldn't be able to hear the running water."

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Developing Countries Used as E-Waste Dumping Grounds

According to a Gartner report, countries that don’t want to deal with environmental requirements in disposing of their used PCs and other E-waste products are "passing the buck" and dumping their stuff in developing nations in Africa and elsewhere. Though the article appears to focus on the UK, it’s a pretty safe bet that other countries are doing it as well. That sucks.

Gartner says that although some exported used PCs are handled responsibly in demand countries with effective regulatory regimes and by companies with advanced technologies, many end up in developing countries where they are frequently handled and disposed of unsafely. Emerging economies often lack the capacity to safely handle and dispose of used PCs, and extremely low labour costs and lack of environmental controls make unsafe recycling commonplace.

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US, Russia Differ Over CyberCombat Approach

In what should not be a surprise to anyone, the US and Russia do not agree on how cyberwar attacks should be handled. Russia would like to see an international treaty while the US opposes a formal treaty and instead supports international cooperation. What say you, good reader?

US officials say the disagreement over approach has hindered international law enforcement cooperation, particularly given that a significant proportion of the attacks against US government targets are coming from China and Russia, the report said.

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Hulu Not Playing on PS3

If you’ve been using Hulu on your PS3, you’re in for a disappointment. Apparently, Hulu has disabled playback on the PS3 without any comment or notice. Engadget has the scoop and are waiting to hear back from the folks at Hulu to see if this is just a glitch or if the PS3 is getting "Boxee’d."

We've reached out to Hulu for an explanation but so far, haven't heard a response. Interestingly, the Hulu TOS was just updated as of June 26, and although we haven't found any PS3-specific passages, changing a browser's user-string to match the console reveals it is definitely being specifically blocked.

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Windows 7 Pre-Orders Dominate Amazon Sales

The limited-time discount on Windows 7 pre-orders has been very popular, as one can imagine. Microsoft’s latest consumer OS jumped to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list, taking 3 of the top 4 positions. I guess I’d better get off my duff and get my order in before it’s too late.

The discounted prices are good from today through July 11 in the U.S. and Canada, or "until supplies last," Microsoft noted in fine print. Pre-order prices will cease after July 5 in Japan. Customers in the U.K., France and Germany will be offered similar pre-order discounts starting July 15.

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Cheyenne Mountain, NORAD Still Active, Pictured

CNET has a great article and gallery about the Cheyenne Mountain complex that is famous for being home to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command). While NORAD moved their HQ to a nearby Air Force base, they still use the Cheyenne Mountain facilities for training and other use. Cool stuff.

It wasn't fully explained to me until my arrival that my initial request to visit the command center--where all the real action takes place--couldn't be met. But I was able to spend a few hours meeting with Col. Brad Gentry, the commander of the 721st Mission Support Group, which runs Cheyenne Mountain, and taking a rare tour--rare because I was allowed to bring a camera--of the deep underground complex.

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Acer on Track to Pass Dell for No. 2 in PC Sales Worldwide

The NY Times has an article about Acer’s rapid return to relevance after languishing under a muddled corporate identity. If Acer stays on track this year, they will pass Dell and become the second-largest seller of PCs worldwide, trailing HP. It will be the highest position a non-US-based company has ever been on that list.

"That is a big achievement, and they have beaten the odds," says Roger L. Kay, a PC industry analyst and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates, a consultancy. "Acer is a real comer."

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Saturday June 27, 2009

Ham Radio Enthusiasts Hope to Bounce Off Moon Today

It’s a big weekend for ham radio enthusiasts as they globally attempt Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communications in a festival of sorts. According to the NYT article, only about 1000 hams have the capability to bounce their signal off the moon and it’s not a cheap venture. Have fun today, all you hams out there.

"It’s the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest in amateur radio," said Joseph H. Taylor Jr., a Nobel Prize winner and retired physics professor from Princeton University who has written software to help radio buffs communicate via weak signals. "It’s possible, but only barely possible."

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Mythbusters’ Adam Savage Hammered by Roaming Fees

We’ve all felt the bite of an unexpected fee and celebs are no different. Mythbusters’ Adam Savage did a bit of web surfing while up in Canada and has an $11,000 international roaming fee from AT&T to show for it. I don’t think there are any experiments to bust this one.

Now there will be some who say that he should have read the fine print, but considering just how often these sorts of stories pop up, at some point it's worth noting that the fine print isn't working. And... even if you grant the "fine print" premise, it's hard for anyone to figure out how these international roaming rates make any sense whatsoever.

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Midway Games’ Sole Bidder: Warner Bros.

Looks like Warner Brothers is entering the games business the old fashioned way: by purchasing the assets of a bankrupt publisher. Midway Games has been around for a long time (Joust, Spy Hunter) and WB wants the intellectual property. Mortal Kombat vs. Looney Tunes anyone?

Assuming the deal goes through, the studio will take control of most of Midway's assets, including Mortal Kombat and well-known but dormant game series such as Joust and Spy Hunter. It will also get two production houses in Chicago and Seattle.

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Iranians Avoid Censorship with US Navy Technology

Protesters in Iran are circumventing filters by using technology originally developed by and for the US Navy. The Onion Router (TOR) was traditionally used to secure Internet communications between US ships at sea and is now being used as a proxy to get access to blocked sites like Twitter and Facebook. They can thank the Tor Project, a nonprofit, for the access.

"But TOR is different because it is an encrypted network of node after node, each one unlocking encryption to the next node. And because of this, it is all but impossible for governments to track Web sites a TOR user is visiting. TOR is a great way to give Ahmadinejad's Web censors headaches."

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Palm Pre Mojo SDK Leaked

If you’re an app developer that wants to check out the Palm Pre’s Mojo SDK, PreInsiders has info that is relevant to your interests. The SDK has apparently been leaked so get it while the getting’s good and caveat emptor.

Depending on how this one goes, we may have to pull all the links if Palm requests (we’re all for the sharing of information, but we want to help Palm, not destroy them). If they feel leaking the SDK early is only detrimental to them as a company, then we will remove the URLs.

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