Coroner confirms teenager in Asiana plane crash killed by fire truck

"A coroner announced on Friday that a teenager killed in the Asiana Airlines crash earlier this month in San Francisco was killed by a motor vehicle — likely a fire truck that arrived on the scene to provide assistance — and not injuries sustained in the crash, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The coroner warned as early as July 8 that the the victim, a 16-year-old Chinese high school student later identified as Ye Mengyuan, had sustained injuries more consistent with being struck by an emergency vehicle than that of a plane crash. Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White apologized to the family on Friday." Continue reading

Continue ReadingCoroner confirms teenager in Asiana plane crash killed by fire truck

$25 gadget lets hackers seize control of a car

"Spanish engineers Javier Vázquez Vidal and Alberto Garcia Illera will give a demonstration at the Black Hatsecurity conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have built a $25 device that lets them bypass security in a car's electronic control unit. Vázquez Vidal and Garcia Illera will show how their device – which they claim uses a $1 chip to break encryption – can read from and write data to the flash memory of commonly used ECUs, made by Bosch of Germany. 'And it would take no time to gain total control over a vehicle – deploying an airbag, activating the brakes, or immobilising a car at any moment,' says Vázquez Vidal." Continue reading

Continue Reading$25 gadget lets hackers seize control of a car

$25 gadget lets hackers seize control of a car

"Spanish engineers Javier Vázquez Vidal and Alberto Garcia Illera will give a demonstration at the Black Hatsecurity conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have built a $25 device that lets them bypass security in a car's electronic control unit. Vázquez Vidal and Garcia Illera will show how their device – which they claim uses a $1 chip to break encryption – can read from and write data to the flash memory of commonly used ECUs, made by Bosch of Germany. 'And it would take no time to gain total control over a vehicle – deploying an airbag, activating the brakes, or immobilising a car at any moment,' says Vázquez Vidal." Continue reading

Continue Reading$25 gadget lets hackers seize control of a car

Tablet cash machines: The ATM of the future?

"As payment methods move digital, so cash machines will need to develop from the terminals that we have all become used to, experts say. The main challenge comes from the smartphone. Mobile banking allows customers to check balances, organise transfers, make swift payments between friends in restaurants or pay the local tradesman. The answer from the industry, it appears, is to make the cash machine more like a smartphone. That can have benefits for consumers too. Live link video screens will give them the opportunity to talk to customer services staff at any time of day, instead of just normal opening hours." Continue reading

Continue ReadingTablet cash machines: The ATM of the future?

Tablet cash machines: The ATM of the future?

"As payment methods move digital, so cash machines will need to develop from the terminals that we have all become used to, experts say. The main challenge comes from the smartphone. Mobile banking allows customers to check balances, organise transfers, make swift payments between friends in restaurants or pay the local tradesman. The answer from the industry, it appears, is to make the cash machine more like a smartphone. That can have benefits for consumers too. Live link video screens will give them the opportunity to talk to customer services staff at any time of day, instead of just normal opening hours." Continue reading

Continue ReadingTablet cash machines: The ATM of the future?

Bitcoin has arrived in Iran with a new website and a forum

"CoinAva is the name of the new platform that is bringing cryptocurrency to Iran! Besides trying to spread the word about Bitcoin in the country, this platform allows users to buy and sell virtual currency, via a counter party in Australia. From now on, people in Iran can buy and sell Bitcoins, as well as learn more about the cryptocurrency with the help of CoinAva’s team. And, besides the platform, there’s more news: Iran also has a new forum dedicated to cryptocurrency called Persian Bitcoin Talk, which you can visit here. Looks like Bitcoin is really building its way into the country!" Continue reading

Continue ReadingBitcoin has arrived in Iran with a new website and a forum

Bitcoin has arrived in Iran with a new website and a forum

"CoinAva is the name of the new platform that is bringing cryptocurrency to Iran! Besides trying to spread the word about Bitcoin in the country, this platform allows users to buy and sell virtual currency, via a counter party in Australia. From now on, people in Iran can buy and sell Bitcoins, as well as learn more about the cryptocurrency with the help of CoinAva’s team. And, besides the platform, there’s more news: Iran also has a new forum dedicated to cryptocurrency called Persian Bitcoin Talk, which you can visit here. Looks like Bitcoin is really building its way into the country!" Continue reading

Continue ReadingBitcoin has arrived in Iran with a new website and a forum

The Original Value of Bitcoins

"Two centuries ago, oil was less than worthless. It was a blight that people would pay to have removed from their land. However, suppose one day a mysterious stranger appeared claiming to be a time-traveler. He told everyone that one day oil would be the world’s most valuable fuel. It would called 'black gold'. Wars would be fought over it and enormous machines would be built to collect every last drop. Though no one knew if the purported time traveler was telling the truth or how to develop the technologies that would one day make oil valuable, some entrepreneurs believed him and began to collect oil to prepare for the day that it became black gold." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe Original Value of Bitcoins

The Original Value of Bitcoins

"Two centuries ago, oil was less than worthless. It was a blight that people would pay to have removed from their land. However, suppose one day a mysterious stranger appeared claiming to be a time-traveler. He told everyone that one day oil would be the world’s most valuable fuel. It would called 'black gold'. Wars would be fought over it and enormous machines would be built to collect every last drop. Though no one knew if the purported time traveler was telling the truth or how to develop the technologies that would one day make oil valuable, some entrepreneurs believed him and began to collect oil to prepare for the day that it became black gold." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe Original Value of Bitcoins

Banks Get One Last Mulligan in Payments

"In true startup fashion, the bank-owned card brands of Visa and MasterCard eventually had successful IPOs. The inspiration is clearly there. But where are the visionaries in banking now? With the breakthrough development of cryptographic money, banks appear paralyzed about understanding and harnessing its transformative power. This does not bode well for the future of banks. Just as they block and freeze the accounts of competitive money transmitters in the U.S., banks routinely freeze the bank accounts of innocent bitcoin exchanges, hiding behind the rationale that they are being watchful of and adhering to regulator guidelines." Continue reading

Continue ReadingBanks Get One Last Mulligan in Payments