technology

Irish man facing U.S. extradition for hosting largest child porn network on the planet

"If extradited to the US, Marques faces four charges relating to images hosted on the Freedom Hosting network, including images of the torture and rape of children. He could be sentenced to 30 years in prison. Freedom Hosting hosted sites on the The Onion Router (Tor) network, which anonymises and encrypts traffic, masking the identity of users. Users on the Tor sub-Reddit were suspicious about the news, dissecting the details of the vulnerability and pointing to a previous case where the FBI had taken over and maintained a site hosting child abuse material for two weeks in order to identify users." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIrish man facing U.S. extradition for hosting largest child porn network on the planet

Which Cities will Survive/Thrive?

"I doubt that anyone in 1968 predicted Detroit would lose most of its industrial base and half its population over the next 40 years (1970 - 2010). Such a forecast was beyond even the most prescient futurist. Four decades is not that long a time period, and our inability to predict large-scale trends over that time frame reveals intrinsic limitations in forecasting. Nonetheless, the dramatic decline of Detroit and other industrial cities makes me wonder if there are dynamics that we can identify that could enable us to predict which cities will thrive and which will decay." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin: newest frontier in e-money management

"Over the last year, many wealthy Russians lost billions of euros in the Cyprus economic crisis. The Russian government announced plans to intentionally weaken the ruble - plans that were never realized, but which caused quite a scare. President Vladimir Putin banned government officials from holding bank accounts and securities abroad. Historically, the Russian ruble has been a tumultuous currency, suffering major fluctuations throughout the 20th century. For those distrustful of Russia's financial institutions, then, Bitcoin's decentralized basis in math and code may provide an increasingly viable alternative." Continue reading →

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The New York Times Company Sells the Boston Globe at a 96% Loss

"The New York Times Company bought the Boston Globe in 1993 for $1.1 billion. It just sold it for $70 million. But we must factor in price inflation. At 1993′s prices, the Times Company paid the equivalent of $1.75 billion today. So, the company lost a staggering 96%. This shows where print newspapers are headed: down. This also shows where the New York Times is headed: down. American liberalism has bet the farm on three institutions: newspapers, network television, and the education system. All three are under assault by the Internet. The profits are shrinking for newspapers and network television." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe New York Times Company Sells the Boston Globe at a 96% Loss

It looks like the inside of a private jet but this is actually the inside of a humble Mercedes van

"A luxury car customising company has unveiled its latest creation - a van which has been turned into a five-star hotel-style suite. Lexani Motorcars has created the Reale which is an armoured Mercedes-Benz B6 Sprinter. The company based in Corona, California, calls it the 'ultimate' in personal security. The stunning inside area is dripping in the finest fixtures and fittings to make it the ultimate mobile home from home. It is lined with Alcantara suede and features handcrafted fine leather seats, a galley kitchen, luxury lavatory with ceramic toilet and gold-plated sink, marble floors, and even a hidden coat rack." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt looks like the inside of a private jet but this is actually the inside of a humble Mercedes van

Swiss solar aircraft returns from cross-US flight

"Crowds of spectators welcomed the solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse on Monday as it returned to Switzerland onboard a jumbo jet following its successful trans-American flight. A Boeing 747 jumbo carrying the prototype aircraft of aviation pioneer Bertrand Piccard landed at Dübendorf airfield in the canton of Zurich just after 7am, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported. Pilots Piccard and André Borschberg completed the historic flight from San Francisco in early July. The world’s first solar aircraft able to fly both day and night powered solely by the sun flew 5,650 kilometres across the United States." Continue reading →

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Japan sends talking ‘companion’ robot to the International Space Station

"When the Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata arrives at the International Space Station in November, a companion will be waiting for him whose eyes will light up in recognition – literally. Kirobo, the world’s first talking humanoid space robot, has already taken off – in the nattiest red Wellingtons since Paddington Bear – and should arrive at the space station by 9 August to await Wakata’s arrival. It knows he is coming: it has been programmed to recognise his face, and greet him warmly in Japanese." Continue reading →

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Watch: How GPS spoofing can take control of drones and ships

"A University of Texas researcher who has hacked the navigational systems of drones and ships told PBS on Friday that anyone with his software could do the same. Humphrey’s and and his graduate students used a technique called 'GPS spoofing,' in which false GPS signals are broadcast that trick a vehicle’s GPS receiver. The researchers first used the technique to commandeer an aerial drone. More recently, they commandeered a ship. Milton Clary of Overlook Systems Technologies told PBS that spoofing attacks posed a huge threat." Continue reading →

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The FBI Ran a Child Porn Site for Two Whole Weeks

"The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Bureau agents posed as child porn dealers, actively distributing pornography while the site was under their control—just as other agencies perform sting operations with drugs and prostitution. It's not yet clear if the technique worked that well: in the two week period, the FBI attempted to identify 5,600 users who had shared over 10,000 images of children. What can, perhaps, be judged, is the ethical position of distributing child pornography to incriminate suspects. Is it worse than supplying drugs in a sting? Or is it fair game given the end result? What do you think?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe FBI Ran a Child Porn Site for Two Whole Weeks