Month: July 2009 (Page 12 of 13)

      Reading in the Bathroom Can Be a Terrifying Experience

      July 3, 2009 /

      Koji Suzuki's 'Drop' toilet paper.Koji Suzuki likes to scare people. The famed Japanese author has written bloodcurdling tales like “The Ring,” which have been adapted into films in Japan and Hollywood. Suzuki has a new idea for scaring people, one which involves the time you spend on the toilet.

      Suzuki has teamed up with Hayashi Paper Company, which makes novelty paper products for public restroom, to print his novella “Drop” on toilet paper. The story is about a goblin living in a public restroom, making the horror all the more real as you sit on a chilly seat.

      The story is nine chapters long, with multiple copies on each roll, so you can pick up where you left off without too much trouble. I’m sure green activists will have something to say about encouraging waste through the product, but I’d still back the product. Who said it can’t be printed on the biodegradable stuff, right?

      Each roll costs 210 yen, which is about $2. Think James Patterson will be releasing any toilet paper thrillers any time soon?

      Uncategorized

      GeoHot Beats the Dev Team to 3GS Unlock

      July 3, 2009 /

      George Hotz looking hot.Alright, so the headline is a little bit misleading, but in a sense it’s true. The Dev-Team has had an exploit for the iPhone 3GS set and ready to go, but they want to wait until 3.1 so that Apple doesn’t immediately patch their hole. George Hotz got tired of waiting, so he’s releasing the jailbreak himself.

      As of yet there aren’t many details, and not many folks have tested it, but those who have are reporting a successful unlock. GeoHot, or George Hotz, has the necessary file listed on purplera1n.com. After the jailbreak, you should be able to use ultrasn0w for the unlock.

      I think the best part of this whole saga is Hotz’s comments regarding the Dev-Team decision to hold of on release. I’ll send you off to backup, jailbreak, and unlock with his words:

      Normally I don’t make tools for the general public, and rather wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, whats up with waiting until 3.1? That isn’t how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn’t worth waiting because you might have the “last” hole in the iPhone. What last hole…this isn’t golf. I’ll find a new one next week.

      Well said, George. Good luck jailbreaking – enjoy your holiday.

      Uncategorized

      iPhone to Get SMS Vulnerability Fix

      July 2, 2009 /

      iPhone SMS.As smartphones become more popular we’re going to see more and more hacks designed to exploit any vulnerability within the phone. As long as the iPhone’s been around, and as widespread as it is, it’s surprising we’ve not seen more news like this.

      Though the first of its kind in a while, this iPhone vulnerability is pretty serious. OS X security expert Charlie Miller says through an SMS exploit, attackers could run code using the messaging service. Such an exploit could allow an attacker to track the phone via GPS, enable the microphone for eavesdropping, or even use the phone for a botnet or distributed DOS attack.

      At just 140 bytes of data per message, SMS is one of very few ways a hacker can access an iPhone wirelessly. Attackers can send multiple messages to the phone to recompiled once on the device for the exploits mentioned. The real danger is that SMS can be used to send binary to an iPhone, removing user interaction from the equation.

      That’s a whole lot more than most iPhone users probably think their phones capable, which is what makes fixing the vulnerability so important. According to Miller, Apple should have the hole patched later this month, before he gives a presentation on the hack at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.

      Apple, Apps, Computers, iPhone

      What the Hell is Happening at Dell (v2.0)?

      July 2, 2009 /

      Dell having some problems.

      I made a post a couple days ago about the downright zany information leaks about an upcoming MID from Dell. Employee comments were all over the place, which made it hard to figure out if Dell has been blowing particles of mercury through their air ducts or if they’re just panicking over their slippery market share. There’s more news this week, which has me leaning toward the mercury theory. I’ll start with the least crazy of the two.

      Yesterday Dell announced a new option for their popular Mini line of netbooks: the Wireless 700 card. The card adds $69 to the price and adds GPS capability to your handy little netbook. Alan Sicher, senior wireless product manager at Dell, had this to say:

      Smartphones already have GPS capabilities. We are now bringing it to…

      Okay, stop. Yes. Smartphones already have GPS. So why are you putting it on netbooks? More and more phones, smart or otherwise, are adding GPS capabilities every day, with increasingly robust feature lists. Sorry I interrupted.

      We are now bringing it to netbooks so the devices know where you are and can help you where you want to go.

      Alright, stop. I’m going to cannibalize an old photographer’s saying for the sake of argument here. The best GPS is the one you have with you. Why would I want to carry a netbook when my phone can do what you’re suggesting? Can you imagine walking around downtown with your netbook out? People would wonder if you’d found Zack Morris’ old smartphone.
      Continue reading »

      Computers, Mobile

      Update: Child Pornography Hits the iPhone [NSFW]

      July 1, 2009 /

      iPhone has some porn problems [censored].A photo purportedly showing a naked 15-year-old has made its way onto the iPhone App Store through an app called BeautyMeter this week, despite Apple’s strong stance against objectionable content in the store.

      Last week the application “Hottest Apps” was quickly pulled from the App Store due to “objectionable content,” namely, female nudity. It was adult female nudity, though, unlike today’s whopping PR nightmare for the iPhone.

      BeautyMeter allows users to upload photos of themselves and subsequently rate one another on body, face, and clothing appeal. If you’ve been to Hot or Not, you get the idea. Today, an iPhone app review site called KRAPPS found a picture of what appears to be a 15-year-old girl topless and partially nude below the waist in BeautyMeter. Nearly 5,000 users have voted on the picture.

      As of this posting, the application is still available in the app store, though the picture may have been removed. I would expect the app to at least get pulled for review before day’s end.

      According to the developer’s website, funnymals.com, they do not review submissions on a photo by photo basis. Rather, they go in and clean up “from time to time.” This certainly gives plenty of room for photos like the illegal nude in question to slip through. Users have even commented in the app store that, “There shouldnt be 14 year olds nude on there [sic].”

      The developer does supposedly capture your iPhone’s unique device ID when you upload a photo, making it possible to track down anyone who has posted illegal content. Neither Apple nor Funnymal will likely have legal liability in this case, though it does raise questions as to how Apple will handle user-generated content in future applications.

      Update:BeautyMeter has officially been pulled.

      Image from Wired

      Apple, Apps, Computers, iPhone, News, Websites

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