A fond look back at the days of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and dial-up modems.
The Ruins of Dead Social Networks
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The Second West Coast Computer Faire (Jul, 1978)
Check out this article from Byte Magazine in July 1978 about the Second West Coast Computer Faire. We have certainly come along way.
Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why.
An interested look at the Placebo effect, its history and how this phenomenon affects the drug makers.
William Shatner On Star Trek Vs Star Wars
Star Trek Vs Star Wars has always been a hot topic of debate in the nerd world, I honestly don’t think there is any comparison between the two. William Shatner voices his opinion on the matter as well and he says they are completely different too.
Gamers crack AIDS-related protein
Doing something as simple as playing a computer game called Foldit, gamers have helped to unlock the secrets of a protein-cutting enzyme from a virus that resembles AIDS. Though that may not mean much to you, it’s a breakthrough that could have real repercussions for those researching AIDS and cancer treatment.
Fukushima Robot Operator Writes Tell-All Blog
An anonymous worker at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant has written dozens of blog posts describing the ups and downs of his experience as one of the lead robot operators at the crippled facility. His blog provides a window into the complex and dangerous work environment faced by the operators, a small group of young technicians who, like other front-line personnel, must approach areas of high radiation, deploying remote-controlled robots to assist with efforts to further stabilize and shut down the plant’s four troubled reactors.
NASA, GM Take Giant Leap in Robotic Technology
Robonaut is evolving. NASA and General Motors are working together to accelerate development of the next generation of robots and related technologies for use in the automotive and aerospace industries. Engineers and scientists from NASA and GM worked together through a Space Act Agreement at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to build a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future robots could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants.
10 scariest hacks from Black Hat and Defcon
Hack week in Vegas during the Black Hat and Defcon conferences in Las Vegas last week, researchers wheeled out their best new attacks on everything from browsers to automobiles, demonstrating ingenuity and diligence in circumventing security efforts or in some cases in exploiting systems that were built without security in mind. Here’s a handful of the ones that deserve the most concern.
Geeks Beat Jocks as Bar Fight Breaks Out Over Control of the TV
One Sunday afternoon last month, a hundred boisterous patrons crowded into Mad Dog in the Fog, a British sports bar here, to watch a live broadcast. Half the flat-screen TVs were tuned to a blood-filled match between two Korean competitors, “MC” and “Puma.” The crowd erupted in chants of “M-C! M-C!” when the favorite started a comeback. The pub is known for showing European soccer and other sports, but Puma and MC aren’t athletes. They are 20-year-old professional videogame players who were leading computerized armies of humans and aliens in a science-fiction war game called “Starcraft II” from a Los Angeles convention center. The Koreans were fighting over a tournament prize of $50,000.
Zombie cookies’ won’t die: Microsoft admits use, HTML5 looms as new vector
Despite lawsuits, bad publicity, and Adobe’s promise to end their use in Flash, zombie cookies persist and could find a new host in HTML5
China airs documentary proving military university is hacking U.S. targets
For a long time now there has been suspicion that China is a hotbed of hacking activity either endorsed or ignored by the government and targeting foreign individuals, companies, and even governments.
The Chinese government has always denied this, but high-profile pull outs such as that threatened by Google last year, demonstrate there is definitely something going on, and now we have proof hacking tools are being developed and attacks carried out at official institutions in the country.