Vacationers Prime Targets for Cybercriminals
With more and more people using Wi-Fi-enabled devices -- from iPhones to netbooks to standard laptops -- the need for public Internet access is steadily growing. Unfortunately, cybercriminals are very aware of this fact and, according to Fox News, are exploiting it to the best of their ability. By creating phony Wi-Fi networks in places such as hotels and airports, crooks target carefree vacationers who are more more worried about hitting the beach than they are network security. This nonchalance can often find travelers the victims of identity theft.Wireless security company AirTight Networks conducted a study last year in 27 airports around the world, and the results are borderline horrifying. For instance, the baggage-handling system at JFK International was being run on an insecure network. Other airports' ticketing systems were similarly run on insecure networks. Of the airports that did use encryption, 80-percent of them used the easily cracked WEP standard, as opposed to the more secure WPA and WPA2 protocols. AirTight contacted several airlines regarding the loose security in early 2009, and thankfully, airlines such as American and JetBlue have been swift to remedy the situation.
Numerous states have already implemented bans on texting while driving, but text-related injuries and deaths definitely aren't limited to the vehicular variety. In 2008, Illinois proposed legislation that would make texting and walking illegal, and now, as textual mishaps mount among pedestrians, those who ridiculed the idea may need to reconsider their stance. The most recent walking-texting ...
Craigslist endures constant, heated criticism. But a relatively new fan-submitted site seeks to provide some Craigslist levity by highlighting the worst and mostly poorly described items on the site. ItemNotAsDescribed.com contains an abundance of embellished "free" Craigslist items, hilariously exposing the depths of human filth and gullibility. Some of the offerings are certainly "not as ...
In another step towards self-awareness, researchers at University of California, San Diego have developed a robot that teaches itself facial expressions. The realistic Einstein bot formerly required individually programmed facial movements, but through a trial-and-error technique UCSD has dubbed 'body babble,' the AI experiments with its mug until it achieves a real expression. Linked to facial ...
Though still not priced at a mass consumer level, 3-D printing is a real technology that's currently being used by everyone from military surgeons to architects. The ability to produce rapid physical prototypes of just about any object is particularly useful for car collector Jay Leno, because broken parts of old cars are impossible to replace due to their age. A machinist could attempt to craft ...
If you're a fan of the Food Network, chances are you've seen one of the cable channel's many cake-related shows that air daily, from the crazy cake challenges to the one and only 'Ace of Cakes.' Now imagine if all of those cake makers were actually 'Star Trek,' 'Metroid,' and 'Dungeons & Dragons' fanatics. Just take a moment to picture what kind of cakes they would make in their free time.... ...
