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Geek All-Stars Take Down Global Spam Ring, EA Going After Armchair Quarterbacks?

by Warren Riddle on December 29, 2009 at 11:30 AM



Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
  • Under the leadership of Atif Mushtaq, a crew of super nerds has dismantled and crushed a global spam network responsible for 12-percent of the junk that floods our inboxes. The targeted criminal organization operated a botnet, known as Mega-D, which was composed of over 250,000 compromised and remotely controlled computers. [From: Download Squad]
  • After three years of rumors, it seems that EA may finally be giving new meaning to the term "armchair quarterback." The game manufacturer is reportedly developing a Wii football training game that would operate similarly to the 'Wii Fit' titles. [From: Destructoid, via: Tech Radar]
  • Although neither Apple nor AT&T has officially commented on the mysterious situation, online sales of the iPhone have indeed resumed in New York City. AT&T had interrupted sales of the gadget through its online store, without giving any legitimate reasons. [From: Engadget]
  • DVD sales have taken a huge hit in recent years, and it seems that at least a few companies are actually trying to adapt to the digital uprising. Both Sony and Showtime are releasing material ('Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' and 'Weeds,' respectively), digitally and online ahead of the DVD release dates. [From: Ars Technica]
  • 'Pong,' the 1972 tennis-style video game, famously sparked the video game revolution, but, according to developer Nolan Bushnell, it also played an important role in another movement. Bushnell believes 'Pong' helped empower women because it allowed females the opportunity to compete against, and beat, men during the time of women's liberation. [From: BBC]
  • When discussing supposed tech addictions, video games and the Internet typically dominate the conversation. But, an unhealthy devotion to social networking sites has replaced those other topics recently, particularly in Australia. Some analysts are claiming that social networking addiction is very real, especially in Australia, where the residents spend one-third of their online time on Facebook. [From: Adelaide Now]
  • Determining when to "sacrifice liberty for security" poses an ancient democratic dilemma, and that debate continues to rage in the face of modern terrorist threats. A Dutch pilot has stated that high-tech security scanners could have helped prevent the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt, but the machines are largely unavailable due to the common opinion that the full-body scans constitute an invasion of privacy. [From: CBS News]

Tags: apple, dvd, ea, Electronic-Arts, iphone, morningxtra, pong, privacy, social networking, SocialNetworking, spam, top

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