Caleb Johnson
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Webby Awards Lists the Millennium's Top 10 Web Moments
The moments, which are listed in chronological order, begin with Craigslist's 2000 expansion from a San Francisco exclusive service to the largest free classifieds site on the Web. From there, Napster met its demise in 2001, the same year Wikipedia launched and changed the way we got information. A few years later, in 2006, online video became cooler than sliced bread thanks to YouTube. Shortly thereafter, Facebook became open to non-college students in 2006 (much to our chagrin), and Twitter started its climb to the top of the social networking ladder.
Scientists Find RFID 'Fingerprint' That Could Prevent Counterfeiting
Radio frequency identification tags (RFID), which appear in items like credit cards and passports, have long been susceptible to hackers looking to steal personal information. Still, RFID tags are used in many ways -- from tracking a shipment of clothes to automatically opening a doggie door. But a breakthrough from a group of University of Arkansas scientists might just ease the minds of those who worry these devices aren't secure enough. The discovery hasn't much to do with the devices themselves, but the way in which they are read.According to Physorg.com, Professors Dale R. Thompson and Jai Di discovered that each RFID tag has a "fingerprint." Essentially, each tag has a unique power response at different radio frequencies -- even for tags of the same make and model. With preexisting physical characteristics in mind, scientists can interpret an electronic "fingerprint" to each tag. Using those fingerprints as a key would make the devices harder to hack and counterfeit.
With RFID being used more and more by government agencies and private businesses, it's comforting to know that somebody is thinking about security. Maybe now we can stop wrapping our credit cards in aluminum foil. It's a good thing this news broke before we let paranoia take over. [From: Physorg.com, via Engadget]
Chinese Military Web Site Battered With Attempted Cyber-Attacks
When China launched a Web site for its defense ministry in August, the whole world took notice. With both English and Chinese versions, the government hoped the site would prove it was serious about being more transparent when it came to the military. However, this attempt also attracted hackers.
According to BBC News, there have been about 2.3 million cyber-attacks on the site in its first month of operation alone. We thought Twitter was bombarded with a ridiculous number of attacks, but that's just a flat-out, mind-boggling number. There are no reports that any military information was compromised, but it seems that hackers aren't the only truth-seekers visiting the site. The site's editor, Ji Guilin, told the state-run newspaper that 1.25 billion people -- many from the U.S., U.K., Australia, Singapore, and Japan -- have visited the site to search topics like "military photos," "top military leaders," "high-level events," and "military power."
This can't be comforting news for the Chinese government, which is notorious for limiting its citizens' Web access. We can only hope that China won't step back from free-flowing information and shut down the site as a result of the attacks. Our more rational minds, though, are pretty sure that once a hacker successfully cracks the site (and one will), it will get yanked faster than an Olympic gymnast on her 16th birthday. [From: BBC News and Al Jazeera]
80-Percent of Cyber Attacks Could Be Prevented, Says NSA
While the Federal government might throw a hundred million dollars at cyber-attacks, the real solution to the problem is much easier and cheaper -- at least that's what National Security Agency information assurance director Richard Schaeffer told the U.S. Senate Tuesday. According to Wired, Schaeffer says about 80-percent of the attacks could be prevented if network administrators were to simply adhere to conventional configuration policies and closely monitor the networks. If this occurred, Schaeffer believes, it would deter hackers from making attacks because their chances of being caught would be much higher.
Luke Wilson Joins the AT&T and Verizon Ad Fray
After losing a request for an injunction this week, AT&T decided to fire back with an advertisement of its own. According to Engadget, AT&T's new 30-second spot, which features actor Luke Wilson, makes the Great Smartphone War official (video after the break). In the commercial, Wilson places magnets on a board according to which company offers a certain feature. To no surprise, Wilson and his magnets claim that AT&T kicks Verizon's butt when it comes to the fastest 3G network, and that it has the most popular smartphones as well.
Let's assume that AT&T thought some star power would make people forget about Verizon's witty spot. Well, it didn't. This is an epic fail, folks. If AT&T had to go this route, couldn't it at least have snagged the funny Wilson brother? [From: Engadget]
Twitter Moves Into Sleek New Digs in San Francisco
What's the best part about moving into new digs? Well, decorating it and showing off the space to your friends, of course. That's the thrill Twitter employees are feeling right now. According to Tech Crunch, the company moved into its new, massive San Francisco office space, which had previously housed Bebo, on Monday. Employees are posting online photos more quickly than we can click through ...'Fit or Fugly?' Apps Uses Golden Ratio to Determine Your Beauty
How is beauty truly measured? That's been a much-debated question for quite some time. But the creators of a new iPhone application have the answer: symmetry. According to the Huffington Post, 'Fit or Fugly' uses Fibonacci's Golden Ratio to determine your face's degree of symmetry, which apparently correlates to how good looking you are. For just $0.99, you can download the app, upload a photo of ...Computer Company Displays 'Mona Lisa' Made From Motherboards
There aren't too many mysteries left out there, but the 'Mona Lisa' endures. We still might not know what, exactly, makes her smile, but this recreation of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous 'Mona Lisa' sure did put a grin on our faces. According to Neatorama, this piece of art isn't in a museum. Instead, it's placed in the lobby of ASUS International, a computer parts manufacturer in Taipei, Taiwain, ...One in Three Teen Texters Drives While Thumbing
By now, you'd have to live under a rock to be unaware of the dangers of texting while driving. There have been more studies on the subject than we can count. Despite raising awareness, all this information isn't doing much to change drivers' behavior. According to MSNBC, the Pew Internet & American Life Project recently released a study finding that over a third of 16- and 17-year-old texters ...Head Massager Looks Crazy, but Feels Oh-So Good
There may be no better feeling in the world than a good scalp massage, but unfortunately, nobody wants to sit around and massage our noggins all day. But we've found the perfect solution. It's called Headtime by South Korean company Kinatech, and this over-sized silver helmet will melt away all your worries and stress. According to Engadget, the device uses 29 silicone balls and 34 ceramic balls ...
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