Author Archives: Justin

1. Super Bowl tech ads
   The Motorola Xoom you saw advertised on the Super Bowl?
   $800, Feb 24th launch, WiFi crippled without data plan from Verizon, according to leaked Best Buy ad
   http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/06/verizon-locking-wifi-on-motorola-xoom-until-you-buy-one-month-of/

   Reviewing the tech-themed Super Bowl ads– Salesforce and Go Daddy most disliked
   http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/07/tech-super-bowl-ads-didnt-hit-home-salesforce-and-go-daddy-most-disliked/

   Best Buy’s buyback program made official during the Super Bowl
   http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/best-buys-buy-back-program-to-be-made-official-during-the-super/
   http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/07/best-buy-buy-back-becomes-official-free-through-february-12th/

   EA simulation correctly picked Super Bowl champs in September
   http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/02/07/0430232/EA-Simulation-Correctly-Picked-Super-Bowl-Champs-in-September

2. AOL-Huffington deal
   Huffington Post bought by AOL for $315 million
   “(Ariana) will take control of all of AOL’s editorial content as president and EDITOR IN CHIEF of the newly-created Huffington Post Media Group. The arrangement will give her oversight not only of AOL’s national, local and financial news operations, but also of the company’s other media enterprises”
   president and editor-in-chief over Engadget, MapQuest, Moviefone, Patch, PopEater, StyleList, and TechCrunch
   The new Web media conglomerate will be called the Huffington Post Media Group
   http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/06/armstrong-memo-aol-huffpo/
   http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/aol-to-buy-the-huffington-post-for-315-million/
   – TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington flips his lid, is funny
3. The Daily, Murdoch’s paid iPad newspaper thing, goes live
   The Daily wants it both ways
   http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=1047&doc_id=203662&
   http://db.tidbits.com/article/11940
   http://thedailyindexed.tumblr.com/
4. Apple wants a cut
   Apple wants a cut of Amazon Kindle and Sony e-book sales, if iOS apps for these competing ebook formats are to be allowed to continue to be for sale on the App Store
   http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/02/apple-responds-to-app-store-furor-says-it-wants-a-cut-of-e-book-sales.ars
   http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/01/apple-announces-isto.html

   Apple to require in-app subscriptions for periodicals by March 31st, fine print still a bit fuzzy
   http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/02/apple-to-require-in-app-subscriptions-for-periodicals-by-march-3/
   – european newspapers complain
   http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110207/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_apple_newspapers
   Does this affect the future of The Daily (above)?

5. Egypt protest tech
   Phone-to-Twitter bridge for use in an Internet-less Egypt
   http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/01/phone-to-twitter-bri.html

   Vodafone admits that the Egyptian government forced it to send text messages to help organize the pro-Mubarak demonstrations
   http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110203/ap_on_hi_te/eu_egypt_cell_phones
   – France Telecom SA, too
   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104576122044234987416.html

   Google marketing exec Wael Ghonim emerges as key figure in Egypt revolt
   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989504576127621712695188.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories
   – he’s released by Egyptian authorities today
   http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/07/detained-egyptian-google-marketing-exec-wael-ghonim-finally-released/

   US has secret tools to ‘force connectivity on a country’ against its rulers wishes
   http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/02/07/1436243/US-Has-Secret-Tools-To-Force-Internet-On-Dictatorships

6. Verizon iPhone stuff
   iFixit took apart a Verizon iPhone 4. The guts are completely different from the GSM version. Apple’s redesigned the vibrator, among other things (lighter battery with same capacity)
   http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/07/verizon-iphone-has-r.html
   – the real news is that the Qualcomm chipset also supports GSM, suggesting ‘universal’ models may be forthcoming

   Verizon iPhone 4 jailbreak now available for both Mac and Windows users

   Verizon began throttling data rates as iPhone launch came near
   http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/02/verizon-quietly-begins-throttling-data-as-iphone-launch-looms.ars

7. Anonymous stuff
   ‘Anonymous’ infiltrates the HBGary Security Company, which was tasked with infiltrating Anonymous by the FBI
   http://i.imgur.com/em14R.jpg
   http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/02/07/1424213/HBGary-Federal-Hacked-By-Anonymous
   – they hacked the CEO’s home computer and posted his pers. info from his own Twitter acct.
   http://blogs.forbes.com/parmyolson/2011/02/07/victim-of-anonymous-attack-speaks-out/

   ‘Anonymous’ may not be as anonymous as they think they are
   http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/02/06/1611208/Anonymous-Isnt-Anonymous-Anymore

   ‘Anonymous’ attacks Italian government site, says ANSA news agency
   http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110206/tc_afp/italyinternetpoliticsberlusconi

8. Google accuses Bing of ‘cheating,’ piggybacking off its search results
   http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/01/google-accuses-bing-of-cheating-piggybacking-off-its-search-r/
   http://www.puremango.co.uk/2011/02/what-on-earth-are-google-doing/
   http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/03/hiybbprqag/

Two beams of protons, spun up in opposite directions, building speed for ten days– CHECK

Sometime early Tuesday local time in Geneva, Switzerland, the two beams will collide with the highest energy achieved by any particle accelerator– three times the previous record

US Secret Service paid TJX hacker $75,000 per year (cash) as an informant before he was busted for running his own operation

Russia arrests alleged mastermind of RBS WorldPay ATM hack

Millions of student loan records stolen in data breach

EU court rules that Google is not liable for AdWords ads for counterfeit designer clothing/accessories (goes against French court ruling for Louis Vuitton)

Bill Gates’ energy start-up TerraPower is in discussions with Toshiba Corp. to develop a small-scale nuclear reactor

MIT researchers on track for portable 60-watt seawater desalinator

CubeSail parachute to drag old satellites from orbit, keep atmospheric roads clear

Xerox language technology used to identify hospital patients at risk for contracting infections

GMail will now warn you if it thinks someone else is using your account

Dung beetles inspire video enhancements for camera phones

Facebook blamed on increase in STDs in Britain– but don’t be fooled– Facebook Antivirus isn’t real