Seven security experts get the key to reboot the internet Seven security experts have been entrusted with the key to reboot the internet in case of a global catastrophe. The security experts have been given a key that can help them rebuild the DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) system of trust for the internet if a catastrophe takes it down. The experts would have to physically carry the root key to a secret data center in the U.S. in order to reboot the internet. The experts include Paul Kane, head of CommunityDNS; Norm Ritchie of Canada, Jiankang Yao from China; Moussa Guebre of Burkina Faso; Bevil Wooding from Trinidad and Tobago; Ondrej Sury of the Czech Republic; and Dan Kaminsky, chief scientist at Recursion Ventures in the US. Kaminsky became famous in 2008 for pointing out a major security flaw in the Domain Name System, the protocol used to route traffic to the correct addresses across the internet. DNSSEC is 15 years old but has had trouble getting adopted. (See our roundup of all Black Hat and Defcon stories).
Tablet Rumors Multiply as iPad Sales Soar | Gadget Lab | Wired.c It may have taken a long time for the competition to respond to Apple's iPod and iPhone. Not so with the iPad: All sorts of companies -- Google, Sony and Research in Motion, to name a few -- are sitting up and taking notice of the iPad, thanks to Apple's claim that it sold a million of its tablets in less than a month. Since then, rumors of half-a-dozen new tablets have leaked out. But with all the news, there's a lot of confusion. That said, here’s an overview of some interesting tablets we expect -- or hope -- to see this year. Verizon, Google Working on a Tablet Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed last week that Verizon has been "working on tablets" with Google, combining hardware and Google's services "to make it a great experience." Google hasn't commented on this, but a few months ago it released a video of what a Google tablet might look like. On the other hand, Google doesn't have a lot of experience designing hardware. Photo: nDevilTV/Flickr Acer's Tablet Launches in 2 Weeks
Human choice and computers: issues ... The developments of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are not always continuous but may be influenced and shaped by unforeseen events and are therefore difficult to predict and control. This applies especially to the impacts of September 11 (2001) events on how ICT is used in economic and public applications. But even under pressures of terrorist actions, it is essential that Human Choice dominate how Information and Communication Technologies are shaped, applied and used.Human Choice and Computers: Issues of Choice and Quality of Life in the Information Society presents different views about how terrorist actions are influencing political and social discussions and decisions, and it covers questions related to legitimacy and power in the Information Society. Ethical principles are important guidelines for responsible behavior of IT professionals.
Mozilla addons site targeted in same attack that hit Google High performance access to file storage The secure webpage hosting addons for Mozilla Firefox was targeted in the same attack that minted a fraudulent authentication credential for Google websites, the maker of the open-source browser said. "DigiNotar informed us that they issued fraudulent certs for addons.mozilla.org in July, and revoked them within a few days of issue," Johnathan Nightingale, Mozilla's director of Firefox development, wrote in a statement. "In the absence of a full account of mis-issued certificates from DigiNotar, the Mozilla team moved quickly to remove DigiNotar from our root program and protect our users." Nightingale didn't say how many Mozilla certificates were issued and if they were actively used to intercept the communications of people accessing the address. On Tuesday, Google said a bogus secure sockets layer certificate issued by Dutch firm DigiNotar was used to spy on people located in Iran while visiting Gmail.
Google patents search that tracks your mouse moves High performance access to file storage Google has patented a system that displays search results and ads based on where you move your mouse. Mountain View first filed for the patent — dubbed a "system and method for modulating search relevancy using pointer activity monitoring" — in February 2005, and the US patent office rubber-stamped the application earlier this month, as noticed by TechEye. Search engines such as Google's already order search results according to click-through rates — i.e., how often users click on particular hyperlinks. The new patent takes this idea a (large) step further, looking to reorder search results by monitoring when users show interest in web content without actually clicking on it. According to the patent, this involves somehow putting a piece of client software on the user's machine. "A server then determines a relevancy value between an informational item associated with the predefined region and a search query according to the pointer hover period."
Technology Live: Latest Tech News and Gadgets 'The Last Express' PC adventure game is now available for the iPad. The only thing better than finding something new and awesome to play at the App Store is when a classic game you once cherished gets resurrected for the platform. Such is the case with The Last Express, an award-winning story-driven adventure from 1997, created by Jordan Mechner of Prince of Persia fame. The PC adventure game holds up very well 15 years later, now optimized for touch controls on the iPad's 9.7-inch screen but also playable on iPhone and iPod touch. On the brink of The Great War, The Last Express is staged during a turbulent summer of 1914, on a European train ride from Paris to Constantinople. You are Robert Cath, a young American summoned by his close friend Tyler Whitney to join him on the train. There are 30-odd characters, including a memorable Austrian beauty, a German arms dealer, a North African antiques dealer and a Russian anarchist. The game is played mostly from a first-person perspective.
Sharp To Launch 3D Smartphone by Year End | Globalthoughtz by venus on August 4th, 2010 The Japanese electronics giant Sharp has announced to launch its new smartphone featuring company’s 3D panel technology, by the end of this year. The announcement that comes as of today, will pitch the mobile maker against some of the serious players of the smartphone segment like Apple, RIM , Nokia and so on. The new phone will also likely have a 3D capable camera, the spokeswoman said. Sharp has long been the biggest mobile phone maker in Japan but has failed to carve its niche in the smartphone market. However the company, back in April announced its 3D panel technology, which was (only) suitable enough for small screens such as those on mobile phones and portable game console. Via Yahoo! Comments
Fraudulent Google credential found in the wild High performance access to file storage Security researchers have discovered a counterfeit web certificate for Google.com circulating on the internet that gives attackers the encryption keys needed to impersonate Gmail and virtually every other digitally signed Google property. The forged certificate was issued on July 10 to digitally sign Google pages protected by SSL, or secure sockets layer. It's at least the second time in five months that unauthorized parties have gotten hold of valid SSL certificates used to cryptographically prove that a sensitive website is authentic rather than a forgery. The episode exposed serious vulnerabilities in the net's foundation of trust, because in the intervening time it was possible for attackers to create convincing forgeries of trusted services that were almost impossible for people on attacker-controlled networks to detect. Representatives from DigiNotar didn't respond to repeated requests for comment.
Google launches mobile banner ads which know where you are Google today announced on its Mobile Ads blog that it has launched location-aware display advertisements for mobile phones. Through Google’s “location extension” feature, advertisers can now include their location and phone numbers to appear in display ads on iPhone and Android mobile websites. The feature, previously available only on search ads, will appear as banner text advertising and will pinpoint business locations on a small map as well as a “click-to-call” phone number. Consumers will also have the option for generate directions if needed. Giving consumers the option of viewing businesses in their area increases Google’s chance that the consumer will call the business or click to its website, which are the two ways Google makes money on the service. The location aware advertisements might be just what local businesses need as well. Advertisers have to opt-in to the Google Ad Network and make sure they check the “Display Network” option.
Launching a Nonprofit News Site There's been an explosion in the number of nonprofit news sites, and now you're considering joining this exciting movement. Here's a word of caution: You won't just be doing journalism. You will be an employer, a manager, a grants writer, a negotiator and sometimes a bookkeeper. This module sets out to identify the hurdles you'll face and guide you through the process of creating a nonprofit newsroom. In any case, proceed with caution. How to use this module: We've laid out the steps you will need to take to get up and running as a nonprofit news site. Within the steps are videos from founders and documents provided by a number of nonprofit news sites, in addition to blank forms that you will likely need to fill out. On the bottom of every page, you'll find a link to get to the next section, and a link to return you to the table of contents. Table of Contents:
Ancient Teeth Discovered in Israel May Point to Oldest Ancestors The discovery of eight ancient teeth in a cave east of Tel-Aviv that was used thousands of years ago may point to the oldest human ancestors, a study found. The teeth are older than most of the hominin specimens previously found in southwest Asia, according to researchers from Tel Aviv University who used advanced imaging technology, comparative analysis and an examination of the earth and debris around the fossils to date them to 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. “This region of the world has been a crossroads for human population movements for a very long period of time and is situated just outside of Africa and just outside of Europe,” Quam, one of the study’s researchers, said in an e-mail. Alternately, the finding may reflect a local evolution of Neanderthals in southwest Asia, showing they were there earlier than previously believed, or that more than one species -- one earlier in time, and one later -- occupied that area, Quam said. Many Theories