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SOPA vote delayed

Posted: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:23:20 +0000

The House Judiciary Committee has ceased without a vote to try to pass the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) out of committee today. At the heart of the delay is the controversial provision that would give the Attorney General the power to shut down websites for copyright infringement. Committee Chairman Lamar Smith said the hearing would resume at the “earliest practical day that Congress is in session.” That could be weeks. IT experts have warned that DNS tampering would create security risks for both website owners, ISPs, and the government itself. Yesterday, Representative Jason Chaffetz moved to postpone the session until more technical experts could be brought in to testify about the potential negatives associated with this aspect of the bill. According to Wired:
"The legislation mandates that ISPs alter records in the net’s system for looking up website names, known as DNS, so that users couldn’t navigate to the site. Or, if ISPs choose not to introduce false information into DNS at the urging of the Justice Department, they instead would be required to employ some other method, such as deep packet inspection, to prevent American citizens from visiting infringing sites."
Several security experts co-signed a paper that warned about putting false information into the DNS system. “These actions would threaten the Domain Name System’s ability to provide universal naming, a primary source of the internet’s value as a single, unified, global communications network,” they wrote. The internet has been buzzing about this for weeks. This will be considered a minor victory for opponents of the bill but will likely only alter the wording of the legislation in the long run before it is sent to the House.
Diaspora Co-Founder Dies At 21

Posted: Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:16:56 +0000

Diaspora Co-Founder Ilya Zhitomirskiy, far left in the image above, has died. This story is developing as there is no news on the cause of death. Diaspora, which mean "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location," made news last year when four NYU students decided to take on Facebook by offering a more private social networking experience. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg even donated to their cause. We will update this story as more is learned.
Steve Jobs has died

Posted: Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:54:56 +0000

Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has passed away. He was 56. The statement was made by Apple. He spent the last several years leading the company to be one of the world's largest while fighting a rare form of pancreatic cancer. He resigned in late August.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
Airbnb faces new controversy, this time over financing

Posted: Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Just when we thought the controversies about Airbnb had softened and reports of crack pipes and damages had become old news, the website that connects travelers with local spaces to rent has reemerged into the news, this time thanks to a leaked venture capitalist's email. Former Facebook executive and major in Social+Capital Partnership Chamath Palihapitiya sent an email to Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky. The email, a combination of advice and insult, details Palihapitiya's feelings about the way that millions of dollars are being distributed as dividends to a select few (with the founders getting the bulk of it). Here's a screenshot of the email from AllThingsD, then our comments below: There are two major problems here. First, a company that has received what most in the industry would consider to be an exceptionally "sweet" deal in favor of the startup should be sharing the wealth and using the capital to keep and acquire employees as Palihapitiya points out. There is much less true talent than there are positions in the field and this was an opportunity for Airbnb to make a play for the best of them. Instead, they are now publicly being shown to have self-serving motives at the top. It shows a distinct lack of faith in the vision and future of the company - why take such a large chunk of the funding in a "cashout" scenario this early in the game if the company can be worth billions in the near future as investors hope? What's worse, Palihapitiya broke a cardinal rule of investing. If you're going to be given sensitive financial information about a startup seeking funding, you cannot let it leak. It's that simple. Whether it was carelessness (likely) or a blatant and strategic leak (unlikely, but not out of the question) Palihapitiya has put a black mark on his company. While investors normally have the upper hand in negotiations, this will keep Social+Capital Partnership out of important conversations, particularly when the startups feel they really have something special to get funded. We will see how this plays out, but one thing is certain. CrunchFund, an investor in Airbnb, and Michael Arrington aren't happy about this. Not at all.
AOL and Yahoo discuss merger

Posted: Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:35:39 +0000

According to Bloomberg, AOL and Yahoo are reportedly in talks regarding a possible merger. The report comes just three days after the dismissal of Yahoo’s CEO, Carol Bartz. AOL CEO Tim Armstrong says talks have started to gauge interest in a possible merger to strengthen both companies. Armstrong previously expressed interest in a merger with Yahoo, but then CEO Bartz quickly rejected the idea last year. Both AOL and Yahoo were once Internet pioneers, but they have been struggling to compete against the likes of Google, Facebook, and others. These struggles will make a deal unlikely, especially considering AOL’s recent losses and declining revenue. In recent years, Yahoo has lost ground to new services and social networking opportunities offered by Google and Facebook. Yet despite Yahoo’s struggles and weaknesses, it remains the most-visited U.S. Web portal. Yahoo’s current market value is about $18.2 billion, while AOL’s is just $1.8 billion. Although Bloomberg doubts the likeliness of a merger, it will give Armstrong the opportunity to deflect attention from recent drama surrounding TechCrunch publisher Michael Arrington and his new venture investment fund, CrunchFund.
ATT responds to Sprint's suit

Posted: Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:26:46 +0000

One might think that AT&T was expecting Sprint to file suit against their plan to buy T-Mobile based upon the speed of the response. With a very aggressive style and stance, AT&T had choice words for their competitors and the attempt to block the formation of a super-cell-provider:
This simply demonstrates what we’ve said all along – Sprint is more interested in protecting itself than it is in promoting competition that benefits consumers. We of course will vigorously contest this matter in court as AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile USA will: help solve our nation’s spectrum exhaust situation and improve wireless service for millions; allow AT&T to expand 4G LTE mobile broadband to another 55 million Americans, or 97% of the population; and result in billions of additional investment and tens of thousands of jobs, at a time when our nation needs them most.
AT&T has enough to worry about with the US Government getting involved. While many believe that the deal will go on once certain provisions and guarantees remain, Sprint is potentially fighting for its life. Apple may be giving them a little hope with the potential for the Sprint iPhone in the very near future, but if the company falls to a distant 3rd once AT&T leapfrogs Verizon, even the iPhone may not be enough to pull in the new subscribers they desperately need.
UN subdomain for Swaziland hacked

Posted: Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:33:47 +0000

In their biggest hack to date, the hacker group known as Cocain TeaM continues to replace websites with an ominous map, seemingly random messages, and the Pink Panther theme song. This time, their victim was the Swaziland subdomain on the United Nations website. The screenshot above still appears for some as of the time of this story but in most places it has been replaced by a text message:
"har kos kholi vase ma hacker shode lol :))"
Cocain TeaM has been very active this month taking down websites. It may be random but the choice of websites seems to have some hacktivist leanings. Their goals are still unknown, but we likely haven't seen the last of them. Breaking into the website of one of the most powerful political bodies in the world may just be the next step towards something bigger.
The Sprint iPhone

Posted: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:00:27 +0000

Whether it's a reality or simply another example of the fast-turning iPhone 5 rumor mill, it's news either way: Sprint will be getting the iPhone 5 in October according to WSJ. The nations' third-largest wireless service provider would be the third to receive the iPhone after Apple launched with AT&T in 2007 and brought in Verizon this year. It may also be enough to save the company from being crushed under the weight of Verizon and an AT&T/T-Mobile merger. This poses a new question for current and future iPhone fans with AT&T and Verizon going to tiered pricing. If Sprint holds true to their current data pricing model, they may be an iPhone carrier to reckon with in a data-heavy tech world. The report gives a certain level of bad news for Apple - October numbers will not be included in 4th fiscal quarter earnings. Getting it right is more important to the company that has more cash than the US government.
iPhone 5 to land in October, not September

Posted: Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:25:48 +0000

With all of the rumors and false sightings, we were starting to believe there was more myth and legend to it all than truth. Now, it seems that a credible source is declaring a month for launch of the magic beast known as iPhone 5. Just in time for the Christmas shopping spree (as if it needed the boost for sales) the iPhone will have its newest edition launching in October, 2011. Last week, Gizmodo reported that AT&T employees were barred from requesting vacation time the last 2 weeks of September, prompting the nature cry of, "It must be the iPhone launch!" John Paczkowski from AllThingsD received a different report. “I don’t know why AT&T’s calling for all hands on deck those weeks, but it’s not for an iPhone launch,” a source familiar with Apple’s planstold Paczkowski. Instead, it was revealed that October is the magic month, though an exact date was not disclosed. Now, the speculations and rumors about the build, processors, resolution, speed, additional features, dimensions, and everything else big and small pertaining to the smartphone will begin. How long will it be before a prototype surfaces?
Social media used to identify Vancouver riot suspects

Posted: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:23:45 +0000

After the Stanley Cup loss which lead to riots last night in Vancouver, outraged Canadians have taken their fight for justice to Facebook and social media. By posting photos and videos of the perpetrators online, they hope they can help police and others to identify the criminals (or at least put them to shame!). A Facebook page has been started and there are already hundreds of photos and almost 60,000 likes. The Vancouver Police have also used social media and sent out Tweets asking for photos where they can identify the people. Take a look at just a few selected images below with faces clearly identifiable. Do you have any pics of your own? Why not upload them now and help get these people off the streets? Here are some of the photos:

This guy was identified and his Facebook page was found, where he very proudly boasts that he was at the riots:

One of the stores had a bunch of Louis Vuitton bags and wallets stolen. The following were found listed on Craigslist shortly after:

This girl thinks she can't be found because she deleted her Facebook account, but someone found her full profile page: