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Computers/Internet (General/Chat)

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  • 25 Years of Hardware Manufacturing in Plovdiv

    01/06/2016 7:59:29 PM PST · by Utilizer · 4 replies
    Hackaday, Hack A Day, and the Skull and Wrenches ^ | January 5, 2016 | by: Denisa Kera and Yair Reshef
    Plovdiv, Bulgaria has a long history of design and innovation going back at least 6000 years to cultures like the Thracians, Celts, and Romans. In the last decade it is also an important center for open hardware innovation -- reviving the lost glory of the computer hardware industry from the former "Soviet bloc countries". One of the companies in the region that has thrived is a 5000 square-meter microelectronics factory which you may have heard of before: Olimex. Olimex has over 25 years of experience in designing, prototyping, and manufacturing printed circuit boards, components, and complete electronic products. Over the...
  • Looking for good digitally tuned radio with clock

    01/06/2016 7:58:02 PM PST · by West Texas Chuck · 76 replies
    Every couple of years I have a temper fit and smash a clock radio with my 22 oz. ball peen hammer. We just lost another one tonight. I sent the most recent one to Hell, with a nice taste of my anger. My wife will thank you all for a solid recommendation.
  • Microsoft officially dumps Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10 (Thank G-d, We're Free At Last!)

    01/06/2016 6:08:12 PM PST · by dayglored · 19 replies
    PC World ^ | Jan 6, 2016 | Ian Paul
    Internet Explorer 11 is the only version of the browser Microsoft wants most Windows users to run. Microsoft recently announced another step that puts Internet Explorer that much closer to oblivion. Beginning next Tuesday, January 12, Microsoft will officially retire Internet Explorer versions 8, 9, and 10 for most Windows operating systems, according to a Microsoft support page. Internet Explorer 11 will be the only officially supported version of the browser for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10. The only exception will be Windows Vista users, who will stick with Internet Explorer 9. Vista's mainstream support ended more than a year...
  • Web host Linode resets all user passwords after suspected breach

    01/05/2016 11:26:13 PM PST · by Utilizer
    iTnews.com.au ^ | Jan 6 2016 4:16PM (AUS) | Paris Cowan
    Web hosting provider Linode has reset the account passwords of all its customers following what it suspects was an intrusion on its internal database. The mass credential reset comes just after the cloud firm suffered a sustained DDoS attack beginning on Christmas Day. Linode has issued a security advisory confirming that it still has no idea who is behind the hacks, or whether the same perpetrator is responsible for both incidents. "You may be wondering if the same person or group is behind these malicious acts. We are wondering the same thing.
  • R7-2015-23: Comcast XFINITY Home Security System Insecure Fail Open

    01/05/2016 10:32:09 PM PST · by Utilizer · 2 replies
    Rapid7 ^ | Jan 5, 2016 7:38:30 AM | todb
    Summary By creating a failure condition in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency band, the Comcast XFINITY Home Security System fails open, with the base station failing to recognize or alert on a communications failure with the component sensors. In addition, sensors take an inordinate amount of time to re-establish communications with the base station, even if their "closed" state is switched to "open" during the failure event. Product Description The Comcast XFINITY Home Security system is a remote-enabled home security system, consisting of a battery-powered base station and one or more battery-powered sensors, all using the open standard ZigBee wireless...
  • Automakers choose Microsoft as connected car partner

    01/05/2016 10:19:40 PM PST · by Utilizer · 14 replies
    The Official Microsoft Blog ^ | January 5, 2016 | Peggy Johnson
    When Microsoft talks about mobility, our interest is the mobility of the person, not of any single device. After all, people now want their technology experience to move with them, from place to place and device to device, at home, at work, and on the move. Nowhere is this more evident than in today's connected cars. People expect their car's computing power to match its horsepower. And automakers are leading the way, bringing mobility solutions to their cars to meet drivers' changing expectations, as well as enhance safety. These automakers see their cars as technology platforms, and they are choosing...
  • Dutch government backs strong encryption, condemns backdoors

    01/05/2016 9:48:36 PM PST · by Swordmaker · 7 replies
    The Daily Dot ^ | January 4, 2016 | By Patrick Howell O'Neill
    The Netherlands government issued a strong statement on Monday against weakening encryption for the purposes of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The move comes as governments in the United Kingdom and China act to legally require companies to give them access to wide swaths of encrypted Internet traffic. U.S. lawmakers are also considering introducing similar legislation. The Dutch executive cabinet endorsed "the importance of strong encryption for Internet security to support the protection of privacy for citizens, companies, the government, and the entire Dutch economy," Ard van der Steur, the Dutch minister of security and justice, wrote in the statement....
  • Weak iPhone 6S Performance Forcing Apple Into Drastic Action

    01/05/2016 4:37:24 PM PST · by Up Yours Marxists · 54 replies
    Forbes ^ | January 5, 2015 20:56 UTC | Ewan Spence
    While the latest smartphones from Apple might have picked up critical acclaim after their launch in September, Apple is ready to cut the production on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus lines by thirty percent, reports Nikkei. Nikkei suggests that the drop in production follows slower sales in Q4 2015. Apple's production for the iPhone 6S family matched the production numbers for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S Plus. The lower sales of the newer handsets have led to more stock in the supply chain than Apple is apparently comfortable with, so the production will be slowed down for...
  • The 10 Most In-Demand Programming Skills for Software Engineers in 2016

    01/05/2016 1:24:46 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 60 replies
    Cyber Coders ^ | Brad Seaphin
    By Brad SeraphinAs one of the leading IT recruiting firms in the nation, CyberCoders has accumulated a wealth of data relating to the most in-demand development skills for job seekers.As a follow up to last year's article, 3 years of data (2013, 2014, and 2015) has been analyzed to yield 10 trends that provide skill demand insight for software engineers in 2016.1. Java remains atop the list as the most demanded skill companies were looking for in 2015. This trend proceeds Java's 2014 dethroning of C++, the most demanded skill of 2013.2. SQL consistently remains in the top 3...
  • Windows 10 now on 200 million devices, continues on record pace [Bing Search Queries Up 30%]

    01/05/2016 12:02:41 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 39 replies
    Yahoo News ^ | 01/05/2016 | By Jonathan Keane
    Windows 10 has been installed on over 200 million devices since its launch, making it the fastest growing version of the operating system, according to Microsoft. This adoption rate has outpaced Windows 7 by almost 140 percent and Windows 8 by 400 percent, wrote Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Windows and devices. Black Friday also helped significantly in boosting the user numbers for Windows 10. Demand has been high for the enterprise and education versions too, added Mehdi. The high number of active Windows 10 devices is something Microsoft will be pleased with but the new OS still remains...
  • ‘Star Trek’ Creator Gene Roddenberry’s Lost Data Recovered From 200 Floppy Disks

    01/05/2016 9:31:16 AM PST · by Red Badger · 42 replies
    www.thewrap.com ^ | January 4, 2016 @ 1:51 pm | By Joe Otterson
    Recovery comes just as 50th anniversary of “The Original Series” approaches Documents written by “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry have been recovered from 200 floppy disks owned by the late TV writer and producer. DriveSavers and eDiscovery announced Monday that after months of work they were able to pull data from the disks, which Roddenberry used to store information while he was working on “Star Trek.” Mike Cobb, DriveSavers director of engineering, would not reveal what was on the disks, but he did offer some clues. “Lots of documents,” Cobb hinted in a press release. “2016 just happens to be...
  • Can Engineers Speak English? Technology is a blessing, but can we please avoid 'technobabble'?

    01/05/2016 9:03:27 AM PST · by SeekAndFind · 45 replies
    FrontPage Mag ^ | 01/05/2016 | Thomas Sowell
    Engineers who design computerized products and services seem to have an almost fanatical determination to avoid using plain English. It is understandable when complicated processes require complicated operations. But when the very simplest things are designed with needless complications or murky instructions, that is something else. For example, like all sorts of other devices, computers and computerized products and services have to be turned on and off. And everybody knows what the words "on" and "off" mean. But how often have you seen a computer or a computerized product or service that used the words "on" or "off"? These simple...
  • Greg Gianforte made $220M over 10 years (MT Gov candidate)

    01/04/2016 11:04:12 PM PST · by This_far · 22 replies
    AP ^ | January 03, 2016 | Matt Volz
    HELENA - Technology entrepreneur and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Greg Gianforte reported income of $220.5 million and federal and state tax payments of nearly $35 million between 2005 and 2014, according to his tax returns.
  • Cisco says chat client vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attack

    01/04/2016 6:12:59 PM PST · by Utilizer · 11 replies
    SC Magazine ^ | January 04, 2016 | Roi Perez
    Californian tech giant Cisco has released an advisory statement explaining that its chat client Jabbar is currently vulnerable to a man-in-the-middle attack. Found in the Windows client of Jabbar, the vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to perform a STARTTLS downgrade attack. Discovered by Renaud Dubourguais and Sébastien Dudek from Synacktiv, a French cyber-security firm, versions affected include the 10.6.x, 11.0.x, and 11.1.x releases. Currently the client does not verify that the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) connection has been established with Transport Layer Security (TLS). XMPP enables the near-real-time exchange of structured yet extensible data between any...
  • Microsoft's new tally for Windows 10: 200M

    01/04/2016 4:44:07 PM PST · by dayglored · 44 replies
    ComputerWorld ^ | Jan 4, 2016 | Gregg Keizer
    Subtitle: But third-party metrics don't support the company's contention that Windows 10's adoption has outpaced Windows 7's in late 2009-early 2010 Microsoft today updated its Windows 10 claim, saying that the new operating system is on more than 200 million devices that have been used at least once in the past month. The number included not only personal computers and tablets, a company spokesman confirmed, but also Xbox One video game consoles -- the box got Windows 10 in November -- and smartphones now running a preview of Windows 10 Mobile. "As of today, there are more than 200 million...
  • Raspberry Pi: computing for pocket change -- $5 computer unleashes a storm of creative computing

    01/04/2016 12:36:43 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 44 replies
    CBC News ^ | 01/04/2016 | By Greg Rasmussen, CBC News
    The era of the $5 computer has arrived.The latest version of the Raspberry Pi is even being given away free with a magazine. Not a subscription. Just buy the single issue of Magpi and you get a free computer.The devices have hobbyists and entrepreneurs excited about the possibilities of Pi. Raspberry Pi Zero $5 computer unveiledThe Next Thing unveils $9 computer, CHIP Ben Z. Cooper is using one as the brains behind a spectacular light show at Vancouver's VanDusen Gardens."You wave your hand in the air and control a whole grove of maple trees lighting up," Cooper told CBC News...
  • Why One Washington, D.C. Woman Is Going on a 'Digital Detox' for 365 Days

    01/04/2016 4:51:36 AM PST · by simpson96 · 26 replies
    ABC News ^ | 1/3/2016 | Joi-Marie McKenzie
    Could you give up Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn for 24 hours? How about for an entire week? A year, anyone?One woman in Washington, D.C., with hundreds of Facebook friends, more than 4,000 Twitter followers and more than 500 LinkedIn connections, is giving up social media for 365 days.After deleting those apps for 30 days last September, Darla Bunting said that the mini-digital detox wasn't enough."I went right back to my old habits," the education advocate told ABC News. "I fell victim to posting and scrolling all the time. I didn't unplug enough to develop new habits."By living in a...
  • Ransom32 Is a JavaScript-Based Ransomware That Uses Node.js to Infect Users

    01/03/2016 11:16:43 PM PST · by Utilizer · 40 replies
    Softpedia ^ | 3 Jan 2016, 14:54 GMT | Catalin Cimpanu
    A new type of ransomware has been spotted, the first of its kind, a ransomware that uses JavaScript to infect its users, being coded on top of the NW.js platform. NW.js, formerly known as Node-WebKit, is a powerful platform that allows developers to create desktop applications via Node.js modules. The platform lets programmers use JavaScript in the same way, and with the same power and reach inside the underlying operating system's guts, as other more powerful languages like C++, Delphi, Java, ActionScript, and C#. If the name hasn't tipped you off yet, NW.js uses a stripped down version of WebKit,...
  • What Does Virtual Reality Do to Your Body and Mind?

    01/03/2016 7:22:07 PM PST · by BenLurkin · 32 replies
    WSJ ^ | 01/03/2015 | Jack Nicas and
    The experience can cause nausea, eyestrain and headaches. Headset makers don’t recommend their devices for children. Samsung and Oculus urge adults to take at least 10-minute breaks every half-hour, and they warn against driving, riding a bike or operating machinery if the user feels odd after a session. Apart from the physical effects, Stanford University professor Jeremy Bailenson says his 15 years of research consistently have shown virtual reality can change how a user thinks and behaves, in part because it is so realistic. "We shouldn’t fathom this as a media experience; we should fathom it as an experience," said...
  • Surprise, Apple's OS X Comes Out as Most Vulnerable Software of 2015

    01/03/2016 5:58:53 PM PST · by Up Yours Marxists · 92 replies
    Hackread ^ | January 3, 2015 17:01 UTC | Ali Raza
    In a study conducted by CVE Details, the most vulnerable software of the previous year has been identified as Apple’s OS X and the tech-giant is also the company with most bugs. With 2016 coming, people in all sectors have been busy summarizing 2015 with reports and lists of who have been the winners and who have been the losers. The tech experts and security personnel have been at it too, with CVE Details producing a list of most vulnerable software of the past year. Many would have expected the list to be topped by Adobe Flash, for the software...