Free Republic

iPhone prices overseas tanking in response to Justice Department ignoring the free speech clause in the Constitution and insisting Apple write code for them to unlock iPhones.

As described in this paper "DROWN: Breaking TLS using SSLv2" (PDF), it is possible to crack current TLS encryption using an old, obsolete, but nevertheless still deployed protocol, SSLv2. This is a server-side issue -- it is not something clients (normal users) can do anything about. Folks browsing the web have to rely on the system admins at their favorite websites, mail portals, banks, shops, etc. to fix this. It is estimated that a third of the public servers on the Internet are vulnerable to this attack. You can test the servers in a given domain using this tool from...

In this case, the pirates still had a lot to learn about hacking. They didn't encrypt their commands or use proxies, making it easy to trace their activities. They also weren't skilled enough to compromise systems as much as they wanted. However, those tidbits aren't about to comfort other shipping companies. If there's a pirate outfit that's both well-armed and technically savvy, it could create havoc by plundering ships with relatively little fear of getting caught.

The head of the F.B.I. acknowledged on Tuesday that his agency lost a chance to capture data from the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers when it ordered that his password to the online storage service iCloud be reset shortly after the rampage. “There was a mistake made in the 24 hours after the attack,” James B. Comey Jr., the director of the F.B.I., told lawmakers at a hearing on the government’s attempt to force Apple to help “unlock” the iPhone. F.B.I. personnel apparently believed that by resetting the iCloud password, they could get access to information...

A video that can only be described as "dog-eat-robo-dog." Titled "Fido vs. Spot," the YouTube video features a (very animal-friendly, very safe) brawl between what appears to be a tiny terrier and a quadruped droid (for viewers at home: Spot is the AI robot, and Fido is, well, Fido — just kidding, his name is Alex). According to the vid description, the bot is the work of Google's Boston Dynamics group, and the only quadruped "outside of the military." ... Watch a real dog try to take down a robotic dog in the video clip...

Dev kit for Redmond super-specs will set you back $3,000 Microsoft has opened up its Hololens augmented reality hardware for pre-order with a shipping date of March 30. The Redmond giant said it would begin sending invitations to developers who pre-applied for the preview edition of the hardware. Those who get invites from Microsoft will now be able to fork over the $3,000 price tag for the hardware and receive their kit in late March or early April. While the APIs for Hololens have already been released by Microsoft, this will mark the first time developers have had a chance...

Redmond plans pre-loaded WinPi for thing-makers Microsoft has announced a cut Windows 10 IoT Core for the Raspberry Pi 3. The new Insider Preview of Windows 10 IoT Core, yours for the downloading here, supports the new Pi. Windows 10 IoT Core is a long way short of full Windows comparable to Windows Embedded rather than efforts like Windows 8.1 with Bing intended to run on very cheap hardware. So don't go getting excited about the chance to cook up a fleet of very cheap Raspberry Pi PC replacements. Some may, however, be excited that Microsoft says it's signed up...

Following one of those auto-refesh dealies, a new banner title now says "THOUSANDS OF MA DEMS QUIT PARTY; BACK TRUMP", but the link resolves as '502 Bad gateway'

Ok good linuxian folks, Here's what I'd like to do IF possible- Dual boot windows 10 and linux mint cinnamon BUT have windows 10 run again in linux under a virtual machine (yes I know it sounds redundant, but i have a reason for this setup if possible) I'm not sure if I coudl install windows 10 twice on one machine or not, but let's for now just assume i could- (windows 10 is 'free' and you can download the iso for it and use it without activating it legally- the iso is direct from MS- and while I don't...

Samsung is now mass producing 256-gigabyte (GB) embedded memory based on the UFS 2.0 standard for mobile devices. The new memory features performance for mobile devices that exceeds that of a typical SATA-based SSD for PCs.“By providing high-density UFS memory that is nearly twice as fast as a SATA SSD for PCs, we will contribute to a paradigm shift within the mobile data storage market,” said Joo Sun Choi, Executive Vice President, Memory Sales and Marketing, Samsung Electronics. “We are determined to push the competitive edge in premium storage line-ups – OEM NVMe SSDs, external SSDs, and UFS – by...

They must be having severe tech issues.... Can't even access my account.

A Raspberry Pi 3 with onboard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) support has emerged today. The Model B Raspberry Pi 3 will be the first in the family of tiny cheap-and-cheerful ARM-powered computers to feature builtin wireless networking. For previous models, owners have had to make do with wired Ethernet, USB Wi-Fi adapters, or Ethernet-to-wireless gadgets. Having wire-free networking built into the little single-board computer will be a boon. Confirmation of the Pi 3's existence comes from these lab results submitted by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to US communications watchdog the FCC. The documents show the new hardware...

Apple has posted a support document that explains what to do if the Ethernet connection on your Mac stopped working recently. If the Ethernet connection on your Mac stopped working recently, check System Information to find out which version of “Incompatible Kernel Extension Configuration Data” is installed. If you have version 3.28.1, you need an update. If you can connect to WiFi, your Mac will update to version 3.28.2 automatically, or you can follow the steps below to restore it manually. First, check your version number: 1. While pressing the Option key, click the Apple menu and select System Information....

Video Link Here

Why was Free Dominion taken down?

Prof. Susan Engel, a psychologist, author and educator, published a controversial article in Bloomberg. The headline was "Want kids to learn math? STOP teaching it." http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-06/want-kids-to-learn-math-stop-teaching-it My local paper picked it up and I had a very violent reaction: that is the stupidest thing I have ever seen in a newspaper and, as you know, that covers a lot of ground. Later, when I went to Bloomberg to check on the comments, I was pleased to see many other people reacted as I did. Independent George wrote: 'This is quite possibly the worst educational advice I've ever read. I don't...

Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay – Technology This is where the two standards really differ. Apple's implementation of Apple Pay is really quite traditional, in the sense that it follows the NFC standard that had been established in previous mobile payment systems. You can only make Apple Pay payments in NFC reader-equipped retailers – those that still carry traditional card readers are entirely out of the loop until they upgrade. And that's where Samsung Pay could really trump Apple Pay. Thanks to Samsung's acquisition of LoopPay, it has implemented Magnetic Secure Transmission technology into its payment system. This essentially fools...

This Android phone maker's mobile payments service continues to lag Apple's own. Along with the launch of its iPhone 6/6 Plus phones, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) introduced its very own contactless mobile payment system known as Apple Pay. Unsurprisingly, with the launch of its own Galaxy S6 smartphones, Apple rival Samsung (NASDAQOTH:SSNLF) released its own, very creatively named mobile payment system known as Samsung Pay.Also, it would seem that Apple Pay is utterly crushing Samsung Pay.Billions vs. just hundreds of millionsSamsung recently bragged that its Samsung Pay service is now up to 5 million users and they have spent "over $500 million"...

Pics A Raspberry Pi 3 with onboard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) support has emerged today.The Model B Raspberry Pi 3 will be the first in the family of tiny cheap-and-cheerful ARM-powered computers to feature builtin wireless networking. For previous models, owners have had to make do with wired Ethernet, USB Wi-Fi adapters, or Ethernet-to-wireless gadgets. Having wire-free networking built into the little single-board computer will be a boon. Confirmation of the Pi 3's existence comes from these lab results submitted by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to US communications watchdog the FCC. The documents show the new hardware...

The New Mind Control The internet has spawned subtle forms of influence that can flip elections and manipulate everything we say, think and do by Robert Epstein (The following are highlights from the essay. See the link for the full essay.) ...Over the past century, more than a few great writers have expressed concern about humanity's future... These are all fictional tales, to be sure, and in each the leaders who held the power used conspicuous forms of control that at least a few people actively resisted and occasionally overcame. But in the non-fiction bestseller "The Hidden Persuaders (1957)" recently...