Generally, whenever someone calls the United States a “police state,” you can ignore them and go about your business. I’m tempted to do the same here, but here we go anyway. The FBI, in working with Lockheed Martin, is developing a so-called super database for crime prevention. You’ll find the same thing you’d find in other, My First Crime Prevention Databases, but this one will have all sorts of biometric information that has privacy advocates, also known as busybodies, outraged. Crime fighters will have things like facial images and iris scans to comb through. These, we’re led to believe, will be used and abused by the Feds to ruin all of our lives and put a stop to our icky republican form of government and democratic way of life. It’s funny, I used to be one of those “the government is out to get us, man” guys. Now, I take a much more laissez-faire attitude toward all that. Goodbye to all of it, I say. via Slashdot → Read More
We’ll all be dead before XM and Sirius merge, but the two companies would like the whole wide world (or whoever reads PR Newswire) to know how they think they’ll end up financially once they’re one company. (What an awfully constructed sentence.) The headline here is the combined company will have positive cash flow in 2009. They did re-state that, technically, Sirius will be taking over the assets of XM. So, pretty boring financials that might please Wall Street, but we couldn’t really give a toss about. I’d like to know what sort of “clerical error” led to XM not paying Opie & Anthony for the past two months. → Read More
Then move to Hong Kong. Hutchison has worked it out so that those in Hong Kong and Macau can spend as little as $24/month for data/voice. You’ll have to pay $377 for an 8GB iP3G, but it’s still the cheapest compared to those announced across various carriers/countries. Some comparisons (all expressed in U.S. dollars for the equivalent of a 2-year contract): * Hutchison in Hong Kong: $955 (500MB voice and data) to $1,532 (2,200 min., unlimited data) * O2 (TEF) in the U.K.: $1,698 (75 minutes, unlimited data) to $3,588 (3000 min., unlimited data) * AT&T (T) in the U.S.: $1,879 (450 min., unlimited data) to $3,318 (unlimited voice and data) * T-Mobile (DT) in Germany: $1,366 (500MB data) to $3,374 (5GB data) * Rogers (RCI) in Canada: $1,624 (150 min., 400 MB data) to $2,932 (800 min., 2GB data) via Fortune → Read More
Linux to the rescue! Long story short, Comcast uses an application called Sandvine to disrupt certain BitTorrent traffic. That is to say it’s not always Sandvine preventing your from seeding “distros,” but sometimes. Using the old standby iptables firewall, you can configure your system to, in layman terms, “defeat” the Sandvine nastiness. Best of all, what you’re doing only affects your BitTorrent port, so no need to fear “messing up” your entire Internet connection. All that’s involved is modifying a few values, so if you speak Linux, have Comcast and want to improve your BitTorrent experience, give it a shot and let us know how it turns out. I have Cablevision, which doesn’t seem to have as many seeding issues as you Comcast guys do, so I try it out. via Slashdot → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcrunchgear%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F1043766%3Freferrer%3Dblip%2Etv%26source%3D1&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf What gadgets will 007 have at his disposal this time around? I’ve had a thing for redheads lately, too. → Read More
There we go. Was that so hard? Was it so hard to make a totally awesome Mega Man game and then release it on all three consoles at once? They are doing so many things so right here. 1. Cross-platform love like never before 2. Retro graphics like — before 3. The Blue Bomber 4. Robot dragons History will look kindly on Mega Man 9, which I’m hoping is going to be every bit as hard and filthy as Mega Man 2, one of my favorite games ever. [via Kotaku] → Read More
In Febuary of this year, Microsoft announced its Interoparability Principals, a memo outlining the principals and goals that the company will aim to achieve as part of a broader standards-based interoparability and data portability initiative within the company. Today Microsoft have announced further actions it has taken towards complying with and following those interoperability goals it set out. The announcement today concerns: Full documentation and tech specs of Office 2007 Protocols and formats Tech docs for protocols in Sharepoint Server 2007 Tech docs for protocols in Exchange Server 2007 Furher and full documentation of brinary file formats used in Office (Word, Excel etc.) In total, over 5,000 new pages of technical documents have been released today and have been added to the MSDN library for developers. This is a big step for Microsoft and firm proof that their support for open standards, data portability and interoperability extends to more than just press releases and announcements. Interoperability and formats is now a whole section of the MSDN developer documentation, assisting developers in developing solutions that integrate with Microsoft client and server products. As part of the same initiative, Microsoft also announced three new tools that they have released in collaboration with other parties, they are: Universal Office Format (UOF) adaptors (eg. read/write) for Excel and Powerpoint (sourceforge) Open XML to HTML translator (codeplex) PowerTools PowerShell commands for Open XML (codeplex) I believe we really are seeing a new Microsoft here – and their actions are really starting to speak louder than their words. It wasn’t too long ago that it was almost impossible to imagine Microsoft releasing documentation for Office file formats, or collaborating on a universal format adaptor for Office on Sourceforge. Developers looking to find out more (and I certainly will be) should checkout the Open Specifications section of MSDN, which has been updated this morning. CrunchBase Information Microsoft Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
But at what cost? This tool from ZDNet allows for super-easy overclocking of your Mac Pro. Until recently, overclocking has been one of the few remaining legs Windows users had up on Mac users, from an objective standpoint at least. The OC tools I’ve used on XP have ranged from the graphic to the obscure, and from the stable to the ridiculous. This ZDNet tool looks pretty simple, but being simple, it’s not really comprehensive. This is evident from the fact that multiple errors occur reliably while using the tool: the time gets messed up, it can’t restart without crashing past certain speeds, and the clockspeeds reset themselves when your machine goes to sleep — among other issues. → Read More
Personalized home page service Netvibes has quietly rolled out a new social feature called Buzz. The Buzz section tracks what links are getting starred the most throughout Netvibes network of home pages. Netvibes users can star any of the links they like on their homepages, RSS readers, YouTube boxes, Digg widgets, and other widgets. And when items have been starred, they show up in users’ public activity streams, which can be displayed on home pages using an activity widget. With Buzz, these starrings are aggregated and displayed on a Digg-like front page where people can see what others are starring the most. Buzz hasn’t been formally announced yet, but this is the first new feature we’ve seen since Tariq Krim announced he was stepping down from his CEO position. While Netvibes lags behind giants iGoogle, My Yahoo! and MyAOL, it is the favorite among many early adopters for being fast and ad-free. With 2.4 million worldwide uniques in May, it makes sense to leverage its traffic for a link popularity tracker. There are already many social bookmarking sites, but adding a feature like this to an already-popular personalized home page service makes for easy adoption. Buzz is currently on a separate page (and probably still in development), but we expect Netvibes to provide users with a widget that can be used to track popular items on their home pages. The name choice probably won’t go unnoticed by Yahoo either. CrunchBase Information Netvibes Digg Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
There is a new WordPress plugin out called Phone Factor being billed as a security solution for WordPress, and it has been emailed to me at least four or five times in the past few days. There have been a few security issues with WordPress recently, resulting in a number of automated attacks against self-hosted WordPress blogs (see earlier Techcrunch post). Following the latest series of posts about WordPress security, there were a large number of plugins recommended as either solutions to the security issue (impossible) or tools that help in detecting breaches or keeping a codebase up-to-date. The Phone Factor plugin adds a second authentication layer to the WordPress login process by requiring that the user answers a phone call on login. On installation, the user is prompted to register an account with Phonefactor.com, a free provider of phone-based two-factor authentication. The solution is easy enough to setup, and simple enough to understand, but the problem is in the way in which this plugin is being presented – as a ‘solution’ to security issues in WordPress/ Two-factor is used by banks and enterprises as a way of proving identity, and from there, controlling access to data. The recent WordPress security issues have had to do with filtering and input parsing in PHP scripts, for which two-factor auth is by no means a solution. Prompting a phone-call for each WordPress login does nothing to secure the 270+ php scripts running in webroot as part of a standard WordPress install, and I can’t recall a single security issue or large-scale attack that could have been prevented had two-factor authentication been in place. Whats worse, disabling the second factor is extremely simple if an attacker has access to the local database or wpdb object, from where they can simply switch the plugin off. I have also never seen a phishing attack directed at a self-hosted blog that a two-factor auth solution would have prevented. Applying a second-factor to something such as a login to a blog tips too far over in the conveniance/security scale – a scale where security improvements are measured against conveniance for an average user. For a blogger, being able to login simply and post quickly is important, and WordPress have put a lot of effort into making that process simple and easy for even the most basic user. Slowing that process down with phone-based authentication for little security → Read More
Etelos has today announced Etelos Share, a new product that that provides a virtual-hosted server for businesses. The Etelos Share application allows a business to share and store documents internally using a hosted solution, with access to their virtual host through a local drive. The file sharing, storage and backup solution is a new addition to the Etelos suite of products which includes on-demand application hosting of many popular applications. Etelos Share user accounts can be managed from the same interface used to manage other Etelos applications. From the control panel administrators can manage user accounts, billing, data, etc. Each user is granted their own user account and password via the administrators control panel, from where they are able to access, store and backup data and share with other users in their company. In pricing Etelos Share starts at $4.95 per month, which includes 5GB of storage. Each additional GB is 35c per month – which is a little above the average cloud-based raw storage price at the moment. Hosted internal storage for SMB’s and larger enterprises is becoming a crowded market, with most vendors in the space offering simple raw storage along with web based or WebDAV interfaces. Etelos does offer a local drive adapter to make end-user usage simpler, and the solution also integrates with their other application offerings. CrunchBase Information Etelos Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
The TV networks had better figure out how to make advertising work on things like Hulu, for it seems young people aren’t watching as much live TV as they used to. Recently released numbers show that, for the first time ever, the median age for the average live TV viewer was 50 last year. The four major networks all ticked up in age, with the exception of CBS, which has always been a network for old people. (Viacom, whose parent company has a controlling interest in CBS, does recognizes the need to shake things up, remember.) Cable channels saw similar numbers. → Read More
1938 Media, the controversial (and hilarious) video blogging site founded by Loren Feldman, has been the center of attention over the last few days. Now big partners are starting to take notice, and Feldman is inking some interesting distribution deals. The site grew in popularity after Feldman began mixing puppet parody shows into his usual punditry, specifically targeting hyper-sensitive tech industry insiders who were sure to fire back. But those parodies have drawn significant criticism from those targeted as well as a few sympathetic bloggers. In response Feldman agreed to stop some of the harder hitting stuff aimed at social media consultant Shel Israel. The puppet videos are definitely a hit, however, drawing sponsors and, earlier this month, a distribution deal with CNET. The CNET deal has yet to go live, and chances are it never will. The recent controversy may have given CNET cold feet. Feldman says the deal is “on hiatus” for now. But starting today Verizon Wireless’ 3 million mobile VCast users will have access to Feldman’s video content on their phone, as well as 1 million Fios broadband cable subscribers via video on demand. The deal, which will pay Feldman an undisclosed license fee, puts the 1938Media brand next to YouTube, Break.com and other high profile partners. Effectively Verizon has created a 1938Media channel and has given Feldman the ability to bring in third party video content as well. To start, Mahalo Daily, Revision3, Ze Frank and Jay Grandin content will be included. CrunchBase Information 1938 Media Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
The micro-laptop revolution is a really cool thing, to be sure, but not all of us were born with slender, precision-tip hands. I do all right but some of these baby keyboards make me feel like I have ten thumbs. Well, Asus must have heard the cries of the lumpy and misshapen, because the new iterations of the Eee, the 904 and 905, will have more comfortably-sized keyboards. Of course, they’ll also have Atom processors, but who cares about that? Actually, that’s kind of a legitimate question because the Atoms will almost certainly be replaced with multi-core Atoms in a couple months. I’d wait for those if possible. → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftechcrunch%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F1043862%3Freferrer%3Dblip%2Etv%26source%3D1&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announced earlier today a deal California had made with Tesla Motors to bring that electric car company’s manufacturing to the Bay Area. Watch above as he is joined by Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Tesla Motors President Ze’Ev Drori to deliver a few words about the significance of keeping Tesla in California. CrunchBase Information Tesla Motors Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
An unfortunate little rumor had been going around last week, suggesting that Microsoft was planing to launch a PS3 Home competitor to be called MyGamerPad. One picture of the virtual world showed up, but it now looks to be a fake, completely lifted from a posting on deviantART. Hmm, completely lifting level design? Sounds familiar. Please note that we’re only calling out the picture in question, not MyGamerPad itself. That’s scheduled to be debunked in seven hours. via Xbox-Scene → Read More
One of the most compelling features of the Dash – Wi-Fi updates – is finally here. Dash users have to simply connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi and the Dash GPS unit will download and install the update automatically. Try doing that with your TomTom. After the update the devices will have MyRoute, a system that maintains a list of your popular routes and adds your personal preferences to its routing suggestions. Here’s a rundown of the latest goodies: MyRoute™ – With the new MyRoute feature, as you travel from one point to another, Dash Express will automatically learn your preferred route in the background. The next time that you drive between the same origin and destination, the first route choice will be MyRoute, complete with traffic-based arrival time data. MyRoute can be compared to the computed Dash routes, including traffic detours, to decide which is optimal. Search Along Route™ – Finding whatever you need on the road using Yahoo! Local search just got even easier. With the new Search Along Route feature, you can now search for anything you need along your selected route, shortening diversions on the way to your destination. Want to grab a latte on the way to a meeting? Simply do a Yahoo! Local search for “Starbucks” and select “along route” to be presented with the stores that are most conveniently located. Results are displayed with the distance from your current location, the distance off the route and the direction of the destination relative to the selected route. → Read More
Meanwhile, investors are not sure that Yahoo has a plan either. In a note today, Citi analyst Mark Mahaney wonders if maybe an AOL-Yahoo merger isn’t the best remaining option. Excerpt: —Yahoo!-AOL merger possible – Four motivations: 1) $900 million of annual synergies, 2) Yahoo! gains display scale and keep search options open, 3) Time Warner gains Internet scale via a passive equity stake in larger entity, 4) Yahoo!’s clear interest in remaining independent. The $900 million in “synergies” he sees are mostly from cost savings. But he also thinks there is value in keeping display and search advertising together. In fact, in another note today he made Google his top Internet pick, in part because of “continued marketing budget shifts to Search.” Now, if Microsoft were to come back to the table with a serious offer for all of Yahoo, many of these objections would go away. (Disclosure: As a former employee of Time Warner, I own shares in the company). http://documents.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=3734968&access_key=key-163ykdttl1m0qq7a4fa9&page=&version=1&auto_size=true Yahoo Shareholder Presentation – Upload a Document to Scribd Read this document on Scribd: Yahoo Shareholder Presentation → Read More
