Archive for June, 2011
Are cell phones really cooking your brain?
Posted by: | CommentsEveryone seems to have an opinion these days as to whether cell phones cause cancer. The truth of the matter is: this is a long term study without enough data for a definitive answer. It is also based on the usage of the individual consumer. Based on the studies out there (reading more than the first couple of pages), it appears that it definitely doesn’t help. This information has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to list cell usage as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. The non-ionizing radiation is similar to a low powered microwave, thus in theory, cooking your brain slowly over time. It certainly doesn’t help that prominent health officials are warning anyone who will listen about the “potential” (more like realistic) dangers prolonged cell phone use can have. Even the phone manufactures recommend keeping the phone away from your skull, usually at a range of at least an inch. What’s even more troubling is that fact that there is no long term data for children’s use of cell phones, especially because their skulls are thinner. They are also still growing and therefore their cells are dividing more quickly, with the potential of even more long term damage compared to adults. The best recommendation to date to lessen these dangers is to keep the phone away from your head by using a Bluetooth, or even better, a wired earpiece.
Cisco CEO getting sued over China scandal
Posted by: | CommentsCisco’s top executives including its CEO John Cambers are being sued by the Falun Gong spiritual movement. They believe that Cisco is aiding and abetting the Chinese government in its human rights violations, the same government that uses computers and its equipment to spy on its people and sensor the Internet. In the lawsuit filed in a Northern Californian court, the group claims that Cisco is providing networking gear and technical assistance in helping build the “Great Firewall of China”. Cisco, to paraphrase, considers these claims silly. They have release a statement saying that they sell and supply the same equipment for China that they do for others globally and their equipment meets U.S. regulations. Get your obsolete Cisco equipment here: http://www.bluefinparts.com/searchinventory.html
MIT strikes again
Posted by: | CommentsResearchers at the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology are injecting people again, this time with implantable capsules. These capsules are filled with nanoparticles and are covered in a thin film membrane that is porous, which allows molecules from the body to pass through. These nanoparticles are accompanied with specific antibodies that attract and fasten themselves to the molecules that pass through. Doctors then check any build up inside these tiny ‘labs’ with an MRI to see if the cells are cancerous and if so, whether the tumor is growing, shrinking, or unchanged. They also can help prevent a second heart attack or small, unnoticed heart attacks in patients with heart problems. The new prototype of this technology is now eliminating the MRI by having the capsule produce a signal when a magnetic ward is waived over it. Some are debating whether this virtually non-invasive technology will create problems as it is a foreign object floating around within the body or even create cancer, which it will then detect and thus, ‘proving’ that it works.
Verizon customers hacked
Posted by: | CommentsVerizon has acknowledged that its customers have been the target of hackers trying to steal sensitive personal information. The Trojan horse, called SpyEye, is malware very similar to the Zeus Trojan that was implemented targeting banks and sending millions of dollars to six Chinese cities not too long ago. The SpyEye program lays in wait on the infected computer and is only implemented once the Verizon customer logs on into their account. Once signed in, the customers are then redirected to an authentic-looking page that asks for their credit card information and Social Security numbers. This Trojan is particularly dangerous for two reasons. First, it is an intricate embedded attacked and thus reducing the skepticism of the customer. Second, it is an attack of a shifting trend away from stealing user names and passwords and towards directly stealing financial data like credit card information as in the Sony attacks. Verizon has stated that the attack did not affect their systems, only the end user; ones without proper protection like anti-virus software with current definitions.
How Your Blood Will Keep You Alive
Posted by: | CommentsA Swiss team of researchers at Bern University have laid the initial ground work for enabling humans with implants to become more self-sufficient. By using a simulated blood vessel and inserting a miniscule turbine which is only a couple millimeters in diameter, they were able to use the flow of the bloodstream to generate up to 800 microwatts of power. This would be more than enough power to sustain implants such as pacemakers, glucose meters, neurostimulators, blood pressure sensors, and pumps that delivery various drugs. Under current implants procedures, these devices are embedded in manageable places within the body that make it less complicated to perform necessary preventative or corrective measures in the future, such as replacing a dying battery. However, this new method would allow the implant to be placed in a more efficient part of the body. One of the biggest setbacks with this program so far is the turbine is causing blood clots in bloodstream, and with the turbine’s power, would send these clots to parts of the body that could end up becoming fatal.
Hackers Disabling Your Brakes
Posted by: | CommentsMajor car makers are taking notice of a recent research study performed by a collective team from the University of California, San Diego, and Washington. They were able to use passive technology to hack into a car’s main control systems, and while they admitted that this is not necessarily a simple task, they were able to do so a number of different ways.
Since 2008, U.S. car makers have been installing a Controller Area Network system in new cars, mainly used to diagnose problems. This coupled with Bluetooth, GPS systems, and technology like OnStar and Sync, has made the consumer’s commute a little easier. The unintended side affect is that it has also made the criminal’s life easier as well. The research team demonstrated how to hack in the car’s systems by calling the cellular connection and uploading malware through an audio file. Again using an audio file, they uploaded a Trojan horse via an mp3 file played on the stereo system with a CD. They also paired the car to a device that was Bluetooth enabled, enabling them to upload malicious code. All this gives a hacker the ability to track your location, unlock doors, disable the brakes, and virtually anything else that is computer controlled. The bright spot is that automakers are treating these vulnerabilities seriously and developing plans to fix any insecurity that arise.
Obsolete Electronic Parts
Posted by: | CommentsWhile LEDs as a group are fighting for market supremacy against plasma and LCD options, there is a subdivision of competition with active matrix organic LEDs (AMOLEDs) which is starting to take over as the more popular LED. AMOLEDs have a few advantages, namely they are thinner with wider viewing angles and higher refresh rates. They also consume less power than LCDs, but power consumption varies greatly depending on the color and brightness settings. They are used in smartphones, digital cameras, and media players up to 40 inches. In contrast, they have a higher cost to produce at the present time, which should diminish as technology continues to develop. They are also more susceptible to screen burn in and are more sensitive to water damage. They are also less visible in sunlight but perhaps their most glaring hindrance is that their core organic components degrade over time. However, Samsung is refusing to let these obstacles deter them from cultivating this technology. Source your obsolete LEDs
