Monsters and Critics

Google GTalk provides iPhone lovers with instant-messaging client

4. Jul 2008, 10:50

In a move that will further expand the messaging capabilities of the iPhone, Internet search leader Google Inc. has this week revealed a mobile version of Google Talk (GTalk) that will work with Apple’s iconic touch-screen smartphone and its non-telephony iPod Touch stable mate.

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Privacy fears mount as YouTube ordered to reveal user information

4. Jul 2008, 10:44

A New York court has this week thrown the legal cat amongst the privacy pigeons by ordering video-sharing Web site YouTube to reveal private user data specific to the viewing habits of millions of its visitors.

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Roku provides Netflix with content lifeline

4. Jul 2008, 07:51

With major television networks and film companies progressively embracing digital distribution to enhance the delivery of their content, it’s likely that the days of conventional DVD rental are numbered. However, DVD rental heavyweight Netflix is apparently not prepared to go down without a Roku-enhanced fight.

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OCZ unveils “truly affordable” high performance SSD series

4. Jul 2008, 06:51

The popularity of NAND-based solid state drive (SSD) storage continues its upwards surge against conventional hard disk drive (HDD) solutions, and this week that rise sees Sunnyvale-based OCZ Technology reveal a new 2.5-inch SATA II solid state drive that addresses one of SSD’s post persistent bugbears: its cost. ... more

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ASUS to expand Eee line with the all-in-one Eee Monitor

4. Jul 2008, 06:50

There’s little doubting the belief that ASUSTeK Computer Inc. has in its diminutive Eee line, recently expanding the original Eee PC series to include bigger screen sizes, the Intel Atom processor and Windows XP, while the Taipei-based manufacturer has also recently revealed its small form-factor desktop ambitions via the upcoming Eee Box.

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Researchers look to zinc finger proteins for future AIDS treatment

4. Jul 2008, 00:34

University of Pennsylvania researchers are looking to developing naturally occurring proteins called zinc fingers as a future treatment for AIDS.

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Agriculture blamed for frogs' sexual abnormalities

3. Jul 2008, 23:26

A study by University of Florida scientists has blamed agricultural chemicals as the cause of reproductive system abnormalities in amphibians.

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Mercury probe's flyby gives long awaited answers to planet's composition

3. Jul 2008, 20:45

NASA's Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft's close flyby of the closest planet to the sun in January has yielded important evidence of vulcanism in the planet's formation, settling a long-standing scientific disagreement.
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Firefox 2.0.0.15 is released – Mozilla fixes 12 issues (Brief)

3. Jul 2008, 14:59

Mozilla has released a security and stability patch for the 2.x branch of the Firefox browser. Manual updates are instant, and those of you with automatic downloads turned on may already have the update. There were twelve issues fixed, four of them critical. ... more

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Mozilla sets official Guinness World Record with Firefox 3

3. Jul 2008, 12:00

It’s official, open-source proponent Mozilla Corp. has succeeding in its efforts to drum up enough interest in its new Firefox 3 software to propel the Web browser into the hallowed pages of the Guinness Book of Records.

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Sony pulls PlayStation v2.40 update amid reports of hardware seizures

3. Jul 2008, 11:58

A mere 24hrs after officially unveiling the latest v2.40 system update for its PlayStation 3 videogame console, Sony Computer Entertainment has abruptly yanked the download from its servers following a rush of user complaints claiming it was causing their hardware to seize up.

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Canadian Space Agency prepares to seek out Earth-killing asteroids

3. Jul 2008, 11:55

In an effort to provide the planet with advanced warning relating to inbound space debris, the Canadian Space Agency is currently preparing to launch the world’s first microsatellite that will focus solely on seeking out and tracking collision-course and near-Earth asteroids.

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Increased flat-screen TV production sparks new emissions fear in scientists

3. Jul 2008, 11:52

Demand for flat-screen televisions is on the rise, and so is concern in the scientific community regarding the potential ecological damage that could be caused by a vital industrial chemical used during the manufacturing process of LCD screens.

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Nokia and InterDigital settle in UK patent battle

3. Jul 2008, 11:50

In the same week notable industry heavyweights banded together to snap up emerging tech patents to fend off future legal attacks, American wireless technology firm InterDigital has revealed it has agreed to drop its long-running tit-for-tat patent infringement court shenanigans with mobile phone giant Nokia Corporation.

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Microsoft gets users “Equipt” with Office and OneCare via subscription

3. Jul 2008, 11:48

American software titan Microsoft Corporation has this week unveiled Equipt, a pocket-friendly all-in-one security and productivity subscription service that delivers all the productivity associated with Microsoft’s Office software suite in conjunction with the security and PC management value of Windows Live OneCare.

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McAfee releases results to S.P.A.M. experiment

3. Jul 2008, 11:38

S.P.A.M or Spammed Persistently All Month. This is the project name for an experiment that McAfee launched, which tracked fifty people around the globe who surfed online for thirty days with no protection. By taking part in the experiment, participants visited places online where most users would never go. McAfee’s aim was to discover how much spam they would attract and what the effects would be. ... more

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Google releases ratproxy, passive security assessment tool

3. Jul 2008, 11:31

Michal Zalewski, on the Google Security blog, announced that what was once an internal tool, is now open source and free for everybody to use. Lovingly called, ratproxy, the tool started as internal assessment tool at Google, it passively analyzes browser-driven interactions with web property and offers details about flaws and areas of concern. While not a cure-all single analyzation tool, ratproxy adds another layer of scanning and reporting that many should find useful. ... more

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Sony PlayStation’s site hit with SQL Injection

3. Jul 2008, 11:23

Sony is the next victim in the explosion of automated SQL Injection (SQLi) attacks online. Sophos is reporting that US-based Sony PlayStation website has been hit in the recent string of coldwop-dot-com attacks. The attacks, automated and wide spreading thanks to the ASProx botnet, have targeted about 40,000 websites. ... more

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Internet Explorer 8 security features outlined

3. Jul 2008, 11:13

Microsoft has posted a rather lengthy post to the IEBlog on the new security features in Internet Explorer 8. The details of the IE8 security features come a week after the post on trustworthy browsing. In the latest development of Internet Explorer, Microsoft is taking a good long look at some of the common attack methods and outlines how they are going to try to stop them. ... more

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It can happen to anyone, well-known blogger gets ripped off on PayPal

3. Jul 2008, 11:07

It can happen to anyone, even IT professionals have to deal with the risk. Martin Brinkmann, who many of you know simply as Martin from gHacks, is no exception. Martin woke up yesterday to discover someone had taken over $400 from his PayPal account and purchased virtual servers with the stolen money. The lesson to everyone is that even professional geeks like Martin can fall prey to thieves online. ... more

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