We already knew Ken Jennings thought IBM’s Jeopardy-winning supercomputer was a dick , but he’s not alone. Developers at IBM were forced to wipe part of Watson’s memory once they realized their hyperintelligent computer had turned into a bit of a smartass. More »
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The Smartest Computer in the World Also Has the Dirtiest Mouth
An anonymous reader writes “Earlier this week, reports surfaced that the Windows RT operating system had been jailbroken to allow for the execution of unsigned ARM desktop applications. Microsoft quickly issued a statement saying it does not consider the findings to be part of a security vulnerability, and applauded the hacker for his ingenuity. Now, a Windows RT jailbreak tool has been released.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Windows RT Jailbreak Tool Released
Celebrated geneticist James Watson, one of several researchers who won the Nobel Prize for discovering the structure of DNA, has just published what can only be called a cancer manifesto in Open Biology . It’s full of fairly harsh criticisms for current cancer researchers, but also suggests several ways forward in the “war on cancer.” Among other claims, Watson asserts that antioxidants like vitamin C — often recommended as cancer-prevention supplements — could be causing some forms of cancer. He also has harsh words for personalized medicine, and the laziness of cancer researchers. More »
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James Watson Says Antioxidants May Actually Be Causing Cancer
Trailrunner7 writes with news of the continuing poor state of security for industrial control systems. From the article: “Never underestimate what you can do with a healthy list of advanced operator search terms and a beer budget. That’s mostly what comprises the arsenal of two critical infrastructure protection specialists who have spent close to nine months trying to paint a picture of the number of Internet-facing devices linked to critical infrastructure in the United States. It’s not a pretty picture. The duo … have with some help from the Department of Homeland Security (PDF) pared down an initial list of 500,000 devices to 7,200, many of which contain online login interfaces with little more than a default password standing between an attacker and potential havoc. DHS has done outreach to the affected asset owners, yet these tides turn slowly and progress has been slow in remedying many of those weaknesses. …The pair found not only devices used for critical infrastructure such as energy, water and other utilities, but also SCADA devices for HVAC systems, building automation control systems, large mining trucks, traffic control systems, red-light cameras and even crematoriums.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Thousands of SCADA Devices Discovered On the Open Internet
Since 2003, Waxy.org ‘s Andy Baio has been documenting evidence of pirated/leaked Oscars screeners— in other words, copies of nominated films sent to Academy Awards voters which then make their way on to filesharing networks. The 2013 edition of his spreadsheet is out . He’ll post analysis tomorrow. “Most shocking find so far,” he tweets , “The Les Misérables screener hasn’t leaked online yet. Everyone knows pirates love musicals!”
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Tracking Oscar screener piracy, the 2013 edition
Skype’s latest update has arrived on Windows (although not Windows 8) and, likely due to its status within Microsoft , it’s integrated Outlook features into version 6.1 alongside some cosmetic refreshes. You can now get access to your Skype contacts’ status, mood message and other contact details within Outlook contact cards, with the same profiles now appearing within the Skype program. You also call any phone number from within Outlook , with Skype already doing the legwork of connecting to any contact whose details are stored within your email client. Better still, if you’ve already got them added as a contact in Skype, you can send instant messages and make or video calls from the outset. These features will work on Outlook 2010, while it’s now easier to add new contacts to Skype when you don’t already have a someone in your contact list. You can pick up the new integrated app (with a gently tweaked toolbar) at the source. ( Update: We’ve also been informed that the Mac version has been bumped up to version 6.1, and you’ll now be able to call direct from Safari webpages.) Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Skype
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Skype 6.1 for Windows adds Outlook integration, (slightly) refreshed toolbar
sciencehabit writes “All you graying, half-deaf Def Leppard fans, listen up. A drug applied to the ears of mice deafened by noise can restore some hearing in the animals. By blocking a key protein, the drug allows sound-sensing cells that are damaged by noise to regrow. The treatment isn’t anywhere near ready for use in humans, but the advance at least raises the prospect of restoring hearing to some deafened people.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Drug Allows Deafened Mice to Regrow Inner Ear Hair
We sat down with Greg Duffy, CEO of Dropcam, to talk about his company’s move into online DVR services connected with their cool little HD webcams. The big news? Dropcam cameras now upload more video per day than YouTube. Duffy noted that the company is working towards more intelligent content sensing so their cameras and online DVR service will be able to pick out faces and figures in the scene and be a bit more intelligent with notifications and motion sensing. There wasn’t any new Dropcam hardware to speak of this CES but the service is definitely more interesting these days simply because a cloud-backed DVR could be a lifesaver for businesses and personal users alike.
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Dropcam Now Processing More Uploaded Video Than YouTube Says CEO Greg Duffy
The Anonymous hacking collective has petitioned the White House, using the US government’s open forum to ask for DDoS attacks to be registered as an official form of complaint – and requesting the convictions of previous DDoS attackers be wiped from their records. More »
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Anonymous Wants DDoS Recognised as an Official Form of Protest
Who cares what color the walls are when there’s beer in front of you? That’s exactly what the guys between Beertone thought, when they decided to put together a color chart that takes you on a journey through the entire spectrum of beer. Beertone explains: More »
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Forget Pantone, Here’s Beertone