One evident danger of Facebook or MySpace activity is the increased risk from stalkers and predators. Kids and teens, and even those beyond their teenage years may unintentionally place themselves at risk from stalkers and sexual predators. Your friends aren’t the only people who may be looking at your profile, and MySpace is a stalker’s haven where personal photos and information are a click away.

Most interesting are those who claim the variety of health problems that come about from social networking. Aric Sigman, a highly acclaimed British scientist has inflamed and enraged the population through his books like Remotely Controlled: How Television is Damaging Our Lives. Sigman is to be respected for taking the minority stand on unpopular issues. His talks on alcohol and technology are equally scintillating, but it’s his comments regarding social networking with which we are interested. In his influential paper, “The Biological Implications of ‘Social Networking’” (Biologist, February 2009), Sigman attempts to prove his thesis that online social networking has biological effects that adversely alter our health. In other words: Facebook is bad for you. If you can navigate his medical verbiage, you will discover that online social networking subjects you to increased risk for cancer, genetic mutation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, lupus, arthritis, strokes, and yes, even the common cold. His charts which trace the size of one’s social circle and its direct impact upon the diameter of one’s arteries are really quite insightful.

With a pointed application, Sigman closes his work with a haunting question: [Having considered th the enormous evidence of these calamitous effects] “we should now explain the true meaning of the term ‘social networking.’”

I will admit that I have a few Facebook friends, who don’t seem to sleep, judging by the constant regularity of their status updates, even in the odd hours of the morning, but I’m not sure it’s given them lupus…yet.

No doubt, it would do us all good to maintain an awareness of the way we spend our time. Few would argue that such an exercise could produce significant improvement, but you will have to judge personally whether or not you’re at an increased risk for dementia as a result of your Facebook activity.

For many, that means its time to start thinking about Christmas trees, and appropriate trimmings. Gizmodo is pointing today to a pretty cool Digital Picture Christmas Ornament, which is only $15.50 at Chinavasion.com.

It’s about time Christmas ornaments got a little more hi-tech.

Features as listed at the site:

- 8 MB Christmas Ball digital picture frame for the holiday. Other memory sizes are also available.

- Fashionable holiday ornament for Christmas Trees or the desktop.

- Includes and additional clock function

I’ll tell you what I’d really like to see, is an mp3 player ornament or at least an iHome-style one. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to have the beautiful rendition of Jingle Bell Rock as performed by Hall & Oates coming right out of your tree? Or Max Headroom’s Merry Christmas, Santa Claus?

A video version would be even better.

Unfortunately I am of the latter ilk. For one, I am the kind of guy who likes my Terminators to carry strong tones of Austrian/governor accent. Terminators who speak in monotone voices who have very clear missions that can only begin once their first objective is achieved: obtain clothes, boots, and a motorcycle. I come from the school of “The Electronic Murderer” (even though I’m not Polish). Picture courtesy of Answers.com.

I am not so much interested in this. “Oh, but it’s got Christian Bale,” you might respond. Watch Harsh Times and then give me that argument. Was Eddie furlong not available? I can’t imagine that the Night of the Demons remake was a higher priority for him. What happened to Nick Stahl? I wasn’t thrilled to have a new John Connor forced upon me then either, but he did an adequate job.

I’m not saying that Bale can’t cut the mustard. Bale’s not the issue. The issue is that they have gotten away from what made The Terminator a classic, and that was…well, Arnold (not to mention Michael Biehn), James Cameron, and the decade of the 80s. I’m not one to totally live in the past. I realize times have changed, but films like Planet Terror prove that the dark, gritty look of the original are still possible to achieve.

Terminator: Salvation is looking more like a Transformers or Matrix knock off (if not a stylized Robot Jox remake) to me based on some of the robot designs. But I guess that’s what you get when you give the co-creator of Fastlane the reigns of one of the most beloved science fiction/action franchises of all time. I’m a little skeptical to say the least.

But to be fair, I can’t judge it too harshly without having seen it. My expectations are set pretty low, so perhaps I’ll be overwhelmingly surprised. Some of my best movie-viewing experiences have come from low expectations.

See some recently leaked video footage at io9.com. I rest my case.

The art of hacking in a technological world is generally a negative thing. To hack into something, usually means a breach in security and some form of data altered. However, hacking, and being particularly skilled at it, can pay off – if the skills are used appropriately.

Shane Kelly, age 16, became the world’s youngest person to pass the Certified Ethical Hacker course. Because of his dedication and precision, there are some big people very interested in utilizing his mad skills.

Hacks can be used for good! Programming something to “hack” into a problem you’re encountering, like with say your website development or network. Hacking can be viewed as a positive thing, and quite frankly, the biggest networks and programs are developed by hackers. You have to know how to get into it to be able to prevent access to it, right?

Now, by no means am I saying that it is okay to hack into someone else’s property, or copyrighted works like programs and applications, but hacking should not always be viewed as illegal. Take those skills and go work for someone who can really benefit from them. Internet companies, software companies, police departments. Fight crime! Slip into your bat-suit and get involved in the criminal investigation sector of a police department. After all, they are likely to more fully utilize your hacking super-powers (and you’d get paid for it).

I could use the excuse that I don’t have iTunes, but really, is that a good enough excuse? No. No it is not. For those of you who have been like me, living in a cave- I give you ‘A brand new day, last song act 2′. It should be coming out on DVD, but in the meantime you can catch pieces of it on Youtube (thanks Cavtroop for showing me the error of my ways and pointing me in the right direction. One day, year, decade; I hope to be on good side of the Whedonverse again).

For those who have that iTunes thingy… (that I’m downloading right now, although if you read the following… I MISSED IT!!!) As Joss is my witness, shall never be in the dark again! Gee, what happened this past month that could have possibly distracted me other than the car accidents, whiplash, finding a new car, etc…

A LETTER FROM JOSS WHEDON

Dear Friends,

At last the time has come to reveal to you our Master Plan. BEWARE! Those with weak hearts should log off lest they be terrified by the twisted genius of our schemes! Also pregnant women and the elderly should consider reading only certain sentences. Do not mix with other blogs. Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this blog. You must be this tall to read. ‘Kay?

It is time for us to change the face of Show Business as we know it. You know the old adage, “It’s Show Business – not Show Friends”? Well now it’s Show Friends. We did that. To Show Business. To show Show Business we mean business. (Also, there are now other businesses like it.)

ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!

“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” will be streamed, LIVE (that part’s not true), FREE (sadly, that part is) right on Drhorrible.com, in mid-July. Specifically:

ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th.

ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th.

ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th.

All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that’s still playing. Like, everywhere.)

And now to answers a few Frequently (soon to be) Asked Questions:

1) Why, Joss? Why? Why now, why free, why us?

Once upon a time, all the writers in the forest got very mad with the Forest Kings and declared a work-stoppage. The forest creatures were all sad; the mushrooms did not dance, the elderberries gave no juice for the festival wines, and the Teamsters were kinda pissed. (They were very polite about it, though.) During this work-stoppage, many writers tried to form partnerships for outside funding to create new work that circumvented the Forest King system.

Frustrated with the lack of movement on that front, I finally decided to do something very ambitious, very exciting, very mid-life-crisisy. Aided only by everyone I had worked with, was related to or had ever met, I single-handedly created this unique little epic. A supervillain musical, of which, as we all know, there are far too few.

The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap – but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first.

2) What happens when it goes away? Does it go to a happy farm for always like Fluffy did when mommy was crying and the neighbor kept washing his fender?

No, Dr horrible will live on. We intend to make it available for download soon after it’s published. This would be for a nominal fee, which we’re hoping people will embrace instead of getting all piratey. We have big dreams, people, and one of them is paying our crew.

And somewhat later, we will put the complete short epic out on DVD – with the finest and bravest extras in all the land. We’ll go into greater detail about that at Comiccon, but we’re changing the face of Show Friendliness a second time with that crazy DVD.

3) Joss, you are so kind, and generous, and your forehead is like, huge, like SCARY, like I think I can see Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint hanging off it… what can WE do to help this musical extravanganza?

What you always do, peeps! What you’re already doing. Spread the word. Rock some banners, widgets, diggs… let people know who wouldn’t ordinarily know. It wouldn’t hurt if this really was an event. Good for the business, good for the community – communitIES: Hollywood, internet, artists around the world, comic-book fans, musical fans (and even the rather vocal community of people who hate both but will still dig on this). Proving we can turn Dr Horrible into a viable economic proposition as well as an awesome goof will only inspire more people to lay themselves out in the same way. It’s time for the dissemination of the artistic process. Create more for less. You are the ones that can make that happen.

Wow. I had no idea how important you guys were. I’m a little afraid of you.

4) Joss, do you ever answer a question simply or coherently?

Shledzguohn?

There’ll be more questions, and more long, long answers, but for now I’m just excited that we’re actually making this happen. We (and a lot of other people — gushing to commence soon) worked very hard on the show and we hope/think you guys will be pleased.

Until July 15th , I remain, yours truly, -j, of the firm j, j, m & z.

Technorati Tags: wow, survive, over 30, gaming, pc, video games

10,500,000 firecrackers - at the time this was filmed, a world record.  Also a second record for most firecrackers blowed up in 5 seconds (a mere 800,000 of ‘em).

snap-snap-snap-snap-snap-BOOM!

Technorati Tags: boom, firecrackers, millions, world record, lotta gunpowder, BOOM

As I’m leaning towards the PS3, in the corner of my eye, I’ve noticed the Wii. A gaming platform I was initially against. It sounded like a poser system. “What serious gaming can you do on a Wii? Please tell me.” It seemed like there’d be a limitation of what you can do and it always seemed like a spendy novelty toy. My friends who boast how wonderful it is try to tell me “Well they have regular controllers you can use…” Yeah- but if there’s a shortness of games I’d find worthwhile, why should I bother getting a console that focuses on stupid games so I can throw in a few RPG’s or strategy games that would cause me to wonder why I purchased the Wii.

I poo-poo’ed it long enough and admittingly I’m starting now to take a second look because it is starting to look interesting, especially with the Wii Fit. I can’t really make it to a gym, I’m not completely motivated to work out at home- but put in some cool gadgets, an interactive gaming feel and I can go for it.

I’m surrounded by an Atari (anniversary edition- no cartridges ), a PSX, a PS2 and an Xbox… I need an upgrade and I need to focus on ONE (and no- no pc gaming for an option since I noticed my embarrassing graphics card residing in my tower- that I’m not willing to change out just yet).

As I’m sitting and thinking about the choices… along with confessional booth’s, please let me know your opinions (good/bad) on personal experiences with the Wii. My son, who has limited movement, would he be able to play the games at all without having to plug in a mundane controller? Of the three main ones out there- which is the best for the money and gaming experience? Help me take the first step in the latest console generation!

Technorati Tags: wii, nintendo, consoles, gaming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pluto, demoted from planet status in 2006, got a consolation prize on Wednesday — it and other dwarf planets like it will be called plutoids.

The International Astronomical Union said in a statement that its executive committee meeting in Oslo, Norway, decided on the term.

Plutoids will be defined as celestial bodies in orbit around the Sun farther away than Neptune. They must have near-spherical shape, and must not have swept up other, smaller objects in their orbits, said the organization, which names newly discovered planets and other celestial bodies.

The two known and named plutoids are Pluto and Eris, but astronomers expect to find more.

Another dwarf planet, Ceres, does not merit the plutoid designation because it is in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox)

Technorati Tags: Pluto, plutoids, Mickey Mouse

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A million pieces of stainless steel toy parts assembled into a nearly seven-story model skyscraper glimmered under the hot sun in New York on Tuesday, in American artist Chris Burden’s latest project.

The 16,000-pound (7,250-kg) “poetic interpretation” of the 30 Rock Building at Rockefeller Center was made of replicated Erector set pieces from the toy created by A.C. Gilbert in 1912, Burden said.

“He was inspired by the buildings to build this toy system and I used this toy system to build a building,” Burden said.

“It’s a poetic interpretation of 30 Rock, it’s not a model of it. It references all the tall buildings in Manhattan,” Burden said, standing near his 65-foot (20-metre) tower.

The project, assembled by 20 to 30 people using screwdrivers, began in late 2006 and was put together in Los Angeles County and trucked across the country in two parts.

“It’s very reflective, sort of like a faceted jewel, really picks up the light,” Burden said.

The exhibit, titled “What my dad gave me,” will be on display through July 19 at Rockefeller Center.

Burden, who lives in Los Angeles, was born in Boston in 1946. He received attention as a performance artist in 1971 when he was shot in the arm for the sake of art in a performance called “Shoot.”

(Reporting by Marcy Nicholson; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Cynthia Osterman)

Technorati Tags: 30 Rock, Toy Skyscraper, NYC

There were a few issues I have ran across:

1. Adjusting the size still didn’t make the boxes legible
2. Clicking on “Full Screen” only took me to a site with the google ads. The game didn’t show up.

Regardless, it’s still uber fun to randomly click on the boxes, call your friends, wait for the vm prompt and the annoy them by showing them who’s the dark lord.

Enjoy!

I have to admit that when I saw this on E! Entertainment I thought it was a little weird, yet at the same time I was both curious and impressed.In this day and age where almost every minute and mile counts, why not take a virtual date before you go on the real thing? It’s a good way to test out the conversation, see if they virtually tip and you don’t have to waste precious make up for someone who can’t hold their own on the topics  you love. Personally I think I’m still far away from wanting to meet a new love interest but with a piqued interest I do want to sign up for an honest first hand impression to report back to those who are ready to test the waters of online dating. I wrote to the people at Omnidate to get a little more information on this new to me dating platform:

Get your own face bank

Sean Penn directs this feature based on best-selling author Jon Krakauer’s true story of a young man who gives up everything to lead a solitary life in the wild. Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a middle-class college graduate, abandons his safe existence to trek across the harsh yet beautiful terrain of Alaska. William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden co-star, along with Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook (in an Oscar-nominated role).

Upon viewing it I had my soul tugged at again. Memories flooded my mind in such a way that I didn’t have time to grab onto any thing solid. I gladly allowed myself to get caught up in the rapids of my mind that was sparked through familiarity in a film.

Christopher’s life was a facade that he wished to break from. Anything that reminded him of the false reality his family created he wanted nothing to do with including his own identity. Money was tainted, names were lies, and every part of him wanted to break from the stench and become his own person on his own terms in his own way.

We all need our personal journey to discover who we are away from the people who raised us. To forgive life for painting lies onto our canvas until we’re ready to see the flaws underneath is definitely an sobering experience. Once we can accept those flaws and see their purpose, we can then realize and understand our own selves and begin to perfect and strengthen who we are..

I was raised in Alaska and my father took us to the states near the end of my brother and my school careers. I felt ripped away from a land that was my home. A place I watched grow. A place laced with so much beauty, innocence and what felt like magic. I knew the feelings of brotherhood and belonging were going to be left behind once we got into that car and hit the Alcan Highway that led to the Lower 48.

A call back to Alaska rang into my dreams each night I was away. The majestic mountains and land that sometimes you’d happen across and feel you were the first human to lay eyes on it and explore.

My brother and I would create these fantastic adventures to escape our own home life. We’d leave at the crack of dawn and return just shy of bedtime. We’d return with memories of building rafts, cutting paths in the wild, building forts, braving windstorms, blizzards, white outs, wild animals, and the dangers of seemingly gentle terrain.

It was a culture shock to find out that while I was learning survival skills in elementary school, being taken miles into the mountains by foot in the middle of winter with my class for a week- kids down in the states were busy bouncing balls and learning their state history through text books.

School was closed up there once it hit -30, even though we’d push our way through waist deep snow for weeks before, and my first winter in the NW… school was closed for a week because an inch of snow fell.

When I turned 20 the call of the wild was so strong and the opportunity arose, so I left everything behind and went back for a whole new series of adventures, equally fascinating and inspiring.

This of course isn’t about *my* life. The film was a decent story of a man who enters into adulthood in a modern world while trying to break away from any thing that would cause him dependency on the society around him. He had to learn his strengths and limitations on his own terms, in his own way. By doing this he could have his epiphany and return to a waiting world with more insight, understanding and wisdom than he ever could have obtained should he had stayed put and ignored the betrayal and disgust he felt towards his parents. This story is also about his sister’s understanding of why he left, her bond with him and her own growth by imagining his journey because his communication is non-existent.

Although this isn’t a feel good movie of the year, it does prompt you to look around and re-evaluate your own issues, puts them in perspective and then nudges you to step out of your own comfort zone a little and approach the world in a slightly different way.

===========================================================
Ubuntu Security Notice USN-612-1               May 13, 2008
openssl vulnerability
CVE-2008-0166
===========================================================

A weakness has been discovered in the random number generator used
by OpenSSL on Debian and Ubuntu systems.  As a result of this
weakness, certain encryption keys are much more common than they
should be, such that an attacker could guess the key through a
brute-force attack given minimal knowledge of the system.  This
particularly affects the use of encryption keys in OpenSSH, OpenVPN
and SSL certificates.

This vulnerability only affects operating systems which (like
Ubuntu) are based on Debian.  However, other systems can be
indirectly affected if weak keys are imported into them.

We consider this an extremely serious vulnerability, and urge all
users to act immediately to secure their systems. (CVE-2008-0166)

This advisory also applies to the corresponding versions of
Kubuntu, Edubuntu, and Xubuntu.

== Who is affected ==

Systems which are running any of the following releases:

 * Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty)
 * Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy)
 * Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy)
 * Ubuntu "Intrepid Ibex" (development): libssl <= 0.9.8g-8
 * Debian 4.0 (etch) (see corresponding Debian security advisory)

and have openssh-server installed or have been used to create an
OpenSSH key or X.509 (SSL) certificate.

All OpenSSH and X.509 keys generated on such systems must be
considered untrustworthy, regardless of the system on which they
are used, even after the update has been applied.

This includes the automatically generated host keys used by OpenSSH,
which are the basis for its server spoofing and man-in-the-middle
protection.

The problem can be corrected by upgrading your system to the
following package versions:

Ubuntu 7.04:
  libssl0.9.8                     0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3

Ubuntu 7.10:
  libssl0.9.8                     0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS:
  libssl0.9.8                     0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1

Updated packages for Ubuntu 7.04:

  Source archives:

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3.diff.gz
      Size/MD5:    55960 f1528622672403589e0d3aac4091e3b7
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3.dsc
      Size/MD5:      899 24ce07dd1372b34976caa4e703b48254
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8c.orig.tar.gz
      Size/MD5:  3313857 78454bec556bcb4c45129428a766c886

  amd64 architecture (Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_amd64.udeb
      Size/MD5:   604324 c67285c8c9831d7d688930bf3403070e
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:  2186920 ebfec7f633c445ae170b06acb039175c
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:  1645270 3c37713de4ad97e6eb675f9f8a9b3ddd
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:   918170 c282b7478265a81019e771a382ec99cd
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:  1006504 a199460e3209b03f454afa205abbd979

  i386 architecture (x86 compatible Intel/AMD):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_i386.udeb
      Size/MD5:   569520 9441a49f438e5c0c77c70f9c50b3acee
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  2068628 152dc5bd9d6edb669be2a4d88fdc9126
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  5499922 4e07a86c1f4930411fffc25cb330f683
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  2809850 dd17842504c08b5a09e7ec15dee20f8b
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  1001316 f823d1e7c4ea63e976fd129a2bfe5fed

  powerpc architecture (Apple Macintosh G3/G4/G5):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_powerpc.udeb
      Size/MD5:   617086 d8158b21c17afbd21460dfee4a001194
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:  2217842 90507ac4c5dce8110853c8e71c366004
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:  1705352 d2ac68501fc799a5033824d204ac0175
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:   939544 1e6af8a9427957566434357f346096d9
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:  1014948 b6c5a7b2c97df56cff30d1797490705f

  sparc architecture (Sun SPARC/UltraSPARC):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_sparc.udeb
      Size/MD5:   563014 dd59635ac83a1c84fe59b7d8ab9b2992
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  2111944 e647e97fbb98c2ce48c8fce8517c92d0
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  4053968 b26c15bf44dc732832251f8cb1002b15
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  2205868 0b767362c79d60942cbe473deecad932
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8c-4ubuntu0.3_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  1016770 f6940cc99ec5b841d4a54b9cb38af203

Updated packages for Ubuntu 7.10:

  Source archives:

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2.diff.gz
      Size/MD5:    58261 712fb9938545440a484c383c8a6ac7f7
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2.dsc
      Size/MD5:      950 b47e6ac103c4bcc8d969faf994c8a887
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e.orig.tar.gz
      Size/MD5:  3341665 3a7ff24f6ea5cd711984722ad654b927

  amd64 architecture (Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_amd64.udeb
      Size/MD5:   608582 4e66d471698d449a31e206d91972ac77
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:  2065236 eb0982f5fdc2988b4a1adc3535a92cec
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:  1644030 45659a7dadef747fb828a11bf00b6466
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:   928852 cbbc47991050e043a259065d6e63d3f1
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:   877820 d5254e3c81c503be7ec8d908985ca27d

  i386 architecture (x86 compatible Intel/AMD):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_i386.udeb
      Size/MD5:   571794 33ed14cad215235c7f3e3959417e618a
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  1943124 63d90e3f64c213a4033caa78adbb3481
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  5520470 9ffd3c29c28109498b530d5062d2537a
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  2825460 8265f8e385f34559d74ccca533c02a7a
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:   872078 09113bb86f530a81ab0a9ea3cff847cb

  lpia architecture (Low Power Intel Architecture):

    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_lpia.udeb
      Size/MD5:   537248 b14a7de8a4d2dc6c0636bcea065a25d9
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:  1922036 22e02a08b6042d2037ed82a05cbe5968
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:  1557052 34ac9b97e2297d773f00ec0cf9e9ed28
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:   836566 2b357cdf056d2bdfc3d00eef8d758f12
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:   876586 96f16cd47d93e94dbffb7bd7deb93284

  powerpc architecture (Apple Macintosh G3/G4/G5):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_powerpc.udeb
      Size/MD5:   618002 6949577d5d0dff62f1a87843556fce47
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:  2093118 d1118570fb10780532a114316870024f
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:  1704998 06a83dfb0b7463b2e0c48c957ad3e94f
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:   945758 be53ff03675982367b0615701c0c9012
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:   886184 dd98564311d595033534eb7c6f396718

  sparc architecture (Sun SPARC/UltraSPARC):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_sparc.udeb
      Size/MD5:   565188 0ca872b583b61d0d15a872e83378782d
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  1987272 9334f39b64dbc1765bf0b8bc1c5c0113
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  4049724 69782f2dbd642b303551e128c1552aa3
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  2220894 8ae7f5b7585bd9e4f1392f76fd3bcc71
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8e-5ubuntu3.2_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:   887244 d6320a2c885ce0eae7dcc27f569a0963

Updated packages for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS:

  Source archives:

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1.diff.gz
      Size/MD5:    52455 febf7cb03f479b0a3adcae06eb02203b
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1.dsc
      Size/MD5:      912 0a14742d144c1389dcbc52f47ba3f7c8
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g.orig.tar.gz
      Size/MD5:  3354792 acf70a16359bf3658bdfb74bda1c4419

  Architecture independent packages:

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl-doc_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_all.deb
      Size/MD5:   628518 80043d691d2bf742c6874b237ed659c6

  amd64 architecture (Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Xeon):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_amd64.udeb
      Size/MD5:   603886 e1c9837aaa00f00c030be0948f2666f8
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:  2064554 4fd6b7dba2501356363e4c88876e7016
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:  1603796 877c7dc84a0a442a71322466aaf0191d
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:   931158 936aeaeb9c0acfa73ce04362ef20f235
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_amd64.deb
      Size/MD5:   390622 5ece5cbc091a8955ec7dc47b6494c42e

  i386 architecture (x86 compatible Intel/AMD):

    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_i386.udeb
      Size/MD5:   564666 e428bac008437846a9411a34f7e46e8b
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  1941644 b6edc3acd3a90c42baaf8819fd9f3256
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  5340876 a1a31e52f2b6ce5b00a2e550e1c9a9f7
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:  2828048 4ef2062996432b694e1a06eaf61818aa
    http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_i386.deb
      Size/MD5:   385434 f29998409853097ebe60730295c81e7b

  lpia architecture (Low Power Intel Architecture):

    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_lpia.udeb
      Size/MD5:   535450 2a6c4f477589124df101fdf508bf170d
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:  1922630 bfe69691602e76835d998443fecf6bf5
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:  1512332 c90b961b61a02198b87b503d1f7f01ce
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:   842712 69b457eef0ae45f342e01bd13c83be2d
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_lpia.deb
      Size/MD5:   390028 41001b11916fd7d522580060ad298d16

  powerpc architecture (Apple Macintosh G3/G4/G5):

    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_powerpc.udeb
      Size/MD5:   610282 8c4ff25d4e5695eba1e0ea6e0fba22b1
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:  2077924 35d088aee3c0ed62b9a18d861fca08b9
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:  1639052 85d14e648caaaf6fab7acae470d7e1b2
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:   944496 3f561d17a732a995c61a99bb58be0348
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_powerpc.deb
      Size/MD5:   399190 b7cdcf3e46bb497fc0d9f0ebd1e670d2

  sparc architecture (Sun SPARC/UltraSPARC):

    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libcrypto0.9.8-udeb_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_sparc.udeb
      Size/MD5:   559662 1e68facc899f2a355ffc5ba9d74873fb
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl-dev_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  1984618 3d1892e144d9e360091fca9970bac61a
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8-dbg_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  3873424 769e051711a442675147042e60fa6e3b
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/libssl0.9.8_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:  2241226 c21c1ea84171285a241ed7ec31fb2d2d
    http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8g-4ubuntu3.1_sparc.deb
      Size/MD5:   397810 31bccc57af7b0dc1dd6d9005bbdedb2c

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[tags]ubuntu, debian, security, openssl, ssh,

(Sniff) I knew it was time to up the television game as so much has changed in the past few years and so much more is prepping to change in under a year… perhaps the technology Gods were pushing me to upgrade, the hard way.

I could possibly do without a set because I’ve been watching more and more shows/film via Netflix and Hulu on my laptop- but my boy requires his console games (okay… kind of me too.)

I had an offer for a free television set- old style 36″ screen (I’m not positive on the screen size, but the entire television set was gigantic and the only catch was that I’d have to move it up some narrow stairs that two men had issues getting into the dwelling in the first place.) After a few days of playing musical televisions with Jonathon’s set and the injured one (I had to keep swapping them around because he falls asleep watching a movie each night).

After a few days of doing this, I saw that my back was eyeing a noose and sleeping pills so I decided it was time to find a replacement.

Enter Rent-a-Center. I’ve lectured people on places like that, I’ve vowed never to fall prey… but it was so easy to do (I have horrible credit and store cards are not options). I thought about it and decided that perhaps a temporary solution would be to rent a TV, possibly own. Hence “rent to own”. I know I’ll wind up paying a zillion dollars more than its worth, but I had no choice… I had just bought a couple games on top of a few games that were sent to me so I can give a review.

I went for a humbled set. In this world where hand held gadgets and mobile phones are getting smaller, the standard sized television set is getting huge (probably because everyone’s eyes are shot by the mini-gizmo’s and pride prevents them from getting glasses). Well my eye sight is perfect, my living room is a humbled size- so a large screen is silly. I had opted for a Sony Bravio 32″ HD LCD Digital PC Compatible OMG I’m freaking in love television set.

The non-HD channels are hideous and I can’t find a fix (yet), however… I feel like a guilty little kid when I noticed through my regular cable outlet I was able to pick up a TON of extra channels… FOR FREE! Shhh don’t tell Comcast.

I had no idea what add on channels were hidden in the fiber optics of my cable wire that my normal set could not pick up. HD versions of the regular channels, channels I’ve never heard of before and even music channels!

Playing video games on it has me completely giddy and revisiting that same feeling when the Super Nintendo upped the bar, and I realized that there was a whole other world that I had missing out on.

The NYC trip had me on a natural high and returning to Salem Oregon was NOT exactly ideal (feeling like an idiot at my other job, having my foot crushed, car issues, wrenching my back… and it hadn’t even been 3 days). This television set has saved me from scowliing at and punching random people.

My Gotham television has made it’s way into my bedroom (which I felt was SO un-feng shui) because it works… it just scares the hell out of me (I’ve had a vacuum blow up, a battery charger blow up, a curling iron blow up in my hand, even my musical birthday candle!!!!) basically, if it’s going to go KABOOM- it will happen to me. I figure it “might” be okay as a temporary bedroom set and it’s also prompted me to put my laptop in my room at because for the first time in for ages my room is for more than just sleeping.

I’ve no idea what television experiences you readers have had, but please share your wisdom and assist me in my basking glow of thinking the new generation of tv is the best thing EVER! (if you’re into televisions, game play… using your 32″ as a computer monitor). I’m looking forward to getting the hardware to connect my sleeping desktop PC to the Bravia and using it as a monitor.

I can’t recall the last time I felt this way! Because of the rent to own price I feel like it’s this guilty pleasure… I’m a complete idiot, but I love it! I also think it has subliminal messages because I want bigger, better and even more free channels that I will never watch!

Product Features
Built-In HDTV Tuner: Add HD-capable antenna to receive over-the-air high-definition broadcasts, where available. Optional set-top box required for high-definition cable or satellite programming.
31-1/2″ measured diagonally
1366 x 768 pixel resolution supports 720p signals for stunning image clarity
16:9 widescreen aspect ratio with normal, full, zoom and wide zoom viewing modes
BRAVIA Engine video processor produces crisp, vibrant images with enhanced color and contrast
3D comb filter brings out fine picture detail and enhances color purity
3 picture modes, including vivid, standard and cinema, provides custom viewing options for a variety of programming
Ultrafast 5 ms response time for enhanced displaying of fast-action scenes
High dynamic contrast ratio (1000:1) for an arresting viewing experience
Wide 178° viewing angles provide comfortable viewing from almost any seat in the house
Light sensor with backlighting control adjusts the screen brightness to match ambient room light conditions for improved picture clarity
Ultraslim (4″ deep), lightweight design is ideal for wall mounting (with optional mounting kit, not included); VESA-compatible
Bottom-mount speakers with built-in digital amplifier provide a cinema-quality sound; MTS stereo decoder and Dolby Digital sound
PC video input lets you connect your computer to experience high-resolution images
Inputs: 2 HDMI (rear), 1 S-video (rear), 1 PC (rear), 3 composite video (2 rear, 1 side), 2 component video (rear) and 5 analog audio (4 rear, 1 side), 1 RF
Outputs: 1 headphone (side), 1 digital audio (rear), 1 audio (rear)
V-Chip parental controls keep children from being exposed to undesirable material
ENERGY STAR compliance assures a high standard of energy efficiency
Other convenient features include favorite channel, channel labeling, clock and sleep timer
What’s in the box: 32″ flat-panel LCD HDTV, stand, 2 AA batteries, support belt and screws and remote

I currently have 4 sabers of various colors and I was thinking “How cool would it be to have a saber collection in the form of a chandelier??” They would be detachable so when your guests come over and the need to settle your differences through a saber fight seems to be the only way, you can swipe them off the chandelier, have your match and then put them back in place just in time to add lighting to a wonderful meal.

Most sabers are adjustable which can add various dimensions and lengths to the chandelier. Should Storm Troopers invade your city streets you’ll be prepared… AND lightsabers are just awesome!

If there are any creative geeky minds out there willing to run with this idea (and you have a ton of lightsabers), please send photo’s of your creation and I can post them here. In the meantime I need to add to my own collection and see what I can come up with.

Technorati Tags: geeky ideas, lightsabers, chandeliers, I strike you down with my saber!

Earlier I wrote about mothers being non-existent in the upbrining of future superheroes- I forgot about Wonder Woman! She had a mommy (although wasn’t her mom killed later on?) I knew I had to be wrong and there *has* to be others.

The following was found on Youtube while I was researching a crush that a friend wants me to give his number to (and no, his crush isn’t Olivia… well he likes her as well and probably wouldn’t mind if I passed out his number to her as well.)

The annoyances of being a superhero!

Technorati Tags: Wonder Woman, Olivia Munn, superheroes

<-does that look familiar?

The connection isn’t very stable, the archives only seem to begin late 1996/early 1997,  but if you have patience and nothing else to do- take a stroll down memory lane or see how the look of the web has changed (or sadly at times, hasn’t).

Here are just a couple of places you can stroll back to:

Yahoo- showing the ‘96 elections coverage

Imdb… the beginning

Technorati Tags: Internet Archive, Wayback Machine

I found this at Amazon and although these are temporary I’m actually thinking of showing it to my friends who said they’d pay for my first real tattoo (because I’m so opposed to them for myself and they enjoy assisting in making me a hypocrite). I love the Atari joystick (old school) but I really don’t see what’s so geeky about the caffeine heart- that’s actually pretty Universal. EVERYONE loves caffeine (unless they don’t- yes, I’m passive.)

Perhaps I might just go with the Psycho Slip on Tattoo Sleeves… for my next family visit.

WHAT?!?! Needles and ink stains are something I avoid at all cost. That and I can’t commit to a hair colour let alone permanent body art.

Technorati Tags: Tattoo, Inked, What? It’s real.

I’ll be changing the specs slightly on this box over the next few weeks, adding a gig of memory and dropping in a new Nvidia 880o card to replace the current 8600 card. Even with the current setup games are a great deal of fun to play and graphically they all look stunning.

Speaking of games, I’ll have reviews up in the next few weeks of our first two games on this rig. First we have American Civil War: The Blue and the Grey - a deep, turn based strategy game covering the whole of the Civil War. AGEOD, the makers of this game are known for strategy games. This will be a fun one to play. AGEOD’S American Civil War - The Blue and the Gray is a historical operational strategy game with a simultaneous turn-based engine (WEGO system) that places players at the head of the USA or CSA during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Players are military and political leaders trying to lead the troops of their nations (armies and fleets) to victory, in the midst of some of the toughest operations during those five years of wild campaigning throughout a divided nation.
Most of the individual years of campaign between 1861 and 1865 are playable via a separate scenario (to be refined during beta testing). Advanced scenarios will allow recreation of some yearly and/or theatre campaigns, and there will be of course the complete Grand Campaign covering the whole war.

Next up we have Universe at War - a brand new RTS from SEGA which looks very promising. (from Wikipedia) Universe at War: Earth Assault, begins in the year 2012 when an alien race known as the Hierarchy lands on Earth to strip-mine the planet. Before their landing, observatories and scientists on Earth gave warning of aliens but the human race as a whole is not able to organize a unified military front against the alien forces. Because the Hierarchy has vast military experience from invading and destroying other planets in the universe, the human race is not able to withstand their forces.

Now on to the rig stats!

MB: Nvidia® nForce 680i SLI 3xPCIe 16x DDR2 800 to 1200-2×1Gb Ethernet-6xSATA3Gb-RAID 0/1/5-Firewire1394-8CH Digital Audio.
Proc: Intel Extreme Quad QX6850 3.00GHz 1333FSB 8196KB L2 Cache.
GPU: GeForce 8600 GTS 512MB DDR3 PCIe SLI-Ready Dual Head 2xDVI-I.
RAM: 2GB DDR2 800Mhz pc2-6400.
HDD: 2x 250GB 7200 RPM.
Optical: Light On DVD/CD Burner
PSU: 1000W fan (not sure of the brand).
Water Cooling: CoolerMaster AquaGate S1.
Case: CoolerMaster CM Stacker.
OS: Vista Home Premium / Ubuntu 7.10

Product Features
RC robot talks, drives on land, and flies in air
Capable of performing incredible aerial stunts; flies up to 30 MPH and more than 20 stories high
Made with impact-resistant material; light stealth wing styling
Includes remote control, first aid vehicle repair kit, detachable blaster, and XPV fuel system
Recommended for kids ages 8 and up

I had to double take a few times in order to see if I was missing something. 78% savings? Normally $119? On sale for $26.99? Is quite possible that creating an army of flying robots can be a reality along with my plans for global domination?! I’m thinking, “YES!”

That wacky Playstation 3 is at it again.  Curing cancer, finding aliens and now cracking passwords.

Security researcher Nick Breese used a PS3 to crack supposedly strong eight-character passwords in hours.

Typically, previous attempts to crack such passwords took days to get the same result.

Eight-character passwords are used to protect PDF and Zip files as well as those produced by Microsoft Office.

The work to turn the PS3 into a password cracker was carried out by Nick Breese, who works for Auckland-based Security Assessment.

The Cell processor at the heart of the PS3 is the key to speeding up the time it takes to crack a password.

In a presentation given at the Kiwicon security conference in mid-November, Mr Breese said a powerful Intel chip could crank through 10-15 million cycles per second.

The architecture of the Cell processor meant it could speed through 1.4 billion cycles per second. This speed boost was possible because each Cell chip had several processing cores - each one of which could be effectively trying passwords at the same time.

This was important when attempting “brute force” attacks that go through all possible combinations for a password.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Breese said although the PS3 could be used to crack eight-character passwords featuring letters and numbers, stronger encryption systems - such as those used to safeguard web transactions - remained safe.
Mr Breese’s research comes soon after work by Russian company Elcomsoft to use graphics cards to speed up password cracking.

Story from the BBC.

Technorati Tags: play station 3, playstation, ps3, cell processor, password crack, hack, whack, console

Unfortunately I still can’t find this little walk down memory lane on DVD yet, but when it is I’m thinking of making a synchronize swatches montage!!! Yes, I get tripped and picked on a lot

Starring Ben as the Hero
Myself as The Chief
With… Bill Gates, Linus Torvalds, Steve Wozniak, and Steve Jobs

-Ghic Chic

This is what happens at Arsgeek if you don’t churn out articles fast enough.
Starring Ben, Myself in multiple roles and Jonathon as The Counselor:

Nathan Sawaya took the childhood tool into adult hood and created artistic visions via our beloved little plastic bricks.

From Mosaic pieces to full on Star Wars scene replications, my introduction to this creativity months ago still has me impressed today.

If you draw it, he will create: The pictures featured on here were part of a project he did for the New Orleans Public Library. Inspired by children’s drawings from around the country to rebuild New Orleans on paper, he captured the unique visions of the children and honored an area that has undergone such devastation.
Bio from his site:
 
In 2004, Nathan Sawaya came to national attention as a talented artist when he won a nationwide search for a professional LEGO® Master Model Builder. Since then, he has been garnering accolades, as well as fans, with his colorful and whimsical artwork made entirely of the popular children’s toy.

Born in Colville, Washington and raised in Veneta, Oregon, Sawaya has a unique artist’s eye for creating awe-inspiring images and sculptures out of the square and chunky building blocks.

It was an expected beginning with an unexpected outcome. It started on Christmas 1978 when he unwrapped his first set of bricks. It wasn’t long before the living room was transformed into “LEGO City” complete with miniature boats, firehouses, restaurants, mansions, skyscrapers, train stations and a lake. There were even brick helicopters hanging from the ceiling.

Sawaya’s childhood dreams were always fun. He drew cartoons, wrote stories and perfected magic tricks. Of course much of his playtime centered on the LEGO City in his parent’s living room. For more than twelve years the LEGO City flourished. This is where Sawaya’s imagination soared and consequently, fine-tuned his future art form.

Many years and millions of bricks later Sawaya’s creations are of a much grander scale.

A 7-foot-long replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, a life-size tyrannosaurus rex, a 6-foot-tall Han Solo frozen in carbonite, Curious George, Alfred Hitchcock and Lindsay Lohan are all now immortalized in plastic — thanks to Sawaya.

His work is obsessively and painstakingly crafted and is both beautiful and playful. Sawaya’s ability to transform LEGO bricks into something new, his devotion to scale and color perfection, the way he conceptualizes the action of the subject matter, enables him to elevate an ordinary toy to the status of art.

Sawaya’s art form takes shape primarily in 3-dimensional sculptures and oversized mosaic portraits. Some of his favorite pieces of art include a huge black and white self portrait and a gigantic Monopoly box.

He continues to build daily with the brick medium while accepting commission work from individuals and corporations requesting works of art and tradeshows looking for unique, eye-catching exhibits.

Sawaya enjoyed his first solo art exhibit in the Spring of 2007 at the Lancaster Museum of Art. The Art of the Brick was the first major museum exhibition in the U.S. to focus exclusively on the use of LEGO building blocks as an art medium, and is currently touring North America.

In addition, his work is also in collections including:

• Lancaster Museum of Art in Lancaster, PA
• Discovery Center in Rockford, IL
• The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY
• Time Warner Center public art display in New York, NY
• Qwest Field public art display in Seattle, WA
• LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, CA
• FAO Schwarz in New York, NY
• The Toy Museum in Bellaire, OH
• The Dreier Collection in Santa Barbara, CA
• The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA
• The New Orleans Public Library public art display in New Orleans, LA

Sawaya has also been featured on multiple media outlets including CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman, NBC’s Today Show, MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, ESPN’s Cold Pizza, ABC’S Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, CNN, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter and Newsday.
 

To join, simply go to the ‘My Community’ tab inside Steam, setup your community ID, then search for the group. Hope to see you ingame!