CanSecWest security conference's PWN 2 OWN hacking contest was held earlier this week, in which 3 laptop computers and as much as $20,000 in prize money was up for grabs. The prize laptops were also the targets for the hackers, and required being hacked under certain conditions; one running Windows Vista SP1, one with an up-to-date flavor of Linux, and the last running OSX Leopard with the most recent updates installed. This article has most of the details of what happened, but the major eye opener was the MacBook Air being hacked in under two minutes while the other two laptops remained steadfast and un-breached.

I don't know what the full implications of these results are, but I do know that Apple is probably scrambling right now to get a security patch ready for a near future system update. It sounds like the contestants were not your average-fare script kiddies, so I doubt anyone will be running out and crashing a slew of Apple computers anytime soon. Still, though, it is pretty scary stuff.

- Joshua

Filed under apple macintosh macbook air os hack security

So, you've decided the default widgets that come preloaded in OS X just aren't enough and you're wanting more. The best place to look, of course, is the downloads section on Apple's website. With that in mind, here are 5 freeware widgets you may want to consider adding to your collection:

1) iStat Pro

iStat Pro displays information about your computer, such as internal temperature gauges, active fan speeds, current memory usage, and so much more.

2) SeeSS

Do you work in web design, either recreationally or professionally? Have you realized the power of hand coding your sites, but have a hard time remembering all of those CSS commands? Don't worry, SeeSS has you covered.

3) Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an on-line encyclopedia that houses references and articles about almost everything under the sun. The Wikipedia widget is a companion to the site that allows you to search for articles and items without having to navigate to the site within a browser.

4) PEMDAS

Find the default calculator widget lacking? Yeah, us too. Luckily, a like-minded coder developed PEMDAS, a scientific calculator that performs many, many functions.

5) ROT13 [delen]code Widget

If you post on message forums, then it's possible you know about proper etiquette when it comes to posting spoiler information. One method employed by many forum sites is ROT13, a code language that requires decoding to understand it. With the ROT13 [delen]code Widget, you no longer need to have a separate browser window or tab open - you can just use this handy widget.

Filed under widget apple macintosh os

The first trailer for the new The Incredible Hulk movie was released recently, and it looks okay. It stars Edward Norton, Eli Roth, and Liv Tyler, and it is being directed by Louis Leterrier, the guy who brought us The Transporter. Wait, let me get this straight - Marvel wasn't happy with the lack of success of Ang Lee's Hulk (which I thought was a great movie), so they decided to release a new version in hopes it will be "better" than the first one? They are letting Louis Leterrier direct it? Are the execs at Marvel retarded!? Do they honestly think the director of The Transporter is going to deliver a better movie than Ang Lee? I can understand wanting to fuel the film with more, faster paced action, but The Transporter wasn't even a good action movie!

Okay... deep breaths... I could go on and on about why I think this is a bad idea, but I'm hoping deep inside my heart it will actually turn out to be good. Then again, I had the same hopes for Ghost Rider, and look where that got me (Linda thought is was a big, steamy turd as well).

- Joshua

Filed under incredible hulk comic book movie trailer

Just as midterms ended and Spring Break started, the stomach flu hit me full-on and laid me flat for the past few days. What a great way to start a vacation! I think I'm back to about 80% today, but I still wish I was at home under a blanket watching cartoons. I'd be lying, though, if I said I didn't feel like doing that every day. I certainly have a lot of catching up to do before school starts back up next week, and hopefully we'll have more than just a couple of posts to the blog this week. Time will tell if the work gods will smile upon us these next few days and we'll be able to make it all happen.

- Joshua

Filed under stomach flu sick

Okay, I know there was supposed to be a short drought of posts over the next few days, but I really had to say something about this. There is a video floating around on the internet, accessible from highly trafficked websites, of an American soldier throwing a puppy off a cliff "for fun" (no, I will not link to the video because I don't think it needs any more hits than I'm sure it is already getting). There is absolutely no excuse for this type of behavior, and I personally feel his sorry ass should be thrown from the same cliff. Wait, he's a soldier, which means he's probably serving in Iraq right now. If that's the case, I hope he gets his head blown off. Oh, is that too un-American of me? My patriotism extends to people who deserve it, and this worthless bastard certainly does not.

- Joshua

Filed under soldier puppy

It's that time again. Midterms are this week and we're very, very busy with studying and catching up on homework. Once it's over, though, it'll be Spring Break week - HOORAY! So, if there are long breaks between posts over the next few days, you now know the reason why. At least there'll be plenty of time for catching up once it's all over.

Filed under school spring semester midterm test