The Oculus Rift Put Me In Game of Thrones and It Made My Stomach Drop

Gizmodo just posted an article on Oculus Rift. This is the future of home entertainment. You no longer need your 3D TV. This puts you directly in the picture. Read more about the author's experience being placed into Game of Thrones. Imagine you're in the squeaky elevator on the Wall of Ice ascending to the top of the fortification.

Read On:
The Oculus Rift Put Me In Game of Thronesand It Made My Stomach Drop

Oculus Rift is available here.

How I Lost My $50,000 Twitter Username

Hacking is the ability to learn the limitations in various companies security systems and exploit them. The systems are not necessarily electronic but can be verbal communication as well. A simple phone call telling them you have lost your password and changed your email address may be all it takes. The following story by Gizmodo illustrates the deficiencies in their security. The companies involved are GoDaddy and Paypal.

Most of us have a PayPal account and think it's all secure. I suggest we all learn from this and look at securing our own online presence.

How I Lost My $50,000 Twitter Username

Regards
Nick

First Ever Windows Malware that can hack your Android Mobile

[Original Source]
Hey Android users! I am quite sure that you must be syncing your Smartphone with your PCs for transferring files and generating backup of your device.

If your system is running a windows operating system, then it’s a bad news for you. Researchers have discovered a new piece of windows malware that attempts to install mobile banking malware on Android devices while syncing.

Last year in the month of February, Kaspersky Lab revealed an Android malware that could infect your computer when connected to Smartphone or tablets.

Recently, Researchers at Symantec antivirus firm discovered another interesting windows malware called ‘Trojan.Droidpak’, that drops a malicious DLL in the computer system and then downloads a configuration file from the following remote server:

http://xia2.dy[REMOVED]s-web.com/iconfig.txt

The Windows Trojan then parses this configuration file and download a malicious APK (an Android application) from the following location on the infected computer.

%Windir%\CrainingApkConfig\AV-cdk.apk

To communicate with the mobile device a command line tool Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is required, that allows the malware to execute commands on Android devices connected to the infected computer. ADB is a legitimate tool and part of the official Android software development kit (SDK).

In the next step, the trojan downloads all the necessary tools including Android Debug Bridge and the moment you connect an android device having USB debugging Mode enabled, it initiates the installation process and repeats it until it ensure that the connected device has been infected and install an app that will appear as a fake Google App Store.




Such Windows Malware is first of its own kind, since attackers prefer to use the social engineering techniques to spread their fake malicious apps hosted on third-party app stores. The installed malware dubbed as "Android.Fakebank.B", able to intercept victim's SMS messages and then send them to the attacker's server located at:

http://www.slmoney.co.kr[REMOVED]

Anyway Relax, if you are not a Korean citizen, because the malicious APK actually looks for certain Korean online banking applications on the compromised device.

If you want to protect your Mobile and system from such Malware attack, Please consider a few points while connecting to a windows based computer:
Turn off USB debugging on your Android device, when you are not using it
Avoid connecting your droid with public computers
Only Install reputable security software
Keep your System, Softwares and Antivirus up-to-date.

Stay Safe!

Government launched 'China Operating System' (COS) to break Andoird and iOS Monopoly

[Original Source]

China has always tried to support its homegrown tech industry and even the security concerns over 

U.S. secret surveillance which gives Chinese Government another reasons to trust domestic vendors.Many other countries are also in favor to develop their own technology industries to reduce their dependence on U.S.

The Government of China is not too fond of foreign mobile operating systems and therefore are trying to break the monopoly of Microsoft, Apple and Google in the country.

This week at an event in Beijing, China has unveiled its own Linux-based mobile platform, dubbed China Operating System (COS), developed as a joint effort between a company 'Shanghai Liantong', ISCAS (Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences) and the Chinese Government.

According to COS website, it is designed for PCs, Smartphones, tablets, TVs, set-top boxes and other smart appliances. It runs Java applications, supports HTML5 and can run over 100,000 apps.

At the launch event, the head of the ISCAS criticized Apple’s iOS for being a closed ecosystem,Android for its fragmentation issues, and Windows Phone for its poor security.

According to the promo video, the China Operating System (COS) interface and functions are much like Android, specifically very similar to HTC’s Sense 5.

However, many Chinese users are criticizing this operating system on social media sites, “What does COS stand for? COPY OTHER SYSTEM?… But it really does look like a fusion of the Apple, Android, Symbian, and Blackberry operating system,”


Another user commented, "It’s not open source because they’re terrified that others will see that the source code is the same as Android, and accuse them of cheating the government out of money,"

Four years back, China once tried to create its own Linux-based, open mobile operating system called "OPhone or OMS (Open Mobile System)", but it was failed to gain popularity and discontinued after 2011.

Well, do you think, China is competing with the NSA over spying ability with a motto to leave room for backdoors or to defend themselves from NSA surveillance programs.

Potential backdoors discovered in US-based components used by French Satellites

Seems the 'good ol boys' have been caught out again...

[Original Source]

United Arab Emirates (UAE) may terminate a $930 Million USD contract with France based companies for the supply of two two military Imaging satellites due to the discovery of several US produced components in them.

Now the deal is in danger because the UAE claims it has discovered backdoors in the components which are manufactured in the United States, reported by the Defense News.

The contract, sealed in July 2013, includes a ground station, the Pleiades-type satellites (aka Falcon Eye) are due for delivery 2018.

The revelation was provided by high-level UAE sources, the companies involved in the business are the prime contractor Airbus Defense and Space, and payload maker Thales Alenia Space.

“If this issue is not resolved, the UAE is willing to scrap the whole deal,” he added. UAE authorities suspect the presence of vulnerabilities would “provide a back door to the highly secure data transmitted to the ground station”.

An unnamed UAE source has confirmed that the presence of backdoor has been reported to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, deputy supreme commander of the UAE's armed forces.

The contract signed with French companies includes two high-resolution observation satellites and the operational support from France with training for 20 engineers.

UAE representatives are evaluating alternative partners for the supply, Russian industry may be more likely supplier.

"The UAE has drawn on Russian technology, with the GLONASS space-based navigation system fitted as a redundancy feature on a Western European weapon system," a French defense expert said.

While some security experts believe that French industry had drawn on the US technology due complexity of the payload, other specialists found intriguing that France had drawn on US technology for the satellites under the Falcon Eye program.

"France operates the Pleiades spy satellite in what is viewed as a critical piece of the nation’s sovereignty. Given that core competence, it seemed strange that France would use US technology, although there is an agreement between Paris and Washington over transfer of capabilities, " said a Defense analysts.

The Defense News also speculated on the fact that the claims may be an attempt to condition another contract for Dassault Aviation Rafale fighters, both French companies were available for comment.

Run Windows XP or Windows 7 and never need Anti-Virus Software

As many of you know Windows XP is reaching it's 'retirement' on April 8th 2014. After this time there will be no more software or security updates released by Microsoft. They have however stretched out the support of Microsoft Anti-Malware support for 15 months after that date. This is to aid companies migrate to either Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Many of you have 3rd party software that may not run on Windows 8 or even Windows 7 and it is essential that you remain on Windows XP. So how do you keep running XP safely?

Here's a solution: Why not try RoboLinux or similar and run your favourite Windows as a virtual machine. You can create a 'VM Image' of your existing Windows installation using one of the many tools out there like 'Disk2vhd'. Then run your Windows inside Linux. No Virus-Scanners or spyware, malware issues to worry about. IF you break your Windows installation just run a fresh copy. Problem solved.

Watch this video (by RoboLinux) and if you want, fast-forward to the 'meat' in the sandwich at 8:30 to see how fast Windows loads under Linux. You will be impressed. But not only that. You can run multiple desktops so you can do more at the same time.

-or-
Install VirtualBox in Ubuntu 12.04 and install Windows XP from your CD.

Stop Press: If you are already using Ubuntu you can install Oracle's VirtualBox from the Ubuntu Software Centre. 'Disk2vhd' will create a snapshot of your existing Windows installation and VirtualBox will run it. That way you do not need the original Windows CD and reinstall everything. However if you have problems you can convert the VHD file to VDI (which VirtualBox prefers). The CloneVDI utility is available here and will do the conversion.

Note: Disk2vhd will image everything, your setup, drivers etc. If you run that image on a different PC you may need to install new drivers because all the hardware has changed. The other option is to install a new copy using the original Windows CD. The second video shows this operation.

Exporting from Outlook Express to Outlook 2013

Okay so you just bought shiny a new PC. The old one has all your email and contacts stored in Outlook Express 4, 5 or 6. And you want to move all that mail to your new machine which uses Outlook 2010-13?

You copy the '.dbx' files onto a flash drive and try to import them... no luck. Outlook 2013 will not read '.dbx' files. 

A quick search shows up this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2796528

And this is why I hate Microsoft... they no longer support their old software. Not even an import tool.

So what do you do?

There's an easy choice and a complicated one. 

The easy choice is to install Mozilla Thunderbird on the old machine and import all your Outlook Express mail and contacts. Then install Thunderbird on the new machine and copy the '.mbx' files over.

If you insist on using Outlook on the new machine then there's the complicated way.
(The below instructions are from another trusted source... but they will work...sorta.)

Stop press: I just discovered Windows Mail on Windows 8 machines will make you want to take your computer back to the store for a refund (or worse)... you may elect to use the Thunderbird option.

(Apologies to the 'IT Crowd')

Why buy a new PC or laptop when the old one seems too slow and troublesome?

Some of you may have an old PC running Windows XP or 7 and you have had it a few years. It seems slow and glitchy. You may have had some malware/spyware issues that you paid someone good money to fix and it has never been the same? Also, Windows XP will reach the end of it's support by Microsoft in April 2014. That means you will no longer get automatic security updates. You may use the PC for banking or on-line purchases... Will that still be secure? Nope!

What do you do:

1. Rush out and pay good money for a new PC with the latest and greatest from Microsoft?
2. Rush out and buy the latest and greatest from Microsoft?
3. Something else that you may not have thought of?

A new PC or Laptop could cost you around AU$900.00 bundled with Windows 8. Just buying Windows 8.1 is AU$149.00 or if you would prefer the Pro version Au$399.00
You may also think that the new PC's they are selling are much faster, more powerful and have better spec's than your old one.

Here's the something you may not have thought of:

Windows XP end of support in April: Three more questions answered

An interesting article from ZD-Net. The original article is here.

In case the date hasn't already been burned into your brain, April 8, 2014 is the day on which Microsoft will cease providing any kind of patches or fixes, including security fixes, to its nearly 12-year-old Windows XP operating system.

Company officials continue to insist that there won't be any last-minute reprieves this time, despite the fact that market share for XP still hovers around 29 percent. Microsoft has given its partners their marching orders: Get XP users to move off the OS.

Those who can't or won't move off XP for a variety of compatibility, cost and other reasons continue to send me questions. Here are answers to three of them.

Q: Will Microsoft continue to provide Microsoft Security Essentials support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014?(MSE is Microsoft's free antimalware/antivirus product.)

A: No. As of that date, Microsoft will no longer provide MSE for Windows XP. Microsoft officials hinted this would be the case last fall, but only recently confirmed it outright. Softpedia recently published a list of five free alternatives to MSE for XP, however. 

Update (January 15): Looks like Microsoft has reversed itself temporarily on this one. Microsoft officials said today that they will continue to provide updates to their  antimalware signatures and MSE engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015. More here.

"The extension, for enterprise users, applies to System Center Endpoint Protection, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection and Windows Intune running on Windows XP. For consumers, this applies to Microsoft Security Essentials," company officials said today.

Q: Will Microsoft remove Windows XP Mode support in Windows 7 as of April 8, 2014 via a patch or update? (XP Mode allows users with old XP apps to run them on Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.)

A: No, XP Mode will not go away, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed. However, Microsoft won't be providing any patches or updates to XP as of that date, so those using XP mode will be exposing themselves to potential security risks.

Q: Will Microsoft cease requiring XP users to activate Windows XP as of April 8, 2014, since support for the product is ending?

A: No. A spokesperson confirmed that activations will still be required for retail installations of Windows XP post April 8. "Windows XP can still be installed and activated after end of support on April 8," the spokesperson noted. "Computers running Windows XP will still work, they just won’t receive any new security updates. Support of Windows XP ends on April 8, 2014, regardless of when you install the OS."

Another update (January 15): For those asking in comments below, Microsoft will continue to make all patches and fixes made to Windows XP up until April 8, 2014, available to users via Windows Update. "There are no current plans to remove existing Windows XP security updates from Windows Update after end of support on April 8, 2014," a spokesperson confirmed.

Any other questions about XP's end of support? Chime in below in the comments, if so.

Contour Crafting: Automated Construction- Behrokh Khoshnevis at TEDxOjai

We have all heard of 3D printing. But if we scale it up it's possible to print large objects like houses.
Here are some very interesting video's on 3D printing in the Building Industry.





The original articles are available here:
http://weburbanist.com/2014/01/11/20-hour-house-how-to-3d-print-2500-square-feet-in-1-day/
http://weburbanist.com/2012/05/08/3d-printing-goes-giant-print-your-own-home/

Toyota Will Sell You a Hydrogen-Powered Car Next Year

The original Wired Article is available here.

All I can say it's about BLOODY TIME... 

After decades of big promises, false starts, and meager infrastructure, the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will go on sale in the United States next year. It’s coming from Toyota, which promises a range of 300 miles and a fill-up time of less than five minutes — once you’ve actually found a station that stocks the stuff.

The unnamed camo-clad engineering prototype that Toyota unveiled at CES looks remarkably similar to a Toyota Corolla. The automaker, which has spent the past year flogging the car in some of the hottest and coldest places on the continent, claims the emissions-free sedan will put out more than 100 kW (over 130 horsepower) and do zero to 60 in around 10 seconds.

“We aren’t trying to re-invent the wheel; just everything necessary to make them turn,” said Bob Carter, Toyota’s senior veep of U.S. auto operations. “For years, the use of hydrogen gas to power an electric vehicle has been seen by many smart people as a foolish quest. Yes, there are significant challenges. The first is building the vehicle at a reasonable price for many people. The second is doing what we can to help kick-start the construction of convenient hydrogen refueling infrastructure.”

Just how reasonable a price remains to be seen, because so far Toyota’s not saying what the car will cost, or even what it will be called. But the automaker says that, after a decade’s work, it has dramatically reduced the cost of building a fuel cell powertrain. Toyota estimates the cost of building a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has fallen 95 percent since it built its first prototype in 2002, and according to Toyota spokeswoman Jana Hartline, Toyota will give consumers “a variety of options” when its hydrogen vehicle goes on sale. Given that the true cost of Honda’s FCX Clarity — which could only be leased, not bought — was estimated at well over $1 million, that’s a welcome reduction.

The technology’s other Achilles’ heel has long been the fueling infrastructure, or rather the lack of it. For that reason, Toyota will limit sales to California. Toyota has joined UC Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program to map out where additional stations should be placed based on things like existing ownership of EVs and hybrids, population density and traffic patterns. Using that model, they say 68 stations in the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego would be required at initial launch.

California currently has nine public hydrogen fueling stations, mostly around Los Angeles and San Francisco. Another 19 are under development, and the California Energy Commission has allocated $29.9 million for the next round of infrastructure development. All told, California has approved $200 million in funding to build hydrogen stations throughout the state in 2015. Another 20 stations are expected in 2016, with a total of 100 statewide by 2024.

A slow roll-out, to be sure, and something that Toyota plans to address on its own, with Carter saying, “Stay tuned, because this infrastructure thing is going to happen.”