Tag Archive
Researchers say any USB peripheral could steal your data, even a coffee-cup warmer
So you’ve got a nice secure thumbdrive, but did you ever think to lock its port? Engineers at the Royal Military College of Canada say the plug and play functionality built into most computers automatically trusts whatever’s plugged into the USB slot. …
Related posts
Researcher promises petabyte Hyper-CDs as we struggle to maintain interest
Holographic storage sure has a lot of potential, but so far all those promises have resulted in nothing more than broken dreams. Now we have some new promises, promises that we’ll report with due skepticism. Romanian scientist Eugen Pavel is pledging that his company, Storex Technologies, can create a “Hyper” CD-sized disc (120mm diameter, 1.2mm thickness) capable of absorbing a whopping 1,000,000GB. Yes, a petabyte on a disc. This could (in theory) be achieved thanks to the company’s expertise in “glass-ceramics compositions as well as read/write mechanics and optics concept(s) applicable to high-density data storage.” You know, the ability to fit lots of stuff into small crevasses. Pavel also claims a 5,000 year disc lifetime, which is interesting, because back in 2000 he talked to PC World about another disc that could last 5,000 years — one that would store a whopping 10TB. There is, apparently, no expiration date on his optimism. Ours, however, is getting a wee bit stale.
Researcher promises petabyte Hyper-CDs as we struggle to maintain interest originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
The Register | 
Storex Technologies | Email this | Comments
Related posts
New bicycle helmet wafts stinky cheese smell from your head when you fall
As if falling off your bike weren’t embarrassing enough, now some German scientists have created a helmet that starts to stink when its cracked, thereby alerting you – and your loved ones – of potential danger.
It’s actually a great idea. When you fall, you put stress on the helmet. The resulting cracks could lead to [...]
Related posts
Scientist gets infected with computer virus
Want to make a name for yourself? Why not take up the discipline of science and come up with something different? This is what Dr. Mark Gasson from the University of Reading did, being the first man worldwide to be infected with a virus – of the computer sort, of course. This was made possible by inserting a contaminated computer chip into his hand. The device which allows him to go through security doors and activate his cellphone, is but a sophisticated version of ID chips used to tag pets. Trials has shown that this chip was able to pass on the computer virus to external control systems, and should other implanted chips be connected to the system, they will be corrupted as well. This brings up the issue of future medical devices that could be contaminated by other human implants, and the result could be deadly – imagine your pacemaker shutting down halfway without you knowing it. Does this mean those with implants will need to install Norton Antivirus Implant 2015 down the road? Hopefully Over-The-Air (OTA) updates will be available for the virus definitions…
Permalink: Scientist gets infected with computer virus from Ubergizmo | Hot: Macbook Pro Review, iPad Review
Related posts
British scientist becomes first human ‘infected’ with a computer virus
Sure, a cybernetic-filled, dystopian future may sound nice and cheery, but what happens when all your snazzy implants get infected with a computer virus? That’s what one brave researcher at the University of Reading is attempting to find out, and he’s now actually gone so far as to willingly “infect” himself in the name of science. As you might expect, however, this is all this very much a proof of concept, but Dr. Mark Gasson says that the infected RFID chip in his hand was indeed able to pass on the virus to an external control device in his trials, and he warns that the eventual real world implications could be far more dire. Gasson is particularly concerned when it comes to medical implants, which he says could potentially become infected by other implants in the body, and even pass on the “infection” to other people. Head on past the break for the BBC’s report, and try not to be too startled by the Dalek in the room.
[Thanks, Mark S]
Continue reading British scientist becomes first human ‘infected’ with a computer virus
British scientist becomes first human ‘infected’ with a computer virus originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | BBC News | Email this | Comments
Related posts
Video: Bill Nye The Science Guy (!) explains why 3D movies can make you sick
There was a bit of controversy a few weeks ago when Samsung published a note warning people about the dangers of 3D movies. Pregnant women, the elderly, and a whole host of other people were told, in no uncertain terms, to limit their exposure to 3D movies, lest they become sick. What was never explained was why these people, or anyone else for that matter, could become sick when watching 3D movies. Thank God for Bill Nye (and his patrons at VSP, the eye care group). The famous scientist/greatest American ever, in this video, explains why certain people become unwell while watching 3D movies.
Related posts
Daily Crunch: Beer & Cake Edition
Full-frame Canoncake is 5Delicious
Indispensible to nature photography: the hide
Scientist: Don’t bother going green because there’s nothing we can do to save the planet
The KegStool: a bar stool made from a keg!
First iPad reviews hit the net
Related posts
Scientist: Don’t bother going green because there’s nothing we can do to save the planet
Well, I hate to be the one to break this news to y’all, but here we are. You know the “green” movement, where companies try to say things like, “Oh, our products are more safe for the environment than our competitors’ products”? I don’t want to say it’s complete nonsense, but the scientist who devised the Gaia theory—our planet is an organism, and we should do our best to ensure its survival—has just said that there’s no chance in hell that we’re going to save the planet. His advice? “Enjoy life while you can.” So, so amazing.
Related posts
Magnetic quantum dots
Scientist #1: “You got your manganese in my germanium!”
Scientist #2: “You got your germanium in my manganese!”
Both: “Wow! Magnetic quantum dots!”
Related posts
Blip gets reverse-engineered. Proves that the computer was cheating.
Hand-held electronics are marvels of miniaturization. The ones that existed before I was born, even more so. Anyone who played Blip might be interested to know two things. First, despite being titled “The Digital Game”, it was in fact 100% mechanically driven. Second, the game was, as you may have claimed many times, actually impossible [...]
Related posts
Panasonic’s Toughbook H1: a tablet for you and your favorite hazardous environment
Pretend you’re Gordon Freeman. Who am I kidding, you’ve been doing that for years — so this should be easy. The lab is self-destructing around you, a resonance cascade has just torn open a hole in the universe, and there are soldiers everywhere with orders to kill you on sight. You need a tablet, but what with the rocket launcher and seven other weapons, your HEV suit can only fit one. Before you are an iPad and a Toughbook H1 Field.
What do you do?
Related posts
British surgeons using radiation beams to halt macular degeneration
We’ve seen more eyesight restoration efforts than we could easily count, but rather than tooting their horn about some theoretical discovery, boffins at Kings College Hospital in London are actually putting their hard work to use on real, live human brings. The new process, which goes by the name brachytherapy, is a one-off treatment for macular degeneration. In essence, surgeons carefully light up a beam of radiation within the eye for just over three minutes, which kills harmful cells without damaging anything else. A trial is currently underway in order to restore eyesight in some 363 patients, and everything thus far leads us to believe that the process is both safe and effective. As for costs? The procedure currently runs £6,000 ($9,889), but that’s still not awful when you consider that existing treatments involving injections run £800 per month. Hop past the break for a video report.
Continue reading British surgeons using radiation beams to halt macular degeneration
British surgeons using radiation beams to halt macular degeneration originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Sky News | Email this | Comments
Related posts
![Walkman Outsold iPod in Japan During August [Apple]](http://nexgadget.com/images/Walkman-Outsold-iPod-in-Japan-During-August-Apple_i-odu_0.jpg)
Walkman Outsold iPod in Japan During August [Apple]It's party time for Sony, as the planets of consumerism aligned to earn it a unprecedented win over Apple's iPod music-playing range. It's the first time Walkman has outsold Apple's music players inside the region since iPod arrived in 2001. Sony had to make a number of sacrifices with the intention to win back musical market share, though, aggressively under-cutting the cost of its rival.![A Dual-Booting Tablet Running Android 1.6 Sounds Barmy, Viewsonic [Tablets]](http://nexgadget.com/images/A-DualBooting-Tablet-Running-Android-Sounds-Barmy-Viewsonic-Tablets_tuTo-_0.jpg)
A Dual-Booting Tablet Running Android 1.6 Sounds Barmy, Viewsonic [Tablets]After warning us last week of their impending dual-booting tablet, ViewSonic has now spilled the beans on the ViewPad 100 's specs. I don't think anyone shall be impressed by the Android 1.6 flavor, even supposing Windows 7 's also there too. I can't consider many the explanation why someone would need a dual-booting tablet, but obviously dual-booting laptops (running something like