You guys might remember a few years back when someone demonstrated that many tubular locks, like those use on many Kryptonite bike locks, could be opened with a common Bic pen. That someone was Marc Weber Tobias, and he’s back now to warn you again that your laptop lock might not be as secure as you think. Case in point: this HP lock, which his associate opens on camera in just a few seconds by whacking it with a screwdriver.
Sure, there are better locks out there, but you might just take a second to test the security of your own or checking around on the net for evidence of poor quality. Even expensive locks sometimes have simple and devastating flaws, so if you’re carrying critical information on your laptop and trust the lock on it to keep it safe, make sure you’re not setting yourself up for tragedy.
Tobias describes the flaw in HP’s lock in detail here.
Reuters is reporting a bit of board room activity in Japan this morning, which could, by the end of today, result in Ricoh purchasing the Pentax brand and camera business from current owner and proprietor Hoya Corporation. The global news agency points out that Hoya’s initial acquisition of Pentax, back in 2007, was primarily motivated by its eagerness to acquire Pentax’s medical technology, and although the company’s had a slew of strong products since then, it probably makes sense for Hoya to pass the digicam work on to someone who might feel more invested in it. For its part, Ricoh also has a well respected line of digital compacts, but lacks the DSLR lineage and experience that Pentax brings. Provided this deal goes through as rumored, and Reuters has three sources who say it’s imminent, the only question we’ve got to ponder is whether the Pentax naming will take over for Ricoh’s slightly less recognizable branding or vice versa.
Update: That was quick! Hoya has confirmed the sale. Thanks, Ben! It is as reported earlier: Hoya will hang on to the rights to manufacture and develop products for the medical field, while Ricoh is gobbling up the Pentax Imaging Systems products with a view to expanding its presence in the consumer digital camera market.
Ricoh set to acquire Pentax camera brand and business, get serious about digital imaging originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We caught a brief glimpse of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 about a month ago, but it’s just now hitting the FCC for all its tests, readings, and diagnostics. The new Tab is much the same as the old Tab (i.e. the 10.1) but packed into a smaller package. I’m excited for better pixel density, though Samsung is also working on a monster increase in resolution.
The 8.9 has a 3G radio communicating on AT&T’s frequencies, and since there don’t appear to be GSM or wi-fi variants being tested by the FCC at this time, it seems safe to say that’s the version we’ll see first.
[via DroidMatters and Engadget]
A 555 timer chip may be pretty versatile as far as integrated circuits go, but when it comes to helping you take a load off, well, it’s a little… small. The opposite is true of this version built by the folks at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, however, which makes up for what it lacks in transistors and silicon with some first class foot-resting abilities. Best of all, the lab has provided a complete guide for building your own — that includes the use of a CNC machine and laser etching, although it could also be built the old fashioned way pretty easily (or scaled up to coffee table size, for that matter) if you’re so inclined. Hit the source link below for all the details.
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories’ builds a 555 chip you can rest your feet on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft remains unimpressed with handheld consoles Although both Nintendo and Sony continue to invest in the handheld gaming market alongside their Wii and PlayStation consoles, Microsoft appears reluctant, if not completely uninterested in joining the game. read more Read more on TG Daily
Foodspotting Now On WP 7, Kills iPhone and Android Versions. Recently I mentioned how Windows Phone 7 trails behind iPhone and Android app development. Today, Foodspotting announced a version for Windows Phone 7. Completely shattering the eyes of iPhone and Android versions. So it claims. Foodspotting, the food photo sharing … Continue reading → Foodspotting Now On WP 7, Kills iPhone and Android Versions. is a post from: SiliconANGLE We’re now available … Read more on SiliconANGLE
Nokia’s Elop: We Won’t Return to MeeGo, Even If N9 Is a Hit Is this news? Read more on The Motley Fool
Related Posts:Question by obama boy: do you trust those ads that say tigs like ” click here to win a free IPHONE!!” and stuff like that? just wondering……………….
Best answer:
Answer by MeVsMaradonaVsElvisNot at all.
What do you think? Answer below!
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Note: Uncensored pictures after the jump cannot be unseen.
I wasn’t going to post this because 1. I eat a lot of sushi and 2. it’s f***ing disgusting and is gonna give me nightmares FO SHO, but I’m getting the tip so much I figured I might as well. Standards: mine are incredibly low. So yeah, a shark with a single eye in the middle of its head. What’s your take, Indy? “It belongs in a freakshow museum!”
According to the Pisces Fleet Sportsfishing blog, this one-eyed bull shark fetus was removed from a mother caught in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Apparently shark researcher Felipe Galvan Magaña is now examining this monocular specimen.
I’m not sure what shark researcher Felipe Galvan Magana is going to find out, but my guess is that the X-Men’s Cyclops has a mermaid fetish and recently chartered a boat.
Hit the jump for two uncensored shots that shouldn’t be viewed before, during or after eating.
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Does Gmail’s current look seem chaotic and claustrophobic to you? Are you overwhelmed by the myriad mailing options, labels, and chat windows? We aren’t either, but apparently Google sees things differently, and has an interface overhaul planned that’ll simplify things in your webmail world. It looks like the spacious and simple design language from Google + will carry over to all the web services proffered by the gang in Mountain View. For now, it’s available as a couple of simplistic skins to be tried on in the Themes tab of your Gmail settings, with more permanent changes rolling out in the coming months. Google Calendar is slated for a stripped-down wardrobe in the next few days as well, with El Goog promising more cosmetic and functional changes for both services later this summer. In the meantime, the company’s looking for feedback on its new interface so it can fix any issues folks find. We want your opinions, too, so tell us what you think of Google’s new threads in the comments below.
Google says less is more: Gmail and Google Calendar to sport a more spartan look originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Although the world is currently enamored of flash memory, today’s standard for solid-state storage, companies like IBM need to think a few years ahead. One of the technologies they’re looking at is called phase-change memory, in which a memory cell changes from a crystalline to amorphous phase, changing its resistance. Put a bunch of those together, and you’ve got yourself a binary storage system.
The trouble was that they couldn’t store more than one bit per cell, which means the tech couldn’t really scale. They’ve just figured that out, though: they assigned four discrete resistance levels (i.e. phase states) to represent “00,” “01,” “10,” and “11.” A clever and elegant solution that circumvents the problem completely. They also came up with a way of controlling for the fact that the resistance level tends to drift over time.
Interested? There’s much more to read over at IBM Zurich’s Research blog. You’re not going to be seeing this type of memory for a while, though; IBM puts “wide adoption” in 2016. We’ll update you then.
