As we all know, security is a big thing here in Null Byte. We've talked quite a bit about ways to encrypt traffic and become anonymous on the internet, some of which entail using proxies, VPNs, and SSH tunnels. We've also talked about preference using SSL pages in practice for safe logins. These are all great protocols and tools, but aren't without their flaws and inconveniences.
"Google+ is dead." How many times have you read that in the past few weeks? It seems like I can't get away from this notion that Google+, as a social network, is a total failure. Don't feel too sorry for them, though. +Bradley Horowitz isn't worried. In an interview with VentureBeat, he explains, “Six months from now, it will become increasingly apparent what we’re doing with Google+. It will be revealed less in what we say and more in the product launches we reveal week by week.” Indeed, som...
Earlier last month, I wrote on how to subscribe to Google+ users using PlusFeed. I used it, and then I realized that I wasn't getting my own feed anymore. I discovered that the free service had been disabled due to cost issues, as detailed by the creator +Russell Beattie. The code is open source, and you can roll your own service, if you have the know-how and the time. If you don't, but still want to create RSS feeds for your own public posts, or just to track your favorite Google+ users, the...
On October 7th, the IndieCade Conference will open its doors to some of the most innovative minds in the independent gaming industry. The three day event located in Culver City, California includes presentations by notable indie designers, workshops, galleries, and mixers. On the following day, however, the IndieCade Festival begins. Unlike the conference, the festival includes events targeted at gamers and the general public. While a $15 wristband will grant you access to keynotes, events, a...
Most kids who play video games will never become professional gamers. Those that do are part of a very select group— it's like being a professional actor or athlete. It's nice work if you can get it. For everyone else, the sad realization usually arrives sooner or later that time spent playing games might not have the practical rewards that homework or working hard at your job might deliver.
It may not seem like it, but it's been less than 90 days since Google+ was introduced to the world. Since then, we've seen many great features that have made Google+ one of the most attractive social networks around. Today, we've received even better news: major improvements and feature updates that are truly innovative.
+Eric Cattell, the Social Graph Technical Lead of Google+, announced a lot of improvements and added features this morning, most of them having to do with circle management and blocking people.
It's only been a few weeks, and already there are a lot of misconceptions and myths floating around Google+. Let's take a deep breath, and tackle some of the more prominent ones.
Much of the press around the launch of Google+ has pitted it squarely against Facebook. This was highlighted painfully for Facebook with their (misguidedly dubbed) "awesome" announcements yesterday. Their launch of a new design, video calling, and group chat might have been exciting, had not Google announced its Hangout feature for Google+ a week earlier (and by the way, introduced their own 1-on-1 video calling inside of Gmail way back in 2008). Hangouts took video calling a step further and...
+Randall Munroe, the man behind the web's most popular web comic, XKCD, has always had a knack for getting to the heart of the larger social issues on the web. During the 1st 48 hours after Google+ started letting non-Googlers in, one of the most shared posts within its private walls was his latest comic about Google+:
Google+ is the most exciting new social network to come around this decade, and the only product with a chance of challenging the monopolies we know as Facebook and Twitter. As an Internet addict, I've joined every major social network there is - from Friendster (who?) to MySpace (so ugly) to LinkedIn (yawn) to Twitter (irritating) and Facebook (annoying to manage). Competition is delicious, especially between well-financed monopolies. Google+ really seems to have identified an Achille's heel...
Six months ago, 1.3 million registered users of Gawker Media had their passwords compromised when the site was hacked by Gnosis. The passwords were encrypted, but 188,279 of them were decoded and made publicly available for all to see. Just three weeks ago, Sony Pictures was hacked by LulzSec, with 1 million passwords taken and 40,000 made publicly available. Comparing the two data sets, Troy Hunt found 88 accounts on both sites that used the same email address, and of those accounts, 67% use...
Yesterday, I got an email from my mom. She asked if there was a way to send her colleagues a bunch of links to online documents, rather than weighing down an email with attachments. I knew that Google Docs had what she was looking for. As I started to write her an explanation, I thought, "Hm, I wonder if Google has one of their handy little YouTube videos on this topic."
Giveaway Tuesdays has officially ended! But don't sweat it, WonderHowTo has another World that's taken its place. Every Tuesday, Phone Snap! invites you to show off your cell phone photography skills.
Via Newsweek Tumblr. Looks like this video and billboard hijacking is the work of DesireObtainCherish, an LA-based street team. The work isn't exactly great art, but it's an amusing form of culture jamming, in which anti-consumerist activists subvert public advertisements.
Ah, a perfect combination of two things that I love: well-designed flowcharts and proper image crediting! The internet may seem like a free-for-all, but posting uncredited images can land you in a legal scuffle (not to mention that it's bad manners). Most of my article images are either public domain (found through Wikimedia Commons) or stuff that I've made myself. Otherwise, I add credit, just like I'm about to do right now.
F.A.T. Lab (Free Art and Technology) is a network of artists, engineers, scientists, lawyers, and musicians dedicated to the research and development of new technologies and creative media. They are "committed to supporting open values and the public domain through the use of emerging open licenses, support for open entrepreneurship and the admonishment of secrecy, copyright monopolies and patents."
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a gallery space or expensive art education to share your art with the rest of the world. Take a cue from today's innovative artists who share their creative experiments directly out on the streets and in public spaces for the everyday pedestrian in unique and quirky ways. And no, you don't have to be a skilled graffiti tagger, either. Just some yarn, random knick-knacks, photos, and Post-it notes as well as other basic office supplies.
Two new and radically different ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) have burst into the news in the last week, and illustrate the very best of an innovative phenomenon: the commercial tie-in ARG, and the public service ARG.
Understandably, the tragedy in Japan has substantially risen the level of worldwide radiation-related hysteria. So much so, as an alternative to stampeding health food stores for iodine tablets, crafty individuals and organizations are hacking together personal radiation detectors. Rather than relying on the government, the creation and modification of handheld Geiger counters provides a self-sufficient solution to today's questions regarding radiation. Profiled below, three admirable organiz...
In the wake of the recent tragedy in Japan, Southern Californians have been hyper alert to any news regarding dangerous levels of nuclear radiation drifting over from Fukushima. At this time, official statements from the California Department of Public Health and the EPA are assuaging the population that there is nothing to fear. While there has been some detection of radiation in the air, the current levels recorded are "thousands of times below any conservative level of concern". But despit...
Err, I'd say "inspired" is putting it lightly. A recent Google Profiles redesign reveals a new profile page that looks nearly identical to the current Facebook profile page.
Immigration is a serious political issue in the United States, and those who oppose or support stricter immigration laws are often outspoken and candid about their beliefs, imposing their will on future legislation to not only politicians, but the general public—the voters. And what's the best way to reach the public? Entertainment.
The German police have their panties in a bunch over a highly inflammatory sculpture of a urinating policewoman by artist Marcel Walldorf. Entitled "Petra", the hyperrealistic figure depicts a female officer crouched, peeing with buttocks exposed. The most chilling detail is her riot baton casually propped on the wall next to her.
The Lying Down Game doesn't require the skill parkour does. In fact, it doesn't require any skill at all, which means anyone and their grandma can do it. Founded in the UK, The Lying Down Game is described as "Parkour...for those who cant be arsed". The rules are simple:
“Western Imports”, by artist Cayetano Ferrer, uses inkjet prints to create site-specific optical illusions in public spaces.
There would be 9 teams of 2. Everyone on Jackass will have a golf cart and they will be the driver of there team. Then they would pick one of the producers or other celebrities to be the passenger. The passenger will do things to mess up there opponents. They can shoot paintball guns or throw baseballs to mess up the other drivers. The Golf Cart Derby will be the exact same thing as a Car Derby but you guys will be using golf carts and having a passenger messing up other drivers ahahaa. It wo...
From LAist: Meg Whitman has set a new record, having now spent more of her own money on her gubernatorial campaign than any politician has spent in US history, according to abc7.
Shinya Kimura is an artist. And his art is the motorcycle. Though a legend in Japan for some time now, the motorcycle engineer first came into the American public eye as a contestant on Biker Build-Off, a Discovery Channel channel show featuring custom bike builders. Kimura has been accredited with originating the popular, vintage style trend of customized bike building (think Pimp My Ride meets retro Harley Davidson).
Do you ever go to a baseball game, football game or even the movies and always get up to take a poo or a piss. Well now you don't. How about Knoxville dressing up in old man and wearing a diaper to a game and letting it all out. Meaning taking a s**t and seeing how long people get grossed out by the smell. BETTER YET go into a movie theater were there is no ventilation and see how bad it gets. Or the same time walk into a room smelling like you are or in line and see the reaction by the peopl...
You get somebody to dress up ( could be a devil ) and go round the city playing pranks on people with poo. For example you could hang outside a public toilet and when somebody comes out follow them with a sign that says something like " Just sh*t). Or you could wait for a car to come out of a car wash and then throw a bucket of a liquidy poo like substance all over the windscreen. Or you could put loads of poo across a sidewalk so people cant past, or get Dave England to poo in different plac...
From the Huffington Post: Billionaire Republican Meg Whitman reported Monday that she has spent more than $99 million in her quest to become California's governor, while Democrat Jerry Brown is saving money for what could become the most expensive gubernatorial contest in American history.
I've raved about my awesome experience volunteering for KCRW at our sister world Luv and Music and the time has come around again. Here's your chance to help support one of the best public radio stations ever, right here in Santa Monica. I'll be there Tuesday 8/10 (08:00am - Noon) and even convinced a few friends to join in. See you there volunteers!
If you have yet to see the work of famed graffiti artist/filmmaker Blu, you're in for a real treat. Blu creates films with painted still images (graffiti style), installed in various public spaces. He photographs the paintings, and then assembles them into a stop motion animation.
This little bad boy is lots of fun, but I'm not sure I'd hold it up to my ear in public... especially wearing creator Junior Tan's menacing facial expression.
Good news. Facebook has finally listened. After severe criticism for ignoring the world's privacy norms, Facebook will finally release simplistic, user-friendly privacy settings soon.
Jedijawa is a self-described "sci-fi geek" and public interest attorney who enjoys SCRABBLE, maybe more than he should. Over time, he wrote one too many posts on SCRABBLE, which prompted him to consolidate them into one webpage on his site.
As a protest to American consumerism, NYC artist Jeremy Dean converted a Hummer H2 into a horse-drawn carriage "to show just how screwed and unsustainable the auto industry has become." Dean believes the gas guzzling SUV is the epitome of everything that is wrong with American consumerism. Whatever your political opinion may be, Dean's conversion is pretty striking.
Is it just me or has Johnny Depp given up his great acting talents in favor of character schtick ? Even looking at his posters I can tell Im going to get some over the top performance that is more makeup and costume then real acting, but then again Mr. One Note Burton does many of his films. Just watch this trailer for Alice, its riddled with past imagery from all of Burton films. Ah, yes Edward Scissor Hands - the moment in time when we really felt Burton had fresh ideas...
**UPDATE: Toasty Kitten locates recipe! Via The Post Family,
