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08 May 2011 22:02

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Tech: What it’s like when Steve Jobs tears his employees apart

  • You’ve tarnished Apple’s reputation … You should hate each other for having let each other down … Mossberg, our friend, is no longer writing good things about us.
  • Apple CEO Steve Jobs • Yelling at the MobileMe team in 2008, in response to criticism of the service, which had a rocky launch and even got a negative review from Apple fanboi numero uno, Walt Mossberg. He named a new executive to shepherd the MobileMe product right then and there. The revelation that Steve Jobs is kind of an asshole isn’t really a new one, but this particular story is new. Although … this kind of says a lot about Jobs that he has to note that Walt Mossberg is downright chummy with Apple. Conflict of interest? source

07 May 2011 22:49

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Tech, World: Chinese iPad 2 scalpers, Apple Store employees in bloody brawl

  • A Beijing location had to close temporarily. In a series of photos that can only be described as harrowing, an array of smashed windows, bloody faces and confused crowds littered the SanLiTun Apple Store after an altercation broke out. The altercation, reportedly between scalpers and employees of the Apple Store, put a dark spin on the country’s iPad 2 launch. Scalpers, by the way, were there to buy the products to resell at much higher prices in regions of the country where the iPad isn’t yet available. (Editor’s note: Some images are graphic.) source

03 May 2011 00:46

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Tech: Sony gaming site hacked: Stop us if you’ve heard this one before

  • 24.5M number of Sony Online Entertainment users possibly affected by ANOTHER hack job
  • 20k number of credit card numbers that could’ve been exposed to evil hackers
  • off the status of the network, which means that Sony has TWO online gaming networks offline source
  • » Somebody has a security problem: While Sony Online Entertainment isn’t the juggernaut that the PlayStation Network is (and Sony says the financial data they possibly stole was old), it nonetheless makes the company look incredibly bad. This hack, by the way, happened roughly two weeks ago, around the same time as the PSN hack. Who wants to bet that they got hacked because of the way they handled the Geohot mess? Raise your hand. (via @The_CopyEditor)

02 May 2011 13:08

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Tech: Protip: Be careful when searching for anything Bin Laden-related

  • cause Whenever a story comes out of nowhere to be a major news story — say, Japan’s earthquake or Osama bin Laden’s death — it tends to draw a lot of search traffic overnight to new terms that come up based on the story.
  • effect Now that anything Bin Laden-related is SEO platinum, malware creators are using the opportunity to load your computer with a virus — using such mechanisms as Google Image Search. Be careful out there, guys. source

01 May 2011 16:11

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Tech: NGOs report bad conditions in iPad factory, anti-suicide pledges

  • Suicides were not connected to bad working conditions. There was a copy effect. If one commits suicide, then others will follow.
  • Foxconn manager Louis Woo • Explaining away last summer’s suicide problem at his factory in China, which is in the business of producing Apple products. The article cites the research efforts of two NGOs, which cast a less than flattering light on the factory — that workers are publicly humiliated if they perform poorly, that they’re treated “inhumanely, like machines,” that they’re paid a stiflingly low wage to force them to work exhaustively long hours, that they have to sign an anti-suicide pledge telling them to “treasure their lives” — it’s a grim and disconcerting read. Woo’s explanation for the problem of his workers killing themselves seems rather lame, as well. If one commits suicide, the others will follow? That’s not exactly a logical process you’d expect to see in a group of people who were otherwise living happy lives. source

29 Apr 2011 01:24

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Tech: Security experts: Hackers tried to sell credit card database to Sony

  • 2.2 million the number of stolen credit card numbers security researchers say the PlayStation Network hackers made off with — based on conversations in underground forums
  • $100,000 the amount they’re looking to make off their bounty — which they even attempted to SELL BACK to Sony, though they reportedly ignored this naked attempt at ransom source
  • » Sony denies the claim: “To my knowledge there is no truth to the report that Sony was offered an opportunity to purchase the list,” said top Sony communications guy Patrick Seybold. Consultants for Trend Micro and iSEC Partners, along with other researchers who keep a close eye on these forums, suggest otherwise. So, who’s right? Hopefully it’s Sony.

28 Apr 2011 13:55

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Tech: Alabama nuclear plant shut down after violent storms, tornados

  • Alabama Nuclear Plant safely shut down: In the midst of the destruction caused by tornadoes (which as we mentioned earlier, have a minimum confirmed death-toll of 214 people), here’s something, albeit remote, to make you maybe feel a smidge better about crisis preparedness; namely, the Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility in Huntsville, Alabama, was safely handled after a power failure. When the storms knocked out primary power, the plant’s batteries and diesel generators still worked, and the plant safely shut down. It may just be everything going according to plan, but in times like these, even that can be a comfort. source
 

27 Apr 2011 20:47

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Tech: Zephoria: A SEO company piggybacking off a researcher’s success?

  • It also looks like [Zephoria] is calling up other social media services to try to take over my account. I’m still investigating all of this but not at all surprised. Apparently, they’re a SEO company. And apparently my social media usage affects their SEO. Le sigh.
  • Danah Boyd • Getting at the key problem here with her whole Tumblr username takeover. While there’s reason for Tumblr to get a little bit of the stinkeye over this issue (although they’re working like crazy to make amends in this case, with Tumblr CEO David Karp himself doing customer service), Zephoria the company appears to be doing really sketchy things in an attempt to usurp Boyd’s longstanding online identity. Because, you know, Boyd has a Twitter account with many users, a YouTube account since 2006, a Flickr account since 2004, a Last.fm account since 2004 … you get the idea. So, instead of  going after Tumblr, we think the Zephoria company itself deserves scrutiny, based on their apparent piggyback on Boyd’s name. While they may have an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, if Boyd’s right, that should probably go down to a B-minus. source

27 Apr 2011 17:08

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Tech: FDA approves new anti-baldness robot, because why not?

  • Meet the new robot on the block: Big news for bald Americans — the Artas System has been approved by the FDA. It’s a contraption that you position over your scalp, which then uses a robotic arm to harvest your hair follicles. These are stored until they can be methodically re-implanted (using standard hair transplant means, we presume) into your scalp in areas where you’re a little thin. There is a catch, however — the device only works on people with black or brown hair. We think going with the shaved head look still sounds easier, and a hell of a lot cheaper, but hey! Medical science marches on. source

27 Apr 2011 14:46

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Tech: Sony in hotter water as stolen debits begin to surface

  • breach In a much publicized incident, hackers crippled the Playstation Network and made off with personal info for 77 million gamers; Sony admitted credit card numbers may have been stolen, but said they saw no certain evidence of it.
  • swipe The reports are beginning to flow in about fraudulent charges being racked up; two users have claimed fraudulent debits of a few hundred dollars (that they’re using debit card numbers to draw directly from accounts is significant). source