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O*W*C Site Mirrors BoingBoing
In February 2006, BoingBoing was added to the list of sites blocked by SmartFilter, making it inaccessible to people in various countries and organizations. Mark Christian began Distributed BoingBoing, a project to make Boing Boing accessible to those who are trapped behind firewalls running SmartFilter and other overzealous censorware.The O*W*C, no friend of censorship, is…
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US Military to Test Internet Router in Space
The Department of Defense is working on an Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) initiative, which plans to deliver military communications through a satellite-based router. This will eventually benefit civilian communications as well, allowing packets to be routed via satellite the same way that TV and phone signals are routed now.Link
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User Interfaces in SF Movies
The paper “Human Computer Interaction in Science Fiction Movies,” produced for the Instrumented Spaces computer seminar at Saarland University explores the way that people interface with computers in SF TV and movies, from Forbidden Planet to Johnny Mnemonic. Screen shots accompany a thoughtful analysis of the various categories of user interface.How come I never got…
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You Snooze, You Lose…Really
ThinkGeek, who’s already near the top of my list of companies I’d like to work for someday, has found a novel use for WiFi. Working on the theory that hatred is the best motivator, the SnūzNLūz alarm clock connects via WiFi to your online bank account and donates money to an organization you hate when…
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Tote That Barge…Offplanet
Researchers at MIT are designing software to handle “interplanetary logistics:” Figuring how how to move materials and supplies from Earth to off-world destinations such as the ISS, a lunar base, and so forth. Transportation delays could be significant–as much as six to nine months in the case of Mars–and shipping capacity will be very limited.…
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Beware the Hotspot Hackers
Here’s an interesting new scam: Hackers are setting up “evil twin” wireless hotspots in public places, hoping to dupe users into connecting through them. The trick is simple: A hacker just creates a hotspot with the same name (or a very similar one) as a legitimate hotspot nearby, hoping to dupe web surfers into connecting…
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Twitter: Offering New Ways to be a Smartass
By now Twitter has filtered through teh intartubes sufficiently that most of us have at least heard of it. For those of you who are thinking, “Hey! She spelled ‘the’ wrong up there!” a quick recap may be in order: Candy bar : fun-size candy bar :: Blogging : TwitterChris Livingstone of Not My Desk…
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Venus Rises – Original Vidcast
An actor with this “internet serial” contacted the O*W*C and pointed us toward the site. It’s definitely one of the more polished amateur (in the non-pejorative sense of the word) endeavors I’ve seen. Check it out.Link
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I am not making this up …
Norman Spinrad — on YouTube. http://youtube.com/normanspinrad
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Banryu – Robot Guard Dragon
The Banryu (which literally means “guard dragon”) from tmsuk and Sanyo Electric wanders through your home, keeping an eye on things. It can detect motion or the smell of burning objects, and send pictures to your cell phone to show you the problem. It can negotiate cluttered environments and climb over gaps of up to…