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This post is on cracking Wi-Fi WPA passwords with "Reaver." Many people know that cracking a WEP password is fairly easy, so they use the more bulletproof WPA security protocol. Reaver is a program that exploits a security hole in wireless routers and can crack most routers' passwords with relative ease. First off, you will need the BackTrack 5 Live DVD. Download the Live DVD from BackTrack's download page and burn it to a DVD. Next, you need a computer with Wi-Fi and a DVD drive. Lastly, you need a nearby WPA-secured Wi-Fi Network. Using four steps you can hack into a WPA Wi-Fi Network. Step 1: Boot into BackTrack, Step 2: Install Reaver, Step 3: Gather the Router's information, and Step 4: Crack the WPA password to the Wi-Fi Network. Now I will explain how you can protect against Reaver attacks. Since the vulnerability lies in the implementation of WPS, your network should be safe if you can simply turn off WPS (or, even better, if your router doesn't support it in the first place), however Reaver may still be able to crack your password, even with WPS manually turned off. You could also set up MAC address filtering on your router (which only allows specifically whitelisted devices to connect to your network), but a sufficiently savvy hacker could detect the MAC address of a whitelisted device and use MAC address spoofing to imitate that computer. The good news is that there is a way to surely protect against Reaver. You can get the open-source router firmware DD-WRT installed on your router. Reaver has been tested on routers with this firmware and it was not able to crack the password. As it turns out, DD-WRT does not support WPS, so there's yet another reason to love the free router-booster.

This article talks about how they are thinking of making ATM machines that can read your palm. It can access your account just by scanning your hand. Then you can easily take out money without scrambling for your credit card. Now you don't need to worry about losing your credit card or even forgetting your pin number. I believe this is a good idea because it can make it easier for everyone to just scan their hands and get the proper amount of money out. I personally like this method better than using credit cards. This relates to the course because it takes a lot of programming to get these ATM machines to work, and also the actual ATM machine is a hardware.

Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank in Japan has revealed that it will introduce the nation's first ATM that lets you withdraw money just by scanning your palm. You wouldn't even need your credit card to verify that you can withdraw money from your account. I think this is a great idea. In Canada, we already have the device where it scans your chip, but it doesn't always work. For example, my dad had to send back his credit card 3 times before he finally got the chip to work. This is also very safe because every person has a different hand shape and "design" on their palms, no one would be able to imitate it. I hope that they come out with this machine in Canada soon, i'm sure it would be less stressful for many people.

This article talks about how in Japan they will soon have ATMs that let you withdraw money just by scanning your palm. This will come in handy when you have lost your card. Customers would first have to show identification for verification then they would scan your palm and can easily withdraw money from the bank. This new type of technology can be convenient because there would be less people stealing credit cards from other, and can withdraw anytime even when you forget your card.

this article is about a company called The Defense Advanced Research Priojects Agency who is asking anyone who can help them help make their already impressive robots even better. They've made robots that can walk, crouch, climb up stairs, and even robots that can do push ups. i found this very interesting and it relates to this class because we need to learn more about how we can use our computers to make advanced technology and make our lives just a bit easier.  

Through the innovation of technology, with faster CPUs, GPUs and RAM comes one problem. Heat. A lot of it. Due to this, water cooling came into play allowing heat to be pulled away from components faster and more efficiently than ever. This allowed enthusiasts to get the most out of their hardware through overclocking. Kingston decided to take it even one step further with their HyperX H2O RAM. This 2133Mhz DDR3 stick of RAM runs much cooler than it's air cooled competitors and is one of the first of its kind, allowing overclocks to get a greater performance boost that ever. And, it just looks plain awesome. Personally, no matter how much of a PC enthusiast I am i would not install this in my Personal Computer as this technology is not perfected yet. For a little more cost, not including a water cooling loop, you can get a stick of RAM with not only more memory, but with a greater base clock than even this hyperX H2O at it's finest can't overcome, without the hassle of leaks, and the extra cost of installation due to piping and radiators.

Smartwatches are like the gateway to the future. With Samsung's first version of "Gear", customers were able to wear an Android powered watch which is able to hook up to your phone and provide you various services like to take quick pictures, text or call a contact using the voice control software and even access your media through the features installed in it. This time however in the new release of "Gear 2", instead of using Android, Samsung has decided to power the smartwatch on Tizen servers, making a clear message of wanting to be more independent of Android and ultimately Google. As Samsung has previously always been linked with Android, switching to Tizen is like a big change. Even though customers with untrained eyes may never see the difference between Gear (Android) and Gear 2 (Tizen) - myself included, having Tizen as an alternative to Android might be good for the company because now they are more in control of their future actions. Whether or not the software is different, the Gear 2 seems like a very useful piece of technology for someone who is in a rush and needs to take or leave quick messages. It is also efficient and not easy to lose because you are wearing it. With just a flick of the wrist, Samsung's smartwatch allows one to do many activities in a small amount of time.

Many people, especially children my age are addicted to simple games that are frustratingly amusing which makes them even more determined to play it over and over and over again. For example, Flappy Bird. I see so many people investing x amount of precious time into it, just to get a pixelated bird through the most tubes as possible. This usually results in a) anger and humiliation for not getting pass at least 1 tube b) zero attention payed during important class lectures c) less study time and failing courses. However to at least stop more people from failure, neurologists are trying to develop another addictive game for people to play which secretly builds up your brain via subliminal messaging. By knowing the foundation of the addictive power of a game and manipulating it, researchers aim to keep people interested while subconsciously giving them a stronger and healthier brain. This is something that can be really amazing because the mass majority who wastes time on silly games like Flappy Bird might actually be receivers of benefit - gaining knowledge and useful skills without even realizing it.

For the longest time we have all felt very safe while on the internet. Even with feeling this security, we should be more cautious with what we put out on the internet because there has been a bug lurking around in the most important security measures for years. Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) has been keeping your browing page secure and safe for numerous years and is a huge part of the internet and thankfully it is still working as it should. The problem that we have been experiencing is a software library called OpenSSL has a hole in it that has been there for years called "HeartBleed". OpenSSL allows people to get the protection from TLS/SSL easy and fast and has worked fine just like TLS/SSL but because there has been a minor coding error, malicious people can abuse different versions of OpenSSL and grab information that should originally be secured by TLS/SSL. The main problem that everyone can understand is that all of your personal information is being opened up and placed into the hands of someone who should not have the information. The other problem that this "HeartBleed" has is that the attackers will also get to see how the site that is taking your data indentifies. Not only can they see recent transactions but they can look back at old transactions that have already happened. The worst part about all of this is that none of the attackers leave a trace.Since they leave no trace, it is hard to tell how many websites and people have already been effected by the "HeartBleed". While sites try to fix up the problems it is recommended to change all of your passwords and to keep a close eye on your credit card statement. This bug is a huge problem for our society because absolutely no one is safe because there is no way to know if you've been attacked. The article says that Google, Amazon, and Microsoft hasn't been infected yet so that is at least good. I think that everyone should always be careful with their personal information

Just when you thought that the authoritative figures of North America could not have been more messed up, the American government turns up and pulls something like this: Palcohol, take your Pal wherever you go! This is a powdered form of alcohol (in packets that you rip and mix the contents in water to receive hard liquor - or maybe even cocktails from pre-mixed powders) that the government has apparently legalized the production of, ignorantly raising the potential of underage drinking when they should be doing everything in their power to discourage it. This Palcohol concerns me greatly as it also makes the hiding and later consumption of alcohol to be a hell of a lot easier now, providing a gargantuan amount of opportunities for teen stupidity. Why, America, why must you do this to yourself? And you can't even blame another country for your problems of increased drinking and driving rates in youth, because this is solely your own fault.

social networking can be very dangerous or even deadly to some police officers and crime scene witnesses. Someone could easily bring up the officers Facebook profiles and find out so much about the person.They could get picture of the officer, the officers friends, and even their family photos. I think that social networking is part of the ways people kidnap these days. that why you always here no to put  your personal information onto the computer, a place were when you put something in, you can never take it back out.

Scientists have now further refined their ability to be able to read and render our memories. Test subjects were given a number of movies to watch (hopefully not rise of the planet of the apes, that was just a terrible movie, it has no respect to the first film in terms of story. In the first film it is said humanity wiped itself out in a nuclear war to destroy the monkeys but in this movie it was because of a disease, and they even put it after the credits so if you leave early which you will, you will not even finish the whole movie or grasp its crappy plot.)and were then placed in an MRI machine. The MRI machine read their brain activity for hours on end which was then compiled and rendered through super special 11 herbs and spices techniques to roughly display their thoughts visually. This technology needs to be further refined so that instead of hours of imaging, it can be seconds of imaging so that our governments may use it to find the terrorists, our enemies and decrease our liberties all at the same time.

Netflix has lost over 800,000 users after announcing a 60%price hike, and the numbers keep growing. Never fear, though, because there are alternatives to Netflix that are even better! Most of them don't even require you to sign up to get a free trial, and they truly are good. if you still want a Netflix-like service without the actual Netflix part, think about trying the six sites in the article. A sucker punch to Netflix, this is.

When people decide they have no use for old technology and do not think twice before throwing it out, they probably do not realize that their outdated piece of hardware finds its grave half way across the world. Possibly even in Guiyu, China where the largest electronic waste or "E-waste" dump site exists. People are oblivious to the fact that this is a recurring problem, not just a small matter of sorting and recycling through a few pieces of plastic, metal and wires. This black hole of scrapped computers, television sets, air conditioners and even refrigerators is toxic towards the environment, and is contaminating the growth of crops all around the area, such as rice, from the gases of the poisonous elements contained within the gadgets to make them work. The consuming pile of E-waste is not just environmentally deadly but also causes health hazards, along with the expensive and dangerous recycling operations that are needed. If people continue to neglect this issue, E-waste will continue to grow, swallow the earth with a blanket of harmful bi-products and affect everyone's lives, which is something we do not want. E-waste is hazardous and will eventually kill the planet with the path that it seems to be following without any real rise against the issue. This is such a nice way to give back to the environment don't you think? Polluting the earth and by proxy ourselves with technological garbage is obviously a smart thing to do, as if we aren't destroying the world enough already.

        It is being reported that the newest Xbox console will have online DRM (Digital Restrictions Management). DRM is technology that puts restrictions on media such as software, games, music, etc. that limits how the buyer is able to use and share the media that he or she bought. This means that the Xbox will always need to have an active internet connection to be able to use the games that you buy, even if the game itself does not require internet connection. The point of this is to prevent to prevent the resale of used games. However, this will mean that people can not share games with eachother, play if the internet goes out or they they do not have the internet at all. This will increase the sale of new games giving the companies more profits. However, this may backfire on Microsoft, as many gamers may not purchase the new console as a form of boycott, reducing Microsoft's profit until the DRM is removed. 

This is a very great report, keep up the great work Spider Man

Uncle Ben would be proud

The game Flappy Bird, created by Dong Nguyen was a rapid success. However it also followed with a rapid downfall. This article details how the game began to what it started as, an indie game created for a small nostalgic audience. It then grew to something way bigger. Dong was making more than $50,000 a week for his money. Flappy Bird was also number 1 on the app store for days straight, even then, Dong Nguyen was receiving death threats and rude remarks regarding his game. These threats and remarks kept happening so Dong was forced to remove his game off of the apple store. He is continuing to make other indie games though. Dong Nguyen said he will keep making games, and he wants to be a respected Indie game developer, not just another viral episode of the app store. Dong though, has been noticed by the indie developer that created Super Hexagon. I inferred, that a collaboration will happen between the developers. In my opinion I believe the cancellation of Flappy Bird was a publicity stunt to provide more coverage on Nguyen's other games.

thoughts/opinions on this?

Need a post related to careers

A scam that takes advantage of Google Docs is making is spreading throughout the web. It uses the same google.com URL and even makes us of Google's SSL encryption. It is very difficult to tell that it is a hack. The scam starts with an email that leads to a GoogleDocs link. It then takes you to a fake login screen. Once you login, you'll be taken to an actual google doc but your credentials will be sent to a PHP script on a compromised server. To avoid this, you must be careful when clicking on links sent in emails, and if the login does not recognize you as a google user, the you should notice that it is the fake log in page. This is actually scary, and everyone should always be aware of their emails and scams.

Microsoft this morning announced that it has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, a deal that was originally announced back in May. They even made an infographic to showcase the importance of the deal completion. /sarcasm Other than that, not much news to report. As previously announced, Skype becomes a new business division within Microsoft, and Skype CEO Tony Bates will assume the title of president of the new unit.

Microsoft this morning announced that it has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, a deal that was originally announced back in May. They even made an infographic to showcase the importance of the deal completion.

On October 2nd a new gaming experience was released. NBA 2k13 hit the shelves after its long awaited anticipation, but what separates this NBA game from all the others? simply everything has been improved. For example the soundtrack on NBA is produced by one of the greatest and richest rappers ever Jay-Z. Gaming wise it has improved the controls a lot by making it more realistic. They have also added lots of retro characters that were not there from before. It has included lots of historic teams and most importantly they have even improved the graphics form before. Overall this game has achieved high rating from Gamespot, Metacritic and many more. This game has lived up to all the hype and big expectations and i recommend that everybody gets this game because it is so BLESSED.

Cellphones play a huge factor in our everyday life.  Everybody uses cellphones nowadays.  However, the real question is, when should a child receive a cellphone?  Rather, when should a parent give their a child a cellphone?  Everybody is different, so they have their own opinion as to when they are ready to receive a cellphone/give a cellphone.  A recent report shows that nearly half of the teens surveyed say they can't live longer than a week without their phones, and 36% said they check their phones at least every 10 minutes.  Of course, these habits don't develop within a day of course.  An American research market company polled parents on what they thought the most appropriate age for a child to receive their first cellphone.  Twenty-two percent of parents polled said they thought 10 was the right age, while 43% of the parents fell within the 10 to 12 age range.  I find this ridiculous, because not even I have my own cell phone, nor will I be receiving one in the near future.   In today's society, a phone is like a miniature computer that you can take anywhere with you.  Phones were originally used for making phone calls and giving parents feel a sense of security knowing they can contact their kids whenever and wherever.  However phones can also be a whole set of challenges to a parent.  It is an Internet-enabled device with few parental controls, which could be one challenge.  It might also give a child access to inappropriate apps, the less-than-wholesome intentions of other people, from bullying to worse.   As a child's age increases, there comes many other challenges such as sexting or texting while driving. Personally, I feel the only time one can be ready for a phone, is when they prove that they are mature enough to handle such responsibility.  But that's just my side of the story.

This article talks about our famous #firstworld problems jokes on Twitter and other Social Networking sites. They may seem funny to you, but DDB New York sees them as creating an online atmosphere of neither sensitivity nor awareness to deal with real social and worldwide problems. So DDB decided to team up with the non-profit organization called WATERisLIFE. Together they traveled to Haiti to film locals reading aloud a series of these "problems" to show how ridiculous they are in comparison to real problems that people face in third-world countries like Haiti. In addition to the video they tweeted some of the original authors of the #firstworld problems saying things like "I'm sorry you were awoken by your cleaning lady. I hope today is better" as well as a call to action to donate money to WATERisLIFE which helps create water solutions and rebuilding communities.  This article relates to eLifestyle and how those posts may be funny to us they can also be insensitive to real problems world-wide even though we don't always intend to be hurtful. This also relates because it shows how the internet can be such a positive or negative thing worldwide. In this case out of an insensitive tweet people were inspired to create awareness for bigger issues and a way to help through a video and a few tweets online.  I think this shows a positive side of the internet where people can take something and turn it into a way of helping people world-wide and getting word out faster and to more people all with the power of the internet.

Sony has released a new product to their Playstation line-up. Yup, the PS4. Sadly this isn't just it. For some odd reason, Sony has chosen to upgrade their PS3 Slim model to  an even slimmer model. Although the name "Superslim" isn't the most creative name, it sure lives up to it. It weighs just over 4.5 pounds, which is almost 3 pounds off from the original Slim model. Many critics have the same overall feel to it: It looks and feels terrible. This statement says to be influenced by the entire redesign of the SuperSlim model. This new model of the PS3, basically has the same internal hardware than the original PS3, despite the new outer look. Like the last two PS3 models, the SuperSlim, does not have the backwards compatibility with the PS2. Something that was long anticipated by the Playstation Fanboys. I hope Sony really gets his game up because I too, am a Playstation Fanboy, and looks up to Sony.