SHODAN – Computer Search Engine

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So what does SHODAN index then? Good question. The bulk of the data is taken from ‘banners’, which are meta-data the server sends back to the client. This can be information about the server software, what options the service supports, a welcome message or anything else that the client would like to know before interacting with the server.

via SHODAN – Computer Search Engine.

What ports does SHODAN index?

The majority of data is collected on web servers at the moment (port 80), but there is also some data from FTP (23), SSH (22) and Telnet (21) services. There are plans underway to expand the index for other services. Let me know if there are specific ports you would like to see included.

Cisco Acquires Meraki to Strengthen Cloud Networking

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Meraki boasts a number of cloud-related offerings, from Ethernet switches and security appliances to a mobile device management platform and wireless LAN. Founded in 2006 and subsequently funded by a number of prominent firms, including Sequoia Capital and Google, Meraki touts itself as a shop for “easy-to-manage wireless, switching, and security solutions.” Business segments include supporting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) shops, retail analytics, and massive networks managed from a central point.

via Cisco Acquires Meraki to Strengthen Cloud Networking.

Also from: Cisco to Buy Cloupia for Cloud Management – IP & Convergence – Telecom News Analysis – Light Reading Service Provider IT

Service Provider Information Technology (SPIT) player Cloupia calls itself a “a leading data center orchestration and cloud management software provider” and has worked with Cisco and NetApp Inc. (Nasdaq: NTAP), providing management for Cisco switches and NetApp storage appliances. The company’s speciality is providing provisioning, monitoring and management for physical, virtual, and cloud environments.

Which consultants built Romney’s “Project Orca?” None of them

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The interface for Orca was a mobile Web application connected to a set of mirrored databases of voter rolls. When a user logged in, the app would load a page with a scrollable list of all the registered voters in the precinct they were assigned to. By swiping a checkbox next to a voter’s name, they could record them as having voted; the entry was then transmitted back to Orca’s application server. A back-up call response system—similar in nature to the Houdini system used by the Obama campaign in 2008 (a system which also ran into trouble)—provided a way for volunteers to report possible voting irregularities into the system even if their data connectivity failed. Using information gathered through the campaign’s digital outreach and pulled from the campaign’s voter contact vendor, FLS Connect, the system was supposed to give volunteers in Boston a complete view of Romney supporters in swing states who hadn’t yet voted. It would then prompt phone calls asking supporters to vote.

via Which consultants built Romney’s “Project Orca?” None of them | Ars Technica.

What’s preferable: Exceptions or explicit error testing?

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Just show me one learner’s book where error handling is rigorously designed from the start and consequently used through all the examples, without being left out for brevity and readability and as exercise for the reader. If this is applicable from an educational POV, that is another question, but it’s no surprise that error handling is often enough a second or third thought when it should be the very first.

via What’s preferable: Exceptions or explicit error testing? | Ars Technica.

FreeBSD.org intrusion announced November 17th 2012

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The compromise is believed to have occurred due to the leak of an SSH key from a developer who legitimately had access to the machines in question, and was not due to any vulnerability or code exploit within FreeBSD.

via FreeBSD.org intrusion announced November 17th 2012.

We unfortunately cannot guarantee the integrity of any packages available for installation between 19th September 2012 and 11th November 2012, or of any ports compiled from trees obtained via any means other than through svn.freebsd.org or one of its mirrors. Although we have no evidence to suggest any tampering took place and believe such interference is unlikely, we have to recommend you consider reinstalling any machine from scratch, using trusted sources.

Verizon called hypocritical for equating net neutrality to censorship

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Verizon is in the middle of a legal fight against the open Internet rules the Federal Communications Commission adopted in 2010. In addition to arguing that Congress never gave the FCC authority to regulate network neutrality, Verizon also claimed that forcing Verizon to abide by network neutrality rules violated the firm’s First Amendment right to free speech.

via Verizon called hypocritical for equating net neutrality to censorship | Ars Technica.

But CDT says Verizon can’t have it both ways. If Verizon is going to claim ISPs are “passive conduits” for copyright purposes, then in CDT’s view that implies that its routing decisions cannot be “active” enough to deserve protection under the First Amendment.

A New Chip Brings Electrical-Field-Based 3-D Gesture Recognition to Smartphones

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The low-power chip makes it possible to interact with mobile devices and a host of other consumer electronics using hand gesture recognition, which today is usually accomplished with camera-based sensors. A key limitation is that it only recognizes motions, such as a hand flick or circular movement, within a six-inch range.

via A New Chip Brings Electrical-Field-Based 3-D Gesture Recognition to Smartphones | MIT Technology Review.

The controller comes with the ability to recognize 10 predefined gestures, including wake-up on approach, position tracking, and various hand flicks, but it can also be programmed to respond to custom movements. Similar to the programming of voice recognition software, Microchip Technology built the gesture library using algorithms that learned from how different people make the same movements. These gestures can then be translated to functions on a device, such as on/off, open application, point, click, zoom, or scroll.

iFlyTek’s YuDian—the “Chinese Siri”—is available to anyone with a mobile phone in China.

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iFlyTek has developed a series of text-to-speech (TTS) products and, more recently, speech recognition and the cloud-based speech tech platform, called Voice Cloud. Over the years, accuracy rates steadily improved and the technology found its way onto an ever-wider range of products.

Its Voice Cloud platform supports speech recognition, speech synthesis, and speech-input applications, and as of March of this year, speech understanding and “iFlyTek YuDian”—dubbed the Chinese Siri—to anyone with an Internet-enabled mobile phone.

via iFlyTek’s YuDian—the “Chinese Siri”—is available to anyone with a mobile phone in China. | MIT Technology Review.

Finally, its extensive network of 10,000 partners and developers has ensured the tech is available via a wide variety of devices, channels, and applications. The world’s largest network operator, China Mobile, recently took up a 15 percent share in the firm, further expanding its reach.

Now E-Textbooks Can Report Back on Students’ Reading Habits

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Those details are what will make the new CourseSmart service tick. Say a student uses an introductory psychology e-textbook. The book will be integrated into the college’s course-management system. It will track students’ behavior: how much time they spend reading, how many pages they view, and how many notes and highlights they make. That data will get crunched into an engagement score for each student.

The idea is that faculty members can reach out to students showing low engagement, says Sean Devine, chief executive of CourseSmart. And colleges can evaluate the return they are getting on investments in digital materials.

via Now E-Textbooks Can Report Back on Students’ Reading Habits – Wired Campus – The Chronicle of Higher Education.

We’ve passed peak Apple: it’s all downhill from here

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Why do I think Apple has passed its peak? There are a number of signs. The most visible recent one is the Maps debacle. Replacing Google Maps with an obviously inferior experience shows how much Apple has changed. Apple’s success had been all about offering users the best possible experience; suddenly it is willing to give users a clearly worse experience to further its corporate interests – in this case its long-running dispute with Google. We might expect this sort of behaviour from Microsoft, but we don’t expect it from Apple.

via We’ve passed peak Apple: it’s all downhill from here | Technology | guardian.co.uk.