Ford Test Drives New Consumer Firmware Updates

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What’s confusing (and Ford says as much) is that there’s a first “Installation Complete” message after about a minute–but, wait, there’s more. Leave the USB drive in and keep the car turned on as a second installation then begins and will last much longer. After about five to ten minutes, the update is finally complete. You’ll then need to pair your mobile device again, but the contact information and your files should still be in the SYNC system.

via Ford Test Drives New Consumer Firmware Updates | SecurityWeek.Com.

What could possibly go wrong LOL?

You will then need to take the USB drive back to your laptop or home computer to report that the update was successful so that Ford can advance you to the next update, should one become available. This last step might not be completed by most consumers who will move on to other things. It’ll be interesting to see how many downloads correspond to successful installations of the update.

Facebook Becomes Location Backbone That Lets Apps Import Checkins From Each Other

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Facebook has confirmed with me that its new location APIs let any third-party app import and display the checkins as well as location-tagged posts published to Facebook by other apps. This turns Facebook into a location backbone that can power serendipitous meetups and other geo-functionality no matter which apps you and your friends use.

via Facebook Becomes Location Backbone That Lets Apps Import Checkins From Each Other | TechCrunch.

Open Invention Network

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Open Invention Network® is refining the intellectual property model so that important patents are openly shared in a collaborative environment. Patents owned by Open Invention Network® are available royalty-free to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System. This enables companies to make significant corporate and capital expenditure investments in Linux — helping to fuel economic growth.

via Open Invention Network.

Researchers Seek Help in Solving DuQu Mystery Language

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While other parts of DuQu are written in the C++ programming language and are compiled with Microsoft’s Visual C++ 2008, this part is not, according to Alexander Gostev, chief security expert at Kaspersky Lab. Gostev and his team have also determined that it’s not Objective C, Java, Python, Ada, Lua or many other languages they know.

via Researchers Seek Help in Solving DuQu Mystery Language | Threat Level | Wired.com.

The module is an important part of DuQu’s payload — which is the part of DuQu that performs malicious functions once it’s on an infected machine. The module allows DuQu’s DLL file to operate completely independent of other DuQu modules. It also takes data stolen from infected machines and transmits it to command-and-control servers and has the ability to distribute additional malicious payloads to other machines on a network, in order to spread the infection.

Nvidia Jumps on Board with the Linux Foundation

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Nvidia has long taken a closed approach to Linux drivers for its graphics cards, offering only a proprietary one and declining to participate in the open source Nouveau driver project, which has depended instead on reverse engineering.

Nvidia’s GeForce graphics chips are used in many PCs–often targeting high-end gaming–while its Tegra system-on-a-chip platform is designed for the mobile and embedded market.

via Nvidia Jumps on Board with the Linux Foundation | PCWorld Business Center.

George Takei Helps Facebook Debug MySQL

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George Takei Helps Facebook Debug MySQL » Data Center Knowledge.

Wait – what was that last one? In today’s update on the Facebook Engineering blog, Mark Callaghan discusses the challenges in getting MySQL to scale on Facebook’s multi-core servers. The post provides technical insight into Facebook’s scalability initiatives, and then gives a shout out to Takei for helping resolve a database issue.

I have facebook blocked on my servers but will have to come back and look at the linked to blog entry.

Blueprints on the iPad for Construction

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The iPad will be the thing that changes all this. Although the things it does better than laptops – smaller, more durable, longer battery life, doesn’t need a table to be useable – seem more evolutionary rather than revolutionary, in the context of construction field workers, it’s the difference between using a tool that almost works and a tool that is able to get the job done. It’s basically the first computer that is usable in the field and as a result it’s starting to be rapidly adopted by construction companies.

via PlanGrid – Blueprints on the iPad for Construction.

This statement applies to all tablets, not just the one branded IPAD.

US man convicted for helping thousands steal Internet service

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The products included a packet sniffer, called Coax Thief, that intercepted Internet traffic so that the users could obtain the media access control addresses and configuration files of surrounding modems. TCNISO and Harris offered customer support, primarily through forums on the TCNISO website, to assist customers in their cable modem hacking activities, the DOJ said.

via US man convicted for helping thousands steal Internet service – U.S. Department of Justice, Ryan Harris, legal, Lanny Breuer, Internet service providers, internet, Criminal – Software – Techworld.