Caltech and The Feynman Lectures Website are pleased to present this online edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Now, anyone with internet access and a web browser can enjoy reading a high-quality up-to-date copy of Feynman’s legendary lectures. This edition has been designed for ease of reading on devices of any size or shape; text, figures and equations can all be zoomed without degradation.1
Verizon’s diabolical plan to turn the Web into pay-per-view
As it stands now, you pay your Internet service provider and go wherever you want on the Web. Packets of bits are just packets and have to be treated equally. That’s the essence of Net neutrality. But Verizon’s plan, which the company has outlined during hearings in federal court and before Congress, would change that. Verizon and its allies would like to charge websites that carry popular content for the privilege of moving their packets to your connected device.
via Verizon’s diabolical plan to turn the Web into pay-per-view | The Industry Standard – InfoWorld.
Also from: Net neutrality faces uncertain U.S. court ruling
Verizon argues that the FCC doesn’t have authority to regulate an information service, a class of communications that the agency has previously exempted from most regulation. The net neutrality rules are a violation of Verizon’s First Amendment free speech rights and its Fifth Amendment property rights, the company has argued.
Apple Underwhelms in China, Too
At 4,488 Yuan Renminbi (US$734) for the 16GB version, the iPhone might be within reach of well-heeled consumers in Beijing and Shanghai but is unlikely to win over punters in so-called third-tier cities and beyond, who have never owned a smartphone.
via Apple Underwhelms in China, Too | Light Reading.
In another online poll (again in Chinese, naturally), more than 80 percent said the price was too high.
Chic marketing may be wearing off the Apple brand.
Microsoft botches six Windows patches in latest Automatic Update
In an amazing tour de force, Microsoft’s Automatic Update chute released at least six bad patches on Tuesday. Here’s what’s amazing: It’s just 48 hours or so since the bomb bay doors opened, and Microsoft has acknowledged problems with all of these patches.
via Microsoft botches six Windows patches in latest Automatic Update | Microsoft windows – InfoWorld.
This is why I never do automatic update.
How to Turn Your Pile of Code into an Open Source Project
You’ve written some code, you think it would be useful to the world, and you’d like to give back to the open source world. But how do you do it? An experienced open-source guy provides a checksheet for developers to release an open source project and get it noticed.
via How to Turn Your Pile of Code into an Open Source Project.
How the NSA Spies on Smartphones Including the BlackBerry
All the images were apparently taken with smartphones. A photo taken in January 2012 is especially risqué: It shows a former senior government official of a foreign country who, according to the NSA, is relaxing on his couch in front of a TV set and taking pictures of himself — with his iPhone. To protect the person’s privacy, SPIEGEL has chosen not to reveal his name or any other details.
The access to such material varies, but much of it passes through an NSA department responsible for customized surveillance operations against high-interest targets. One of the US agents’ tools is the use of backup files established by smartphones. According to one NSA document, these files contain the kind of information that is of particular interest to analysts, such as lists of contacts, call logs and drafts of text messages. To sort out such data, the analysts don’t even require access to the iPhone itself, the document indicates. The department merely needs to infiltrate the target’s computer, with which the smartphone is synchronized, in advance.
via How the NSA Spies on Smartphones Including the BlackBerry – SPIEGEL ONLINE.
New connection between stacked solar cells can handle energy of 70,000 suns
Stacked solar cells consist of several solar cells that are stacked on top of one another. Stacked cells are currently the most efficient cells on the market, converting up to 45 percent of the solar energy they absorb into electricity.
via New connection between stacked solar cells can handle energy of 70,000 suns.
This should reduce overall costs for the energy industry because, rather than creating large, expensive solar cells, you can use much smaller cells that produce just as much electricity by absorbing intensified solar energy from concentrating lenses. And concentrating lenses are relatively inexpensive,
Finding Data on the Internet
The following list of data sources has been modified as of 8/19/13. Most of the data sets listed below are free, however, some are not.
via Finding Data on the Internet | inside-R | A Community Site for R.
Gear up for the school year with these open source applications
Here are five great open source applications for learning. Share this list to your favorite student or teacher!
via Gear up for the school year with these open source applications | opensource.com.
Play with math, programming, music, and art in the powerful Kojo Learning environment. Based on ideas derived from innovative programs such as Logo and Geometers Sketchpad, Kojo offers a rich platform for students to explore the synthesis of mathematical ideas, coding, creative thinking, and learning.
Weak Keys in Network Devices – Mind your RNG!
An RSA public key (e,N) consists of an exponent e and a modulus N. The modulus is the product of two randomly chosen prime numbers p and, q. If p and q are known, it is straightforward to derive the private key. However, if they are unknown, one must factor N into p and q, which requires intensive computing resources. However, let’s assume that two keys with modulus N1 and N2 share one of the factors: N1 = p1 x q and N2 = p2 x q. In this case, finding the greatest common divisor of N1 and N2, which is q, is sufficient to factor these two moduli. The task of finding the greatest common divisor of two 1024-bit integers is much simpler than factoring and can be done in microseconds…
This well known vulnerability of RSA can be exploited in the context of low entropy keys. Poor random number generation can indeed lead to multiple keys sharing one of their factors. Heninger found that more than 60’000 keys (approximately 0.5%) they had collected could be factored in this way.