http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/gagging-recipients-of-national-security-letters-found-unconstitutional/
A small step forward IMO.
As I have mentioned before, I have a lot in common with research librarians, have several friends that are professional librarians and some that are directors of libraries.
I know they all hate this part of the so called "Patriot Act," since they could be forced to reveal everything people were doing at library.
Fact is, many libraries changed their data collecting practices to limit amount/types of data they kept on patrons, students, and faculty because of the the Patriot Act.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Nerd News: Brian Krebs SWATting & DDoS
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/03/the-world-has-no-room-for-cowards/
http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/security-reporter-tells-ars-about-hacked-911-call-that-sent-swat-team-to-his-house/
Brian Krebs, from Krebs on Security, seems to be targeted by some criminal types.
Links above provide story.
http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/security-reporter-tells-ars-about-hacked-911-call-that-sent-swat-team-to-his-house/
Brian Krebs, from Krebs on Security, seems to be targeted by some criminal types.
Links above provide story.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
EA & SimCity
Saw this comment by alwayswinning on recent Ars thread, direct link http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/03/ea-offers-free-catalog-game-to-apologize-for-simcity-server-woes/?comments=1&post=24040939#comment-24040939, cutting and pasting whole thing because it includes tweet posts about problems with the BETA Sim City
IMHO this single post, along with linked Tweets, shows EA had to know there were problems even with Beta.
Below is direct cut and paste of alwayswinning's comment, all bold & etc is from original:
IMHO this single post, along with linked Tweets, shows EA had to know there were problems even with Beta.
Below is direct cut and paste of alwayswinning's comment, all bold & etc is from original:
Lucy Bradshaw says, "a lot more people logged on than we expected. More people played and played in ways we never saw in the beta."
This, of course, is total baloney. The servers didn't work during the Beta either! I couldn't connect to a server and neither could any of my friends. EA had to know that this was going to happen because they had major server issues for the entire Beta weekend.
For proof, here are some of our Tweets from the Beta weekend:
https://twitter.com/Telly2Putts/status/ ... 7765583872
https://twitter.com/AlwaysWinning1/stat ... 3136871424
https://twitter.com/AlwaysWinning1/stat ... 5324963841
If my friends and I realized that there would be major issues on March 2nd, EA certainly should have:
https://twitter.com/AlwaysWinning1/stat ... 4873097216
https://twitter.com/ManginiNaBottle/sta ... 3788877824 (obvious sarcasm)
I can't believe EA thinks that they can lie their way out of this. This is the definition of bad PR. They're destroying their long-term value by treating customers, and the media, like dullards. I'm not an EA or Maxis "hater" by any stretch, I'm just trying to set the record straight: they're totally full of it.
Last edited by alwayswinning on Sat Mar 09, 2013 12:47 am
Arma 2 & Arma 3 System Requirements
One of my goals with this Blog, is to make Gaming & Computer/Cyber Security information easier to find. Eventually I hope to have a Wiki section to improve that aspect, till then best way to find information is just use regular Google with Cliff's Esport Corner + search term.
Important note for Arma 2, it is a simulator more than a normal FPS game, 15 FPS is supposed to be playable (per their FAQ), and 30+ FPS is supposed to be good.
Also two great resources from the Arma 2 thread linked below:
Arma 2 System Requirements http://www.arma2.com/customer-support/support_en.html
Thread discussing Arma 2 System Requirements, has been around for years, so early part of thread is bit dated, but means most newer systems should work fine, http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?72181-Will-my-PC-Run-this-What-CPU-GPU-to-get-What-settings-System-Specifications
Arma 2 testing of Hyperthreading impact, or lack, on performance http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?80223-Arma-2-amp-Core-i7-Hyperthreading-Tested
Arma 3 System Requirement http://www.arma3.com/buy#requirements Note HD 4000 (the integrated graphics in Ultrabooks, Macbook Airs & similar) is listed at bottom of Minimum GPU but the CPU minimum of Intel dual core 2.4 GHz/Athlon Dual core 2.5 GHz rules out most if not all of those machines.
But the 13" Macbook Pro with Retina display would meet minimum requirements (running Win 7 in Bootcamp).
Thread on Arma 3 System Requirements, not as good as I would like, http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147391-Will-my-PC-run-this-What-CPU-GPU-to-get-What-settings-What-System-Specifications
Free Arma 3 Alpha invites see (Note they won't be available till 3/14/2013) http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147430-Looking-for-Arma-3-Free-Alpha-invites-Look-here!
Main forum for Bohemia Interactive http://forums.bistudio.com/forumdisplay.php?4-BI-MILITARY-GAMES-FORUMS
Important note for Arma 2, it is a simulator more than a normal FPS game, 15 FPS is supposed to be playable (per their FAQ), and 30+ FPS is supposed to be good.
Also two great resources from the Arma 2 thread linked below:
- Can You Run It (just select game and it checks your machine's specs) : http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri
- Free Demo Arma 2 download to test your system: http://www.arma2.com/demo/
Arma 2 System Requirements http://www.arma2.com/customer-support/support_en.html
Thread discussing Arma 2 System Requirements, has been around for years, so early part of thread is bit dated, but means most newer systems should work fine, http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?72181-Will-my-PC-Run-this-What-CPU-GPU-to-get-What-settings-System-Specifications
Arma 2 testing of Hyperthreading impact, or lack, on performance http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?80223-Arma-2-amp-Core-i7-Hyperthreading-Tested
Arma 3 System Requirement http://www.arma3.com/buy#requirements Note HD 4000 (the integrated graphics in Ultrabooks, Macbook Airs & similar) is listed at bottom of Minimum GPU but the CPU minimum of Intel dual core 2.4 GHz/Athlon Dual core 2.5 GHz rules out most if not all of those machines.
But the 13" Macbook Pro with Retina display would meet minimum requirements (running Win 7 in Bootcamp).
Thread on Arma 3 System Requirements, not as good as I would like, http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147391-Will-my-PC-run-this-What-CPU-GPU-to-get-What-settings-What-System-Specifications
Free Arma 3 Alpha invites see (Note they won't be available till 3/14/2013) http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?147430-Looking-for-Arma-3-Free-Alpha-invites-Look-here!
Main forum for Bohemia Interactive http://forums.bistudio.com/forumdisplay.php?4-BI-MILITARY-GAMES-FORUMS
Friday, March 8, 2013
Nerd News: EA not altering return policy for SimCity buyers
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/03/ea-not-altering-return-policy-for-furious-simcity-buyers/
I can understand why they don't want to refund digital purchases, but think if that is their stand, then they really should be offering something to make up for the frustration.
Call it Customer Service or Public Relations, also what I have done many times myself in Customer Service situations.
Also had the pleasure of receiving that level of customer service a few times, tend to stick with businesses that provide that level of service, since they usually don't mess up very often (ie they are reliable) and if something goes wrong, I know they will take care of me.
I can understand why they don't want to refund digital purchases, but think if that is their stand, then they really should be offering something to make up for the frustration.
Call it Customer Service or Public Relations, also what I have done many times myself in Customer Service situations.
Also had the pleasure of receiving that level of customer service a few times, tend to stick with businesses that provide that level of service, since they usually don't mess up very often (ie they are reliable) and if something goes wrong, I know they will take care of me.
Nerd Gear: "Allwinner A31 Quad Core TV Stick/Mini PC sample Review"
Very interesting looking Mini PC http://blog.geekbuying.com/index.php/2013/03/06/allwinner-a31-quad-core-tv-stickmini-pc-sample-review/
Specs below from link above, does seem like a Beta product, not ready for full production yet based on review:
Specs below from link above, does seem like a Beta product, not ready for full production yet based on review:
- SoC – AllWinner A31 quad core Cortex A7 + PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU
- System Memory – 2GB DDR3 RAM
- Storage – 8GB NAND Flash + microSD
- Connectivity – WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 2x mini USB ports
- Reset button-Build in
- Video Output – HDMIVideo Codecs – Mpeg1/2/4.H.264,VC-1,Divx,Xvid,RM8/9/10,VP6Video Container Formats – MKV, TS, TP, M2TS, RM/RMVB, BD-ISO, AVI, MPG, VOB, DAT, ASF, TRP, FLV etc.
- Audio Formats – MP3, OGG, WMA, WMAPRO
- Dimensions – 97*38*12mm
- Weight – ~32g
Thursday, March 7, 2013
SITREP [Update] from Cliff
Lot of IRL things interfering with normal pace of Blogging, wanted to apologize for that, and assure my regular readers that all is well.
This time of year is usually crazy for me, hoping by next year to have some guest articles to make up for that.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, one of the IRL items is several bits of new hardware, one of those hardware items I plan to Blog about at least a couple of times.
I don't want to say more at the moment, but I'm sure gamers will be interested in it. [How was that for a teaser?]
Also looking forward to SC2 HOTS release!
GL HF,
Cliff
This time of year is usually crazy for me, hoping by next year to have some guest articles to make up for that.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, one of the IRL items is several bits of new hardware, one of those hardware items I plan to Blog about at least a couple of times.
I don't want to say more at the moment, but I'm sure gamers will be interested in it. [How was that for a teaser?]
Also looking forward to SC2 HOTS release!
GL HF,
Cliff
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Idra vs Minigun MLG Winter Season Showdowns
Game 1 Starts at 5:00 minute mark, click this link http://youtu.be/JE0LhZS9ths?t=5m to jump there.
A Bo5 series: Game 2 || Game 3 || Game 4 || Game 5
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Evernote Hacked forces Password Reset
Articles all over the Net about Evernote Hack:
Which will expose way to much useful information to attacker if the data ever gets compromised, including information that could compromise physical security (my background).
Additionally, with the type of cloud based system used for Evernote, there is no way to make it really secure IMO.
Brian, from Krebs on Security article link at top, mentions this really good interview he did about password encryption http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/06/how-companies-can-beef-up-password-security/
Explains the difference, in simple terms, between password hash & cryptographic hash.
- http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/03/evernote-forces-password-reset-for-50m-users/
- http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/03/evernote-resets-all-user-passwords-after-coordinated-breach-attempt/
- http://www.darkreading.com/blog/240149848/evernote-resets-everyone-s-passwords-after-intrusion.html
- http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/03/02/evernote-hacked-almost-50-million-passwords-reset-after-security-breach/
Which will expose way to much useful information to attacker if the data ever gets compromised, including information that could compromise physical security (my background).
Additionally, with the type of cloud based system used for Evernote, there is no way to make it really secure IMO.
Brian, from Krebs on Security article link at top, mentions this really good interview he did about password encryption http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/06/how-companies-can-beef-up-password-security/
Explains the difference, in simple terms, between password hash & cryptographic hash.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)