wilson g. tang

The 404 880: Where we separate the hacks from the cracks (podcast)

If you leave your Facebook logged in on a friend's computer and that person posts an embarrassing photo for all your friends to see, would you say you got hacked?

Today's episode of the podcast takes issue with the misuse of the word "hacked." With news stories about Stuxnet, PlayStation 3, and News of the World throwing around the term with no specific definition, we hope to define exactly what it means to hack...at least according to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

First, we'll explore the origins of hacking by breaking the definition down into subcategories like phreaking, cracking, and spoofing. Then we'll tell you why the courts decided that sending out too many e-mails to someone can be considered computer hacking, and we'll introduce the 23-year-old Assistant Commissioner hired by the NYPD to spearhead its new social media unit.

Finally, we close today's show with an exploration into the changing landscape of "Sesame Street," and why some of the LGBT community is pushing Bert and Ernie to finally tie the knot on the air.

The 404 Digest for Episode 880

Stock art meant for news stories about cybercrime. NYPD forms new social media unit to mine Facebook and Twitter for mayhem. Court deems e- mail spam is considered a form of computer hacking. iPad cases made out of Bernie Madoff's auctioned clothing. Slice Harvester shows every pizza spot in NYC on a Google map. Petition asks Bert and Ernie to get married already. Working in an office is bad for your brain.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 blocked in Europe

Facebook releases a Messenger app for iPhone and Android, Anonymous threatens to shut down the social network, Amazon launches the Kindle Cloud Reader web app for e-books, and Wal-Mart shuts down its MP3 store.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple blocks Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe Wal-Mart closes MP3 store Anonymous threatens to shut down Facebook Facebook Messenger apps Twitter images for everyone Kindle Cloud Reader web app Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

The 404 879: Where we remember, remember (podcast)

Today we're exploring the trend of digital vigilantes (aka digilantes) taking to the Internet for crowdsourced criminal identification and cyberjustice. The most recent example is the hacker collective known as Anonymous' YouTube video threatening to take down Facebook on November 5, otherwise known as Guy Fawkes Day.

We'll also fill you in on the London police toying with facial recognition technology on Facebook to identify looters caught on camera, yesterday's 5,000 percent spike in blunt weapons sales on Amazon.co.uk, and a woman who used an airplane to wag a giant finger at Wall Street.

The 404 Digest for Episode 879

Anonymous: Facebook's going down November 5. Will London's police officials turn to Facebook's facial recognition technology to fight crime? Sales of aluminum bats are up more than 5,000 percent on Amazon.co.uk. The USB toothbrush: Philips' device is the "iPod of toothbrushes." Angry Birds makes it onto the cover of Mad Magazine. Airplane banner circles Wall Street: "Thanks For The Downgrade. You Should All Be Fired"

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QNX powers the BlackBerry Colt

Apple releases a tool to automatically create recovery disks for Mac OS X Lion, researchers at the Black Hat hackers conference say that you should change all of your passwords if your laptop gets stolen, and the BlackBerry Colt will be the first QNX-powered smartphone from Research in Motion in early 2012.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

QNX-powered BlackBerry Colt in Q1 of 2012 Apple Lion Recovery Disk Assistant Barnes and Noble Nook e-book deal Skype 5.3 on Mac Lion and HD video Stolen laptop: change ALL of your passwords Man starts waiting in line for iPhone 5 … Read more

The 404 878: Where we don't give a truck about freeze (podcast)

Jay-Z and Kanye West unleashed their collaborative album "Watch The Throne" yesterday, but how did they keep it from leaking before the release? We'll tell you on today's episode of The 404 Podcast.

We'll also tell you where the new Star Trek amusement park is being built, why parents should download the first iOS app built by the FBI, and who's to blame for the four-car pileup that included Google's first driverless vehicle.

The 404 Digest for Episode 878

Duh: Facebook use and narcissism correlate in teens. How Jay-Z and Kanye West kept their new album from leaking. There's going to be a Star Trek amusement park--guess where? FBI releases child ID iPhone app. Finally, the first Google autonomous-car crash. Has Starbucks had enough of laptop loungers?

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Verizon workers go on strike

Comcast offers a $9.95 Internet Essentials service to low-income families, the FBI releases an iPhone app that helps parents with a missing child, and Verizon workers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic go on strike after negotiations fail to produce a contract.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Verizon workers go on strike HP TouchPad 4G and $50 in the App Catalog Education iMac? AntiSec hackers post police data Comcast $10 Internet Essentials plan FBI Child IDapp in App Store Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

The 404 877: Where you learn a lot about people at the beach (podcast)

Jeff's back in the studio after his vacation week, and any positive vibes floating around in the air are obliterated when he tells us about the things you can learn about people just from spending time at the beach.

Unsurprisingly, none of us plan to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," despite its 80-percent "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com. We're also ripping a page from the Obvious News section and talking about TV porn sales going down in recent years, and playing a handful of voicemails carefully chosen by Mr. Bakalar.

The 404 Digest for Episode 877

Big surprise: TV porn doesn't sell like it used to. FBI releases child ID iPhone app.

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The 404 876: Where 92 percent of our hosts are fake (podcast)

Which would you rather give up for a week, your toothbrush or your iPhone? We welcome CNETer Kenley Bradstreet back on the show today to help us answer this hypothetical question and more.

Of course, Joey Kaminski is here, too, and we have a minefield of a story rundown to test his self-control, such as a nail polish inspired by bruises and bodily fluids, a world-record-breaking attempt going down tomorrow on the corner of Seaman and Dyckman Streets, and a report that 92-percent of Newt Gengrich's 1.3 million Twitter followers are actually robots.

The 404 Digest for Episode 876

Nail polish names inspired by bruises and blood. Report: 92 percent of Newt Gingrich's Twitter Followers Aren't Real. iPhone users would trade shoes, sex for phone. N.Y. lingerie shop to break world record for simultaneous breastfeeding. No lasers were harmed in the scanning of these cats.

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Sony PlayStation Vita delayed in U.S.

Skype for Android expands two-way video calling to more phones, Apple's Find My Mac makes its debut on the developer testing version of iCloud.com, and Sony delays the launch of the PlayStation Vita handheld console in the U.S. and Europe.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

PlayStation Vita to miss U.S. and Europe holiday launch New device tests for HIV Gmail offering lower international rates Two-way Skype video chat arrives on more Android phones Find My Mac and iTunes Replay Missouri stops teachers from friend students Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) |&… Read more

The 404 875: Where we jump the Shark Week (podcast)

It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, so The 404 wants to remind everyone to stay safe when you're playing in open waters. Joey returns as a substitute for Jeff, and today we're chatting about a kid who changed his name to Emperor Spiderman Gandalf Wolverine Skywalker Optimus Prime Goku Sonic Xavier Ryu Cloud Superman HeMan Batman Thrash.

In other news, Boston schools are testing a class on Facebook breakup etiquette, GQ's list of the worst-dressed nerds, a pregnancy status addition to Facebook, and a bite counter that has a lot in common with the Shake Weight.

The 404 Digest for Episode 875

Dynamic duo take superhero names. Boston-area schools teach 200 teenagers Facebook breakup etiquette. Bite Counter helps you lose weight by keeping track of every bite you take. Mark Zuckerberg beats Steve Jobs for worst-dressed geek. Facebook adds pregnancy status.

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