shady

Buzz Out Loud 1525: Patent catfights and the hot rod plow (Podcast)

Google and Microsoft continue their highly public patent-related catfight, which is either raising awareness of the issue of overbroad software patents or just turning into an embarrassing public battle that's making us all uncomfortable. Also, facial recognition is a trap, and security researchers are rushing to unveil the real Shady Rat. Plus: Computer Love!

Buzz Out Loud 1523: Global cyber cold war imminent? (Podcast)

On today's show, security researchers report that Anonymous and LulzSec are, if anything, just distracting us with their antics while the true threat is a years-long cyberwarfare campaign that's stolen everything from private intellectual property to high-level government secrets. So, that'll probably lead to some reasoned and logical cyber-security discussions, no? No. Also, is the Amazon App Store screwing developers, and are you finally getting what you pay for, broadband-wise?

Operation: Shady RAT

AT&T will release three new BlackBerry phones running the new BlackBerry OS 7, AOL launches it own daily iPad-only magazine called Editions, and McAfee in a report in Vanity Fair reveals a new major hacking attack called "Operation: Shady RAT" that has been targeting government and private industry.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Operation: Shady RAT AT&T releases 3 new BlackBerrys Android users see rise in malware AOL releases 'Editions' iPad app Skype for iPad Twitter for iPad gets HTML5 Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) |&… Read more

The 404 763: Where we tagger easy (podcast)

Doug from Pennsylvania inadvertently started another 404 Podcast meme in yesterday's video voice mail with his sign-off salute, "Tagger easy!" We dedicate today's show title to him and WhiteWhine, a Tumblr for First World problems.

More than 200 protesters in Libya have been killed with Qaddafi's machine guns and large-caliber weapons, but some nerds in America are more concerned with the future of .ly domains like Bitly. How will we shorten our links to a Tweet-appropriate size if Libya shuts down the Internet again?!

Don't freak out yet, because Internet restrictions by the Libyan government will not affect those domains, since most of the servers that give access to .ly links are located outside of Libya, and most administrators like Bitly CEO John Borthwick are already using precautionary measures to ensure their stability.… Read more

ShadyURL makes URLs entertainingly suspicious

Link shortening has become a commonplace on services like Facebook and Twitter. Heck, even Google shortens URLs within its products now. People seem to be getting more used to the idea that shortened URLs, despite not showing you where they lead, are safe. Part of that, is that the companies that are doing the shortening keep blacklists of sites with malware or spyware, to keep people from accidentally visiting sites that will do harm.

Newcomer ShadyURL makes no such claims though. This wonderfully satirical service turns even legitimate URLs into something that even the least tech-savvy friend or family member … Read more

File under useful? Sunglasses case with built-in speaker

Sharing music has never been easier, or perhaps sillier, than this.

Asia Vantage, a Hong Kong-based company, has designed a sunglasses case that features a built-in portable speaker. Users can plug their iPod or mobile phone into the case and groove away with friends.

The cases also come with compartments for loose change and credit cards.

The cases, called Shady Beats, are designed to protect sunglasses from getting scratched as they are tucked in next to a NXT, flat-panel speaker, the company said on its Web site. The speaker is powered by two triple-A batteries.

Couldn't find them for … Read more