News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
A teenager in Washington state was using a MySpace account to send bomb threats to his school. The FBI was able to infect his home computer with spyware that harvested enough information to identify him. Details are not clear about exactly how the FBI managed to get the spyware installed on his computer, but the article covers several ways in which it might have been done.
Link: http://www.computerworld.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
There’s a new type of spam email making the rounds—the spam message is inside a PDF attachment. The email text is designed to circumvent spam filters, and the unwary reader will open the attachment to see the spam. The PDF files have been safe to open (no viruses), but you never know what an attachment may do. So beware of short emails with a PDF attachment.
I’ve seen some pretty good “Will It Blend” videos, but this one takes the cake. Who would have thought an iPhone could be reduced to a few metal scraps and some black powder. (Here’s an alternate link if the video on the web site doesn’t work.)
Link: http://www.willitblend.com/…
(via Slashdot)
Regular Chad’s News readers will recall previous posts about Second Life, especially regarding how real-world companies are setting up “stores” in the virtual world. Turns out that many of them aren’t profitable enough to maintain, and the companies are closing up shop.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/…
(via digg)
I thought the condo I once bought was overpriced. Little did I know…
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/…
(via digg)
Several of these are really good. My favorite is: “The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it’s twice as big as it needs to be.”
Link: http://www.boardofwisdom.com/…
(via Neatorama)
PayPal—it’s not just for eBay anymore.
Link: http://money.cnn.com/…
This four-year old called 9-1-1 because he needed help… with a math problem. The best part is his response when his mother catches him on the phone.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/…
(via Neatorama)
Should you ever (legitimately) need the default password for a router, firewall, or print server, there’s a good chance it will be on this list. This is a great tool for any sysadmin or consultant.
Link: http://www.phenoelit-us.org/…
(via digg)
Just enter the domain name, and this site will tell you who is hosting it. Not sure it works perfectly, especially when dealing with resellers.
Link: http://whoishostingthis.com/
(via digg)
A flotilla of 10,000 rubber ducks is close to ending its 15-year journey from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of Britain. And there’s a $100 reward for anyone who finds one.
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/…
(via digg)
Listen to this audio clip with headphones (or hold the speakers up to your ears like I did). It’s eerie how they manage to make the sounds come from different directions and distances. Apparently it’s just a matter of correctly placing two microphones, and your brain does the rest.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/…
(via news.com.au)
