Day: November 4, 2013

Art History

Over $1.35 billion in Nazi art found hidden behind ‘mountains of rotting food’

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As reported on The Verge. By Aaron Souppouris Over 1,500 paintings previously thought destroyed in World War II have been found in Germany after officials followed up on a hunch. Three years ago, customs officials performed a routine check on a train from Switzerland. On the train was Hildebrandt Gurlitt, a Munich resident who reportedly had a “shifty demeanor.” They could never have imagined that the reason for Gurlitt’s behavior was an unimaginable “treasure trove” of…

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Hacking

Strange malware thought to communicate over computer speakers

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As reported on The Verge. By Aaron Souppouris An in-depth report from Ars Technica highlights a rootkit (a piece of software that typically hides itself deep in an operating system’s Kernel or a computer’s BIOS) that is capable of communicating with nearby computers using a system’s speaker and microphone. Dubbed “badBIOS,” the malware has been plaguing renowned security researcher Dragos Ruiu’s computers for three years. Similar in nature to many other rootkits, badBIOS does its best to prevent users from erasing…

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Google

Dear Google, What’s Wrong With You?

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As reported on TechCrunch.  by Jon Evans Dear Google: What’s wrong? I ask because last weekend, while in San Francisco, I asked Google Maps for “hot chocolate mission” — and was promptly directed to an ARCO station in Fremont, 40 miles away. Similarly, last month I searched for “coffee” while in the Embarcadero Center, one of the denser coffee hotspots in America, and was sent to a Starbucks more than two miles away. And it hasn’t…

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Google

Eric Schmidt praises Myanmar’s mobile efforts, but says North Korea hasn’t called back

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As reported on Engadget. By Richard Lai Google’s Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, was at the Chinese University of Hong Kong earlier today to launch a local entrepreneurship program with the institute. As a man who believes in free and open internet to aid startups and innovation, the exec was happy to give an update on North Korea and Myanmar since he last visited there to promote better web access. For the former, Schmidt joked that no one called him back since…

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Google

Google expands Glass sales but still wants a one-to-one chat with every buyer

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As reported on Engadget. By Sharif Sakr Gone are the days when you needed to visit a Google office in person to pick up a pair of Explorer Edition spectacles. Following the recent expansion of the wearable project, which allowed existing owners to invite up to three friends or relatives to take that $1,500 step into the future, it’s been possible for new customers to have their glasses shipped to them, just like any commercial product. What hasn’tchanged, however, is…

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