Week Ten

How an MP3 can be used to hack your car

It's not just your computer that's at risk of malware - dodgy MP3s can now take over your car.

Last year, a team of researchers at the US Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security revealed how automobile computer systems could be hacked via the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) port, an access point typically used by engineers to download data on the vehicle's health. 

Through this, they were able to hijack the car, allowing the researchers to disable the brakes, turn the engine on and off, and control electrical systems such as the odometer, lights, climate control, radio and locks.

Building on this, a team of security experts from the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Washington, led by Professor Stefan Savage, have now identified a variety of weak points through which hackers can gain access to a vehicle's computer systems remotely.

In one example, cellphone hardware installed in luxury cars was attacked, allowing the team to inject malicious code into the car's electronic controls. In theory, hackers could then sell the car to a thief, giving them its location and unlocking it remotely. The team also managed to take control of the car using a Trojan app on a phone that used an Android operating system and had been paired with the car's Bluetooth system. 

Another weak point identified was the stereo system, often integrated into other electronic systems such as climate control and GPS. The researchers were able to show that software embedded in an MP3 file could install itself into the car's firmware, enabling similar exploits to those above. If the car had a self-parking system, it could in theory be driven away by the hacker.

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Week Nine

Toshiba Satellite L635 Child Notebook: This gadget promises to be great for parents who have wanted to buy useful toys for their children. Designed for kids between five and 10 years of age, this notebook comes with a 13.3-inch screen and a wipeable keyboard, making it a cool new piece of technology for kids worldwide.

 

Built-In Parental Controls

 

Our new Satellite® L635 Laptop for Kids delivers Web time without the worry. It features one of the best parental control software in the market—Net Nanny™—to help prevent access to the wrong sites or disclosure of private information though email or instant messaging. It lets you limit online visits. Plus, it offers a child-safe browser—KidZui®—for research, games and fun. No need to download these apps. They’re pre-loaded right onto the PC.

Week 8

What if you could buy your iPhone and wireless service directly from Apple, without having to sign a contract with AT&T or Verizon? Imagine going to Google.com and buying an Android phone that comes with Google Wireless.

That day may come sooner than you think.

LightSquared, a wholesale 4G carrier, recently announced that it has five partners lined up, including a website, a national retailer, a device manufacturer, and two carriers. LightSquared's LTE mobile broadband network will provide the infrastructure and service, and partner companies will slap their branding on it and sell it as their own wireless service. The network is set to start rolling out later this year.
The company didn't name its partners, but speculation has run rampant. Is Amazon Wireless coming down the pike? Motorola Wireless? Target  Wireless?
Whoever the partners turn out to be, LightSquared has the potential to shake up the current wireless service market. In the near future, you could buy a smartphone with service directly from the phone's manufacturer or the store that sold it to you.
That wholesale model promises some big benefits. For consumers, it means you would no longer have to covet a device that exists on a network that you don't want to switch to. For retailers, it's a way to have a recurring relationship with consumers and make a few extra bucks by selling an additional service.
Who loses? Existing carriers. Wireless service could easily become a commodity: Just like you don't know whose bananas you're buying at the grocery store, one day you may not know who is providing your cell service.
There are wide-ranging implications of that, including the titillating potential for your cell phone to automatically choose the cheapest service available every time you made a call. Wouldn't that be something?
But don't feel too bad for the wireless carriers -- their business model is being shaken up no matter what happens. The huge spike in mobile data means networks are spending $50 billion annually just to keep up. Smaller wireless companies like Sprint , T-Mobile and MetroPCS  are starting to ask themselves whether all that spending is worth it.
"If you're not AT&T or Verizon, you're wondering if you can afford to build out a nationwide network and compete with the leaders anymore," said Dan Hays, a partner at consultancy PRTM who focuses on telecom issues. "Simply being a network owner may no longer be enough to sustain you."
In other words, the sea change is already underway.


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Week Seven

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! It’s only a few days away and heart’s day is here again – have you found the perfect gift for your loved one? You haven’t?! Well, if you’re running out of ideas for that perfect gift, or that perfect something that will spice up your and your loved one’s Valentine’s day, I have some ideas for you. Check these out:

Heat Changing Love Mug: Say I Love You in a Unique Way
Why don’t you surprise your special someone with this mug? It comes in a heart shape and it’s peppered with small red hearts. But, there’s more to these hearts than you can imagine! You don’t need words, nor hugs or kisses, just a cup of coffee to convey your message – pour in the hot coffee into the mug and the heart shapes will reveal an “I Love You” message that will surely delight your loved one and start his or her morning right!

Magic Love Candle: Traditional Romance Rekindled After your morning surprise to your loved one, you can cap off the day with a romantic dinner using a magic love candle. This cute stuff is a candle, and more! Yes, it burns like a normal candle, and the heart shape is truly romantic. But, other than that, it comes with a sensor, battery, and LEDs (unique, huh?) that allow it to phase through different shades of red when the wick is lit. It’s a perfect blend of the traditional and modern, something your loved one will surely enjoy.


8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt: Because Proximity Means Life And if you want to show the world that you’re at your best together, this black shirt with hearts that glow is the perfect gift for your loved one (and for you)! The red hearts correspond to your life energy, and it increases or decreases – yes, just like your favorite video game! When you’re far from each other, you have less life and therefore less glowing hearts (only 2.5 of the hearts will glow). When you get near each other, you’ll be back in real great condition and all your hearts will be fully illuminated. This is a truly unique way to celebrate your togetherness!


Tunes for Two Heart Splitter: Because You Share Everything, Even Music And while you have those shirts on, why don’t you listen to your favorite tunes – that is, from one single music source. Just use the heart splitter, plug into your music source, and it can accommodate two headphones for you and your loved one. It comes in red and pink colors, perfect for celebrating the Valentine season by listening to your favorite songs together.



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Week Six

AT&T haters have been waiting years for a Verizon iPhone, so where were the 'round-the-block lines on Thursday? Chalk up the relatively muted atmosphere to strong direct-ship preorders, the lack of a truly new version, and the fact that waiting in line outside in February is much different from doing so in June. 

Just after the Verizon iPhone went on pre-order last week, the carrier boasted record-setting numbers of sales . Some estimates pegged the number at half a million units in only a few hours.

When the actual phones made it to stores on Thursday, though, most places didn't see the kind of blocks-long lines that form at Apple and AT&T stores each time a brand-new model rolls out. So was the launch a big downer? Why no dancing in the street? Might be because Verizon's iPhone 4 isn't exactly a new model; might also be because previous launches happened in June, and it is now February. If you don't get the point I'm trying to make, you need to go outside more.
Anyway, now AT&T refuseniks who want an iPhone can get one, and at its heart it is the same iPhone 4 the world has seen before. But there are a few minor differences.
For one thing, the metal band around the Verizon iPhone appears to be subtly different than the one around the AT&T iPhone. That band serves as the device's antenna, and it was sharply criticized when iPhone 4 was first launched. It seems the design resulted in a so-called "death grip" -- hold the phone a certain way and watch your service bars disappear. It would stand to reason that Apple may have wanted to tweak that bit of engineering for the Verizon launch, but a few reports have surfaced that the death grip is still there, and it's now been joined by the "death hug," which affects the thing's WiFi antenna. We'll see if this issue snowballs the way it did last summer.

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Wave and Pay, Cashless Technology

Parts of Asia have been using it for years! And in Hong Kong its a way of life! You can use a credit card, your iPhone or a watch! It is similar to the Pay Pass here in America. If you have one of the cards, all you have to do when you are ready to pay is just touch your card to the receiver and boom its paid. You don't even have to take your card out of your wallet! Just touch your wallet to the receiver and go. If you use your iPhone or watch, just wave it in front of the receiver and go! Its fast and simply. There is a little chip on the card and in the watch that allows it to exchange information at close range with another devise, its called Near field communication. You can load money on it like at ATM machines. Hong Kong as been using this technology on its trams for over a decade. You can use it on the trains, trams, buses, and at over three thousand other locations in the city like movie theaters, restaurants and grocery stores. You can really only make small purchases on it, so you wouldn't be able to walk into a car dealership and buy a car with it. When you are running low you can just add money to it or sink it to your credit card! It's fast and easy and is spreading like wild fire! 

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Week Four

A demonstration day at Kaiser Permanente offers a look at robotic legs for those who can't walk, arms for those who can't lift, and forceps for surgeons who can't be in the operating room. Since 9/11 and the US going to war thousands of military men and women are coming home with missing limbs. In the past several years the technology of robotics has boomed in order to help those who served our country. Men and women who couldn't walk and now walk with the help of robotic legs. They are also being designed to help support our surging population of elderly and persons with disabilities.  The rise of helpful machines are assisting individuals to become more independent in their daily living. 

 

PerMMA is the only wheelchair with robotic arms, this wheelchair was created at the University of Pittsburgh.  Today, 4.3 million Americans rely on wheelchairs with few chairs being ideal for people with physical impairments, such as limited mobility.  Users can control the robotic arms from a touch pad, microphone, or joystick. For now, each arm can support six pounds, but soon a new arm will be created to support up to 150 pounds.  Expect to see this robotic wheelchair on the job by 2020.

RIBA, is a forklift for humans. It was created at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Japan.  This robot helps individuals who are too weak to walk, sit, or stand on their own.  RIBA, Robot for Interactive Body Assistance, is the only robot with arms designed to carry those people around.  The robot can also recognize faces and voices and respond to commands, such as “RIBA, please help me off the couch.”  The RIBA should expect to be seen on the job sometime next year.

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