Ulf Moller's killers arrested.
/It looks like there has been an arrest in the murder of Mixmaster developer Ulf Moller. http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fpanorama%2Fjustiz%2F0%2C1518%2C818945%2C00.html&act=url
I did not have much hope of seeing them caught.
Amazingly candid discussion of Target's targeting
/This article talks about how your buying history provides very detailed information about you. The example at hand is Target's ability to know if you are pregnant and to predict your due date with high accuracy based only on your purchasing behavior.
Google tricks iOS Safari into tracking you.
/I just wrote a post on this issue over on ThePrivacyBlog.
In short, many advertisers are exploiting a couple of vulnerabilities in Safari on iOS to allow them to set 3rd party tracking cookies even when the user has the browser configured to block them (which is the default).
Ulf Möller found murdered
/Another of the key contributors to the Mixmaster Remailer project has died violently. Ulf Möller was found dead in his car in Eastern Germany. Apparently the victim of a robbery / murder.
Here are some reports of the incident (in German):
http://www.ndr.de/regional/schleswig-holstein/trittau115.html
http://www.ln-online.de/lokales/stormarn/3339992/die-polizei-sucht-ulf-moeller-aus-trittau
http://www.mz-web.de/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=ksta/page&atype=ksArtikel&aid=1321007898341
Your own personal Cray-1
/Chris Fenton shows that you can build a fully functional cycle-accurate Cray-1 with an FPGA. He even built a case that looks like an old Cray-1
Update:
Some quick testing shows my iPad 2 is about 18 times faster than a Cray-1. <grin>
Awesome Fluid Dynamics Physics Demo
/This is a really cool demonstration of the rope coiling effect when a viscous fluid is dispensed onto a flat surface, in this case a moving belt.
Roger Ebert on the Occupy movement
/I am really impressed with the thinking and writing in his blog. I clearly need to read it more often.
Roger Ebert posts really nice video on how PROTECT IP Act works.
/I am probably going to sound like a broken record on this issue, but I feel passionately about copyright, fair use and am very worried about this and related legislation.
DOJ want to criminalize fibbing
/Declan McCullagh in CNET reports that the Justice Department is pushing an absurd over broadening of the CFAA to criminalize violating website terms of service agreements.
The idea would be to treat all website terms of service as contracts fully limiting access to the site, therefor any violation of the TOS would be unauthorized access (A.K.A. Hacking) which is a felony.
Don't lie about your age, weight, height, or job title on that dating site!
I just can't resist good physics jokes
/In this case we have a twist on the old "spherical cow" theme from Abstruse Goose.
Anonymizer Survey: Anti-virus and Firewall popular but ineffective privacy protectors
/Anonymizer just released the results of a new survey of people's use of privacy protecting technologies. The short answer is that the old standards, anti-virus and firewalls, are widely used. Unfortunately they don't actually do much to protect your privacy. They are more about security.
For full details, read the article.
Another fantastic Onion spoof
/This time it is of intelligence community use of Facebook.
DNS based Man in the Middle attacks.
/Schneier on Security: Domain-in-the-Middle Attacks
Bruce Schneier on the real world effectiveness of a very simple domain name based man in the middle attack.
Here is a Wired article on the same issue showing how it was used to steal 20 GB of email from a Fortune 500 company.
Identify speakers of encrypted audio
/Schneier has a post on a paper about discovering the identity of a speaker even when using encrypted VoIP.
Refuse to be terrorized
/Another argument for rationality in the face of terrorism. This time from Spencer Ackerman of Wired.
10 Lessons from 9/11
/A very thoughtful essay on 10 lessons to take and teach from the events of 9/11.