Saturday, December 13, 2008

Hackers Help Loggers Smuggle 1.7 Million Cubic Meters of Wood Out of Brazil [Hax0rs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/zRB_gLlsbro/hackers-help-loggers-smuggle-17-million-cubic-meters-of-wood-out-of-brazil

Hackers in Brazil have managed to break into the computerized system that tracks quotas for logging companies, allowing for the illegal logging and smuggling of nearly 1.7 million cubic meters of wood.

The haven't gotten away with it, however, as Brazil has been trying to crack down on illegal logging. Now there are 107 companies being sued for $833 million. In addition, 202 people are facing prosecution, including 30 "ringleaders" who brought the hackers and logging companies together.

Essentially what they did was falsify transportation permits. The Brazilian system is set up so that companies receive permits to transport their felled trees. The load is measured and that amount of wood is deducted from the total amount allowed. Once a company reaches its quota, it can't get more permits and therefore can't make more money by cutting down trees. However, hiring hackers got them around the system for long enough to do some big illegal damage.

We'll see if anything actually happens in court to stop this practice. [Greenpeace via Treehugger]



Read More...

Sony Claims They're Not Working on PSP2 [PSP]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Uney2kZUPUo/sony-claims-theyre-not-working-on-psp2

I've always liked the PSP hardware, but iterations like the PSP-3000 are failing to excite me. I just need something new. Unfortunately, Sony claims to not be working on a PSP sequel at this time.

From SCEE President David Reeves:

No, there are currently no plans for a PSP2. I go to Tokyo quite a lot and no one has referred to it...We just launched the PSP-3000 so we are still focused on this generation of the platform.

Reeves goes on the discuss the platform's dichotic hardware success and software failure, admitting that even Sony's own development teams aren't creating titles for the PSP. Though, it's pretty hard to believe that not one person in all of Sony is doing ANYTHING toward a PSP2 development.

As much as I'd like to see a new PSP, the things I'd want (touchscreen, 3G media downloads and 100% remote play compatibility over a universal digital PS3/PSP library) are just outside the reach of anything currently affordable to consumers or implementable by Sony. [MCV via Kotaku]



Read More...

Hands On: Pastebud Copy and Paste Trick For iPhone's Safari and Mail [IPhone]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/f-lXPzGt_o8/hands-on-pastebud-copy-and-paste-trick-for-iphones-safari-and-mail

Pastebud—the Javascript-based copy and paste framework that lets you move text from Safari to an email or a form on a web page—is the cleverest solution yet, but still doesn't quite hit the mark.

As you saw in the demo video, Pastebud works via two Javascript bookmarklets that you save to your Safari browser (and edit slightly). The COPY bookmark translates whatever page you're currently looking at into a text-only version, where you can highlight your desired text. This can then be moved directly to an email, or saved to your virtual clipboard (stored on Pastebud's servers, but anonymously and only for five minutes, they claim).

Pasting text back into another web form via the PASTE bookmarklet is easy—after tapping it, a green box labeled PASTE HERE is overlaid onto any open form field. Tapping that drops in your clipboard's contents, preserving any HTML that was there if the form supports it.

But, of course, there are some drawbacks. While pasting to and from different Safari windows and emails covers a lot of one's copying and pasting needs, it's not anywhere close to the convenience a system-wide solution would bring. You still can't paste the URL to the cute kitten photo you're looking at onto your Wall via the Facebook app, for instance. For things like this, being able to access Safari's URL bar would be nice, since natively, you can only export your current URL via Mail.

Also, th! e free v ersion inserts a small one-line ad for Pastebud; $5 turns this off, and also eliminates the popup that appears whenever you paste. $5 isn't too bad though, for something that's ultimately pretty convenient. If you're betting on Apple's year-plus delay on coming up with a copy and paste solution carrying on, it's not a bad investment. Check out Lifehacker as well for more impressions: [Pastebud, Lifehacker]



Read More...

ViBook USB Adapter Runs Many Screens Via USB [Adapters]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_a2zN9Ps1mg/vibook-usb-adapter-runs-many-screens-via-usb

The maker of the ViDock Gfx ExpressCard adapter solution has just come out with another adapter to connect up to six displays via USB.

The dongle comes at $130 and can support 1680x1050 or 1600x1200 on both Macs and PCs. It's compatible with the latest MacBook and MacBook Pros, for those of you who need more displays than the one Mini DisplayPort can hold.

Each adapter supports one display, and you can hook up to six of these to your PC or four up to your Mac for a super crazy panoramic view at your spreadsheets. Compatibility is DVI and VGA, and should be fine with hot plugging in and out. [VillageTronic]



Read More...

10 Gadgets For Winter Fun: From Snowball Guns to Ice Saunas [Tgif]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/2Yj6tebBL4k/10-gadgets-for-winter-fun-from-snowball-guns-to-ice-saunas

Man, I really miss all the fun you can have in the snow. Snowball fights and forts, snowboarding, school cancellations...those were good times. If only I had gadgets like this back then.

Snow-Baller: Nothing beats a good old-fashioned snowball fight when the conditions are right. You know—when the snow is wet enough to be densely packed. The only problem is that forming the snowballs yourself reduces your efficiency and therefore compromises your chances of success in battle. The Snow-Baller should help to eliminate that problem by speeding up the production process (although you may have to make a trade-off between quantity and quality). [Sno-Baller via Link]

Snowball Blaster: If you are really serious about having an advantage in battle, you could step up to this full-fledged snowball gun. It sculpts the balls for you (three at a time) and can sling em' up to 50 feet. [Hammacher Schlemmer via Link]

IceBox Igloo Maker: If you are going to engage in an all-out snowball war, a pr! otective fort is going to be essential. Using this tool you can build a quality igloo, brick by brick in one to three hours. [Icebox via Link]

Snowman Maker: What's a war without an army? Using this mold, you can crank out a battalion of frosty, button-nosed warriors. Kind of like a wintery version of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's terracotta army.

Slegoon: There are sleds...and then there is the Slegoon. Imagine, if you will, blazing down an ice coated hill in one of these things. The g-forces pressing you against the seat, the snow set ablaze behind you, kids on normal sleds getting devoured by your wake. What was that sound? A sonic boom? You just might survive this if you can stay focused and you don't run out of track. [Link]

Gas Powered Snowboard: Part snowboard, part snowmobile, this contraption has a 6.5-hp 4-cycle gas engine that can get you traveling at speeds up to 18 mph. It can also run for up to 2 hours on a 3/4 tank of gasoline. [Hammacher Schlemmer]

The Grinch: If you prefer riding a traditional ! snowboar d, you can still enjoy some assistance from technology in the form of this Grinch slingshot. The device is hammered into the ground and can rocket snowboarders and surfers into ramps and waves with a towrope attached to a 7HP engine. [Grinch via Link]

Ice Sauna: Of course, there is more to do during the winter than snowball fights and snowboarding. Apparently, sitting in a room where it is 10 degrees below zero can be quite relaxing (for northern European countries at least). I'll take their word for it—although if this woman is included I'm all about it. [Link]

Snow at Home: No Snow? No problem! The SG7 snowmaking system can turn your lawn into a winter wonderland on demand. Unfortunately, it requires freezing temperatures to operate (and it doesn't come cheap at $3300). Might as well just wait for mother nature to do her thing. [Snow at Home]

Instant Snow: Okay, so you don't live in an area where the temperatures dip below freezing. You can still join in the fun with this Instant Snow kit. All you need to do is add water to the powder mix and you can watch it transform into a compound that looks and feels like real snow. Each container can make eight gallons of artificial snow, which should be enough for a warm weather snowball fight. [Steve Spangler Science]

[Image via Frank Juarez]



Read More...