Maybe the problem of Internet security isn’t educating users to be more vigilant, it’s about persuading companies that there is a problem. A survey (PDF file) released today by California-based Secure Computing Corporation found that that “only 25 percent of businesses recognized spyware as a major problem”. This despite studies that show spyware is a problem: A study … Read more
The Wine Spectator Online (via Boingo Wi-Fi Insider) reports that a Sonoma, CA, vineyard is using Wi-Fi to monitor growing conditions at their site: The system uses 40 wireless units on existing trellising posts around the 30-acre vineyard fitted with sensors that measure microclimate data such as soil and air temperature and moisture content, rainfall … Read more
Some guys in California, Mike Outmesguine, John Hering and James Burgess, have managed to connect to an ordinary Bluetooth cellphone from 1 kilometer away, using off-the-shelf stuff, including a high-gain antenna connected to a Class 1 Bluetooth adapter kit. Their conclusion: “A typical unmodified cell phone can be reached at a distance of one kilometer … Read more
No. It is a real problem, if only because there’s still plenty of sleazy people figuring out new ways to ruin your day. There’s some skepticism out there about this new spam threat: SPIM, in case you didn’t know, is spam that’s delivered, not to your inbox, but to your instant messaging chat program, like … Read more
Burn and Foam. Starbucks is now offering a service where customers can browse music on computers in their outlets and then burn a CD of the music they like. Using its own Hear Music brand, Starbucks has launched the service in its new Hear Music Coffeehouse in Santa Monica, Calif. The service will be extended … Read more