Electronic Nose May Replace Police Dogs

By JR Raphael Contributing Writer, [GAS] The days of the police dog’s career may be numbered. Scientists are working on a new breed of electronic noses that could replace the canine cadets, CNN reports. The high-tech sniffers would be able to find even the smallest amounts of explosive substances in places like airports and could […]



Followup: San Fran Network Guru Coughs Up Key for Mayor

Last week I wrote about Terry Childs, the jailed network administrator for the City of San Francisco who, if the press is to be believed, went nutty, changed the admin passwords, and then locked everyone out of administration of city systems.  It was the cyber equivalent of swallowing the key. In a twist to this […]

Microsoft, Cisco, Conspire with Homeland Security to Keep Internet Running?

By PatB Contributing Writer, [GAS] US-CERT, the organization absorbed into the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2004, is keeping the Internet secure by coordinating the efforts of industry leaders and keeping those efforts top-secret. Yesterday, the biggest companies on the Internet, including Cisco, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, came to a decision on security […]



Google Must Divulge Video Viewing Habits Of Every YouTube User, Says US Court

This is potentially huge. Viacom, which owns MTV and Paramount Pictures, has been involved in a legal battle with YouTube (and now Google) over what Viacom alleges is massive copyright infringement of their property. Viacom claims to have identified 160,000 unauthorised clips of its programmes. Now, a US court has told Google that it must […]

Verizon Offers Geek 101 Classes

Geeks, as we all know, rule the world. Would you like to be one, too? Maybe you’re not quite geek enough. Maybe you know somebody who is crying out to be a geek, but they don’t know where to start. Maybe – heavens, say it ain’t so – you don’t own a Blackberry. Or – […]

Jamming Cellphones, Cameras, iPods, Cars

By PatB Contributing Writer, [GAS] When I worked at the Department of Homeland Security, I remembered hearing discussions about creating security by denying access to electronics or control systems.  The idea was that in a crowd of people, like in a protest group or political rally, cell phones could be dampened in a region to […]

Controversy Erupts Over Secret Cell Phone Tracking

By JR Raphael Contributing Writer, [GAS] You may have been part of a scientific study and not even known it. New word is out this week that researchers used cell phone towers and call records to secretly track every step made by 100,000 people — without ever getting their permission. The study, conducted by Boston’s […]

Mastering the Costanza: Eight Steps to Beating a Lie Detector

By JR Raphael Contributing Writer, [GAS] Ah, the mystery of the lie detector. Can it really be beaten? George Constanza said trying to learn would be like asking Pavarotti to teach you his tricks. Well, grab your microphone and get ready. It’s time for you to hit the stage. The basics To beat a polygraph, […]