Ben’s Tech Show #13

Written by Ben Straw

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.5MB)

House keeping

Sat Dec 20th – 7:00 pm est – Road trip Show
Tue Dec 23rd – 7:00 Pm est – Christmas Show
Tue Dec 24th – No Show
Sat Dec 27 – No Show
Thur Jan 1st – 3:00 pm est – New Year Show

Site Changes

WordPress -Podpress

Blog

Upcoming Product Review on youtube
Comcast rant

News

Future Intel Netbook chips surfaces
Over at cnet they are reporting Intels new netbook chip platform code-named Medfield, which will be based on next-generation 32-nanometer process technology.
Medfield will be preceded by Pineview, based on a 45-nanometer process–the manufacturing process currently used in Atom processors.
It is rumored that Medfield will integrate the processor, memory controller, multimedia functions, and I/O (Input/Output) into a single chip. The I/O hub has typically been on a separate piece of silicon–as has the memory controller (for Intel silicon) until recently.

Dell Hikes Up Windows XP Price by $150
Gizmodo is reporting that the OEM Giant Dell had hiked the price of the eight year old OS Windows XP by 150$
in my opinion this price gouging for an out of date product.

President-elect Barack Obama Energy Plan
In his weekly radio address, which is broadcast on YouTube, Obama laid out the planks a government-led spending program meant to revitalize the U.S. economy and create jobs.
“First, we will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs,” he said in his radio address
The energy plan is expected to include a commitment to upgrade the electricity distribution infrastructure. By equipping the grid with communications network–the essence of smart grid technology–utilities can run the power grid more efficiently and consumers can get information to help lower energy usage.

HP Mini 1000 gets mini-sized $40 price cut
The basic price for the HP Mini 1000 netbook will be $359.99 starting on Sunday 12/07/08, after a $40 drop, according to an email that we have received from Hewlett-Packard

100Mbps Verizon FiOS to (Probably) Arrive in 2009
With Comcast upping its speeds to 50Mbps in a few markets, Verizon’s gotta roll out a big, round number to compete, so they’ve announced, and then hedged, the upcoming rollout of 100Mbps FiOS service, starting hopefully in 2009. The price isnt set fot the 100mbps but the price for 50mbps teir is setting at $150

Beware of rogue DHCP servers, warns Symantec
Computers on a LAN may be plaged by rogue DHCP servers created by malware, leading to Internet traffic being diverted to bogus or otherwise malicious sites. A security vendor says attack code is in the wild.
DHCP is a mechanism commonly used to automatically assign IP addresses to computers and other devices on a local network. It also provides the client systems with the address of the DNS server(s) they should use.
Using a malicious DNS server to divert traffic to malicious sites is known as pharming. A pharmed user may type a bank URL directly into the browser (as recommended by most financial institutions), but may end up on a fake site designed to capture login details to aid in making fraudulent transactions.
According to Symantec, a Trojan it has dubbed Flush.M sets up a rogue DHCP server on the victim’s PC.
When other systems on the LAN make a DHCP request to receive or renew an IP address, Flush.M responds.
If the requesting system receives Flush.M’s response before that of the real DHCP server, it will start using the malicious DNS server(s) rather than those specified by the real network administrator.
This can be done by infecting just one PC on the LAN, and it can potentially divert the traffic from any other device, regardless of its operating system.
Furthermore, security software running on those other devices is unlikely to find anything wrong.
Symantec suggests network administrators should watch for DHCP offers originating from addresses other than their DHCP servers, and that they monitor or block traffic to the IP address range 85.255.112.0 to 85.255.127.255, which includes known malicious DNS servers.

Pill Pusher botnet awakens
One of the three botnets cut off by the shutdown of rogue ISP McColo is back in business. The Mega-D botnet is back on its feet and throwing off huge volumes of spam, net security firm Marshal8e6 reports.
The botnet – best known for spamvertising adverts for selling ED pills – has been linked back to a network of compromised zombie PCs through a new command and control infrastructure. Analysis of where these systems are located is ongoing and neither Marshal8e6 or its competitors are prepared to point the finger of blame just yet. What’s not in any doubt is that junk mail from compromised systems is on the rise.
“Spam from Mega-D has been ramping up over the last few days and reached up to 48 per cent of all the spam we captured in our honeypot spam traps,” according to Phil Hay, lead threat analyst for the Marshal8e6 TRACElabs.

Hubble sniffs CO2 on far-flung ‘hot Jupiter’ planet
The Hubble Space Telescope has detected carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star 63 light years away. NASA says this is “an important step toward finding chemical biotracers of extraterrestrial life”.

Office Depot to Close 112 Stores
Another Big Gadget retailer closes.
Office Depot are planning to close 112 stores, over the next three months. A list of the store closings has not been made available, but the breakdown will look like this: “45 stores in the Central U.S., 40 in the Northeast and Canada, 19 in the West and eight in the South.” They are also shutting down six of their 33 distribution facilities and scaling back openings to 20 in 2009.

Gadgets

New 007 Laser Weapon – Revealed
Instructables has posted a guide for how to yank the blue diode out of a dusty old Xbox 360 HD-DVD player and attach it to a gun to create…. a laser sight! and when you’re done, you’ve got a blue laser pistol powerful enough to light a match or pop a balloon.

Switchback UMPC
Tim sent this in
Removable Hard Drive – Quickly stow away sensitive data without taking the machine with you or move information from one system to another.
Hot Swappable Battery – Revitalize your power supply instantaneously out in the field without having to shut down your computer.
Self-Diagnostics Tool – The SwitchBack automatically runs a self-diagnostics tool, reducing downtime and helping to troubleshoot in the field.
Able to run – Linux, Windows CE, Windows Vista, and Windows XP

Office Warfar
Ready for take off. Take your paper airplane experience to electrifying new heights with The Electric Paper Plane Launcher! This fun kit was designed at Middlesex University, one of the leading design Universities in the UK. With simple assemble, you can discover how spinning motors and plastic discs can be used to launch a plane at over 30 mph!

World’s Smallest Optical Mouse
Measuring 42 x 21 x 17.65mm, the Z-Nano is claimed to be the “world’s smallest optical mouse”. It features precise laser tracking, USB connectivity, ultra bright LED indicator lights, and the ability to personalize the device. Available now, priced at $60.00.

Fire-Breathing Robo Dog
Check out the Video

Movie Geek

First Full-Length Terminator Salvation Trailer Leaks Out of Japan
Here’s the first full length trailer for Terminator: Salvation, apparently leaked from Japan. It’s loaded up with all sorts of scary new robots built for the destruction of humanity. There’s lots of new footage in here, including footage of the gigantic mech, the bikebots and the harvesters that we’ve seen concept art for. I’m not sure if this will actually end up being a good movie or not, but at the very least it should provide some solid eye candy.