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Raymond Mendoza
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Raymond Mendoza
Happy birthday Joel!
Joel is the one on the left if that wasn’t clear.
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Raymond Mendoza
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Raymond Mendoza
Debit Card Fraud: It happened to me, it could happen to you
I use my debit card rarely, but when I do, I consider myself very cautious. I look around for anyone suspicious, I check for facades on the machine, and I cover the keypad so even I can’t see it.
So I was very surprised to find out that my card was copied as well as my PIN. I just noticed strange transactions on my account and a few hundred dollars missing. Luckily, I keep very little money in my checking accounts.
I’m not sure how this happened, but I have only used my debit card twice in the past month: at the CIBC by my work and the bubble tea place at Scarborough Town centre. Of course, it could have happened outside of any debit transaction when I wasn’t at full attention.
There will be an investigation and hopefully the money will be returned. This should be a reminder to everyone to be very cautious during any transactions. There are very smart people out there applying their talents at the expense of others.
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Raymond Mendoza
Show Microsoft Who Else Is a PC [Photo Contest]
So you’ve seen Microsoft’s “phase 2″ ads featuring all sorts of people saying that they are PCs, not this damned dirty John Hodgman stereotype that Apple is tossing around. It’s all well and good, but I’d like to see what kinds of people who claim to be PCs we have reading Gizmodo. Sounds like a photo contest to me. For this one, I want you to get a picture of yourself holding a sign that says “I’m a PC” while doing something ridiculous, preferably something that Microsoft would never, ever put into their ads.Send the results to contests@gizmodo.com with “I’m a PC” in the subject line. Name your file FirstnameLastname.jpg so you can be properly credited for your genius, and send it in to me by next Tuesday. I’ll pick the top three winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it, friends!
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Raymond Mendoza
U.S. iPhone traffic clogs RIM's Bold plans
Shared by Raymond
From the globe and mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080917.wgtbold17/BNStory/TechnologyIt looks as though BlackBerry enthusiasts in the U.S. have yet another reason to hate the iPhone.
Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry Bold has yet to launch with its exclusive U.S. carrier and it appears that Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone may be the reason why.
Even though the Bold is available in more than a dozen countries, AT&T Inc. has yet to offer the device in the U.S. because iPhone data traffic is clogging the telecom giant’s networks, according to analysts.
Both devices use the same next generation (3G) network technology, but it now appears AT&T wasn't prepared for the bandwidth-hogging Apple device and doesn't have the resources to launch the Bold until it cures its iPhone issues.
One reason is that the iPhone lacks the data compression technology that is a hallmark of RIM’s BlackBerry devices.
"AT&T really relied upon RIM for its data network management," Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek wrote in a note to clients this week. "Recall that RIM manages virtually all of the data traffic for its carriers globally … AT&T in our view was spoiled by the fact that RIM essentially shielded the carrier from the full burden on the network."
Also, whereas BlackBerry data traffic is channelled through RIM's servers, the iPhone utilizes a "ping-pong" technology which must constantly access AT&T's network in order to receive data and e-mails, placing a great strain on the telecom company's cellular infrastructure. "We believe that AT&T is now realizing that it can have up to 20 BlackBerrys for every iPhone on its network," Mr. Misek said. AT&T will need to spend as much as $1-billion (U.S.) to repair its network, he added.
The Bold launched in Canada with Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. on Aug. 21.
RIM co-chief executive officer Jim Balsillie told a wireless industry conference last week that he expects the Bold will be available in the U.S. through AT&T in October.
AT&T's wireless business did not respond to requests for comment. RIM (TSX) rose $3.03 (Canadian) to $107.63. ATT (NYSE) fell 27 cents to $24.65. Matt Hartley
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Raymond Mendoza
Downtown’s latest weapon of choice: ketchup
By Danielle Wong, National Post
Betsy Chaly had about $600 stolen from her purse inside a busy bank in Toronto’s business district last month. The thief’s weapon of choice? Ketchup.
That day, Ms. Chaly exchanged several hundred Euros for a trip to Italy during a lunch break at a Scotiabank at King and Bay streets. She placed the money in an envelope and put it in her purse after stopping at the bank machine.
“A guy walked up to me and pointed at my pants. He said, ‘You have something there,’” Ms. Chaly said.
When she wiped the back of her pants, her hand was covered in ketchup.The man pointed further down, so she reached down to wipe off the ketchup on her pant leg, Ms. Chaly said. “That’s when it must’ve been done.”
The man handed her tissues, but disappeared without a word while she cleaned up at a counter, Ms. Chaly said. When she got home that night, the envelope was missing.
Ms. Chaly later learned she was victim of a resurrected trend in diversionary thefts, after police said they recently uncovered a nest of thieves.
Diversionary thieves tend to work in teams, spraying liquids such as mustard or ketchup on victims, and then pickpocketing them while they are distracted, Det. Sgt. Greg Cole said.
Three people were arrested in Ms. Chaly’s case, Det. Sgt. Cole said — one who spoke with her, another to plant the distraction and someone who stole the cash.
“I was totally [too] distracted to notice,” Ms. Chaly said. “I wish I had paid more attention. I was actually thanking him profusely.”
Earlier this year, another diversionary theft was reported in the area, with the thieves using feces as a distraction and accosting the victim in the bathroom, Det. Sgt. Cole said.
“It’s a bigger population of people in the downtown Toronto area. There are a lot more victims to choose from … a lot more [bank] machines that are closer together,” Det. Sgt. Cole said.
Pickpockets have used the tactic for more than a decade, Det. Barrie Wilkinson said.
“I know enough that when someone says there’s ketchup on me to move 10 feet away,” he said. “We called them ketchup thefts many years ago.”
Det. Wilkinson said he estimates there are “well in the hundreds” of ketchup thefts every year across Toronto.
It can happen in any crowded venue, and incidents may increase as the Christmas holidays approach, Det. Sgt. Cole said. “People have to be aware of their surroundings … If something doesn’t feel right, leave and go to another machine.”Photo of Betsy Chaly by Tyler Anderson, National Post
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Raymond Mendoza
Amazon Gets In On the Content Delivery Business
It was only a matter of time before Amazon would decide to release a Content Delivery Network, and according to the company in an official statement released today, it has done just that.
Designed to complement its S3 storage service and EC2 web services, the CDN will be available later this year and will provide users with a high performance method of distributing content to end users. Amazon claims it will have low latency and high data transfer rates when users access the content and it will be specifically designed (in the beginning at least) for “developers and businesses who need to deliver popular, publicly readable content over HTTP connections.”
Although the CDN space is crowded with similar services from Akamai Technologies and Limelight Networks, Amazon thinks it knows how to be successful in the space. And one of the key components of its plan is to undercut others on price and make it much easier to buy CDN services.
According to Amazon, it will charge customers based on usage instead of the common practice of charging through long-term contracts, but it would not discuss pricing at this time.
Amazon getting into the CDN business seems like the ideal move for a company that’s trying to provide storage and on-demand computing services already. And considering its size makes it easier for it to adapt its business model to satisfy smaller businesses and those that are less likely to want to enter into long-term agreements, Amazon could quite easily push its competitors aside and cement itself as the leader in the market.
And with a video streaming and distribution service already in place, Amazon is quickly becoming a CDN for itself, so it may know a thing or two about providing a robust service to its customers when its CDN becomes available later this year.
Information provided by CrunchBaseCrunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
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Raymond Mendoza
Start your “Life with PlayStation”
If you’ve ever wished you could find everything you need to start your day on your PLAYSTATION 3, Life with PlayStation give you one more reason to do so. This free service delivers a new way for you to utilize your PS3 to instantly access real-time news and information like weather updates from over 60 cities around the world.
Life with PlayStation provides a stunning interactive globe, a 3D world map that you can twirl around to see live cloud movement courtesy of the University of Wisconsin, combined with up-to-date weather information from the Weather Channel, top news headlines provided by Google news, and live web cam images via the Earth Television Network — all localized to the select city. And why not have your favorite soundtrack playing in the background while you go through your morning ritual (just think, no TV commercials and teasers to find out if you need to bring an umbrella to work)? You’re on your own for your morning caffeine fix.
For those following the progress of Hurricane Ike throughout last week, we were able to track the storm’s real-time movement from Life with PlayStation. (See the screenshots below)
We’re also really excited to share that this new lifestyle service is running in parallel with our Folding@home project. Essentially, this means that while you’re taking a stroll on Life with PlayStation, you’re automatically helping Stanford University to work towards curing diseases such as Alzheimer’s and various types of cancers. For those familiar with Folding@home, we’ve made some enhancements for more advanced simulations of protein folding and support for wider variety of simulations, in addition to adding a unique ranking system showcasing top contributors from around the world.
I’ve also put together a quick video demo to make sure you’re checking out all the new features here:
Life with PlayStation is now available for download by selecting the Folding@home icon under “Network” on the XMB. Give it a whirl, we look forward to reading your feedback.
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Raymond Mendoza
JOBO AG Launches photoGPS at Photokina 2008
Shared by Raymond
You can’t use your flash at the same time as this.The following unedited press release was provided by the manufacturer:
New capture and process …
