25 February, 2010

"iDO", says couple wedded through iPhone

'APPLE-OBSESSED' COUPLE SAYS 'IDO'
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NEW YORK - An American couple, who are obsessed with Apple products, have become the first to marry inside one of the technology giant's stores.

The couple, Mr Josh Li and his wife, Ms Ting, from New York (picture), said "iDo" at the city's Apple store on Fifth Avenue on Valentine's Day in a ceremony dominated with the company's products and references to them.

The pair, who met in the Apple store, had their priest dressed as Mr Steve Jobs, the company's chief executive, read their vows from their iPhones, while the rings were tied to a ribbon wrapped around a first generation iPod.

Part of their vows included a passage from the Apple CEO that said: "You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down." Mrs Li had her vows written on a card that said "I love you more than this" followed by a picture of an iPhone.

The unauthorised wedding was attended by about 30 friends. "We got to know each other because Ting was looking to buy an iPod and I managed to strike up a conversation that way," said Mr Li, who was dressed in a suit and a pink tie. "I used to joke that the Apple Store is my church because I am not religious, and I loved everything Apple. Ting then came up with the idea of having the wedding there."

According to a blog on Apple's retail stores, the ceremony was not authorised by Apple, but staff "did not interfere". A video of the wedding has also been posted on YouTube.THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

From TODAY, Monday, 22-Feb-2010
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The Protective Apple

Second generation iPod Touch.Image via Wikipedia

APPLE REMOVING RISQUE IPHONE APPS
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WASHINGTON - Apple has begun removing risque iPhone and iPod Touch applications from its online App Store, including some which had previously been approved for sale, according to reports on Saturday.

Technology blog TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal said the new policy towards adult-themed contents had resulted, for example, in the deletion of applications featuring bikini models.

TechCrunch said Apple had begun notifying application developers earlier this week that apps with "overtly sexual content" were being removed.

The Wall Street Journal said the move appeared to be part of an effort by Apple to clean up the App Store ahead of the shipping late next month of its new iPad tablet computer.

The newspaper said the App Store, which offers more than 140,000 programmes, will be an important part of the marketing of the iPad, which Apple intends to promote as a device for families and schools. AFP

From TODAY, Monday, 22-Feb-2010
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How Can Google Be Hacked?

Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBase

SCHOOLS DENY GOOGLE HACKING
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SHANGHAI - Two prominent schools in China dispute allegations that hacking attacks on Google and other firms originated from them, Xinhua news agency reported.

The New York Times reported last Thursday that security investigators traced the hacking to computers at Shanghai Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School in China.

Xinhua cited an unnamed Jiaotong University spokesperson on Saturday as saying the allegation against it is baseless, and an official at the vocational school said its investigation found no evidence the attacks originated there.

Mr Li Zixiang, a Communist party official in the Lanxiang school in the eastern Shandong province, said students there are currently on their winter break.

He also disputed NYT's report that some evidence linked attacks to one computer science class taught by a Ukrainian.

"We have never employed any foreign staff," Mr Li was quoted as saying.

Mr Zhou Hui, director of the school's general office disputed the NYT's report that Lanxiang had close ties to the military. He told Xinhua that some students had joined the military after school, but it was natural for citizens to do so.

Google revealed Jan 12 that digital thieves had stolen some of its computer code and tried to break into the accounts of human rights activists opposed to China's policies.

The digital assault was so serious that Google has said it's prepared to shut down its China-based search engine and the company and the government are still discussing a possible compromise. AP

From TODAY, Monday, 22-Feb-2010
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19 February, 2010

The misuse of computer knowledge at work?

Google's first production server rack, circa 1999Image via Wikipedia

2,400 FIRMS, GOVT AGENCIES HIT BY HACKERS
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SAN FRANCISCO - Coordinated cyber attacks launched from Europe and China breached computers at firms and government agencies worldwide in the past 18 months, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The Journal quoted computer security firm NetWitness as saying the attacks made mountains of data vulnerable to mining by hackers, although the damage had yet to be fully assessed.

Information bared to hackers ranged from credit card transactions to intellectual property of slightly more than 2,400 victims, including 10 US government agencies, according to the Journal.

The hacking operation began in late 2008 in Germany and has yet to be stopped, NetWitness said.

Workers at companies were tricked into visiting websites or opening email attachments that promised to clean viruses from computers but instead infected machines.

Malicious code used in the attacks allowed hackers to seize control of computers remotely. Evidence cited by NetWitness indicated the culprits may be Eastern European gangsters.

The report came in the wake of Google revealing it was targeted by a sophisticated cyber attack aimed at the US firm's source code and Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists around the world. Computer industry specialists subsequently said more than 30 companies were hit by those attackers.

The apparent online espionage prompted Google to vow it would stop bowing to Chinese censors and shut down its China search service if it cannot operate unfettered. Google continues to filter searches in accordance with Chinese law while trying to negotiate a compromise with officials there. AFP

From TODAY, Friday, 19-Feb-2010

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