Researchers showed a Black Hat audience how femotcell technology, used by phone companies to boost cell phone coverage, can be hacked to intercept cell phone calls, text messages and other data. …read more
Tag Archives: cell phone
A Brief Pastry Tour of Lisbon
By Lauren Salkeld Clockwise from top left: Queijada de Sintra, pastéis de Belém, pao de deus tabuleiro Maybe it’s the fact that my Facebook newsfeed is filled with photos of friends traveling in Europe, or perhaps it’s just a regular summer slump, but lately I’ve been thinking about my last vacation, a week spent in Lisbon this past March. While the trip’s leisurely pace and no-cell-phone-or-Internet-style relaxation come to mind, mostly I’m reminiscing about all the new things I got to see and, if I’m honest, even more so about all the new food I got to try. There was a lot, including at least five of Portugal’s legendary 365 ways to prepare bacalhau. But if I had to pick a theme for the trip, it would be pastry. I knew from fellow Epi-Log contributor Carolina Santos-Neves that the Portuguese have a fondness for egg-filled desserts, so I anticipated lots of custards and enriched baked goods. Plus, as soon as I started mentioning my upcoming trip, Portugal fans immediately insisted I had to go to the Antigua Confeitaria de Belém to try their famous pastéis de Belém, small crisp pastry shells filled with (surprise, surprise) a luscious egg-y custard, and dusted in powdered sugar and cinnamon. As David Leite explains in his culinary guide to Portugal, “These treats are so sought after that it is illegal for any other shop to sell anything called pastéis de Belém; pretenders to the throne must call theirs pastéis de nata.” The bakery can be quite popular. According to Leite, they shape, fill, and bake more than 10,000 pastéis de Belém a day. We were lucky to encounter only a short line in Belém, though I’m sure I would have waited if necessary. I may balk at lines at home in New York, but on vacation, when I worry about never making it back, I’m usually game for a little waiting in line. We encountered another famous pastry in Sintra, a castle-filled town that’s a quick 40-minute train ride from Lisbon. Like pastéis de Belém, Sintra’s specialty, queijadas, are also made in other places. I haven’t heard of any legal claims to the name, but it seems generally accepted that Sintra’s version is the best. The similarities don’t stop there: Queijadas also feature a thin pastry shell filled with custard, but the pastry is thinner and a little less sweet. The filling is also less sweet, probably because it includes fresh cheese (something along the lines of ricotta), and has a firmer texture than the soft custard in the pastéis de Belém. If forced to choose, I’d probably pick Sintra’s queijadas over the pastéis de Belém, but the award for favorite goes to another, less-well-known pastry. At breakfast at Padaria Portuguesa, which has multiple locations in Lisbon, we discovered pão de deus tabuleiro. I’ve yet to find a decent translation for this coconut-infused pastry, reminiscent of an enriched bread dough, something along the lines of brioche, but more delicate and crumbly. The unique texture was probably what…<div …read more
Source: Epicurious
Saliva study of cell phone effects
Frequent cell phone use may be linked to cancer, suggests a study from researchers at Tel Aviv University, led by Dr. Yaniv Hamzany… …read more
US appeals court upholds warrantless collection of phone location data
Warrants are not required by the U.S. government to access historical cell site information, an appeals court ruled in an order.
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects only reasonable expectations of privacy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit wrote in a 2-1 ruling on Tuesday. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
“Because a cell phone user makes a choice to get a phone, to select a particular service provider, and to make a call, and because he knows that the call conveys cell site information, the provider retains this information, and the provider will turn it over to the police if they have a court order, he voluntarily conveys his cell site data each time he makes a call,” the court added.
Cell site information is clearly a business record, collected by the service provider for its own business purposes, and without being asked to so by the government, the court said in the order.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld
UFO Seen Over Baofeng, China On July 2013 Frightens Woman As It Comes Down Out Of The Sky.
By ScottCWaring
Date of sighting: July 2013
Location of sighting: Baofeng, China
In the video you can hear the woman speaking Chinese saying, “Did you see that? No more?” This UFO was caught as it was descending from the night sky.
This video was taken in the city Baofeng, China this week. The city has a population of close to 500,000 and there should be more videos of this craft soon.
There is a loud buzzing noise but I don’t think its a remote control sound because todays drones are electric and mostly silent. Is the noise coming from the UFO, because it sounds like a gas power engine? Hard to say for sure, because the video was too short since the woman used her cell phone to record the UFO and from her voice it sounds like she is 45-55 years old. Same voice as my mother in law here in Taiwan. LOL. SCW
Using bluetooth to track crowds at the Paléo music festival
For her semester project, an EPFL Master’s student applied a different approach to tracking the flow of the crowds at the Paléo music festival – using cell phone data and statistics. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Cell phone advice
I am about to upgrade my cell phone. i have been doing a lot of research and reading of reviews, and these are what I am thinking in order of preference and best phone as per most reviews, but i would value advice from those of you who are phone savvy…..
- HTC One (all in all the best reviews)
- Sony Experia z (Waterproof, dust proof, shock proof, which in my work is a plus)
- Galaxy III (the 4 will be out soon), loads of free apps, easy to use, excellent camera (But not as good as HTC)
- I Phone 5 (Wife has an I Pad and we can facetime, cloud, etc)
Any suggestions?
Source: Worthy Christian Forums
States Ramp Up Efforts to Battle Distracted Driving
The threat posed by distracted driving has been steadily growing as more and more people use cell phones and other electronic devices behind the wheels. But there is some good news. A new report finds that states are stepping up efforts to combat distracted driving. More states have passed laws, increased law enforcement, leveraged new media to educate drivers, and improved data collection in the past few years, according to “2013 Distracted Driving: Survey of the States,” released on Wednesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), an organization representing state highway safety offices. State highway safety agencies from every state and the District of Columbia (DC) participated in the survey. The nonprofit group issued its first report on the topic in 2010. Some highlights from the recent report: -All states report engaging countermeasures to address distracted driving, but 39 states and DC identify it as a priority issue, a 43 percent increase from 28 states in 2010. -While no state fully bans all cell phone use while driving, 47 states and DC have specific laws prohibiting various forms of distracted driving that impact most drivers; 41 states ban texting by all drivers, compared with only 28 states in 2010, a 45 percent increase. -Law enforcement officers in almost every state actively enforce distracted driving laws, a significant change since 2010, despite challenges like age-specific bans for teen drivers and the difficulty in discerning if a motorist is texting or dialing, which is permitted in most states. –Forty-seven states and DC are taking steps to educate the public about distracted driving dangers, a 26 percent increase from 37 states in 2010. The vast majority of states recognize the effectiveness of technology-based communication and social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube; usage of these has jumped 125 percent in the past three years. — States are focusing more on teens, considered the earliest and strongest adopters of new technology and the age group with the highest crash risk, according to the report. For example, 22 percent more states (27 and DC) report developing educational materials targeting teen drivers and/or their parents. States are emphasizing not only the dangers of cell phone use and texting, but also distraction caused by loud music and other teen passengers. –Currently, 47 states and DC, up from 43 in 2010, collect distracted driving-related data via police crash reports, a slight gain in the past three years. Jonathan Adkins, GHSA’s deputy executive director, said it was surprising that there was so much activity to develop effective programs and polices — not just laws, but collaborations with employers and universities, and educational outreach — to keep roadway users safe. But despite the progress, he said, most states report that the number of crashes involving distracted driving is up or the same. “There is still a lot of work to do.” In addition, though the public is often outraged when others refuse to put down their phones when driving, many …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
3D tissue grown using cell phone tech
Researchers have taken technology from makers of mobile phones and other consumer electronics and used it to grow 3D tissue. Scientists at the Draper Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a prototype using an automated “layer-by-layer” assembly method – usually found within the electronics packing industry to build integrated circuits… …read more
NJ court: Warrants needed for cellphone tracking
Police in New Jersey will soon have to get warrants if they want to track suspects using cellphone data, the state’s Supreme Court ruled in a decision that affords citizens here more privacy protections than they enjoy under federal law.
In a unanimous ruling Thursday stemming from the arrest of a burglary suspect in 2006, the court directed that beginning in 30 days, all law enforcement officers must get a search warrant based on probable cause if they want to get access to cellphone locating data. Since 2010, police have had to satisfy a lower standard of demonstrating there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the information would be relevant to an investigation.
“No one buys a cell phone to share detailed information about their whereabouts with the police,” Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote. “That was true in 2006 and is equally true today. Citizens have a legitimate privacy interest in such information.”
Rabner noted that federal courts have been divided over the issue of cellphone tracking by law enforcement. In some other areas, he wrote, New Jersey’s constitution goes farther than the Fourth Amendment in protecting citizens from unreasonable search and seizure — particularly in previous cases involving Internet usage, bank records and hotel telephone records.
“When people make disclosures to phone companies and other providers to use their services, they are not promoting the release of personal information to others. Instead, they can reasonably expect that their personal information will remain private,” Rabner wrote. “For those reasons, we have departed from federal case law that takes a different approach.”
Rubin Sinins, an attorney who argued on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and a state criminal defense lawyers association, called Thursday’s decision “vitally important.”
“I’m not surprised it was unanimous because the basic premise of the opinion is quite logical and consistent with citizens’ reasonable expectation of privacy in their cellphone usage,” he said.
In the 2006 case, police tracked Robert Earls to a motel on Route 9 in Howell using information provided by T-Mobile about the location of a cellphone believed to be in his possession. When he opened the door to his room, police saw items they believed had been stolen and arrested him. He eventually pleaded guilty to burglary and theft.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Earls’ case would be affected by the ruling since a lower …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Need some Advise on a ranch water system
By Verdebill
I have been trying to figure out the control system on a water distribution system on a 28 acre horse ranch here in Central Arizona. I think it has about a 400′ deep well with an 8″ casing and either 1 1/2 or two inch supply line from a submersible pump up out of the well which goes into an approximately 500 gallon tank set sideways about 6′ long and 4′ in diameter. I think the well system itself is on a 30 amp breaker which feeds some kind of control box. The controll box is shown below and sorry for the cell phone photos but it was what I had one me and figured it would be better then nothing.
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The system also has a Warrick controls box which connects to a set of sensors on top of the tank. One of the sensors is about 8″ long and the other is about 16″ long. I don’t understand how these sensors work and they do not seem to conduct electricty when I run a continuity test on them.
Next, there is a Gast 1/3 HP twin cylinder compressor which had been hooked to the tank which presumably kept the system pressurized. The compressor is shown in the photo below but the airline is not attached to the tank at this time.
Finally there is a pair of adjustible switches on top or the tank which turn the compressor on and off. There is not one switch but two lined up back to back. I think the switches are Square D and seem to have a large start pressure adjustmant nut and a smaller range adjustment nut seen on the right of the Warrick Controls Sensor Box in the photo below.
Some time before I came on the scene the tank filled completely with water and when the owner walked into the Tank House, water was coming out of the air intake filters on the compressor. Someway or other the tank had become waterlogged and water was coming through the one way valve on the top of the tank and leaking back into the compressor. They have been having problems since – sometimes with the well not shutting off and hammering against the waterlogged tank and other times with the airpressure in the tank.
They invited the local well company out to fix it and $500 later they replaced the master switch, photo 1 and explained how to drain water out of the tank so there would be air pressure …read more
Source: DoItYourself.com
Whistle-blowing state official fired after testimony in Zimmerman trial
The special prosecutor appointed to the George Zimmerman case has sacked a whistle-blowing colleague who testified at the trial that the state attorney’s office failed to comply with the rules of discovery.
Ben Kruidbos, the state attorney’s office IT director, was reportedly fired in the wake of rendering testimony during a June 6 hearing that was potentially damaging to the prosecution regarding cell phone photos and text messages discovered on Trayvon Martin’s phone that were not furnished to defense attorneys.
The Orlando Sentinel reports Kruidbos received a scathing letter from State Attorney Angela Corey’s office Friday morning, calling him untrustworthy and adding he “can never again be trusted to step foot in this office.”
However, the Associated Press reports that Kruidbos received the pink slip Thursday, which accused him of misconduct and “violating numerous state attorney’s office policies and procedures.” Specifically, the letter reportedly accused him of disclosing confidential information, sabotage of property or equipment, and misuse of equipment.
The cell phone photos reportedly depict, among other things, a clump of jewelry on a bed, underage nude females, marijuana plants, as well as a hand menacingly holding a semiautomatic pistol.
Zimmerman’s attorneys were reportedly seeking sanctions against the state for not properly turning over the evidence from Martin’s phone. Judge Debra Nelson said she would revisit the matter at the trial’s end.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click for more from the Orlando Sentinel.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Brazilians accuse police of harsh crowd tactics
Leaning out from a balcony, Raissa Moitta Melo let loose a stream of expletives as she filmed the chaotic scene playing out in the street below.
In the wobbly, cell-phone images that Melo later posted online, protesters are seen scattering as a formation of Rio de Janeiro police in riot gear approaches, firing what appears to be rubber bullets in the crowd’s direction. The camera shakes as several percussion grenades explode with defeating blasts.
“Police corralling demonstrators. No chance of escape,” Melo wrote in comments that accompanied the widely shared video, which she posted on her Facebook page. “Surreal. Cowards. Disgusted.”
All over this country, anger at police tactics has grown as law enforcement struggle to contain a wave of protests that have been raging since last month. Dozens of police and protesters have been injured in the sometimes violent demonstrations, with charges of excess violence lobbed against both sides.
The nationwide protests, in fact, started with outrage over the violent police response to a small demonstration in the city of Sao Paulo over a 10-cent increase in bus and subway fares. The movement quickly spread to hundreds of cities, becoming the biggest seen here in a generation. The discontent grew to encompass grievances ranging from government corruption and high taxes to poor public schools and hospitals.
The protests have since tapered off, but several tens of thousands of people still attended union-organized marches nationwide on Thursday after a daylong work slowdown.
The Rio march quickly turned nasty, with skirmishes breaking out between police and small groups of demonstrators. Officers fired percussion grenades, pepper spray and other non-lethal weapons at people in densely populated neighborhoods. Dozens were chased and detained in a square usually known for live music, and local media said police lobbed tear gas canisters into a hospital.
Melo witnessed part of the Thursday protest. She didn’t immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press seeking additional comments about her post.
Amnesty International Brazil’s executive director Atila Roque, who also witnessed the Thursday skirmishes in Rio’s Flamengo neighborhood, complained about “the erratic and almost irrational way the police acted.”
“It’s clear that they’re out to hit the protesters personally, not just disperse them. They follow them, corral them and make disproportionate and abusive use of tear gas and rubber bullets,” …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Little Hope For BlackBerry
According to a recent industry report from Kantar Worldpanel, BlackBerry’s (NYSE:BBRY) share of the smart phone market in the United States has all but disappeared. According to the research firm, during the three months ending May 2012, the once-dominant cell phone maker had a market share of 4.6%. Of course, this is a far cry from its glory days just a few years ago when it commanded over 50% in all units sold. Kantar Worldpanel’s report goes on to say that BlackBerry’s market share during the three months ending 2013 had falling precipitously to 0.7%. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Fruitvale Station Review
Fruitvale Station may be writer/director Ryan Coogler’s first feature film, but already he has mastered the gentle art of heartstring tugging. The movie begins with grainy, shaky, real cell phone footage of a group of young African-American guys sitting on the ground at a train station. It’s hard to make out exactly what is happening, but there’s a bit of shouting, mainly from the white police officers standing over them. One of the young guys is being held down on the ground by a police officer. He’s squirming, there’s a bit of a commotion, some more shouting, then BANG! All of a sudden, the police officer has fired his weapon and the young guy is not moving anymore.
It’s a powerful way to start the film – right at the end of this sad, true story. In the early hours of New Year’s Day in 2009 at Fruitvale Station in Oakland, California, Oscar Grant III was fatally shot in the back by a transit police officer. The officer claimed it was an accident, saying he was reaching for his taser instead of his gun, but regardless one man’s life was ended for no reason.
Shared fence fix up
By jigsaw71
Hey all,
I am in the midst of replacing a shared fence I have with my neighbor and am replacing all the wood posts with metal 2 3/8 round posts due to rotting problems we have had. I have almost got our side done but have run into a problem I am hoping someone can help me with. The back corner is causing me some problems because I can get the wood post out with a hi lift jack but I am unsure how to connect all three fence points together to the metal post I want to put in. Her back fence, my back fence, and our shared side fence all converge at this point and I cannot find any brackets that will connect all three fences with one bracket. I would use two brackets but do not know how to make it work. I do not have a cell phone that takes pictures so I have no way of showing you all how it looks so I will say that the back fences both have the cross member sides facing the field behind our houses and our shared fence has the decorative side facing my yard. I need to get this done pretty quick because my neighbor is in the process of trying to sell her house and I want the fence to look nice for her.Any help would be REALLy appreciated!!
I am in the midst of replacing a shared fence I have with my neighbor and am replacing all the wood posts with metal 2 3/8 round posts due to rotting problems we have had. I have almost got our side done but have run into a problem I am hoping someone can help me with. The back corner is causing me some problems because I can get the wood post out with a hi lift jack but I am unsure how to connect all three fence points together to the metal post I want to put in. Her back fence, my back fence, and our shared side fence all converge at this point and I cannot find any brackets that will connect all three fences with one bracket. I would use two brackets but do not know how to make it work. I do not have a cell phone that takes pictures so I have no way of showing you all how it looks so I will say that the back fences both have the cross member sides facing the field behind our houses and our shared fence has the decorative side facing my yard. I need to get this done pretty quick because my neighbor is in the process of trying to sell her house and I want the fence to look nice for her.Any help would be REALLy appreciated!!
Source: DoItYourself.com
Sprint using bait and switch; leaves customer without promised options
We have been faithful customers of Sprint for over 10 years. We had been mostly happy and quite satisfied with the customer service provided by their representatives, until recently. Sprint representatives today make verbal promises over the phone that do not last for even six months. Although representatives are warm, polite and helpful, the base of their poor and dishonest service doesn’t change.
Wonderful and polite reps will create an atmosphere of trust. They will lie to you to keep you as a faithful customer, while providing a future that will leave you wondering why you didn’t just go to a discount store for your cell phone. After-all, the service and quality will be the same for almost all customers.
In fact, wireless service goes across the same towers and has all opportunity as your provider allows over their service.
Having been an internet service provider during it’s youth, I know that cell service is no different. Bandwidth or services can be open or limited. Other than bandwidth, Comcast was a great limiter of services such as email, news servers, web servers and others, but yet charging customers for full service at a specified bandwidth.
Fooling customers, for the purpose of profit without integrity, is the norm. And yes, our government eliminates competition… but that’s another subject for another day.
This is the opinion of two specific and many very faithful long-term Sprint cell phone customers.