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Daily Roundup: Windows 10, weak passwords, SpaceX and more!
Microsoft will unveil Windows 10 to the masses tomorrow, giving us a closer look at what the folks in Redmond have been working on. Meanwhile, everyone on the internet is still using weak passwords like "123456" and Google decided to drop some serious money on SpaceX. Get all the details on these stories and more in today's daily roundup.
The NSA knew North Korea hacked Sony because it hacked North Korea first
The US government recently took the rare step of directly blaming North Korea for the crippling hack of Sony in retaliation for its satire film, The Interview. But how could it be so sure in the face of doubters, who said another hacking group disguised as North Korea, or a malcontent insider were to blame? According to a new pile of Edward Snowden documents revealed by der Spiegel and other publications, it's simple: the US government inserted backdoor software into North Korea's computer systems years before the hack even happened.
You can download North Korea's OS X ripoff right now
Ever wanted to download an operating system dreamed up by a totalitarian government with heavy inspiration from OS X and take it for a spin? Thanks to the magic of the Internet, such a thing is possible today with the newly-leaked retail version of North Korea's Red Star OS 3.0, which resembles an antiquated version of OS X. Red Star OS 3.0 has revealed a number of interesting tidbits about the web of North Korea, including the fact that the entire country's internet service is set up like that of a small business, with all requests coming back to a central URL. If you're planning on booting up this OS X-alike it's recommended that you do so in a virtual box, as running it is purely for entertainment purposes. [Photo via WhiteHat Security]
'The Interview' is coming to the UK on February 6th, but only in cinemas
Despite suffering a crippling hack and being warned off distributing its new movie, Sony Pictures took the decision to release The Interview, becoming one of the first major studios to release a big feature online and in cinemas simultaneously. The tactic appears to have worked, as the film notched up $15 million in digital US rentals and became Sony's most popular online movie ever after just four days on sale. With things now starting to simmer down, the studio has made plans to cast its net wider, which means moviegoers in the UK can finally (legally) see what all of the fuss is about come February 6th.
North Korea blames the US for internet outages following Sony hacks
It may appear we've reached a climax in the Sony Pictures hack saga - what with The Interview finally seeing a theatrical release - but the international finger pointing is alive and well. Today, North Korea's National Defense Commission is accusing the US of causing nation-wide internet outages, while likening the government to a snot-nosed child playing games. According to Reuters, a statement from the Commission carried by the country's official news agency KCNA reads: The United States, with its large physical size and oblivious to the shame of playing hide and seek as children with runny noses would, has begun disrupting the Internet operations of the main media outlets of our republic.
The Interview: 2014's most infamous film isn't great, but it's important
Let's face it, The Interview would have had to be nothing short of a masterpiece to justify all of the drama around its release. Well, it's not -- but it's not a terrible movie either. The comedy about the assassination of Kim Jong-un prompted terrorist attack threats from hackers (and North Korea itself, according to the FBI), which led to a sudden cancellation by Sony Pictures and a response from President Obama. But in the end, it's just another slacker bro-fest entry from Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg (Rogen's writing and directing partner), and James Franco. You'll probably laugh a bit, as I did, if you're a fan of their schtick. But if you can't stand anything by these guys, this movie won't change your mind. At the same time, it's clear that the story around The Interview will continue to be one of the most fascinating media tales well into 2015.
North Korea denies attacking Sony, offers to help investigate (updated)
North Korea has ratcheted the absurdity level of the Sony hack up a notch by pleading its innocence again and even offering to help find the real perpetrators. The FBI recently blamed North Korea for the attack that forced Sony Pictures Entertainment to cancel The Interview starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. The nation is so anxious to "help" that it warned the US of "grave consequences" if it doesn't undertake a joint probe. While still denying culpability, North Korea's propaganda arm KCNA nevertheless went on in great detail about how the Interview "defamed its dignity," and said it would retaliate if the US refuses to work with it (judging by the rough translation).
Barely Related: The Interview didn't go well
Happy holidays, everyone! Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Why North Korea's Sony hack made 'The Interview' required viewing
Congratulations, Guardians of Peace (and North Korea!) -- you've successfully prevented a "dangerous" Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy from getting released. But guess what? You've also made The Interview, which appeared to be just another slacker comedy from the Freaks and Geeks alums, vastly more important than it ever would have been on its own. That's what we in America call delicious irony. Sony, in a move President Barack Obama has called "a mistake," has vowed never to release the film in any form -- no VOD, no special digital download -- but it's only a matter of time until it's on every torrent and illegal video-streaming site on the web. And how long do you think it'll be until it makes its way into North Korea? You've won this battle, but you've also ignited a war against censorship that could end up dismantling your fascist control of information. Also, didn't you realize people always want what they can't have?
Sony Pictures hack: the whole story
This has been a wretched year for big corporations in the US: Target, Home Depot, JPMorgan and, most recently, Sony Pictures have all had to deal with unauthorized security breaches over the past few months. As far as Sony Pictures is concerned, the problems began on November 24th, when various reports pointed to a high-profile, studio-wide cyberattack at the hands of a group calling itself "#GOP," aka the Guardians of Peace. Since then, the startling situation has turned into a colossal headache for the company. The hackers, who are believed to be from North Korea, have leaked some of its unreleased films online; revealed highly sensitive information, like passwords and executives' salaries; and gone as far as threatening employees and their families. As it stands, Sony Pictures is in a deep, downward spiral with no end in sight. [This piece was heavily updated on December 18th to reflect ongoing events; head to the bottom for that.]
Ragnarok Online 2 shutting down in Southeast Asia
Ragnarok Online 2 isn't exactly taking the world by storm as of late. Following the title's closure in Korea last year, Ragnarok Online 2 is closing its doors in Singapore and Malaysia on October 9th. There is a pretty bright spot to this story, however, as Asiasoft's version of the game will accept account transfers from affected players. "Following the opening of Ragnarok 2's Odin Server to Philippine players last month, we are thrilled to be continuing the global expansion of Warpportal's Ragnarok Online 2 by welcoming all players from Southeast Asia regions!" Asiasoft posted. Southeast Asian players will not be able to access their characters until October 9th, and none of their Kafra Points will make the leap over to the new server.
Kim Jong-un rides a fiery steed to victory in Glorious Leader
With a title like Glorious Leader, you probably already guessed that developer Moneyhorse Games has created a game centering on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, but there's no way you could've predicted the rest of this thing. Slated for release on the PC at some point "soon," Glorious Leader borrows the basic run and gun gameplay of Contra, but in place of hyper-masculine American soldiers fighting an alien menace, Glorious Leader sees a slightly pudgy Kim Jong-un and long-since-retired NBA legend Dennis Rodman fighting off an invasion of North Korean capital Pyongyang. Exactly who is invading is never specified, but there is a moment in that trailer where Kim Jong-un sets off a series of explosions that ignite the American flag, so we feel safe in assuming that this odd couple isn't fighting for truth, justice and the rest of Superman's mantra. With such an audacious premise, it's natural to wonder what the developers were thinking when crafting this concept, but in an email sent to The Daily Dot, Moneyhorse Games repeatedly claims to have been tapped by the North Korean government to create this game. Moneyhorse "did not choose to make a project about North Korea, we were chosen," the developer claims, later saying that Glorious Leader is "the chance of a lifetime to bring light to the West from his Holiness' eternal flame." Whether that's true remains to be seen, but if a little-known studio were trying to gain quick exposure by offending as many people as possible, burning the American flag is a pretty solid start. [Image: Moneyhorse]
Don't go to North Korea, but do check out this travel app
When we think of the places we'd rather not go, a Whole Foods on a Tuesday night before Thanksgiving or your great-grandparents' windowless basement apartment come to mind. And then there's also North Korea, bastion of human rights violations and the favored destination of one Dennis Rodman. If, for some reason, you've always wanted to plan your own trip to the "most secretive nation" in the world, but felt it was too complicated, well, now there's a 99-cent app for that. Yeah. But it doesn't come from the genius minds of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's propagandists. It hails from Uniquely.Travel, a London-based startup specializing in trips to difficult destinations and Magora Systems, a Russian software maker.
North Korea goes from Windows 7 to OS X with latest Red Star Linux
Wait, what? Yep, you read that right. North Korea, with embargoes out the wazoo, has its own national operating system (of course), a Linux variant called Red Star OS. According to Computerworld, North Korea has changed the look of the OS from a Windows 7-style interface to a remarkably-similar-to-OS X skin. Somehow we doubt Dennis Rodman will be able to fix this. [Image via Wikipedia]
Ragnarok Online 2 closing in Korea next month
Ragnarok Online 2's days are numbered -- if you're living in South Korea, that is. If you're in North Korea, you're probably more concerned about central heating and plumbing than the availability of an MMO. Citing few players, Gravity announced that it will be taking Ragnarok Online 2 offline in Korea on December 23rd. The developer did include a hint of hope in the shutdown notice that the game could return in the future. While this may be cause for concern to those playing Ragnarok Online 2 in other regions, the company said that the service will continue for North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
North Korea launches targeted attack... on Angry Birds
North Korea's government-approved Samjiyon tablet is about as desirable as you'd guess, but there's something the sad little slate has that even the iPad doesn't: a built-in copy of Angry Birds Rio. As The Washington Post reports, Angry Birds creators Rovio Entertainment confirmed the existence of Angry Birds on North Korea's obnoxious Android tablet, and also confirmed that the game was outright stolen and used without the company's consent. The 7-inch tablet features a 1GHz CPU, a gig of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. That might not sound very impressive when compared to the iPad Air -- or even the iPad 2 -- but at least it comes with an e-book copy of Gone With The Wind and the worst of all the Angry Birds titles.
Joyful Executions gets death penalty from the App Store for "excessively objectionable content"
Apple runs the App Store with an incredibly strict set of guidelines. No pornographic, explicit, crude or otherwise objectionable content is allowed. Apparently that includes satire. In keeping with the company's move this past January rejecting Endgame: Syria Apple has blocked a new game called Joyful Executions from sale in the App Store. Both games were blocked under guideline 16.1: Apps that present excessively objectionable or crude content will be rejected. So where did it all go wrong? Probably from its moment of conception. Developed by 8-Bit Underpants, Joyful Executions is a turn-based strategy game where the player controls commissar Kim Bok Kyong and his four-man firing squad. Racing against the clock, you must manage your ammunition supplies and modify your tactics to ensure each wave of executions go... well smoothly. Joyful Executions' admittedly dark premise is a satire of the North Korean government, and Apple has a history of blocking titles that include real-world political identifiers. Their e-book store, meanwhile, is full of all sorts of political satire, criticism and commentary. Holding games to a different standard of intellectual content rules than other content holds the artform back as a creative medium. In an interview with PocketGamer developer Fredrik Nordstrom explained why he thinks his game is important. The DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) leadership's tactics of bullying their way to concessions by use of aggressive threats must not be tolerated. I believe it is imperative for us to not grant them the respect they demand by acknowledging them as equals. That's why any parody on North Korea's regime reminds us what they really are. And that's why I'm releasing this game. The game has already been released on the Google Play as a free download. Head over to PocketGamer for the rest of their interview with Nordstrom. You can video the game's trailer below.
No Comment: Kim Jong-un uses an iMac
North Korea released some photos of its leader, Kim Jong-un, hard at work. Besides the map showing (quite clearly) a "US mainland strike plan," dear leader can be seen with what appears to be a 21.5" aluminum unibody iMac. Not to make light of a geopolitical crisis, but the fact that an iMac made it to North Korea at all (despite a full US embargo -- it probably came in from China) merits our weekly No Comment.
The Daily Roundup for 02.22.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
North Korean media reports North Koreans love North Korean tablet
Remember those futuristic PCs we reported North Korea was producing last year? Well now the Democratic People's Republic has unveiled a seven-inch flagship tablet called the Achim (Morning). Understandably, we don't know what's inside this 0.66-pound (300g) device with a five-hour battery life, but it's apparently very popular with local students. There's no word on the OS either, but a touch-friendly build of the homegrown Linux variant Red Star would make sense. Although unconfirmed, sources suggest internet connectivity is wholly absent, with a pre-loaded selection of fun, state-approved content available instead. Eager to get your hands on a Kim Jong-unPad? Well, you can't.
