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Telex anti-censorship system promises to leap over firewalls without getting burned
Human rights activists and free speech advocates have every reason to worry about the future of an open and uncensored internet, but researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Waterloo have come up with a new tool that may help put their fears to rest. Their system, called Telex, proposes to circumvent government censors by using some clever cryptographic techniques. Unlike similar schemes, which typically require users to deploy secret IP addresses and encryption keys, Telex would only ask that they download a piece of software. With the program onboard, users in firewalled countries would then be able to visit blacklisted sites by establishing a decoy connection to any unblocked address. The software would automatically recognize this connection as a Telex request and tag it with a secret code visible only to participating ISPs, which could then divert these requests to banned sites. By essentially creating a proxy server without an IP address, the concept could make verboten connections more difficult to trace, but it would still rely upon the cooperation of many ISPs stationed outside the country in question -- which could pose a significant obstacle to its realization. At this point, Telex is still in a proof-of-concept phase, but you can find out more in the full press release, after the break.
Ron Sugar wins board member popularity contest
OK, weekend pop quiz! Quick, who's the most popular member of the Apple board with shareholders? Head-scratching allowed, coffee may be taken, think hard, no taking peeks at the illustration or headline here...Well, if you answered 'Steve Jobs', you're probably human. And if you're an anonymous financial institution you answered 'Ronald Sugar.' Since anonymous financial institutions outweigh humans more than two-to-one when it comes to owning Apple shares, the most popular Apple director is, as reported by Fortune's Apple 2.0, Ronald Sugar. The former CEO of aerospace company Northrop Grumman joined Apple in November to replace Jerry York, who died last March and Google's Eric Schmidt, who left in 2009. As you can see from the table taken from the SEC form 8-K filed last Thursday, Steve Jobs was re-elected to the board of Apple with nearly 3.5 million votes less than were cast for Ronald Sugar -- and that, as before, Andrea Jung was the least popular board member. We probably shouldn't read too much into the voting -- 70% of Apple shares are held by financial institutions, and 4.8 million votes were cast against re-electing Steve Jobs to the board at all. chart courtesy of Apple 2.0/Fortune
Bypass PS3 firmware 3.21 in seconds -- at your own risk (update: defunct)
Face it: Sony's backed you into a corner. You can't play PS3 online without downloading the 3.21 firmware update, but if you download, your precious 'Other OS' is forfeit -- and there may be side effects. You could wait it out, hoping Geohot comes through with a workaround. You could even sue Sony for a refund if you live in Europe. Or, if you're not terribly worried about the security of your PSN account and personal information, you could instead input just ten digits into your PS3 and magically bypass the entire issue. Though technically minded individuals have been skirting Sony's firmware checks for years now using private proxies, homebrew developer Aaron Lindsay decided to set up a public server at 67.202.81.137, which allows anyone to piggyback on his success in mere seconds -- we tried it ourselves, and it worked like a charm. By doing so, you run the risk of giving Aaron all your credentials... but if the odd identity theft doesn't break your stride, you can jump right back into that Uncharted 2 session by entering the above number into Internet Connection Settings > DNS Setting > Primary DNS. Update: As of April 13, the proxy DNS trick no longer works. We're not sure why, but considering how long the hacking community holds a grudge, we expect a workaround in due time.
RIM patent app will have you barely browsing the web at incredible speeds
Let's not mince words: any way you slice it, RIM's built-in browser for BlackBerry renders sites about as well as your $199 netbook renders Avatar. The good news is that we've got every reason to believe the company recognizes the problem and is working to solve it -- but on a completely unrelated front, they're trying to speed up the process of fetching raw data off the interwebs, too. In a patent app made public this month, RIM's lab geeks describe setting up a proxy server right on the phone that would intercept the browser's web requests and bundle, compress, and send them to a gateway on the other end (BIS, we presume) that would know how to deal with the packet. Likewise, compressed data would be sent back to the proxy, which would expand and deliver standard HTTP to the browser, just as it would normally expect. The proxy component would have other tricks up its sleeve, too, like automatically downloading and caching images in an HTML stream so that they're ready when the browser wants them. In practice, really, it'll make no difference to the end user whether all this magic is accomplished in a proxy or the browser itself -- as long as we get some thoroughly-reworked rendering capability to go along with it, of course. [Thanks, Anand]
Hulu finally responds to PS3 blocking complaints
After weeks of silence, Hulu has provided some commentary on its blocking of PlayStation 3 and Windows Mobile browsers (unless you work out a way around it, of course), sending a form email back to any members the requested support for the issue that was heavy on "context" and light on answers. Without acknowledging that the company even is blocking these devices, the dispatch mentions "maximizing the content you can access as conveniently as possible in a way that "works" for the content owner." Of course that doesn't provide us any details as to which content provider(s) terms necessitated the change, or if, and in what form, we can expect easy off-PC access to Hulu's video streams to return but if you feel like navigating the fluff yourself, the letter is after the break.[Thanks, Connor]
Hulu still silent on PS3, Windows Mobile blocking - but there's a free solution
A few days after blocking PlayStation 3 users, Hulu has yet to respond to questions concerning the change which has only helped to fuel rumors it is related to the Microsoft ad campaign currently featured on the site, but that seems less likely now that we've confirmed it also began blocking the Flash-enabled Skyfire browser on Windows Mobile devices at the same time. Whatever the cause is, if you prefer a homegrown hack over something like PlayOn or TVersity, Eric over at ypass.net has put together a simple enough walkthrough for creating an "unblockable" workaround by setting up a locally connected PC running Linux or Windows with the freely available Squid proxy server software that will make your PS3 look like appear as a PC running a Firefox (or whatever you prefer) browser to any website that asks. Of course, just like the other solutions your computer will need to stay running to keep you connected, but we figure it's a small price to pay for enjoying relatively low res Flash video running on an HDTV.Read - Got a PS3? Want Hulu Back? Easy enough...Read - Squid-setup for Windows NT /2k /X
Palm Pre data tethering is a go, Sprint be damned
Well, that was fast. Just a couple hours after we noted Palm warning against hacking webOS to allow data tethering on the Pre, the first set of instructions has popped up. It's not the cleanest hack we've ever seen -- you need to root your phone, enable SSH, and then configure your browser to run through a SOCKS proxy -- but it'll certainly get the job done in a pinch. Just don't go crazy, alright? We've got a feeling Sprint's watching Pre accounts with an eagle eye.
MobileMe control panel for Windows helps with proxy servers
Yesterday, Apple released MobileMe Control Panel for Windows 1.4, recommended for users on corporate networks that use proxy servers. Some users were reporting errors when trying to sync contacts and calendars, or were unable to log into the MobileMe control panel at all. This update sorts that out. According to Apple technical note on the subject, supported proxy server types include: Web proxy servers (HTTP) Secure Web proxy (HTTPS) SOCKS proxy servers (see note below) HTTP/HTTPS proxy servers that require authentication Proxy bypass lists Proxy auto-configuration (PAC) files The update is available on the MobileMe website, and is also included with iTunes 8.2 for Windows.
Hulu getting ready for international viewers, starts by blocking them
Fresh off adding Disney as a content partner and part owner, Hulu is about to make an even bigger leap, signing up a few agreements for international programming from sources like Endemol and Digital Rights Group of the UK and Bollywood distributor Saavn. Financial Times learned that while these deals should first bring additional programming for U.S. viewers, it is "laying the groundwork" for a global launch in the top six to eight markets. Unfortunately for global viewers, word on the internets is that anonymous proxies like those so conveniently suggested in our Ask EHD for Canadian streaming options are now blocked, so until those deals are signed and the switch is flipped in your neck of the woods, no Hulu for you.
Zune HD website exists, may mean nothing at all (update: means nothing at all)
We've gotten a handful of tips about zunehd.net being online, so we thought we'd take a moment to address it. Yes, zunehd.net exists, and yes, there's a big, nasty Zune HD logo hanging out on it right now. Unfortunately, since the site appears to be registered via a proxy, there's really no way of telling if its legit or just someone with money to burn. That said, we have every reason to believe that the Zune HD is the real deal, and this very well could be another sign that something magical is about to happen. Keep your eyes peeled, but keep a grain of salt handy. Update: Thanks commenters! According to this post on Zunited, the Zune HD site is registered to someone named Zac Altman -- a "Zune guru." They have those? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Tether your iPhone, wirelessly. Maybe. (updated with video)
We're not sure how this one got past Apple's App Store censors, but the clever kids at Nullriver have released what appears to be the first tethering solution for the iPhone. The $10 NetShare app is just a SOCKS proxy that links an ad-hoc WiFi network to the iPhone's 3G or EDGE connection -- and if we could get it to work, we'd probably think it was a fine, if hacky, solution to a major limitation of Steve's baby. As it stands, though, the instructions are pretty sparse, and while we can get the app to recognize a connection, we're not able to actually load anything. We're not sure how long this one's going to last -- anyone else willing to give it a shot before it gets yanked?[Thanks, Zoli; Warning, link opens iTunes]Update: Aaaaand it's offline. Shocking.Update 2: We've added our own video hands-on after the break.
EVE Online Community Spotlight: a Q&A with Chribba
Trust is a rare commodity in EVE Online. Many players are drawn to the game by the fact that almost any form of deceit, betrayal, and outright treachery is allowed in EVE. Not all players head down this path, of course, but plenty do. This element of risk is what makes the game exciting, but even those who are wary of the online personas of some EVE players may still find themselves getting backstabbed and robbed, or worse. Many in EVE have learned to profit from the misfortunes of others. However, this social environment has created certain opportunities for individuals who are able to establish their credibility over time, and through great effort. Among the most trustworthy in EVE Online is Chribba, a player who's very active in the community and provides a number of services to EVE fans, free of charge. Helped by Chribba's efforts, EVE Online has expanded into a game where players become auteurs, creating videos and sharing their in-game pursuits with others, either for their own glory or their organization's propaganda. Of course, his contributions don't end there, as most everyone in the EVE community knows. Massively recently caught up with Chribba and asked him to share a bit about what he does for the EVE player base, and why he does it.
Second Life on an iPhone
At first glance, this looks like Second Life running on an iPhone, but this is not the case. Instead, it's more of a SL-by-proxy sort of situation, where commands being entered through the iPhone interface are transmitted to an actual SL session running somewhere. There is a slight lag to the proceedings, which any resident of SL will be well familiar with.Is this tech demo interesting in anything more than an academic way? If you could access SL through an iPhone remotely like this, would it be worth it? What if you could run World of Warcraft like this somehow -- would you? At what point is going mobile more trouble than it's worth?
Qualcomm reveals MediaFLO's 2007 numbers (hint: profit-free)
Qualcomm's proxy statement filing with the SEC last week revealed some juicy tidbits regarding subsidiary MediaFLO USA's performance in fiscal year 2007, and as might be expected, the numbers aren't so hot. The mobile TV outfit's revenue isn't broken down specifically, but Qualcomm calls it out as largely accounting for its QSI (Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives) segment's poor '07 showing thanks to a $118 million year over year increase in losses. To be fair, MediaFLO launched for the first time anywhere on any carrier in 2007, and the statement blames $70 million of those losses on expenses associated with the March '07 rollout on Verizon -- but these cats have another big push coming up with AT&T, and we can't imagine that service launches are getting any cheaper these days. Hopefully the economies of scale start to kick in before too long and put 'em on the road to black ink.[Via mocoNews]
Secure Your Mac: Untrusted networks and how to deal with them
To tell the unvarnished truth, I have to admit that I'm pretty lax on security for my computers. I don't do anything crazy like open email attachments from people I don't know, and I always double check the address bar of websites before I punch my password in. Even so, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say I put about an effort of 5 into keeping my computers secured. There's a lot more I could do.And so I found Albert Lee's short guide on surfing on untrusted networks very helpful. I've got a web server set up that runs my own website, but I never had any idea how to get all my network traffic running through there. Albert's guide makes that super easy-- this Lifehacker piece explains the basics of surfing with a proxy, and Albert's guide tells you exactly how to do everything on your Mac, and even how to automate the whole process using Applescript. Eventually, you can have it set up so that one double-click will get your proxy connected and get you surfing securely.The one thing you know about untrusted networks is just that: they shouldn't be trusted. When it's this easy to get your web traffic locked down, there's no reason not to.Thanks, Albert!
Motorola patents parasitic cellphone to text battery alerts
While those lusting for love may be enthralled about Motorola's newfound method of extended your chances on ProxiDate, the researchers behind the parasitic cellphone patent probably had more critical scenarios in mind. In cases where your battery life is running flat, situational demands may leave you wondering how you're going to contact your laundry list of emergency contacts with such little juice. The patent spells out an automatic shutdown feature that disables all non-essential functions (including accepting incoming calls), which allows the Bluetooth transceiver to search for "compatible proxy phones" nearby. The sputtering device can then use the proxy cellphone to "send a warning text message to everyone on your pre-arranged emergency list," alerting them of your predicament and that you can only receive SMS messages (for a limited time). Of course, this brilliant plan will only work if indifferent strangers leave their mobiles open for Bluetooth syncs (not likely), and then don't mind you racking up their monthly bill with costly text messages (even less likely).[Via NewScientistTech]
