Apple says it’s had “pretty interesting ideas” for a Mac netbook, but it’s everyday users who’ve already taken action. Most of the popular netbooks can run OS X, but there are plenty of caveats: non-functioning components which lack drivers, need to be replaced, or which simply can’t be gotten working at all.

The short answer: get a HP Mini 1000 or a Dell Mini 9/Vostro A90.

For those of you who dont want to pay for the $9.99 Update to your Ipod Touch.. You can download the firmware from here.

Simply select your model of ipod, and download the firmware image. After downloading the desired firmware, you can shift-click PC or option-click Mac the Restore or Update buttons in iTunes. A file dialog will open and let you choose the downloaded ipsw-file.

We got our hands on a MacBook Pro 13″ Unibody and decided to compare it to a MacBook Unibody — from the inside! Follow us on twitter to get all the latest updates as we're doing the teardown!

If anyone decided to purchase a Palm Pre (besides me) I’m happy to say
people have already found several interesting items in order to hack
the Pre.

One of the more funny findings is how to enable the dev mode on the
phone. you first go to the app menu/launcher and type
“upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart” .

From Engadget:

We couldn't believe it either, but as it turns out, from the launcher screen of your Pre, simply type in the phrase “upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart” — which if you parse with spacing might be more easily recognizable as the infamous Contra / Konami code look it up — and up comes a hidden app called “Developer Mode Enabler.” Looks like it was discovered via the leaked ROM from earlier this evening. It's apparently used to connect a Pre to a machine running Palm's Mojo SDK for webOS, and we have confirmed its legitimacy. In fact, if you want proof and you don't have a Pre of your own, head on after the break for a video we put together, just for you.

Another more interesting find is the recovery tool in case you screwed
up an update for the phone and it is also used for switching ROMs on
the phone which includes the normal consumer ROM and the Developer ROM
for the upcoming SDK. This recovery tool is in the form of a jar file
which even includes the complete linux file structure for the phone.

People have already modifying their pres to do things like increase
length of the vibration when you receive a text message to gutting out
a non essential app on the phone (I.E. Sprint Nascar App) and putting
in a hello world app inside.

http://forums.precentral.net/web-os-development/184378-ok-rom-comes.html

fun times ahead….fun times…

According to this thread at the MyDellMini Forums, the just-released Mac OS 10.5.7 update breaks hackintoshed machines like the Dell Mini 9/Vostro A90 netbook.

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise and most self-respecting hackintoshers know better than to install any old update on their netbook willy nilly. If you do arbitrarily install 10.5.7 on your netbook you’ll be in for all kinds of trouble including garbled screens, shutdown troubles, beach balls and no finder.

Tweet-a-Watt kits are now available! A few months ago, using “off-the-shelf hardware”, we modified a Kill-a-Watt(TM) power meter to “tweet” (publish wirelessly) the daily KWH consumed to the user’s Twitter account (Cumulative Killowatt-hours). We released this project as an “Open source hardware” project – in other words, anyone can make these, modify them and make a commercial product from the ideas and methods.

After we released this project we entered it in the Greener Gadgets design contest and won first place, we donate the winnings to “Engineers without borders“.

You can see the “Tweetawatt” account on twitter here!

One of the great things about Shmoocon is the ability to provide instant feedback to the presenter, while the presentation is happening. Ever been to a conference or presentation where you just knew there was something “rotten in Denmark”, or you wanted to make a point about some minute, but essential overlooked detail? Shmoocon enables and encourages every attendee to tall the speaker to task: They provide a foam stress ball (aka a Shmooball) at registration for each attendee (and offer more for sale, proceeds going to charity). The organizers encourage you to throw them at the presenters when you have a point to make, or when you think that you’re being sold a bill of goods.

As a result, the closing ceremony of the conference has typically found the Shmoo group founder, Bruce Potter, amidst a barrage of shmooballs. Why? Because the attendees could.

In 2007, a group of folks unveiled their Shmooball cannon at closing ceremonies and unloaded at Bruce. It was multi-shot, made from PVC and a 2-stroke leaf blower. It was a great concept, but it was smelly and not incredibly efficient.

This is when I had thoughts of doing better. In 2008, I created a version that was much like a shoulder fired grenade launcher. In 2009, I decided I needed to take it up a notch.

This is the story of the building of the 2009 Shmooball cannon.

SANS is bringing Security 508: Computer Forensics, Investigation, and Response to your local community in our popular Mentor hands-on format!
Beginning on May 14, SANS Mentor Dave Hull will be leading this class in Kansas City, Kansas. For complete course details, please click on http://www.sans.org/info/34748.

Why Choose the Mentor Program?
The Mentor Program, http://www.sans.org/info/34753, consists of small, locally run, 10 week classes utilizing the same great SANS courseware presented at the larger conferences. This unique program opens SANS training up to students with family or work commitments necessitating a more flexible option. Mentored students report several major benefits of this format including: cost savings, time to digest the material, convenient evening classes, small groups, a Mentor “coach”, and community networking.

For any of you who saw the labywiinth at the HacDC party, here is a GREAT post on the difficulties we had getting it to work as well as it did. Make sure you pay attention to the time-stamps in the email. Just FYI the setup at HacDC started at 6pm on Friday. (PLENTY OF TIME!!)

Anyone who has been reading this blog will know that I have been working on a labyrinth game that is controlled by a Nintendo Wii Balance Board. We made a YouTube video that got a few hits when we released it, and it gained some recognition in the hacker/diy community. Fellow member of my local hackerspace, hevnsnt, had inquired about taking the device to the Shmoocon convention in Washington D.C., but ended up deciding to leave it here in Kansas City. Well, the Tuesday before the conference, hevnsnt had a change of heart:

from hevnsnt
to Jestin Stoffel, SomeoneKnows
date Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 2:35 PM

I am starting to regret our discussion at last thursday’s meeting where I said I didnt want to take the labyrinth to shmoocon (D.C.), and I would like to talk it out with you.

So some may have seen the ATMs in the hotel were “tagged” with this prank and thought that THIS was the compromise I was referring to.

Making Faces is illegal.

This was funny, and I have a pretty good idea who put it there. (and really if it was “them” I would think twice of touching that ATM anyways) But it was not a compromise.

@surbo and I were running late to the airport, and the taxi driver wouldnt take a card. Having spent all our cash the night before, we ran over to the ATM located in the main hallway of the Marriott (across from the hotel convenience store) and I tried the ATM. It was acting very odd, it was taking about 5 minutes to change screens, and it was NOT TAKING MY PIN on my card, and occasionally told me that it could not read the card. I got a very bad feeling, but I was in a hurry, so I tried another card. Same story — acting weird not taking my pin. I asked Surbo to give it a go, and this time it took his pin, but it was still acting weird.

Surbo then did something that made us both say “F&^K”. He pulled the facepanel down off the ATM exposing the internal computer and authentication “dialer”, someone had either picked or left the panel unlocked. (the safe panel ($$$$) remained locked). The electronics that control the authorization of funds were easily accessed. You can imagine what an person of “low moral standards” could have benefited from this situation.

Right about the time that Surbo pulled the front panel down, Mouse came strolling by and said “Boys! What are you doing!?” It didnt look good, and since we had already had some run-ins with hotel police we immediately put it back and made sure it was reported. We didnt take any pictures because we didnt want to be any more involved than we already were. I am sure you can understand that although we pull some harmless pranks here or there, ATM fraud is not up our alley.

So, Do I have evidence that if you used that ATM that your card numbers & pin were exposed and/or recorded? No, in-fact I did not see any suspicious looking equipment inside that would indicate that it had, however the security of the ATM was compromised and the potential was definitely there. Don’t risk it, if you used this ATM, please call your bank and get your card reissued.

Update: I have now learned that the ATMs were using the default admin password. (crap see comments below)