The world’s smallest magazine cover is 2,000 times smaller than a grain of salt

No, National Geographic Kids didn’t forget to buy colored ink — that’s a blown-up view of the smallest-ever magazine cover, created by IBM to set a Guinness world record. The tech firm used a miniscule, heated silicon “chisel” to etch a polymer image measuring just 11 micrometers by 14 micrometers, or 2,000 times tinier than a grain of salt. The image is more detailed than you might expect at such a miniscule size, too. IBM’s instrument responds to subtle changes in pressure in the same way that a 3D printer might, giving it accuracy down to a single nanometer.

The technology doesn’t exist solely for bragging rights. IBM believes its tiny carving tool could be used to prototype nano-sized transistor devices, virtually invisible security tags and light-based connections for quantum computers. Finished products aren’t likely to show up any time soon, but the ball is already rolling on further development. The company has licensed its design to SwissLitho, a startup that’s selling related hardware to other researchers; it may not be long before we see more practical uses of IBM’s small-scale machinery.

[Image credit: IBM Research, Flickr]

Filed under: Science

Comments

Source: IBM

Netflix finally comes to cable in the US

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

Comments

Source: Fierce Cable

EE and Three’s voicemail systems hacked using number-cloning trick

With the phone-hacking scandal still playing out in the courts, it should be safe to assume that UK mobile operators have put measures in place protect customers’ own voicemail inboxes. Unfortunately, that’s only half true. We know thanks to an investigation by The Register, which showed that two of the big four carriers had neglected to close a loophole that allows nefarious third-parties to spoof a customer’s phone number and immediately gain access to their voicemails. Those two companies? EE and Three.

Armed with a target’s phone number and VoIP calling system, researchers were able to trick both carriers’ voicemail systems into believing a call originated from one of their SIMs. Attempts to hack into Vodafone and O2, however, were unsuccessful. Vodafone blocked attempts with PIN requests, while O2′s systems always timed out. When pressed about the issue, Three simply pointed to the voicemail security pages on its website and warned users to set a PIN (which isn’t enforced by default). EE immediately set about fixing the flaw and sent out an announcement just a few hours later telling customers it had “patched the issues raised in the article.” The company said it also plans to run “a full review of all [its] voicemail platforms,” to head off any future issues.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Comments

Source: The Register, EE Support Forum

FCC fights back against claims it’s abandoned net neutrality, but few are convinced

Recent news that the FCC is drafting new net neutrality rules caused an uproar once it came out that they could let ISPs give certain traffic special access. That goes against the principles conventionally ascribed to net neutrality, which so far have required ISPs to treat any traffic on their networks the same. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler called those claims “flat out wrong” in a short statement, and in a blog post titled “Setting the Record Straight on the FCC’s Open Internet Rules” says his proposal does not abandon the FCC’s earlier policies. According to the chairman, the proposed draft is simply following the roadmap established by the court when the previous net neutrality standards were struck down and “would establish that behavior harmful to consumers or competition by limiting the openness of the Internet will not be permitted.” So, should you be worried about the new rules?

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler:

To be clear, this is what the Notice will propose:

1. That all ISPs must transparently disclose to their subscribers and users all relevant information as to the policies that govern their network;
2. That no legal content may be blocked; and
3. That ISPs may not act in a commercially unreasonable manner to harm the Internet, including favoring the traffic from an affiliated entity.

The problem is that net neutrality as it’s often understood and the way the FCC claims it can actually be implemented under the current laws, aren’t exactly the same. At issue here is if you believe the FCC’s claim that it can and will set a “high bar” for what kind of traffic management is “commercially reasonable.” The Chairman’s argument defending this position is that even redefining internet service as a public utility and regulating it under Title II rules (the way phone service is) would only ban “unjust and unreasonable discrimination” — potentially leaving a loophole for ISPs to sell the “fast lane” many worry they’ll use to tier internet services in a manner similar to cable TV. Additionally, the FCC claims the new rules would increase transparency, requiring ISPs disclose “all relevant information” about the policies in place on their networks.

The FCC claims it’s doing what it can to stop ISPs from potentially harming their competition or gouging customers, but not everyone is convinced. Consumer advocacy groups like Public Knowledge and Free Press have spoken out against the change, referencing Wheeler’s history as a cable industry lobbyist and calling the plan “internet payola.” The belief is that instead of going this route, the correct response to the court ruling that struck down the previous Open Internet rules is to reclassify ISPs as “common carriers” and regulate them like phone companies. Tim Wu of the New Yorker calls out President Obama’s campaign promises to protect net neutrality and based on the reports, says the new policies are a clear violation of that stance. Former FCC commissioner Michael Copps says that “If true, this proposal is a huge step backwards and just must be stopped. If the Commissioner subverts the Open Internet, it is an insult to both citizens and to the promise of the Net.” A main worry is that ISPs will either cause congestion or through inaction allow it to build up (sound familiar?) in order to extract extra fees for better connections

Reclassification of internet services remains an option, but not one that the FCC is floating yet. The next step now is for commissioners to “review, add, subtract, compromise,” from the draft until it comes to a vote at their meeting on May 15th. If three of the five commissioners vote to adopt it at that time, then it will go in front of the public for comments that could be included in the final rules, if they are adopted by the majority of the FCC. Whether you believe the proposed policies would allow for something no more harmful than Express Mail service or the end of the internet as we know it, your voice can be heard. There are always petitions to sign, and of course, contacting your elected officials in Washington is an option.

[Image credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Comments

Source: FCC, Free Press, Public Knowledge