Tag Archives: America

[Muzaq] Vinyl Sales Still Increasing – Even in the U.S.

Although the widespread availability of MP3s in the U.S. leaded to a decrease in CD sales, the sales of vinyls are still increasing thru the last years. In 2011 vinyl sales went 37% up in the U.S.

In Germany the situation is different. The CD still gets sold very well. Market researchers suspect that the complicated copyright situation in Germany is responsible for legal mass downloads being established much slower than in the U.S.

The video is bilingual german/english. Enjoy.

 

[WTF] Did Stuxnet Sabotage Iran’s Nuclear Facilities?

Newspapers are full of speculations and details about this unique piece of software code, that obviously is a work by a government.Stuxnet used 4-zero-day exploits to infect computer networks running with Microsoft Windows. It was compatible to Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The Register writes:

(..) the Stuxnet worm was programmed to probe the hosts it infected for extremely specific settings. Unless it identified the hardware fingerprint it was looking for in industrial software systems made by Siemens, it remained largely dormant.

Experts say the quality of code is very sophisticated, there are nearly no side effects. It is estimated that the costs of the development of a virus of that quality goes into the millions of dollars. It also shows a very detailed knowledge of the attacked facilities.

There are some indications that Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz were the target of that virus.

The downside is we suspect this is the beginning of large scale cyber attacks. I don’t think that western Nulear Facilities are safe from such attacks. Let’s all hope the best. This virus is simply a nightmare.

Links

Update

A short overview on the articles published show, that almost all of them cite german security specialists Frank Rieger (member of Chaos Computer Club) or Ralph Langner (Founder of Langner.com).

[iPhone] U.S. Antitrust Authorities Overhauling iPhone OS SDK Licence 4.0

Apple’s strategy of a “walled garden” now seems to be inspected by U.S. antitrust authorities. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department are overhauling Apple’s latest license change for the iPhone OS SDK 4.0. Although the process is at a preliminary stage, the interest of antitrust authorities show how powerful Apple has become in the field of mobile computing.

Some critics contend Apple is now engaging in the kind of tactics that got Microsoft Corp. in trouble with antitrust enforcers in the 1990s. “Apple is playing right out of Microsoft’s playbook—and it’s one they complained about a lot,” said David Balto, a former FTC official now at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank.

Apple could try to head off trouble with antitrust enforcers by changing the terms of its developer agreement, one person familiar with the situation said.

Read more on WSJ.com.

[Muzaq] Willie Bobo – Fried Neckbones And Some Home Fries (Remix)

Willie Bobo remixed in 2002 by japanese-american Hip-Hop producer Daniel Nakamura. Title taken from the 2003 compilation “Verve Remixed2“. Enjoy…

» Willie Bobo on Wikipedia…
» Daniel Nakamura on Wikipedia…
» Verve Remixed2 on Discogs…

[iPhone] AT&T To Lose iPhone Exclusivity?

The last weeks are full of rumors if AT&T will prolong their exclusive contracts with Apple. Rumors say the original contracts are gonna expire in the middle of 2010.

Thus allowing Apple to negotiate with different carriers like Verizon or T-Mobile. T-Mobile is currently the exclusive partner for Apple in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

AT&T is said is willing to prolong their contracts until the end of 2011, but Verizon and T-Mobile seem to be secretely testing Apple’s forthcoming device named internally iPhone 3,1.

» TheStreet.com: Apple iPhone May Go to T-Mobile Next
» iPhoneFAQ.org: Analyst: AT&T Exclusive iPhone Deal Up in June
» JKontheRun.com: A 4G iPhone on Verizon Currently Under Test?

[Pre] New Rumors about Palm Pre’s Release Date

On the SprintGurus.com forums Coal – one of the admins – seems to have had access to internal Sprint documents. Coal says there might be “2 release windows, one is around 6/7/09 – the other I cannot say much on”.

This could match rumors from EverythingPre.com, who have been informed by an anonymous guy that the first shipment of Palm Pre’s has left Hong Kong in route to the U.S.

As this is rumors all over, we’d better wait and see. Let’s not get into hysteria. The Palm Pre will come with a bang anyway.

The picture is courtesy of Palm.com