This 27-Year Old Mac Plus Can Surf The Web!

When Jeff Keacher decided that he wanted to try and get his 27-year-old Mac Plus online, he knew the challenge that he had set himself would require a substantial amount of time and effort. Things have advanced a great deal since the antiquated Apple desktop was released, and to try and connect it to the TCP/IP Internet we enjoy today was a pretty ambitious task, to say the least. But with a little perseverance, he managed it, and although the result isn’t quite the Safari / Chrome / Firefox-injected, seamless browsing experience of this Digital Age, it’s still a very commendable achievement.

The Mac Plus had been unused for almost two decades, but like all old gadgets, he couldn’t resist firing it up for the sake of nostalgia. Intriguingly, the tech specs, consisting of an 8 MHz CPU, 4MB RAM, 50MB hard drive, and 512 x 384 pixel monochrome display, wouldn’t even keep a modern-day smartphone ticking over, but since this particular unit still appeared in decent working order, Keacher then proceeded to try and get it up and running on the Web.

His to-find list was relatively clear: Keacher needed a Web browser, TCP/IP stack, and a way of hooking the machine up to his network since, surprisingly, the Mac Plus didn’t ship with Ethernet. The Web browser issue was quickly resolved with MacWeb 2.0, and with MacTCP also seeming to play nicely on System 7.0, all he then needed to find was a way to physically hook his Mac Plus up to an Internet connection.

With no SCSI to Ethernet adapters lurking around, Keacher had to jump through hoops by incorporating the hackers’ own Raspberry Pi. As he explains himself:

I set up my Raspberry Pi and ran some Cat-5 to it from the router. Using a level shifter and a variety of old adapters, I managed to get a serial cable working between the Pi and the Mac. That took care of the hardware.

Since MacWeb had problems with HTTP 1.0 support – or a lack thereof – Keacher had to consult a friend to write him a filtering proxy. But this final step proved to be the final major hiccup as once the proxy was complete, he successfully managed to get his Mac Plus online. Check out some of the screenies below for evidence of the makeshift browsing experience in full flow:

(Source: Keacher)

By: Wasim On 22:51

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Some Android Users Are Sending Thousands Of Spam SMS Messages In Return For Cash

Android is already known for its less than rock solid security. In fact, thanks to its open nature and the ability to side-load apps from just about anywhere it’s safe to say that Android can be a veritable minefield when it comes to keeping your device safe and secure.

As it turns out though, while some people worry about inadvertently downloading an app that takes control of their smartphone, or racks up huge bills by making calls or sending SMS messages without their knowledge, some people are actually installing these apps by choice. In fact, according to one report some Android phone owners are installing apps the promise to pay them for sending out thousands of SMS messages using their unlimited plans.

Adaptive Mobile researcher Cahal McDaid told the BBC that there is a huge market that revolves around paying smartphone owners for permission to send SMS messages in the thousands, often internationally. There’s no mention on how much these apps are paying smartphone owners, but no matter how much it is we can’t help but think that following such a route wouldn’t be the best idea in the world.

While carriers do indeed offer plans to customers that include unlimited SMS messages, those plans will likely not include such activities as being paid to abuse that plan by sending messages en-masse in this way. It’s entirely possible that overage charges could be applied to any contract found to be doing such things, potentially leaving the bill payer with a large fee that they could no doubt do without!

As McDaid points out, the other issue at play here is that those involved in such practices have no idea what these messages contain, though they will obviously be responsible for them in the long run.

Aside from the potential issues with your operator, you are allowing people to send messages from your mobile number, without having any control or visibility of what those messages are.

So yeah, might be worth giving this particular money making scheme a miss folks. There are tons of better ways to earn. Let’s start by getting a college degree and start hunting for a real job, what do you say? I’m pretty sure most of you would agree with us.

(Source: BBC)

By: Wasim On 22:50

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Download OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 Final Update

Apple has been seeding various builds of OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 to beta testers and AppleCare employees for a few weeks now, and today the final shipping version has been made available as a free update for all Macs running the latest version of Apple’s operating system, OS X Mavericks.

Offering bug fixes that should go some way to addressing some of the bigger complaints leveled against Mavericks, the update offers little in the way of new features with Apple deciding to work on what it already has available rather than risk introducing new bugs along the way.

According to the official change-log that accompanies the update, this is what you’re going to get:

• Improved support for Gmail in OS X Mail, and fixes for users with custom Gmail settings
• Improves the reliability of Smart Mailboxes and search in Mail
• Fixes an issue that prevented contact groups from working properly in Mail
• Resolves an issue that prevented VoiceOver from speaking sentences that contain emoji
• Updates Shared Links periodically when open in the Safari Sidebar

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated work that has gone into 10.9.1 is the effort made to improve Mail’s compatibility with Gmail, something that was sorely lacking in the original point-o release. Those with custom Gmail settings should also see an improvement with Mavericks 10.9.1, which will hopefully go some way to making the app more useful to those already ties to Google’s email service. There are other Mail-related fixes involving smart mailboxes, too.

Fans of Emoji will be pleased to hear that a bug has been squashed that was previously causing VoiceOver to be unable to read sentences including the loveable little icons. It’s not an issue we ran into ourselves, but we’re sure someone somewhere will be doing a little happy dance right now.

OS X 10.9.1 is the first major update to be released for Apple’s Mavericks operating system, and will surely be the first of many. It’s available to download for free form the Mac App Store right now, so even if you’re not a Gmail user or don’t use Mail to access it, we suggest you head on over to get the update downloaded and installed ASAP. Apple tends to not include all fixes in its change logs, so it’s always worth getting the latest and greatest version for your Mac.

By: Wasim On 22:48

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Windows Phone 8.1 Finally Getting iOS And Android Like Voice Assistant And Notification Center

When talking about Windows Phone’s shortcomings, most commentators and analysts regularly refer to the obvious lack of popular apps over at the Windows Phone Store – despite the recent introduction of Instagram and Vine to the WP scene. But while getting devs on board remains an issue, the OS itself is still missing some key features. Intuitive it may be; alternative – certainly; but with no real notification center to speak of, it’s still going to take longer to get things done on a Windows Phone. This could, however, be about to change with Windows Phone 8.1, for as well as a completely new system through which a user can digest notifications, there will also be a Siri-like voice assistant feature.

iOS and Android are way out in front of the rest of the chasing pack in the battle of the mobile operating systems, but with Microsoft’s heavy investment in both Nokia and the continued development of its fledgling smartphone and tablet OS, Windows Phone looks the likeliest of the current also-rans to step forth and make an imprint any time soon.

According to a report over at The Verge, “sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans” have divulged that Windows Phone 8.1 is in the process of being beta tested internally, and will include not only a notification center and Cortanta voice assistant, but also an easily accessible “quick settings” pane.

Apparently, quick settings will be found by swiping a short way down from the top, while a longer swipe will bring about the full notification suite. This is very much how things work with iOS and Android, and with this tried-and-tested mechanism having drawn few complaints from either side, it’s a wise move on the Redmond company to follow suit.

As for the voice assistant, “Cortana,” we’ve been hearing about it for the best part of a year, and according to The Verge report, it will replace Bing Search and will accommodate both voice and typed search queries, a la Google Now and Siri. The name is borrowed from the Master Chief’s voice assistant in Microsoft’s very own Halo, and it will be interesting to see, with both Google Now and Siri having been around for a while now, whether Cortana can establish it / herself once again, and help WP’s continued growth.

There will be some other implementations aside from the aforementioned, including separate volume controls for ringer sounds and media playback, and I’m sure as we near closer toBUILD 2014, which Microsoft already conceded will commence from April 2nd, we’ll hear of even more new and exciting features to be added to the fray.

(Source: TheVerge)

By: Wasim On 22:46

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Facebook Even Logs The Status Updates And Messages You Don’t Write

Facebook, as we know, is the world’s foremost social network, with well over one billion active users gracing its service via mobile, Web, and other such mediums. With so many logging in at any one time, Facebook plays host to billions of messages and status updates every month, and although we can readily delete them from public view should we so wish, it’s common knowledge that what is removed doesn’t necessarily disappear for good. But what of the utterances we write, but don’t necessarily publish to the world – are they stored in Facebook’s vast cauldron of personal information? Well yes – yes they are.

Just like in your favorite email app, when you half-write a message, lose your page but can still recover the text through the drafts folder, Facebook utilizes a similar technique to store much of what you write, but for whatever reason, don’t opt to publish.

With most people’s Timelines littered with opinion, it’s often tempting to chime in with a few of our own, but often, after a little careful consideration prior to hitting that Post button, we change our minds. You may have presumed, naturally, that your comments would never be seen again, and the chances are, the entire notion of writing said message will probably have disappeared from your mind after a while. This makes it even more disconcerting, perhaps, that Facebook probably still has it written down somewhere under your name.

This collection of information has been discovered by Sauvik Das, a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon and summer software engineer intern at the Menlo Park social network, and Facebook Data Scientist Adam Kramer. The study, which looks at this "self censorship" behavior whereby users often change their minds on what their planning to say, looked at 5 million English-speaking Facebook users.

As it transpires, it is a code in your browser, not anything specifically in Facebook’s end, which allows the social company to grab all of this data from you. Nevertheless, it’s still rather unnerving to learn that what you do, and what you don’t post to Facebook is still being logged, and that our self-moderation of content we opt not to share could still be lurking in cyberspace.

(Source: Slate)

By: Wasim On 22:45

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Philips Hue App Receives iOS 7-inspired Makeover, Sidebar Navigation And More

The Philips Hue app for iOS has been offered a handsome update today that not only brings that modern, flat aesthetic to the fold, but adds a plethora of other new features besides. We’ve got all of the details in one place for you below.

For those uninitiated, Philips’ range of Hue bulbs allow a user to control various aspects including color and brightness, and although they are expensive for what is essentially a luxury product, they have proven rather popular among many iOS users.

The Hue bulbs are somewhat smart in that you can control so much thanks to the companion Hue app, and today, said app has been updated with iOS 7 support. If you’re a Hue user and have been waiting for the app’s appearance to become more in-keeping with the Cupertino company’s newish mobile OS, then the wait is finally over, and rather than just flattening out the interface, Philips has also thrown in one or two other goodies.

For a start, v1.2 brings a useful set-up demonstration, allowing you to quickly and easily familiarize yourself with Philips Hue if you’re just getting started.

My personal favorite addition to the fold with the new update, however, is the fact that you can now save a status of your lights as a preset, so if you wish to to revert at any point in the future, you can do so via light control.

Finally, allied to everything else, there’s a handy new sidebar menu, which makes navigation just that little bit easier. Version 1.2 also offers sidebar notifications to boot, so in actuality, this is perhaps the biggest update we’ve seen to the Philips Hue app since the product was first introduced.

Although Hue, and products like them, are not necessarily revolutionary (or even necessary, for that matter), they do provide great examples of what can now be achieved using smartphones and apps. With this in mind, if you do ever get the opportunity to try out Philips Hue, it’s definitely worth it.

We highly recommend updating to the latest version, and for your convenience we’ve linked to the app below.

(Download: Philips Hue for iPhone on App Store)

By: Wasim On 22:44

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How To Check If Your Email ID And Password Has Been Compromised In A Cyber Attack

The modern day Internet world faces its biggest challenge right now, and users are affected with it – the data security nightmare. Every now and then, successful hackers manage to break through the security measures of a renowned database, exposing along the way the online identities of hundreds of thousands of users of these services. While the targeted companies manage to recover from these attacks over the course of time, users aren’t always so lucky, where most of them are often left wondering whether their critical info was a part of the leak or not. This is where Australian software architect Troy Hunt’s new project comes in.

haveibeenpwned.com is a new Web service that allows you to check if your email address was a part of a security leak. As of now, Hunt’s website contains leaked user data from the breaches at Adobe Systems in 2013, the Yahoo! Leak in 2012, Sony’s infamous disaster from 2011, Start for from the same year, and the Gawker security breach in 2010. Hunt plans on adding more data to the list should they happen in the future (something we all wish wouldn’t happen).

To take advantage of the effort being haveibeenpwned.com, all you need to do is feed in your email address at the website, which will then run it against the data from the aforementioned security breaches and let you know if your supplied email address was a part of the list. There are other areas to explore as well, including an FAQs section as well as API support, but the primary functionality revolves around providing a central repository of leaked data and checking supplied email addresses against that. To that extent, the service works perfectly.

This is not the first website of its kind – security researches have come up with similar solutions after any such disaster in the past as well – but Hunt’s project aims at centralizing records to provide assurance against not one particular incident, but all of them, even in the future.

He does go on to discourage breaching a system just to contribute to the project, but something like this is bound to happen in the future as well. Hence, we find this portal useful now and again.

By: Wasim On 22:42

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