Hacking Web Cams, or, Where's Oxymoron...

At Slate, Christopher Beam discusses the practice of Hackers taking control of your computer and watching you through your own Web Cam.

In a report released last month, Canadian researchers concluded that GhostNet has cracked at least 1,295 computers in 103 different countries, specifically targeting the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan activists and officials. Stealing documents and logging keystrokes—that I understand. You can get all sorts of useful information reading someone's e-mail or looking at their bank records. But peeking at them through their Web cameras? That seems creepy even by the standards of shady cyber-spying rings. It's one thing to read the Dalai Lama's IM conversations. It's another to actually watch him LOL.One program that allows you to do this is Back Orifice, a pun on Microsoft's BackOffice.

While this is not that common, it probably explains Oxymoron's absence.

Who cares about the election...

When the Earth will be swallowed in its entirety by a man-made black hole.

Tomorrow, scientists will turn on the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator, to attempt to recreate the effects of the Big Bang by crashing protons into each other.

I guess that I feel better knowing that scientists, and not John McCain or the Republican Party, will end the world.

To Progress...

As Much as Harrogate Detests The Current Configuration Of Our Media......

He is still human. Does he not still bleed? Does he not feel the thorns of life? And verily, has he no sense of humor?

Because it is goddamned funny how MSNB has said "to hell with it, we're getting behind Obama the rest of the way, though we promise to be clumsy about it often, to the inadvertent detriment of the candidate we are supporting. Even Buchanan and Scarborough are going to come off, the rest of the way, as friendly old curmudgeons who just need more time around Rachel and Keith, and they might see the light yet." Etc.

Meanwhile FOX says, "whatever, duuuuude. You knew where we'd be the whole time."

Compare all this with the putridness of CNN as they continue to raise the brow and pretend to an above-it-all objecticity and journalistic integrity. But in reality, CNN runs mre fluff pieces, more human interest stories (heh), than the other two, and by a country mile.

FOX and MSNBC therefore win in terms of entertainment value. Flipping back and forth between them lately has been a real treat.

:-)

Bigfoot; or, No, Not That Georgia. That Georgia.

One more link to (must. make. it. through. post.) CNN. Because the new Bigfoot Discourse seems to be capturing a slice of the public imaginary, including, admittedly, on the most inexcusably banal level imaginable, Harrogate's.

A policeman and a former corrections officer say that on Friday they will unveil evidence of what they claim is their biggest find ever: the body of Bigfoot.

A Novel Idea to Make Harrogate Proud....

Maybe because its ratings suck or maybe because it is serious about politics, but regardless of why, CBS news has decided that it will cover the issues pertaining to the Presidential Election. According to Marc Ambinder, CBS news will run 35 separate segments, each 6 - 8 minutes in length, discussing one issue on its evening news program starting after the convention.

MSNBC has done this, somewhat, on "Super Tuesday," which happens to be every Tuesday. Each Tuesday, MSNBC picks a theme such as "economy," "Culture Wars," etc. Unfortunately, when they do this, the just have the same familiar people and the same familiar (shallow) arguments. Maybe this will be better. Maybe. Maybe Not.