A Brisbane man has invented a simple, low-cost online authentication system that would allow banks to offer one-time passcode security to all their customers. Internet database manager Matthew Walker has won a patent for PassWindow, which synchronises a part-pattern printed on a see-through card window with the rest of a unique pattern generated on the computer screen to display a numeric code. Online users hold their card against the screen to reveal a randomly created six-digit number that securely authenticates their financial transactions. Mr Walker said PassWindow did the same job as hardware tokens but for almost no cost, so banks could offer that level of security to all customers, rather than just their high-wealth or business clients
Rooks have a remarkable aptitude for using tools, scientists have found. Tests on captive birds revealed that they could craft and employ tools to solve a number of different problems. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, came as a surprise as rooks do not use tools in the wild. Despite this, the UK team said the birds’ skills rivalled those of well-known tool users such as chimpanzees and New Caledonian crows
For the business traveler, Wi-Fi is important — crucial, even. But more important than sustenance? That’s exactly what was found in a recent survey by American Airlines and HP, where some 47% of business travelers responded that Wi-Fi was the most important airport amenity, outscoring basic travels needs such as food by nearly 30 percentage points
The request from four major record labels to fine the Pirate Bay operators for every day the site remains up and running was declined by the Swedish District Court today. Contrary to what the labels had requested, the court said it wants to hear the defendants before it will take any action
New Zealand last week got the option to access full two-way Twitter service via local SMS, but Twitter promises that Australia is still under consideration for a similar arrrangement
A budding British director is enjoying success on a shoestring at Cannes with Colin
, a new zombie feature that cost a scarcely believable $70 to make. Japanese distributors are currently in negotiations for the rights to the film and buzz around the no-budget zombie chiller has attracted interest from some major American distributors — all of which is a very nice surprise for the team behind Colin
Greenlanders are hooking up to the Internet in droves since the Greenland Connect sea cable was connected to the island on 24 March. Within the first month of its operation, Internet use jumped 25 percent. Sermitsiaq reports Tele Greenland’s new ADSL Premium service is particularly popular, luring hundreds of customers with its faster speed and larger capacity for downloading at a single set rate. In anticipation of a big increase in their Internet customers, Tele Greenland has already approached the government and asked it to lower rates by 35 million kroner
One hundred million years ago a termite was wounded and its abdomen split open. The resin of a pine tree slowly enveloped its body and the contents of its gut. In what is now the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar, the resin fossilised and was buried until it was chipped out of an amber mine. The resin had seeped into the termite’s wound and preserved even the microscopic organisms in its gut. These microbes are the forebears of the microbes that live in the guts of today’s termites and help them digest wood. The fossil is the earliest example of a relationship between an animal and the microbes in its gut
YouTube is deleting thousands of sexually explicit videos after it was hit by an organised attack yesterday in a prank known as Porn Day
. The video-sharing website, owned by Google, has removed most of the porn clips but some content could be available for days as YouTube deletes the offending material. The pranksters hid the porn amid innocent footage of celebrities such as Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers. Members of the 4Chan message board, which focuses mostly on Japanese anime and manga, have claimed responsibility for uploading the porn, apparently in response to YouTube’s stance on copyright music videos
The UK government has pushed back on requests that a historic site used by Britain’s top code-breakers during World War II should be elevated to the same status as the Imperial War Museum. Responding to a question from Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall, whose parents met while stationed at the Bletchley Park site during the war, the deputy chief whip of the House of Lords, Lord Davies of Oldham said that while the government was keen to support the site, there would be no moves to link the site to the Imperial War Museum
Pupils walked out of classrooms in protest against Big Brother-styled CCTV cameras recording their lessons. They were so angry with the installation of the equipment at Davenant Foundation School in Chester Road, Loughton, they refused to return until they received assurances it had been turned off. It meant they missed three weeks of studies and led to the drafting of a petition signed by about 150 of their peers. And when they did return to the classroom they all wore masks to continue their protest
Pro-copyright lobbyists and anti-piracy outfits have a clear idea of what is needed to manipulate the minds of the younger generations. The MPAA most famously handed out a merit patch in respecting copyright
to LA Boy Scouts, and now the Copyright Alliance has entered US classrooms in an attempt to educate today’s youth about the benefits of copyright
Wiring up Australia’s river systems, electricity grids, health systems and transport with smart infrastructure networks, as well as beefing up broadband, could add 70,000 jobs and boost GDP by up to $80 billion within 10 years, according to a new report. The Access Economics report on the benefits of intelligent technologies, sponsored by IBM, predicts a 1.5 per cent boost to GDP over 10 years that would increase the net present value of GDP in the range of $35 billion to $80 billion
Cybercrime fighter Eugene Kaspersky can’t help but be impressed by the slick operations behind the Conficker botnet, and says that it could have been worse had the botnet been after more than just money
The Federal Government will introduce legislation to make torture a specific offence in Australia. It says the move will send a strong message to the international community that Australia will not tolerate the practice. The Government has also signed a United Nations protocol against torture which will allow international inspectors to check Australian detention centres
Police surveillance of a peaceful protester was ruled unlawful today in a decison that lawyers say will change the way demonstrations and protests are policed. Judges ruled that specialist surveillance units from the Metropolitan police had breached the human rights of Andrew Wood, an arms trade campaigner, when they photographed him and stored the pictures on a police database
Allowing ISPs to have too much would drastically hinder the chances of fresh new startups developing into major businesses — as happened with Google
The effectiveness of new anti-speeding technology to be trialed in New South Wales has been questioned, because drivers will be able to override the system. Forty of the Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) units will be trialled on Wollongong roads next month and the State Government says that one day it could be a standard feature in all cars. But New South Wales Roads Minister Michael Daley says motorists will be able to override the system
Australia researchers have unveiled a new type of disc that stores 10,000 times more data than current DVDs and could be on the market within a decade. The discs store 1.6 terabytes of data, eclipsing the capacity of current DVD and Blu-ray discs which hold up to 50 gigabytes. The researchers, from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, have published their breakthrough in the journal Nature. A standard DVD recorder uses light of a single wavelength to ‘burn’ data onto the surface of the disc. The team at Swinburne found that by adding gold nanorods to the disc they were able to increase its capacity. The nanorods react to light according to their shape. This allowed the researchers to record information using light of different wavelengths, or colours, on the same location on the disc
To determine if the verdict in the Pirate Bay case was biased, the connections of Judge Tomas Norström to national and international pro-copyright lobby groups will be reviewed by another judge. However, the judge that was initially appointed has already been replaced because she was linked to the same organisations as Norström, and her replacement is not exactly unbiased either
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