Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Garden Gnome Tests Earth's Gravity
Garden Gnome Tests Earth's Gravity:
sciencehabit writes "Researchers have long hypothesized that objects weigh less at Earth's equator because the planet's spin and shape lessen gravity's pull there versus at the poles. Satellite accelerometers have confirmed this, but a digital scale manufacturer decided to test things the old-fashioned way. Enter the Kern garden gnome. When placed on a scale at the South Pole, the intrepid ornament weighed 309.82 grams versus 307.86 grams at the equator, a difference of 0.6%."
http://www.gnomeexperiment.com/
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
sciencehabit writes "Researchers have long hypothesized that objects weigh less at Earth's equator because the planet's spin and shape lessen gravity's pull there versus at the poles. Satellite accelerometers have confirmed this, but a digital scale manufacturer decided to test things the old-fashioned way. Enter the Kern garden gnome. When placed on a scale at the South Pole, the intrepid ornament weighed 309.82 grams versus 307.86 grams at the equator, a difference of 0.6%."
http://www.gnomeexperiment.com/
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Alfred Hitchcock on the Secret of Happiness
Alfred Hitchcock on the Secret of Happiness:
“…only things that are creative and not destructive… hatred is wasted energy.”
The secret of happiness and purpose endures as our highest aspiration. From its science and psychology to its geography to its empirical application, we go after it with ceaseless zeal.
In this brilliantly wise and articulate short excerpt from an archival interview, the great Alfred Hitchcock shares his definition of happiness — a definition that makes my own heart sing, and harks back to this morning’s meditation on kindness and the lack thereof.
↬ Open Culture
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“…only things that are creative and not destructive… hatred is wasted energy.”
The secret of happiness and purpose endures as our highest aspiration. From its science and psychology to its geography to its empirical application, we go after it with ceaseless zeal.
In this brilliantly wise and articulate short excerpt from an archival interview, the great Alfred Hitchcock shares his definition of happiness — a definition that makes my own heart sing, and harks back to this morning’s meditation on kindness and the lack thereof.
A clear horizon — nothing to worry about on your plate, only things that are creative and not destructive… I can’t bear quarreling, I can’t bear feelings between people — I think hatred is wasted energy, and it’s all non-productive. I’m very sensitive — a sharp word, said by a person, say, who has a temper, if they’re close for me, haunts me for days. I know we’re only human, we do go in for these various emotions, call them negative emotions, but when all these are removed and you can look forward and the road is clear ahead, and now you’re going to create something — I think that’s as happy as I’ll ever want to be.”Beautifully said, with a blend of personal vulnerability and firm conviction worthy of profound respect.
↬ Open Culture
Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter and people say it’s cool. It comes out on Sundays and offers the week’s best articles. Here’s what to expect. Like? Sign up.Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
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![[link]](http://i.imgur.com/nJ6v5.jpg){kind=link}
![[link]](http://i.imgur.com/gWuVZ.jpg){kind=link}
Willy Wonka Remix – You Get Nothing [Video]
Willy Wonka Remix – You Get Nothing [Video]:
Today I tripped over this very cool remix of a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that will forever be my soundtrack piece in the back of my head if I ever deny someone something.
Check out “You Get Nothing” with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka and Featuring Grandpa Jo (unaccredited shocked looks from Charlie included)
Now just about anyone with Windows Movie Maker and a bittorrent client can mash together a remix, but this is very well done and all kinds of entertaining. (Like the Unexpected Game Boy Music Video we saw earlier)
I’d put this on my iPod!
Via
No related posts.
Today I tripped over this very cool remix of a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that will forever be my soundtrack piece in the back of my head if I ever deny someone something.
Check out “You Get Nothing” with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka and Featuring Grandpa Jo (unaccredited shocked looks from Charlie included)
Now just about anyone with Windows Movie Maker and a bittorrent client can mash together a remix, but this is very well done and all kinds of entertaining. (Like the Unexpected Game Boy Music Video we saw earlier)
I’d put this on my iPod!
Via
No related posts.
Friday, March 16, 2012
World earthquakes 2011 Visualization map
World earthquakes 2011 Visualization map:
All earthquakes of 2011 displayed on the globe in a video that represents depth and intensity for ea..(Read...)
All earthquakes of 2011 displayed on the globe in a video that represents depth and intensity for ea..(Read...)
I made a single panel Garfield minus Garfield (Via me).
I made a single panel Garfield minus Garfield (Via me).: 
I made a single panel Garfield minus Garfield (Via me).
I made a single panel Garfield minus Garfield (Via me).
03/14/12 PHD comic: 'Staring contest'
03/14/12 PHD comic: 'Staring contest':
| Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham | www.phdcomics.com | |
 | ||
title: "Staring contest" - originally published 3/14/2012 For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE! | ||
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
New study: Passwords are still the weakest link
New study: Passwords are still the weakest link: 
The latest review of security issues and trends is out, and we're sorry to say, folks: The rampant use of weak passwords still presents a serious security problem to end users and companies alike.
The recently-published Trustwave 2012 Global Security Report details the current threats to user data and identifies the vulnerabilities that persist within organizations. The statistics were generated from their investigation of about 300 breaches across 18 countries. They also analyzed the usage and weakness trends of more than 2 million real-world passwords used within corporate information systems. The verdict? After an initial foothold in a system (via malware and other threat vectors), 80% of security incidents were due to the use of weak administrative passwords.
Yes, that's correct: 80 percent. From weak passwords.
"The use of weak and/or default credentials continues to be one of the primary weaknesses exploited by attackers for internal propagation," the report comments. "This is true for both large and small organizations, and largely due to poor administration."
They found that writing down passwords is still prevalent in the workplace, particularly in organizations that implement complexity requirements, password expiration cycles, and password histories to prevent recycling of old passwords. While these policies are often implemented to improve password management, the reality is that increasing password complexity directly corresponds with a decrease in memorability, hence the insecure practice of writing down passwords. The report found that in 15% of the security tests performed, written passwords were found on or around user work stations.
What's even more astonishing is that rather than find a tool that can help with the password problem, users are getting creative in overriding the policies meant to enforce the use of strong passwords. They exploit loopholes such as:
In another alarming example, the report highlights Active Directory's policy of password complexity, which states that a password is required to have a minimum of eight characters and three of the five character types (Lower Case, Upper Case, Numbers, Special, Unicode). Guess what meets those requirements? "Password1", "Password2", and "Password3", the first being the most widely used across the pool of two million passwords studied in the report.
The top 10 passwords identified by the study were:
Other keywords included:
In some ways, we're impressed by the creative effort people put into avoiding strong passwords while still operating within the "complexity requirements" imposed on them.
However, moving forward into 2012 and beyond, it's clear there are steps both end users and businesses should be taking to change their password habits, prioritizing:
Best,
The LastPass Team
The latest review of security issues and trends is out, and we're sorry to say, folks: The rampant use of weak passwords still presents a serious security problem to end users and companies alike.The recently-published Trustwave 2012 Global Security Report details the current threats to user data and identifies the vulnerabilities that persist within organizations. The statistics were generated from their investigation of about 300 breaches across 18 countries. They also analyzed the usage and weakness trends of more than 2 million real-world passwords used within corporate information systems. The verdict? After an initial foothold in a system (via malware and other threat vectors), 80% of security incidents were due to the use of weak administrative passwords.
Yes, that's correct: 80 percent. From weak passwords.
"The use of weak and/or default credentials continues to be one of the primary weaknesses exploited by attackers for internal propagation," the report comments. "This is true for both large and small organizations, and largely due to poor administration."
They found that writing down passwords is still prevalent in the workplace, particularly in organizations that implement complexity requirements, password expiration cycles, and password histories to prevent recycling of old passwords. While these policies are often implemented to improve password management, the reality is that increasing password complexity directly corresponds with a decrease in memorability, hence the insecure practice of writing down passwords. The report found that in 15% of the security tests performed, written passwords were found on or around user work stations.
What's even more astonishing is that rather than find a tool that can help with the password problem, users are getting creative in overriding the policies meant to enforce the use of strong passwords. They exploit loopholes such as:
- Setting usernames as the password when complexity requirements aren't forced
- Adding simple variations to fit complexity requirements, such as capitalizing a letter and adding an exclamation point to the end
- Using dictionary words or applying simple modifications
In another alarming example, the report highlights Active Directory's policy of password complexity, which states that a password is required to have a minimum of eight characters and three of the five character types (Lower Case, Upper Case, Numbers, Special, Unicode). Guess what meets those requirements? "Password1", "Password2", and "Password3", the first being the most widely used across the pool of two million passwords studied in the report.
The top 10 passwords identified by the study were:
- Password1
- welcome
- password
- Welcome1
- welcome1
- Password2
- 123456
- Password01
- Password3
- P@ssw0rd
Other keywords included:
In some ways, we're impressed by the creative effort people put into avoiding strong passwords while still operating within the "complexity requirements" imposed on them.
However, moving forward into 2012 and beyond, it's clear there are steps both end users and businesses should be taking to change their password habits, prioritizing:
- Education of employees on basic security practices
- Tracking of company data and pinning it to an individual every time
- Standardizing implementation across all platforms and devices
- The implementation of a password management tool that makes it easy to maintain high security standards.
Best,
The LastPass Team
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Evidence of Lost Da Vinci Fresco Behind Florentine Wall
Evidence of Lost Da Vinci Fresco Behind Florentine Wall:
Lev13than writes "Art historians working in Florence's city hall claim to have found evidence of Leonardo da Vinci's lost Battle of Anghiari fresco. Painted in 1505, the fresco was covered over by a larger mural during mid-16th Century palace renovations. Historians have long speculated that the original work was protected behind a false wall. Attempts to reveal the truth have been complicated by the need to protect Vasari's masterpiece Battle of Marciano that now graces the room. By drilling small holes into previously-restored sections of Vasari's fresco, researchers used endoscopic cameras and probes to determine that a second wall does exist. They further claim that the hidden wall is adorned with pigments consistent with Leonardo's style. The research has set off a storm of controversy between those who want to find the lost work and others who believe that it is gone, and that further exploration risks destroying the existing artwork."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Lev13than writes "Art historians working in Florence's city hall claim to have found evidence of Leonardo da Vinci's lost Battle of Anghiari fresco. Painted in 1505, the fresco was covered over by a larger mural during mid-16th Century palace renovations. Historians have long speculated that the original work was protected behind a false wall. Attempts to reveal the truth have been complicated by the need to protect Vasari's masterpiece Battle of Marciano that now graces the room. By drilling small holes into previously-restored sections of Vasari's fresco, researchers used endoscopic cameras and probes to determine that a second wall does exist. They further claim that the hidden wall is adorned with pigments consistent with Leonardo's style. The research has set off a storm of controversy between those who want to find the lost work and others who believe that it is gone, and that further exploration risks destroying the existing artwork."
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