Apr

22

For those who aren’t aware, there are folks out there who are stealing your ATM information not by breaking into the transaction processing company, but by stealing it from you at the ATM. This process is called “skimming,” and it involves installing a card reader and a camera on the ATM. The card reader gets the information on the magnetic stripe on the back of your card, and the camera watches what you enter for a PIN.  I knew these were out there, but it was a surprise to me to see how advanced they were, transmitting information wirelessly to the thieves.

It’s a good idea to try to keep an eye out for these devices, but you have to know what to look for, so I was interested to see a guide on spotting a skimmer. It’s a brief PDF that’s worth the read.

[ Consumerist via Lifehacker ]

Apr

14

Folks who know me in the real world (there’s a real world, I hear some of you cry) know that I have a fondness for anachronistic technology. I’ve got a 10 MB hard drive, a mylar tape, and an actual 64K core board (ask your father if you don’t know what this means).  I also repair watches as a hobby.  That’s what got my attention about this absolutely amazing looking phone from Ulysse Nardin.

the handset {…} will incorporate a visible, fully-functional kinetic rotor that will apparently assist in providing power, just like you might find in a mechanical wristwatch.

And, yes, they’re serious about that “No. 1 of 1846” business, they’re apparently not making many. No really, if you want to get me one for my birthday, I wouldn’t object…

[From Timezone via Engadget]

Apr

13

Well, it was nice while it lasted. After McColo was taken off line last year, we saw an amazing 75% decrease in spam, that wonderful unsolicited commercial email.  It was only a matter of time however, before the spammers adapted.

Word out today from Microsoft says that now, 39 out of every 40 email messages is spam.  It’s absolutely dumbfounding.

[via Geeks are Sexy]

Apr

1

Just a quick note to wish people a happy April Fools Day. Hopefully you didn’t get pranked too badly.

I was amusing myself reading the Wikipedia article on April Fools, and I didn’t realize that BWM was such a consistent generator of April Fools pranks!  It’s worth a read if you haven’t seen it.

For those in the know, Friday is Cheese Weasel Day, for those who celebrate it. I’ve done so for the last few years, it’s a holiday that suits my sense of whimsy. Since I’ll be out of the office that day, I brought Irish Cheddar (NUM!), Wensleydale, Danish Havarti and Stilton with Apricots to the office today. All seemed to go over well.

Finally, I’ve got a friend with an artistic bent working on a new logo for the business, I’ll be posting that here for folks to see once it’s done. I hope it’s soon, I’m excited about it.

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