Apple, Apps and Algorithmic Glitches

On October 29th and December 18th, 2014, something very strange happened to the iTunes top apps chart. Like an earthquake shaking up the region, all app positions in the chart were massively rearranged, some booted off completely. These two extremely volatile days displayed rank changes that are orders of magnitude higher than the norm — lots of …

PropelORM

<database name="default"> <table name="book"> <column name="id" type="integer" required="true" primaryKey="true" autoIncrement="true"/> <column name="title" type="varchar" size="255" required="true" /> <column name="isbn" type="varchar" size="24" required="true" phpName="ISBN"/> <column name="author_id" type="integer" required="true"/> <foreign-key foreignTable="author"> <reference local="author_id" foreign="id"/> </foreign-key> </table> <table name="author"> <column name="id" type="integer" required="true" primaryKey="true" autoIncrement="true"/> <column name="first_name" type="varchar" size="128" required="true"/> <column name="last_name" type="varchar" size="128" required="true"/> </table> </database> $book = …

KeySweeper – Log all keystrokes from any Microsoft wireless keyboard

KeySweeper is a stealthy Arduino-based device, camouflaged as a functioning USB wall charger, that wirelessly and passively sniffs, decrypts, logs and reports back (over GSM) all keystrokes from any Microsoft wireless keyboards (using proprietary 2.4GHz RF) in the area. Keystrokes are sent back to the KeySweeper operator over the Internet via an optional GSM chip, …

The Code: A Declassified And Unbelievable Hostage Rescue Story

How do you reach soldiers held under 24-hour armed guard in deeply rural territory? Juan Carlos Ortiz’s mind raced between ideas: Sky-writing? Aid parcels containing secret messages? […] They had to create a message that could be understood by the hostages, but remain invisible to their captors. They needed to give the hostages hope, and …

CURVED/labs: A Facelift for the Macintosh

The Macintosh is a computer with history: with its first desktop computer “Lisa” Apple showed more than 30 years ago not only what was technically possible – the design of the iMac & Co. regularly causes stir. For CURVED/labs a good reason to develop a pioneering anniversary model for Apple that can not deny its …