Time For Someone to Google Themselves a New Job

It seems that Google just can't catch a break when it comes to stories involving horrific acts of privacy violations. If their not taking pictures of your home while you are dancing nude in your window, they are going through the personal emails and voice accounts of minors. The latter is just such the case for now former Google employee David Barksdale. 

Nerd Jesus is not only jobless,
 but he's also single, ladies.

Google fired Barksdale from his engineering job this past July for, as Google's press release states, "breaking [Google's] strict internal privacy policies". The reason sounds pretty vanilla on paper. In reality, what is really behind his firing is amazing (but mostly creepy and pathetic). Apparently, the bright white skinned computer whiz's position at the base of the most powerful force on the internet went to his pointy little head and made him do some things that'll probably make your skin crawl a bit. Or at least make you change your passwords a few times. 


When not writing the screenplay to the next Matrix film whilst sipping flavored coffee in the back of his local Denny's establishment (assumption, of course), David enjoyed befriending 15 year old boys and girls in a popular Washington based tech chat room.Twenty seven year old David became so attached to his new brethren that he, on four separate occasions, thought it proper to use his mystical Google powers to hack into his young friend's Google email accounts, chat logs, and even their Google Voice accounts. If you were to de-friend David on a particular service, he was known to hack his way into your account and reverse the de-friending. 


In one particularly creepy instance, David became upset when one of his 15 year old e-friends refused to give the name of his new girlfriend. Not one to be denied such information, Barksdale snooped through the boy's various accounts, got the young lady's phone number, and threatened to call her. The boy went to his parents for help with the aggressively creepy internet god, who then contacted Google. Several other parent-to-Google phone calls eventually led to the eventual  termination of Barksdale's employment (and his World of Warcraft budget, we're afraid).  


It's also reported that David would invite his young buddies to meet up and catch a movie.
While none of the incidents seemed to be worthy of Dateline's 'To Catch a Predator', it's enough to make any Google user a little weary of how much and with whom they trust their personal information. And it certainly makes you wonder who your kids, or perhaps youself, are talking to in those instances where the name comes before the face here on the world wide creepy web. 


Good luck to you in your search for employment, David Barksdale. We understand Facebook is always looking for people who share similar respect toward piracy. Just don't expect us to accept that ominous friend request. Then again, we just might be a little out of your age range.

The PS3 Can Now Do Something Sony Doesn't Want It To Do

When Sony launched the third installment in their Playstation brand of video game consoles, they knew they had a winner on their hands. The Playstation 3's (PS3) take off from the retail runway in 2006 was a bit bumpy due to the high price tag and lacking online gaming service, but the turbulence eventually eased to smooth sailing. The console offered video game and home entertainment enthusiasts a great built-in Blu Ray player, quality game library, the ability to install a secondary operating system, and a host of content in the form of digital downloads. As the brand's slogan stated, the PS3 truly did just about everything.

Sony's competition, the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360, had major issues with piracy. Hackers made it possible to play backed up copies of video games through console hardware and software modification. While playing a backup of something may sound harmless to those outside of the video game industry, it's not as innocent as you copying some songs off of your favorite Wham album onto a mix tape for your late night crying sessions. In the video game community, the ability to play backups almost always leads to piracy. Through the use of torrent sites, unsavory (or cheap) gamers are able to freely download pirated copies of games and play them without ever owning their own original copy. Outside a hut in Malaysia, this is a pretty illegal and profit crushing activity. Sony's PS3, however, is considered to be quite unhackable. Until now.

In April of this year, Sony released a firmware update (v3.21) that completely disabled the ability to install a secondary operating system. The move was made because of mounting security concerns due to a vulnerability opened by the installation of Linux based operating systems on the console. The hardcore nerd sector of the PS3 fanbase was extremely distraught by this; some even filed several class action lawsuits against Sony citing a form of false advertising. As you're about to find out, this may have been all for naught.

Through the use of a simple USB thumbdrive, The PS Jailbreak allows PS3 console owners to unlock the ability to play PS3 games without a disc. The drive contains a software hack that tricks the console into thinking that it's now a developer's test unit. Users are given the ability to play games from any USB storage device formatted in FAT32. Currently, only PS3 games can be played using PS Jailbreak; PSone, PS2, DVDs, and Blu Ray movies are currently not supported. The embedded software is currently set to run on Playstation OS v3.41, but one would imagine that the device (and the inevitable knockoffs) will be ready for the software updates that Sony will surely deploy in a vain attempt to stop the hack. 

The device is currently in extremely short supply as of post date, with price points ranging from $120 to $150 (USD). This may seem like a high ticket item to some, but considering the $60 price tag on most console video games, it would pay for itself after two or three game downloads. 

Welcome to the Hacked Club, PS3. You tried, but the thieving bastards won in the end. You now truly do EVERYTHING again. And by the looks of it, it's just the beginning. We only hope that this won't lead to the eventual removal of USB ports on future PS3 consoles.  

Star Wars Goes Blu in 2011.....With Controversy

Would we have it any other way?

George Lucas revealed to The Daily Show's John Stewart that all six Star Wars films would finally arrive on Blu Ray disc during a special press conference Saturday at the Star Wars Celebration V event in Central Florida. The event was a celebration of the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back". Herds of nerds in Wookie costumes and girls who had no business wearing slave bikinis (no matter what the galaxy.....no matter how far away) rejoiced. That is, until they learned exactly what they'd be getting. Hell hath no fury like a Force loving nerd with access to internet forums.

Here is just a snippet of said fury from the office Star Wars site comments section:

"Frig you lucas. Without the originals the trilogy is nothing.. If you aren't happy with your creation from back then, well tough.. WE ARE! You need to listen to all of us and give us the choice either before release or in distribution (original copies/remastered). I'll keep my "original" dvd set until the format is dead or you step off your high horse and stop playing this bullsh-t with your loyal fans who's sat through you destroying a classic movie with cgi. They were great on their own, with their mistakes, crude special effects and bad dialogue. A classic CANNOT be remastered, re-released or made to be any better than it was."

What you read above is part of the story. Lucas later went into detail as to what was going to be included in the set. Along with a multitude of as of now undetailed bonus features, the versions of the original trilogy films (the ones without Jar Jar Binks) will be the special editions; the one where Han doesn't shoot first. Lucas stated that it would be just too expensive to re-master the original films to Blu Ray standards; which is no doubt a response to the old burn marks left on his bottom line after he invested so much money into the ill-fated LaserDisc format. 

Another point of controversy is a deleted scene which will be included in the Blu Ray release. The scene, cut from "Return of The Jedi", shows Luke Skywalker building his green lightsaber and would have been his first introduction in the film. Some rather hearty nerds believe that the scene is not in fact from the cutting room floor, but that it is something recently fabricated to hype and add further value to the Blu Ray release. "Evidence" given is the fact that Lucas very rarely cuts fully completed (edited, scored, special effects supplied) scenes from his films. We would have posted the video in this post, but Lucas' production company already filed copyright infringement complaints against all posted footage of the deleted scene. Sorry. 

Whatever the case, the Blu Ray collection is set for release in 2011 to coincide with the 35 anniversary of the theatrical release of "Star Wars Episode I: A New Hope". It is currently unknown what the exact date will be or if all six films will be released in a box set or if consumers will be able to buy their favorites separately. We will be sure to report when a pre-order date is announced; at which time all questions will hopefully be answered.

Will the addition of Star Wars on Blu Ray cement the Blu Ray format as the new standard? We think that Back to The Future will do so this fall. Will the nerds protest the release like Rebels on the Death Star? Will Yoda sing "Pants on The Ground" in a deleted scene easter egg? We'll have to wait and see. Until then, let your nerd flag fly and tell us what you think!

Learn how to lie with the help of video games!

Some parents buy their kids educational video games to teach them how to do simple math through cute little interactive songs or matching games featuring their favorite creepy talking animals. There are games that teach little girls how to care for babies. There are games that will teach you how to cook, although often with horrible results. There are games that will teach bible lessons.....often with horrible results. Typing of The Dead is a video game that teaches you to type while you blow the brains out of rotting zombies with very satisfying results. This fall, video games will finally teach us something useful; the fine art of verbal deception. 

THQ, the developer who brought you a bunch of professional wrestling games, wants to really ramp up the drama with Truth or Lies. You won't be warping through pipes to avoid telling your pixelated parents where you've been all night. You'll be lying your ass off into a (not included) USB or wireless microphone (unknown as of post whether Nintendo's Wii Speak peripheral will be supported). The game will use a specially designed voice calibration program that somehow measures the stress level in your voice to determine if you're a honest saint, a rat bastard liar, or a murderous nut job who can mask their human emotions to pass themselves off as a normal, non-homicidal person. 

With it's playful "truth or dare" premise and bargain title price tag ($40 on 360/PS3, $30 on Wii), it will surely find it's way into the rotation during parties. The game has the potential to make those parties fun and memorable; with inside jokes for you to litter your friend's Facebook walls with for weeks to come, or infamous; with broken hearts, hurt feelings, and destroyed friendships. With the ability to step outside of the game's 3,000 questions and ask your own questions, you can stage your own Maury Povich Show in your living room. 

So suck it, Jack Thompson. Games are educational. And that's the truth. You just won't be hearing us say it. 

Play Nintendo With Your Eyeballs!

Top this, Microsoft Kinect!

These days, we know that the less buttons, the better. When you don't actually have to think about how to control your pixelated plumber, the more immersed you are in the game world. Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony would have you believe motion controls are the future of video games. Wave your hands, flick your wrist, scan your body into a creepy moving camera and bounce virtual balls off your digital face. We certainly have come a long way since the days of the Nintendo Power Glove (it's so bad). But for the crazy Texans at Waterloo Labs, we haven't gone nearly far enough.

Using a modded Nintendo Entertainment System (you remember than grey and black horizontal toaster, right?) and a set of medical grade electrodes, the mad scientists from the Lone Star State are able to warp through a game of Super Mario Brothers sans hands and controller. The engineers insist that you'll be able to control any NES game with this control setup, although one would imagine that trying to play Abadox this way would bring new meaning to the term "twitch shooter".




Let's just hope this control method limits itself to the classic and simple NES controller. It's scary to imagine where the electrodes would have to be placed in order to compensate for the input commands needed to control Nintendo 64 games. Yikes.

For more information on this and other things that are bigger in Texas, head on over to Waterloo Labs. The website even contains instructions on how to do this mod yourself. If you are down with looking like a crazed lab rat in a methamphetamine test lab while saving the princess, we implore you to do so. And make sure you send us the video. And we want you to say "Now you're playing with balls. Eyeballs!", just for a goof.

Tonight there's gonna be a JailBreak(Me) for iOS4 users

Got one of those new snazzy iPhone 4 phones, do ya? You say you're a crazy app freak who just can't settle for what Apple allows on their iTunes store and you want your favorite daily horoscope app to run? WHAT?!?! Apple doesn't approve that app? Well, you're in luck!

Today JailbreakMe is live and available for your rebellious self to download and enjoy, courtesy of the Library of Congress who made the program legal, and the fine folks at JailbreakMe.com who hacked the exploit in the Mobile Safari Browser to develop this free online based tool.

After Jailbreaking your iPhone, you'll be able to download a host of buggy, non verified iPhone apps; a feature Android OS users have loved and loathed since day one. But it's not just limited to iPhone users. iPad users can also frolic in the seedy world of portable device hackers by using JailbreakMe. It'll run on all versions of the iPhone if you're using iOS4 (stability issues have been reported by users using iOS3 releases). JailbreakMe is so easy to use, even your grandma can do it. In fact, I think I saw your grandma updating her Facebook about it. It involved lots of "Woot woots" and whatever the seniors are using for slang these days. You might as well give Jailbreaking a shot. What else are you going to do while you wait 4-5 weeks for that free Apple bumper case for you iPhone? It's either this or you can practice holding that phone the right way. You find all you need to get started here.

While it is no longer a legal issue to Jailbreak your iPhone (iPad included), it should be noted that doing so may void your Apple warranty. In some cases, it could completely brick your device, making your phone or tablet a really expensive (but slick looking) paper weight.

If you're a pansy and too scared to Jailbreak your device, you can wait around for that horoscope app to get approved by Apple. But who knows when Uncle Steve and his cronies will get around to it. And without that horoscope to tell you, you may never know when it does happen. Think about THAT.

The ability to unlock your iPhone for use on other US carriers will be a feature in an upcoming release of JailbreakMe. Stay tuned to Byte Down for more information on that.

Go back in time on October 26!

If there is a person alive who doesn't love Back to The Future, they better hope I don't run into them in a dark alley. I will take my hair dryer and melt their brains.

I've owned the trilogy in a multitude of variants. I've had a VHS tape from one of those free HBO promotions (analog BitTorrent of the 80's), the retail VHS set, the single releases on DVD, and finally the DVD boxset. And on October 26th (the exact date that the first movie released in theaters 25 years ago), I WILL own the 25th Anniversary trilogy on Blu Ray. It is my density.

We're talking all three movies completely remastered in glorious 1080p resolution, 12 freakin' hours of bonus footage (includes 2 hours never before seen footage), and a host of other cool Blu Ray exclusive content. If there was ever a reason to drop a hundred dollars of money you don't have on a Blu Ray player you probably don't need, this is it. Hello........McFly!

Read all of the excellent features and place your pre-order on Amazon.com. As of posting, you can secure your copy for under $50 (shipped free) and also get yourself $4 in Amazon digital downloads (see site for details).

I gotta make like a tree and go call the Doc to see about borrowing the DeLorean. I have a killer craving for a Pepsi Free.

Hacker nerd is listening to your phone calls

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Unless you're in Vegas and talking on your cell phone this weekend near the DefCon hacker conference. In this case, cell phone hacker Chris Paget could use his device, the IMSI catcher, to listen in while you're relaying your dirty hooker story to your buddy back home.

While Paget is among the pale army hell bent on "exposing security invulnerabilities" for the betterment of society and/or complete world domination, he simply wants to show that GSM is broken in this case. GSM is, for lack of a better term, 2G; which is just means "2nd generation" of cellular technology. 3G is the third. If 4G requires an explanation, please simply surf away from this page.

If you use a 3G enabled device and make your phone calls over a 3G connection, you're not vulnerable to this sort of mobile privacy raping. But if your carrier is known for inconsistent 3G coverage and requires your GSM phone to revert to 2G, your phone calls could wind up being YouTube fodder faster than the latest Mel Gibson outburst (though we challenge you to make it nearly as entertaining).

Paget's device cost him a mere $1,500 to create. While this may seem like hefty amount, I advise you to never underestimate the buying power and determination of hacker nerds. If they want to live vicariously through your non-3G protected phone calls, they'll do it. It's cheaper than those late night 976 numbers and it doesn't show up on their mom's phone bills. And if they manage to snag your credit card number while listening to you order a pizza, even better.

Bottom line, this is a good hack. None of the phone carriers want to talk about this at the moment because it simply makes the technology in their phones look bad. Which phone are effected? Any phone that uses GSM. Which phones use GSM? Just about ALL phones on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks (yes....even the iPhone). You can safe guard yourself by making sure that you're using your 3G network when on a call. If you notice that you're on EDGE or something other than 3G, just be mindful that there may be a fatty with a neck beard on the other end listening to your every word.

Click here to read the unmolested story from The Washington Post.