Googles Project Loon: Balloon-powered Internet
Youtube Direktskynet, via Hackernews
Ich bin da ja mal äußerst skeptisch, aber was weiß ich schon: Google hat sein Project Loon gestartet, „Balloon-powered Internet for everyone“. Von der Idee hatte ich bereits gehört, hätte aber nicht gedacht, dass sie das so schnell in die Tat umsetzen. Erinnert alles ein bisschen an Liam Youngs Flying Filesharing-Network on a Quadcopter-Robotswarm und The Pirate Bay on flying Drone-Servers, nur eben mit Wetterballons.
We believe that it might actually be possible to build a ring of balloons, flying around the globe on the stratospheric winds, that provides Internet access to the earth below. It’s very early days, but we’ve built a system that uses balloons, carried by the wind at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, to beam Internet access to the ground at speeds similar to today’s 3G networks or faster. As a result, we hope balloons could become an option for connecting rural, remote, and underserved areas, and for helping with communications after natural disasters. The idea may sound a bit crazy—and that’s part of the reason we’re calling it Project Loon—but there’s solid science behind it.
Profile of Keith „Emperor“ Alexander, NSA-Masterchief of your Data
Wired hat eine spannende Story über Keith Alexander, Chef der NSA – „We jokingly referred to him as Emperor Alexander—with good cause, because whatever Keith wants, Keith gets“ –, der seinen Laden in den letzten acht Jahren zu einem Cyberwar-Monster hochgejazzed hat, von dem die Snowden-Leaks nur die spitze des Eisbergs sein dürften: NSA Snooping Was Only the Beginning. Meet the Spy Chief Leading Us Into Cyberwar.
Alexander’s agency has recruited thousands of computer experts, hackers, and engineering PhDs to expand US offensive capabilities in the digital realm. The Pentagon has requested $4.7 billion for “cyberspace operations,” even as the budget of the CIA and other intelligence agencies could fall by $4.4 billion. It is pouring millions into cyberdefense contractors. And more attacks may be planned.
Inside the government, the general is regarded with a mixture of respect and fear, not unlike J. Edgar Hoover, another security figure whose tenure spanned multiple presidencies. “We jokingly referred to him as Emperor Alexander—with good cause, because whatever Keith wants, Keith gets,” says one former senior CIA official who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. “We would sit back literally in awe of what he was able to get from Congress, from the White House, and at the expense of everybody else.”
Derweil hat Ed Snowden mit der South China Morning Post geredet, die das Interview in einer Serie von Posts veröffentlichen: US government has been hacking Hong Kong and China for years, Whistleblower Edward Snowden talks to South China Morning Post, Whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells SCMP: ‘Let Hong Kong people decide my fate’, Washington is bullying Hong Kong to extradite me, says Edward Snowden.
Und falls jemand Lust auf Next Level Verschwörungstheorien hat: Steve Kinney schreibt auf der Website des Centre for Global Research in Kanada die meines Erachtens ziemlich realistische These auf, dass die NSA bereits Wochen vor den Leaks Wind von Snowdens Absichten bekommen hat und ihn mit falschen Informationen versorgte, die PRISM-Leaks also nur ein Honeypot sind, um die tatsächlich Ausmaße der Schnüffelei der NSA zu verschleiern. Und die Argumente klingen erschreckend logisch:
1. Die Logos der Tech-Firmen sind in den PRISM-Dokumenten auffällig prominent in Szene gesetzt, 2. Snowden hat während seiner Arbeit mit seinen Kollegen über Datenmissbrauch geredet und wäre daher sicher auf einer roten Liste der NSA, 3. Keith Alexander hat nach bekanntwerden der Leaks viel zu schnell reagiert und die Dokumente als authentisch klassifiziert.
In the wake of the Wikileaks scandals, the U.S. intelligence community has answered “Who shall watch the watchmen?” by introducing active surveillance and detailed profiling of their own analysts and contractors, looking for potential whistleblowers. By his own account, Snowden often discussed perceived Agency wrongdoing with his co-workers, which suggests that he should have been profiled and flagged as a potential leaker by the NSA’s internal surveillance process.
The logos of major U.S. IT and communication service providers are splashed across the top of PRISM power point slides like sponsor patches on a NASCAR driver’s jacket. Vendor logos often do appear next to product illustrations in DoD briefing documents, and are sometimes used to indicate a vendor’s position in process or procurement flow charts. But the “ad banner” format present in the leaked PRISM slides is very unusual and apparently unique to the PRISM document.
It is against long standing Agency policy to comment directly on any classified matter, and its Directors have consistently refused to confirm or deny any Agency activity when questioned by the press. But when the UK Guardian broke the story of the PRISM leak, the Director of National Intelligence promptly confirmed the document as authentic, calling the leak “reprehensible”. […] This very unusual confirmation raises more questions about the PRISM document than it answers.
NSA Deception Operation? Questions Surround Leaked PRISM Document’s Authenticity
Google Glass Teardown
Catwig haben das neue NSA-Selbstausschnüffelungstool Google Glass auseinandergenommen. Das Ding besteht zu ‘nem großen aus flexiblen Circuitboards, das Mainboard haben sie mit Google[x] gebrandet, bin gespannt, ob sich das als Googles Hardware-Dingsbums durchsetzen wird, Google X kennt man bislang als diese nicht-mehr-so-geheimen Labs, in denen auch die Robot-Autos entstehen.
Maurice Sendaks Google Doodle
Google feiert in Neuseeland bereits den 85sten Geburtstag von Maurice Sendak und spendiert ihm dazu ein tolles Doodle voller Monster. „And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.“
Vorher auf Nerdcore:
Art Spiegelman drew Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak, R.I.P
Stephen Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak
Interview with Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things eat Rainbow Cakes…
Wild Things’ Design-Höhlen-Contest
Filmposter remixed mit „Where the wild things are“
NSA is looking for a Digital Network Exploitation Analyst
Die NSA sucht passenderweise grade einen Digital Network Exploitation Analyst. Dreist. Aus dem offiziellen Job-Posting auf ihrer Website:
The purpose of the Digital Network Exploitation Analyst Development Program (DDP) is to develop individuals who can perform discovery and target technology analysis of digital network and mobile communications. Individuals will support the Analysis and Collection Offices in Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). The three-year intern program combines training (SIGINT Discovery/Analysis), operational assignments (in the SIGINT Directorate) and a technical report to enhance the skills of an individual. There is a one year commitment to the SIGINT Directorate upon graduation from the Development Program. In order to carry out these functions NSA is looking for people who are highly skilled and impassioned with Analysis and Discovery. Graduates of this program are aggressively sought after because of their in depth knowledge and breadth of experiences.
Passt auch grade: Der Westen hat eine Story einer Austauschschülerin, die sie am Flughafen befragt haben und ihr dort Auszüge ihrer privaten Facebook-Chats mit ihrer beinahe-zukünftigen Gastfamilie vorlegten. Dann wurde sie direkt wieder in einen Flieger nach Deutschland gesetzt. They are watching you, indeed!
I fixed Shepard Faires Obama-Poster to fit PRISM. Also: Happy 64th, George Orwells 1984!
Ich habe heute jede Menge Sachen zum Überwachungsmonster PRISM gelesen, heute, am 64. Geburtstag von George Orwells 1984 (!), das am 8. Juni 1949 zum ersten mal veröffentlicht wurde. Und weil ich ja heute sehr viel Zeit hatte, da dank eines größeren Ausfalls bei Host Europe die Seite down war, habe ich Shepard Fairys Obama-Poster für das Jahr 2013 aktualisiert. Ich hab’ sogar ein Allsehendes Auge an Stelle von Obey Giants Signet in die linke untere Ecke gepackt, damit das auch wirklich stimmig ist. Hier das Original zum Vergleich, hier das Baby in HighRes. Der Post hier ist ein bisschen länger und hat am Ende jede Menge Links zum Thema, da sind auch jede Menge obskure Sachen dabei, wie PRISM-Designkritik und sowas.
Mark Zuckerberg und Larry Page streiten selbstverständlich alles ab, der eine auf Facebook, der andere auf Google Bloggingplattform, und beide benutzen auffällig gleiche Formulierungen. Von Anwälten glattgerührte, oberflächliche Ausflüchte oder anders formuliert: Bullshit. Von Techcrunch:
The New York Times says you knowingly participated in the NSA’s data monitoring program. In some cases, you were asked to create ”a locked mailbox and give the government the key”, to allow it to peer into private communications and web activity. Even if the exact words of your denials were accurate, they seemed to obscure the scope of your involvement with PRISM. Outlining as clearly as possible exactly what kind of data the government could attain would have gone a long way.
But you were probably cornered by Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act restrictions about what you could say about PRISM. And in fact, you might have beeen subtly trying to fight back by asking the government for more transparency. When you decode Mark’s statement “We strongly encourage all governments to be much more transparent about all programs aimed at keeping the public safe”, I hear “Our hands are cuffed. Only the government can reveal that we participated. We wish they would.”
Und grade, wenn man sich eine Meinung gebildet hat und zum Schluss kommt, dass Direct Access zu den Servern der Datensammelmaschinen von Google bis Facebook wohl übertrieben ist [update: Ist wohl nicht übertrieben, eine vom Guardian heute veröffentlichte Präsentations-Seite widerspricht den Dementis von Google und Facebook: „Collection directly from servers“. There you have it.] , dafür aber sehr wohl ein formalisierter und automatisierter Prozess für juristische Anfragen eingerichtet wurde, als Portal oder API oder ähnliches…
…da packt der Guardian den nächsten Hammer drauf: Boundless Informant: the NSA’s secret tool to track global surveillance data und ein Liveblog haben sie auch gleich mit eingerichtet, da kommt wohl noch mehr. Da werden dann auch Zahlen genannt und Länder, in denen die NSA mitschnorchelt. Deutschland ist laut der Grafik dort im ungefähr selben Maßstab betroffen, wie die USA, und das von der NSA am meisten überwachte Land der EU. Fun!
The Guardian has acquired top-secret documents about the NSA datamining tool, called Boundless Informant, that details and even maps by country the voluminous amount of information it collects from computer and telephone networks. The focus of the internal NSA tool is on counting and categorizing the records of communications, known as metadata, rather than the content of an email or instant message.
The Boundless Informant documents show the agency collecting almost 3 billion pieces of intelligence from US computer networks over a 30-day period ending in March 2013. One document says it is designed to give NSA officials answers to questions like, “What type of coverage do we have on country X” in “near real-time by asking the SIGINT [signals intelligence] infrastructure.”
Und Slate titelt derweil ein bisschen polemisch, aber nicht unwahr: How PRISM could ruin Apple, Google, and every other big tech company. Das Kapital von Google und Facebook sind nämlich nicht wirklich unsere Daten, sondern vor allem unser Vertrauen. Mit PRISM könnten sie sich das in einer Breite verspielt haben, die möglicherweise über Nerd-Kreise hinausgeht.
These companies know that the only way for their businesses to work is if we don’t fixate on the potential dangers of the devices in our pockets. Facebook and Google are only viable, as business propositions, if we’re enthusiastic, optimistic participants in our own data-mining.
But PRISM changes that calculus. If tech giants really can’t stop the U.S. government from observing everything we do on their sites, it represents a giant hole in their assurances about our data. PRISM means that we can’t really trust these firms’ promises, and it may spark demand for alternatives. PRISM makes search engines like DuckDuckGo—which lets you search anonymously—more attractive. It sets up a market for encrypted email services, for apps that shut down location-tracking on your phone, for Web browsers and plug-ins that prevent you from being followed online. In the long run, these more private services might be less useful than the ones run by data-mining companies—they may not lead to self-driving cars—and they may cost more (if your phone’s operating system isn’t subsidized by ads, maybe you’ll pay a lot more for it) but it’s possible we’ll prefer that trade-off.
Und Michael Arrington schreibt auf, was alle denken: COWARDS.
If just one of them stood up and told us what’s really going on, as the EFF has urged, we could start to have a real discussion in this country about freedom v. security. Stand up, I say, and tell us about these FISA orders. Publish them all. Tell us everything. Let us understand the true scope of the evil we are facing. Because their lawyers might be telling them what they are required to do. But their soul should be telling them what they must do.
Will you do it, Marissa? Or you, Ballmer? Or you, Armstrong? Will anyone stand up and say the truth?
Nach dem Klick noch jede Menge Links zum Thema: Gib mir den Rest, Baby…
The inevitable PRISM-Twitter-Account
Well, I guess at this point there’s no reason not to set up a Twitter account.
— PRISM US Gov (@PRISM_NSA) 6. Juni 2013
It took an extraordinary amount of willpower to keep a straight face during the outrage about Holder’s AP probe. “Yes, yes, how shocking”
— PRISM US Gov (@PRISM_NSA) 7. Juni 2013
NSA and FBI have direct Access to Servers of… everything
Gestern erst wurde bekannt, dass die NSA Vorratsdatenspeicherung im großen Stil bei mindestens einem großen Telekommunikationsanbieter vornimmt, heute dann der komplette Super-Daten-GAU: Sowohl das FBI als auch die NSA haben direkten Zugriff auf die Server von Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, PalTalk, Youtube, Skype, AOL und Apple. Die Zugriffe erfolgen „nur“ auf Datenpakete, die durch amerikanische Server geleitet werden, das betrifft aber sehr wohl auch große Teile der internationalen Datenkommunikation.
Laut Ars Technica (erster Satz: „It’s worse than we thought.“) streiten die Unternehmen die Kenntnis über das Schnüffelprogramm ab. Diese Denials können sie gerne alle behalten und in diesem Fall kann man das nicht anders kommentieren als: Holy Crap!
The National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants, according to a top secret document obtained by the Guardian. The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed program called PRISM, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats, the document says.
The Guardian has verified the authenticity of the document, a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation – classified as top secret with no distribution to foreign allies – which was apparently used to train intelligence operatives on the capabilities of the program. The document claims “collection directly from the servers” of major US service providers. […]
Some of the world’s largest internet brands are claimed to be part of the information-sharing program since its introduction in 2007. Microsoft – which is currently running an advertising campaign with the slogan “Your privacy is our priority” – was the first, with collection beginning in December 2007. It was followed by Yahoo in 2008; Google, Facebook and PalTalk in 2009; YouTube in 2010; Skype and AOL in 2011; and finally Apple, which joined the program in 2012. The program is continuing to expand, with other providers due to come online.
Collectively, the companies cover the vast majority of online email, search, video and communications networks.
Guardian: NSA taps in to systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and others, secret files reveal
Washington Post: Documents: U.S. mining data from 9 leading Internet firms; companies deny knowledge
Netzpolitik: PRISM: Amerikanischer Geheimdienst NSA hat direkten Zugriff auf alle Daten der großen Internet-Unternehmen
Welcome to Google Island:
Tolle Alternate Reality-Story von Mat Honan auf Wired, nachdem sich Larry Page einen „place removed from the rest of the world, with out laws or regulations, where tech people can test out new ideas“ gewünscht hatte: Welcome to Google Island: „He opened his hand and dozens of robotic bugs crawled out and swarmed over his arm and body. ‘These are Google Spiders. […] We’re sending them everywhere, so that we can make a 3D representation of the entire planet, and everyone on it. We aren’t just going to recreate the planet, though–we’re going to make it better.’“
Google goes Quantum Computing for AI-Development
Google macht ernst bei der Entwicklung künstlicher Intelligenz und Machine Learning, hat sich mit der NASA zusammengeschmissen und betreibt zusammen mit denen das Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab gegründet, in dem ein kommerzieller Quantenrechner von D-Wave Systems rumrechnet. Dürfte eine der ersten Früchte des Engagements von Ray Kurzweil sein, der ja seit Ende letzten Jahres dort an genau solchen Sachen arbeitet und die gestern auf der Google I/O vorgestellten Neuerungen an ihrer Suche dürften da bereits erste oberflächliche Anzeichen sein. Spannend!
Google and NASA are forming a laboratory to study artificial intelligence by means of computers that use the unusual properties of quantum physics. Their quantum computer, which performs complex calculations thousands of times faster than existing supercomputers, is expected to be in active use in the third quarter of this year.
The Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab, as the entity is called, will focus on machine learning, which is the way computers take note of patterns of information to improve their outputs. Personalized Internet search and predictions of traffic congestion based on GPS data are examples of machine learning. The field is particularly important for things like facial or voice recognition, biological behavior, or the management of very large and complex systems.
NYTimes: Google Buys a Quantum Computer
Google: Launching the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab
Google Earth Satellite-Timelapses
Google hat sich mit dem Time-Mag zusammengeschmissen und ihre Google Earth-Timelapses ausgebaut, die GIFs gingen vor zwei Jahren (oder so) schonmal durch’s Netz, jetzt gibt’s dazu ‘ne Website inklusive Suche.
Built from millions of satellite images and trillions of pixels, you can explore this global, zoomable time-lapse map as part of TIME’s new Timelapse project. View stunning phenomena such as the sprouting of Dubai’s artificial Palm Islands, the retreat of Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon and urban growth in Las Vegas from 1984 to 2012.
The images were collected as part of an ongoing joint mission between the USGS and NASA called Landsat. Their satellites have been observing earth from space since the 1970s—with all of the images sent back to Earth and archived on USGS tape drives.
Google Hacking with the NSA
Die NSA hat ihr internes Buch über Online-Recherche namens Untangling the Web: A Guide to Internet Research ins Netz gestellt (PDF, anonymisierter Link zur NSA) und darin gibt es ein Kapitel über „Google Hacking“. Sowas wie der Googleguide für Spione.
The book […] is filled with advice for using search engines, the Internet Archive and other online tools. But the most interesting is the chapter titled “Google Hacking.” Say you’re a cyberspy for the NSA and you want sensitive inside information on companies in South Africa. What do you do?
Search for confidential Excel spreadsheets the company inadvertently posted online by typing “filetype:xls site:za confidential” into Google, the book notes. Want to find spreadsheets full of passwords in Russia? Type “filetype:xls site:ru login.” Even on websites written in non-English languages the terms “login,” “userid,” and “password” are generally written in English, the authors helpfully point out.
Misconfigured web servers “that list the contents of directories not intended to be on the web often offer a rich load of information to Google hackers,” the authors write, then offer a command to exploit these vulnerabilities — intitle: “index of” site:kr password.
Use These Secret NSA Google Search Tips to Become Your Own Spy Agency
Googles Saul Bass-Doodle
Großartiges Google-Doodle zum 93sten Geburtstag von Design-Legende Saul Bass. Von Designer Matthew Cruickshank:
From the outset I wanted to celebrate a number of his film credits in succinct succession, as well as a nod in the direction of his poster work. Film rights can be problematic so I wasn’t completely sure of the order of cutting, but as it turned out every studio was a pleasure to work with.
Corresponding with Jennifer Bass was inspirational and led to hearing that Saul Bass was a Dave Brubeck fan. Although I hadn’t synched animation to music we found a Brubeck track that managed to hit the right notes. Again, the Brubeck estate were superb to work with.
Vorher auf Nerdcore:
Saul Bass’ The Shining-Scribbles
Phase IV is on Youtube
Saul Bass Filmintro-Montage
First fat definitive Monograph on Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design
Star Wars vs. Saul Bass
Saul Bass Poster-Galerie
Saul Bass über Design und Filmvorspänne
Saul Bass’ Filmposter
Saul Bass’ Streichholzschachteln
Tron vs Saul Bass
Saul Bass’ Minidoku über Kreativität: Why Man Creates
Saul Bass Titlesequence-Stills
Google Building hacked
Zwei Wissenschaftler haben sich in die Systeme von Googles Hauptquartier in Australien gehackt. Ein bisschen schade, dass sie nichts damit angestellt haben…
Two security researchers recently found that they could easily hack the building management system for the corporate giant’s Wharf 7 headquarters overlooking the water in the Pyrmont section of Sydney, Australia. […]
The panels showed buttons marked “active overrides,” “active alarms,” “alarm console,” “LAN Diagram,” “schedule,” and a button marked “BMS key” for Building Management System key.
There was also a button marked “AfterHours Button” with a hammer on it.
Researchers Hack Building Control System at Google’s Australian HQ
Ho To make a Fake Google Driverless Car
Vor ein paar Wochen fuhr das F.A.T.-Lab als Teil ihrer Gold-Ausstellung mit einem gefakten selbstfahrenden Auto von Google durch New York, jetzt haben sie ein Tutorial auf Instructables online gestellt, mit dem man sich so ein Fake-Auto selber bauen kann. Zumindest den rotierenden Scanner auf’m Dach.
LieDar is a fake lidar sensor that you can attach to the top of your car to instantly turn it into a self-driving vehicle. Whereas some companies have spent millions of dollars developing the technology to have conversations about the future of transportation, you can butt in for a mere fraction of the cost. To join the multimillion dollar conversation all you need is a 3D printer, and a little gumption.
When your car sports fashionable technology you can experience first-hand what it is like to be a leader in innovation. Everywhere you go people will stop dead in their tracks in wonder and admiration. Children will look back and remember the day they first encountered a self-driving car — your self-driving car! Overnight you can go from merely being a terrible driver to a well-respected and beloved ambassador of the future.
Impress your neighbors. Meet new people. Become more attractive to members of all sexes.
LieDar (via New Aesthetic)
