Gizmodo: code

Thanko's Code-Padlocked USB Thumbdrive Protector is Brilliantly Flawed

Kit Eaton — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:31:00 EDT

Here's something to put a smile on your face on a non-descript Wednesday morning: Thanko's new Code-Padlock USB protector. Does it use some funky encryption, or a digital keypad interface? No: it uses a physical code-padlocked lid that stops you from plugging in a thumbdrive if you can't work out the three-digit code. Brilliant, except that a thief will just steal the whole thing and work out the code at their leisure. So it must be aimed at stopping "casual eyes" accessing files you'd rather keep to yourself. Ah... ones with lots of pink pixels—it all becomes clear. You can of course lock up other USB devices, but you'd have to be working in a really mean office environment to need to do that. Yours for about $9. [Akhabaranews]

Cryptex Phone Concept Makes Calls a Puzzling Experience

Elaine Chow — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:15:00 EDT

Sometimes I pick up my phone and say to myself “Gee, this communication device just isn't cryptic enough. It's too user friendly and not enough like a puzzle out of the Da Vinci Code.” Apparently designer Marc Schömann was listening in, because he's now created a baton style mobile that forces you to twist sections of it to make calls.

The phone has no display and no buttons, and uses haptic feedback—though it's not really clear for what. Line up the number you're trying to dial on twelve numbered sections and then twist the top until an LED turns green to make the call. Par for the course with its cryptic design, the phone is unnamed. I can't wait to show this to my buddies at the Secret Society of Utterly Useless Gadgets. [Yanko Design]

Sony Ericsson's Alicia Walkman Phone Tour Video is Slicktastic

Jason Chen — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:06:36 EDT

Sony Ericsson's upcoming "Alicia" Walkman phone has a very interesting circle on the outside of its flip-casing. This video lets us in on its secret—it's a display? If we're interpreting it correctly, the front surface might have two displays, one small square one on top of the larger circular one, which also acts as a control pad for music, weather, and other apps. Hmmm, a portable music device that has a square on the top and a circle on the bottom. Where have I seen that before? Oh right, the Zune. [Se-nse]

Japan's QR Codes Being Tested in SF

Jason Chen — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:30:00 EDT

You know those QR codes that Japan has? The ones that look like fancy bar codes that you take a picture of with your cellphone that brings up some bit of info or trivia on the display. Those are being tested in SF right now on 500+ restaurants/shops/businesses reviewed by Citysearch.

Once you snap a picture of the code, your phone will bring up the Citysearch's review page, letting you know whether you should go in. Also, a tourism company is shoving these onto some tourist locations, bringing up a 15 to 20-second audio snippet of what you're looking at. If they could stick this on things like busses, taxis, waitresses, drug dealers and prostitutes (all common in SF), we'd gladly use this service. [SFGate via New Launches]

Video Footage of Windows 7 Ultimate Leaked?

Haroon Malik — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 08:25:00 EST

We already heard news about the next-gen Windows OS, Windows 7 Ultimate. Well, the fellows at Think Next are offering up a video, which they claim shows the "Milestone 1 code drop," all in shaky video glory. Check it out by hitting the video above.

The video shown is apparently from a release that was shipped to Microsoft's major partners earlier this year. The clip shows the OS running to be Windows 7 Milestone 1 Ultimate edition 6519.1.071220-1525. We aren't making any rash proclamations, no matter how much we like the guys at Think Next. We're of the opinion that it doesn't look to dissimilar to Windows Vista, but it does look tweaked for the better. The boot screen seems to be redesigned, and the Media Center on display certainly has more eye candy to offer.

All that said, if this is an early build sent to key partners that has been leaked, why can't said key partners put together some competent filming? The video is shaky as shit, and though the shots that are in focus look well formed, the rest could easily be the work of a video editing genius. What do you guys make of it? [Think Next via Softpedia; Thanks, Dode!]

New Israeli Anti-Hijack Pilot Verification System Cannot Be Bluffed

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:07:00 EST

Soon, pilots from all airlines flying into Israeli airspace will have to enter a numbered sequence to prove they are not terrorist hijackers. The secret code will be generated by the Security Code System, designed by Elbit Systems complete with a credit-card-sized keypad. Authorized pilots everywhere will eventually be issued keypads, 10,000 in all. For security reasons, the Israeli government won't go into detail about what pilots are supposed to do, exactly. But they did mention what would happen when pilots failed to do it:

Pilots who fail the authentication test when they approach Israeli airspace will be denied entry. Should a plane go ahead, ignoring further warnings, Israel will consider it hostile and scramble fighter planes for an interception.

Is there a chance that the plane will be shot down? You better believe it. But the good news is, this thing is pretty much fool-proof, and will save lives, not cost them:

"You can't bluff this system," Dani Shenar, chief of security for Israel's Transportation Ministry, told Reuters. "It provides a higher level of confidence that the aircraft is being controlled by the right people, which is a huge asset in terms of avoiding unnecessary security alerts."

The article also points out that the system would be able to differentiate between a "a classic hostage-taking hijacking and a 9/11-style hijacking." I don't know why, but hearing about different styles of hijacking (and that a machine can now tell the difference) sent chills up my spine. And like many of you I'm getting on a plane in less than 24 hours. Happy travels! [Reuters]

Colossus Back to Crack Codes After a 60-Year Absence

AddyDugdale — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:36:30 EST

Colossus, the code-breaking computer used to decipher German messages during World War Two, has been put back together. Over six decades after the 10 truck-sized devices were dismantled, one has been rebuilt. Today, two teams of code-breakers, one using the Colossus, another using modern technology, are going head-to-head as they attempt to unscramble messages sent from Paderborn, in Germany.

Tony Sale, the man behind Colossus' restoration, had just a few old photos to go on when he started on the project 14 years ago. One of the reasons that the machine, which contains over 2,000 valves, is so fast, is because it was a single-purpose processor rather than one with multiple uses, like modern computers. Of the two teams, he is unsure which one will win the Cipher Challenge.

"A virtual Colossus written to run on a Pentium 2 laptop takes about the same time to break a cipher as Colossus does," he said. The original machine could break codes in a matter of hours, and was instrumental in the Allies' eventual victory, shortening the war by an estimated 18 months.

"It was extremely important in the buildup to D-Day," reckons Mr Sale. "It revealed troop movements, the state of supplies, state of ammunition, numbers of dead soldiers—vitally important information for the whole of the second part of the war." Today's messages will be scrambled using a Lorenz SZ42 machine, the same used by German high command back in the '40s. [BBC News and 24 Hour Museum]

iPhone Games on the Way?

Charlie White — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:18:35 EDT

People are still rooting around the innards of the iPhone, and some inquisitive Brits found a couple of clues that there might be games forthcoming for Apple's as yet game-dumb cellphone (that's a simulation in the graphic you see here). Come with us as we see the telltale iPhone code that asks if the user would like to remove selected games that don't even exist yet.

/* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */ "4329.001" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?"; "4329.002" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?";

Of course, this is all pure speculation at this point, but doesn't it seem inevitable that Apple will crank out some games for the iPhone? It's just a matter of time. [Download Squad]

HD DVD "The Code" Shirt

Jason Chen — Thu, 03 May 2007 19:55:06 EDT

The folks at Nerdy Shirts have taken the spectacle that is HD DVD on Digg and turned it into a shirt. Yes, you too can be reminded day after day (if you never change your shirts) of the code that launched a thousand stories.

Have your fun now, because in a few months you'll have to explain what those hex numbers mean to everyone you meet. But for today, you sir are the nerd pop culture king. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Nerdy Shirts]

Talking Popcorn Machine Translates Pops Into Words

Travis Hudson — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:00:29 EST

"Pop this, biznatch." is what I have always wanted my popcorn to say to me. This popcorn maker has a microphone inside the cabinet. The microphone will record the sounds from the popping corn and then translates the pops into words via morse code. Then a computer-program will read the words to you. The designer actually devised a way to determine whether a pop is a long or short morse code with a timing system. Pretty ingenious, really. Now, figure out a way to get the popcorn to pop obscenities and we will be all set. –Travis Hudson

Do you speak popcornese? [WMMNA]

IntelliScanner Mini: Scan Your Life, One Barcode at a Time

Charlie White — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 11:05:13 EST

The Intelliscanner has been miniaturized, and now it's called the Intelliscanner Mini, a palm-sized barcode reader to keep you organized. It's quite a bit smaller than the last time we saw it, and now it's been voted Best of Show at MacWorld 2007. Using its included software, you can automatically organize just about anything that's been tagged with a barcode.

The $299 device clips onto a keychain, and opens up the world of barcodes to you. Scan your DVDs, groceries, wine, comics and a lot of other stuff, and the Intelliscanner stores all those codes in its flash memory. Then plug the Intelliscanner into a USB port on your Mac or PC, and download all that information into a searchable and sortable database using the variety of included software. Careful: could lead to compulsive scanning. – Charlie White

Product Page [IntelliScanner Corporation, via Popgadget]

Offensively Binary: Passive, Aggressive

Mark Wilson — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 13:35:20 EST

For the cynical guy who has everything, Offensive Binary makes t-shirts featuring dirty binary code. Sure, you can get your run-of-the-mill fuckwear, but where is the danger in that? Want a real rush? Try passing through airport security with a shirt reading,"I am a terrorist". There is like a 1 in 1,000,000,000 chance some resident TSA agent will be fluent in binary code and nail your ass. Yeah, you're bad.

For a complete list of Offensively's NSFW slogans (just curses, no boobies), hit the jump.

* Fuck
* I am a Terrorist
* Fuck Karl Rove
* Fuck You
* wtf
* Fuck the DMCA
* Fuck Christmas
* Bomb
* Fuck the TSA
* Fuck the RIAA
* I Fucking Fucked my Fucking Fuck Fuck Figgity Fuck
* Fuck DRM
* we will not be silent
* I am a Douchbag and my "Friends" are Fucking Jerks
* Eight Forbidden Words
* I can't fucking believe you decoded this
* Fuck Michael Arrington
* I Fuck Goats
* Off Cycle Designs

Those folks at Offensively Binary really take the f-bomb to the next level.

01001001 00100000 01100001 01101101 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01001101 01100001 01110010 01101011 00100000 01010111 01101001 01101100 01110011 01101111 01101110 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110010 01101111 01100010 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100110 01110101 01110100 01110101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110011 01101100 01101111 01110111 01101100 01111001 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110010 01101101 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110101 01110000 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101001 01100100 01100101 01100001 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101000 01110101 01101101 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100101 01101110 01110011 01101100 01100001 01110110 01100101 01101101 01100101 01101110 01110100 00100000 01110101 01101110 01100100 01100101 01110010 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110010 01110101 01101100 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01101001 01010000 01101111 01100100 01110011 00101110 00100000 01001101 01111001 00100000 01100001 01110000 01101111 01101100 01101111 01100111 01101001 01100101 01110011 00101110 00100000 – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via tcritic]

Fujitsu Makes Barcodes Invisible with FP Code

Charlie White — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:24:44 EDT

Fujitsu has dreamed up an invisible way to slap bar codes on products. It's called FP (Fine Picture) code, consisting of thin yellow lines that you can't see but your cell phone can. The code will list pricing information, and will be able to also link you to websites for more.

Imagine the coolness of holding your cell phone camera up to a product and then automagically linking to the Interwebs for the real scoop. Hey, maybe some FP codes will hook you up with your trusty compadres here at the Giz. Heck, we'll take the link love wherever we can get it. – Charlie White

Fujitsu creates an invisible bar code [Akihabara News]

Why the Da Vinci Code is Full of It

johnb — Thu, 18 May 2006 12:42:12 EDT

Amidst all the chatter—"Jesus wasn't divine and slept with the ladies," "Tom Hanks has bad hair"—very few people were brave enough to bring up the real issues in Dan Brown's smash best seller, The Screenplay for the Da Vinci Code Movie. Brown, it seems, doesn't know anything about technology, biology, or art.

His most egregious error, it seems, is positing that there is a GPS transmitter/reciever that is as big as a watch battery and that the Louvre has bars of soap which that Amelie hottie—that girl could crack a Creme Brulée, yo— can use to throw said GPS transmitter out onto to the roof of a truck. As we all know, GPS receivers are pretty damn big and the Louvre uses liquid soap. Gotcha, Dan Brown. Your research is totally flawed.

How The Da Vinci Code Doesn't Work [HowStuffWorks]

Microsoft Code Names Successor to Vista

Charlie White — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:05:10 EDT

According to insiders, Microsoft has code-named its next version of Windows, calling it Fiji. So that's right, Fiji is the next version after Vista, and we're also hearing that after Fiji will be Vienna.

Of course, by the time these products reach the real world marketplace, if ever, they will probably have some other vaguely aesthetic-sounding name. But until then, we'll call it Fiji. Our bets are on an operating system that's not even shrink-wrapped, but web-based, certainly by the time we get to Vienna.

Microsoft's got a codename for Vista successor [the Inquirer]

Socket Communications Releases Cordless Ring Scanner

gizmogo — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 10:35:49 EDT

Socket Communications has announced the release of a tiny Cordless Ring Scanner that transmits scanned bar code data via Bluetooth to PDAs or laptops. Meant primarily for healthcare and industrial uses, hands-free scanning devices have been around for awhile now, as they make handling a large volume of data or products more efficient. The Cordless Ring Scanner will include the SocketScan software, a keyboard emulation software that directs the scanned data into any application. Available late Q4 2005.

Press Release [Socket]