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hacks
Terry Childs, a 43-year-old computer network administrator in Pittsburgh, is in the midst of a legendary computer hack that has denied administrator access to San Francisco's new multimillion-dollar network. Apparently, Childs was recently disciplined at his job for poor performance and his supervisors unsuccessfully attempted to fire him. So, as an "insurance policy," he hacked San Fran's new Fiber Wan (Wide Area Network), "where records such as officials' emails, city payroll files, confidential law enforcement documents and jail inmates' bookings are stored." Childs has refused to divulge the real passcodes to the system even when faced with arrest and a whopping $5 million bond.
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Disgruntled Computer Engineer Hijacks San Fran's New Computer Network: Jail Not an Obstacle
Terry Childs, a 43-year-old computer network administrator in Pittsburgh, is in the midst of a legendary computer hack that has denied administrator access to San Francisco's new multimillion-dollar network. Apparently, Childs was recently disciplined at his job for poor performance and his supervisors unsuccessfully attempted to fire him. So, as an "insurance policy," he hacked San Fran's new Fiber Wan (Wide Area Network), "where records such as officials' emails, city payroll files, confidential law enforcement documents and jail inmates' bookings are stored." Childs has refused to divulge the real passcodes to the system even when faced with arrest and a whopping $5 million bond.
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intel
Intel Silicon Photonics Chip Is World's Fastest (and Prettiest)
MIT's Tech Review has the scoop that Intel's wizards have come upwith a new chip entirely made out of silicon that "can encode 200 gigabits of data per second on a beam of light" versus the measly 100 Gbps that the fastest optical networks currently churn at—which aren't made of silicon. Which means they can't scale nearly as fast or cheaply as Intel's silicon wonder. And this is all on the way to making a fingernail-sized chip that can crunch a terabit of data. Here's how this photonics business works. More »
verizon fios
Verizon Plans to Expand FiOS to the Boonies By Using Less Fiber (¡Que!)
PC Mag is reporting that Verizon is looking at a couple different ways to spread the good word of FiOS beyond the projected 18 million homes it'll reach in 2010, maybe by using less, um, fiber after that, according to tech chief Mark Wegleitner. Update: Verizon's Policy blog has a post that makes it clear they're still all about fiber after 2010, though they'll be using a combo of ways to bring broadband to less dense areas, maybe even 4G LTE stuff. More »
verizon fios
Verizon Pumping FiOS Bandwidth to 50Mbps Down, 20Mbps Up Across Whole Footprint
Verizon FiOS's blazingest 50Mbps downstream/20Mbps upstream package is no longer confined to the pit of the tri-state NY/NJ/CT area and select other locales. Starting next week, it'll be available across Verizon's entire, growing FiOS footprint in 16 states. (Though it'll run $139.95 a month to NY and VA's bargain $89.95/month.) Also, everyone who got 15/15 Mbps now has the option for 20/20 symmetrical ($64.95 a month), and its lower end packages are getting juiced from 15/2 Mbps to 20/5 Mbps, and from 5/2 Mbps to 10/2 Mbps (uh, why do you people have FiOS?). Overall, a nice day to be a FiOS customer, even more so than before. *Kicks stupid cable modem* [Verizon]
cabinet
I loved the glowing Full Moon sideboard from the other month, but I wasn't able to convince my wife it'd make a good addition to our home. I reckon I'd have more of a chance with Horm Voltaceleste, from designer Salvatore Indriolo as it's a touch more subtle but just as astronomical. The doors are decorated with embedded fiber-optics in the patterns of constellations, and there's interior lighting too. It's chipboard and poplar veneer, so though there's no info on price I reckon it wouldn't be a wallet-smasher. [Born Rich]
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Horm Voltaceleste: A Fiber-Optical Star-Spangled Cabinet For Your Stuff
I loved the glowing Full Moon sideboard from the other month, but I wasn't able to convince my wife it'd make a good addition to our home. I reckon I'd have more of a chance with Horm Voltaceleste, from designer Salvatore Indriolo as it's a touch more subtle but just as astronomical. The doors are decorated with embedded fiber-optics in the patterns of constellations, and there's interior lighting too. It's chipboard and poplar veneer, so though there's no info on price I reckon it wouldn't be a wallet-smasher. [Born Rich]
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isps
Are You Getting Screwed? Quick-Glance ISP Pricing Chart
Electronic House has done some serious homework, compiling price, bandwidth and plan information from most US ISPs, from sluggy dial-up to hyperspeedy fiber. (I couldn't spot Cablevision, but there were others I hadn't even heard of.) Due to cable build-out and the territorial nature of phone companies, you can't do as much comparison shopping as the charts would suggest. And man, wouldn't I love it if it were a sortable database where I could see all my options by region? Wishlist aside, though, it's a very helpful resource for, say, figuring out if you're getting screwed by an older monthly rate. I, myself, will be making a customer-service call shortly. [EH]
water sports
Looking to zoom through the oceans in a stylish, but also somewhat environmentally friendly, manner? Check out the Czeers MK1 prototype solar speedboat, a 10-meter long rig that manages to pack in 14 square meters of solar panels to power an 80kw electric motor. The MK1 plows through the water at a breakneck 30 knots, using no oil and producing no fumes or engine noise. Hit the jump for a video of the boat in action.
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World's First Solar Speedboat Does 30 Knots Gas-Free
Looking to zoom through the oceans in a stylish, but also somewhat environmentally friendly, manner? Check out the Czeers MK1 prototype solar speedboat, a 10-meter long rig that manages to pack in 14 square meters of solar panels to power an 80kw electric motor. The MK1 plows through the water at a breakneck 30 knots, using no oil and producing no fumes or engine noise. Hit the jump for a video of the boat in action.
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7:30 PM on Sat May 24 2008
By Elaine Chow
19,523 views,
48 comments
Latest by n/a: worlds first, hardly. also 100% carbon fiber with LCD touchscreen and does 30knots... and many years ahead of this one. [www.eng.mu.edu] more »
comcast
Comcast Rolls Out Japan-Fast Cable Internet, But Can You Afford It?
DOCSIS 3.0 is the next-gen cable internet standard that allows crazy fast bandwidth of up to 160Mbps downstream and 120 up. The lucky first city to get a piece of that action from Comcast—which plans to cover 20 percent of its market with the awesome by the end of this year—is St. Paul, Minnesota. Denizens can sign up for the Godzilla pipes starting this week, though the 50Mbps line will cost a whopping $150 a month. And no, it won't blow you. But, that is some sick bandwidth, equaling Verizon's FiOS offering (which is only $90 a month). So, is it worth it? How much would you pay? [Bits]
black hole
Scientists Make Black Hole in Fiber Optic Cable: World Doesn't End
OK, so its not quite as sensational as it sounds— UK scientists have been trying to simulate conditions near the event horizons that shroud black holes, and they've cleverly simulated a horizon using pulses of light in a special optical fiber. So, no disastrous gravity well was made and the world didn't suddenly end with a horrible crunch. But they did create an analog of a black hole that helped them understand some of the weird and whacky physics that goes on near real ones. More »
apple
Carbon Fiber Macbook Air, A World of No
While we generally love to see gadgets receive new alloy skins, this mod that added carbon fiber to the back of a Macbook Air is—sensitively put—fugly. The trade-off is that carbon fiber is lighter than aluminum, though at the installed thickness, it's a bit flimsier too.
But maybe we're just grumpy. Does anyone think this actually looks good? [MAKE]
speed
FiOS, you ain't got nothing on this: Alcatel-Lucent researchers in France have successfully transmitted optical data at an absolutely blazing speed of 16.4 Tbps over a distance of over 1,500 miles.
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Researchers Transmit Optical Data at 16.4 Tbps Over 1,500 Miles
FiOS, you ain't got nothing on this: Alcatel-Lucent researchers in France have successfully transmitted optical data at an absolutely blazing speed of 16.4 Tbps over a distance of over 1,500 miles.
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ads
This Time Warner ad taking on Verizon FiOS is so ludicrously hilarious it almost does make want to sign up with Time Warner. In the spot, Verizon is a constipated (wait for it), overly enthusiastic gay-coded dude with magic fingers shooting red lightning and flying Vs (for Verizon!), touting "THE FIBER." It's so ridiculous it almost seems fake. More »
Time Warner Says Verizon Is a Constipated Gay Man with Magic Fingers
This Time Warner ad taking on Verizon FiOS is so ludicrously hilarious it almost does make want to sign up with Time Warner. In the spot, Verizon is a constipated (wait for it), overly enthusiastic gay-coded dude with magic fingers shooting red lightning and flying Vs (for Verizon!), touting "THE FIBER." It's so ridiculous it almost seems fake. More »
clips
Worst Valentine's Gift Ever
We know that, as geeks, we're all tempted to take Valentine's Day to the "next level." Just so you know, this fiber optic rose is not that level.
Whether it's some sort of glowing undergarment or just a good old fashioned "I put no thought into your personality or the nature of our relationship" red/pink Nano, the word of the day is "restraint." Gizmodo's unsolicited advice: go classic on Valentine's Day. And no, you don't actually need to put thought into it, just a bit of money and an equal amount of taste.
And as with any holiday gift, avoid the words "fiber optic" like the plague.
5:00 PM on Sun Feb 3 2008
By Mark Wilson
6,283 views,
33 comments
Latest by n/a: I'd have rather had that than what I got tonight. An 18 pack of coors light and carnations....I feel so loved. more »
glowingglofab
GloFab Fiber Optic Lamps Look...Halfway Decent?
When most of us think fiber optic lamps, we have visions of black plastic casing emitting rainbow effects through fiber optic tubes sticking out in pony tail fashion. GloFab challenges the ugly fiber optic stereotype by weaving together what is almost a fiber optic fabric around a single light source, and shaping it into spheres or various custom fixtures. Staring at this ceiling fan that we've meant to replace for years, we're given more ideas, but sadly, not any addition motivation.
. [product via technabob & designboom]
fiber-optics
TranslucentConcrete a Lighter Way for Load-Bearing
A mixture of traditional concrete and fiber-optics, TranslucentConcrete (not to be confused with translucent concrete—yes, I know) can be used by architects to make load-bearing walls a little more see-through than they normally are. Check the amazing effects in the gallery below. More »
godzilla bandwidth
Comcast Getting 100Mbps Cable Modems Next Year, Fiber Scared?
Comcast confirms we'll see the rollout of DOCSIS 3.0—the next-gen data over cable standard allowing bandwidth of 160Mbps down and 120Mbps up—starting next year, with 20 percent of its footprint expected to be blanketed in bandwidth goodness by the end of 2008. Even though Comcast isn't saying where it'll fall, markets where there's FiOS are probably going to continue having all of the fat pipe fortune—competition is good for people in those areas, bad for the rest of us. Now for the real bad news: More »
godzilla bandwidth
