As great as the internet is (porn and Youtube), it isn’t without its problems. As the world becomes more connected, security continues to hassle the wonderfully open nature of the world wide web. Experts are always working hard to beef up security of the internet, but it always seems the criminals are a step ahead.

So, if we’re always behind on security, what could be a potential solution to the problem? According to Stanford researchers, an ‘internet reboot’ could be the answer. In fact they are working on what is called, The Stanford Clean Slate project.

Nick McKeown, a Stanford engineer talks about the initiative behind the project, “Unless we’re willing to rethink today’s Internet… we’re just waiting for a series of public catastrophes”

According to the researchers, the idea of internet security continues to worsen instead of getting better. More types of malware are thrown onto the internet everyday. And it’s a struggle just to keep head above water.

With a complete restart, the internet could be made safe again. Of course, it’s easier said than done, and many questions have to be answered when going forward with such a project.

First, with a new internet, how could security be more improved than what it is now? Would anonymity take a back seat to safety? How would content adapt to new coding, or could sites just instantly show up on the new internet?

Stanford hopes to answer these questions and more as they continue their well funded project. By the end of the summer, the new system will be available across eight campuses worldwide. Here’s hoping it turns out well, and hopefully ‘Internet 2.0′ will be our savior.

[via: NYTimes]

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Houston, received quite a little scare Friday when they received a massive virus in their system. Specifically the court system. The virus impacted hundreds of its machines, and postponed many of the duties that certain parts of the courts must carry out.

The police force was ordered to suspend arresting people for minor offenses. The docket for the municipals court was completely dropped, and postponed. The virus then eventually made its way to the Houston Emergency Center. After the virus was contained, the city announced that 475 machines were hit before they could stop it.

The infection reached such levels, that they eventually had to call in Gray Hat Research, a virtual security company to help. The bill was $25,000 for services rendered. No culprit, the person who planted the virus, or the virus itself hasn’t been identified yet.

There have been some theories as to what attacked the Houston court’s computer system. The leading candidate is a virus referred to as, ‘Conficker’. The virus infects computers through a flaw found in Windows’ system. Once on a computer, Conficker nearly takes over everything on the system. It shuts down some of its capabilities, and then starts downloading malware. The virus has been known to spread very quickly, which is why so many computers were infected.

The weakness in Windows has been patched for awhile, so if you update your computer frequently you need no worry. The problem is that on larger systems, updating can be a hassle. There’s compatibility issues, and have to update software and hardware. Judging by the events that just occurred, it seems like going through that little hassle is better than having your system completely shutdown.

[via: Chron.com]

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As I’ve been browsing (trolling) around the internet, finding a slew of ads that couldn’t be aired during the Super Bowl, I’ve been wondering ‘How many ads throughout the years have been blacklisted because of content?’

I couldn’t quite find those figures, but I was able to find some of the ads this year that couldn’t be shown during the Super Bowl. One, involving explicit use of vegetables, and another about a story of buying porn gone wrong.

First, is an ad that was produced and shot by PETA. In the video, we watch a bizarre mix of sex, and a PSA about becoming a vegetarian. Apparently, they have better sex but don’t say that to me after I’ve eaten a 12oz sirloin and am ready for action. I for one am offended as a member of the PETV (People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables). Those pumpkins and brocolis deserve better. How dare you PETA….how dare you.

‘Veggie Love’: PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad

The second ad that was too hot for the Super Bowl, came from long time advertiser Bud Light. What I find funny is that the ad probably could have been aired with some crafty editing. I think people still aren’t quite ready for vibrators in their commercials, even if they are blurred out. If you wanted to show this during an 11pm episode of Nip/Tuck it probably would have gone over better. Of course, it was probably Bud Light’s plan all along to brag about how their commercial was ‘too hot’ for the Superbowl.

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There are times when you write a post, that you have to make sacrifices. Sometimes you have to read a story that hits a personal string, or maybe view a disturbing image. Watching this Microsoft Songsmith commercial is probably the worst thing I’ve had to suffer through in all my time writing for this site.

At no time does this commercial make me think that Songsmith will be useful in any form. If you look around pop culture, at things like American Idol and High School Musical, apparently it’s ok to just ‘think’ you can sing. That’s what Microsoft Songsmith looks to cash-in on, with their ‘easy to make music’ program.

Basically, Microsoft Songsmith is a program that’s like karaoke, only that instead of having music already made and you sing along, the program fits around your singing. Then, that leads to some disastrous, and not even all that comical outcomes. Much like this commercial.

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