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Microsoft

Anti-Piracy Windows 7 Update Phones Home Quarterly 819

Lauren Weinstein sends in news of a major and disturbing Microsoft anti-piracy initiative called Windows Activation Technologies, or WAT. Here is Microsoft's blog post giving their perspective on what WAT is for. From Lauren's blog: "The release of Windows 7 'Update for Microsoft Windows (KB71033)' will change the current activation and anti-piracy behavior of Windows 7 by triggering automatic 'phone home' operations over the Internet to Microsoft servers, typically for now at intervals of around 90 days. ... These automatic queries will repeatedly — apparently for as long as Windows is installed — validate your Windows 7 system against Microsoft's latest database of pirated system signatures (currently including more than 70 activation exploits known to Microsoft). If your system matches — again even if up to that time (which could be months or even years since you obtained the system) it had been declared to be genuine — then your system will be 'downgraded' to 'non-genuine' status until you take steps to obtain what Microsoft considers to be an authentic, validated, Windows 7 license. ... KB971033... is scheduled to deploy to the manual downloading 'Genuine Microsoft Software' site on February 16, and start pushing out automatically through the Windows Update environment on February 23. ... [F]or Microsoft to assert that they have the right to treat ordinary PC-using consumers in this manner — declaring their systems to be non-genuine and downgrading them at any time — is rather staggering." Update: 02/12 02:08 GMT by KD : Corrected the Microsoft Knowledge Base number to include a leading 9 that had been omitted in the pre-announcement, per L. Weinstein.
The Internet

Verizon Blocking 4chan 677

An anonymous reader writes "According to 4chan's owner and administrator 'moot,' Verizon has explicitly blocked all traffic on their network from boards.4chan.org, where all of 4chan's boards are located. Moot explains that only traffic to and from port 80 is being dropped and they were able to confirm that it was intentional. 4chan's downtime for Verizon users has been in effect for at least 72 hours since Saturday, February 7."
Security

Uncle Sam's Travel Site Grounded By Breach 67

McGruber writes "Northrop Grumman's Govtrip.com website has been shut down following a security breach, according to a report by 'Security Fix' blogger Brian Krebs. Being a federal employee and frequent work traveler, I am (was?) a Govtrip user. My agency required me to use Govtrip to book all of my trips, including my airfare, car rentals, and hotel reservations, so Northrop Grumman's Govtrip databases contain my frequent flier numbers, Avis & Budget car rental numbers and frequent hotel guest (Choice Privileges, Marriott Rewards, Priority Club, etc.) numbers. Northrup-Grumman also stored all of my trip itineraries, including destinations, dates & modes of travel and the particular vendors (airline, hotel, rental car brand, etc.) used on a particular trip. Also stored on the website were my work travel credit-card (it has a $15,000 charge limit), personal checking account where my travel reimbursements were deposited, my home address, and emergency contacts ... just imagine what an accomplished social engineer can do with that combination of information!"

Comment Re:Just do it! (Score 1) 438

The ERP is the Effective isotropic Radiated Power, or in other words, the amount of power that would be required to produce a uniform spherical radiation pattern having the same magnitude as that of the peak of a non-isotropic or directional radiation pattern. TV antennas are just big dipoles, and the radiation pattern looks something like a doughnut. They don't waste power radiating straight up into the atmosphere or down into the ground below the antenna. The ratio of actual radiated power to EIRP for a dipole is something like 1/20, so you would adjust the FCC ERP numbers down accordingly before adding transmitter inefficiency back in.

Comment Re:I have my doubts... but, (Score 1) 557

... assuming it's ALL running at the same time you only have 22-23KVA less than half of what a 200A circuit provides ...

And then, of course, the refrigerator comes on while you simultaneously blow dry your hair, vacuum the floors, and watch your 60" HDTV. In other words, I completely agree with your point. 200A service should be overkill for just about anything shy of a mansion or a family of 12. You would have to live in a part of the country with very cheap electricity to have all of your major appliances be electric in the first place. Though, as with too many things in life, you have to regulate for the lowest common denominator. Plan for the worst and hope for the best, etc.

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