Easy Steps to Hack a Smart Phone

vabenissimoLeave a comment

Which digits should you defend the most in your life?

Most people would say their social security numbers.

But, in the 21st Century, things changed. Many of us now possess this multifunctional device called “smart phone” where we input our innermost personal information negligently.

So, let me make a slight change to the question above.

Which digits should you defend the most today?

It’s your phone number.

A hacker can gain your social security number, pictures, texts, and name me other personal information in three easy steps.

First, get the number and name of the smart phone owner. This is when business cards become particularly handy.

Second, send programs such as snoopware, simphishing, spam, bluetooth, to trap the device.

Third, uncheck the SSL and “wipe” or hack the device for information.

Now this “smart” phone would not sound so smart anymore.

To maximize our smart phone security, downloading “Norton Smartphone Security” is strongly recommended.

However, “We’re still in the late ’90s when it comes to security on mobile devices,” Tyler Shields, a computer and mobile security researcher, said.

What can we truly do?

Give yourself a second thought before typing anything onto your exquisite device. Because it can bring you harsh consequences within seconds.

Check out this article from New York Times and videos.

O Music, Where Art Thou?

theycallmedame1 Comment

Okay, rant time.

Music Appreciation.

I am currently sitting inside the journalism classroom between fourth and fifth period with three other students and “thebrownguy.” (by the time you read this I probably won’t be in the classroom, but whatever)

I am playing Queen on my computer.

One of students raised their head from their computer screen with a confused look on her face, “What band is this?”
I look at her, stunned.
“You don’t know what band this is?!?” I’m shocked.
“Um, no, should I?”
“Um, YES!” I exclaim, “Queen only wrote We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Bicycle Race, Fat Bottomed Girls, Bohemian Rhapsody, and that’s just naming the famous songs!”

The rest of our time goes like this:

“Do you know who Aerosmith is?”
“No.”
“Guns N’ Roses?”
“No.”
“Led Zeppelin?”
“No.”
“Oh my god what is wrong with this generation?!?”
“I know Drake and Rhianna, that’s pretty much it.”
“WHAT?”

I want to cry.

How can we live where the only music people appreciate is written by someone who isn’t the artist, the chord progressions are so generic you can find 100 other songs with the exact same ones, and that the voices are doused in auto tune and pitch correction the listener doesn’t even know how the artist really sounds like?

What ever happened to real musicians?

The Beatles, Bessie Smith, Queen, The Turtles, Tom Petty, Michael Jackson, Andrew Anderson?

Have we really reached a point in history where those who are “musicians” have a pretty face and cheap software to make their voice sound like a robot on crack?

Oh world, please come back to your senses.
Please?

R.I.P. Biggie Smalls

dmilesburton1 Comment


March 9th, 1997, 1:15 AM. Christopher George Latore Wallace lies in a hospital bed. He has four bullet wounds in his chest, and he is dead. In the coming hours and for years to follow, Wallace will be mourned by more than just his family and friends. Biggie Smalls, the face of east coast rap, has died, and rap music will never be the same.

Wallace was twenty four years old, and if you asked his mother the day he was born if she thought he was going to be one of the greatest rappers in history, she probably would have said no. A straight-A student at a private school, he later transfered to a state-funded school where Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes were also in attendance, where he began rapping.

Wallace released his first demo in 1992. It gathered almost no attention for him until he was featured in The Source’s Unsigned Hype column. He then was invited onto a mixtape that was reviewed by Sean “Diddy” Combs, who imedeately signed him to Uptown Records.

His first solo album was released in 1994, and it peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200. By the end of the year, he and Tupac Shakur were involved in one of the largest hip-hop feudes of all time .

Two years later, Shakur was shot in Las Vegas, Nevada. He died six days later due to complications from the bullet wounds. Before Shakur was pronounced dead, Wallace had already been blamed by multiple sources. A formal investigation was never conducted, but Wallace denied any relation to the shooting.

In 1997, Wallace released his second album, which ended up at #1 on the Billboard 200. He had gotten in a car accident that shattered his leg during the recording, and had decided “to focus on his ‘peace of mind’. ‘My mom… my son… my daughter… my family… my friends are what matters to me now'”

On March 8th, 1997, Wallace attended the Soul Train Music Awards. He left after the show was over with no idea that in 45 minutes, the world would lose one of its most prominent public figures, him.

R.I.P. Biggie Smalls

Never Let Me Go

vabenissimoLeave a comment

We want to avoid death and accomplish to live a “perfect” life which explains why plastic surgery, organ transplants, and other genetic modifications are taking place in our current society.

These practices may prolong our lives, give temporal aesthetic pleasure, and also blindfold us from understanding how much our only life genuinely worth.

Finishing the film “Never Let Me Go” directed by Mark Romanek, I was moved by every inch of its messages, especially of one regarding mortality.

It is never safe to play with our human nature. Drug abuse such as increase usage of botulism, operations, and test tube babies all give a chill to my backbones and frowns my eyes.

But, we constantly try to achieve “perfection” and underappreciate our flaws.

Our issues of insecurity and death should be readdressed. Then, we would more likely to become happier.

I see life as a fleeting beauty. Because life destined to end at a given point, it shines and worth like nothing other.

Perhaps, we first need to learn how to let some things go.

Ain’t No Tomorrow

shredicusmaximus1 Comment

“Ain’t No Tomorrow,” was the mentality, the driving force, the inspiration, and the trigger for the greatest run through the post season the NBA has ever seen. The 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers were an interesting spectacle. Injuries, a new cast, and most of all, a loss of harmony and togetherness between it’s two main characters make this season sound like a popular soap opera one would tune in to watch on NBC. Also on NBC, the NBA was the main sports broadcast, and so were the Los Angeles Lakers who in a season went to hell and back to leave us with the greatest showing of post season dominance we as fans have ever seen.

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Best Coast

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

It’s not common that a band is found that is titled exactly as they sound.

Best Coast, a rock group from Los Angeles, California sounds exactly like a California summer should. They sound pretty much like the 1950’s rock scene mixed with modern beachy music which makes an overall enjoyable sound.

Their lead singer Bethany Cosentino, pictured above, is the main attraction with her easy going voice and her overall adorableness. The band however also consists of female drummer, Ali Koehler, and a multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno.

The band is currently signed to Mexican Summer Records and is continuing making new albums. However their older music can be found all over hipster blogs and youtube along with itunes and mediafire.

Bethany is practically my idol because not only does she write all her own songs that are easy for everyone to play, she also is an overall beautiful person. Her life also relates to mine in the sense that both our dads are musicians and we have very similar tastes in music. She also isn’t afraid of what other people think of her music.

She stated in an interview, “I don’t know. I’m inspired by the idea of writing about romance and writing about love. I think it’s relatable thing. I think that when you write a record of songs that are all really about really loving somebody, or really caring about somebody, or somebody is driving you crazy because you can’t figure out what the situation is… I think anybody can listen to a Best Coast song and can think, “Oh yeah, I’ve been there at one point in my life.” and she couldn’t be further from the truth.

For more of that article click here

If you haven’t heard of them or listened to them give it a try, and hey if you don’t like it, no big deal.

Cross-Country Challenge

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

I’m sure that plenty of people will be blogging about this soon, but last week eighteen students, including five students from this blog, went on the honors ski trip.

We all packed up Monday morning and made the six hour drive to Yosemite in two school vans filled to the brim with snacks and camping equipment. I hadn’t been to the snow in five years, so needless to say I was ecstatic.

I had also never skied before. Here is where my actual blog starts.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

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Invasive Amphibian Species Contradict a Darwin Idea

weirdjennyLeave a comment

nullFor many years, one of Charles Darwin’s theories has been contradicted by recent research. Darwin believed that when an invasive species entered a region where a closely related species already existed, it would not likely be successful because of the competition for resources. “Instead, we found the opposite pattern with amphibians,” said Reid Tingley, a biologist at the University of Sydney in Australia. “When frogs and toads and salamanders invade an area where a similar species exists, they are more, not less, likely to establish themselves.” one explanation for this phenomenon is because for amphibian, if their close relatives are already doing well in the region, it is a positive sign for the new amphibian that is also a suitable region for them. The research could help conservationists to predict the risk levels of introducing specific alien species into a new region

How to Get Away with Murder (In Soccer)

therightliberalLeave a comment

Soccer is a thinking man’s game. I have heard this saying over and over again and when thinking about it I find that it is really true.

I have been playing soccer my entire life and I have always been slow. My first step is quick but it goes down hill from there. Because of that I have had to find ways to level the playing field.

I have found that the most successful way is to physically level the playing field. An elbow placed correctly to the head will at least make the opposing player avoid you at all cost. This might seem incredibly dirty but I don’t think so.

A referee’s job is to call the game. If he catches me being to physical then he will punish me and I am sure I will deserve it. If he does not catch me then he is not doing his job. A ref is part of the game and players need to play him just as much as they need to play the ball.

Getting away with fouls requires a few different skills. The first is awareness. As a player you need to know where the ref is in relationship to the foul you are about to commit. If his line of sight is right there then chances are you will get caught.

The next step is the actual foul. How hard and where are the two key questions. The answer to those depends on what ones goal is. If it is to hurt the opposing player (which I strongly oppose) then one should aim for what ever soccer player needs, their legs. A stomp on the foot will cause a lot of pain without putting a player out of the game.

My whole goal in intentional fouling is to put the opposing player off of his game. Soccer is a game that requires full mental awareness and having a severe pain or the fear of pain can throw a player off.

The best situation to foul is one in which the chances of getting punished are small. I cannot remember the last corner kick I defended that I was not grabbing an opponents jersey. I can be almost certain that a ref will not call a penalty for a shirt tug but the grabbing of the shirt is a huge advantage for a defender.

The third step is the follow through. If the opponent goes down after you fouling him then just keep walking away as if nothing happened. If you are quick to react the ref will be very suspicious. Even though refs aren’t supposed to make calls based on something they didn’t see, I know from experience that they will. Make the other player look crazy, like they are writhing on the ground for no reason.

This all might seem like it is dirty and un-sportsman like. I have been told more times than I can count that fouling is bad. But to win sometimes you have to do it, and its all about what you are willing to give to win.

If you want to see how its done (mostly quite poorly) watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J40V4QWemII&feature=fvst

In the modern game of soccer there are many fouls. As a player you have to evolve with the game and fouling is part of that evolution. The trick is getting away with it. It is not easy but once you perfect it you are at a huge advantage.

Lykke Li.

YourcupateaLeave a comment

Female artists always inspire me and Lykke Li is no exception.Li’s music is classified as indie.

Originating from the small european country of Sweden the female artists music has now progressed world widely. Through her songs we see influences of her european heritage and swedish roots.

Lykke Li’s music is excellently varied. She has slow songs such as “Tonight” for those who need to relax and quirky up beat songs like “Get Some” for those who prefer the busier melody. Thousands across the world enjoy her music with it’s soothing tones and quirky  attitude.

Her became known after her song “little bit” in 2007. The release of the song followed on to numerous remixes which included a  debut by the well-known hip-hop artist Drake.

Although Lykke Li has had many of her own songs she has also collaborated with many other artists such as Primal Scream, Kleerup and Royksopp.

Releasing her new album “Wounded Rhymes” on the 25th of February 2011, her latest single  “I follow rivers” is proving to be a hit among indie lovers, appearing on popular blogs and sites.

In my opinion Lykee Li is different from artists and that is what I love about her. She’s unique and doesn’t try to impress or conform to the stereotypes, releasing great songs that are easy to listen to and put one in a great mood.
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