Archive for the ‘Hacks and Inventors’ Category
The video feed of some U.S. Predator drones in Iraq have been hacked by locals using software that cost about $26. The tabloid headlines offer little hope for humanity but when I see something like this or that commercial space flight challenge back in 2004 I am reminded how remarkable the human race is. People still show signs of determination, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. It also points out how the Government overpays for everything. Basically they could have paid a couple of tech savvy kids a few thousand (rather than 12 million) to strap a camera phone on a gas powered model plane and security might have been better. Oh well, read the article at the Wall Street Journal.
In similar fashion I saw where an Air Force forensics worker was able to recover the data from a 5.25 inch floppy disk after it had been cut up with pinking sheers. After the NSA and CIA either failed or estimated the data recovery cost over 1 million the “little guy” went to work with some scotch tape, a couple of floppy drives and SUCCESS! A murderer confessed. All for less than $150. Jim Christy is pretty famous now after that.