Dial-Up Provides Egypt Internet Access

oldmodem.jpgEver since Egypt cut off broadband, most people in Egypt were left without world news or even coverage about their own country. But an old fashioned way of accessing the Internet seems to be the current route taken in order to get around this roadblock. Egyptians are using dial-up to be able to communicate with the rest of the world, and thus far, it seems to be working.

Dial-up modems are allowing the Egyptians to connect outside of their country’s Internet pool. While their service is slow and significantly outdated, it appears to be a blessing for those who are left out in the dark. However, their government did do one thing they wanted: cut people off from the modern world.

Lesson learned here? Keep dial-up modems. They seem to be able to be at least one last source for those who want to connect outside of their world. But perhaps the best part of it all is that dial-up modems are a low-cost way to access the wonderful World Wide Web.

 Via ZDNET

The Scomber Mix Table is Perfect for DJs, Looks at Home in the Apple Store

Hoerboard - DJ Table

If there’s anything most DJs will tell you, it’s that finding an elegant but effective way to store their turntables can be difficult. Most tables aren’t built to withstand the weight of a pair of turntables and a mixer, or they’re not sized to fit all of your audio gear on top of the table. Well, Hoerboard’s Scomber Mix Table is designed to fit two turntables, a mixer, and a few accessories perfectly, and looks beautiful in the process.
If the Scomber Mix Table looks like a giant Apple Display or an iMac with the screen removed, it’s on purpose: the single-leg with the space cut out of it and the all white, clean design is reminiscent of an Apple product. The foot is made from laser-cut steel, and bolted to an MDF table on the top that is built to order and customized by the customer. You can even add attachments for additional gear, or a stand for your laptop. 
Best of all, the Mix Table keeps your cables hidden by running them inside the table surface and then down the leg to keep them out of sight. If you want one, be ready to spend a good chunk of change. These crafted DJ tables will set you back about $2300 USD can be ordered directly from Hoerboard.

The XServe Dies Today

Apple XServe

Apple announced back in November that they were planning on killing the XServe line of rack-mounted servers at the end of January, and this is the day: after today, you won’t be able to purchase an Apple XServe through Apple, or register an AppleCare Protection Plan against an XServe purchased from some other retailer. Apple has said they’ll continue to support XServe owners and people with existing service plans for the duration of those agreements. 
Apple’s server line was never a flagship part of its business, but the company did enjoy some success with the servers as a way to get their foot in the door in large enterprises, colleges and universities, and the federal government. 
Apple has said they’re replacing the XServe with the Mac Pro desktop that we all know and love, just running Snow Leopard Server instead of the desktop version of Mac OS X. Alternatively, people looking for OS X servers can look to the new Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server bundle. Even so, the death of the XServe signals something many analysts never thought would ever happen: Apple retreating from a market they didn’t find particularly beneficial to their bottom line.

PlentyofFish Hacked, Maybe, Wackiness Ensues

Poflogo.png

Getting hacked sucks. Everyone seems to agree on that much. The threat of having one’s person information opened up for all the world to see is enough to set anyone over the edge. Perhaps that’s what happened in the case of the dating site PlentyofFish. It’s hard to say. At the moment, all we’ve got are a lot of dissonant, panicked posts from different sides of the story.

Here’s what we do know–Markus Frind, the CEO of PlentyofFish.com, a Vancouver-based free dating site was contacted by an Argentinean hacker named Chris Russo to inform him about security flaws in the site. This is where things take two starkly different directions, depending on who you listen to.

According to Frind, this was the beginning of “an incredibly well planned and sophisticated attack.” Russo apparently signed up for an account (using his real name, strangely enough) and reaped the fruits of the aforementioned flaws.

Fax Machines, Ham Radio Leading Egyptian Protest

fax machine.jpg

What’s a country to do when its government has instituted one of the largest Internet blackouts in history? Simple: turn to older technologies. Protesters in Egypt are adopting a number of outdated pieces of tech, from dial-up modems to ham radio to fax machines.

The modems are actually being provided by a number of activist groups like We Re-Build and Telecomix, getting people online to voice complaints via sites like Twitter (the proper hastags, incidentally, are #egypt and #jan25). As the BBC points out, a number of ISPs in countries like the US, France, Spain, and Sweden are waiving fees and setting up the means for making calls to Egypt to help circumvent the informational blackout.

Anonymous, the hacktivist group that gained a good deal of prominence in recent months, thanks to its role in the Wikileaks fight, has been faxing information from the whistleblowing site to Egyptian schools.

The aforementioned We Re-Build is relaying information from ham radio via phone and Morse code.

Zuckerberg, Eisenberg Appear on SNL

eisen zuck sam.jpg

Also, Samberg. That last one’s not really that weird, though–he’s actually on the show. You’ve got to hand it to Mark Zuckerberg, he’s a pretty good sport, appearing on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, alongside Jesse Eisenberg, who played a decidedly unflattering–but Academy Award nominated–version of the kid billionaire in last year’s The Social Network.

Samberg and Eisenberg both showed off their versions of the Facebook founder. Eisenberg: “I speak in short, clipped sentences and keep my head very still.” Samberg: “I wear this sweatshirt.” Zuckerberg joined the two on stage for an encounter Samberg (on script) called, “Awkberg.”

And yes, yes it was. For all of us. It wasn’t one of those “hey, look what they did” monologues, not one of the especially hilarious variety. Zuckerberg, let’s be honest, has the acting chops and comedic timing of fellow billionaire Steve Forbes. But that’s not the point. The point is, the guy’s a good sport. Also, he invented poking.

Video after the jump.

This Week’s Best YouTube Videos: Shaolin Monks, Lazy Teenage Superheroes, and the Indian Terminator

only won.jpg

One of the best things about Indian films is the way they manage to be hilarious, campy, epic, and awe-inspiring all at the same time. Enthiran, which apparently translates to “Robot,” is a three-hour master work featuring a number of Indian movie stars about a robot who falls in love with a girl but finds himself reprogrammed to kill everything in sight. How can you not possibly want to watch that? 
Also making waves on YouTube this week is a slow-motion video of a Shaolin monk throwing a needle – an ordinary needle – through a pane of glass. If you ever wondered whether there was something to all of the movies and lore, watch this and know that yes, in fact, there is. But those two videos just scratch the surface. Hit the jump to see all five. 

Twitter’s Top Trending Topics of the Week:

twitter logo_word bubble.jpgA lot happened this week. We learned who would be going to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open went down, President Obama gave his State of the Union Address, and so much more. If you missed any of what was buzzing on Twitter, we’ve got you covered.

Here are the top trending Twitter topics for the week ending on January 28:

1. I’m Proud to Say
So, one of the biggest trends on Twitter this week wasn’t even actually news. It was just a meme that had people talking about what they are proud to say. #improudtosay

2. Andy Gray Firing
Sky Sports soccer commentator Andy Gray was fired from his position after he made (supposedly off-air) sexist remarks about female referee Sian Massey. The initial reprimand was a one-game suspension, but was changed to dismissal after other examples of inappropriate behavior came about. #AndyGray

3. State of the Union / Sputnik

The President of the United States has given his annual State of the Union address, using the phrase “this is our generation’s Sputnik moment” as a metaphor for America as a country to rise the challenges ahead. #Sputnik

Check out the rest of the list after the jump!

Samsung Fascinate Users: Slide to Unlock Before Calling for Help

Samsung Fascinate

The Samsung Fascinate is Verizon Wireless’ version of the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone, and recently received an over the air update that included a wealth of bug fixes and general improvements to the Fascinate’s Android OS. 
Unfortunately it came with one minor side effect, namely that the “Emergency Call” button on the phone’s lock screen – the one designed to let you call 911 in an emergency without having to unlock your phone – no longer works. 
Samsung, for its part, promptly apologized for the inconvenience the error may have caused (that’s putting it lightly) and promised to investigate the matter and determine whether the issue was linked to the update (even though it was reported only after the update was released.) For the time being, the company recommends Fascinate users just unlock their phone before placing emergency calls, at least until they can work out a fix. 

T-Pain Channels Facebook for a New Tattoo

T-Pain - Facebook Tattoo

Earlier in the month, we were lucky enough to interview T-Pain at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. He was at the show to promote the “I Am T-Pain” toy microphone that auto-tunes everything you say when you speak into it. On twitter this week, T-Pain announced that he had made his love of technology a little more permanent; with a brand new tattoo featuring Facebook’s iconic “Like” button. 
The tattoo says “You Don’t Have to [LIKE] Me,” and is on his arm. He noted on Twitter: “I get a tatt every time I come to Hawaii. I think this ones [sic] pretty sweet, unless facebook shuts down soon.” All things considered, that should be the least of his worries.