News from PCATT

October eZine 2014

Techno Pumpkin

Greetings,

This October PCATT eZine is a gathering of articles in the Halloween theme. You'll be scared as well as treated to entertaining and amusing items. Each article is accompanied by a pumpkin designed by a PCATT staff member. You'll see some of us are more creative than others but we certainly work hard and have fun. Enjoy the holiday and be safe.

All the best to you,

Beryl Morimoto

Program Manager

Find Out Whether This Unkillable Tracker Is On Your Smartphone

Angry Bird

Wired reported on October 27, 2014 that Verizon Wireless was using a Unique Identifier Header (UIDH) which advertisers could use to identify cell phone users on the Web. JacobHoffman-Andrews with the Electronic Frontier Foundation called it a "perma-cookie". It turns out that AT&T may be doing or testing something similar. You may go to a site created by security consultant KennWhite to determine if your phone is broadcasting the tracking code.

Survey of Top Techs

Happy Hippo

The Atlantic magazine surveyed tech elites such as Sam Alton of Y Combinator, David Karp, Tumblr CEO, Carl Bass, Autodesk CEO, and the results are both expected and surprising. Read the questions and compare your responses. What is your response if you were asked, "What is the most exciting tech start-up right now?" 22% of the "elite" said "Uber". Here's another question: Which technology or tech company poses the greatest risk to our personal privacy? Here's their answer.

Serious About Security?

Sassy Witch

USENIX, an association for advanced computing and a leader in security research, and Facebook have teamed up again to sponsor the Internet Defense Prize. They are looking for working prototypes to tighten online security, "real ideas that go beyond theory to produce real impact." If you're interested there is up to $300,000 in awards. A project on static detection of second-order vulnerabilities in Web applications was the winner in August 2014.

TV Stick, Chromecast, or Streaming Stick?

One-Eyed Mike Wazowski

Confused by the choices of streaming media players? You're probably not alone. Here's a comparison of what each does, a rating, and a price comparison, along with functionality to see which if any you might want to purchase and use.

WolframAlpha

Naked Pumpkin

You've heard of WolframAlpha. If not, after looking at all 32 Tricks You Can Do With Wolfram Alpha from Business Insider, you'll discover a wonderful resource (or a potential time waster). If you haven't already, give it a try. The key is knowing how to form your inquiry.

Does Anyone Read EULAs?

Sleepless Pumpkin

Do you read the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) clauses before you click "accept"? If no, maybe you've agreed not to create biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons or did you miss out on the $1000 that was unclaimed for months? Surely these EULAs will give you a chuckle.

And Finally...

Regular readers of our PCATT eZine know we end with something different. This interactive site is from the BBC, Your Life on Earth. See the world in the context of you. "This is your story, the story of your life on earth." It's quite amazing.