Student Jailed For Hacking School's Grading System

Jose Bautista, a high school senior in Northwest Miami-Dade School, USA was arrested for allegedly hacking the school's report card database and changing his grades and his four friends. He now faced charges of intellectual property offense, modifying programs and an offense.

The school's Principal informed the police that Bautista gave him a written confession.

The student is now under house arrest with GPS monitor while the case is awaiting judgement.

As of this writing, it is unclear if the busted students would be allowed to graduate  or if they will face any punishment.

Kids these days are too smart for their own good. Well, I guess some company would be interested to hire him for his guts and great skills.


Via CBS Miami

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Singapore Banks Introduce Real-time Interbank Transfer

Rolled out yesterday, fourteen banks in Singapore has introduced real-time interbank funds transfer. The new service dubbed as FAST ( Fast and Secure Transfers ) was introduced "in response to the increasing demand from consumers and businesses for funds transfer that is faster and more efficient", says The Association of Banks in Singapore.

The new function is currently free of charge for retail customers and $0.50 for corporate accounts. But starting June 2014, fees could be increased to $10 per transaction.

FAST has currrently capped transfers of up to $10,000 which could be done online, on mobile apps and some ATMs.

Previously, instant funds transfer is only available between accounts of the same bank and transactions of different banks would take two to three working days.

The 14 banks included  are ANZ Bank, CIMB Bank, Citibank, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank, Far Eastern Bank, HSBC, Maybank, OCBC Bank, RHB Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and United Overseas Bank.

This advanced payment system is 3rd in the world after South Korea and the UK. The Association of Banks in Singapore did not disclose the cost of  FAST system, but analysts estimate that this kind of infrastructure could be worth more than S$100 million. 

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Preschoolers Show Support for Missing Aircraft MH 370

People all over the world took to social media to show support. For instance, Twitter hashtag "#PrayForMH370" has been used by users  who either tweeted their personal prayer for the missing plane or created drawings or phrases to show  they were thinking of the missing passengers. 

In Singapore, despite a glimmer of hope, there's a group of innocent kids who wish to join the world with prayers and inspiring messages.

Preschoolers from PCF Punggol East  composed positive remarks such as "Please wait for them" and Don't worry, your family members will come home".

The activity is part of children's learning to empathize. They were asked to imagine how they would feel if the victims were their family member. Most of them said they would feel sad and afraid. 

So they conducted a brainstorming on how they would comfort the grieving family members. Some suggested giving a hug and kiss and others thought of writing a letter. 

Below are some of their heartfelt and moving words of encouragement that will melt your hearts. 

They wish that it will reach those who are affected. Please share to help them fulfill that.

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Analysis Says MH 370 Crashed in Indian Ocean ( Video )

CNN reported that a classified analysis of electronic and satellite data suggests the flight likely crashed either in the Bay of Bengal or elsewhere in the Indian Ocean.

Based on radar data and satellite pings, theories of hijacking or pilot suicide were being considered.

Malaysian officials said yesterday that the hunt for the plane was spreading deeper into both the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

As of Friday, 57 ships and 48 aircraft from 13 countries were already involved in the search.

With this expanded search , Cmdr. William Marks of the USS Kidd destroyer said "I, like most of the world, really have never seen anything like this," "It's a completely new game now. We went from a chess board to a football field."

Via [ CNN ]

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Weibo, "China's Twitter" Enters US Stock Market

Weibo, China's largest Twitter-like service has filed yesterday to raise $500 million via share sale on the US stock market. It hired Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse to manage the initial public offering.

Owned by Sina Corporation, Weibo has over 129 million monthly active users and generated $188 million profits in 2013.

Internet market in China is booming with more than 500 million users. Major social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are not allowed in the country which benefits local firms.

"We expect our advertising and marketing revenues to increase in the foreseeable future as we continue to introduce new advertising and marketing solutions and attract more customers", Weibo said in its filing.

This is an exciting trend to see in the world's fastest growing major economy.

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Zuckerberg To Obama : Government Damaging Future

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called President Obama to express his confusion and frustration with the repeated reports of US government's internet spying activites. In a post yesterday, Zuckerberg described the behavior as  damaging to the future of internet.

"The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst." Zuckerberg said in a statement.

Although Zuckerberg's post does not point out National Security Agency's ( NSA ) surveillance programs, the statement was triggered by a recently leaked documents from Edward Snowden that NSA has impersonated a Facebook server to infect surveillance targets' computers and get files from a hard drive. 

Zuckerberg has assured the public with his statement. "To keep the internet strong, we need to keep it secure. That's why at Facebook we spend a lot of our energy making our services and the whole internet safer and more secure. We encrypt communications, we use secure protocols for traffic, we encourage people to use multiple factors for authentication and we go out of our way to help fix issues we find in other people's services.

The internet works because most people and companies do the same. We work together to create this secure environment and make our shared space even better for the world."

I certainly hope that the government will now become more transparent with what it has been doing.

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Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777 With 239 People Missing

Malaysia Airlines announced it has lost contact with its Boeing B777-200 aircraft travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers, including two children and 12 crew members on board.

The airline said in a statement that flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am Saturday. It was expected to land Beijing at 6:30 am. " Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search and rescue team to locate their aircraft.

According to China's state news agency, the plane lost communication over Vietnam with control department in Ho Chi Minh City at 1:20 a.m. The radar signal also was lost.

Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement. "Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew. Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support. Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

I wonder the aircraft is equipped with high speed internet and a lot of sensors. How can they not know where to find it? We shall know the details later today as Malaysia Airlines planned to conduct a press conference.

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Selfie of Ellen, Bradlley & Others Earns The Most Retweets Of All Time

Another award goes to Ellen DeGeneres who earns the most retweets of all time with over 2 million RT and counting.

While hosting the 86th Academy Awards, Ellen and other celebrities made an epic selfie photo  that beats Barack Obama's previous record.

The tweet received 921,000 retweets in less than 40 minutes. Later DeGeneres announced at the Oscars show, looking at Meryl Streep, that they made history and "crashed" @Twitter.

What made this extra special? It is Meryl's first tweet. After the group selfie, she was heard saying " I've never tweeted before."

If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014

Watch the video here :

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Principal Lost $80,000 Because Of Daughter's Facebook Post

This story is another classic example where parents need to worry about what their children post on social media.

When Dana Snay learned her father had been awarded an $80,000 cash settlement in an age-discrimination lawsuit against his former employer, like any teenager, she turned to Facebook and brag about it. " Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver. Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT."

The problem was Patrick Snay signed a confidentiality agreement. Gulliver Preparatory School now refused to pay him a single dime as he violated the terms of the agreement.

Too bad for them. Looks like the teenager won't be going to Europe. She's grounded! Or worse could be banned to use Facebook for life.


Via [ Miami Herald  ]

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Who Controls The Internet? ( Video )

Who Controls the Internet? Is there an underground organization that oversee the security of the web?

James Ball of the Guardian visits a company in California, USA and reveals there are seven keys, held by individuals from all over the world, that together control security at the core of the internet.

He met with the company ICANN or Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a private organization that manage internet domain systems or web addresses.


Interesting facts. I thought it would be like the scenes we see in The Matrix movies.



 

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Is Samsung Galaxy S5 Worth It?

After much anticipation and speculation, finally Samsung unveils its latest flagship Galaxy S5. Just like iPhone 5S, it has a fingerprint technology for security and Paypal payments. It also features water-resistant and dust proof casing, improved camera and a heart monitor.

One promising function in the new Samsung device is its claim to extend battery life for up to 24 hours. With its power saving mode, the display of S5 can be changed to black and white or limit the phone to phone calls and messages.

The smartphone has 5.1 full HD ( Super AMOLED ) screen display, 16 mega-pixel camera and runs on Androd 4.4.2 Kitkat.

It's time to upgrade your phone. Its worth it. It is faster, bigger and lighter. The camera can take 4k videos.

Samsung Galaxy S5 starts to be available in April 2014 with price starting at $650.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Product Specifications:



Network	LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)
Display	5.1” FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)
AP	2.5GHz Quad core application processor
OS	Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)
Camera	16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)
Video	UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization Video Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8 Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
Audio	Audio Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC Audio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Camera Features	HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot&More
Additional Features	IP67 Dust and water Resistant
	Ultra Power Saving Mode
	Download Booster
	S Health 3.0
	Quick Connect
	Private Mode
	Kids Mode
Google Mobile Services	Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube
Connectivity	WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2) Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE / ANT+ USB: USB 3.0 NFC IR Remote
Sensor	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor
Memory	RAM: 2GB Internal Memory: 16/32GB  microSD slot upto 64GB
Dimension	142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
Battery	2800mAh  Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs

Here's a look :

 

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