CrunchyTech: The Latest from Boing Boing

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Latest from Boing Boing

IncognitoRAT: Java-based, cross-platform botnet is equal-opportunity crimeware
Biologist's ground-breaking fieldwork on giraffes
Just look at this banana Dalek.
Ikea Manuals for props from science fiction movies
Portable Pepper Mill
NRA and Florida gag pediatricians: no more firearm safety advice for parents

IncognitoRAT: Java-based, cross-platform botnet is equal-opportunity crimeware

Posted: 08 May 2011 09:34 PM PDT

IncognitoRAT is the first known Java-based, cross-platform botnet. It can infect Java virtual machines on MacOS and Windows machines, as well as iPads and iPhones. Presumably, GNU/Linux machines are vulnerable, too, but this isn't mentioned in the article.

"The original propagation vector of IncognitoRAT is a Windows executable, but apparently it was created using the tool JarToExe, which includes, among other features, the ability to convert .jar files into .exe files, to add program icons and version information, and protect and encrypt Java programs.
Once the .jar file is converted, it is executed and downloads a number of Java-based libraries that allow the attacker to remotely control the keyboard and mouse of the affected computer, to play MP3 files and videos, to record images taken by the computer's webcam, and to send stolen information to a predefined email account.

Multiplatform Java botnet spotted in the wild (via The Command Line)

Biologist's ground-breaking fieldwork on giraffes

Posted: 09 May 2011 01:53 AM PDT

CBC Radio's wonderful Ideas program recently featured Anne Innis in a one-hour documentary on her early field work in Africa. I've previously reviewed Innis's book Love of Shopping is Not a Gene, a skeptical, smart feminist biologist's take on evolutionary psychology. The Ideas show focuses on Innis's work with giraffes (including the first-ever account of homosexual behavior in the wild) and illuminates her sharp-eyed, scientific observations. She was the first biologist to study living giraffes in the wild, and her story is a remarkable account of sexuality, gender, race and Apartheid.

Just look at this banana Dalek.

Posted: 08 May 2011 01:52 PM PDT

Just look at it.

Banana Dalek! (Thanks Darkfynne!)

Ikea Manuals for props from science fiction movies

Posted: 07 May 2011 10:11 PM PDT

Love CollegeHumor's "Sci-Fi Ikea Manuals" -- a DJILORIANN (Back to the Future), LITSABBUR (Star Wars), TJARDIIS (Doctor Who), and, shown here, the DINDASUR from Jurassic Park.

Sci-Fi Ikea Manuals (Neatorama)

Portable Pepper Mill

Posted: 08 May 2011 02:59 PM PDT

I never go anywhere without my portable pepper mill. I have one stashed in my desk and another in the glove box, and still another couple in the kitchen. Trader Joe's sells an outstanding disposable model for a couple bucks, but by far my favorite is the thumb-operated pump mill made by Vic Firth. The sleek designed cylindrical metal and glass device stands 5-1/2-inches tall, and you can tell from its weight that it's a serious tool. Fill the tube with peppercorns, push the plunger, and presto! Delicious, calorie-free pepper. Here's the thing about pepper. It improves just about everything: Steamed vegetables, salads, brown rice, popcorn (try it!), cheese, meat. Whatever you're eating, it will get a real pick-me-up from fresh ground pepper. The stuff that comes out of ordinary pepper shakers bears no relation to pepper, and it might as well be cardboard. I don't go anywhere without my pocket pepper mill. My husband cracks wise that I should have a holster for my pepper mill. Not a bad idea! My son's girlfriend has even taken to calling me "Pepper Mom". Vic Firth Pump and Grind Pepper Mill $18 Don't forget to comment over at Cool Tools. And remember to submit a tool!

NRA and Florida gag pediatricians: no more firearm safety advice for parents

Posted: 08 May 2011 06:34 PM PDT

An NRA-lobbied bill in Florida will prohibit doctors, especially pediatricians, from asking patients about their gun-safety. The bill is expected to be signed by Governor Rick Scott. Pediatricians routinely advise parents about seatbelts, bike helmets, etc, but this law will make it illegal for a doctor to offer advice on gun safety unless "it's directly relevant to the patient's care or the safety of others." Comparable legislation is under discussion in North Carolina and Alabama.

As parents know, pediatricians ask a lot of questions. Dr. Louis St. Petery says it's all part of what doctors call "anticipatory guidance" -- teaching parents how to safeguard against accidental injuries. Pediatricians ask about bike helmets, seat belts and other concerns.
"If you have a pool, let's talk about pool safety so we don't have accidental drownings," he says. "And if you have firearms, let's talk about gun safety so that they're stored properly -- you know, the gun needs to be locked up, the ammunition stored separate from the gun, etc., so that children don't have access to them."
For decades, the American Academy of Pediatrics has encouraged its members to ask questions about guns and how they're stored, as part of well-child visits.