bug

Man hid transmitter under wife's bed, police say

In human relationships, nothing should surprise. Indeed, the only extreme reaction ought to be disappointment.

This is what I feel after I learned from the excellent Beaver County Times that a man is being accused of placing a transmitter beneath his wife's bed.

His purpose was allegedly to discover if she was having sex.

The more alert among you might have noticed the phrase "his wife's bed." This would suggest either that the gentleman in question and his wife had an agreeable but separate sleeping arrangement. Or that there was trouble beneath their roof.

It seems … Read more

Apple calls iMessage bug story an 'extremely rare situation'

Apple has weighed in on a controversial issue with its iMessage service that keeps accounts on devices even when the owner has wiped the phone.

A story posted by Gizmodo yesterday detailed the dangers of the issue after a reader sent the outlet photos and details of iMessage exchanges that appeared on their iPhone after having it serviced at an Apple store.

According to their story, it all stemmed from that employee using their own phone's SIM card as part of the repair, which linked up the customer's phone to that employee's iMessage account. That resulted in … Read more

Oracle squashes 78 software bugs in latest patch

Oracle yesterday deployed 78 different security fixes aimed at patching holes throughout its various database products.

As part of the company's January critical patch update, 16 of the 78 fixes were considered critical, meaning they could be exploited remotely. The fixes stretched across much of Oracle's product lineup, including Oracle Database Server, Fusion Middleware, E-Business Suite, Oracle Sun products, MySQL, VirtualBox, and PeopleSoft.

One of the patches addresses a major flaw that could compromise the security of Oracle database systems. Initially researched by InfoWorld, the flaw was shared with Oracle before the tech publication went live with the … Read more

Google fixes Checkout bug that leaked customer data

Google has fixed a bug in its Checkout software that exposed customer phone numbers to merchants in more than two dozen countries that charge a value-added tax--mostly in Europe and Asia.

"We had a bug in our Google Checkout merchant center and API. This meant that merchants selling digital goods may have seen buyer phone numbers which are normally provided only when users buy physical goods," a Google spokesman said in a statement.

"We fixed the problem in the merchant center and we're rolling out a fix to the API over the next few days," … Read more

iMessage bug swats iPhone owners who switch to Android

Some new Android handset owners are complaining that they can't receive text messages from friends who own iPhones.

According to a growing thread in Apple's support forums, former iPhone owners that had been communicating with friends via iMessage are unable to receive any messages from those same folks when they try texting from an Android device.

"I bought an Android phone tonight, replacing my iPhone," Apple support forums user "Literroy" posted last month. "I also ported my number to the new phone. However, now, anytime someone with an iPhone tries to SMS me, … Read more

Comcast installs roach-infested cable box, customer claims

Sometimes I wonder what lives inside my Comcast cable box. Just occasionally, it will behave erratically, twitching nervously at the sight of "Top Chef."

A story that has emerged from Aurora, Ill., suggests an emergent solution: creepy-crawly creatures.

I am grateful to the Chicago Sun-Times for describing the dilemma of one Comcast customer, Antonio Munez, who claims that after the company installed a cable box, cockroaches crawled out of it.

It is unclear whether the roaches were protesting Munoz refusal to watch cooking shows. However, Munoz says he suspects the equipment was old and adds that no one … Read more

Facebook hands out White Hat debit cards to hackers

A few companies pay money to bug hunters. But Facebook is giving out something more unique than just a check. Some security researchers are getting a customized "White Hat Bug Bounty Program" Visa debit card.

The researchers, who can make thousands of dollars for reporting just one security hole on the social-networking site, can use the card to make purchases, just like a credit card, or create a PIN and take money out of an ATM. As the researchers find more bugs, Facebook can add more money to their accounts.

Facebook wanted to do something special for the … Read more

New book highlights Pixar's fantastic art

If you're a fan of Pixar's many wonderful movies--and who isn't?--you've no doubt spent years caught up in the studio's terrific storytelling. But you've probably also been glued to your seat again and again by Pixar's terrific artistry.

Now, you can dig deep into the history of that work. With the new book "The Art of Pixar," Amid Amidi takes us inside the creative process behind Pixar's long list of hit films--"Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," "Monster's Inc.," "Ratatouille," "… Read more

Hexbug larva robot makes our skin crawl

You know what the world needs? More bugs.

It's not enough that they already outnumber us 100 million to one. Toy company Hexbug has decided to make little robot larvae, which could hatch into the hottest stocking stuffer this holiday season.

Now, I know I'm not being completely irrational when I say I find these plastic larvae creepy. I can see how they could be the perfect gift for tech-savvy kids with an interest in robotics.

But come on, bugs? Who likes bugs (other than entomologists and those creepy people who buy dead bugs in frames)?… Read more

Five other fixes I want in iOS 5.0.1

As CNET reported last week, Apple is not only aware of the battery problems associated with iOS 5, but has already pushed out a second beta of iOS 5.0.1--which promises to fix them.

My take: why stop there? Apple's already prepping an update, so why not address some of iOS 5's other quirks, annoyances, and omissions? Here are five I'm secretly hoping will get fixed in 5.0.1:

1. A snooze option for reminders. The new Reminders app? Awesome. Long overdue. Love it. But it's missing one crucial feature: a snooze option. … Read more