Author: Jesus Diaz

Unicode is great because it supports multiple languages simultaneously, bringing international understanding, universal peace, and planetary love. And so is ICANN’s decision to allow domain names that use non-Latin alphabets. Until both combine to steal your credit card numbers.

Or your login name, passwords, address, or whatever other data a phishing site can get from you.

Until now, there was an easy way to test if a site was legit or not: You just look at the browser URL. If it’s not paypal.com or amazon.com or whatever.com, then it’s not those companies’ web sites, no matter how well they clone their layout and graphics.

The problem will come in 2010. That’s when sites’ URLs would start popping in non-Latin alphabets like Cyrillic. And that’s when there will be cases of mistaken identity: Just check the image above, in which the russian word “raural” becomes “paypal.” According to trademark expert Charlie Abrahams, of MarkMonitor:

The risk for general brand abuse is going to increase exponentially. It’s difficult enough in English. At present, most e-mail phishing does not use anything that resembles the real site name. We could see the level of sophistication in phishing attacks increased by the use of foreign languages.

Can you see what this is going to be bring? Yes, unless someone comes up with rules soon, this will bring a big bag full of hurt. [The Times via Masable]

Note: To those readers who said there’s no “l” in the Cyrillic alphabet, you are right, there’s no “l” in traditional Cyrillic, but there is in the extended Cyrillic supported by Unicode.

Makes sense to me. I propose we jump over five, six, seven, and eight, and go straight to nine. [The Next Web]

The reviews and benchmarks on the new Intel 32nm flagship chips are here. The usual suspects have put Arrandale—Core i5 Mobile and Core i3 Mobile for notebooks—and Clarkdale—Core i5 661 for desktops—under the microscope.

How fast are they? Really fast, obviously, and apparently totally worth the upgrade. Clarkdale is fastest that anything dual core out there, while both mobile chips are faster than their Core 2 Duo counterparts, with the extra performance having no impact on the battery life. Like always, don’t expect to play Crysis at full with the built-in GPU on any of these, but they will be fast enough for mere mortals. [Anandtech on Arrandale and Anandtech on Clarkdale, Hot hardware on ArrandaleHot Hardware on Clarkdale]

Apple iSlate should be this simple. With an aluminum or white polycarbonate body, perhaps even rubberized, and no bezel whatsoever, with a very thin black frame. It really doesn’t need anything else. Ogle its simple beauty in the gallery.

I like it. I would like the screen to reach the very edge of the device, but that’s probably not possible with the current technology.

But where’s the button, some may ask? I think that, for the iSlate, they can actually pass on the physical home button, since it doesn’t make much sense in a 10-inch format. I mean, where do you place it? In the bottom center? Two home buttons on the sides? One? On one corner? What corner? Instinctively, I don’t think it’s needed. And they always implement a hard-to-reach physical reset button on the back.

Hopefully, we will have answers at the end of the month. [Thanks Rodolphe Desmare for the art]

The military have their own version of the old green laser pointer prank, one that can blind people 2.5 miles away (even if, at that distance, the blinding is temporary). They use it to hail-and-warn enemies trying to advance.

The weapon—which is technically a “long-range visual deterrent laser device for hail-and-warning applications”—is called the Glare LA-9/P, and it’s quite dangerous, even while it has a security system to avoid eye damage. That’s something that didn’t stop it from blinding dozens of soldier during the current Iraq war, exposed to friendly dazzling. [BE Meyers via Danger Room]

If Dr Ellen Stofan—team leader of the TiME mission—has her way, this will be the first nautical ship to sail across waters outside of planet Earth. Its name is the Titan Mare Explorer.

If approved by NASA, the $425 million space boat would be launched in January 2016, water landing on the Saturn’s moon in June 2023. It would study the Ligeia Mare or the Kraken mare, located in the north hemisphere of Titan. Scientists believe that these huge lakes are composed of liquid methane, ethane, or a mix of both hydrocarbons. While these highly-flammable components are not stable under Earth’s conditions, they are stable liquids under Titan’s −290 °F.

The obvious objective would be to identify the precise components of these seas, their depth, and physical features. Then, the space boat has a little nuclear device that would set the lakes on fire, causing a chain reaction that would make the planet explode, pushing Saturn out of its orbit, which in turn would make it to collide with Jupiter, which will finally gain enough mass to ignite a fusion process, creating a star that would finally make Europa an habitable planet, so it can hold lifeforms that listen to Abba, drink lots of wine, and eat tapas at bars.

OK, maybe it won’t do the last thing, but that’s what I would like to see. [TiME Mission Document via PhysOrg]

The 2000s are gone. They didn’t bring the future, those Aughts. Doesn’t matter. 2010 is rolling. Watch out for those flying cars when you go to pick the laundry in your jetpack. [Nedroid Comics via The Daily What via m0ddie]

Remember the extremely popular and heart-touching Stand By Me video? That was recorded in a virtual studio around the world during different days. Here’s the not-less-heart-touching All You Need Is Love, recorded in 156 countries at exactly the same time:

The video was made on December 7, 2009 at 1:30pm Greenwich Meridian Time. All the different musicians in 156 locations started to sing the song at that time, with the same tempo. They did a good job: When the results were assembled in a single track, everything matched.

The event was organized by Starbucks to help raise awareness of AIDS in Africa for the (RED) foundation. Like the Stand By Me video, the result will touch even the more-coldester-hearted bastards among you. And if it doesn’t, you need a punch in the bracket.

Another happy way to start 2010. Pass the link along. [Starbucks Love Project]

Yes, me neither. But these guys almost did, filming this crystal clear video—much better and vertigo-inducing than the previous one, thanks to a better camera and wider lens angle—on December 31, from the tip of the Burj Dubai.

Before the internet, there were movies. And before movies, there were typewriters. And before typewriters, there was chewing gum. And before chewing gum, there were only cavemen. Is this dude a caveman chewing gum in a typewriter movie? Maaaybe. [Obsolete]

Dear 2010, you’ll bring the iSlate, Android 3, Natal, iPhone 4, and whatever other cool things we can’t foresee now. But now you’re too short, young, and cute. Don’t worry, you’ll get there. Happy New Year, everyone. [Thanks David Keyes]

I have seen really amazing ship designs, like the impressive kind-of-Nautlish Ghost ramming yacht, the weird transforming Ikkar, the luxurious perfect dream-aparment-that-is-really-a-boat, and the classic schooner America. The Enso, however, is the first that looks from another planet:

I someone told me that the Enso Catamaran is really a secret version of Burt Rutan’s Spaceshiptwo I wouldn’t be suprised. The 140-foot Wingsailed Enso Catamaran, whoever, was designed by student Zack Stephanchick. Zack’s real name is Grørrrkzyngy Aarkaantar, from the Vega 4 system. You are not tricking me Zack. I mean Grørrrkzyngy, you weird tentacle-nosed alien you. [Coroflot Born Rich]

“We discovered a vertical hole on the moon,” says JAXA’s Junichi Haruyama. A mysterious tube so large and deep that it can shelter a future moon base. Until the creatures inside kill everyone, which is what happens in these cases.

Before, they didn’t know what the hole’s origin was. Now they have a theory: According to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters, the vertical cave—”213 feet (65 meters) across and some 262 to 289 feet deep (80-88 meters)”—may be a collapsed lava tube, which could provide a perfect shelter for a future moon base:

Lava tubes, underground cave-like channels through which lava once flowed, are commonly found on Earth. Because lava tubes are sheltered from the harsh environment on the moon’s surface, such tubes could one day be useful for lunar bases.

Their theory is that the flowing lava left the tunnel a long time ago, with a lava roof that later collapsed.

I’m reading their report and only two things come to my mind. One, the awesome lunar base in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001. Two, a sci-fi horror movie flick directed by Roger Corman, in which the moon base is invaded by slimy aliens, pissed off because the humans built their base on top of the entrance of their hidden colony. Based on real events, of course.

OK, maybe I have three things in mind, because now I can see Sybil Danning there too, as the queen in “Amazon Women on the Moon.” No hole connection there, though. Or maybe there is. I don’t know. Whatever. Leave me alone. I’m drunk.

[Space]

Dear 2009, thank you for all the stories, the good and the bad ones. Here are the top 10 most popular articles. Now we have to say good bye forever, because 2010 and the new decade are here. So long!