Using Google Geocode to get GPS coordinates from an address
by Pieter De Rycke

For a hobby project, I recently needed to calculate distances between stores and find nearby stores. In order to implement the required functionality, I have used the Google Geocoding service to have GPS coordinates for all my database entries and then it was just a matter of applying the correct math.

The Google Geocoding service is a REST service offered free of charge by Google and no developer sign-up is required. It can translate an address string into GPS coordinates. Result data can be returned in XML or JSON format. The only limitation is that the free version can only geocode 2500 addresses per day.

Details Here

first published week of:   02/27/2012

USPS to halt all shipments of iPads, Kindles to overseas troops, consumers
Based off claims that exploding lithium batteries are responsible for plane crashes, the USPS plans to prohibit all international shipments of many portable electronics starting next week.

As announced this week within a press release, the United States Postal Service is banning shipment of devices using lithium batteries to anyone residing overseas starting on May 16. This includes a wide range of devices such as laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, handheld gaming systems, GPS devices, digital cameras, bluetooth headsets, radio controlled toys, portable shavers, standalone MP3 players and e-readers. While this ban doesn’t apply to shipments of devices with lithium batteries domestically, consumers looking for a low cost method to send these devices to American troops overseas as well as anyone in another country will be out of luck.

Details Here

first published week of:   05/14/2012

Warning: Battery-saver app on Android is malware

A new piece of malware is trying to take advantage of poor battery life on Android smartphones. Cyber criminals created an application that is supposed to reduce battery use, but in reality steals the user's contacts data stored on the device. Symantec, which first discovered the malware, is calling this particular threat Android.Ackposts. As opposed to using third-party app stores or the official Google Play store, this app is pushed via Japanese spam email that includes a link to download and install it. Although the messages claim the app reduces battery use by half, the app does nothing to save battery power. It does, however, send the user’s contacts data (name, phone number, email address, and more) to an external Web site.

Details Here

first published week of:   07/23/2012

Watch Out: “We Know Your House” Uses Twitter to Find Out Where You Live and Then Posts It Online
by Eric Limer

You've been living with social media for long enough that you probably know most of the do's and don'ts. Don't post pictures of your debit card, or of your billionaire boss shirtless. But be careful when you use the word "home" too; people are watching.

WeKnowYourHouse.com is a recently launched website with an apt name. Basically, the site scans Twitter for tweets with location data that also make a reference to "home". From there, they can take the latitude and longitude, plop it in to Google Maps and get a reasonable estimate of your address. Lastly, they plot it on a map. It's creepy as all hell, but all just “a social experiment” according to the site.

Right now, all the most recent addresses they've posted seem to be in Ireland and the U.K., but there wouldn't be anything keeping them from expanding, or keeping anyone else from copying their idea. They offer you the option to “opt-out” on the site, but you have to sign in with Twitter to do so, and give them some information when you do it. It's a little sketchy.

Details Here

first published week of:   08/13/2012

Web-connected industrial controls stoke security fears

Until several days ago, anyone who researched the security of industrial control systems could have accessed the Web site of a Kansas agricultural concern and turned off all its windmills. The owner left the system connected to the open Internet without any password protections, despite warnings from Canadian manufacturer Endurance Wind Power. A cyber researcher found the vulnerability along with thousands of other exposed industrial controls, many of them in critical facilities. The research that found the lapse came from one of two new studies on the security of industrial controls that were provided to Reuters in advance of their public release at the Black Hat security conference being held the week of July 23 in Las Vegas. The research buttress concerns that critical national infrastructure in the West is more vulnerable to hacking attacks now than 2 years ago, despite its status as a top cybersecurity priority for the White House, and other parts of the federal government.

Details Here

first published week of:   07/23/2012

What to expect when Apple ditches Google Maps in iOS6

Apple might be moving away from its dependence on Google for its Maps app.

Apple will reportedly ditch Google’s backend for the built–in Maps app in iOS 6, according to sources with 9to5Mac. The app is said to be faster and more reliable, and will come with a few shiny new features that users should eat right up.

“This move is entirely expected,” Forrester analyst Charles Golvin told Wired via e–mail. “The relationship between Apple and Google has been moving steadily from one of partners to competitors, and Apple has increasingly sought to displace Google technology whenever possible.”

Apple already abandoned Google Maps in one of its latest app releases, iPhoto. The app now uses the OpenStreetMap Foundation’s mapping data instead.

Over the past few years, Apple’s made a few acquisitions to make this transition possible.

In 2009, Apple quietly purchased the mapping firm Placebase, which offered a similar product to Google Maps. After the purchase, Placebase’s CEO became part of Apple’s “Geo” team, which he’s been a member of since. In 2010, Apple snagged Poly9, a Canadian online mapping firm. Poly9 offered high–res images of metropolitan areas, and technology that provides real–time location statistics, including altitude.

Most recently, Apple purchased C3 Technologies. This company makes uber–sophisticated 3–D maps using unclassified technology designed for missile guidance systems. To build their 3–D maps, C3 Technologies repeatedly flew planes equipped with DSLR cameras over cities, collecting overlapping images. The company then used automated algorithms to generate stereoscopic depth.

Details Here

first published week of:   05/14/2012

Volume 31

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