South African Highlights

@pierredevos - Constitutionally Speaking, Quote of the week! "We’re not forcing people… you can support and be a supporter, but if you go beyond that and become a member, [and] if you’re a businessman, your business will multiply. Everything you touch will multiply. I’ve always said that a wise businessperson will support the ANC… because supporting the ANC means you’re investing very well in your business". – President Jacob Zuma in January, inadvertently explaining the root cause of the Guptagate scandal even before it happened.

Up and coming movies, 2013

something yummy... Riddick!! Yes you read right! 

 

Storyline courtesy of Movie Insider:

The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty. The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.

Up and coming movies 2014, bound to surprise you!

So I've been wondering what does 2014 hold for the big screen so I did a little checking... I was impressed, especially for one particular movie... Godzilla.

I can't help but hope it's a sequel to the first Godzilla, I grew up watching that, according to Movie Insider the storyline is about The monster being awakened by an undersea explosion and wreaks havoc on the citizens of Tokyo.

Doesn't sound to Wow.... But who knows

Cast includes some familiar actors, not big names, but we know them...

Kick-Ass lead Aaron Johnson; 

Bryan Cranston, (voice)KungFuPanda/Madagascar, appeared in Argo(2013) and Total Recall(2012)

 

 

and... Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn

May the 4th be with you... best play on words

If any fan base were capable of hijacking a random day on the calendar and turning it into their own holiday based on a play on words, it would be Star Wars fans. - See more at: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/star-wars-day-may-the-4th-be-with-you/#sthash.LV1wosny.dpuf

 

 

Star Wars fans officially hijacked today as their day! Cheers to our much loved heroes and villains that made our childhood.

back off... today is our day to completely hijack...
so to all the cool people... how will you be spending the forth?

see more-->

Lulzsec, Sentenced.

This article is atleast a few years old, but viewing the recent events, I decided to share the interest.

2011- Hacker group LulzSec disbands after attacks on CIA, Sony and others

By Staff, The Associated Press

 

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A publicity-seeking hacker group that has left a trail of sabotaged websites over the last two months, including attacks on law enforcement and releases of private data, said unexpectedly on Saturday it is dissolving itself.

Lulz Security made its announcement through its Twitter account. It gave no reason for the disbandment, but it could be a sign of nerves in the face of law enforcement investigations. Rival hackers have also joined in the hunt, releasing information they say could point to the identities of the six-member group.

"At just after midnight (BST, UT+01) on 26 June 2011, LulzSec released a "50 days of lulz" statement, which they claimed to be their final release, confirming that LulzSec consisted of seven members, and that their website is to be shut down" (Wiki).

 

One of the group’s members was interviewed by The Associated Press on Friday, and gave no indication that its work was ending. LulzSec claimed hacks on major entertainment companies, FBI partner organizations, the CIA, the U.S. Senate and a pornography website.

Kevin Mitnick, a security consultant and former hacker, said the group had probably concluded that the more they kept up their activities, the greater the chance that one of them would make some mistake that would enable authorities to catch them. They’ve inspired copycat groups around the globe, he noted, which means similar attacks are likely to continue even without LulzSec.

“They can sit back and watch the mayhem and not risk being captured,” Mitnick said.

As a parting shot, LulzSec released a grab-bag of documents and login information apparently gleaned from gaming websites and corporate servers. The largest group of documents – 338 files – appears to be internal documents from AT&T Inc., detailing its buildout of a new wireless broadband network in the U.S. The network is set to go live this summer. A spokesman for the phone company could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the documents.

"The release included accounts and passwords from many different sources. Despite claims of retirement, the group committed another hack against newspapers owned by News Corporation on 18 July, defacing them with false reports regarding the death of Rupert Murdoch. The group helped launch Operation AntiSec, a joint effort involving LulzSec, Anonymous, and other hackers" (Wiki).

In the Friday interview, the LulzSec member said the group was sitting on at least 5 gigabytes of government and law enforcement data from across the world, which it planned to release in the next three weeks. Saturday’s release was less than a tenth of that size.

In an unusual strategy for a hacker group, LulzSec has sought publicity and conducted a conversation with the public through its Twitter account. Observers believe it’s an offshoot of Anonymous, a larger, more loosely organized group that attempts to mobilize hackers for attacks on targets it considers immoral, like oppressive Middle Eastern governments and opponents of the document-distribution site WikiLeaks. LulzSec, on the other hand, attacked anyone they could for “the lulz,” which is Internet jargon for “laughs.”

© The Canadian Press, 2011

2013- LulzSec hacker gets prison in Sony Pictures attack

By Staff, The Associated Press

 

LOS ANGELES – A 25-year-old hacker with the group known as LulzSec was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison and ordered to pay $605,663 in restitution for an attack on Sony Pictures computers that began in late May 2011.

 

One of the members pleaded guilty last April to the attack, in which hackers breached the Sony Pictures website, stole personal data including the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of tens of thousands of Sony customers and distributed it over the Internet.

 

Another member, a 20-year-old who also pleaded guilty to the attack in October, is to be sentenced May 16. 

Yes, I am well aware that stealing information is bad especially personal information of innocent people. I do however see the bigger picture when it comes to hacking, i mean most of these group (serious ones) hack major organizations and act as an informer to the public, by making confidential info public. Obviously that can lead to bad things happening but when the public is being kept in the dark about things that affect them then... people benefit... 

 

Anti-Gay march in France

Yesterday, thousands of people opposing the passing of the bill, to legalize gay marrage in Paris boulevards, France. (source)

Tens of thousands of French gay marriage opponents protest before expected passage of law

By Staff, The Associated Press

 

Anti-gay marriage activists hold flags and banners as they take part in a demonstration of the anti-gay marriage movement "La Manif Pour Tous" (Demonstration for all!) on April 21, 2013 in Paris. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images

The march wound its way across the Left Bank and was expected to culminate in a gathering on the vast Invalides esplanade Sunday evening. 

A heavy police presence was deployed along the route. Previous anti-gay marriage protests in recent weeks have degenerated into violence. A counterdemonstration by those in favour of the bill was organized across the Seine river on the large Bastille square.

Polls have shown a narrow majority of French support legalizing gay marriage, though that support falls when questions about adoption and conception of children come into play.

© The Associated Press, 2013

We all need help, Accidental incest... New app!

REYKJAVIK, Iceland – You meet someone, there’s chemistry, and then come the introductory questions: What’s your name? Come here often? Are you my cousin? (source)

The globalnews.ca, had an interesting article about a new app. that could tell you if you are related to someone by just bumping their phone with yours. In most parts of the world people wont find this a real need but according to the article, “It’s not a good feeling when you realize that girl is a second cousin. People may think it’s funny, but (the app) is a necessity.” The app. was created for the Icelandic community and has the name "The Islendiga-App — “App of Icelanders”".

 New app helps Icelanders avoid accidental incest

By Jenna Gottlieb And Jill Lawless, The Associated Press

In Iceland, a country with a population of 320,000 where most everyone is distantly related, inadvertently kissing cousins is a real risk.

A new smartphone app is on hand to help Icelanders avoid accidental incest. The app lets users “bump” phones, and emits a warning alarm if they are closely related. “Bump the app before you bump in bed,” says the catchy slogan.

Some are hailing it as a welcome solution to a very Icelandic form of social embarrassment.

“Everyone has heard the story of going to a family event and running into a girl you hooked up with some time ago,” said Einar Magnusson, a graphic designer in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.

The app was created by three University of Iceland software engineering students for a contest calling for “new creative uses” of the Islendingabok, or Book of Icelanders, an online database of residents and their family trees stretching back 1,200 years.

So I suppose, hooking up with someone only to realize he/she is related to you, especially if people  knew you were together. Major social embarrassment....