The Grid

The digital world, explained.

Don't mess with the internet, Lamar Smith

An internet freedom nonprofit has purchased a billboard just outside of SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith's Texas office, reminding him not to "mess with the internet." But the billboard is owned by his largest campaign contributor.

Jeb BooneMay 23, 2012 10:50

(fightforthefuture.org/billboard/Screengrab)

When SOPA architect Lamar Smith looks out of his San Antonio office window, he will now be reminded of the internet’s outrage over his efforts to regulate it.

Fight for the Future, a nonprofit “working to expand the internet’s powers for good” has purchased a billboard emblazoned with the message, “Don’t mess with the internet,” just outside of Lamar Smith’s Texas office. Satirizing the popular “Don’t mess with Texas” mantra, the organization is attempting to jar the memories of anti-SOPA voters as they go to the polls this November.

“SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith came close to destroying the internet we love (it took the largest online protest in history to stop him). So we thought it would be awesome if the internet sent Lamar a message, in the form of a billboard right outside his Texas office,” read the organizations website.

Anonymous hits US Department of Justice, dumps data

Anonymous is claiming to have hacked webservers belonging to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, dumping 1.7 GB of data onto the web for download.

Jeb BooneMay 22, 2012 11:02

The Anonymous collective is claiming to have gained access to server belonging to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, dumping 1.7 GB of data, which includes internal emails, onto the web for download at The Pirate Bay.

“We do not stand for any government or parties, we stand for freedom of people, freedom of speech and freedom of information,” said the collective in a press release on anonnews.org, adding, “We are releasing data to spread information, to allow the people to be heard and to know the corruption in their government. We are releasing it to end the corruption that exists, and truly make those who are being oppressed free.”

Levitation becomes reality

Using a magnetic control system, MIT researchers have learned to levitate and actuate matter in a three dimensional space.

Jeb BooneMay 20, 2012 19:25

"I think there is something fundamental behind motivations to liberate physical matter from gravity and enable control. The motivation has existed as a shared dream amongst humans for millennia. It is an idea found in mythologies, desired by alchemists, and visualized in Science Fiction movies. I have aspired to create a space where we can experience a glimpse of this future. A space where materials are free from gravitational constraints and controllable through computing technologies. ZeroN is about liberating materials from the constraints of space and time by blending the physical and digital world," wrote MIT researcher Jinha Lee.

Lone hacker claims responsibility for attack on Pirate Bay

After a days-long DoS attack on the Pirate Bay, a single anti-Anonymous hacker is claiming responsibility and doing so rather loudly.

Jeb BooneMay 18, 2012 12:03

The Pirate Bay's homepage after recovering from a DoS attacking on 17 May, proudly redesigning it's pirate ship logo into a risen phoenix. (Screengrab/Screengrab)

The Pirate Bay, one of the world’s largest file sharing websites, has returned after a days-long distributed denial of service (DoS) attack. Nyre, a hacker once loyal to the Anonymous collective but who has now gone rogue, took responsibility for the attack.

While Nyre’s claim to have taken down the Pirate Bay remains uncorroborated, the hacker posted a series of tweets while the site was down announcing the success of the attack and satirizing Anonymous.

“Tango Down - thepiratebay.se - The Reason - http://pastebin.com/j0PLqynP @YourAnonNews @AnonOpUK @Anon_Central @MalSec,” read one of the several tweets decrying the Pirate Bay for hosting “shitty torrents.”

Gamification taking over our lives, study finds

A new study says "gamification" — the use of game mechanics, feedback loops and rewards to spur interaction and boost engagement — may play a central role in all aspects of our future lives. Does Portal ring any bells?

Jeb BooneMay 18, 2012 10:44

A visitor plays the computer game 'World of Warcraft' at the world's biggest high-tech fair, the CeBIT on March 4, 2010 in the northern German city of Hanover. Some 4,157 companies from 68 countries are displaying their latest gadgets at the fair taking place from March 2 to 6, 2010. (Nigel Treblin/AFP/Getty Images)

Gaming mechanics like leveling up and loot rewards could soon play a more central role in the daily lives of the average person, whether at work or at play, according to a Pew Research Center report on the “gamification” of our world.

Beginning in 1974, with the creation of Dungeons and Dragons, and up through this week’s highly-anticipated launch of Diablo III — loot, leveling up and boss fights have become a daily obsession for millions of people across the globe.

Gamers are no strangers to the addictive qualities of game mechanics and neither are game developers, who are raking in billions of dollars in revenue generated by an obsession with leveling up with friends. Now, tech industry analyst and stakeholders are suggesting that similar mechanics will begin embedding themselves into our daily lives.

“While some people dismiss gamification as a fad, neuroscientists are discovering more and more about the ways in which humans react to such interactive design elements. They say such elements can cause feel-good chemical reactions, alter human responses to stimuli — increasing reaction times, for instance — and in certain situations can improve learning, participation and motivation,” read the Pew Research Center study, which was released today.

Diablo III: A survival guide for launch day

Diablo III, after nearly 12 years of anxious anticipation, will launch at 12 a.m. PDT on May 15. Here at the Grid, we want you to be prepared.

Jeb BooneMay 14, 2012 14:36

Computer gamers play in front of their screens on August 17, 2011 during the gamescom fair in Cologne, western Germany. The trade fair for interactive games and entertainment is running until August 21, 2011. (Oliver Berg/AFP/Getty Images)

May 15 is a relatively unremarkable day in history. On this day in 1718, an English lawyer patented the first machine gun. In 1862, the US Department of Agriculture was founded.

That, however, is about to change. For on May 15 of this year, Diablo III will finally be released.

It will mark the end to almost 11 years of waiting for Blizzard entertainment’s beloved hack and slash action role-playing franchise. The popular game pits players against hordes of hell spawns trying to save the imaginary world of Sanctuary from demonic annihilation.

Eleven years is an excruciatingly long to wait for anything and The Grid wants to ensure that everyone is adequately prepared to have the best gaming experience possible. Here are a few simple steps:

Anonymous hacker boasts moles inside US government

Christopher "Commander X" Doyon, a hacker fleeing the FBI in Canada, claims Anonymous has access to every classified US database and are being fed information from inside US intelligence organizations.

Jeb BooneMay 14, 2012 10:58

A young man with an Anonymous mask, wearing a military uniform, marches with Occupy Wall Street protesters on November 11, 2011 at Zuccotti Park in New York. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)

Prominent Anonymous hacker Christopher “Commander X” Doyon, otherwise known as the homeless hacker and now living in Canada on the run from the FBI, has claimed the hacker collective has access to “every classified database” in the US government in an interview with Canadian-owned news agency Postmedia News.

“Right now we have access to every classified database in the US government. It’s a matter of when we leak the contents of those databases, not if,” said Commander X in the interview.

Commander X said access to such databases was not attained by skilled hacking but rather was granted by like-minded insiders working with the databases for the US government.

Anonymous hits UN in support of Palestinian hunger strikers

Known for supporting the Palestinians' fight against the Israeli occupation, Anonymous brought down the UN's official website on Wednesday in support of hunger strikers held in Israeli prisons.

Jeb BooneMay 10, 2012 15:29

Palestinian and Arab Israeli protestors wave the Palestinian flag and hold a poster picturing Thaer Halahla, who has been on hunger strike for more than 64 days, during a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails outside the Massiyahu Prison in Ramle, near Tel Aviv, on May 3, 2012 At least 1,550 imprisoned Palestinians are now taking part in a mass hunger strike, Israel's Prison Service said on May 2. (Ahmed Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images)

Anonymous turned the heat up on the United Nations in an attack on Wednesday after taking down the organization's official website, accusing them of “ignoring” the plight of several Palestinian hunger strikers who are protesting their detention without trial by Israel.

The Palestinian hunger strike campaign began to receive international attention after Aziz Halahleh, father of hunger striker Thaer Halahleh, condemned international organizations like the UN for supporting Palestinian prisoners only as a “propaganda” stunt.

"The calls of the EU and the Red Cross — their demands to allow them to visit the families — are just a plot with the occupation," he told reporters this week.

Anonymous sets its sights on Putin

Following violent crackdowns against anti-Putin protesters in Moscow, Anonymous is attacking the Kremlin.

Jeb BooneMay 9, 2012 14:10

Russian people march along a street during an opposition's protest rally in Moscow on May 6, 2012. Russian riot police violently clashed with protesters at a rally on the eve of strongman Vladimir Putin's return for a third Kremlin term, arresting over 250 people including opposition leaders. (Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images)

Soon after the reelection of Russian President Vladimir Putin, hacker collective Anonymous has brought down the Kremlin’s official website, kremlin.ru, in support of the thousands of protesters that took to the streets in Moscow to voice their disdain for the election results.

Police used force to stop protesters even though the demonstration had been approved by Moscow’s municipal authorities.

Kremlin.ru was down for a few hours on Wednesday.

“kremlin.ru - TANGO DOWN http://host-tracker.com/check_res_ajx/10287246-0/ http://i.imgur.com/ukzm8.png #OpDefiance #Anonymous #d4th #DDoS #WIN,” tweeted what appears to be Anonymous’ Russian wing, linking to a screenshot demonstrating that kreminlin.ru was unable to be accessed by users in all parts of the world.

Video games provide safe haven in countries wracked with violence, terrorism

Somali youth are flocking to LAN centers instead of the Al Shabab terrorist group.

Jeb BooneMay 7, 2012 15:48

Video games counter terrorism 05 07 2012

Tarek Owweis plays a videogame call 'Jenin street of Heros' in Jenin in the West Bank 22 September 2004. The fiercest fighting of the entire intifada took place in Jenin in April 2002 when 23 Israeli soldiers and around 50 Palestinians were killed in a vast army raid, dubbed Operation Defensive Shield. Ever since, Jenin and its refugee camp, comprising 70,000 inhabitants, have been seen as the ultimate symbols of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images)

As the US ramps up its covert war against Yemen-based terrorist network al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, just a few hundred miles to the southwest, counter-terrorism in Somalia has a new face — video games.

Seeking refuge from the heat and danger of Mogadishu’s streets, teenagers are flocking to LAN centers to play video games for the first time, a practice that wasn’t allowed when the Al Qaeda-affiliated group Al Shabab was in control of the Somali capital. With the militants gone, young men are beginning to enjoy games like FIFA, a soccer game wildly popular around the world and in neighboring Yemen as well.

"I spend half of my day here. The video games are fascinating," said Abdirizak Muse, a 16-year-old who dropped out of his Mogadishu school in early 2011 after Al Shabab militants dug trenches around it, according to the Associated Press.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Everything you need to know about the tangled digital web we weave. By GlobalPost correspondent Jeb Boone.

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