In addition to running CGISecurity I also participate heavily in The Web Application Security Consortium and its projects. I sent the following email to The Web Security Mailing List seeking participants for v2 of the WASC Threat Classification document. "I'm sending this email to the list seeking people to contribute towards... Read More
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ben Goertzel - Nine Years to a Positive Singularity
Ben Goertzel - Nine Years to a Positive Singularity
"Nine years to the Singularity, if we really, really, try," says Dr. Ben Goertzel, chief science officer and acting CEO of Novamente. Is this really possible? Dr. Goertzel believes the path to the development of Artificial General Intelligence - a real thinking machine with human level intelligence and beyond - can be accelerated through the use of virtual worlds as incubators for nascent artificial intelligence systems. 
"Nine years to the Singularity, if we really, really, try," says Dr. Ben Goertzel, chief science officer and acting CEO of Novamente. Is this really possible? Dr. Goertzel believes the path to the development of Artificial General Intelligence - a real thinking machine with human level intelligence and beyond - can be accelerated through the use of virtual worlds as incubators for nascent artificial intelligence systems.
What Are Blogs Good For?
If someone asked you today what your blog does for your site and your business, what would you say? MarketingSherpa asked almost 4000 people the same question (free access for a limited time). The number one response? The blog “improves our web presence through search/feeds.”
Read MoreMichael Meyer - Last Days of Old Beijing
Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Michael Meyer, author of "The Last Days of Old Beijing," about the transformation of a city. 
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Read MoreMoney Spending Down, News Interest Up
Money Spending Down, News Interest Up
Visits to places where one can spend money are down or flat compared to this time last year, according to Hitwise. News, however, is hot.
Grouping in XQuery
One of the really convenient features introduced in XSLT 2.0 is Grouping. It is a typical second-generation change in a programming language: Not essential for the language itself (grouping can be done by hand using techniques such as the Muenchian... Read More
Grouping in XQuery
One of the really convenient features introduced in XSLT 2.0 is Grouping. It is a typical second-generation change in a programming language: Not essential for the language itself (grouping can be done by hand using techniques such as the Muenchian... Read More
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Porn Mode Coming to Firefox
At one time, it was tough to cover your tracks after visiting some, uh, questionable sites, but now it's getting easier than ever. According to Mozilla, Firefox is joining Safari, Internet Explorer 8, and Google Chrome in providing its users with a "private mode" that will not collect any of your browsing history or cookies in the upcoming release of Firefox 3.1. Much like Chrome, users will be able to open a separate window in Firefox 3.1 that will let them browse the Web in any way they see fit without worrying about the wife or kids entering the History menu and seeing why they spent the last hour in the office with the door locked. At one time, it was tough to cover your tracks after visiting some, uh, questionable sites, but now it’s getting easier than ever. According to Mozilla, Firefox is joining Safari, Internet Explorer 8, and Google Chrome in providing its users with a 220;private mode” that will not collect any of your browsing history or cookies in the upcoming release of Firefox 3.1.
Much like Chrome, users will be able to open a separate window in Firefox 3.1 that will let them browse the Web in any way they see fit without worrying about the wife or kids entering the History menu and seeing why they spent the last hour in the office with the door locked.
But Mozilla’s name for the feature (which was originally planned for Firefox 3 but never made it in) is a bit of a misnomer. Upon entering 220;private mode,” all your information will still be accessible to the sites you access and your ISP will be able to track you wherever you go. In other words, you’re only hiding where you’ve been from those at home.
Firefox 3.1 is still in Alpha 2, but the company said that a Beta release should be made available in the next few weeks.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Read MoreTC50: TrueCar May Keep Car Dealers More Honest
TC50: TrueCar May Keep Car Dealers More Honest
TrueCar joins GoodGuide in helping consumers obtain more information about the products they buy - information that sellers don't necessarily want them to have. In TrueCar's case, that information is simple yet elusive: just how much you should pay for a new car. TrueCar aggregates data from a variety of (mostly unnamed) sources to determine how much money other people have paid for new cars around the country. It then places its findings at your disposal so you can determine whether or not that dealership down the street is offering you a good deal. The outcome, hopefully, is that you save not only hundreds and possibly thousands on your new car but the time it would have taken to comparison shop as well. 
TrueCar joins GoodGuide in helping consumers obtain more information about the products they buy - information that sellers don't necessarily want them to have. In TrueCar's case, that information is simple yet elusive: just how much you should pay for a new car. TrueCar aggregates data from a variety of (mostly unnamed) sources to determine how much money other people have paid for new cars around the country. It then places its findings at your disposal so you can determine whether or not that dealership down the street is offering you a good deal. The outcome, hopefully, is that you save not only hundreds and possibly thousands on your new car but the time it would have taken to comparison shop as well. TrueCar joins GoodGuide in helping consumers obtain more information about the products they buy - information that sellers don’t necessarily want them to have. In TrueCar’s case, that information is simple yet elusive: just how much you should pay for a new car.
TrueCar aggregates data from a variety of (mostly unnamed) sources to determine how much money other people have paid for new cars around the country. It then places its findings at your disposal so you can determine whether or not that dealership down the street is offering you a good deal. The outcome, hopefully, is that you save not only hundreds and possibly thousands on your new car but the time it would have taken to comparison shop as well.
To use TrueCar, you just have to enter your zip code and the model you’re interested in buying. The price data is offered to you in a variety of visual formats such as bar graphs and charts. And it can be narrowed down to a local, regional, or national level. You can also view the history of how a car’s price has changed over time.
The site currently accounts for only about 25% of all relevant transactions. The founders want to hold off from launching it publicly until they’ve reached at least 50% and they are confident that one day they will hit 75%.
The expert panelists were concerned in particular about the sources of TrueCar’s information and its uniqueness. Jeff Weiner asked where the company got its information and why the pricing information offered by other sites like Edmunds didn’t stack up. The founders insisted that all of the data was out there and publicly available; it was just hard to tie it all together and make sense of it. And since they had built a sophisticated system to synthesize it all, their pricing insights were deeper and more informative.
Don Dodge and Sean Parker were also skeptical that the provision of this pricing knowledge would actually change consumer behavior, since people are lazy and subject to price discrimination, even when it comes to commodities.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Grouping in XQuery
One of the really convenient features introduced in XSLT 2.0 is Grouping. It is a typical second-generation change in a programming language: Not essential for the language itself (grouping can be done by hand using techniques such as the Muenchian... Read More
TC50(DemoPit): watchMEmelt, A Video-Centric Weightloss Community
Obesity rates have reached epidemic levels in many countries, with an estimated 32% of American adults considered obese. Every year, many of them try countless new dieting fads, exercise regimens, and questionable dietary supplements, but their motivation often sputters out as they see slow results. In the last few years, many of these determined individuals have turned to YouTube to share their weightloss journeys with their peers, who often respond with heartfelt and supportive comments. But YouTube doesn't offer a dedicated community for the weightloss crowd, so its functionality is limited. WatchMEmelt, a TC50 DemoPit company that launches tomorrow, is looking to fill this niche with a community site dedicated to helping users chronicle their weight-loss efforts. Obesity rates have reached epidemic levels in many countries, with an estimated 32% of American adults considered obese. Every year, many of them try countless new dieting fads, exercise regimens, and questionable dietary supplements, but their motivation often sputters out as they see slow results.
In the last few years, many of these determined individuals have turned to YouTube to share their weightloss journeys with their peers, who often respond with heartfelt and supportive comments. But YouTube doesn’t offer a dedicated community for the weightloss crowd, so its functionality is limited.
WatchMEmelt, a TC50 DemoPit company that launches tomorrow, is looking to fill this niche with a community site dedicated to helping users chronicle their weight-loss efforts. Users are encouraged to post video updates on their current progress, exercise regimens they’ve developed, and lighthearted clips to boost morale. The site includes standard community features like forums and groups, where members can share their difficulties with other users who may be in a similar situation (for example, there’s a group for gastric bypass patients).
The site is the creation of Brian Edward Kenny, an entrepreneur who was once obese and managed to lose 50 pounds over the course of a few months. To help increase the site’s exposure, he has recruited Marty and Amy Wolff, two finalists from the television show The Biggest Loser.
At launch the site is a pretty barebones effort, but the defining element of WatchMEmelt’s success will be its community, not its easily-replicable technology. There are many weightloss destinations on the web, including Traineo and 3 Fat Chicks, but this is a vast market that could easily support a number of successes - I could see it becoming a very popular destination provided it can build a supporting community that can self-moderate negative comments and helps members reach their goals.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
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