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Twitter. The Devil's Tool.

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Twitter as a Terrorist's Tool?

POSTED: 11:18 AM ET, 10/29/2008 by Derek Kravitz

TAGS: intelligence, military, social media, terrorism

The social networking Web site Twitter could be used by terrorists to communicate as they execute a potentially catastrophic attack, according to a military intelligence report obtained by the Federation of American Scientists.

The draft reported, published Oct. 16 by the Army's 304 Military Intelligence Battalion Open Source Intelligence Team, provides three hypothetical scenarios of terrorists co-opting the Twitter social networking tool, citing the use of Twitter by activists during the Republican National Convention to update each other on police movements and arrests and Hezbollah-organized "tweet" feeds.

"For example, terrorists could theoretically use Twitter social networking in the US as an operation tool," the report said. "However, it is unclear whether the same theoretical use would be available to terrorists in other countries and to what extent."

The three Twitter scenarios described in the report:

Scenario 1: Using cell phones and a Google maps/Twitter mash-up to plot where they are, terrorists use Twitter to communicate near-real time to update each other about troop movements and plan an ambush.

Scenario 2: The first terrorist has two mobile phones -- one for using Twitter and another which is connected to an explosive device or a "suicide vest." The second terrorist also has two mobile phones -- one for Twitter and the other to detonate the bomb. They communicate using Twitter to coordinate the "precise" time for the attack.

Scenario 3: A cyber-terrorist finds the Twitter account of a member of the armed forces. The terrorist gets information out of the target and uses it for identity theft, hacking or physical attacks.

PC World's Ian Paul examined the feasibility of these scenarios and deemed them "far-fetched."

Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, told InformationWeek that the report was more like "a student exercise, not as a serious threat assessment."

"Terrorists can use credit cards and can openers, so they can probably use Twitter too," he said. "But that doesn't make it a national security concern."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, did we just give them 3 great ideas or what??

Kiddie films

Right Right so I know this new "Tinkerbell" movie seems even too childish for me. I watched it anyways on a day Alicia and I were feeling kind of down. We have NEVER laughed so hard during a movie. It was so cute. Seriously! Go Ahead and don't believe me, it's your prerogative. So basically without making this too long its an awesome little film if you are into sweet childrens films. The other kids movie I just watched was "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything". Yes it has a few religious undertones, but I actually found it really charming and cute. Both movies had a lot of laugh out loud moments, which caught me off guard because I figured they were intended for REALLY young audiences. If you're into silly humor and are into kids movies you'll dig either one. Feel free to make fun, but I enjoyed myself watching both of them so whatever... :p

T-Mobile G1

I haven't decided if I want to hop onboard with the new TMobile G1 just yet, but I thought these pictures of the gadget obsessed were kind of cool...


I hate to get the first version of any gizmo, there are always so many problems. The G1 is being reviewed as a pretty good competitor to the iPhone, but plagued by immature software. Also the G1 is larger and weighs more than the iPhone. Once the Android Network really broadens we'll see if the phone can deliver anything new. The price is awesome though, at only $179. For now I'm holding off and enjoying my Sidekick LX. The White G1 is scheduled to drop late November/ early December, maybe by then I'll be convinced to swap. I do miss a fresh White phone.

Amazing Advertising: Wii Music

This was cool. Im a nerd, whatever.

The Birds

This just makes me laugh because Kathy literally almost shit herself from fear of me possibly buying her this for Christmas. (For those unaware, Katherine has an irrational fear of Birds)

Barbie as Tippi Hedren from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds



Who would buy this? Where is there a market for freaky Hitchcock Barbies??

PS I wish you could have seen my sister's reaction to the doll, it was as if the birds were all over her. Better than the look on that girl in the left corner of the first photo. Captivating.

Jonathan Saunders for Target

Alright, so finally Target's got another guest designer worth blogging about. Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders, who is famous for his use of prints, is the 13th designer chosen to create a line for Target's GO International collection. The collection hit stores October 5, so if you see something you like I suggest running out to get it. The line is Limited Edition; so once its gone, its gone. Some of his stuff is a "lot of look", but for the most part I really like it. Here's some of it.




After this Target will launch another Private Label collection on November 1. Here's some of what's coming out. Click on any picture to look at it in greater detail.

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

World's Greatest Hero tells it like it is

New Offspring

Hit 'Em Right Between The Eyes!

The Incredible Hulk

Alright, I finally caved and watched this movie. As a die hard Eric Bana fan, hearing they were gonna re-imagine the story seemed kind of unnecessary to me. I mean the Ang Lee directed "Hulk" is garbage, and I understand that, but I figured most of that had to do with the source material. Until I saw "The Incredible Hulk". Now this isn't the best comic book flick. It is by no means "Iron Man". But it is an obvious leap in what a Hulk movie should be. You forget that the Hulk essentially spends every comic book adventure smashing city streets, leaping across buildings, fighting huge freaks, and running from the government. But this movie finally conveys these iconic moments on film. The action delivers one of the best comic book showdowns I've ever seen. You don't see The Abomination until The Hulk sees him, and the tension is built. Would have been better had they not shown him all over the trailers and commercials, but still, it's epic. It's weird though, because the action sequences are so good it leaves you wishing there had been even more of it, when in actuality you've been presented with tons. In fact, the origin of Bruce Banner's condition is barely discussed. The entire Nuclear testing scenario is omitted, instead Banner was simply performing an experiment and was over exposed to Gamma Rays. The story begins with Banner already in hiding and his origin is recounted through a 30 second flashback sans dialog. Basically the movies' saving grace is sweet action sequences, and there are just barely enough to make you come out of it with a positive reaction. Now, Edward Norton may be a fantastic actor, but you can see there is too much thought in his performance. There are like 3 scenes where Norton is just sitting flexing his muscles awkwardly trying to make a good looking frame, its weird. He plays the role a little cheesy. Plus, he just doesn't look the part to me. Liv Tyler, who has a few emotional moments in the film also has many dead in the eyes moments that overshadow her performance. She kinda seems not that into it. It's actually the supporting cast that progress the story along til the end. Tim Roth as the Abomination really seems like that nutball military guy who will do anything to be a great soldier. And William Hurt makes a good General Ross. My final criticism is that Marvel closes the movie with Robert Downey Jr.'s cameo as Tony Stark; who makes a reference to "The Avengers". This is supposed to be the first scene of the upcoming Avengers movie (2011). My problem with it is that it should have come after the credits like Nick Fury's scene after the credits in "Iron Man". The scene directly before it is a great ending scene, and then it snaps to this scene featuring Stark. It seems like it would have been post credits, but they moved it up to convince audiences Stark played some part in the film and capitalize on the HUGE success of "Iron Man". Overall, it is a decent Hulk story and the action sequences make it a far better Hulk than the first film. If you're into any of the Marvel films you'll probably want to check this out, "The Incredible Hulk" is out today on DVD and Blu-ray.

W.

Hmmm. So, I kinda still haven't decided how I feel about this film. At 131 minutes it's alot of movie to take in. The pace was a little slow for me. When I heard about this movie I wondered how it could possibly leave audiences with a satisfying ending, and I was completely justified in that thought. Oliver Stone didn't really show any bias one way or the other toward President Bush's place in history, leaving the story in an awkward hang. There are many critical moments in Bush's rise to the White House that have been omitted, like the controversial 2000 election and 9/11. Instead this movie focuses on a man in search of his fathers approval, without pushing you hard enough to feel good or bad for him. I kind of feel like at the end of the day, this movie doesn't really "say" anything. Actually the only thing I felt Stone did put across was that Jeb Bush was destined to continue the family's legacy, but was undercut by W.'s jealousy. On the other hand, Josh Brolin's performance is remarkable. What Stone does not say through dialogue, Brolin is able to say through character. He doesn't have the mannerisms down exactly pat, but he does have the voice and conviction. In fact all of the cabinet members in the film are played exceptionally. Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice is PERFECT. And to be fair, the soundtrack is fun and whimsical while the cinematography is intensely dramatic, which gives the film a clever beauty. If you are curious about President Bush's life or rise to the White House this movie doesn't really offer anything new. If you're a fan of Stone's other bio pics "Nixon" and "JFK" then maybe it's something you want to see. Just be prepared for a slow moving journey.

Sex Drive

Kath got a chance to see this movie months ago and would not shut up about how funny it was. So of course I had to see it this weekend, what with all she hyped it up to be. You know what? It actually delivered for me. I thought it was fresh and far more interesting than "Superbad" or "Harold & Kumar 2". If you don't know, its a typical teen virgin needs to get laid goes on crazy adventure with shenanigans along the way story. But no so typical exactly, because most of the gags are the kind you recount the next day with anyone else whos seen it. Overall really funny. It's got Josh Zuckerman and Clark Duke as the main characters; Zuckerman plays typical virgin, but Duke as his playboy best friend really steals the show most of the film. And a few highlights in this movie come from Seth Green and James Marsden too. I dug it, if you like raunchy comedies it hits the nail right on the head.

TR2N

"It's Just A Game!" "Not Anymore..."

If this stops working, blame Disney

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Kristen Kreuk as Chun-Li on the Japanese Poster for the upcoming Street Fighter flick

New Star Trek Stills

How Cool is this?


Click the link below my dream man Karl Urban to see more stills.

MovieWeb - Movie Photos, Videos & More

Planet of The Apes in 1080p

All 5 original "Planet of the Apes" films are FINALLY coming out on Blu-Ray November 4th. (Tim Burton's remake has been out on BD for awhile now, if you care). The 40th anniversary collector's set will include the following

New Special Features:
-"Science of the Apes" - Scientists, Anthropologists and Sociologists discuss the facts and fiction of the first film
-"A Public Service Announcement From NASA" in HD - A mission report from the agency regarding their brave astronauts
-"Evolution of the Apes" - HD featurette tracing the apes story from the original novel to the screen
-"Impact of the Apes" - HD featurette on how to market a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The story behind the marketing and merchandising of one of the first ever film franchises and the series' lasting influence on pop culture through the years
-HD Making-of Featurette for Each Sequel:
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes - "From Alpha to Omega: Building a Sequel"
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes - "The Secret Behind Escape"
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes - "Riots and Revolutions: Confronting the Times"
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes - "End of an Epic: The Final Battle"
-Each Apes sequel will have an isolated score track in 5.1 DTS Master Audio

The 3 New Main featurettes sound really cool. "Science of the Apes", "Evolution of the Apes", and particularly "Impact of the Apes". I can not wait to snag this!!

Amazing Advertising: American Express Member's Project

So here is another commercial I had forgotten I'd wanted to post. It is this fantastic package of old American Express ads and it begins and ends with one that features, my hero, Mr. Jim Henson. It's really cool old footage that I didn't even know was out there and it makes for a nice, nostalgic ad. Check it out:


and here is a not so great quality version of the original American Express ad (circa 1976)

Adult Puppet Noir

The Happytime Murders. Seriously. So stoked.

Amazing Advertising: Volkswagen "Routan Boom"

Here's the full length version of the Volkswagen Routan commercials that have been out for about a month now starring Brooke Shields. I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it. These are the kind of commercials I dream of making. Enjoy, and remember, Have a Baby for Love, Not German Engineering.

It's Almost Here!

10-17-08

City of Ember

City of Ember is a movie based on the book "The City of Ember" by Jeanne Duprau. The movie is produced by Walden Media (Chronicles of Narnia) and is similar to Narnia in that the cast of children stars are relatively unknowns. The story is this; we've messed up earth so our leaders send us to live underground for 200 years while the surface recovers. Somewhere along the way society forgets where they came from. Kinda like "Wall-E". But their little battery powered underground compound is breaking down and they will soon be consumed by the darkness, so its up to two kids, Lina and Doon, to uncover secrets and clues that will lead to salvation. Having watched the preview about 15 times, I had NO idea that was the plot. I'm actually really glad I did decide to go see this though, I really ended up liking it. If you like movies like "Chronicles of Narnia", "Stardust", or "Spiderwick Chronicles"; this fits essentially into the same genre. It wasn't a blockbuster by any means, but an entertaining story and interesting concept. It borrows some themes from other work like Plato's Allegory of the Cave, but is fairly unique at the same time. I'm interested in checking out the book now, and its 3 subsequent books (The People of Spark, The Prophet of Yonwood, and The Diamond of Darkhold). Here's the preview if you want to take a peek.

The Happening

Finally watched M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening", it was actually really good. It tripped me the f out. But I am already a fan of his movies (with the exception of "Lady in the Water" gah), so I'm a little biased. I like that it did utilize his typical photography angles that illicit suspense. It's nice to be able to see a movie that thrills you but isn't overtly horrifying. If you liked "Signs" or "The Village" then you will be into it. It's also interesting that he mentions in the special features that he was hoping to make a modern day "paranoia b-movie" like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". It truly is exactly that, with the modern day antagonist being Nature itself. It's really cool to see movies like this and the upcoming remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" refreshing old storytelling ideas with the update of todays concerns for our ecology. I think film fans will appreciate it and casual movie watchers may find it a little lackluster. Here's the preview if you're curious, by the way this is the R rated trailer so dont watch it at work.

Getting Political

Statler and Waldorf feature in the New York Times. Good for a chuckle. Click to Enlarge.

The Wait is Over

Finally! Here's the video for "One Night Stand" from Big City Kids. Background dancers with curly hair and Neon Pink sunglasses are the SHIT. If you can get into the sold out 3OH!3 show this Friday Oct. 3 at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, come early to catch Big City Kids. It's gonna be legen- wait for it- dary!