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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 7, 2016
March 7, 2016
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That Apple Hacking:
Apple, shmapple --Quartz reports the government has unlocked iPhones before, and without permission from Apple or anyone else. It's used a bit of off-the-shelf equipment called IP Box, and you can get one of your own on eBay for about $200.
Here's how it works: IP Box is literally a black box that connects to an iPhone and systematically runs through every possible PIN combination to unlock it. This method of hacking is called "brute forcing," and it's the reason Apple added an option for users to erase a phone's data after 10 failed password attempts.
IP Box gets around the auto-erase by cutting power to the device after each failed attempt, so the wrong guesses don't accumulate, and you can keep trying until you get to the right combination. Quartz estimates there may be more than 100 million iPhones in use today that can be unlocked with an IP Box. (Kaye)The Internet:
The world of online dating just got even more complicated. Cosmopolitan magazine reports Tinder has added a new feature to the app, which lets you "share" potential partners with your pals. Don't get too excited about hooking up your lonely bestie right now --it's only available in a few markets for the time being.
Meanwhile, Bumble is upping their game with a "BFF" option. The brainiac designers created an algorithm to match users for friendship based on common interests and buddies. (Lee)Fashion Emergency:
In addition to her many contributions as a Former First Lady, NANCY REAGAN is also remembered as a fashion icon famous for her signature "Reagan Red" look and wearing American designers. New York magazine says during her years as First Lady, Reagan was "regularly voted one of the most-admired women in the country. She was known for her simple and elegant style, wearing designers like JAMES GALANOS and CAROLINA HERRERA. In the words of OSCAR DE LA RENTA, she "never [made] a single faux pas." Reagan's support for American designers and American fashion earned her a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1988. (Bartha)
Driver's Ed:
If you're going to put fake license plates on your car, you might want to try a little harder than the woman in this story.
Authorities in Erie County, New York say an unidentified 28-year-old woman was pulled over for not having a front license plate. But, it was the back plate that really got her in trouble. Police say the plate was fake, and crafted entirely out of cardboard. The bogus plate was allegedly crudely painted by hand to resemble an actual plate. The driver is charged with operating a vehicle with a suspended registration and possessing a forged instrument. (Still)The Reel Deal:
Bet you didn't know going out to the movies supports a Chinese company. Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda already owns US movie-theater company, AMC, and is now set to buy Carmike for $1.1 billion dollars. That will create the US's biggest cinema chain --but not owned by a US company.
The new company will have more than 600 theatres in 45 states and the District of Columbia --a total of 8,380 screens. Also --Dalian Wanda bought Legendary Entertainment in January; that's the studio behind blockbusters like "Jurassic World." (The BBC reports Dalian Wanda started out as a real estate company in China and is led by China's richest man, WANG JIANLIN. --Kaye) -
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