ORIGINALLY AIRED: 11/29/2004

Kevin Mitnick, Nintendo DS, iPod Photo Movies

Episode #2834

The Screen Savers came back on the air today with new co-hosts Kevin Pereira and Chi-Lan Lieu. After showing some video of his first day on the job being welcomed by gleeful TSS staffers, Kevin P. reached out to the viewers. Anticipating the disgruntlement of certain TSS forum posters who abhor change, he conveniently provided viewers with The Kevin Pereira Anti-Fansite Kit. Now you can start Photoshopping embarrassing images of Kevin P. without having to go through all the muss and fuss of finding source photos. We’ve done the dirty work for you. Download your copy and let the public mockery commence!

Be sure to email us your dastardly works of art: thescreensavers@g4techtv.com. We’ll put our favorites on the show.

Former master-hacker Kevin Mitnick spent five years in prison for his illegal computer intrusions, and now that he’s out of the Big House he’s been shedding light on the hacker mindset. He came by The Screen Savers to discuss his newest book, The Art of Intrusion. Set to hit bookstores next February, it documents tales of real-life hacking events. There was, for instance, the group of hackers who found the source code to a video poker machine at the U.S. Patent Office, which allowed them to write a program to help them get royal flushes. (They were foiled only when casino security noticed one of the hackers fumbling with a device in his pocket.) Then there’s the case of the inmates who cracked the prison computer network to monitor the staff as well as download games from the Internet. Do such tales of hacking derring-do ever inspire Mitnick to get back into the Life?

“No!” he insisted. “No, the fugitive thing is in my past.”

For more info Mitnick’s books and security consulting, visit defensivethinking.com. We’ve also got some highlights from The Art of Intrusion here.

While the new iPod photo does not play video, it does, of course, have the ability to display image files. In fact, you can use the iPod’s scroll wheel to shuffle between images at even 30 per second. Full-motion video is 29.97 frames per second. That means, if you split up a video into at least more than a dozen static images per second of video using software and transfer them to the iPod … whammo, you can play (or scroll) video on your iPod photo.
 
Engadget.com has the instructions on how to do it yourself.

Want to look like a gnarly rocker but don’t want spend the thousands of dollars or endure the agonizing pain required to get sleeves of tattoos? Well, you’re in luck, buddy! Modern technology has come to the rescue of the tattoo-curious masses with skin-tight shirts that instantly give you that rough ‘n’ ready scum-of-the-earth look so popular today. Our own correspondent Brendan Moran wore an example sold by SleevesClothing.com. “I can’t decide whether they’re cool or not,” Brendan confessed, citing their use by American figure skater Michael Weiss.

In tech topics...

The Futures is Now – Again: Biometric facial recognition may become your ultimate ID card, according to the BBC.

Unwanted Text Advances: An Italian lothario was fined $391 for sending an unwanted text message to a woman of his fancy, reports Engadget.com.

Get Your Next-Gen Game On – In 2006: Sony announced that it will unveil the specs of its mysterious cell processor, which is destined to power the PlayStation 3. This means the PS3 is on target for 2006 delivery, says Engadget.com.

”I have a fascination with movies that look like Braveheart, but claim not to be Braveheart,” announced Sarah. So she decided to harass the cast of the new Oliver Stone historical epic Alexander with pesky questions about their tech knowledge. Angelina Jolie confessed to be unable to play Tomb Raider, Val Kilmer claimed to sell his book of poetry on eBay for $35,000, and Jared Leto has problems web surfing on his Mac with AOL. Sigh.

Check out the Alexander trailer at http://alexanderthemovie.warnerbros.com/

Brian from Atlanta is in the market for a new video card. What are the best places online to shop for one?

Kevin P. and Chi-Lan recommended pricewatch.com and Google’s Froogle to compare prices, and fatwallet.com to find specials.

Kevin P. reviewed Nintendo’s entry in the hand-held gaming wars, the DS. Does the addition of a touchscreen make for more fun? “It’s just a gimmick – no game takes real advantage of it yet,” said Kevin. He declared Super Mario DS to be the system’s killer app not because of its second screen, but because it’s a classic title that’s still fun. Other games such as Spider Man 2 are not so fun. Plus, the lack of an analog controller makes maneuvers more difficult for every title. Nevertheless, he found the improved graphics and comfortable price to be strong selling points, and the DS earned his recommendation.

Go to nintendods.com to learn more.

”The problem with Wi-Fi is it spills out onto the streets,” said Kevin R. “People can hack it and use it for things like P2P downloads, which can get you in trouble.” Therefore, it’s important to secure your wireless network. One new product that claims to block your Wi-Fi from leaking out of the house is DefendAir Radio Shield, a paint that is loaded with bits of metal. By painting your computer room’s walls, you can conceivably “shield” yourself from wireless hackers.

Does it work? Kevin R. applied four coats of the paint onto a booth on the set and locked himself inside to find out. And he did indeed experience a 30 percent drop in signal strength to his laptop.

But: The cost of the paint is $98 a gallon – probably not very cost-effective for most people.

Nevertheless, you can find the DefendAir Radio Shield at forcefieldwireless.com