Major computer crash in SKorea; hackers suspected

A customer sits in a branch of Shinhan Bank in Seoul, South Korea, after th ebank's computer networks was paralyzed Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Police and South Korean officials were investigating the simultaneous shutdown Wednesday of computer networks at several major broadcasters and banks. While the cause wasn't immediately clear, speculation centered on a possible North Korean cyberattack. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A customer sits in a branch of Shinhan Bank in Seoul, South Korea, after th ebank's computer networks was paralyzed Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Police and South Korean officials were investigating the simultaneous shutdown Wednesday of computer networks at several major broadcasters and banks. While the cause wasn't immediately clear, speculation centered on a possible North Korean cyberattack. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Computers networks at two major South Korean banks and three top TV broadcasters went into shutdown mode en masse Wednesday, paralyzing bank machines across the country and prompting speculation of a cyberattack by North Korea.

Screens went blank promptly at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), with skulls popping up on the screens of some computers ? a strong indication that hackers planted a malicious code in South Korean systems, the state-run Korea Information Security Agency said. Some computers started to get back online more than 2 ? hours later.

Police and South Korean officials investigating the shutdown said the cause was not immediately clear. But speculation centered on North Korea, with experts saying a cyberattack orchestrated by Pyongyang was likely to blame.

The shutdown comes amid rising rhetoric and threats of attack from Pyongyang in response to U.N. punishment for its December rocket launch and February nuclear test. Washington also expanded sanctions against North Korea this month in a bid to cripple the regime's ability to develop its nuclear program.

North Korea has threatened revenge for the sanctions and for ongoing routine U.S.-South Korean military drills it considers invasion preparation.

Accusations of cyberattacks on the Korean Peninsula are not new. Seoul believes Pyongyang was behind at least two cyberattacks on local companies in 2011 and 2012.

The latest network paralysis took place just days after North Korea accused South Korea and the U.S. of staging a cyberattack that shut down its websites for two days last week. The Thai-based Internet service provider confirmed the outage, but did not say what caused the shutdown in North Korea.

"It's got to be a hacking attack," Lim Jong-in, dean of Korea University's Graduate School of Information Security, said of Wednesday's events. "Such simultaneous shutdowns cannot be caused by technical glitches."

Shinhan Bank, a lender of South Korea's fourth-largest banking group, reported a system shutdown, including online banking and automated teller machines. The company couldn't conduct any customer activities at bank windows, including retail and corporate banking.

At one Starbucks in downtown Seoul, customers were asked to pay for their coffee in cash, and lines were forming outside disabled bank machines. Seoul is a largely cashless society, with many people using debit and credit cards.

Broadcasters KBS and MBC said their computers went down at 2 p.m., but officials said the shutdown did not affect daily TV broadcasts.

YTN cable news channel also said the company's internal computer network was completely paralyzed. Local TV showed workers staring at blank computer screens.

The South Korean military raised its cyberattack readiness level Wednesday following the shutdown, the Defense Ministry said. Defense officials reported no signs of cyberattacks on its ministry's computer network and had no immediate details about the broader shutdown.

LG Uplus Corp., South Korea's third-largest mobile operator, which also operates landline services, said the company's networks are operating normally and it did not see any signs of a cyberattack, company spokesman Lee Jung-hwan said.

The companies whose networks shut down Wednesday afternoon use not just LG Uplus' services but also other services from SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp, he said.

The investigation will take months, Lim said.

"Hackers attack media companies usually because of a political desire to cause confusion in society," he said. "Political attacks on South Korea come from North Koreans."

Massive shutdowns of the networks of major companies take at least one to six months of planning and coordination, said Kwon Seok-chul, chief executive officer of Seoul-based cyber security firm Cuvepia Inc.

___

Associated Press writers Sam Kim and Foster Klug contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-20-SKorea-Computer%20Crash/id-ca4457cac3064aa98290f07f797aa7b4

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BNK Petroleum sells Okla. property to Exxon unit

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) -- California-based oil and gas producer BNK Petroleum Inc. on Sunday said it reached a deal to sell property in Oklahoma to a unit of Exxon Mobil Corp. for $147.5 million.

An Exxon spokesman confirmed the deal, which involves its subsidiary XTO Energy purchasing property in the region known as the Tishomingo Field in the Woodford shale formation in southeastern Oklahoma.

The sale is expected to close in late April.

Exxon bought XTO Energy in 2010 for more than $30 billion, and in the process became the largest natural gas producer in the U.S.

Technology involving horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to extract natural gas from prehistoric shale rock formations was developed around 2005, and has led to a production boom across the U.S. The increased supply has resulted in price drops for the fuel in the past few years, but Exxon has stated that it expects natural gas demand to pick up in coming decades and replace coal by 2025 as the second most popular energy source, behind oil.

While most of the energy giant's new projects this year are focused on oil rather than gas because of the low prices, CEO Rex Tillerson said earlier this month that further advances in exploration and drilling technology have reduced costs.

The deal with BNK does not include property in the Caney and upper Sycamore shale formations. BNK expects to use its proceeds from the sale to accelerate its drilling operations in the Caney section, along with ongoing exploration efforts in Europe and to repay debt.

Exxon Mobil Corp. shares closed Friday at $89.37, up about 3 percent since the start of the year. The stock has traded between $77.13 and $93.67 in the past 52 weeks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bnk-petroleum-sells-okla-property-225658806.html

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Track Your Healthcare Social Media Marketing With Pinterest Web ...

From its earliest days, I have been an advocate for leveraging the popular social networking site Pinterest for healthcare marketing. Once viewed as a niche player, Pinterest has grown exponentially to become one of the fastest growing social networks ever and that growth seems set to continue. Since I first started writing about its potential for healthcare social media a year ago, ?Pinterest has added a health and fitness category to its boards and has gained more traction among hospitals, NGOs, non-profits, and pharmaceutical companies.

Among the changes and new features Pinterest has been showcasing in the last week, the launch of its new analytics tool is a welcome development for healthcare marketers. The ability to measure and track your online activity is crucial to the success of your social media efforts. Heretofore this ability was missing on Pinterest. Now with Pinterest Web Analytics healthcare markers can gain fresh insights into how people are interacting with pins that originate from their websites.

Step-by-step guide to using Pinterest Web Analytics

1. Before you start

• You will need to have a verified website to access web analytics. If you have a website listed on your profile with a check mark next to it, you?re verified. If not, follow these steps to verify your account.
• You will need to switch to Pinterest?s new look to be able to see Analytics.

2. ?Explore Analytics

• Click Analytics in the top-right menu under your name to explore your data.

3. What can you measure?

• How many people are pinning images from your site
• How many people have seen these pins
• How many people visited your site from Pinterest
• Which images from your website are the most repinned and clicked on

4. What can you do with the results?

• Choose a timeframe to see how your numbers increase/decrease over time.
• Download your analytics to present to a client or CEO to show the effectivness of a marketing campaign.

What does this mean for your healthcare marketing?

With the Pinterest Web Analytics tool at your fingertips, you can now track your pinning activity and evaluate which content you produce is the most popular on Pinterest. This will allow you to?tailor your content accordingly. Pinterest has promised to add new tools and more detailed insights over the coming months to help you see even more clearly what is working or not on your website so that you can create even better pins in the future. So watch this space! And if you aren't already using Pinterest for your healthcare marketing, now is the perfect time to get on board.

Connect:

Authored by:

Marie Ennis O'Connor

Marie Ennis-O?Connor is a PR consultant and web marketing and communications specialist, with a passionate interest in healthcare social media. Marie has experience of working with healthcare practitioners and patient advocates and is interested in how both can engage and learn from each other at the level of social media. Marie is a featured blogger on Webicina, an online service that ...

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Source: http://healthworkscollective.com/marie-ennis-oconnor/89591/trackyour-healthcare-social-media-marketing-pinterest-web-analytics

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Petroleum use, greenhouse gas emissions of automobiles could drop 80 percent by 2050: U.S. report

Mar. 18, 2013 ? A new National Research Council report finds that by the year 2050, the U.S. may be able to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent for light-duty vehicles -- cars and small trucks -- via a combination of more efficient vehicles; the use of alternative fuels like biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen; and strong government policies to overcome high costs and influence consumer choices. While achieving these goals will be difficult, improving technologies driven by strong and effective policies could make deep reductions possible.

"To reach the 2050 goals for reducing petroleum use and greenhouse gases, vehicles must become dramatically more efficient, regardless of how they are powered," said Douglas M. Chapin, principal of MPR Associates, and chair of the committee that wrote the report."In addition, alternative fuels to petroleum must be readily available, cost-effective and produced with low emissions of greenhouse gases.Such a transition will be costly and require several decades.The committee's model calculations, while exploratory and highly uncertain, indicate that the benefits of making the transition, i.e. energy cost savings, improved vehicle technologies, and reductions in petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions, exceed the additional costs of the transition over and above what the market is willing to do voluntarily."

Improving the efficiency of conventional vehicles is, up to a point, the most economical and easiest-to-implement approach to saving fuel and lowering emissions, the report says.This approach includes reducing work the engine must perform -- reducing vehicle weight, aerodynamic resistance, rolling resistance, and accessories -- plus improving the efficiency of the internal combustion engine powertrain.

Improved efficiency alone will not meet the 2050 goals, however.The average fuel economy of vehicles on the road would have to exceed 180 mpg, which, the report says, is extremely unlikely with current technologies.Therefore, the study committee also considered other alternatives for vehicles and fuels, including:

?hybrid electric vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius;

?plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt;

?battery electric vehicles, such as the Nissan Leaf;

?hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, such as the Mercedes F-Cell, scheduled to be introduced about 2014; and

?compressed natural gas vehicles, such as the Honda Civic Natural Gas.

Although driving costs per mile will be lower, especially for vehicles powered by natural gas or electricity, the high initial purchase cost is likely to be a significant barrier to widespread consumer acceptance, the report says.All the vehicles considered are and will continue to be several thousand dollars more expensive than today's conventional vehicles.Additionally, particularly in the early years, the report predicts that alternative vehicles will likely be limited to a few body styles and sizes; some will rely on fuels that are not readily available or have restricted travel range; and others may require bulky energy storage that will limit their cargo and passenger capacity.Wide consumer acceptance is essential, however, and large numbers of alternative vehicles must be purchased long before 2050 if the on-road fleet is to meet desired performance goals.Strong policies and technology advances are critical in overcoming this challenge.

The report identified several scenarios that could meet the more demanding 2050 greenhouse gas goal.Each combines highly efficient vehicles with at least one of three alternative power sources -- biofuel, electricity, or hydrogen.Natural gas vehicles were considered, but their greenhouse gas emissions are too high for the 2050 goal.However, if the costs of these vehicles can be reduced and appropriate refueling infrastructure created, they have great potential for reducing petroleum consumption.

While corn-grain ethanol and biodiesel are the only biofuels to have been produced in commercial quantities in the U.S. to date, the study committee found much greater potential in biofuels made from lignocellulosic biomass -- which includes crop residues like wheat straw, switchgrass, whole trees, and wood waste.This "drop-in" fuel is designed to be a direct replacement for gasoline and could lead to large reductions in both petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions; it can also be introduced without major changes in fuel delivery infrastructure or vehicles.The report finds that sufficient lignocellulosic biomass could be produced by 2050 to meet the goal of an 80 percent reduction in petroleum use when combined with highly efficient vehicles.

Vehicles powered by electricity will not emit any greenhouse gases, but the production of electricity and the additional load on the electric power grid are factors that must be considered.To the extent that fossil resources are used to generate electricity, the report says that the successful implementation of carbon capture and storage will be essential.These vehicles also rely on batteries, which are projected to drop steeply in price.However, the report says that limited range and long recharge times are likely to limit the use of all-electric vehicles mainly to local driving.Advanced battery technologies under development all face serious technical challenges.

When hydrogen is used as a fuel cell in electric vehicles, the only vehicle emission is water.However, varying amounts of greenhouse gases are emitted during hydrogen production, and the low-greenhouse gas methods of making hydrogen are more expensive and will need further development to become competitive.Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles could become less costly than the advanced internal combustion engine vehicles of 2050.Fuel cell vehicles are not subject to the limitations of battery vehicles, but developing a hydrogen infrastructure in concert with a growing number of fuel cell vehicles will be difficult and expensive, the report says.

The technology advances required to meet the 2050 goals are challenging and not assured.Nevertheless, the committee considers that dramatic cost reduction and overall performance enhancement is possible without unpredictable technology breakthroughs.Achieving these goals requires that the improved technology focus on reducing fuel use rather than adding greater power or weight, the report says.

It is impossible to know which technologies will ultimately succeed, the report says, because all involve uncertainty.The best approach, therefore, is to promote a portfolio of vehicle and fuel research and development, supported by both government and industry, designed to solve the critical challenges in each major candidate technology.Such primary research efforts need continuing evaluation of progress against performance goals to determine which technologies, fuels, designs, and production methods are emerging as the most promising and cost-effective.

Overcoming the barriers to advanced vehicles and fuels will require a rigorous policy framework that is more stringent than the proposed fuel economy standards for 2025.This policy intervention could include high and increasing fuel economy standards, R&D support, subsidies, and public information programs aimed at improving consumers' familiarity with the new fuels and powertrains.Because of the high level of uncertainty in the pace and scale of technology advances, this framework should be modified as technologies develop and as conditions change.

It is essential that policies promoting particular technologies to the public are not introduced before these new fuels and vehicle technologies are close to market readiness, and consumer behavior toward them is well understood.The report warns that forcing a technology into the market should be undertaken only when the benefits of the proposed support justify its costs.

Report: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18264

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/glRUkos-b20/130318151627.htm

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Need Help Nortons 360 crashed Windows XP during scan

System Crashes after Installing Norton 360

I bought a 3-User license copy of N360, and unfortunately installed it on 3 machines at home, including a 6-y/o Gateway that has not had ANY major issues since I bought the machine, that is until I installed N360. In fact, both machines experience similar issues, including a horrible slowdown on both systems overall. When shutting down both machines, I have to "End Process/Program" on numerous items before shutting down or restarting, with the system often hanging, forcing a hard shut down with the power switch.

On my home/work machine, the problem appears to happen once I log on to the internet through a wireless connection. After a few minutes, all processes slow down to a crawl, and eventually are unuseable. I noticed that when bringing up the Windows Task Manager, "Explorer.exe" has ballooned up from the usual 10,000-50,000k, to 300,000 to 600,000 or more. One I reboot, Explorer appears to go back to normal, until I log on to the internet again. I tried uninstalling N360, and the system hung a number of time during the process, I'm still not certain all the components were removed. But now I essentially have a USELESS computer that has not failed me for 6 years, until installing this product. I have never seen anything like this, and I think that others that have experienced similar issues should hold Symantec responsible for any damage done. I have personal spent over a month playing around with utility programs, forums and web searches trying to get some help so that I don't have to completely reformat my hard drive and re-install 6 years worth of software, updates, and personal data. I miss the old days when Peter Norton actually owned the software, updates were free, and big business was nowhere to be found. This is by far the worst software created disaster I have ever encountered. I'd love to hear if anyone else has had similar problems. If so, maybe with enough people, Symantec can either help us fix what wasn't broken, or take responsibility for it. I saw a link about Norton 360 on one of these sites (PC Magazine), which described one of the biggest disasters by a security program that was worse than the viruses it was supposed to prevent. Everytime I tried to click the link I was booted off my browser. There is something going on here, I've been involved in computers, including building my own for close to 20 years, and I've never seen anything like this before.

I'd love to hear feedback, or possible solutions, that includes from Symantec.

Thank you,
Joe

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Source: http://forums.cnet.com/7723-6132_102-241163.html

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?Super Stickman Golf 2? Is Putting On Google Play!

Noodlecake Studios finally released the highly anticipated sequel to its addictive arcade golf game for both Android and iOS mobile devices. ?Super Stickman Golf 2? raises the monotone gameplay of simple sidescrolling golf games up to a new level by giving it a fast pace combined with various ingame elements and fun multiplayer modes, which let you compete with up to seven other players online.

With new level items like magnets and portals, that influence your play along with moving platforms, you get a whole new golf? experience, which you can live out on 180 challenging holes in diverse levels. Unlock achievements and customize your doodle golf-player with power-ups and funny accessory.

Play ?Super Stickman Golf 2? for free now on your Android device and see for yourself how action-packed golf can actually be!

Source: polygon.com

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/playandroidmagazin/~3/3fi1l-3QdBI/

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Learn Some Of The Easy Steps Of Home Electrical Improvement ...

You don?t need to boost your house as being a serious professional to completely enjoy it. No, not at all! You can do simple little improvements. Unless you have a very clue steps to start using this endeavor, then try taking a gander at the tips below. They can give you some helpful advice.

Make sure you have a contractor or electrician install a local store inside the cabinet above the place that the microwave will go. If you don?t make this happen, you will end up struggling to find a location to plug it in during or after installing the microwave and hood vent.

Use bartering to complete your more-ambitious do it yourself goals. Discover a mason, but want new outlets wired in, check the internet for bartering opportunities locally and don?t be shy to generate your offers. You?d be surprised at what number of professional tradespeople are able to exchange their skills for a few home-baked goods, a good car wash and wax job, or perhaps some computer lessons or website work. Electrical Services Rancho Santa Fe

To wear up a place, add new lighting fixtures. Switching your current lighting fixtures to upgraded fixtures can present you with more light than you currently have. An electrical contractor can alter your lights to a newer style to get a relatively cheap price. You may also add pendant lights over your sinks.

Many people do not think of these circuit breakers until they lose power unexpectedly. One of the better actions to boost the protection and efficiency of your house is always to regularly try out your breakers by switching them don and doff at least one time yearly. This clears the breaker contacts of the built-up corrosion and enables them to work more proficiently and safely. If your breakers frequently trip, this could indicate potential questions of safety that want a mason.

The periods of calling a plumber or electrician for minor household repairs are removed, not forgetting the outrageous costs. Today, numerous websites concentrate on sharing how-to guidelines, in a manner that is easily understood by the most reluctant handyman. You will find step-by-step directions and several also, include video demonstrations.

Unless you are an experienced electrician, don?t try and perform the electrical work yourself. You might be tempted to run a bunch of electrical cords, or change the quantity of prongs by using an outlet, however, you shouldn?t attempt it because it is usually dangerous should you it incorrectly. For safety, engage a professional electrician to complete all the electrical work.

Consider finding a professional to complete the electrical work for your household improvement project. It may look easy to change out power from two prongs to three, but in case you are unfamiliar with electrical work, the safest action to take is on an electrician conserve the rewiring for you. Electrical Companies in Rancho Santa Fe

See, improving yourr home is more than simply huge do it yourself jobs. It truly might be any kind of endeavor you would like it to be. In case you could only do large projects, there couldn?t survive diy stores open in places you buy supplies. You ought to feel ready to get started and rehearse your understanding of the endeavor.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 16th, 2013 at 12:57 am and is filed under Design, Magazine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.suburbanlifemag.com/1199-learn-some-of-the-easy-steps-of-home-electrical-improvement

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