The companies behind an encryption system for high-definition DVDs are looking into a hacker’s claim that he has cracked the code protecting the new discs from piracy. A hacker known as Muslix64 posted on the Internet details of how he unlocked the encryption, known as the Advanced Access Content System, which prevents high-definition discs from illegal copying by restricting which devices can play them.

An easy-to-exploit security vulnerability in Apple Computer’s QuickTime media player could put millions of Macintosh and Windows users at risk of code execution attacks. The QuickTime flaw kicked off the Month of Apple Bugs project, which promises to expose unpatched Mac OS X and Apple application vulnerabilities on a daily basis throughout the month of January. According to an advisory released Jan. 1, the flaw exists in the way QuickTime handles a specially rigged “rtsp://” URL.

This image featuring Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” with Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” is shown at its peak. These images drawn in the dust are obviously quite impermanent. One of the cool things about them is how they change over time. More dust accumulates as the car is driven down the road. Early morning dew streaks and dots the image, creating a patina.

Swarms of online shoppers armed with new iPods and iTunes gift cards apparently overwhelmed Apple’s iTunes music store over the holiday, prompting error messages and slowdowns of 20 minutes or more for downloads of a single song. Frazzled users began posting urgent help messages Monday and Tuesday on Apple’s technical forum for iTunes, complaining they were either not allowed into the store or were told the system couldn’t process their request to download songs and videos.

eMarket Software has released “NewsBliss,” a new, innovative RSS product that scrolls customized information and thumbnail images across your computer screen. It is the new, exciting nexus in the booming on-demand Web video arena. Users can track and download any RSS-enabled Media feed available, such as YouTube, Google Video, Apple.com, or Flickr. eMarket Software CEO, Shawn McCarthy, says, “NewsBliss accesses content from Web sites and displays it directly on your PC. It is an online, real-time reader of RSS files supplied by your Web site, or a mix of internal and external sites. Largely, these files are textual; however, NewsBliss has unique features that transport images and video files as well. You need only click one-time to download and play videos, or, to read news content.”

More than four out of five people admit to telling little white lies at least once a day and the preferred way of being “economical with the truth” is to use technology such as cell phones, texts and emails, a survey on Thursday said. The research by UK pollsters 72 Point found that “techno-treachery” was widespread with nearly 75 percent of people saying gadgets like Blackberrys made it easier to fib.

Another year is coming to an end, which of course means another year is about to begin. Funny how that works. As the new millenia turns one year older, our thoughts turn to the happenings of the past year and wishes for the year to come.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

BoxWave has released their FlexiSkin for the Treo 680, and the Designio Leather case and sleeve for the Treo 750.

Samsung Electronics said it has developed a new mobile memory chip that is thinner and uses less power than previous generations of chips, a development that could affect a wide range of portable consumer electronic devices. Samsung claims it has developed the first 1-gigabit DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chip for mobile products, using 80-nanometer process technology. The new chip is at least 20 percent thinner than existing chipsets that use up to two 512-megabit chips, and it uses about 30 percent less power, the company said in a press release.

An Indian chess player has been banned for 10 years for cheating after he was caught using his mobile phone’s wireless device to win games, chess officials said on Wednesday. The player, Umakant Sharma, had logged rating points at a rapid pace in the last 18 months and also qualified for the national championship, arousing the suspicion of officials and bemusing rivals. Sharma was finally caught at a recent tournament when officials discovered that he had stitched a Bluetooth device in a cloth cap which he always pulled over his ears. He communicated to his accomplices outside the hall, who then used a computer to relay moves to him.