Snowden’s Favorite Email Service Returns, With ‘Trustful,’ ‘Cautious,’ And ‘Paranoid’ Modes

A little more than three years after it shut down to avoid complying with federal prosecutors’ demands for its encryption key, Lavabit is returning to life. The secure email system, whose most famous user was Edward Snowden, fought the US government in court over demands to produce the key that would unlock access not only Snowden’s emails, but those of every user. Not only did it shut down, but it also memorably delivered a 4-point middle finger to the feds in the middle of the legal battle.

With its users’ privacy secured — along with its legacy (Snowden-approved, man-sticking-it-to-itiveness) — the Lavabit team gave the code to the public and started working on a newer, more secure email platform. As Kim Zetter reports for The Intercept, Lavabit’s successor is now live.

[Ladar Levinson is] relaunching Lavabit with a new architecture that fixes the SSL problem and includes other privacy-enhancing features as well, such as one that obscures the metadata on emails to prevent government agencies like the NSA and FBI from being able to find out with whom Lavabit users communicate. He’s also announcing plans to roll out end-to-end encryption later this year, which would give users an even more secure way to send email.

The "SSL problem" was the weak link the government sought — the key that would unlock all users’ accounts, rather than just the one targeted. With this eliminated, Lavabit’s new basic option should be far more resistant to government demands than its earlier version.

With the new architecture, Lavabit will no longer be able to hand over its SSL key, because the key is now stored in a hardware security module — a tamper-resistant device that provides a secure enclave for storing keys and performing sensitive functions, like encryption and decryption. Lavabit generates a long passphrase blindly so the company doesn’t know what it is; Lavabit then inserts the key into the device and destroys the passphrase.

But if vanilla Lavabit still feels a bit compromisable, there are a couple new tiers of increasing darkness available to users, known as "Cautious" and "Paranoid." (The vanilla tier is "Trustful," which places the security duties completely in Lavabit’s hands.) "Cautious" offers end-to-end encryption, with the encryption key being stored in users’ devices, but while still using Lavabit’s server to transfer the key from device to device. (This will also allow users to recover keys if needed.)

"Paranoid" goes even further.

Some people who want more security — like activists, journalists, and whistleblowers — might balk at having their key stored on a third-party server. That’s where Paranoid mode comes in. The key for doing end-to-end encryption remains on the user’s device and never goes to Lavabit’s server. But to use another device, the user has to manually move the key to it. And there’s no way to recover the key if the user loses it or deletes it.

In all three cases, it will be difficult-to-impossible for governments to demand access to users’ communications. Additionally, Lavabit’s service will deliberately mangle metadata, making it mostly useless to surveillance agencies engaging in passive collection, as well as to government agencies seeking to obtain these so-called "third party records." This is utilized in all three tiers and is based on Tor’s origin/destination obfuscation tactics. The most that can be gleaned from the metadata is the domain sending or receiving the email — but not both on any single record.

Unsurprisingly, Lavabit had little to say on its "responsiveness" to government demands for users’ communications, letting the end products speak for themselves. If the internet perceives censorship as damage and routes around it, communications platforms are more frequently coming to the conclusion that government surveillance is just more wreckage to avoided.

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Snowden’s Favorite Email Service Returns, With ‘Trustful,’ ‘Cautious,’ And ‘Paranoid’ Modes

Megabot Gets Knives

Megabot Gets Knives

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In tribute to the insane knife-wielding robot that Simone Giertz built, the guys behind Megabots’ Mk. III combat robot equipped their killer mech with a pair of its own blade hands, and put Simone behind the controls of the behemoth.

The post Megabot Gets Knives appeared first on The Awesomer.

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Megabot Gets Knives

Flashlight Techniques for Your Pistol

While weapon-mounted lights are great for some applications, there are still some times you don’t want to point a gun directly at what you’re trying to illuminate. For those times having a few solid handheld light techniques to work in conjunction with (but not attached to) your gun works wonders.

The post Flashlight Techniques for Your Pistol appeared first on Bearing Arms.

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Flashlight Techniques for Your Pistol

Rice Cooking Showdown: Stovetop vs. a Rice Cooker

Growing up, our family’s rice cooker was a staple, like the refrigerator or the kitchen sink. It never occurred to me to not have one. As an adult, I noticed friends cooked rice in a pot on the stovetop. There’s nothing wrong with that, but let’s see which approach gets you the easiest and consistently best rice.

The Contenders

Okay, so cooking rice isn’t exactly difficult. As far as kitchen skills go, it’s one of the easiest foods to make, right up there with toast and cereal. However, there are two basic ways to make rice happen, with strong opinions on both sides:

  • Rice Cookers: Rice cooker users say they do the job perfectly every time and they’re a must. Cookers range quite a bit in price and utility. Some go for as little as $15, and others with tons of features and options for over $200. Expensive rice cookers, like the Zojirushi, use “fuzzy logic” technology, which senses the type of rice you’re cooking and adjusts itself to make better sushi, porridge, brown rice, and more. I don’t make a lot of sushi or porridge, so I use this standard Aroma rice cooker, a top rated version that’s still very affordable at under $30. I fill the pot with rice and water, press a button, and walk away.
  • Stovetop Method: The stovetop method is pretty standard. Proponents argue, “what’s so hard about cooking rice on the stove?” You put some water in a pot, allow it to boil, then turn the heat down (or off, depending on who you ask) and cover for about 10-15 minutes. “You don’t need a stinkin’ cooker,” they say. It’s true, this method doesn’t require a whole lot of work, but you do have to keep an eye on it to make sure you don’t overcook it and burn the rice on the bottom.

To put these two methods to the test, we made a standard bowl of rice. This is the rice cooker’s most basic function, after all, so we wanted to see how it compared to the stovetop method in efficiency, effort, and taste.

A Rice Cooker Clearly Takes Less Effort

Readers have expressed some strong opinions about rice cookers in the past. “Why bother with a rice cooker,” you’ve asked, “when you can just cook rice on a stovetop?” Good question. Why bother with a toaster when you can just toast bread in the oven? Why use a juicer when you can squeeze fruit with your bare hands? Because it’s easier. And, perhaps more importantly, it’s foolproof.

It literally took me less than a minute of work to make the pot of rice you see in the photo above. I rinsed the rice straight in the pot that comes with the cooker, added some water using the first knuckle method (you can also use the measuring scoops that come with it), then pressed “Cook.” Twenty minutes later, I had perfectly cooked rice.

The main draw of a rice cooker is the fact that it cooks perfect rice every single time. We’re all capable of screwing up even simple tasks every now and then, and rice is no exception. Maybe Jeopardy is on and you’re killing it in the 90’s sitcom category so you get distracted and, before you know it, your rice overboiled and now it’s soggy. And your stove is a mess. This isn’t a big deal; you can always start over, but with a rice cooker, you never have to worry about it. You put some water in a pot and you get perfectly cooked, fluffy rice every single time, even when you’re distracted. It stops cooking when it’s time to stop cooking.

At least in my experience, a rice cooker is easier to clean, too. Most of them come with built in lids so all you have to do is clean out the non-stick pot. You should wipe down the lid, but that’s relatively easy to do.

Time and Taste Are a Toss Up

A lot of people argue that a rice cooker actually makes rice taste better. I’m not sure that’s entirely true. I always thought rice cooker rice tastes better, too, but it’s probably only because I’ve never nailed the stovetop method.

This time, I actually followed a recipe instead of winging it, and my rice was the perfect consistency, just like the rice cooker rice. It was fluffy, slightly sticky, and just moist enough. Maybe it’s just my unrefined palate, but both bowls tasted the same.

It took me 5-10 minutes to prepare the stovetop rice and, from start to finish, the whole process took about 20 minutes. I spent the same amount of time waiting for rice with the stovetop method.

So while the rice cooker makes things easier, time is a toss up. You still have to wait for the rice to cook, after all. And the difference in taste is negligible, too. As long as you cook a decent pot of rice on the stove, you probably won’t notice it tastes any better or worse than the rice you cook with your rice cooker. At least I didn’t.

A Rice Cooker Does More Than Cook Rice

If you didn’t grow up with a rice cooker in your household, it might seem weird to have a machine dedicated to one specific job. Last time I moved, I actually ditched my cheap $15 rice cooker because I wanted to downsize. I figured, why keep another thing lying around when I can use something I already have, a pot, to get the job done? When I ditched it, though, I actually cooked rice a lot less often. Even though it’s not that much work on the stove, it was still more work than a rice cooker, so I’d use my cooking effort to make something else.

When I got the Aroma as a wedding gift, I was glad to have a rice cooker back in my life. It makes cooking rice so easy, you actually want to cook rice more. I went back to making brown rice and avocado for lunch, white rice and fish for dinner, rice to add to soups, and so on. It is kind of weird to have a machine that only does one specific job, but depending on what you eat, it’s a big job. Rice is a great, versatile staple and the rice cooker is a versatile tool. You can use it for other things, too, like steaming vegetables. Or baking a cake!

Of course, you can use a regular pot for lots of other foods, too. The point is, if you have a rice cooker, you don’t just have to use it for cooking rice. It’s by no means a unitasker.

The Verdict: If You Cook Rice Often Enough, Just Buy a Cooker

If you cook rice often enough, say at least once a week, $15-$30 is not a lot to spend on a machine that helps you cook a meal staple with almost zero effort. Zojirushi owners swear by their cookers, but I’ve never used one. They’re supposed to do what traditional rice cookers do, only even better, and with different kinds of rice and grains. If I ate anything more than regular jasmine rice, I’d probably give it a try, but for standard needs, even a $15 cooker is worth it. The Aroma is a good, cheap compromise, though.

On the other hand, if you don’t make rice often or you just don’t like having too much stuff, skip the cooker. Who needs more junk lying around the house? I’ve actually thought about ditching my toaster for the same reason—I rarely use it and it’s easy enough to toast bread on the stove or in the oven. However, as someone who loves rice and eats it frequently, I’ve put the debate to rest, for myself, at least: the rice cooker wins.

Photo by Alex Shultz.


via Lifehacker
Rice Cooking Showdown: Stovetop vs. a Rice Cooker

Working Robocop ED-209 Costume

Working Robocop ED-209 Costume

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For their scene in the feature-length Robocop remake, Ghostlight built this fantastic replica of the villanous, but flawed ED-209 robot from the original Robocop. But instead of just being a static mockup or a scale model, this one is full size, and can be walked in by a puppeteer.

The post Working Robocop ED-209 Costume appeared first on The Awesomer.

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Working Robocop ED-209 Costume

The Army’s New $580 MILLION Handgun: The Sig Sauer M17

The U.S. Army announced at SHOT Show that the Sign Sauer P320 MHS edition (a version of the P320 with a thumb-safety and threaded barrel) has been selected as the service’s winner of the Modular Handgun System (MHS) contract, replacing Beretta’s iconic M9 after 30+ years of service. Both compact and full-size frames will be used with the system, depending on the mission profile/duties of the soldier in question.

sig-sauer-m17jpg

The 320 MHS will enter service as the M17, and while the caliber has not officially been named, it is thought that the Army with remain with 9mm NATO caliber, but with enhanced ammunition.

The post The Army’s New $580 MILLION Handgun: The Sig Sauer M17 appeared first on Bearing Arms.

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The Army’s New $580 MILLION Handgun: The Sig Sauer M17

These Simple Tasks Prepare You for Tax Season

It seems early to think about taxes, but the beginning of the year is the best time to get started. April creeps up quickly, after all, and you want to be prepared. Rockstar Finance suggests a few simple tasks to get the ball rolling.

You can start organizing your tax paperwork with this three-folder system, and beyond that, money blog Rockstar Finance recommends a few specific steps you should take right now to prepare for April:

  • Find all your w-2s and 1099s
  • Download statements for your student loans
  • Download statements from your investments/real estate
  • Find all those boxes of receipts
  • Start typing stuff into your software
  • Pick up the phone and call your accountant

You don’t have to wait until April, either. In addition to gathering your paperwork now, you can also just file now. Be aware that your refund might be a bit delayed if you claim certain credits, though. For more tax prep tips, head to the full post at the link below.

Photo by Pixabay.

Money Challenge #7: Start on Your (oh-so-fun) Taxes | Rockstar Finance


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These Simple Tasks Prepare You for Tax Season

Engine Combustion in Slow-motion

Engine Combustion in Slow-motion

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Warped Perception built a custom transparent acrylic head for a four-stroke engine so we can see what internal combustion looks like as it happens. He fed the engine with different types of fuel then captured the results in slow-motion. Amazing stuff.

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Engine Combustion in Slow-motion

Learn how to pitch your startup with Pitchbot.vc

How much traction? What’s the market size? Who else invested? Are you the target user? These are the questions every investor will ask you, so you better build a business with the right answers and get ready to recite them. That’s what Pitchbot.vc helps you practice.

Pitchbot simulates a pitch meeting with an angel, incubator, seed fund, or VC firm. You respond to multiple-choice questions about your product, team, growth, and values as you try to impress the investor. If your answers show you know how to build a great startup, you win a mock-up funding term sheet. Seem like a misguided wantrepreneur, and you’ll get shown the door.

pitchbot-metrics

Pitchbot is suprisingly fun, but also extremely educational. That’s because it’s based on the blogs of 20 top investors like Sequoia and Y Combinator about what they ask founders and what they’re looking for. You’ll learn how angels care a lot about who else invested since there’s little data to judge by with new startups, while later-stage VCs want to be sure you’re swinging for a multi-billion dollar exit and won’t sell short for a cushy acquihire job.

“I’ve pitched and been pitched hundreds of times” says Pitchbot’s maker, angel investor, and Gigster CEO Roger Dickey. It turns out the interviews are pretty predictable, so entrepreneurs can gain a big edge by preparing for the common questions.

pitchbot-exit-plan

Dickey built the tool to help out the startup community while showing off what his own startup can do. Gigster let’s anyone with an idea get an app conceptualized, coded, and designed for them for a fee. He comissioned Gigster to create Pitchbot to demonstrate how anyone can create a useful app. Gigster’s full-service development shop has raised a $10 million series A from prestigious investor Andreessen Horowitz, so clearly Dickey knows what attracts funding.

“There’s a lot of mystique and fear, and this sense that you need to get it right the first time or you might burn a bridge. This is why the common wisdom is to pitch ‘friendlies’ first, then use their feedback to hone the pitch, then go make real pitches” says Dickey. “This tool is a like a friendly investor for everyone.”

startup-pitch-practice

So will your pitch earn you a massive valuation from the top VCs? Or do you need to go back to drawing board? Pitchbot lets you know before you’re in an investor’s office in the real hot seat.

via TechCrunch
Learn how to pitch your startup with Pitchbot.vc