Words from Nerds #70: Here’s Your Free Case

Apple wants to show you it’s not just their phone that has antenna problems. But you can have a free case anyway.

• Raytheon Corporation and the United States Navy have announced that an anti-aircraft laser gun was successfully tested in May against drones.
• Free TRON game out !
• Damn Vulnerable Linux (DVL) is everything a good Linux distribution isn’t: broken, ill-configured, outdated, and exploitable software that makes it vulnerable to attacks. DVL isn’t built to run on your desktop – it’s a learning tool for security students.

Feature Story: iPhone Antenna issues

• Apple will provide a free case to anyone who buys (or already bought) an iPhone until 9/30. At that time they will reevaluate (or release a new phone!)
• iOS 4.0.1 changed the formula used to display AT&T bars for signal strength.
• Anandtech.com published a study showing how the signal strength changed between 4.0 and 4.0.1 as well as how Verizon does it on ‘Droid phones.
• iOS software update will fix proximity sensor issues.
• White phone expected to go on sale by end of July.

Nerd History

• July 9–10, 1856 – Scientific genius and visionary inventor Nikola Tesla is born at the stroke of midnight in the unassuming village of Smiljan, in what’s now Croatia.
• July 13, 1940 – Sir Patrick Stewart is born. (see also July 19, 1620 – Jean Picard, French astronomer)
• July 12, 1948 – Ben Burtt was born. Sound designer for Darth Vader’s breathing, R2-D2’s whistles and beeps, WALL-E’s voice, the hum of a lightsaber.
• July 20, 1969 – Apollo Program: Apollo 11 successfully lands on the Moon at 20:17 UTC on July 20.
• July 16, 1995 – Amazon.com sells it’s first customer.