Entries Tagged "squid"

Page 80 of 108

PlugBot

Interesting:

PlugBot is a hardware bot. It’s a covert penetration testing device designed for use during physical penetration tests. PlugBot is a tiny computer that looks like a power adapter; this small size allows it to go physically undetected all the while powerful enough to scan, collect and deliver test results externally.

How do you use it?

Gain access to the target location (conference room?), plug the PlugBot in the nearest wall outlet and walk out. The PlugBot is configured to make an external connection (Wi-fi or Ethernet) to a specified IP address to receive instructions. Central Command allows the penetration tester to invoke scripts and applications. Output as a result of testing is encrypted and securely transmitted to the Drop Zone where data is imported into Central Command for analysis by the pen tester.

Note that it has a squid logo.

Posted on December 24, 2010 at 1:14 PM • View Comments

Friday Squid Blogging: Prosthetic Tentacle

Impressive:

Designed for a class project while getting her degree at the Industrial Design Department at the University of Washington, Kaylene Kau has not only exploded perceptions of how prosthetic arms should look, but sent an entire subset of Japanese Hentai fans to their feet, cheering her on. If that’s not worth an employer’s attention, I don’t know what is. Good luck designing the future, Kaylene!

Posted on December 17, 2010 at 4:48 PM • View Comments

Friday Squid Blogging: Studying Squid Hearing

At Woods Hole:

It is known now, through the work of Mooney and others, that the squid hearing system has some similarities and some differences compared to human hearing. Squid have a pair of organs called statocysts, balance mechanisms at the base of the brain that contain a tiny grain of calcium, which maintains its position as the animal maneuvers in the water. These serve a function similar to human ear canals.

Each statocyst is a hollow, fluid-filled sac lined with hair cells, like human cochlea. On the outside of the sac, the hair cells are connected to nerves, which lead to the brain. “It’s kind of like an inside-out tennis ball,” Mooney said, “hairy on the inside, smooth on the outside.”

The calcium grain, called a statolith, enables the squid to sense its position in the water, based on which hair cells it’s in contact with at a given moment. Normally it rests near the front of the sac, touching some of the hair cells.

Another article.

Posted on November 26, 2010 at 4:58 PM • View Comments

Friday Squid Blogging: Steganography in the Longfin Inshore Squid

Really:

While the notion that a few animals produce polarization signals and use them in communication is not new, Mäthger and Hanlon’s findings present the first anatomical evidence for a “hidden communication channel” that can remain masked by typical camouflage patterns. Their results suggest that it might be possible for squid to send concealed polarized signals to one another while staying camouflaged to fish or mammalian predators, most of which do not have polarization vision.

Mäthger notes that these messages could contain information regarding the whereabouts of other squid, for example. “Whether signals could also contain information regarding the presence of predators (i.e., a warning signal) is speculation, but it may be possible,” she adds.

Posted on October 22, 2010 at 4:31 PM • View Comments

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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.