July 23, 2007

Finally, An Easier Way To Bug Mayor Street

It was just a few weeks ago when our very own mayor, John Street, got in line for an iPhone at 3 in the morning (at right). "Go back to work!" the critics jeered. "Stop the murders!" But John Street is the lame duck mayor and so there's not much anyone can do to punish him for, uh, wanting a cool new tech gadget.

Au contraire. You can simply get back at Mayor Street by hacking into his iPhone. Independent Security Evaluators have discovered a simple buffer flow exploit that allows a remote computer to take control of an iPhone if the phone user (in this case, Mayor Street) visits a website designed to do such a thing. In the New York TImes article, the phone follows commands from a remote computer and sends back text messages and contacts.

There are no reports of this exploit actually effecting any phones; right now it's just more of a proof of concept. But still! The Times says the iPhone could even be turned into a portable bugging device. Now how's John Street gonna sweep his office for bugs this time?

IPhone Flaw Lets Hackers Take Over, Security Firm Says [NYT]
June 29: This Kind Of Sums Up Eight Years Of John Street

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July 06, 2007

Bob Casey Takes Strong Anti-Wii Stance

The Daily News' Gar Joseph today asks all the local politicians if they're going to purchase an iPhone. It seems that even the city's rich guys aren't going to throw away $600 and $50 a month to be a beta tester for Apple. (Republican mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger did recently purchase a blackberry because "Mayor Street told [him] to." Hee hee!)

But Bob Casey's spokesman's response is strangest of all:

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Casey has a BlackBerry, but no plans for an iPhone. Spokesman Larry Smar calls Casey "technological in a business sense," adding, "I don't expect him to buy a Nintendo Wii or anything like that."

Bobby, are you kidding me? You gotta try Wario Ware. I don't know if I can be confident in a politician who doesn't want to use a his controller to shoot zombies and strangle gangsters, as well as defeat Gannon once again. Don't forget, Casey's home state does include Princess Zelda's hometown, the mythical land of Hyrule.

Clout | Hot off the wire: The iMayor dials alone [Daily News]

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July 01, 2007

EXCLUSIVE! Mayor Street's iPhone Revealed!

As you can tell from this exclusive picture of Mayor John Street's iPhone, his 15-hour wait in line wasn't all for naught. The special iPhone the mayor purchased is customized specifically for the City of Philadelphia, with options that snitch, fund SEPTA and lower fares, remove all illegal guns from the streets, fix the Philadelphia public schools, fund city pensions and get the Phillies some pitching help.

The mayor's iPhone fetish angered angry bloggers and other angry bloggers on Friday, making Philadelphia wonder just what John Street would have done to end the tide of murders in this city on Friday, or at least what more he would have done than someone calling him a fuckhead in an entry in WordPress. I get it; the iPhone incident is a good example of why John Street's second term as mayor has been much less successful than New Coke.

The only person to come out good here is none other than ineligible mayoral candidate Larry West, who used John Street's failed publicity stunt as his own publicity stunt, getting on the news and in an Associated Press story, although unfortunately none of the stories mentioned his mayoral candidacy.

But enough of this; it could have been worse. In Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty purchased four iPhones after not even waiting in line, leaving customers at the end of the line iPhoneless.

Larry West owns mayor Street, gets on the news [Phillyblog]
DC Mayor Gets His iPhones Delivered; Suck It, Philadelphia! [Wonkette]
Friday: This Kind of Sums Up Eight Years Of John Street
Friday: John Street In Revenge Of The Nerds

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June 29, 2007

This Kind Of Sums Up Eight Years Of John Street

Click to enlarge.

Update, 11:39 a.m.: For photos taken by, oh, I don't know, an actual photographer, the Daily News' Alejandro Alvarez has a slideshow.

Update, 1:51 p.m.: Teresa Masterson has pre-dawn photos of Mayor Street waiting in line for his iPhone. Impressive.

Earlier today: John Street In Revenge Of The Nerds

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John Street In Revenge Of The Nerds

Earlier this week, I read an excellent column from The Star-Ledger about Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Booker is alerted on his Blackberry anytime there was another homicide in the city. He also is willing to go to jail to protest the pointless War on Drugs. (The only war currently going worse than Iraq!™)

Our mayor, John Street, is similar in a lot of ways. He, too, has a Blackberry. And he is willing to wait in line for an iPhone on 16th Street. He's been there since 3:30 a.m.

"I want to know the kind of things that are on the market," Street told KYW 1060. "I believe that we are a city that's leading the way in many respects in the use of technology. We got a late start in this city but we're trying to catch up.... I might be able to learn something here with the use of this technology that might help us in the city."

That's right: John Street is going to fix the city with his downloads of White Stripes MP3s. Of course, the mayor has to do things like, oh, I don't know, be the mayor of the city, and the iPhone doesn't go on sale until 6 p.m., so he's going to be signing all his important papers (or whatever the hell a mayor does) while waiting in line for his phone.

He also has to leave for a few events during the day and will have someone sit in his chair. Please, please, please let it be a homeless guy I'm friendly with so I can steal his seat. Actually, wait: There's Wi-Fi there, isn't there? I could blog from John Street's folding chair. Well, maybe not. Either way, Street will be cutting in line since he has to leave to go cut ribbons.

"We live in a geeky little world here," Street said to Mike DiNardo. "Times have changed dramatically. It used to be the people seen as geeks were kind of looked down upon. But not anymore!"

Hm. I'm a little torn here. I do think the mayor should have better things to do than wait in line for an iPhone. However, if I were mayor -- I had photos of all the other candidates with Shetland ponies who were not their wives -- I'd totally get an iPhone. I might work on that homicide problem, too, though.

Update: Photographic proof.

Mayor Street in line for iPhone [KYW 1060]

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June 27, 2007

Mac Nerds Making Halo Fans Look Pretty Good

In case you don't have ears, Friday is the launch of the iPhone, the most hyped product since movable printed type. The iPhone is the successor to the iPod (I guess), and is just like an iPod except you can get on the web, check your email and watch porn. Oh, and you can make calls.

Despite the pitfalls of buying a first generation device -- the demo on Apple's website does pretty much make you want one -- many fans are clamoring so much for the new device they're already waiting in line to make sure they can secure the newest creation of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. (He made it all by himself!)

Five people were in line by Tuesday afternoon outside Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York City, three of them having been in line since Monday. "Words can't express why I want an iPhone," said Jessica Rodriguez, 24, a college student. "The main reason is Steve Jobs is a genius. He's a great innovator. It's going to be the next big thing in cell phones."

"Hey, why are you putting in that light bulb? Do you enjoy working at night?"

"Hell no. I just think Thomas Edison is a genius!"

IPhone Monthly Plans Start at $59.99 [AP/Philly.com]

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