I’ll Have a Latte and a Hack: No Thank You!
We all do it, find our favorite cafe with a “hot spot”, sit down with our computer and work, or play, the afternoon away. But is our daily indulgence becoming a little risque? Maybe so!
Enter the HACKER! While we are sitting there cup deep in blissful liquid gold, some of us are being violated by a good for nothing hacker. Well, that is a date I would rather not have, thank you very much! I’ll drink alone, maybe I’ll have a scone while I’m at it, me and my computer, by myself or with friends, but no uninvited guests.
A New York Times articlefrom February 16th drew attention to the new vulnerabilities faced by Wi-Fi users. In particular, a free program called Firesheep. Firesheep makes hacking your fellow cafe-goer a simple, user-friendly, DIY affair. It takes advantage of a lack of end-to-end encryption, allowing hackers to grab your cookies which are the bits of code that identify your private information. This enables hackers to act as you on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, or eBay. Sites that use HTTPS, rather than HTTP, are safe from this sort of hacking. Banking sites generally use HTTPS, but Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and EBay do not.
New York is advising people of this Internet cafe issue. Senator Charles Schumer spoke at Birch Coffee in Madison Square Park in Manhattan. He described the HTTP protocol as “a welcome mat for would-be hackers” and a “one-stop-shop for identity theft.” Its important to note that when you are using Internet hot spots, you are taking a risk if you are using HTTP.
Until the larger companies that store our data stop using HTTP, and start using HTTPS I suggest that you be aware of any unusual activity that might show up on your account. Be your own watchdog!
Coffee Cups and Thermoses Have Been Added to Terror Weapons List
If you are carrying a thermos or coffee cup in the airport you can expect to be looked at a little more closely than those who don’t because such items could be used to conceal explosive materials, according to an official advisory
Passengers travelling with insulated beverage containers can expect to see additional screening of these items using procedures currently in place, including X-ray screening, physical inspection and the use of explosives trace detection technology,” states an advisory issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Its best to leave a little extra time when you are traveling, especially during the holiday season, due to increased security measures.
Coffee: Good or Bad for Weight Loss?
Coffee is typically only 5 calories a cup. Add the caffeine and its a great boost for your weight loss regimen. But, without thinking about it, you can sabotage coffee’s benefits to your bottom line.
According to Men’s Health, most people can add on 400 or more calories by ordering specialty coffee drinks. Whipped cream and specialty syrups can really pile on the calories. even with watching what you eat, you must count in the calories you drink as well.
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/49512/unhealthiest-coffee-drinks-in-america/
Seattle’s Best and Burger King Unite!
Burger King is making a statement in the coffee market. We have seen McDonald’s vamp up their coffee to compete with Starbucks. Now Burger King is hopping on the band wagon too. They will be serving on the best coffee, Seattle’s Best that is, is at least 7,250 US stores by September of this year.
“The addition of Seattle’s Best Coffee expands on our ‘Have it Your Way’ brand promise by offering our guests even more beverage options and strengthens our ability to remain competitive in a continuously changing industry,” the restaurant chain’s senior marketing VP, John Schaufelberger, said in a statement.
By replacing their BK Joe coffee, Burger King will allow it to “have it your way” when it comes to your java. You will be able to have your coffee hot or cold and add flavorings and whipped toppings for between $1 and $2.79 per cup.
Coffee May Lower the Risk of Prostate Cancer
Bloomburg reports that according to a recent study presented at the American Association of Cancer Research conference, coffee may lower the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The more coffee you drink, the better the effect according to Harvard researchers.
A new study followed 50,000 men over 20 years; those who drank six cups or more a day reduced their risk of developing aggressive cancerby 60 percent, according to Bloomberg. Men who drank one to three cups a day had a 20 percent lower risk than men who did not drink coffee. The research is the first to find a link between coffee and prostate cancer prevention, though the relationship was not seen in cases where the cancer was less aggressive, Bloomberg reports. More studies are needed to confirm the research.
World’s Most Expensive and Caffinated Coffee
Kopi Luwak. Something you have to see to understand. Is it tasty? Can you get past where it comes from to find out?
The Plug is Being Pulled on Laptop Use in Some Coffee Shops
Due to the economic downturn, many New York coffee shops are pulling the plug on laptop use by their customers. Some are limiting hours that laptops are allowed to be used, others are locking down the electric plug-ins.
So what is the problem? With so many people on unemployment, coffee shops are filling up with people who are using too much table time and buying too little product. Some patrons are bringing their own tea bags and asking for “hot water” at the coffee shops. Others are bringing sandwiches from home. All of this adds up to coffee owners struggling to keep their doors open, even if the place is packed with bodies.
“You don’t want to discourage it, it’s a wonderful tradition,” says Naidre’s owner Janice Pullicino, 53 years old. A former partner in a computer-graphics business, Ms. Pullicino insists she loves technology and hates to limit its use. But when she realized that people with laptops were taking up seats and driving away the more lucrative lunch crowd, she put up the sign. Last fall, she covered up some of the outlets, describing that as a “cost-cutting measure” to save electricity.
Norm Elrod was “devastated,” he wrote on his blog — called “Jobless and Less” — when he spotted “little plastic covers on the electrical outlets, secured with little padlocks” at Espresso 77. “But I knew why they had done it. I used to be one of the abusers,” Elrod confesses on his blog, “sipping a two-dollar cup of coffee in a to-go cup for hours.” He now tries to spend more while he is using the coffee shop’s internet service.
Some shops are charging for internet connection to combat this growing problem.
To read more on this subject, please feel free to visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124950421033208823.html
How Astronauts Drink Coffee
This is a really neat video about how astronauts drink coffee in space.
Kona, Not Hawaii’s Only Brew
Hawaii is best known for Kona coffee, but the state is about to put another brew on the map. Tea.
The federal Department of Agriculture has been encouraging Hawaii’s commercial gowers to cultivate high quality tea crops for the past decade.
Tea Hawaii,, a company that cultivates two high quality black and oolong teas, has been shipping their teas to Samovar Tea Lounge in San Fransisco. However, you do not need to go to California or Hawaii to try Tea Hawaii tea. Samovar Tea Lounge will be adding these teas to their website on August 7th for delivery right to your door.
Mauna Kea is another one of Hawaii’s up and coming tea companies. They carry oolong and green teas. Hilo Coffee Mill has great oolong tea as well.
If you are interested in finding more out about Hawaii’s best teas, please visit the following sites:
www.samovartea.com
www.maunakeatea.com
hilocoffeemill.com
Learn Advanced Press Pot Techniques
I watched this video from Coffee Geek about advaced press pot techniques and though I would share it with you! I hope you enjoy it and learn a lot about getting a better press pot brew.
Ky Coffee Tree: Plant It!
Gymnocladus Dioicus, also known as the Kentucky Coffee Tree, has been deemed suitable for urban planting. The plant got its local name when early Ky Settlers noticed that the seeds of the tree resembled coffee and roasted them for that purpose. The “coffee”, when drank in large quantities, was poisonous to its consumer.
The Ky Coffee tree is resistant to all sorts of adversities, including drought, pollution, road salt, diseases and insects. On top of that, it is a beautiful tree for landscaping. They are already being used as decoration along streets in many states in the US. The tree was once the KY State Tree. To find out more about this tree, please visit www.theleafchronical.com
Ads
