eventdv.net: NewTek Offers More than 10 Hours of Free LightWave Training

eventdv.net: NewTek Offers More than 10 Hours of Free LightWave Training:

"NewTek Offers More than 10 Hours of Free LightWave Training

NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, today announced the availability of over 10 hours of free online training. These tutorial videos provide practical steps to accomplish a broad range of 3D projects including: general modeling, hard surface modeling, organic modeling, surfacing, texturing, animation, particles, dynamics, lighting, rendering and compositing. The tutorials created by William Vaughan, DAVE School instructor and LightWave® evangelist are freely available at: www.newtek.com/3dtutorials.

These tutorials represent the first 10 hours of an extensive series. Throughout 2008 additional tutorials will be added that cover other aspects of 3D artistry and will include tutorials specifically requested by users. "The goal is to make 3D accessible to everyone," comments William Vaughan. "There are so many amazing things you can do with LightWave, but the learning process can be a bit daunting. With these tutorials we keep it simple, direct and you can always return to them for reference."

"Truly these are all outstanding techniques. I just watched the cloth video with the shirt and the buttons and tried a few things and had great results... but all the others I've watched have been tremendously helpful as well," said Michael James, LightWave user and NewTek forum member. "And I love the way you've kept them straight to the point, my knowledge of LightWave has more than doubled since watching the tutorials. And each one of those videos has opened a world of possibilities I really never knew could be so straightforward and simple."

At $895.00 US Lightwave hardly wualifies as a tool everyone should own, but it has becaome one of the standards in professional 3D. The tutorials are worth a first second and third look.

http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=40499

Brokers Wield Automated Tools In Battle For Online Tickets - Security - IT Channel News by CRN and VARBusiness

Brokers Wield Automated Tools In Battle For Online Tickets - Security - IT Channel News by CRN and VARBusiness:

"What do Colorado Rockies fans, music lovers, and parents with young daughters caught up in the Hannah Montana craze have in common? They've all recently endured the frustration of being unable to buy event tickets through online ticketing systems, an experience often accompanied by smashed keyboards and the shouting of expletives.

Organizations that choose to sell tickets online often do so in the interest of fair access, but industry experts say online ticketing systems have weaknesses that are easy to manipulate. By using bots, or software that automates the process of buying tickets online, brokers can buy up mass quantities of tickets and re-list them on auction sites for prices well in excess of face value.

A relatively recent wrinkle is the ability for bots to get around captchas, which commonly take the form of squiggly text strings that Websites use in online ticketing forms to prevent abuse of the system. "

http://www.crn.com/arrnl/security/202601656

63% of Malware Emerges from U.S. Sites, Report Says

63% of Malware Emerges from U.S. Sites, Report Says:

"U.S.-based Web sites hosting malware are responsible for the majority of malware distributed on the Internet, according to a report by security company Cyveillance. (PDF) The company's 'Online Financial Fraud and Identity Theft Report' found that Web surfers visiting sites based in the United States are more at risk from malware attacks and online identity theft than visitors to sites based in other countries, with more than 63 percent of malware distributed to visitors via tainted U.S.-based Web sites.

In addition, 25 percent of malware-hosting sites, where the actual binary malware files are hosted and served up, are based in the United States. China leads the way with 34 percent of malware-hosting sites, the report found.

"We believe that this is simply a case of following the money," said Todd Bransford, vice president of marketing at Cyveillance, based in Arlington, Va. "The criminals want access to the computers of U.S. citizens so they can eventually tap into their financial resources. Therefore, they distribute malware on sites visited by U.S consumers."

Malware drop sites collect sensitive and personally identifiable information; 50 percent of sush sites are hosted in the United States, the report found. The percentage surprised Bransford, who explained that researchers expected to see a higher percentage of these sites in Eastern Europe and Asia.

"Obviously, a drop site hosted in the United States can be accessed from anywhere in the world, so the high percentage of U.S.-based drop sites may be more a factor of the simplicity and level of automation afforded by U.S. service providers to criminals … with a stolen credit card number," he said.

The report includes data collected and analyzed between April 1 and June 30, 2007, based on information collected from more than 200 million unique domain name servers and 150 million unique Web sites. Some 2 million URLs were found to be distributing malware. "

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2173456,00.asp