Daily Archives: June 19, 2008

Grade changing hacker

Omar Khan, 18, hacked into school computer servers of the prestigious Tesoro High School (This is the same school on the show Real Housewives of Orange County and also on Newsweek’s list of best high schools in America.) Between Jan. 23 and May 20, Khan changed his “D” and “F” grades to A’s. How did he do it? Omar Khan stole a master key, broke into classrooms, hacked teacher computers to steal tests and answers, and change grades. The reason: He wanted to get into UC Berkeley. Instead of graduating this week, Khan had almost 70 charges against him (34 counts of altering a public record, 11 counts of stealing and secreting a public record, 7 counts of computer access and fraud, 6 counts of burglary, four identity theft charges, 3 counts of altering a book of records, 2 counts of receiving stolen property and 1 count each of conspiracy and attempted altering of a public record.). He could face up to 38 years in prison.

This is not the end of the story. His co-conspirator, Tanvir Singh, was also busted, but on lesser crimes. A dozen other students had their grade changed as well. When the final investigation is complete, we will see what the final results will be. College admissions could be rescinded.

Is there too much pressure in Asian/Asian American families to get good grades?

Watch the news report of the grade changing hacker

Ong Back 2 promo reel

Promo reel for Ong Bak 2 was released this week. The guys over at Twitch got the scoop. Tony Jaa is directing and starring in the film. Ong Bak 2 has no story connection to the first Ong Bak. The new film has Jaa as a young man saved from execution by a group of global martial artists as a boy who has trains in various arts in an attempt to fuse them all into one master martial art.

Tony Jaa is doing his own stunts in the movie and could be the next Jackie Chan or Jet Li. After all, those guys are getting older.

Watch the Ong Back 2 promo reel

RockYou interview

RockYou is a leading provider of applications and widgets on the web. RockYou widgets include photo slideshows, glitter text, customized Facebook applications and voicemail accessories that are simple to use and enable people to frequently refresh their online style. Founded in 2006, RockYou has over 35 million users, serving over 180 million widget views per day in more than 200 countries. RockYou applications are customized for easy integration across all social networks including Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, Tagged and hi5. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, RockYou is funded by Sequoia Capital, Partech International and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

The company raised $35 million at a roughly $230 million valuation, plans to double its staff to 100 people by the end of this year, Jia Shen, RockYou’s 28-year-old co-founder and CTO talks to Bambi Francisco in this interview. According to Jia, Super Wall is the No. 1 application on Facebook. The site is shooting to be a top five Web destination in the world.

Watch the RockYou interview with Jia Shen

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story premieres on PBS on Thursday, June 19th at 10pm (check local listings for times in your area). Here’s the synopsis for Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story:

JAPAN, 1977. A dark, lonely road leads to the windswept shores. This is the remarkable story of a 13-year-old Japanese girl abducted on her way home from school by North Korean spies. For 20 years, her parents had no idea what had happened to her or if she was even alive. Then, one day the whole world learned the shocking truth.

An extraordinary tale of mystery, intrigue and most of all, love. The film is told through the eyes of the girl’s mother and father who have been searching for their daughter for nearly 30 years. The film begins with the day Megumi vanishes, traces the astonishing course this personal tragedy takes, as it becomes a battle between two nations, rising to a shocking climax.

A human story about a strange, painful journey, full of bizarre twists as an ordinary banker and his housewife are caught up in a life they could never have imagined. Ultimately, ABDUCTION is a moving, emotional testament to the unbreakable bonds of love.

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story trailer