"Want free subway rides for life?" teased the description of the talk "Anatomy of a Subway Hack" by three MIT students at DefCon this past weekend, where they planned to explain security flaws in the payment system for Boston's T subway. Live! They were going to demo how they cracked the system's CharlieCard smartcards and the mag-stripe on its paper CharlieTickets and offer up open source tools they made while conducting their research, among other gaping holes. Apparently, however, that "constitutes a threat to public health or safety," and "affects a computer system used by a government agency for national security purposes."

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If you can't hawk your wares with a standard appeal to people's vanity, there's always good old-fashioned fearmongering. Like you'll DIE in a fire caused by TERRORISTS. Unless you've got the Subivor survival kit! Ominous music and death-hype aside, it's actually not a bad little pack of emergency gear—a mask that protects against toxic smoke, anthrax and other small things that'll kill you; flashlight; whistle; moist towelettes; and a mini-crowbar, to beat down terrorists bust out windows. And it comes in a rainbow of colours (fashion is life or death too, after all): pink, yellow, green and orange. It's only US$28, a good deal for the gear, an even better one for your life.

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The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has come up with a fantastic use for disused subway cars—they're dumping them off the coast to create new coral reefs. Results have already been positive, with parts of the ocean floor benefiting from more sea grasses, sponges and blue mussels.

Natural reefs are constantly under threat, but new, synthetic reefs can help with the deficit, and by providing a solid surface for reefs to grow, a great benefit can be given to the ecosystem that lies beneath. Currently, the rejuvenated reef consists of some 700 sunken subway cars, and that number continues to grow. Now, divers, don't get all excited—it's not a new park for you to mess about in, it's a coral reef, so stay out. [Inhabitat; Thanks, Nancy!]

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I've never been to Tokyo, but I hear they have a bit of a problem with crowded subway trains —a fact brought up countless times as I traveled from Gizmodo HQ to the convention centre during CES. Needless to say, I heard "It feels like Tokyo in here" more than once. Thankfully, these packed trains did not result in a shameful groping of my buttocks. In Tokyo however, this can be a serious problem.

The portable subway strap is designed to show female passengers that your hands are occupied —thereby reducing your chances of being falsely accused of groping. Apparently, the 525 yen ($5) product has proven quite popular with commuters. Although the train above seems to have a much more awkward situation brewing. [Product Page via Pink Tentacle]

The New York subway system, that bastion of gentility and mutual respect, is about to get a mobile-service upgrade, allowing people to talk n' text in all 277 underground stations. ... Read More »