Twitter makes predictions for Golden Globe Awards
What's happening on Twitter is often a fair reflection of what is happening in the world. While it may not represent a perfect cross-section of society, a quick glance at what's being tweeted about -- and the tone being used -- can help to give a sense of the global mood surrounding a subject.
Twitter has been used to predict the outcome of elections, who will win X Factor, and much more; now it's being used to guess movie award winners. The 72nd Golden Globe Awards takes place this weekend, and the numbers have been crunched to see which movies and shows people are talking about the most -- whether these end up as winners remains to be seen, but these are what's on people's lips at the moment.
Anonymous breaks hacker stereotype, stands up for what is right
This is a story I never thought I'd write. After all, while we're all for finding and fixing flaws in systems, hacking goes a bit against our principals. Well, certain kinds of it at any rate, there's a debate there that I will not be starting as it becomes complex in a hurry. One of the most notorious groups known is Anonymous, those folks in the Guy Fawkes masks. You've likely seem them around if you look at news of the tech slant.
The thing is, lately the news coming from them isn't too scary -- well depending on who you are. The organization has been active and a couple of groups of people certainly should be scared, as Anonymous is not to be taken lightly when it comes to a fight or attack.
But first a look back at Bob's predictions for 2014
This is the time of year when when I typically write my technology predictions, an annual exercise in ego and humiliation I’ve been doing for about a dozen years. Historically I’ve been around 70 percent correct, which is more accurate than a random walk and therefore maybe -- maybe -- worth reading. You decide.
But first let’s look back at my predictions from a year ago to see how I did. Understand that I’m the only pundit who actually reviews his previous year’s predictions. If only I could be a weasel like those other guys!
Toshiba releases its first DVR for 960H resolution security cameras
Home security is always in demand, and many people pay to have alarms systems installed and monitored. These systems can call the police when intrusion is detected or the fire company if there's smoke. Cameras are one of the newer additions to this home arsenal, though they've been around for a while. However, they come with an added complication -- the recording and saving of the video. After all, it's useless if you can't see what happened.
For this recording of video, you generally have two options -- a DVR or the cloud. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The DVR is obviously local and allows for more control and less chance of your video being hacked. Now Toshiba is looking to provide you with that solution, announcing the new EAV16-480 DVR, built for 960H resolution cameras.
Microsoft brings new narration accessibility options to Office Online
Accessibility features in regular applications are now very much par for the course, but it's something of a different matter when it comes to online apps. While a growing number of websites have been designed to better meet the needs of people with sight or hearing problems.
The gradual move to the cloud means there are more and more online apps springing up, but many of them are slow to embrace accessibility options. Today Microsoft announces that Office Online -- the web-based version of its famous office suite -- has gained a number of key accessibility features designed to make it easier to use.
Apple, Google and Facebook lend support and money to Je Suis Charlie campaign
12 people died in an attack on satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday. At time of writing, the situation in France is still unfolding, and technology companies have been quick to show their sympathy for the victims whilst voicing support for freedom of speech.
Google has donated €250,000 (around $300,000) to the targeted Charlie Hebdo title, which is expected to increase its print run more than tenfold for the next issue. The #JeSuisCharlie hashtag has spread across the internet like wildfire as people around the world offer support on Twitter, Facebook and other websites.
AOMEI PXE Boot Free: boot PCs from an image on your network
If your PC won’t start then you might try to recover the situation by booting from some other recovery environment: your Windows DVD, an antivirus disc, backup tool, whatever it might be.
If you can’t find that disc -- or maybe your computer doesn’t have a working disc drive -- then you can alternatively boot from an ISO image held on another computer, with a little help from AOMEI’s new PXE Boot Free.
I want wearable technology that doesn't look like wearable technology
2015 is quite likely to be the year when wearable technology finally reaches the mainstream, thanks in no small part to the arrival of Apple Watch. CES is, of course, awash with wearables, but few of them really appeal to me and I can’t see those devices finding much of an audience either. Part of the problem is a lot of wearables are designed to duplicate functionality already found in existing devices. People are used to glancing at their phones to see the time, and get notifications, and that makes a smartwatch -- which offers the same, albeit slightly reduced functionality, on a much, much smaller screen -- seem unnecessary. And there are other problems.
The current generation of wearables, from smartwatches to smartglasses, are also designed to replace watches, spectacles, and so on, that you might already own. While most people I know don’t wear watches, I do. My timepiece of choice is the Omega Seamaster, and I love it. It’s the perfect blend of style and functionality for me. The idea of swapping my watch for something that looks cheap and ugly as some (not all) smartwatches do really doesn’t appeal in the slightest. I currently have an UP24 fitness band nestled up against the Omega (because Jawbone recommends you wear it on the non-dominant arm for improved accuracy) and the black rubber band looks horrible next to the Omega’s polished stainless steel strap.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
One-hundred and thirteen in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8 in the past seven days.
As far as updates are concerned, OneNote users may have noticed that they can now password protect sections in the application after its update to the most recent version.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 packs hardware kill-switch -- Android, Windows Phone users rejoice!
Mobile devices equipped with a kill switch are starting to become fairly common, in no small part thanks to Apple and Google, which have added this nifty security feature to their respective operating systems, iOS and Android. Now, US chip maker Qualcomm is also joining the party, albeit using a different approach, which, on paper at least, appears to be superior.
That's because Qualcomm has decided to go for a hardware kill-switch, which will first ship in its flagship mobile processor, Snapdragon 810. The main selling points? Users will be able to take advantage of it no matter which operating system runs on their Snapdragon 810-powered device, or whether the operating system offers such a feature or not.
Android users, sign up now to beta test a smart deadbolt lock for your home
One of my favorite television programs is the Andy Griffith Show. True, it is way before my time, but that is the point; I yearn for a simpler time. From the moment I wake up in the morning until my head hits my pillow, I am on a PC, tablet or smartphone. Quite frankly, I do not know how the entire world doesn't have ulcers and gray hair from all of the stress. Andy Griffith could relax, go fishing or eat a home-cooked meal with Aunt Bee and Opie; foreign concepts to many of us.
While those aforementioned things can still be achieved today, there is something from the show that can't. What, you ask? Leaving the doors of your house unlocked. Sadly, unlike the fictional Mayberry, the world is now a dangerous place; we must lock our doors both when at home and while away. A deadbolt is a great way to secure a door, but the concept is very old school. But what if you could mix the safety of a deadbolt, with the convenience of your Android smartphone or tablet? A new such solution is in the works, and BetaNews readers can apply for an opportunity to beta test it with Betabound by Centercode.
Facebook acquires video compression company QuickFire
Social networks' interest in video show no signs of abating. As talk mounts about a video tool from Twitter, Facebook has acquired video compression startup QuickFire Networks. This acquisition comes just days after the social network acquired speech recognition firm Wit.ai, so 2015 has already been a busy year.
Facebook upset some mobile users by introducing videos that played automatically, and this latest acquisition may go some way to calming those upset by increased data usage. QuickFire boasts using a "proprietary technology that dramatically reduces the bandwidth needed to view video online without degrading video quality".
The Windows exploit landscape in 2014
Over the years we've grown used to Windows being the target of viruses, hacks and other forms of attack. Although other systems like Android are now coming under attack too it’s still Windows that gets the most attention.
Researchers from security company ESET have released a report showing the major trends in Windows exploits over the past year.
Capture email, web, FTP logins with Password Sniffer Console
Set up an email, web or FTP account in any internet software and it’ll probably store your login details, ensuring you won’t have to remember them in future.
You’ll still need your user name and password at some point, though, if only to reinstall your software or enter your details elsewhere.
Young companies 'survive success' in IT with network monitoring
The good news is that your company is growing -- sales are up and you are hiring more employees. However, there are some challenges that go along with that growth. As your company grows, so does the number of employees and customers, which can put more strain on the IT system that supports all those new people. IT systems can get taxed and overloaded. For example, you could have a large increase in visits to your website during a successful product launch, but that could lead to slow performance or even a total outage. Any type of delay or disruption can lead to lost customers, lost revenue and could hurt your company’s overall reputation.
Managing this type of IT strain is especially challenging for small companies and startups that often have only one person working in IT. Some aren’t even that well-staffed, with 27 percent of small businesses having no IT support, according to a 2014 SMB Group study. So, how does a growing startup business survive its success and keep IT systems running properly? To do that, they first need to understand the potential issues that could arise, and then examine what they can do to fix or prevent them.
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