What did people ask Quora about in 2016? Trump, Brexit and Pokémon for starters
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We've already learned what people have been using Google to search for in 2016, and now it's the turn of Quora. The Q&A site has just published details of what its users have been asking throughout 2016, and while there are some obvious entries, there are also a few surprises.
Quora's "Year in Questions" stats show that Brexit ("how does Brexit affect Europe?") and the US election ("How did Donald Trump win the 2016 US Presidential Election?") were both subjects that "captivated" the US. While topics such as Pokémon had hotspots of popularity through the year, Donald Trump sparked the most discussion. Interestingly, people also turned to Quora for relationship advice.
Sling TV cloud DVR beta fills up, more openings promised
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Not long ago we told you that Sling TV was testing a cloud DVR, something that previously annoyed cable providers. At the time, and now, the service is in beta testing and you must sign up and be chosen to get in.
The good news is that you can still sign up, but the bad news is that it filled up pretty quickly and you may be waiting for a while.
Can your company keep up with quickly-changing cyber security regulations?
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Compliance with requirements and regulations is an ongoing challenge for businesses. In the cyber security space, the threat environment is constantly changing, and organizations have to meet some 500-600 different regulations and laws, as Internet of Things (IoT) devices proliferate and new, massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are seen on a near-daily basis. As technology continues to evolve with such innovations as cloud computing and Big Data, security professionals are on a never-ending quest to stay up to speed on security controls and best practices.
It’s no secret that cyber security issues have increased in prominence and seriousness over the past several years. Starting with the infamous Target data breach, organizations are becoming more and more aware of potential risks they face as well as becoming more quick to adapt to changing risks, regulations, laws and situations. As we’ve seen regulatory changes happen almost overnight, it has become essential for organizations to have a reliable process for ensuring their compliance management is up to speed, as well as a system of checks and balances to prove it. For companies, especially those operating in highly regulated industries such as finance and healthcare, the challenge to stay up to date is even more paramount.
Dealing with a data breach: Handling the intruders
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Security has never been a more pressing issue for businesses than it is now. Mobile working, the proliferation of increasingly sophisticated, connected devices, and the growing number of applications relied upon by the modern enterprise all represent potential risks that weren’t apparent in generations past.
There is a growing fear about the level of damage that cyberattacks could bring, so much so that the United Kingdom has launched a £1.9bn National Cyber Security Strategy to prevent such attacks.
Five powerful Windows command-line tricks
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I’ve updated my Control Panel alternative nuePanel with five powerful new troubleshooting commands covering file monitoring, disk checking, DNS servers, filter drivers and keyboard testing.
You don’t have to download the program to try them out, though -- they all make use of regular Windows commands you can include in your own scripts.
Microsoft admits its aggressive Windows 10 push was a low point for the company
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In its quest to get people to upgrade to Windows 10 while the new operating system was still free, Microsoft took a surprisingly aggressive approach, which got uglier, and uglier as the year went on.
The company’s dirty tricks included downloading Windows 10 files onto users computers without permission, making Windows 10 a "Recommend update", removing the "no thanks" button from the Get Windows 10 box, changing the behavior of the red corner x, and sneaking an advert for Windows 10 into a Windows 7 security patch. Now the company admits it did cross the line, but only at one point -- can you guess which?
Amazon unveils Boxing Day Deals for Canadian shoppers
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Boxing Day is not a holiday largely celebrated in the USA, but it is very big with our neighbors to the north -- Canada. If you aren't familiar, it is recognized on the day after Christmas -- December 26th. Unlike Christmas, however, it is not a religious holiday.
To celebrate this day, Amazon is offering some special deals to its Canadian customers. Starting tomorrow, at the Amazon.ca website, there will be many discounts to be had, and you can see some notable ones below.
Congressional Encryption Working Group says encryption backdoors are near unworkable
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The Congressional Encryption Working Group (EWG) was set up in the wake of the Apple vs FBI case in which the FBI wanted to gain access to the encrypted contents of a shooter's iPhone. The group has just published its end-of-year report summarizing months of meetings, analysis and debate.
The report makes four key observations, starting off with: "Any measure that weakens encryption works against the national interest". This is certainly not a new argument against encryption backdoors for the likes of the FBI, but it is an important one. EWG goes on to urge congress not to do anything to weaken encryption.
5 common marketing automation mistakes
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Did you know that many world renowned marketers use marketing automation to reach out to their audience? The statistics further claim that 63 percent of companies successful in Marketing Automation plan to increase their Marketing Automation budget.
However, there is always the question of whether companies are making the best use of marketing automation technology for the best results. For instance, as a small and medium-based business, you can employ an ideal automation tool like GetResponse that will ensure the desired ROI.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
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Two-hundred-and-ten in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on Windows Store in the past seven days.
Check out the best Windows 10 apps of 2016 listing in case you have missed it, as it highlights great apps for the operating system.
What does it take to be a successful bug hunter?
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Hackers are having a moment. As high-profile breaches have become the norm over the last few years, more and more enterprise organizations have turned to bug bounty programs. As a result, the idea of hacking for good has finally begun to resonate with the general public. This rise in popularity has inspired many, from aspiring hackers to seasoned security professionals, to join the hunt and seek out bug bounty programs to "hack on".
As an information security professional by trade and a hacker by heart, I’ve had years of experience hacking for good. From my days as a penetration tester and security leadership roles at HP Fortify, Redspin and Citrix to hacking on bug bounty programs of all sizes, I have spent my life hacking for good -- much of this experience has been hacking on bug bounty programs.
Data lakes and brick walls, big data predictions for 2017
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There's been a lot of talk about big data in the past year. But many companies are still struggling with implementing big data projects and getting useful results from their information.
In this part of our series on 2017 predictions we look at what the experts think will affect the big data landscape in the coming year.
Major battery life concerns mean Consumer Reports does not recommend the new MacBook Pro
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Consumer Reports -- well-respected for its appraisals of products and services -- has decided not to give the new MacBook Pro its coveted 'recommended' status. This is the first time Apple's laptop has failed to gain the accolade.
While tests showed that the laptop's performance was good, it was the MacBook Pro's battery that let it down. Consumer Reports warns that battery life "varied dramatically from one trial to another". The report will make for difficult reading for Apple.
US government starts asking foreign visitors for their Facebook, Twitter and other social media info
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In a move that has drawn criticisms from privacy groups, the US government this week started to ask some foreign travelers arriving in the country to hand over their social media account details.
Since Tuesday, visitors to the US arriving under the visa waiver program have been asked if they will provide "information associated with your online presence". Travellers are prompted to provide their usernames for the likes of Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, and while the handing over of information is currently marked as "optional", it's not clear what the consequences of failing to provide it may be, or if there are plans to make it mandatory.
Merry Christmas, Amazon runs out of Echo devices
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Looking for that last minute gift? You're running out of time, and some things are simply just no longer available. Many of the hottest devices this shopping season have proven tough to come by -- not really a surprise, as it's been this way every time for years.
While Amazon is offering free shipping (for Prime customers) through today, some things simply are not there and you won't be getting them in time.
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