Expand short links with httpres
Link shorteners like bit.ly, tr.im and T.co offer a convenient way to share URLs, but they also hide their real destination. Is it a malicious site? Who knows?
Websites like LongURL or CheckShortURL will usually expand short links for you, as long as they’re using a supported service.
Scotts Miracle-Gro unveils open 'Gro' Internet of Things platform for the connected smart yard
When you think of the internet of Things, or IoT, indoor items likely spring to mind -- lamps, refrigerators, thermostats, etc. But "things" exist outdoors too. As the spring and summer seasons approach, more and more people will spend time in one of the most treasured parts of their property -- the yard.
Yes, many homeowners have yards -- grass, gardens, ponds, and more -- where they can enjoy the outdoors and spend time with family. If the inside of your home can be "smart", why can't your yard? Well, good news, folks -- Scotts Miracle-Gro is launching an open IoT platform, called 'Gro', that focuses on the outdoors. Yes, the connected smart yard is here.
Why cloud security should be a part of software development
The slogan "there is no cloud, it’s just someone else’s computer", accompanied by an image of a worried looking cloud, has been doing the rounds for some time now. It’s overly simplistic but it neatly sums up the mistrust that some computer users have about cloud technology.
The inference being that people who trust the cloud and believe the hype are in some way naïve. The extension of which is that, if you’re giving your data to someone else, how can you be sure it’s safe? This is why cloud security needs to be part of the software development lifecycle.
How to free up RAM from the command line
Most memory "optimizers" are a pointless waste of time, more likely to slow you down than offer any noticeable performance benefit.
But if you think your PC is using more RAM than it should, then there is one small and very simple tool which might be able to help.
HPE struggles as server market grows
The fourth quarter of 2015 saw an increase in servers shipped worldwide, compared to a year before, with revenue also rising. Those are the results seen in Gartner’s latest report on worldwide shipments of servers.
According to Gartner, Q4 2015 saw a jump in shipments of 8.2 percent year-on-year, with revenue up 9.2 percent. Looking at the year as a whole, shipments are up 9.9 percent, and revenue is up 10.1 percent.
How to fix Microsoft Edge's worst problems
Microsoft is definitely on the right track with Edge -- its new browser is a big improvement over Internet Explorer, but there’s still a long way to go until it’s good enough to challenge the likes of Firefox and Chrome. Extension support is still missing, although I hear from a Microsoft source that it will be coming to a Windows 10 Insider Preview very, very soon (and to the rest of us when the Redstone update for Windows 10 rolls out in June/July).
If you’re using the new browser and having problems, here are some solutions for the most common Edge issues.
Dell releases new XPS 13 Developer Edition, launches Linux-based Precision laptops worldwide
On the laptop side, Dell may be best known for its Windows devices, but, as some of you may already know, it also offers some killer Linux-based alternatives for prosumers. It all started out nearly four years ago with Project Sputnik, which led to the release of the first-gen XPS 13 Developer Edition, a Ubuntu-flavored version of the popular ultrabook, in late-2012.
Fast forward to today and Project Sputnik is more than just a one device effort, as Dell has expanded the reach of the program to also include some of its professional-grade laptops. Now, the company steps it up a notch by introducing the Intel Skylake refresh of XPS 13 Developer Edition, and making the Ubuntu-toting Precision laptops available worldwide.
UK government launches a fast online identity verification service
A new service has launched in the UK, which will allow the country’s citizens to easily verify their identity online. Called CitizenSafe, it is the brainchild of global specialists in identity data intelligence, GBG.
CitizenSafe was created after a survey had shown that people expect to access government services easily and securely online, and that online identity verification was a key step. It will be integrated within the UK government's gov.uk Verify service, and GBG says it will cut the time needed to verify an identity to mere minutes.
Nest introduces family accounts and a new way to track your activity
Nest, a company now owned by Google's parent Alphabet, makes products that home automation enthusiasts sometimes salivate over. What began with a thermostat has expanded somewhat to include such things as smoke detectors.
One drawback with the system was the way Nest's app works. If you have a family then controlling things could be a problem, and that's something Nest has set out to solve by introducing Family Accounts.
Fighting censorship: Edward Snowden, Amnesty International, AdBlock and Pussy Riot
Online advertising is incredibly divisive, and for World Day Against Cyber Censorship, AdBlock is opting to replace banner ads that would normally be blocked with links to Amnesty International. The human rights group is fronting an anti-cyber-censorship campaign, joined by Edward Snowden, Pussy Riot (famous for rubbing up Russia's President Putin the wrong way) and Ai Weiwei.
The aim of the campaign is to promote freedom of speech online but highlighting examples of free speech being censored -- not just in obvious places like China and North Korea, but also the United States and the United Kingdom. Government control of the internet is something that many think is restricted to limiting what journalists are able to publish online, but as the campaign highlights it's a problem that can affect anyone.
67 percent of enterprises will increase spending on software defined infrastructure
Software Defined Infrastructure (SDI) involves the virtualization of all hardware resources, combined with elastic scaling and management automation, server virtualization is usually the starting point for SDI, but additional approaches have emerged in recent years, including software-defined networking (SDN) and software-defined storage (SDS).
Whatever the route taken SDI is growing in popularity. According to the latest data from 451 Research, 67 percent of enterprises will increase their SDI spending this year.
Contactless payments are starting to gain traction in Europe
The future of payments in Europe is contactless, a new survey suggests. According to the report by digital security firm Gemalto, 90 percent of business leaders in Europe have already invested in a contactless project. The other 10 percent are planning to do so.
Gemalto also says that in the next three years, 10 percent of all transactions in Europe will be made through contactless payment systems. Things will not be as straightforward, though, as there are multiple contactless payment systems, all battling for dominance.
Experience NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on Roku with March Madness Live
Basketball is one of my favorite sports to spectate, but holy cow -- the NBA is atrocious lately. Professional basketball is just a poor product right now, and I don't just say that because I'm a Knicks fan. Many modern pro players seem to lack fundamentals, leading to sloppy play and boring games.
Luckily, college hoops is still an exciting affair, and March Madness -- the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament -- is almost here. If you are a fan of this tournament, and I hope you are, you can experience it this year on the Roku platform.
Justice Department accuses Apple of false rhetoric, pooh-poohs privacy concerns
Ahead of the hearing due to be held on 22 March, the Justice Department has lashed out at Apple in its latest response to the company's refusal to unlock the San Bernardino iPhone. Playing an emotional game, the DoJ says "Apple deliberately raised technological barriers that now stand between a lawful warrant and an iPhone containing evidence related to the terrorist mass murder of 14 Americans."
It says that only Apple is able to remove the barriers that are currently in the way, "and it can do so without undue burden". Apple has already made it abundantly clear that it will not help the FBI in creating what it describes as a backdoor into the iPhone at the center of the case.
Data loss is one of the main reasons for failed mergers and acquisitions
Data loss is one of the bigger reasons why mergers and acquisitions fail, losing companies millions of pounds each year. Those are the results of a new survey conducted by dedicated virtual data room provider for merger and acquisition deals, ansarada.
According to ansarada's report, 71 percent of UK executives involved in mergers and acquisitions have confirmed that their deals have been delayed due to loss of critical data.
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