Fintech players need to build bridges, not walls
At a time where in certain parts of the world there is a desire to build walls, brick by brick, to keep people out, it’s ironic that elsewhere -- not least in the global fintech space -- the mantra is all about sharing, partnering, competitive innovation and freedom of movement within a well-governed environment.
That said, a number of the early digital advisory (or "robo") propositions have -- surprisingly -- been slow to recognize this sentiment, instead aiming to recreate a faster version of the conventional advice (or investment) experience -- "faster horses" syndrome. Hardly the stuff to make the big incumbents shake in their boots or lose any sleep.
IT departments dealing with 'unrealistic expectations' in project assignments
Just half of IT departments managed to complete all of the projects that they were assigned during last year, a new report by MuleSoft claims.
Based on a survey of 951 IT decision makers, MuleSoft’s Connectivity Benchmark Report 2017 says there is a widening IT delivery gap that is to blame for these results.
Sysinternals unveils Sysmon 6.0
Microsoft Sysinternals has shipped Sysmon 6.0, a powerful system monitor for Windows.
The new release can log processes which are accessing other processes, a simple way to detect automated Mimikatz-like credential dumping.
No fracking way! Fukishima is worse than ever
Remember the Fukishima Daiichi nuclear accident following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan? I wrote about it at the time, here, here, here, here, and here, explaining that the accident was far worse than the public was being told and that it would take many decades -- if ever -- for the site to recover.
Well it’s six years later and, if anything, the Fukushima situation is even worse. Far from being over, the nuclear meltdown is continuing, the public health nightmare increasing. Why aren’t we reading about this everywhere? Trump is so much more interesting, I guess.
How enterprises can overcome SaaS' data fragmentation challenge
When the Great Recession hit in 2007, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) began to catch the attention of enterprise CIOs as a favorable way to reduce the CAPEX necessary to provide their businesses with world-class IT services, and deliver more predictable OPEX. Fiscal reasoning may have been the carrot-on-the-stick, but CIOs were just as smitten by the promise of a simplified IT environment. It took several years for SaaS to firmly establish itself in the enterprise -- gaining a true foothold in 2012 -- and the delivery model is now considered mission critical by most enterprises. The "hands off" environment, rapid deployment potential and lower upfront costs all contributed to SaaS’s disruptive shift.
Notably, however, when SaaS was first being considered as an enterprise option, many cautioned that its use should be rooted in "vanilla" business applications that would not require complicated integration with enterprise data. Remember, SaaS burst onto the scene as a way to provide the SMB market with quick and affordable access to robust, single-purpose capabilities such as CRM or human resource management, but the applications were not particularly good at exchanging data in real-time, across transactional environments. "The convenience of using SaaS applications can mask a significant IT challenge of integration, both with other enterprise applications and with data sources," warned CIO Magazine.
System76 refreshes Ubuntu Linux laptops with Intel Kaby Lake, NVIDIA GTX 10 series, and 4K
If you are a Linux user, you can never go wrong with a System76 computer. Its machines come pre-loaded with Ubuntu, but they can also run any Linux distro, such as Fedora or Mint, like a champ. Operating system aside, they come with excellent specifications and superb customer service.
Now, System76 is refreshing three of its laptops with some high-end parts. The Oryx Pro, Serval WS, and Bonobo WS are now all equipped with 7th generation Intel Kaby Lake processors. In addition, all three can be had with 4K displays and NVIDIA GTX 10 series graphics too. While the Oryx Pro already had the option of 4K and GTX 10, it is the 7th gen Intel chips that are new to it. In fact, all of the company's laptops now come with Kaby Lake standard.
Transform photos into arty masterpieces with Painnt
Painnt is a Prisma-type app for Windows 10, Android and iOS which transforms your favorite photos into works of art.
Yes, yet another one. But wait -- the app has some interesting extra touches which could make it worth your time.
Businesses rely on managed services providers to move to Azure
While Microsoft's Azure cloud service is gaining popularity with businesses, many of them are relying on a managed services provider (MSP) to implement it successfully.
According to a new survey by cloud and IT services company NetEnrich, 67 percent are 'very likely' to engage an MSP in the next year to migrate to Azure or to manage their cloud and/or on-premises environment.
Chuwi's Hi13 Windows 10 hybrid retails for $369, promises Ubuntu support
The Chuwi Hi13 is a very interesting proposition in the Windows tablet market. It has a display similar to that of the Microsoft Surface Book, support for a detachable keyboard and stylus, expansion ports, and competitive internals, but, unlike the devices that it has in its crosshairs, it features a really attractive price tag.
When I discussed the Hi13 earlier this year, I mentioned that Chuwi expected to sell the device for around $500 or less, which seemed like a fair price considering everything that it has to offer. However, as it turns out, the Hi13 will actually retail for much less -- $369 to be exact. The value proposition is hard to beat.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-nineteen in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.
Mark Zuckerberg's rambling letter covers fake news on Facebook, nudity and profanity -- and his ego
In a lengthy missive that has been described by some as a manifesto, Mark Zuckerberg has written a counterattack to criticism of his beloved Facebook. He waxes lyrical about a rosy vision of the future in which communities come together, everyone is included, and everyone is empowered -- largely facilitated by him. For a man who denies he has political leanings, he certainly seems to have been studying Speaking Like A Politician 101. He is nothing if not almost impressively vague.
But when Zuckerberg is not massaging his own ego as he dreams up ways to save the world ("I hope we can come together to build a global community that works for everyone"), the content of the website he created still gets a mention. In the age of Trump there is endless talk of fake news, and Facebook has certainly played a role in helping this to spread. This, along with other problems, such as the spread of terrorist propaganda, is something Zuckerberg wants to combat, and he's placing a great deal of confidence in artificial intelligence and his beloved algorithms.
Twitter tweaks blocking and muting in latest anti-abuse measures
Having just introduced the idea of restricted timeouts for abusive users, Twitter has unveiled yet more measures designed to counter abuse and harassment. Now if you have blocked or muted a user, you'll no longer be notified of replies to a conversation by that user.
You will still, however, receive notifications of replies to the conversation if they come from people you follow, so you are not completely cut out. It has been warmly received by Twitter users, many of whom believe this is how things should have been from the beginning.
New macOS malware steals passwords and iPhone backups
Cyber security firm Bitdefender says it has recently uncovered a new type of malware which targets macOS users. The company says that the malware, which it has dubbed Xagent, is capable of stealing passwords, taking screenshots and grabbing iPhone backups stored on the machine.
Bitdefender says it still can’t be absolutely certain of who is behind the malware, but all evidence points in the direction of the APT28 cybercrime group. The company says this group uses the same dropper / downloader, as well as the same control center URLs. On top of that, Bitdefender says same artifacts have been hardcoded in the binary files.
How to securely connect to a Raspberry Pi from anywhere
VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a client/server technology that lets you remotely control any target device. RealVNC has been around for many years and its VNC Connect tool is now available for Raspberry Pi.
VNC Connect is included in the Raspbian repositories, and lets you connect to your Pi from anywhere in the world, from a range of devices, using a cloud brokered or direct connection. The Pi version comes with some extra features and functionality, but there are some steps you'll need to follow before you can start using it.
Google exceeds 1 billion captioned videos on YouTube
Around the world, there are many people with hearing impairments. This doesn't mean that they are necessarily deaf -- they may instead have severe hearing loss. Someone in my family, for instance, has to wear hearing aids. For these people, captioning on videos (text displayed on screen) can be a necessity, making it possible to enjoy a TV show or movie. Heck, it can be used by people without hearing issues too; they may need to mute their TV as to not wake family members.
Nowadays, captioning extends to internet videos too, including the very popular YouTube. In fact, today, Google announces that it has exceeded 1 billion captioned videos! While this is certainly an amazing accomplishment, the service's automatic speech recognition can sometimes be very wrong -- even comically so.
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