Thinking about Big Data -- Part three (the final and somewhat scary part)
In part one we learned about data and how it can be used to find knowledge or meaning. Part two explained the term Big Data and showed how it became an industry mainly in response to economic forces. This is part three, where it all has to fit together and make sense -- rueful, sometimes ironic, and occasionally frightening sense. You see our technological, business, and even social futures are being redefined right now by Big Data in ways we are only now coming to understand and may no longer be able to control.
Whether the analysis is done by a supercomputer or using a hand-written table compiled in 1665 from the Bills of Mortality, some aspects of Big Data have been with us far longer than we realize.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14388 for PC and Mobile arrives on the Fast ring
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update edges ever-nearer to release, and the new Insider builds are coming thick and fast. We even had a surprise weekend build last week.
Even though new Insider chief Dona Sarkar is away at the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), she still found time to announce a new build, and as you might expect so close to the official release this one mostly focuses on fixing problems and improving reliability.
Enterprises leave vulnerable industrial control systems exposed online
Industrial control systems (ICS) are not supposed to be connected to the Internet, Kaspersky Lab says, as it opens a sea of opportunities for hackers. Such systems are run by energy, transportation, aerospace, oil and gas, chemicals, automotive and manufacturing, food and drink, governmental, financial and medical institutions, and should be, for the sake of security, run in a physically isolated environment.
However, Kaspersky Lab says that is not the case, and that it has found 13,698 ICS hosts exposed to the Internet, which very likely belong to large organizations. More than nine in ten (91.1 percent) host remotely-exploitable vulnerabilities, and 3.3 percent contain "critical and remotely executable vulnerabilities".
UK wants mandatory insurance for self-driving cars
Autonomous driving is an exciting prospect, but it’s not without its problems and ethical dilemmas. Recently, two Teslas were involved in accidents (two separate incidents), and in one of them the driver was killed.
Such exciting technology also begs the question: who’s to blame when two autonomous vehicles collide, and what happens if someone gets killed in the process? The UK, which has stated on multiple occasions that it wants to be the global leader in autonomous vehicles, is tackling the issue from the insurance perspective.
ZyXEL unveils ARMOR Z2 AC2600 802.11ac MU-MIMO Dual-Band Wireless Gigabit Router
When buying a router for your home, there are many things to consider. While price is always a factor, you never want to save money by going with a low-quality offering. You should do your research and get the best hardware for your budget -- while sticking with a reputable brand, of course.
ZyXEL is not a household name, but the Taiwan-based company does offer solid hardware at affordable prices. When I've needed something like a network switch or USB Wi-Fi dongle, I have chosen its products due to low prices, but have been very satisfied with the quality. I've never tried its wireless routers, but today, the company announces its newest such model -- the ARMOR Z2 AC2600 -- and it has me intrigued.
Pokémon Go and business model innovation
After months of hype, Pokémon Go finally began rolling out in a few countries this week. At this point, I can safely say, it has turned out to be one of the biggest viral hits in recent years. While the Pokémon IP played a significant role in the game's quick uptake, I believe that Pokémon Go's status as the first accessible augmented reality game at scale will be much more important to its long-term success. There are multiple elements of business model innovation at play here, far deeper than a simple extension of pre-existing IP.
Many analysts have already put out their takes on the game's success. Essentially, they believe that this was a long overdue move for Nintendo and they should develop similar mobile games to monetize their IP (e.g. Mario). If it were that simple, wouldn't Nintendo have done it years ago? Mobile isn't exactly a brand new platform. If we look deeper, it becomes obvious that the business model behind Pokémon Go was only possible at this point in time and is not scalable to all Nintendo IP.
Google adds Three to Project Fi
Google wants to make Project Fi an attractive plan not only in the US but also internationally as today it announces that it is expanding the coverage of its service in more than a dozen additional countries. Project Fi now provides high-speed data access in nearly all the places visited by Americans across the globe, claims Google.
To cover "over 97 percent of the places Americans travel internationally", Google is adding Three, which is present in Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and UK, to the list of mobile operators that work with Project Fi.
Amazon Prime Day 2016: The best deals available right now
As you're no doubt already aware, Amazon Prime Day is upon us. You have to be a Prime Member to take part in this day of deals, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial if you're not already a Prime subscriber.
The team over at TechBargains has prepared some of the best, longer lasting deals but be warned, this is a pretty crazy day and a lot of offers are going fast. For full coverage be sure to check out TechBargains for the most up to date coverage on the Lightning Deals which launch every 5 minutes and will have a limited supply and time limit, so act fast.
Samsung releases 4TB 850 Evo SSD at a crazy price
Finding an SSD that meets your needs should be relatively easy these days, but if are looking for a high-capacity model then your options are severely limited. Manufacturers have mostly focused on introducing devices for the masses, leaving HDDs to continue their domination in the high storage tiers.
With its new 850 Evo option, however, Samsung is looking to change that. The latest entry in its consumer line features a whopping 4TB of storage and competitive transfer speeds, but also a price tag that will make your jaw drop.
New self-phishing tool helps companies measure attack risks
Protecting against data breaches is always better than dealing with their aftermath. And since phishing is still one of the most popular attack methods businesses and employees need to be alert to the risks.
Authentication specialist Duo Security is launching a new, free tool to let IT teams run internal phishing simulations and assess their vulnerability to such attacks.
Microsoft confirms Windows 10 and Surface subscriptions are on their way
Ever since Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would be free "for the first year", and also referred to the new OS "as a service", there has been speculation that the software giant would start charging a monthly fee for Windows 10, much as it does for Office 365.
Two weeks ago, a mention of Windows 10 subscriptions appeared in an Insider Preview build, suggesting that changes to the operating system’s model were on their way. Today, Microsoft reveals all by announcing new subscription service offerings for Windows 10 and its Surface line of tablets.
Skype for Business use on mobile expected to double by 2018
While Skype remains the most popular VoIP tool, the Skype for Business mobile client has been dogged by ongoing quality and technical issues that have slowed its rollout.
A new survey by Unify Square and Osterman Research finds that 30 percent of IT teams' total time spent troubleshooting the Skype platform is devoted to the mobile client.
Malware attack targets European energy companies
The Labs team at malware protection company SentinelOne has discovered a sophisticated malware campaign that's specifically targeting at least one European energy company.
The malware, called SFG, is the mother ship of an earlier malware sample called Furtim, which targets the industrial automation control systems with sophisticated malware and acts as dropper to deliver a payload which could be used to extract data or potentially shut down the energy grid.
Microsoft updates Skype Bots with new features
Microsoft has updated its Microsoft Bot and Skype Bot platforms with a host of new capabilities to ensure that its Bot Framework is ready ahead of its official launch at the end of 2016.
The company first announced its Skype Bot Platform in March during its Build developer conference. Currently there are 30,000 developers building bots for its platforms according to Microsoft.
Inker is a promising vector graphics editor for Chrome
Vector graphics editors are often bulky desktop applications, aimed very much at design experts, but Inker is very different. The package is a simple Chrome app, easy enough for almost anyone to use, and ideal for creating quick vector designs on a tablet which you can then reuse elsewhere.
The drawing tools cover the basics only, with a freehand pen, rectangles, ellipses, and text.
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