You need Good Data before you can have Big Data
Businesses are beginning to understand the need for Big Data, the large and often disparate information generated by staff, systems and websites.
Across all industries, big data enables companies to analyze their information and interactions to improve customer or supply chain engagement and of course, operational performance.
Linus Torvalds announces Linux kernel 4.0 -- a mediocre open source milestone
Linux is not an operating system, but a kernel. This is an important distinction, as not all Linux-based operating systems are equal. For example, Ubuntu, Android, and Chrome OS are all Linux, but hardly the same. What makes something qualify as being Linux, is simply the utilization of this kernel.
The father of Linux, Linus Torvalds, announces the latest version of the kernel, 4.0. While you may think this is a monumental release because of the number jump, you would be quite wrong. Actually, moving to 4.0 is mostly cosmetic and inconsequential. Despite the lackluster changes, this is a milestone moment for the open source community.
Pixel pushing -- what's the point in Sharp's 5.5 inch 4K 806ppi screen?
It is a given that whatever technology you see in front of you will be bettered if not next week, then next month or next year. Processors will get faster, hard drives bigger, laptops thinner and... well, you get the idea. In the realm of mobile devices there was a time when size meant everything. Mobile phone screens grew larger and larger, but then focus started to switch.
Size, it turned out, was not everything after all; it’s the number of pixels that matters. We started to see ppi figures quoted everywhere, Apple even came up with its own label for the pixel density at which pixels became indistinguishable -- Retina Display. This was just the start of the battle of the pixels, though, and now things are starting to get a bit silly. Sharp has announced a 5.5 inch 4K screen which boasts a pixel density of 806ppi. Say, what?
APIs can help deliver the vision of self-managing our health
The digital health imperative is upon us. With advancements in technology, the opportunities are bound only by our imagination. Recent investments in digital health are telling signs of the disruptive forces at play and the future that is just waiting to happen.
With the advent of arrays of sensors that track a myriad of bio-markers ranging from activity, nutrition, heart rate, cholesterol level, glucose levels, sleep to those that can even detect a stroke, consumer technologies have ushered in a new era of health management.
Wowza makes live video streaming easier for enterprises
Streaming isn't just for broadcasters any more, it's become a useful commercial tool too, allowing meetings, conferences and events to be shared with a worldwide audience. However, it can be tricky to implement.
Wowza Media Systems is launching its latest Wowza Streaming Cloud and Wowza Streaming Engine Pro, increasing the power and ease of streaming online video and extending flexible options to organizations looking to stream live content.
How well did Sling TV handle the Game of Thrones season 5 premiere?
I signed up for the base package of Sling TV a few weeks ago. Since then, the company has managed to get extra money out of the deal, as I've added the Sports Pack and, as of yesterday, HBO, which became available late last week. While I feel like I'm closing in on pricing for my old DirecTV subscription, I confess to being happier -- I have channels I want and don't pay for a bunch I'll never watch.
Last night was huge for Sling, as Game of Thrones season five debuted (for those who didn't get it early via a torrent leak). I was curious how the service would handle the huge demand, and so was it, as it turns out.
Watch Game of Thrones for free on your Xbox 360 or Xbox One
The wait is now over for fans of Game of Thrones. After a slight break, the first episode of season five aired last night and there were plenty of ways to watch it: HBO NOW for Apple users, or Sling TV to name two legal options, or you could opt to grab a torrent of the first four episodes after they leaked online.
For anyone who wants to see the first episode for free, while staying on the right side of the law, there's another option. Microsoft has announced that the Season 5 premiere is available free of charge to Xbox Live members. There's extra content available too, but you'll have to be quick as S05E01 is only available for a few days.
Four into one will go with new TV streaming device
We're all familiar with the dilemma of what to watch, what to record and what to seek out on a catch up service later. There's so much TV content available these days that tough decisions are needed.
It's especially hard for sports fans who may find themselves with several events going on at the same time. Trying to catch up with one or more of them later runs the risk of accidentally finding out the result in advance, so what's the solution?
Withings' scales now tell you the weather and how active you are
If you’re the sort of person who regularly weighs yourself, the chances are you do so first thing in the morning, before you’ve loaded your body up with food and drink. Scales can tell you your weight, and sometimes your BMI and now, thanks to Withings, they’ll be able to provide you with other information to kickstart your day.
A new firmware update for the company’s Wireless Scale and Smart Body Analyzer devices shows the current weather conditions and temperature, as well as your step count from the previous day.
Cut SVG file sizes by up to 80 percent with SVGO
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a versatile image format with many possibilities, but its XML-based files aren’t exactly efficient, and they can include a vast amount of redundant data.
SVGO is an open source tool for Windows and Mac which optimises SVGs, stripping out surplus tags, and cutting file size by up to 80 percent without affecting the image itself.
Unlock a secret dark theme in Windows 10 with a registry hack
Build 10056 of Windows 10 Technical Preview -- which leaked online in the last few days -- has a hidden dark theme. If you have grabbed a copy of this particular build, you'll have noticed that there are a few tweaks here and there such as a resizable Start menu and a redesigned system clock.
But if you're happy to tinker with the registry, you can unlock a whole new look for the operating system, taking Windows 10 to the dark side. It brings to the desktop version of Windows 10 a theme option reminiscent of Windows Phone. Pull on your registry editing pants... we're going in.
Apple Watch first-day preorders nearly 1 million in the US alone
While Apple haters would love to see the company’s latest product fail, it looks as if the tech giant currently has another sizable hit on its hands with Apple Watch. High preorders have already triggered the predictable backlog -- supply was always going to fall short of demand, Apple knows how to play this game -- with shipping times now at least a month for all models.
Slice Intelligence tapped its panel of over 2 million online shoppers to size up the early demand for Apple Watch, and also for the new MacBook, and the sales estimates make for interesting reading.
NetToolset is a handy suite of network tools
NetToolset is a free-for-personal-use network toolkit for Windows XP+ which supports eight common functions: Ping, Traceroute+, DNS Lookup, Reverse DNS, Blacklist Lookup, IP Whois, Domain Whois and Port Scan.
The program is more about simplicity than power. Typically you’ll click a tab, enter a domain or IP address and click a button. The Ping function has the most configuration options, including Rounds, Reply Timeout, Time between rounds, Bytes and Reverse DNS.
Symantec is wrong -- antivirus software isn't dead
Each time someone reports that antivirus is dead, a hacker gets his wings (and I get furious). With our industries becoming increasingly data-driven, the need to protect our networks, devices, and archives has become more important than ever.
In a world of weaponized emails and polymorphic, self-replicating malware, entertaining the idea that endpoint antivirus protection is dead is both ignorant and dangerous.
Media file manager Konvertor FM goes freeware
Logipole has announced that its Windows 7+ media file manager Konvertor FM is now freeware.
There are so many media managers around that you might be wondering why you should care, but this one is a little different. It doesn’t just view JPGs, PNGs and GIFs: there’s support for 2,034 image file types, 795 audio, 230 video, 102 3D, as well as Office documents and other more general types, even if they’re stored in any of 165 archive formats.
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