The Indiana Pi Bill, Ellen Pao, and IBM
The Indiana Legislature is in the news for passing a state law considered by many to be anti-gay. It reminded me of the famous Pi Bill -- Bill #246 of the 1897 Indiana General Assembly. There’s a good account of the bill on Wikipedia, but the short story is a doctor and amateur mathematician wanted the state to codify his particular method of squaring the circle, a side effect of which would be officially declaring the value of π to be 3.2.
The bill was written by Representative Taylor I. Record, sent to the Education Committee where it passed, went back to the Indiana House of Representatives where it again passed, unopposed. Then the bill went to the Indiana Senate where Professor C.A. Waldo of the Indiana Academy of Science (now Purdue University) happened to be visiting that day to do a little lobbying for his school. Professor Waldo explained to the Senators the legislative dilemma they faced.
Using a Chromebook -- one year later, and still happy
Last year I wrote about my big move to Google's computer operating system, Chrome OS. At the time my plan was simple -- use a Chromebook for the summer since I work from my porch and wanted something light and small to move around with me. The 15.7 inch Windows laptop wasn't going to cut it and, for obvious reasons, I wasn't moving a desktop outside, especially with a porch that seems to face the rain in every summer storm.
Though the time of my move hadn't occurred to me, the subject came up today in our newsroom. Joe Wilcox urged me to write about my experience, while my colleague Brian Fagioli tried mightily hard to get me to change to a new Chromebook. He called my HP 11 underpowered and implored I get the new Toshiba. Throwing money at a problem I don't have is not in my DNA. What I have works fine and I see no current reason for unnecessary expenses.
India's latest attempt in the digital space: Use open-source software to build e-governance apps
The Indian government is becoming increasingly focused towards the development of the country’s technology sector. Under the reign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government last year announced Make in India and Digital India programs through which it plans to widespread the reach of modern technologies to more places while creating more jobs in the country, as well as promote local vendors over others.
The latest step in this direction is to make it mandatory to use open-source software in building apps and services. The government hopes that this will ensure efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs. The policy will require all government organizations to consider open-source solutions while implementing e-governance applications and systems.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Technical Preview 10049 with Project Spartan
Microsoft has promised a summer release for the RTM build of Windows 10. For fans of the operating system, this is great news. Unfortunately, this means the company has its work cut out for it. Don't get me wrong, version 10 is shaping up nicely, but it is far from perfect in its current state. In order to make the summer deadline, much more testing will be needed; both internally and with the Windows Insider program.
Today, Microsoft releases a new build of Windows 10 Technical Preview, with the number designation of 10049. The highlight, however, is the inclusion of Project Spartan. Yes, the web browser of the future is included in a public build for the first time. This folks, is what we have been waiting for.
Syrian Electronic Army hacks Hostgator, FastDomain and more for hosting terrorist sites
It has been a little while since we heard anything from the Syrian Electronic Army, but now the group has made an appearance once again. SEA has hacked five big-name hosting companies -- Bluehost, Justhost, Hostgator, Hostmonster and FastDomain -- all part of the Endurance International Group.
SEA launched the attacks on the five hosts for "hosting terrorists websites" (sic) adding to the list of high-profile names it has already targeted -- a list that includes names such as Skype, Facebook, PayPal, Twitter and Microsoft. No sites were mentioned by name for having gained SEA's attention.
Will you buy Chromebook Pixel 2015?
Because some BetaNews readers think Chromebook is a joke, I realized the necessity of getting out our Pixel buying poll before April Fools' Day. So here we are. Google released the second-generation Chromebook Pixel on March 11. The high-end laptop costs less than its predecessor (one model for under $1,000), but many potential buyers will question—and they should—the wisdom spending so much on a computer with browser user interface meant to be mostly Internet-connected.
Chromebook Pixel isn't for everyone—probably not most people. But our readers aren't most people. Many of you live on technology's cutting edge, and some bleed because of it. The laptop could be for you, and it most certainly is for me. I bought the high-end LS model on launch day and took delivery on Friday the 13th. I will have much good to report in my forthcoming review. But what works for me may not for you. So let's look more closely at the computer.
Microsoft brings mobile device management to Office 365
Microsoft has announced that mobile device management is now available in Office 365 for commercial customers. The feature is built into the office suite and allows administrators to control access to Office 365 data by Android, iOS and Windows Phone tablets and phones.
Security is very much at the heart of Office 365's mobile device management, and it includes a remote wipe feature. For businesses who have embraced the BYOD philosophy, this will bring peace of mind as it allows for the remote removal of Office and associated files even on personal devices.
Happy Torrent Day -- Kickass has plans for the occasion
March 30th is Torrent Day, or at least one site has proclaimed it so. The file sharing technology is used for all sorts of purposes, both benign and nefarious. However many sites will not be deterred from bringing to the masses what a number of people want, and Kickass Torrent is at the top the heap in that regard.
The site proclaimed the holiday for this date and has released a couple of special mementos for its user base. Both a music playlist and magazine are available for the big occasion. Naturally, you'll need to download both.
Kingston announces USB 3.0 FCR-HS4 High-Speed All-In-One Media Reader
Nowadays, it is very common to have an SD card reader on a laptop. Well, maybe not Apple's new MacBook, but I digress. Some desktop computers have integrated card readers, but not all do. The problem is there is more than one type of memory card, and many integrated solutions are SD-only. Plus, they are often USB 2.0, making them slow.
Luckily, if you have a USB 3.0 port, you can add a reader or upgrade to a faster option, with more card options too. Today, Kingston announces such a device; the FCR-HS4 All-In-One Media Reader. Not only is it fast and versatile, but attractive too.
How to overcome the challenges and difficulties of parenting in a digital age
In reviewing the daily news stream it is impossible to miss the escalating frequency of incidents coming out of schools all across the country which relate directly to social media, texting, or apps used by kids.
Sexting, cyber-bullying, sextortion, and intimidation seem to be on the rise. Sexting, in particular, seems to be proliferating and is now surpassing cyber-bulling in frequency and intensity. Consequences for online misbehavior of children can range from embarrassment or shame up to criminal prosecution. Depending on which state you live in, consequences can vary widely. It seems schools and parents struggle to grapple with the realities of a general lack of effective policies, rules, or legislation to address these problems head on.
Internet of Things brings a sense of purpose to cloud, mobile and Big Data
Since Cloud, Mobile and Big Data technologies started to go mainstream, individual strategies to support each of these technologies have been evolving and remain separate strategies today.
However the arrival of the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the strategic agenda very quickly. IoT as a 'collective & strategic' term has caught the interest of the enterprise and the consumer alike. IoT allows companies to effectively define one strategy that potentially embraces elements of cloud, mobile and Big Data. In short, IoT has brought a stronger sense of purpose to cloud, mobile and Big Data.
Apple extends its trade-in program to Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry
Earlier in the month we reported that Apple was about to start offering gift cards as part of a trade-in program for people buying a new iPhone. The updated program has now gone live so you can take your old Apple device, or non-Apple smartphone to an Apple store, or mail it in to receive credit.
The credit can be used in store or online against the purchase of a new Apple device, and this program expansion is the latest move from Apple to try to tempt users away from other platforms. You can check online to see how much you can expect to receive for your existing phone and decide whether it's worth your while. Hint: it might not be.
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge comes out unscathed after brutal drop test
We love watching smartphone drop tests. It does not even have to be a smartphone that we want to buy, watching it fall and meet the pavement is just too entertaining to pass. Some might even call it addictive. And predicting the extent of the damage, based on the build material or how exposed the display is, is part of the fun. Getting it right can be rewarding.
Samsung's new Galaxy S6 edge comes with all the right ingredients for a drop test that could end in massive damage. It's got a glass back, the main camera does not sit flush with the body, the surrounding frame is made of metal and, to top it all off, the display is curved on both sides. Before watching the so-called drop test, I expected to see a broom being used at the end.
Audacity adds real-time effects preview, updates noise removal tool
Open-source sound recording, editing and mixing tool Audacity 2.1.0 has been released, and comes with a slew of significant updates and improvements.
Version 2.1.0 debuts one major new feature: a Real-Time Preview for effects, which is accompanied by a major upgrade to the Noise Removal tool. It also offers various effects upgrades and redesigned Meter Toolbars.
Big data: All hype and no investment?
Although there's lots of talk surrounding the use of big data it seems that in many cases that's all it is and that companies aren't actually following through on deployments.
This is among the findings of a new report from Dimensional Research commissioned by data warehousing specialist Snowflake Computing which shows that whilst 91 percent of respondents have considered investments in big data, only 5 percent have actually put any investment into a deployment, and only 11 percent had a pilot in place.
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