Latest Technology News

Einstein's Fridge: Who knew the history of thermodynamics was so much like high school?

Almost 50 years ago I had the misfortune to take two statistics classes at the same time. One was a required introduction to statistics and the other was econometrics. Don’t ask why I took them both -- I don’t remember. But I do remember one day in the Intro to Statistics class when another student asked about this distribution plot (above).

 "What was it? What did it indicate? What could it be used for?" they asked. "It’s nothing," said the TA. "It’s useless." But I had seen that shape before, in econometrics, where they called it a split normal distribution. that was said to be good for displaying time-series data. So not useless at all.

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How Artificial Intelligence is set to revolutionize industries

There’s no denying that technology has been the key to evolution for almost every industry. From transport to gaming, sports to healthcare, improvements to processes and capabilities have been attributed to rapidly innovating technology. This is particularly prominent in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). What was once reserved for sci-fi movies is now actively a part of our everyday lives, and it’s set to pave the future -- perhaps autonomously!

In this article, we take a look at how AI is set to ignite several key industries.

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Value of personal data increases 1,800 percent in 20 years

Man with cash

If you use the internet it's almost impossible to avoid exposing at least some of your personal information to the sites you use. What you may not be aware of is just how valuable this personal data is to businesses.

New research from marketing specialist MIQ Digital shows that in 2001 an average user generated around $1.97 (£1.45) worth of Google Ads revenue, in 2021 this is up to $35.40 (£26), an 1,800 percent increase.

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Best Windows apps this week

Four-hundred-fifty-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft released the first official ISO image of its upcoming operating system Windows 11. It is not the final version but the latest Insider Preview version that you get at this point.

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Ensuring compliance takes a front seat when using collaboration tools [Q&A]

Collaboration

One effect of the pandemic shift to working from home has been a surge in the use of collaboration platforms. Microsoft Teams alone just exceeded 250 million monthly active users.

But a new whitepaper from Theta Lake and Osterman Research, Archiving And Data Protection With Microsoft Teams, brings to light the strengths and weaknesses of native archiving and data protection in Microsoft Teams and why firms look to third-party solutions to address coverage gaps.

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Debian-based SparkyLinux 6.0 'Po Tolo' can make your old PC feel like new again!

There are a lot of Linux-based operating systems these days, and if you have some free time, I suggest trying as many as you can. Think of it like fruit -- apples are great, but you shouldn't stop after just tasting that. The world is full of different choices, such as mangoes, bananas, and oranges. The same can be said of Linux -- even if you really like, say, Ubuntu, you should also test Fedora, Mageia, and more.

Today, yet another distro hits a major milestone; SparkyLinux achieves version 6.0. Code-named "Po Tolo," it is a rolling release operating system that is based on the brand-new Debian 11 "Bullseye." Sparky aims to be easy on system resources, with choices of three main desktop environments -- LXQt, KDE, and Xfce. This lightweight operating system can breathe new life into aging computers. SparkyLinux even still supports older 32-bit processors.

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Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 22000.160 with a new Clock app

If you want to do a fresh Windows 11 install you can now grab ISO files for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.132.

That isn’t the latest version however, as Microsoft today rolls out Build 22000.160 to everyone in the Dev and Beta Channels with some useful additions, including a new Clock app with Focus Sessions.

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Microsoft releases first Windows 11 ISO files so you can do a clean install or in-place upgrade

Windows 11 laptop

Windows 11 is set to be released later in the year, but you can already run it now as part of the Windows Insider Program.

If you would like to try out the new operating system in a virtualized environment, or on a spare PC, the good news is the tech giant has made ISO files for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.132 available to download now.

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Preparing your network and employees for a safe return to the office

With the vaccine rollout continuing and positivity on the horizon due to significant reduction in COVID-19 cases, companies are now planning how to return workers to the office safely. To start, employees will most likely return to a hybrid workplace, one where they rotate in and out of the office, part of the time in the office and work from home the rest of the time.

Securing your network and employees will be critical during transitions. While small businesses may perceive this to be a matter of going back to "business as usual" and resuming normal IT operations, there are a number of complexities brought on by the mass exodus out of office that need to be considered. Just as in the beginning of the pandemic, cyber criminals will almost certainly increase their phishing attempts and other malicious attacks, taking advantage of overlooked network vulnerabilities and resource-thin IT teams. To protect their networks, employees and critical data, companies will need to create plans and introduce new safety protocols to ensure security as employees transition between working from home and in the office.

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LibreOffice 7.2 is here with a long list of changes and improvements

Serving as a handy reminder that Microsoft Office is certainly not the only office suite out there, LibreOffice 7.2 has landed. There are a sizable number of changes in this latest version of the free, open-source office software including support for Apple M1 chips.

While there are lots of under-the-hood changes that are concerned with optimization, stability and improving compatibility with Microsoft Office, there are also plenty of things which are rather more obvious. This includes a new LibreOffice Dark theme, and a new batch of templates.

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Get 'Security Fundamentals' ($24.00 value) FREE for a limited time

Security is one of the most important components to every company’s computer network. That’s why the Security Fundamentals MTA Certification is so highly sought after. Filling IT positions is a top problem in today’s businesses, so this certification could be your first step toward a stable and lucrative IT career.

Security Fundamentals is your guide to developing a strong foundational understanding of Windows security, so you can take your IT career to the next level and feel confident going into the certification exam.

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Ransomware attacks are now the second most commonly reported security incident

ransomware laptop

Analysis by CybSafe of incidents reported to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) shows that ransomware attacks made up 22 percent of all reported cyber security incidents in the first half of 2021. This is up from 11 percent in the first half of 2020

Phishing still leads, accounting for 40 percent of all cybersecurity cases reported to the ICO, slightly down from 44 percent the year before, but ransomware has now edged into second place.

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Microsoft gives a glimpse of Windows 11's revamped Paint app, complete with dark mode

Windows 11 Paint

It is almost too easy to joke about the Paint app that has been included with Windows since time immemorial. Sure, it's basic when compared to… well, just about anything really... but it's a tool that people love regardless.

With the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft is giving Paint a much-needed overhaul and Panos Panay has given a sneaky peak at what we can expect from the redesigned app. As ever, it's Windows Insiders who will get first dibs, but for now, a quick video will have to suffice.

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Container security and compliance remains a challenge as deployment speeds ahead

open digital lock

A report released today finds that while adoption of container architectures and microservices continues at an impressive pace, maintaining automated and proactive security and compliance is a major challenge.

The study, from container security specialist NeuVector, polled over 1,200 DevOps professionals attending KubeCon EU 2021 and shows over 89 percent have container deployments active, and 88 percent are planning additional deployments in the next six to 12 months.

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How to change Windows 11's default web browser after Microsoft made it crazily difficult

Furious woman with steaming ears

Microsoft is so keen for you to use Edge in Windows 11 that it has made the process of changing the default web browser absurdly and unnecessarily irritating. You would think -- and, indeed, expect -- it to be easy to change the default app used for anything, but here Microsoft seem determined to draw ire.

And if causing anger and irritation was the company's aim, well... mission accomplished. If you do want to change the default web browser, you have to tweak the settings for an incredible 10 file types! Mozilla is fighting back, using a hack to achieve the "impossible", but it's only a matter of time before Microsoft closes this loophole.

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