Facebook explains live video censorship policies after live-streaming a fatal shooting
It was only a matter of time before Facebook's decision to open up live video to everyone was going to result in controversy. Sure enough, earlier this week, the social network became the medium through which the shooting dead of Philando Castile by a police officer was shared with the world. The graphic video quickly became notorious, but then vanished temporarily.
There were suggestions that Facebook was censoring the footage, but the company said that a technical glitch was to blame. But whether the video was censored, collapsed under the weight of traffic, or did succumb to a problem, the killing of Philando Castile on Facebook Live raises many questions about how the platform is used, and Facebook has responded to the incident with an explanation about its censorship policies.
Icaros 3.0 extends and speeds up Windows Explorer thumbnailing
Icaros is a free FFmpeg-powered tool which extends Windows Explorer’s thumbnail support to just about any video format. The package can produce cover art thumbnails for Mkv, Flac, Ape, and Mpc files, and provides extended Windows Explorer properties for Mkv, Flv, Ogm, Ogv, Ogg, Flac, Ape, and Mpc.
Icaros was updated last month with the addition of its own cache, speeding up thumbnail display and ensuring you won’t be affected if Explorer deletes its own cache.
Most organizations don't have an IT security expert
With cyber attacks on the rise, organizations are facing pressure to beef up their security to avoid falling victim to such an attack. However, a recent IT security report from Spiceworks shows that 80 percent of organizations were affected by at least one security incident during 2015.
To compile its report, the company surveyed over 600 IT professionals from the US and UK. Shockingly, Spiceworks discovered that few organizations have either an in-house or third-party cyber security expert on call.
Stop common malware exploits with NoVirusThanks Smart Object Blocker
NoVirusThanks Smart Object Blocker is a low level tool which enables blocking the execution of certain applications, commands, DLLs and drivers. Default rules block some common malware exploits and attacks, and you can add more to fine-tune the protection available.
Creating these rules requires editing a text file, which isn’t exactly convenient, but a few bundled examples help to explain the basics.
Show and tell: A brief guide to explainer videos
Whether you have a story to tell or product to sell, there are multiple benefits to Explainer Videos. Producing short films for online audiences allow you to showcase your wares and expertise, offering an affordable, snappy and entertaining route toward grabbing attention, boosting conversion rates and increasing sales.
With recent research predicting that 79 percent of global consumer Internet traffic will be video by 2018, it’s little wonder that marketers the world over are focusing on the medium of moving pictures and investing in explainer videos, confident of the potential for generating healthy returns.
Customers penalize businesses with a bad mobile experience
Think mobile experience isn’t important to the success of your business? Think again. A massive 85 percent of people are unlikely to do business with a company following a bad mobile experience, according to the results of a new study from LogMeIn and research firm Vanson Bourne.
The study also revealed that businesses are currently falling short in delivering satisfying mobile experiences for their customers, with the number of respondents happy with their last mobile engagement with a business dropping from 59 percent in 2015 to 52 percent in 2016.
ExtraBits is a time-saving Explorer extension
ExtraBits is an Explorer extension which adds some time-saving commands to the file and folder right-click menu. The program is free for non-commercial use, but has a notable limitation: it only works on up to 100 files or folders in a single operation.
ExtraBits doesn’t make any obvious changes during installation, but if you select and right-click multiple files or folders you’ll find a new ExtraBit menu with several options.
Google releases virtual reality LGBTQ 360 YouTube experience called #prideforeveryone
Regardless of your feeling towards the LGBTQ community, it is undeniable that all people deserve to be treated with respect. Carrying hate in your heart can have devastating consequences, potentially leading to people getting hurt, or worse. Sadly, prejudice can be passed from parents to children, as young ones are like sponges to their parents' actions. In other words, it is up to us to break the cycle of hatred and bigotry.
Today, Google announces that it is contributing to combating hate, with #prideforeveryone. This initiative is a virtual reality LGBTQ pride video experience, highlighting love, understanding, and inclusion.
Lookout uses network layer security to expand mobile protection
The shift towards a mobile and cloud focused workplace has brought a great deal of flexibility but it's also added new risks. How do you protect data when employees can access it at any time and from any device?
Lookout, a specialist in securing mobility, has expanded expanded Mobile Threat Protection with the introduction of Network Protection, an automatic on-device analysis of network connections to defend against man-in-the-middle attacks and ensure information is being securely transmitted.
Nest expands views for Farsight on its thermostats
When Nest first launched its thermostat it had very clear views of what people wanted to see. You can view the current temperature in your home as well as the target temperature. Clicking it can show the outside temperature and humidity, among other things.
With the third generation, the company released Farsight. The thermostat lights up when it sees you, basically motion detection. It shows you all the relevant information then goes dark again, presumably to save a bit of power.
Google explains that search autocomplete censors suggestions
If you use Google as your search engine, you'll no doubt have noticed that as you type, a list of suggestions appears. This is an example of Google trying to be helpful, but the autocomplete suggestions can also be amusing or just plain weird -- thanks, algorithms! In recent days, Google has been accused of tinkering with search suggestions in a way that favors Hillary Clinton -- something the company strenuously denies.
You may have wondered how Google comes up with the suggestions it makes, and Tamar Yehoshua, VP of product management has spilled the beans. She reveals that as well as trying to be helpful to the searcher, the autocomplete algorithm also censors suggestions to discourage people from conducting "offensive or disparaging" searches about others.
In anticipation of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Google Maps brings 'Explore' feature to Brazil
The Olympic games are a time when the countries of the world should put aside their differences to engage in sport. Whether that actually happens, however, is debatable. While the athletes are surely capable of focusing on the competition, it can be hard for long-standing disagreements to be forgotten -- even temporarily -- by their home countries.
If you plan to visit Brazil for the Olympic games, and to focus on sport and having fun, Google has you covered. In anticipation of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the search giant is bringing the 'Explore' feature to Brazil Maps.
Explore deep space with Aladin
Aladin is an interactive sky atlas enabling users to visualize and explore a host of astronomical images and data. Or, if that sounds too complicated, you could just use it to look at gorgeous pictures of deep space. Which works for us.
As long as you have Java, there’s no setup required. Aladin is a single executable, and you can just download it and run on Windows, Linux and Mac.
Still using Windows XP? Here's how to update it and gain all the features it's missing
Microsoft might have dropped support for Windows XP over two years ago, but the operating system remains hugely popular. According to the latest usage figures from NetMarketShare, it still has over 10 percent of the market.
There are numerous reasons why people might still opt to use the ancient OS, including the simplest of all -- because they like it, and it works for them -- but time has moved on considerably since XP first arrived in 2001, and the OS is missing a lot of features. Don’t worry though, you can bring XP up to date quickly and easily.
Expect to lose data when your SSD fails
As more people are switching from HDDs (hard disk drives) to SSDs (solid state drives), more data loss is occurring, a new report by Kroll Ontrack suggests.
SSD disks might be solid in their state, but don’t seem to be more reliable than HDD disks. Still, it doesn’t stop their popularity growth. Out of 2,000 global respondents to the Kroll Ontrack survey, 92 percent are using SSD technology, with more than a third (38 percent) having experienced an SSD failure. Of those failed disks, almost a quarter (23 percent) lost data.
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