Lack of understanding holds back automation
Businesses are missing out on automation because they don't understand the technology according to a new report.
The study from business automation specialist V1 finds a number of misconceptions about robotic process automation (RPA) including that 22 percent of people think RPA requires a physical robot.
Linux kernel 5.7 to include new exFAT file-system driver
Version 5.7 of the Linux kernel is due to land later this spring, and when it does there is quite a lot to look forward to. Additions include a new exFAT file-system driver which is great news for users.
While Linux has supported exFAT for a little while, the version that is currently support is limited because it is based on an old driver. But Samsung has been working away on an update version which will land in Linux 5.7, making it possible to work with larger media formatted using the exFAT file system.
Windows 10 KB4535996 update is causing sleep problems and degrading performance
When Microsoft released the KB4535996 update for Windows 10, it was supposed to fix problems with search and printing. But, as has become something of a recurring theme, the update has been causing problems of its own for users.
Myriad reports have come in of issues with sleep, BSoD errors, and a reduction in system performance following the installation of the optional update.
How telemedicine technology can help cut the threat of coronavirus [Q&A]
As nations around the world gear up to deal with the coronavirus, what role can technology play in preventing the spread of this and other infectious diseases?
We spoke to Dr Jonathan Wiesen, founder and chief medical officer of telemedicine company MediOrbis to find out.
Twitter slaps 'manipulated media' label on deceptively edited video of Biden retweeted by Trump
Just last month, Twitter announced new rules as it tries to stem the flow of "synthetic and manipulated media" on the platform. The company only started using the "manipulated media" label on March 5, and it was White House social media director Dan Scavino who earned the questionable honor of being the first recipient.
Over the weekend, he shared a video clip of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden that was edited in such a way as to make it seem as though Biden was endorsing Trump. But the clip had been carefully edited to change the meaning of what was actually said.
Microsoft Edge has more privacy-invading telemetry than other browsers
Microsoft may be making great claims about the speed and security of Edge, but a recent study found that the browser is one of the least private. Douglas J Leith from the School of Computer Science & Statistics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, tested six web browsers to determine how often they phoned home, and what data they were sharing.
He pitted Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Brave Browser, Microsoft Edge and Yandex Browser against each other, and the results were rather damning of Edge. Among the findings was the disturbing fact that all URLs typed into Edge are shared with multiple Microsoft sites, as are unique hardware identifiers, opening up the possibility of history tracking.
Kanguru Defender Bio-Elite30 fingerprint-encrypted USB flash drive -- great for storage, perfect for Tails Linux [Review]
When I first saw the Kanguru Defender Bio-Elite30 flash drive, I was immediately intrigued. Having the ability to decrypt an encrypted flash drive with the touch of a finger was immensely convenient. And yes, convenience matters, as making encryption easy increases the likelihood that the user will actually use it. If encrypting files becomes too cumbersome, the user may not bother, leading to poor security practices.
Also cool was Kanguru's promise that it was operating system agnostic, meaning it would work with any OS, such as Windows, macOS, and desktop Linux distributions. I'd later find out that was only partially true, but more on that in a moment. It is even well-built -- the housing is a solid piece of aluminum that not only looks beautiful, but should lend to increased durability.
Google stops issuing security warnings to Microsoft Edge users
When Google started to warn Microsoft Edge users about potential security issues to encourage them to switch to Chrome, it seemed as though the browser wars were in full effect once again.
But now Google seems to have realized that displaying the warning to users of Chromium-based Edge is, well, a little petty. The company no long displays such warnings -- a move which could remove an obstacle for those who have been sitting on the fence about switching.
Open source operating systems FreeNAS and TrueNAS are merging
iXsystems has announced that its two open source operating systems for network attached storage are unifying. Moving forward, FreeNAS and TrueNAS will merge into TrueNAS Open Storage.
Despite the unification, there will still be two versions of the operating system available: TrueNAS CORE and TrueNAS Enterprise. Both are billed as enterprise-quality software, but TrueNAS Enterprise requires a license and offers an extended set of features, while TrueNAS CORE is free.
Microsoft Edge now supports Chrome themes -- here's what you need to know
Since switching to the Chromium engine, Microsoft Edge just became a whole lot more interesting -- and development has sped up dramatically.
As well as speeding up Edge, Microsoft has been busy adding new features such as a Potentially Unwanted Apps blocker, support for Chrome extensions and more. One of the latest changes does nothing to add new features, but it is important for anyone concerned with aesthetics; there is now support for Chrome themes to change the look of the browser.
Microsoft has new utilities planned for the next version of PowerToys
It is mere days since the last pair of updates to PowerToys for Windows 10, but there was really very little to get excited about. PowerToys 0.15 and 0.15.1 weren't much more than bug-fix releases, but version 0.16 is something to look forward to.
While it's not known quite when this version will be released, Microsoft seems eager to make it available as soon as possible. This time around, there are new additions to excite you. A total of four new tools, including the return of the Image Resizer PowerToy.
DuckDuckGo protects your online privacy with new open source Tracker Radar service
Google competitor DuckDuckGo is already well-known as a search engine that goes further than others to protect user privacy. Now the company has open sourced Tracker Radar, its data set that details thousands of domains that track you as you use the internet.
DuckDuckGo Tracker Radar is something that the company already uses itself to power the tracker protection in the DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser mobile apps and DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials desktop browser extensions. Now it is being made publicly available, and developers are invited to contribute to the ever-growing list of trackers to further protect user privacy.
Google Assistant is losing Chrissy Teigen's husband's voice
Chrissy Teigen is an absolute delight. She is wildly popular, not only from her modeling, but from her wonderful social media accounts too. Apparently, her husband is rather famous as well. Teigen's spouse, named John Legend, is a notable singer and pianist.
Likely thanks to his marriage to Chrissy Teigen, Legend scored a pretty cool partnership with Google, lending his voice to Google Assistant. In other words, when summoning Google Assistant, you can be greeted by Chrissy Teigen's husband's voice. Sadly, this is coming to an end, as the search giant announces the partnership concludes later this month.
Preparing for Covid-19 and beyond
The threat of a global pandemic is alarming, but at least in this case, IT has some advance notice to prepare for the worst-case scenario. You do not want to be caught without a plan if local governments institute a quarantine or local schools are closed for several weeks. And even if we avoid a pandemic -- fingers crossed -- the planning you did won’t be in vain.
It’s important for every organization to always have a plan to deal with disasters large and small, whether it’s flooding, inclement winter weather or a particularly bad cold that sends half your team home. Here are the steps you should take to put together your plan and prepare for a potential pandemic.
How gamification is helping the insurance industry boost sales [Q&A]
New research conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of SE2 and Life.io finds the vast majority of respondents would opt to share real-time wellness data with insurance companies through wearable devices in exchange for ongoing benefits like a lower insurance premium or wellness rewards.
The data, based on results from more than 2,000 adults, also finds that people want their policies to be more interactive. Roughly two thirds (68 percent) say if a provider offered a policy that included elements of gamification to reward healthy lifestyle and wellness habits -- like badges for hitting certain milestones, a leaderboard, financial rewards -- they would be likely to engage in those elements.
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