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Total 48 articles, created at 2016-03-26 18:00 1 Netflix owns up to throttling streams for some carriers And it's been doing it for years 2016-03-25 19:43 2KB feedproxy.google.com (2.00/3)

2 GTA 5 Online offers double XP, big discounts until end of the month Rockstar announces the latest weekly event for GTA Online; get all the details here. 2016-03-26 14:28 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 3 Rumored NX controller images confirmed fake Those images of what claimed to be the NX controller? They're fakes. 2016-03-26 14:26 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 4 Rocket League Xbox One patch notes include big fixes and more Soccer-with-cars game's fourth title update also improves overall stability and more. 2016-03-26 14:22 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 5 Crave giveaway: Free 32GB computer memory boost from Crucial Does your computer need a performance boost? Read on to find out how to get a new memory module that will especially appeal to gamers and overclockers. 2016-03-26 14:59 900Bytes cnet.com.feedsportal.com 6 Fish-shaped rock swims into NASA photo from Mars Get out your waders and your favorite flies. UFO fans spotted a very fishy object on the surface of Mars. 2016-03-26 14:00 906Bytes cnet.com.feedsportal.com 7 Ex-NFL players use app to tackle health problems Harvard University and the NFL Players Association create an app they hope will illustrate how injuries have affected former players. 2016-03-26 14:59 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 8 Top Android news of the week: Supreme Court; Kernel patches; Accessibility tool This week in Android we heard that the Supreme Court will weigh in on the Samsung/ Apple battle, and we saw Google release an accessibility tool for developers and a fix for a kernel vulnerability. 2016-03-26 12:59 1KB zdnet.com.feedsportal.com 9 Renice Announces X9 Military-Grade Rugged SSDs with R- SATA Connectors Shenzhen Renice Technology, a little-known maker of special-purpose SSDs from China, has introduced its new family of drives designed for military... 2016-03-26 12:54 3KB www.anandtech.com 10 OS X 10 tips and tricks These tips are courtesy of Mac guru Jonny Evans, who pens our Apple Holic blog. Learn how to wrangle Spotlight, 10 steps... 2016-03-26 14:48 960Bytes www.computerworld.com 11 Oculus VR goggles could change the future. Or not. The virtual-reality era officially begins on Monday. Facebook will start selling its $599 Rift, a VR headset it believes will change our lives -- again. 2016-03-26 14:59 5KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com

12 When a dear pal died, I needed help to assist his widow in organizing his digital life. Carbonite and U. S. Cellular came through big time. When a dear pal died, I needed help to assist his widow in organizing his digital life. Carbonite and U. S. Cellular came through big time. 2016-03-26 13:48 3KB www.eweek.com 13 What Verykool's Latest Budget Smartphones Offer Android Fans The Spark LTE SL5011 is a $180 4G LTE smartphone that comes on the heels of recent Maverick and Cyprus models priced at less than $200. 2016-03-26 13:48 1KB www.eweek.com 14 PwC Finds EHRs Require Careful Analysis to Reduce Risk, Save Money Analytics can help health care providers find compliance issues faster, bolster data security and generate more revenue, a report from PWC concludes. 2016-03-26 12:37 1KB www.eweek.com 15 Snapchat reportedly buys Bitstrips: How much are Bitmojis worth?!? An emoji cartoon app could now be part of Snapchat, Apple creates its first TV series, and Netflix admits to throttling some customer's video streams. 2016-03-26 13:53 977Bytes cnet.com.feedsportal.com 16 How to find a real-life Krypton, Superman's home planet Could the fact that astronomers have yet to find a planet matching the Man of Steel's origin story be the reason he's so moody and peeved at Batman? 2016-03-26 13:53 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 17 Night Shift is our favorite thing from the iPhone SE/iPad Pro event (Apple Byte Extra Crunchy Podcast Ep. 31) We go deep with our reactions to Apple's keynote. Is 3D Touch in trouble? And, the FBI is now trying to hack into the iPhone. 2016-03-26 13:53 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 18 Here's your first glimpse of villain Negan on 'The Walking Dead' One of the biggest bad guys from the graphic-novel series is about to make his television debut. 2016-03-26 13:53 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 19 Near misses between drones and planes keep on rising Buzzing gadgets causing mayhem 2016-03-26 11:23 1KB feedproxy.google.com 20 Continuity Error: Going Rogue Podcast: Life imitates art imitates life in this week's episode. We talk Tay, the AI almost- queen tween of Twitter, Frodo's latest exploits, and our reactions to the reactions of "Batman v Superman" reviews. 2016-03-26 13:53 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 21 Here's everything you missed from the New York Auto Show New York was a busy show, with tons of new reveals. In case you missed our coverage, we've put all the important stuff in one convenient location. 2016-03-26 13:53 5KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 22 Turn your smartphone into a VR headset for only $10 Want to get a VR (Virtual Reality) headset but don't want to spend big bucks on one? Here's how you can transform an iPhone or pretty much any Android handset into a cool VR headset. 2016-03-26 11:08 2KB zdnet.com.feedsportal.com

23 iOS 9.3 Update Could Brick Older iPhones, iPads A potential flaw in Apple's iOS 9.3 update could brick older editions of the iPhone and iPad, so the company has decided to pull back while it finds a fix. 2016-03-26 11:05 3KB www.informationweek.com 24 5 tech trends redefining the customer experience Technology is at the core of the contact centre, and the key trends of 2016 revolve around the ways that great tech 2016-03-26 12:39 774Bytes www.itworldcanada.com 25 Visibilité en Temps Réel Avec une solution tout-en-un, vous pouvez bénéficier d'une vue étendue et précise de ce qui se passe dans votre centre de contacts 2016-03-26 12:39 805Bytes www.itworldcanada.com 26 Internet decides Ted Cruz is everyone's doppelganger Folks on social media and image-sharing sites are comparing the GOP candidate to singers from '80s metal bands, species of fish and many other things that apparently look Cruz-esque. 2016-03-26 12:43 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 27 Vid of Sad Affleck is the funniest/gloomiest thing you'll see today A video remix tries to get inside Ben Affleck's mind after critics dismantle his new superhero film. 2016-03-26 12:43 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 28 BioWare's Mass Effect Andromeda and new IP look 'stunning,' dev says Two of BioWare's most-anticipated projects are coming along well, studio director says. 2016-03-26 12:43 950Bytes cnet.com.feedsportal.com 29 Adobe's 2016 plans for Creative Cloud: Mobility, workflows and enterprise integration The creative software giant will enhance its mobile offerings, link them with desktop applications via sophisticated asset workflows, develop tools for social marketers and create a single Adobe Cloud for enterprises. 2016-03-26 10:21 5KB zdnet.com.feedsportal.com 30 The Division end-game activity details coming soon Reached the end of the game and looking for something to do? Ubisoft has an answer. 2016-03-26 12:43 1KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 31 Heavy Facebook, Twitter users 3 times more likely to be depressed Technically Incorrect: A new University of Pittsburgh study suggests there is a correlation between overuse of the likes of Facebook and depression. That doesn't mean social media causes depression. 2016-03-26 12:43 2KB cnet.com.feedsportal.com 32 Project Tay Turns Racist, Office Updates For March: Microsoft Roundup Microsoft updated PowerPoint Designer, announced Office 365 updates, pushed for encrypted email, and silenced AI Project Tay after some Internet troll interference. 2016-03-26 10:05 4KB www.informationweek.com 33 How tech failures can transform your business for the better Failure isn't something staff members should be scared of 2016-03-26 10:00 3KB feedproxy.google.com

34 How to make your own greeting card this Easter No paper, just iPad 2016-03-26 09:00 3KB feedproxy.google.com 35 Buy Social Media Marketing Expand Services To Include Instagram and Facebook Video Views Buy Social Media Marketing has created two new video viewing services on the biggest social media platforms of 2016, to help people get eyes on their content in all new ways. Video marketing is becoming more and more important with every day that goes by, as high... 2016-03-26 08:38 2KB pctechmag.com 36 6 Tips for a Perfect Backup in Your cPanel VPS Server Losing data is one of the most painful moments of a systems administrator. This can either stop a whole company for days (or even weeks), and generate a huge loss of profit. Video demonstrating on how to backup your website files, databases and emails... 2016-03-26 08:14 4KB pctechmag.com 37 Where Do Companies Like Alexa and Compete Get Their Data? Alexa is one of the best known Web analytics companies, and it’s the number one best known analytics company that isn’t known for its analytics. The Amazon-operated company grew famous for their website rankings, which dominated the lower echelons of Internet marketers for years. Even... 2016-03-26 07:16 4KB pctechmag.com 38 The social media blackout that can happen when you travel around Uganda In Uganda we like to travel to our upcountry homes for the holidays. The long Easter weekend provides a perfect opportunity to do just that! We enjoy catching up with friends and family, and generally all the fuss that comes with taking a break from city life... 2016-03-26 05:30 3KB pctechmag.com 39 Uganda to host the 2nd IBFD Africa Tax Symposium The Africa Tax Symposium is an annual authoritative event, drawing together tax professionals from all over the continent. The aim of the Symposium is to analyse the most pertinent international tax issues of the day and to place them within the African context. This is reflected in... 2016-03-26 04:30 2KB pctechmag.com 40 The week in Apple news: iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro are here, the DOJ saga, and more Apple headlines for the week ending March 25, 2016. 2016-03-26 03:00 1KB www.itnews.com 41 It's time for security spring cleaning With the day-to-day activities, older security products and software often get set aside even if they're no longer in use 2016-03-26 03:00 6KB www.infoworld.com 42 'Leaked' Nintendo NX Controller Images Were Elaborate 3D Printed Hoax By Pranksters | HotHardware Wading through the Internet is a little similar to the movie Inception, in that you never truly know what's real. In case anyone needed reminding of that, what were purported to be leaked photos of an oval shaped controller for Nintendo's forthcoming NX console turned... 2016-03-26 00:00 1KB hothardware.com 43 Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg Bottle-Feeds His Adorable 4 month old Baby Girl, Max Facebook Inc. CEO and Co-Founder, Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t seem to mind doing things for his adorable 4-month old Max. On Thursday he posted a photo of himself bottle feeding her, quoting on his Facebook Official Page saying, "Most Important meetings of the day... 2016-03-25 22:02 2KB pctechmag.com

44 If Kevin Spacey can't sell you on VR, then no one can From a multi-award-winning actor: VR is the future 2016-03-25 22:00 2KB feedproxy.google.com 45 Microsoft apologizes for 'critical oversight' following Tay's meltdown But she'll be back on at some point 2016-03-25 21:28 3KB feedproxy.google.com 46 Microsoft sees rise in government data demands, but fewer national security orders More than three-quarters of all law enforcement requests were submitted by the US, the UK, Turkey, France, and Germany. 2016-03-25 19:39 3KB zdnet.com.feedsportal.com 47 Microsoft starts rolling out Office 365 Connectors as part of Groups Microsoft is starting to roll out Office 365 Connectors, a feature that pulls content and updates from Microsoft and third-party apps and services, like Twitter, Trello, RSS and more, directly into Outlook. 2016-03-25 19:19 3KB zdnet.com.feedsportal.com 48 Microsoft delivers Windows 10 'Redstone' 14295 preview for PC and mobile Microsoft's latest Windows 10 test build, No. 14295, for PCs and phones, includes a number of fixes but no brand-new features. 2016-03-25 18:19 1KB zdnet.com.feedsportal.com Articles

Total 48 articles, created at 2016-03-26 18:00

1 Netflix owns up to throttling streams for some carriers (2.00/3) If you're a customer on a certain carrier, you may not have been getting the best quality Netflix streams possible. Netflix admitted to the Wall Street Journal that it's been throttling its video streaming service to certain carriers, including AT&T and Verizon, and it's been doing so for more than five years. The news comes after T-Mobile CEO John Legere last week accused these rivals of throttling the service to just 360p, while it offers Netflix streaming at 420p with its BingeOn program . However, Netflix is the one that's responsible for the throttling, as according to the report, it worries people may stop using the streaming service if it takes up too much of their monthly data allowance. AT&T and Verizon offered divergent reactions to the revelation. "Verizon delivers video content at the resolution provided by the host service, whether that's Netflix or any other provider," a Verizon spokesman told the WSJ. AT&T, for its part, was much more incensed. Jim Cicconi, AT&T's senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs, said in a statement sent to techradar: "We're outraged to learn that Netflix is apparently throttling video for their AT&T customers without their knowledge or consent. " Netflix explained in a blog post that it's been capping its streams through mobile carriers globally in an effort to "protect our members from overage charges when they exceed mobile data caps. " Its default bitrate for streaming videos over mobile networks globally is capped at 600 kilobits per second. "Our research and testing indicates that many members worry about exceeding their mobile data cap, and don't need the same resolution on their mobile phone as on a large screen TV to enjoy shows and movies," Netflix said. However, the streaming giant said it also recognizes it needs to give its customers more choice as some carriers aren't charging or penalizing for going over data caps, and that some users have a higher data plan. To that end, it will introduce a "data saver" feature in May. While Netflix didn't reveal the exact details of the feature, it does appear that it will finally give users some control over their own streaming quality, and not be limited to a default bitrate set by the service. To that end, AT&T and Verizon customers may soon be able to judge for themselves just how much of their data Netflix gobbles up in the future. Article continues below Data cap fear: Netflix has been throttling its streaming on AT&T, Verizon zdnet.com.feedsportal.com 2016-03-25 19:43 By Farrha feedproxy.google.com

2 GTA 5 Online offers double XP, big discounts until end of the month First, log into GTA Online any day through March 31 and you will receive a new T-shirt with the logo for the fictional film "The Shoulder Of Orion II. " Additionally, you can earn double RP by participating in some of GTA Online's race playlists. These will be available directly through the GTA V launch screen every day this coming week; the schedule is below: Additionally, mods for these vehicles (and others) are offered for 25 percent off from Los Santos Customs. It's not just land-based vehicles that are on sale, as the Lampadati Toro speedboat is also available for 25 percent off from the DockTease dealer. On top of this, Rockstar is offering 50 percent off all clothing and tattoos from both parts of the Ill- Gotten Gains updates. The weapon shop Ammu-Nation is also offering items like the Knuckle Duster, The Pimp, and The Rock melee weapons for 50 percent off.

2016-03-26 14:28 GameSpot Staff cnet.com.feedsportal.com

3 Rumored NX controller images confirmed fake Now we know both are fake. As for the second fake, it was created by Frank Sandqvist, who founded laser-engraving company CNC Design in Finland with his brother. He explains in the video below that he was inspired by the first faker's design and decided to see if he could make it himself. "I'm sorry if I got people's hopes up, but it seems most people were against this kind of design, so maybe it's a relief to hear that it's fake," Sandqvist explains. "I thought it would be funny to see how easy it would be to recreate that Photoshopped leak in real life -- it turns out, it's pretty easy. " What do you make of these NX mockups? Let us know in the comments below!

2016-03-26 14:26 GameSpot Staff cnet.com.feedsportal.com

4 Rocket League Xbox One patch notes include big fixes and more

Arenas such as DFH Stadium, Utopia, Utopia Dusk, and Wasteland should all now see improved performance, but developer Psyonix did not provide any details on specific changes. As for the bug fixes, the patch fixes a problem where the Competitive division text was displaying incorrectly. Additionally, the update adjusts the default UI size, while overall, game stability should be improved following this update. You can see the full patch notes below. General Online UI/UX

2016-03-26 14:22 GameSpot Staff cnet.com.feedsportal.com

5 Crave giveaway: Free 32GB computer memory boost from Crucial So how do you win this free memory from Crucial worth $400? Remember to read our rules below before entering. And here's the disclaimer that our legal department said we had to include (all caps for extra legality):

2016-03-26 14:59 Leslie Katz cnet.com.feedsportal.com

6 Fish-shaped rock swims into NASA photo from Mars Some UFO fanatics may take this fish sighting very seriously, but we know it's just a coincidental convergence of the right rock with the perfect play of shadows. Or I could be wrong and one day soon we'll receive a desperate message from hungry aliens: "Please, send bread crumbs and a deep fryer! "

2016-03-26 14:00 Amanda Kooser cnet.com.feedsportal.com

7 7 Ex-NFL players use app to tackle health problems

Do ex-NFL players really know how banged up their bodies are? Their iPhones might help. Medical researchers at Harvard University have created a new app that lets former players share how on-field injuries may still be affecting their brains and bodies. "We want to get as much specific data on how a player's health may affect their well-being over the course of their lives," said Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, a Harvard neurology professor and TeamStudy's lead investigator. The app's anonymity might allow researchers to attract players who would otherwise be reluctant to discuss chronic aches and pains, he said. George Wrighster, a former tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars who suffered at least three concussions during his career, says getting players to discuss their injuries remains a challenge. "It may be humbling to say you're still in pain and not as tough as you used to be," said Wrighster, 34, who deals with chronic neck and back pain. "Hopefully, this will give them an outlet where they can be open and honest about what they're going through. " The TeamStudy app collects data when participants perform simple physical activities, such as walking. They're also asked to respond to questions about the ability to focus.

2016-03-26 14:59 Terry Collins cnet.com.feedsportal.com

8 Top Android news of the week: Supreme Court; Kernel patches; Accessibility tool Google has released a security update that addresses a kernel vulnerability exposing it to hackers. The update allows systems to detect if affected apps are installed. The update is for kernels 3.4, 3.10, and 3.14 and these are ready to receive the update. Source: Android Community Google has released a tool to help developers make their apps more accessible for everyone. Accessibility issues can keep users from adopting an app and this tool automatically scans them and points out accessibility features to make it better. Source: Ars Tecnica Apple has updated the Apple Music app for Android, and a new widget makes it more useful. The widget provides basic controls and displays album art. In addition to the new widget, it is now possible to make custom playlists and tapping the song that is playing now takes you to the album. Source: Android Authority The next chapter of the long-running court case between Apple and Samsung is now heading to the Supreme Court. The Court has agreed to address the $548 million assessment of damages previously ordered to be paid to Apple. Source: ZDNet

2016-03-26 12:59 James Kendrick zdnet.com.feedsportal.com

9 Renice Announces X9 Military-Grade Rugged SSDs with R- SATA Connectors Shenzhen Renice Technology, a little-known maker of special-purpose SSDs from China, has introduced its new family of drives designed for military and rugged applications. What makes these new drives notable is that they are designed to withstand harsh environments, utilizing special R-SATA connectors as well as custom controllers. On the NAND side the drives are build around SLC, MLC or pseudo-SLC NAND flash memory to provide the required balance between endurance, price and performance. The Renice X9 R-SATA SSDs are powered by the company’s own controller, the RS3502-IT, as well as SLC or MLC NAND flash memory from undisclosed manufacturers. The drives are made in accordance with the MIL-STD-810F spec to withstand harsh environments and poor handling, and feature integrated power failure protection as well as 256-bit AES encryption with several secure erase functions (both software and hardware). The Renice X9 SSDs use the company’s proprietary 15-pin R-SATA connectors as well as special 7-pin SATA power ports, which limits compatibility of the drives to applications that feature the same connectors. The SLC-based X9 R-SATA drives are offered in 128 GB – 1 TB configurations, whereas MLC- powered SSDs are available with 256 GB – 2 TB capacities. If required, Renice can use MLC NAND in pseudo-SLC mode in order to provide higher endurance and performance at a predictable cost. The Renice X9 comes in 2.5” form-factor with 7, 9 or 15 mm thickness, depending on the exact capacity configuration. The manufacturer claims that the X9 SSDs have maximum sequential read speed of up to 530 MB/s and maximum sequential write speed of up to 500 MB/s along with 0.1 ms access time. The company does not specify random read/write performance of the drives, but claims that it is “excellent”. Keeping in mind that X9 SSDs can use different types of NAND flash memory and come in various configurations, random I/O performance of different models is likely to vary greatly. With regards to reliability, the Renice X9 drives boast a MTBF of over four million hours, while their physical tolerance is rated for 16.4G (10 – 2000 Hz) sustained vibration and 1500G (@ 0.5 ms half sine wave) shock, something that typical drives simply do not offer (Intel's DC S3710 SSD, by comparison, can tolerate 2.17 G operating vibration and can survive 1000 G shock). The X9 SSDs are designed for operating temperatures ranging from -40°C to +85°C (industrial- grade) or even -55°C to+125°C (military-grade), which is in line with other SSDs for extreme environments (such as those from Amtron or Foremay ). Meanwhile, datacenter drives like the DC S3710 can operate when its temperature is between 0ºC and +70ºC. Given that Renice is a Shenzhen-based company, it is admittedly unlikely that the X9 SSDs will be used in military or defence applications outside of China. Nonetheless, since the drives are designed to withstand harsh environments in general, the X9 SSDs can be used in aerospace, industrial, transportation, outdoor storage and other systems that are subject to extreme temperatures, severe vibrations and other types of harsh environments. Exact pricing of the Renice X9 depends on memory configuration and additional features that the manufacturer may offer (e.g., extended operating temperatures). Typically, rugged drives cost significantly more than typical SSDs.

2016-03-26 12:54 Anton Shilov www.anandtech.com

10 OS X 10 tips and tricks These tips are courtesy of Mac guru Jonny Evans, who pens our Apple Holic blog. Learn how to wrangle Spotlight, 10 steps to improve your Contacts experience, 6 disk utility changes you'll need to be aware of, a quick guide to fixing Mail problems, great extensions for Photos, 24 essential utilities, how Notes are more useful these days -- and much more. The shortcuts in here are focused on El Capitan, but we will be making available other Knowledge Packs with even more tips -- for OS X in general and iOS in particular. Check back soon!

2016-03-26 14:48 JavaWorld Network www.computerworld.com

11 Oculus VR goggles could change the future. Or not. The future of tech is here, and it may not be as much fun as you think. To join in, you'll need to strap a black, 1.5-pound mask to your face so you can have an out-of- body-like experience that might make you nauseous. There's also the chance you'll trip on the 13-foot-long cord that connects the device to a PC. Once you put the headset on, it really can make you feel like you're in a different place. You may be sitting in a chair at home, but through the headset -- which is basically holding a computer screen inches from your eyes -- you'll think you're standing beneath a Tyrannosaurus rex, climbing Mt. Everest or exploring the ruins of the nuclear disaster zone in Chernobyl That's the virtual-reality vision that Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg will be delivering Monday, when the Oculus Rift headset officially launches. It's also Zuckerberg's big bet. He spent $2 billion in 2014 just to buy Oculus while its VR tech was still a prototype. When the Rift goes on sale for $599 US (£499 or AU$649), most experiences will be video games, like the space shooter Eve: Valkyrie, the card game Dragon Front, and Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, where robots have replaced all human workers. But Zuckerberg, 31, has much grander visions. He sees a future where education, communication and entertainment take place inside virtual worlds that we all see through these headsets. In that future, we won't just take a video or photo. We'll capture a moment using 360-degree cameras that record the people, things and action around us. Zuckerberg believes VR will allow us to relive precious moments -- like, in his case, the first steps taken by his 4-month old daughter, Max -- in a way we never could before. Sam Dolnick got his first taste of VR about a year ago when he downloaded Vrse, an app that plays 360-degree videos on an iPhone. You can also explore those videos by opening the app, plopping the phone into a headset and then peering through the eye holes. Turn your head, and the video pans around. "It blew me away," Dolnick said. "There's something powerful about this place where you just look around. " He showed his phone and Google Cardboard VR viewer to his colleagues in the newsroom at The New York Times, where he's an associate editor. "There were many people in the building who thought it was a stunt, a neat trick to do and then move on with our lives," Dolnick said. Now they think differently. (Click and drag in the video below to look around and simulate a VR experience.) "It's the most unique thing we have done," said Jessica Yu, the WSJ's global head of visuals. "There's tons of potential. " Lucasfilm also teamed up with Verizon and handed out Star Wars-themed Cardboard viewers last December ahead of the premiere of "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. " And for content, the filmmaker also released a series of minute-long videos called "Jakku Spy" that set the stage before the movie. "It was clear folks were willing to try something they never had before," said John Gaeta, executive creative director of ILMxLAB. "With each of these successive projects we get better," said Vicki Beck, executive in charge of strategic planning at ILMxLAB. For all the questions about VR and its future, it's worth remembering it's taken decades just to get to this point. This technology's long and winding road to store shelves has left behind companies like Jaron Lanier's VPL Research, horror films like "The Lawnmower Man" and many disappointed enthusiasts. But the tech industry, academics and entrepreneurs like Oculus inventor Palmer Luckey helped hold onto the dream that computers can be more than just a screen and a keyboard. "There's always been this inkling inside of people for VR," said Paul Silverman, an analyst at market researcher and consultancy Frank N. Magid Associates. "When it hits them that it's here and the real deal, there's real potential. " Monday's Oculus release is the virtual equivalent of the starting gun. Beside the Rift, HTC has promised to deliver its Vive headset next month for $799, and Sony's $399 PlayStation VR is set to debut in October. Like Oculus, these headsets will need a computer or video game console to power them. However this plays out, many people making games and movies are convinced there's real value in creating worlds we can immerse ourselves in. Reality 51, for example, brought laser scanners and high-end cameras to Chernobyl to put viewers in the middle of the city's radioactive devastation. "When I came to Chernobyl for the first time, I thought it was great, it was like the game 'Fallout,'" said Creative Director Wojciech Pazdur. "Then I started to understand this is serious. " "Being there, visiting there, hearing the story, feeling like it's something that matters -- that's what we want to show. "

2016-03-26 14:59 Ian Sherr cnet.com.feedsportal.com

12 When a dear pal died, I needed help to assist his widow in organizing his digital life. Carbonite and U. S. Cellular came through big time. Soon after one of my best friends died on Feb. 1, I learned about the compassion technology companies can show during very difficult times. I knew Dan Miller for 35 years since we worked together at the now-defunct Foreign Car Specialists sports car shop in Madison, Wis., in the 1980s. Dan was a mechanic who worked on Japanese cars. I was a parts guy and service writer in the shop while putting myself through college. We were friends from the start. We took road trips, went to hear music, went sailing on his boat and commiserated about girlfriends and love that was lost or found. He was like the brother I never had. Tragically, Dan died while on vacation in Costa Rica after a powerful wave lifted him from the water and dropped him into a rock, killing him instantly. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Patricia Larsen-Miller, who held a beautiful memorial service for him on March 19 in Waunakee, Wis. Some 250 friends attended the service and shared their stories about Dan and his life and how he touched our lives. After the service, I stayed in Madison to help Pat sort out Dan's digital life in his laptop computer. As an avid photographer, his collection of digital images consumed more than 234GB of space in his storage drives. One of the first things I discovered was that we couldn't find a password for Dan's online Carbonite backup account. After the service locked us out of his account as we tried passwords, we had to phone Carbonite for direct assistance. When Steve at Carbonite answered the phone, I explained the situation. His response was humbling. Steve first genuinely expressed his heartfelt condolences to Pat and me via speakerphone and told us he would do everything possible to help at what he knew was a very difficult time. He authenticated us through several questions about credit cards and personal information and then he helped us change Dan's account password. Before completing the call, he again offered his sympathies for our huge loss. We had a similar caring experience when we called U. S. Cellular to ask for help saving Dan's outgoing voicemail message on his Moto X smartphone. His voicemail message was the only recording of Dan's voice that Pat had, and she wanted to save it if she could. I called U. S. Cellular and asked for help in doing so when I realized that the message was on the company's servers. Shannon at U. S. Cellular responded quickly and got the paperwork started to make it happen. She also offered her heartfelt sympathies for my friend's loss and was genuinely kind to Pat in helping her retrieve the voice file. The compassion and true caring shown by both companies was much appreciated. No one ever said no. They just did what was necessary to help. Thanks again, Carbonite and U. S. Cellular, from the bottom of my heart.

2016-03-26 13:48 Todd R www.eweek.com

13 What Verykool's Latest Budget Smartphones Offer Android Fans Verykool, a provider of budget mobile phones, has announced its latest three smartphone models, including the recently launched $180 Spark LTE SL5011, a 4G LTE handset. Also unveiled were the $167 Maverick LTE SL5550 smartphone and the $200 Cyprus LTE SL6010 phablet. All three smartphones run on Android 5.1 Lollipop and boast a wide range of features, including bright HD displays, 13-megapixel main cameras with auto- focus and LED flash, 8-megapixel front-facing selfie cameras and expandable storage via microSD card slots. Verykool phones are designed and marketed by InfoSonics, which sells its phones through regional and prepaid carriers in the United States. The phones are built in China by third-party vendors. Customers can buy the phones and use them with the GSM carriers of their choice. InfoSonics, which also sells Verykool smartphones in South America, Central America and the Caribbean, was founded in 1994 as a phone distribution company for Samsung and went public in 2004. In 2005, the company launched the first smartphone of its own. Peruse this slide show for more details about the latest Verykool phones.

2016-03-26 13:48 Todd R www.eweek.com

14 PwC Finds EHRs Require Careful Analysis to Reduce Risk, Save Money Electronic health records and government regulations have pushed the medical profession into the digital age. However, as with anything that has gone digital, EHRs are now facing several issues that could put personal information at risk, create regulatory problems and pose new risks for health care providers. That's the takeaway from a recent whitepaper released by consulting firm PwC. The consulting company's position is that IT and health care administrators need to understand the risks associated with EHRs and how the use of advanced analytics can mitigate some of those issues. The study found that analytics could help health care providers discover compliance issues faster, bolster data security and, ultimately, generate more revenue. This slide show takes a closer look at EHRs and why the heavily regulated health care sector has become fertile ground for technology professionals to explore ways to implement data analysis and security technology to protect the integrity of health care records in ways that protect patients and service providers.

2016-03-26 12:37 Don Reisinger www.eweek.com

15 15 Snapchat reportedly buys Bitstrips: How much are Bitmojis worth?!? The world of Snapchat and Bitmoji may become one. CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under 3 minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps and what's ahead. Subscribe to the podcast via the links below. Subscribe:

2016-03-26 13:53 Bridget Carey cnet.com.feedsportal.com

16 How to find a real-life Krypton, Superman's home planet This week's release of " Batman v. Superman " has renewed interest in searching the cosmos for a real-life planet similar to Superman's comic book home planet, Krypton. Back in 2012, none other than astrophysicist and eminent nerd celebrity Neil DeGrasse Tyson appeared in an issue of DC Comics to declare that the star LHS 2520 matches the description of the star in Krypton's home system, as described by the comics. Physicist Martin Archer from Queen Mary University of London says that while we've yet to locate a rocky planet like Krypton orbiting LHS 2520, that doesn't mean it isn't there...or perhaps around another red dwarf star. In the below video, Archer breaks down some of the ongoing searches for exoplanets and what they mean for the quest for a real Krypton. Of course, the absence of a planet around LHS 2520 could be explained by the history put forth in the DC Comics series in which Superman's home was blown apart in a nuclear chain reaction.

2016-03-26 13:53 Eric Mack cnet.com.feedsportal.com

17 Night Shift is our favorite thing from the iPhone SE/iPad Pro event (Apple Byte Extra Crunchy Podcast Ep. 31) We go deep with our reactions to Apple's keynote. Is 3D Touch in trouble? And, the FBI is now trying to hack into the iPhone. Subscribe to the Apple Byte Podcast Extra Crunchy Show Notes: iPad Pro - 9.7 inch news: iPhone SE news: iOS 9 .3 news: Apple vs. FBI update: Social Networking: With contribution from Stephen Beacham.

2016-03-26 13:53 Brian Tong cnet.com.feedsportal.com

18 Here's your first glimpse of villain Negan on 'The Walking Dead'

Fans of "The Walking Dead" familiar with the original graphic novels that inspired the blockbuster hit show on AMC have been waiting for years now for one of the scariest villains of the series to finally darken their screens. The wait is about over, as we've just had our first glimpse of Negan and his brutal baseball bat named Lucille. The leaked promo has since been taken down, but above are a few screen shots of the brief glimpses we get of Negan's back and of Lucille. There's one more episode, this Sunday, before this season finale, which is set to air with April 3 on AMC.

2016-03-26 13:53 Eric Mack cnet.com.feedsportal.com

19 Near misses between drones and planes keep on rising If you've bought yourself a shiny new drone in recent months we hope you're being very careful about where you fly it: the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reporting a three-fold increase in the number of near misses between drones and full-sized aircraft. Back in 2014, incidents of pilots spotting drones in the air averaged out at less than one a day; in the FAA's most recent report that's jumped to 3.5 a day. In an attempt to tackle the issue, the agency has set up a drone registry to match owners to their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). One of the most serious incidents happened last September, the FAA reports, when the pilot of an American Airlines jet had to swerve to avoid a drone en route to Charlotte, North Carolina. The incident happened at around 3,500 feet. Both the FAA in the US and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK have published guidelines on what you can and can't do with a drone. Unsurprisingly, "keep your drone away from aircraft, helicopters, airports and airfields" is included in the list. You should also be keeping your drone in sight at all times and making sure it doesn't go higher than 400 feet in the air. Drones with cameras should be kept away from people, buildings and large crowds, the CAA says. The problem is unlikely to go away any time soon: the FAA estimates that around seven million drones will be buzzing through the skies by 2020 - that's three times the number of UAVs currently in operation. Via: The Guardian Article continues below

2016-03-26 11:23 By David feedproxy.google.com

20 Continuity Error: Going Rogue Update, Friday at 1:10 p.m. PT: I promise we're working on getting on to iTunes for downloads! We will keep you posted on when you can download our musings from there ASAP! In the meantime, you can still check out the rest of our eps here. We also got a racist, horny teenager on Twitter this week -- we're talking about Microsoft's Tay , you perverts. And how she was promptly shut down by her creators for becoming a bona fide member of the Internet. (Just a note that we've been told about 3 minutes in there's near silence. Oops! There's supposed to be this lovely clip of creepy AI , but we're still learning. Thanks for the feedback!) Quick notes: Let us know how terrible(y awesome!) we are and who's your favorite filmic AI personality.

2016-03-26 13:53 Caitlin Petrakovitz cnet.com.feedsportal.com

21 Here's everything you missed from the New York Auto Show Many in the industry thought that New York would be a quiet show, with a little less on offer than the shows that preceded it, like Detroit or Geneva. The reality was quite the opposite -- in fact, it was one hell of a busy show, with everything from supercars to diminutive subcompacts debuting under the harsh lights of the Javits Center. Some were midcycle refreshes, and others were concepts featuring some pie-in-the-sky design features. No matter what you're interested in, New York's got something that's right up your alley. Which is ironic, because there isn't a single alley in Manhattan. Let's recap the biggest debuts in alphabetical order. After Acura debuted the Precision Concept in Detroit, we knew it was only a matter of time before a proper vehicle would debut with some of its design elements. It took a couple months, but it happened with the 2017 Acura MDX. When Chevrolet updated its compact Trax crossover at the Chicago Auto Show, we'd assumed it was only a matter of time before Buick did the same with its platform-mate, the Encore. The Encore's sporting a much more adult face this time around, but the song remains mostly the same here -- as it should, because it was Buick's best-selling vehicle in 2015. Don't mess with success. It's a 600-horsepower, race-prepped Honda Civic. 'Nuff said. Sure, the Ioniq debuted at Geneva, but not everybody can just hop on a plane to Switzerland. Thus, Hyundai once again debuted its electric threesome stateside. Packing three different electrified drivetrains, one of which comes with a really strange gimp-mask grille, the Ioniq will be Hyundai's first dedicated EV platform when it goes on sale later this year. Jeep had a new-car reveal planned for New York, but extenuating circumstances caused that debut to be pushed back. But there were still two very cool announcements regarding the 2017 Grand Cherokee. First is an update to the luxurious Summit trim, specifically its maybe-too-nice- for-a-Jeep interior. Second is the Trailhawk trim, which also appears on the Cherokee and Renegade. That black-and-red motif never gets old, no matter the vehicle to which it's applied. To borrow a joke from a colleague, Kia decided to remind us all that the Cadenza exists by debuting a new-generation model in The Big Apple. It's now more rigid, its V-6 engine has been updated, and it's sporting a fresh new face that'll likely make its way to other Kia vehicles in the future. If you didn't know about the Cadenza before, this update should have you paying attention, especially if your great aunt is in the market for a car and needs your input. Mazda damn near stole the show before it began, rolling out a targa-topped Miata (called the RF, for "retractable fastback") the night prior to the show's opening day. Its electric top adds about 100 pounds of weight, so it's equivalent to having an extra teenager in the car at all times. Even with the extra heft and complication, there's no doubt that the MX-5 RF will be an absolute blast on backroads. Mitsubishi's been promising a plug-in variant of its popular Outlander crossover for some time, and now it's finally arrived in the US. Relying on a 2.0-liter gas engine mated to two electric motors, which be used in either series or parallel configurations, the Outlander PHEV should help Mitsubishi expand its appeal while helping keep its fleet fuel economy numbers as high as possible. The current-generation GT-R has been around for quite some time, so it's good to see Nissan throwing several significant updates in its direction. Featuring an all-new interior with a vastly improved appearance, significant aerodynamic tweaks and (naturally) more power, the 2017 GT-R keeps Nissan's halo car nice and fresh. It's also sporting one hell of a paint job. Even Subaru is quick to note that its production models rarely live up to the spectacle of its concepts, and the 2017 Impreza is no exception. That said, it's definitely an improvement over the past, and its new global platform will go on to underpin every Subie in the lineup (save for the BRZ, which it shares with Toyota), so we can forgive the automaker for not going balls-to-the- wall with its exterior styling. Its sales are still through the roof, so playing it safe is a calculated move to keep folks walkin' into dealerships. When Scion's impending death came to light, some worried about the fate of the brand's FR-S, a twee little sports coupe that offers driving dynamics not often seen at this price point. Thankfully, Toyota's picked up the torch, and the result is the 2017 Toyota 86. Power is up a couple of ponies, and the exterior's received a few touch-ups, but everything that made the FR-S great is present and accounted for. This is another out-of-left-field update in New York. Toyota near-silently debuted a refreshed 2017 Corolla , which features a face similar to the Prius. It's also rolling out a special edition to celebrate the Corolla's 50th birthday. It doesn't look a hair over 35, if you ask us. Have you been pining for Volkswagen to create a Subaru Outback competitor? Well, then, you're going to love the Golf Alltrack. By lifting up its Golf Sportwagen and adding all-wheel drive and some more rugged trim pieces, the Alltrack is ready to do battle against Subaru's Pride of Portlandia. It looks the business.

2016-03-26 13:53 Andrew Krok cnet.com.feedsportal.com

22 Turn your smartphone into a VR headset for only $10 Many are claiming that Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are going to be the next big thing. Here's how to get a taste of that technology for only $10. And the great thing is that this will work with pretty much any smartphone, Android or iPhone! All you need is a Google Cardboard Viewer kit, such as the Knox Labs V2. This is made of cardboard but don't let that fool you - it's a high- quality DIY kit that comes with 37mm high-quality, precision moulded aspherical lenses The Knox V2 is Google Cardboard certified, and compatible with thousands of VR apps available for both iOS and Android platforms. It supports devices up to 6-inch screen size, and best of all, it costs only $10. You just fold the cardboard, download some apps, pop in your smartphone into the viewer you've just created, and you're ready to start experiencing VR! If you'd rather something a little smarter-looking, then Knox Labs make a range of viewers , including a very retro-looking one made of aluminum for only $85 . If you want to be even more frugal, you can do this yourself for free (instructions here ), all you need is some cardboard (duh!), magnets, lenses, some velcro and such, but to be honest sourcing all that will probably cost you $10 unless you have a well-stocked workshop. Quick and simple to build, but a very good way to get into VR without spending a small fortune. This is also a great use for any old smartphone you might have laying around gathering dust. It's also a great project for parents to do with their children on a rainy day.

2016-03-26 11:08 Adrian Kingsley zdnet.com.feedsportal.com

23 iOS 9.3 Update Could Brick Older iPhones, iPads Apple admitted to a flaw in its latest mobile operating system update release, iOS 9.3, and the company announced that it has decided to pull back from the release until it fixes the issue. Updating older devices, including the iPhone 5s, as well as the iPad Air and earlier versions of the company's tablets, to iOS 9.3 can require entering the Apple ID and password used to set up the device in order to complete the software update. However, in some cases the hint that the user sees on the Activate iPhone screen might not match the current Apple ID. In an effort to help those who have already run into trouble, Apple has posted a support document that offers users three different workarounds to fix the issue. "Updating some iOS devices (iPhone 5s and earlier and iPad Air and earlier) to iOS 9.3 can require entering the Apple ID and password used to set up the device in order to complete the software update," according to Apple's statement to iMore. "In some cases, if customers do not recall their password, their device will remain in an inactivated state until they can recover or reset their password. For these older devices, we have temporarily pulled back the update and will release an updated version of iOS 9.3 in the next few days that does not require this step. " A report in Apple-centric blog 9to5Mac indicated Apple may actually be ahead of its "next few days" schedule by releasing a new build of iOS 9.3 on the iPad 2. Apple officially announced iOS 9.3 , along with the iPhone SE and the new iPad Pro at an event on March 21. The latest version of iOS includes Night Shift, which automatically shifts the iPhone's lighting to warmer tones toward the end of the day. The idea is to make the lighting more natural, since the blue light typically emitted by iPhones can interfere with sleep quality. Are you prepared for a new world of enterprise mobility? Attend the Wireless & Mobility Track at Interop Las Vegas, May 2-6. Register now! Other updates include the ability to protect Notes with a fingerprint passcode, app suggestions to bring more data into the Health app, updates to music and apps for CarPlay, and the ability to browse top stories and editor's picks in Apple News. The remainder of iOS 9.3's tentpole features are aimed at educators and students. For example, school IT admins and teachers will be able to use a setup assistant to create Managed Apple IDs, and to purchase and manage education apps from the App Store. Teachers will be able to buy discounted digital textbooks in bulk, and the iTunes U Course Manager will assist educators when it comes time to create engaging lessons for the iPad. iOS 9.3 and the Managed Apple IDs function create another benefit: Support for multiple account logins per device. iPads will no longer be limited to a single account, which can help school districts get a tab on hardware costs. Further, Managed IDs make it easier for students to pick up where they left off thanks to managed intelligent on-device content-caching.

2016-03-26 11:05 Nathan Eddy www.informationweek.com

24 5 tech trends redefining the customer experience Technology is at the core of the contact centre, and the key trends of 2016 revolve around the ways that great tech and great customer engagement go hand-in-hand. We consume and share information using multiple modalities — it’s instant, intuitive, and helpful — and it’s growing exponentially. Redefine the customer experience to fit this multimodal mindset.

2016-03-26 12:39 www.itworldcanada.com

25 Visibilité en Temps Réel Avec une solution tout-en-un, vous pouvez bénéficier d’une vue étendue et précise de ce qui se passe dans votre centre de contacts et constater les avantages immédiatement. Visibilité en temps réel permettra d’améliorer la prise de décision, d’accroître l’agilité des entreprises, et d’accroître le résultat financier. Télécharger cet eBook à apprendre comment obtenir la visibilité en temps réel dans le centre de contact.

2016-03-26 12:39 www.itworldcanada.com

26 Internet decides Ted Cruz is everyone's doppelganger When it comes to the Republican side of the US presidential race, many eyes are on Ted Cruz now that he appears to be the party's only hope of stopping Donald Trump. Apparently, some of those eyes are starting to see double. Another Imgur used posted a cross-section comparison of Cruz and Robin Williams dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire (that has a weird "Inception" ring to it). If Cruz and Mrs. Doubtfire really are the same person, does that mean Cruz really is just the alter-ego of a British woman in Hollywood- grade makeup posing as a right-wing senator as part of some bizarre scheme to spend more time with her children?

2016-03-26 12:43 Danny Gallagher cnet.com.feedsportal.com

27 Vid of Sad Affleck is the funniest/gloomiest thing you'll see today The movie marks Ben Affleck's first crack at playing Batman. He and Superman co-star Henry Cavill sat down for an interview to discuss the film. YouTube user Sabconth took the footage, made a few adjustments and published it under the title "Batman V Superman - Sad Affleck" on Thursday. The interviewer asks Affleck and Cavill whether they have seen the "mixed response" reviews and how they feel about them. Sabconth's remix includes some of the more scathing headlines. Cavill launches into a thoughtful in-depth response to the question, but his voice quickly fades out and is replaced with the melancholy tones of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence. " The video slowly zooms in on Affleck's downward, contemplative eyes. (Via Reddit )

2016-03-26 12:43 Amanda Kooser cnet.com.feedsportal.com

28 BioWare's Mass Effect Andromeda and new IP look 'stunning,' dev says "Played Mass Effect Andromeda yesterday and then today our new IP. Both of which are looking stunning. Today I wore a plain T-shirt," McNally said. "We've got a couple of things up our sleeve that we haven't talked about yet but you'll probably see them teased over the next six months," Jorgensen said.

2016-03-26 12:43 GameSpot Staff cnet.com.feedsportal.com

29 Adobe's 2016 plans for Creative Cloud: Mobility, workflows and enterprise integration

Mala Sharma, VP/GM, Creative Cloud Product, Marketing and Community at Adobe. Hot on the heels of Adobe's Q1 2016 earnings figures , which included record overall revenue of $1.38 billion and record Creative Cloud revenue of $733 million, EMEA journalists were recently briefed on the company's plans for Creative Cloud in 2016 and beyond by the VP/GM in charge, Mala Sharma . Since adopting the subscription model in 2012, Adobe has developed Creative Cloud by integrating services such as cloud storage, file sync, fonts (TypeKit) and photos (Stock), extending the capabilities of its traditional desktop applications into companion mobile apps, and, in 2015, introducing asset-based workflows powered by CreativeSync . 'Assets' are Adobe parlance for format- and resolution-independent descriptions of content items such as bitmaps, vector graphics and video clips. Information on non-destructive edits, renditions for specific apps and devices, and linkages is held in metadata and orchestrated by CreativeSync, enabling multi-device workflows for individuals and more efficient sharing and collaboration for teams. These developments have helped to generate impressive growth in Creative Cloud subscriptions, which currently stand at just under 7 million following the addition of 780,000 new subscribers in Q1 2016: "In 2016, as we think about the next step for Creative Cloud, it's really about bringing CreativeSync and asset workflows to the next level," said Sharma. Enterprises are looming ever larger in Adobe's sights -- and Sharma drew particular attention to their need to deliver "data-driven customer experiences" that are compelling, personal, useful and available everywhere. To serve the creative side of the customer experience, Adobe recently unveiled the public preview of Adobe Experience Design CC , or XD for short (previously codenamed Project Comet). This initially Mac OS X-based application has been enthusiastically received by the creative community, said Sharma, who noted that the UK -- and London in particular -- is the hottest location in EMEA for UX design. Other core elements of the CC growth strategy include making CreativeSync assets more widely available, as a cloud-first implementation -- "Google Docs for creativity", as Sharma put it. In mobile, the focus will move from extending desktop apps to working interchangeably on mobile or desktop. "It's very similar to the experience you may have seen with Lightroom ," said Sharma, "where you have Lightroom on the desktop, and on mobile and on the web: imagine the interchangeable work that you could do -- just like you can do with photos in Lightroom -- across our other disciplines like design, video and the web. " Adobe will also concentrate on making its professional-level video tools more accessible to what Sharma called "the YouTuber generation" -- that is, people "who want to quickly get their ideas out there using video". Adobe's video offerings will evolve in a similar manner to its photography and design tools, said Sharma: "You can imagine us bringing this to production, editing, audio, colour etcetera, within the video workflows. " In terms of growing the Creative Cloud market, Adobe is looking to build on existing apps like Adobe Voice , Slate and Post that target "social-savvy youth", social marketers and business communicators who, Sharma said, "have an idea, want to tell a story and want to communicate something with impact. " "You can imagine the next step here could be bringing together all of these applications, with a web app, to allow customers and consumers to create and get their ideas out really quickly and effectively... You should stay tuned for hearing more about this space from May to this summer. " As noted earlier, Adobe is increasingly looking to enterprises to fuel its growth. "Probably the biggest opportunity for Adobe is the way we think about solving problems for enterprises, and this is really about connecting the three clouds -- Creative Cloud, Document Cloud and Marketing Cloud -- into a single cloud platform, which is the Adobe Cloud," said Sharma. "It's about harnessing the power of content and making it relevant through the intelligence of data," said Sharma. This will involve "getting content and data together and creating workflows that cut across the three clouds so that enterprises can deliver relevant experiences to their customers, whether it's in the workflow of making the content, delivering it, or measuring its effectiveness. " "One example that you can expect to see from us is making connections between Adobe XD and Adobe Experience Manager so that as you create the assets, you're connected to a platform that helps you with the delivery, and ultimately through Marketing Cloud enables measurement of that content. "

2016-03-26 10:21 Charles McLellan zdnet.com.feedsportal.com

30 The Division end-game activity details coming soon "Coming soon, we will be introducing new end- game activities," Ubisoft wrote. "You say you want more info? Don't worry, we'll talk more about this big upcoming update within the next few days. " "Teams will be able to test their skills as they face seemingly unstoppable enemies to gain high- level weapons and equipment," Ubisoft said. "This update will also add one of the community's most-wanted feature, loot trading; allowing players in the same group to trade loot collected during a co-op game session. "

2016-03-26 12:43 GameSpot Staff cnet.com.feedsportal.com

31 Heavy Facebook, Twitter users 3 times more likely to be depressed Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives. How long do you spend on Facebook? Do you log on often? Or do you keep it on your screen all day, checking and checking? Do you occasionally post? This may say something about you. Or it may not. It may also say something about Facebook and other social media. Or, again, it may not. A new study from the University of Pittsburgh suggests those of us who are heavy users of social media are 2.7 times more likely to suffer from depression than those of who check less frequently. Moreover, those in the study who spent the most time on social media were 1.7 times more likely to suffer from depression than those who spent least time. It examined 1,787 adults between the ages of 19 and 32. Average social media use was 61 minutes per day and the average number of visits to a social media site was 30 a week. However, in this case, lead researcher Lui yi Lin said even though the link between one factor and the other seems strong, the deep truth behind the link may be complex. "It may be that people who already are depressed are turning to social media to fill a void," she said on the University's Web site. There's also the possibility, she added, that social media might cause depression, which then causes more social media use. Dr. Brian Primack, director of Pitt's Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health insisted that not all social media interaction or usage is the same. "Future studies should examine whether there may be different risks for depression depending on whether the social media interactions people have tend to be more active vs. passive or whether they tend to be more confrontational vs. supportive," he said. Perhaps it's just like any other interaction with the world. Some work out for our psychological benefit, others don't. There's also the issue of potential short-term benefits and potential long-term harm. It's easy to preach moderation, but much harder to act on it yourself. Facebook and the like have partly become so powerful because everyone has chosen to participate and many have clearly become hooked. It's enough to make you miserable.

2016-03-26 12:43 Chris Matyszczyk cnet.com.feedsportal.com

32 Project Tay Turns Racist, Office Updates For March: Microsoft Roundup The past week was relatively quiet in Redmond. Microsoft is gearing up for a busy week at its sold-out Build 2016 conference, which will run March 30-April 1 at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Microsoft has banded together with fellow tech companies, including Google, LinkedIn, and Yahoo, to propose new strategy for making email more secure. The news of their security push arrived as the FBI tried to crack an iPhone used by a shooter in the San Bernardino attacks. A group of software engineers representing the companies has approached the Internet Engineering Task Force with a proposal describing SMTP Strict Transport Security (SMTP STS), a means of securing email communication. The protocol would secure email if approved, but it's unclear how long the approval process will take. [Google aims to beat Microsoft, AWS in the cloud.] In other collaborative news, Microsoft and HP are partnering to invest in container management. The two tech giants announced this week they're contributing towards a $73.5 million investment in Mesosphere , which has a Data Center Operating System with container scheduling, tracking capabilities, and orchestration. The investment reflects a growing concern shared by Microsoft and HP, both of which have enterprise customers using containers to package and move micro-services: As thousands of containers begin entering data centers, customers will need strong container management. That capability has the potential to evolve at Mesosphere. Microsoft ran into some issues this week with a new AI chatbot named Tay, which it launched as part of an experiment in conversational understanding. The idea was that Tay, created to appeal to the 18 to 24 age bracket, would learn from users' input and social profiles. Learn to integrate the cloud into legacy systems and new initiatives. Attend the Cloud Connect Track at Interop Las Vegas, May 2-6. Register now! Unfortunately, less than a day after Tay arrived online, she absorbed anti-Semitic and anti- feminist ideas -- and then began sharing them. Some users joined forces to abuse the technology and have the chatbot respond inappropriately. Microsoft quickly pulled Tay from the Internet. On the Office front, Microsoft announced a slew of new features it released on Office 365 in March. These included new languages in Office for Mac and Skype Translator, a tool for transferring Evernote notes to OneNote, and improvements to PowerPoint Designer. OneNote users can now use the app to search on handwritten notes and whiteboards contained within images captured via Office Lens, OneNote Clipper, [email protected], and Livescribe. Microsoft promises it will soon enable handwriting recognition for images added to OneNote from any device, not only Office Lens. The PowerPoint Designer, a design assistant first launched in November 2015, has been updated to include layout suggestions for multiple images. It also extrapolates the most relevant colors from images and applies them to the overall theme. It also uses facial recognition for intelligent cropping. Office 2016 for Mac now supports Arabic, Hebrew, and right-to-left language support in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote. Outlook support will be coming within the month. Skype Translator also supports Arabic, bringing the service to a total of eight spoken languages. Starting in April, the new Cloud Connector edition of Skype for Business Server will be generally available. This will allow customers to use Office 365 Cloud PBX with their preferred carrier service. Microsoft is also building a Skype app for its Universal Windows Platform on Windows 10, the company announced this week. Windows Insiders can expect to see a test version arrive "in the coming weeks. "

2016-03-26 10:05 Kelly Sheridan www.informationweek.com

33 How tech failures can transform your business for the better Success is a wonderful thing, but while it makes life a lot easier, it doesn't develop either you or your business. This is especially true in IT. Lessons learned come the hard way through poor practices in management, botched implementation and limitations in technology. Failure can also stem from trying to get too much done in a single project rather than breaking things down into more manageable chunks, or not allowing enough time for people to do their parts. Sometimes it can be down to a vendor or consultant leading you down the wrong path. But failure doesn't have to be all bad. If you have the right processes and more importantly, the right attitude in place, then tech flops have the power to be informative, educational and often in the end they can transform your organisation for the better. We are often told when we are kids that we should learn from our mistakes. But in the world of work, most organisations cannot handle failure and often don't have processes in place to work out why problems happened. This is wrong as failures should be embraced as part of the learning process. What divides great IT leaders from the rest of the pack is the ability to get insight from failure and then apply that insight to help succeed in the future. So how can you make the most of failure and learn to avoid it down the road? Over the past few years, businesses across an increasingly wide range of sectors have begun working in an agile way, Tracy Goddard, director of professional services at Changepoint observes. She says: "It is important to remember that agile will not be the right fit for everybody. It is dangerous to change the way you work just because it ison-trend; the UK Government encountered big problems with its £2 billion (around $2.8 billion, or AU$3.8 billion) Universal Credit project because it tried to use an agile development method when that way of working did not suit the way it worked with suppliers. " Larger companies find learning a slow process and are often quicker to blame things that solve problems which manifest themselves. When this happens, staff won't be quick to admit failure, compounding things further along the line. "You can't have people who are afraid of making mistakes," says Yorgen Edholm, CEO at Accellion. "In high-tech, there are no templates, so you need to cultivate a culture that accepts mistakes, as long as you learn from them. " In doing so this encourages creativity and innovation. Anyone with new ideas can experiment with them without worrying that failure would be perceived as only a negative. Of course, this doesn't mean there is no accountability when failure happens. There's a fine line to tread and you need to have employees motivated to perform to the best of their abilities and not just to a level they can get away with.

2016-03-26 10:00 By Rene feedproxy.google.com

34 34 How to make your own greeting card this Easter Paperless Post is a fun way to create all kinds of special occasion cards on your iPad, iPhone and online, with hundreds of different designs to choose from – including many from renowned graphic designers. Having such a wide choice of cards makes it much more appealing than the stationery options you'll find in other apps or even in physical card shops. What's more, Paperless Post includes a great range of customisation options, enabling you to change typefaces, text sizes and background colours to create exactly the look you're after. Paperless Post can even deal with more complex tasks such as party or wedding invitations: you simply add the email addresses of the people you want to invite and then decide whether or not you want invitees to see your guest list. It can even handle their replies. Best of all, Paperless Post is free to use, although you'll need to pay using In-App Purchases to send each card or use some special options. Paperless Post has so many different cards to choose from that, at first, it can be overwhelming. You can narrow down your options by category and sub-category or by filtering by size, shape, colour, etc. It's also a good idea to keep an image of the person you're sending to in mind. Sending a birthday card to Mum? Then your choices should be based on what she likes, not what you do. Tap on a card to choose it, then click on the Design button near the bottom of the screen. Flip the card around by swiping your finger right to left and then tap on the 'T' button below. You now have the option to tweak the existing message or delete it and add something truly personal. You'll notice that the iOS virtual keyboard has now slid into view, along with a black horizontal menu bar containing the words Typeface, Colour and Format. Tap on Typeface and you'll see a list of different font choices you can choose from. Tapping on Color enables you to change individual words or your whole message using a varied colour palette. Format enables you to tweak the Font Size, Line Height and Letter Spacing using sliders. You can also choose whether to left-align, centre or right-align your text. Feel free to experiment; when you've finished, tap Done in the top right corner. When you're happy with the words, you can move on to customising the card background and add an envelope if you wish. Adding an envelope to a virtual card may seem silly, but the recipient gets a slick animation when you do, so it's a neat finishing touch. To add a card or envelope background, tap the Background Wallpaper button to the right of the 'T' button from step 2 and then choose one you like from the menu. Before sending off your card, tap Preview at the top of the screen to see how it will look when your addressee receives it. This is your final chance to ensure you're happy with everything, from the words you've used to the background you've chosen. It will even preview the envelope animation we mentioned, though recipients will need Adobe Flash, which iOS doesn't support, to view it on a computer. To exit Preview, tap the X in the white circle at the top left. If you're happy with your card, now's the time to send it. Tap the Next button at the top right of the screen and an email form will open up. Type the email address where you want to send the card. Don't forget to add your name in the From field and the subject of your email in the Subject field. When you're ready to go, tap Send. Paperless Post will remind you that you will be charged Coins to send the card (and also for any custom options you've added).

2016-03-26 09:00 By MacFormat feedproxy.google.com

35 Buy Social Media Marketing Expand Services To Include Instagram and Facebook Video Views Buy Social Media Marketing has created two new video viewing services on the biggest social media platforms of 2016, to help people get eyes on their content in all new ways. Video marketing is becoming more and more important with every day that goes by, as high volume data allowances and high speed 4G signal mean people now have access to video everywhere, and the detail rich format which combines moving visuals, audio, music and more has by far the most potential to attract a response. Buy Social Media Marketing has helped people looking to establish themselves as content creators on YouTube already, and is now helping people get video views on Facebook and Instagram, the two most influential social networks around today. The new service offering people the opportunity to Buy Instagram Video Views provides instant delivery, with the first views beginning just ten minutes after the initial payment is made. Those who want to Buy Facebook Video Views will experience a similar format, with the full amount of views delivered in as little as 24 hours. These services are especially useful for people who upload a high volume of video content to their Facebook and Instagram accounts and are looking to increase post engagement and develop their audience. The illusion of initial popularity through paid views can be essential to creating genuine popularity in real audiences that perceive the high view count as an endorsement. A spokesperson for Buy Social Media Marketing explained, “We are pleased to be able to offer these new services to our clients, which we are sure will enable more people than ever to create influential profiles on Facebook and Instagram. On Instagram in particular those with a high volume of views can often find themselves approached by businesses and brands looking for influencers to promote their products. Buy Social Media Marketing can help people on the road to becoming an influencer by giving them popularity enough to create an exponential uptake among real users.”

2016-03-26 08:38 Nathan Ernest pctechmag.com

36 6 Tips for a Perfect Backup in Your cPanel VPS Server Losing data is one of the most painful moments of a systems administrator. This can either stop a whole company for days (or even weeks), and generate a huge loss of profit. Video demonstrating on how to backup your website files, databases and emails (cPanel) The 6 expert tips that will make you never lose your data ever again: 1 – Know the total space used by your server First of all, you need to know how much space is used by your server. As you login WHM, go to the option “Server Information”. The used disk space will be in the right column. Experts suggest keeping track of the used disk space at least once a month. The procedure is the same for a dedicated server. 2 – Use an external backup There are many dedicated and vps server backup solutions over the internet. You can choose from several options where to store a copy of your data: External FTP space, USB External Hard disk or R1Soft external server. Let’s will quickly approach the pros and cons of each solution: External FTP Space – Most popular Pros: Easy to configure in your cPanel server. Low cost per GB. Cons: You have to monitor often the used disk space, and keep a vigilant eye on it to avoid disk space issues. Space: 2x of the server usage USB External Hard disk Pros: Better security, as you will keep it safe with you. Low cost per GB. Cons: Long time necessary to download your server backup Space: 1 or 2x the server usage R1Soft external server Pros: Very efficient backup generation and management system. Possible to archive several restore points, of different days or hours for your content. Cons: Much disk space used, because of the many restore points available. License is required. Space: Depends on how much checkpoints of backup you will configure. For each 3 restoration points of backup, it’s recommended keeping 2x the space used by the server. 3 – Schedule automated backups After choosing the best backup method for your needs, you must schedule the automated backups. This can be done through the option “Backup configuration” inside WHM. Most of us have a busy life, so it’s very important to have such processes done in an automated way. 4 – Always keep individual backups Every experienced systems administrator keeps more than one backup in a safe place. Having more than one backup place is strongly recommended. As a complete backup usually takes some time to be generated, it’s always nice to take daily copies of your most important content like emails or databases. 5 – Always prefer a company that offers managed servers Until the beginning of the decade of 2000, having a managed server was a luxury, and used to cost more than two times the price of a standard unmanaged server. The advantage of managed hosting companies is that one of the offered jobs is to configure and take care of your backups. Such companies will warn you about any anomalies with your backup files. The hosting industry is something that is constantly changing, and it’s very important to have skilled professionals with you to give you such good directions. 6 – Take snapshots of your entire VPS server The big advantage of a VPS hosting if compared to a dedicated server is its possibility to generate entire backups quickly. If your server fails entirely, you can restore the complete backup in another server within a some minutes.

2016-03-26 08:14 Nathan Ernest pctechmag.com

37 Where Do Companies Like Alexa and Compete Get Their Data? Alexa is one of the best known Web analytics companies, and it’s the number one best known analytics company that isn’t known for its analytics. The Amazon -operated company grew famous for their website rankings, which dominated the lower echelons of Internet marketers for years. Even today, you find people who care more about that ranking than they should. Compete , meanwhile, is an amazing source of website information, showing you a lot of data about users, traffic, and ranking for various queries throughout the web. It’s not the most robust site analytics suite out there, but it has some data that can’t be found anywhere else, except perhaps Alexa itself. The reason is the unique way both of these sites harvest their data. Unique data sources Both Alexa and Compete get a lot of their data from the same type of source, though the exact source differs between them. That source is a browser toolbar. Alexa’s data comes primarily from their Firefox toolbar , where Compete gets theirs from their own toolbar, as well as a handful of other sources. There are two major drawbacks to this practice, and they tend to put the entire business into question if you look too closely: The first drawback is user awareness; How many users of the Alexa toolbar, for example, understand that their browsing habits and site data is being sent to the Alexa servers? How many Compete users are aware that their data is being monitored? Sure, there’s disclosure here and there, in the fine print, but that’s always a shady practice isn’t it? Companies — not just Alexa and Compete — have long had a history of doing the bare minimum for disclosure, leaving many people simply unaware of what’s going on behind the scenes. Just look at every medication commercial with tiny fine print and a low, monotonous, sped-up voice over. The second drawback is data accuracy; Alexa was somewhat notorious for this with their Web rankings. When all of their data comes from users of a toolbar, they’re getting data from a biased set of users; toolbar users. Data accuracy Think about it. What does the Alexa toolbar provide? Alexa rank data, link data, access to the Internet Archive of a site, and some site analytics. In other words, marketing data. Who wants that data? Marketers, site owners, and SEO professionals. Who doesn’t? DIYers, stay at home parents, athletes, fishermen and a nearly infinite list of other people. This means the data ends up skewed towards the bias of the Web marketer. Sites that are frequently visited by such users end up with more data and better rankings than sites that don’t. Now, Compete takes data from several other sources and aggregates it, which makes them correspondingly less biased and more accurate. Alexa has even expanded their data sources in recent years, in response to the criticism they received on exactly this issue. Still, their data is limited compared to many other analytics suites. Value retention At the end of the day, though, both sites – inaccuracies and biases and all — are still valuable for marketers. They have to be, right? No business would have lasted 15 years in the online space if they didn’t provide some good value. This goes double for analytics, where every app, program, extension, and eBook seems to have analytics added on. Other than the global Alexa rankings, which are a curiosity to users outside of the marketing circle, both services are used primarily by marketers. That’s fine. They’re services designed for marketers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, so long as they provide accurate data. That’s always the true test. On the plus side, even if the businesses seem a little shady for minimizing disclosure and getting users to report data without their knowledge, it’s not all that open to abuse. Nothing personally identifiable is sent along with either toolbar; they just include basic browsing habit information. It’s not like Facebook , harvesting reams of information for every person on the site. [ Entrepreneur ]

2016-03-26 07:16 PC Tech pctechmag.com

38 The social media blackout that can happen when you travel around Uganda In Uganda we like to travel to our upcountry homes for the holidays. The long Easter weekend provides a perfect opportunity to do just that! We enjoy catching up with friends and family, and generally all the fuss that comes with taking a break from city life. One thing you quickly realize as you settle in on your arrival at your country home is that you will clearly have to take a break from some amenities that you have become accustomed to! For example the President recently made an announcement on that as reported by Sheila Nduhukire on Twitter, so there is a high chance that your upcountry home is off the grid. By the way, if you haven’t already gifted your family with a solar system, check out Fenix International’s ReadyPay Solar which you can even pay for in installments! If you happen to be in an area on the grid or you’ve got alternative source of power like solar, congratulations! But that’s just half of the story if you are one of the social media junkies that form part of Uganda Communications Commissions’ internet users statistics. The next obstacle to your next Facebook fix is a working internet connection. Many of the ISPs don’t have 4G connections beyond Kampala suburbs, those who do like MTN which has “countrywide coverage” and Smile Communications that has been on an expansion drive, will still focus on the major town centers as that’s what makes business sense. Now even with 3G much more available, if you are at your grand father’s home 20 km away from the sub county office, you might find your social interaction limited to the people in a 10m radius. Whereas at my parents’ house in Mbarara, I can get “4 bars” of 4G on MTN and get on with work (or “Facebooking”) as if I never left Kampala, my friend Diana who is at her mom’s house about 15 km from Kayunga isn’t as lucky. If you are the “glass half full” optimistic kinda guy, you could say Diana is lucky she can only get a limited 2G connection, and has no option but to interact with the people in the house. That was the purpose of travelling afterall, right? Richard, a friend who has been living in Europe for the last 5 years returned to Uganda earlier this month, and has been traversing the country checking on folks. He spent the first few days in Kampala and I’d hooked him up with a 4G MiFi which gave him the impression Uganda had developed. The story was different however the moment he traveled West and about 1 hour into the journey realized he hadn’t got any notifications on his iPhone. He called and I walked him through the process to change the configuration from “4G only” to “Automatic” so that the device could be able to connect to 3G and 2G as they traveled. Over the next few weeks he was introduced to the reality that you can’t keep online reliably in many parts of our country. Where are you for the Easter weekend? How are you faring? Are you online or are you going to read this on Tuesday when you return to the office? Happy Easter!

2016-03-26 05:30 Joshua Twinamasiko pctechmag.com

39 Uganda to host the 2nd IBFD Africa Tax Symposium The Africa Tax Symposium is an annual authoritative event, drawing together tax professionals from all over the continent. The aim of the Symposium is to analyse the most pertinent international tax issues of the day and to place them within the African context. This is reflected in the signature theme, Trends in International Taxation: An African Perspective. Building on the success of the inaugural Symposium, this year’s event will focus on today’s burning tax issues, such as the post-BEPS landscape, aggressive tax planning, transfer pricing and challenges impacting particular industries and transactions. These topics will be brought to life by a rich selection of renowned tax experts. The Symposium presents a wide range of speakers from tax practice, industry, revenue authorities and academia. This compelling mix is enriched even further by IBFD’s top experts on Africa. Book disount: Taxes For Beginners – The Easy Guide To Understanding Taxes + Tips & Tricks To Save Money The Africa Tax Symposium is an initiative of IBFD’s Centre for Studies in African Taxation (CSAT), a think tank devoted to the study and development of African taxation. Through the Symposium, CSAT aims to contribute to deeper and more analytical knowledge of international tax across the continent. CSAT also sponsors research into areas of tax policy relevant to particular sectors in Africa. One way of effecting this is by means of “CSAT scholarships,” under which qualifying researchers receive sponsorship for pertinent research work. CSAT has just concluded arrangements for several such scholarships and full details will be unveiled during the Symposium.

2016-03-26 04:30 PC Tech pctechmag.com

40 The week in Apple news: iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro are here, the DOJ saga, and more It was a big week for Apple, kicking off with a slew of product announcements and updates, which were almost overshadowed by the Department of Justice deciding that it may have found a way to access a protected iPhone 5c from the San Bernardino terrorist attack. The week ended with Apple revealing its first non-Apple Music streaming TV series, a new Apple TV ad, and issues with the iOS 9.3 update and older iPads. We have all the important headlines here in this slideshow. Just click on the link to get more info.

2016-03-26 03:00 Macworld Staff www.itnews.com

41 It's time for security spring cleaning As new security threats continue to emerge and security teams find themselves stuck in the cycle of piling on new products and policies each time they receive an alert notification, true functions of security programs get lost in the clutter. As melting snow and longer days promise that spring is right around the corner, take this time to start fresh and “spring clean” your security ecosystems. To help get you started, these infosec professionals provide guidelines for what to check off on a security spring-cleaning list. Dr. Chase Cunningham, Director of Cyber Threat Research and Innovation, Armor: There is so much “junk” that we all have acquired over the last few years that is gumming up our networks and making inventory and baselining that much harder, we just need to clean shop and toss the crap out. If it’s not something that is actively being used and it's not doing anything for your organization, junk it. Keeping tools and technology around that aren’t actively helping or fixing problems only makes things worse. Take all the stuff that has been sitting around on the “shelves” and “in the closet” and break it out. If it’s a tool or system that has been collecting dust, check on it and see what it is actually doing. If it’s a legacy system that can be “cleaned up” by moving it to the cloud, then do that and free up the space you need for other items. Morey Haber, VP of Technology, BeyondTrust: Spring cleaning is a great time to review user accounts within the domain or local systems. Old accounts that haven't had passwords changed or used for a long period of time (over three months) should be flagged for password updates, disabled, or even deleted. While this process should occur year-round, cleaning out old and unused user accounts in the spring can remind us of how they can be leveraged against the business for insider threats if left untreated. Not all systems and applications gracefully clean out temporary files and logs. Periodically executing "Disk Cleanup" on Windows workstations and servers is a great way to keep a system performing well, remove old files that may inadvertently contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and ensure hard disk storage is not consumed to a critical point that causes operation issues. If your organization has requirements to keep log files centrally managed, ensure that all data has been aggregated and processed before your cleanup occurs. Andrew Wertkin, CTO, BlueCat: Security systems must be part of an overall architecture. Teams should assess architectures for both gaps and redundancies and ensure interoperability and automation. Critically, requirements change often as companies drive compute to the edge and security teams must align, plan, and execute with the core business strategy -- this means short-circuiting serial processes by working as part of cross-functional teams that are building secure systems. Kurt Roemer, Chief Security Strategist, Citrix: Implement the CIS Critical Security Controls for Effective Cyber Defense : Ravi Devireddy, co-founder and CTO, E8 Security: Ensure you’re capturing the right information (systems, applications, endpoint, and devices) in one centralized system. You can’t protect what you can't see. There’s no benefit in just subscribing to threat intel if it’s not immediately used to identify, alert, and block new malicious behavior operating inside the network. Start retaining security-relevant data in a centralized analytics platform to understand behavior patterns and look for unusual activity that is not dependent on known threat intelligence. This will enable a more streamlined security practice by bringing automation to incident triage and retrospective analysis. Garve Hays, Solutions Architect at Micro Focus: Check both the operating system and your security solution. Regarding TLS/SSL alone, there have been a menagerie of attacks including DROWN, FREAK, POODLE, Logjam, Heartbleed, and BEAST. Responsible vendors are usually quick to provide updates for exploits or potential vulnerabilities, and in security parlance this means reducing the "attack surface. " This serves multiple purposes, foremost being that more "bite-sized" logs are easier to evaluate and digest. Human analysts do much better focusing on a more discrete time interval, whereas automated systems can reduce processing time with smaller intervals. Maintaining older events is also important for non-repudiation and backtracking to discover breaches. An audit trail is also necessary for any evidence if it ever comes to an investigation. Are my security analysts struggling to keep up with the number of alerts? False positives and low-to-moderate incidents can lead to "alert fatigue" wherein the amount of information becomes overwhelming and is ignored by already busy staff. If "Chicken Little" keeps telling you the sky is falling, that only provides more opportunity for a break-in. Your security monitoring solution should actually help you rather than making for more work. A significant common element in most secure coding guidelines is there should be no hard- coded passwords. Choose a vendor that adheres to such a policy. Michael Spahn, Information Security Consultant, Rook Security: Review and audit access logs for employees/contractors that no longer work for the company or no longer have needs to access company data and systems. Specifically making sure that all systems, devices, and applications have the most up-to-date supported versions and patch levels. Update and test the company's incident response plan making sure all IR Team member contact information is up to date and roles and responsibilities are defined and communicated through the ranks.

2016-03-26 03:00 Ryan Francis www.infoworld.com

42 'Leaked' Nintendo NX Controller Images Were Elaborate 3D Printed Hoax By Pranksters | HotHardware That initial skepticism turned out to be warranted because as we now know, it's a confirmed fake. It was created by David Im, who in a subsequent YouTube video showed how he created the controller. He essentially took a 3D model and plopped it into Photoshop. He had the foresight to degrade the quality of the photo, as most leaks tend to be in poor lighting and at least a little blurry. Before David came clean with what he'd done, more images purporting to be an early prototype of the NX controller appeared online, but from a different reddit user. These were much clearer shots and higher quality that looked strikingly similar to the images in Nintendo's patent filing. It had rubber nubs, a glossy display, buttons on the top, and a "Confidential Property" sticker that's appeared on real prototypes (though this one didn't look exactly the same). Well, that one was fake too. In a longer YouTube video, the controller's creator, Frank Sandqvist, co- founder of CND Design in Finland, explained that he created the initial design in Fusion 360, Autodesk's 3D modeling tool. He then 3D printed it out in black resin and acrylic. These probably won't be the last supposed leaked photos of the NX controller or even the console itself, as Nintendo is expected to unveil it by the end of the year.

2016-03-26 00:00 hothardware.com

43 Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg Bottle-Feeds His Adorable 4 month old Baby Girl, Max Facebook Inc. CEO and Co-Founder, Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t seem to mind doing things for his adorable 4-month old Max. On Thursday he posted a photo of himself bottle feeding her, quoting on his Facebook Official Page saying, “Most Important meetings of the day.” along with the hashtag #LeanInTogether. As of Friday morning, 1.2 million people had either liked or used one of Facebook’s new Reactions to show what they thought of Mark’s photo. The post had also been shared more than 14,400 times and comment on over 18,240 times. Quoc Pham , among the 18,240 people that commented, said, “ Mark Zuckerberg I completely agree that any meeting that involves your children are important. Right now one of my kids is in the PICU right now potentially with cancer, and spending every moment with her is worth it.” Facebook Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg , who started the #LeanIn movement, wrote in an earlier post on Thursday that #LeanInTogether ” celebrates the important role men play in creating an equal world.” Lean In Together aims to show men out there what they can really do to help their partners, daughters and colleagues to succeed in life. Mark, who took two months paternity leave after Max was born last year in November 30th, has shared awesome photos showing his involvement with his daughter, including everything from dressing her up to changing a diaper and taking her to get vaccinated to taking her for a swim. On Sandberg’s 8th year at Facebook Inc., the CEO wrote on his Facebook Page saying, “Today we’re celebrating Sheryl ‘s 8 year anniversary at Facebook — or what we lovingly call a “faceversary” “Sheryl, you’ve done so much to grow our community, our business and our culture these past 8 years, and to help me grow as a person. I can’t imagine being on this journey to connect the world without you.” He adds.

2016-03-25 22:02 Nathan Ernest pctechmag.com

44 If Kevin Spacey can't sell you on VR, then no one can If you're one of those people who simply can't see what the big deal is about virtual reality (VR), then listen up. House of Cards star and practically- every-award-winning actor Kevin Spacey is here to tell you why you should care. And, frankly, if you still don't care about it – or at the very least see the potential in it – after hearing him out, then you probably never will. When asked by the BBC's Director of News and Current Affairs James Harding at the World Economic Forum 2016 in Davos, Switzerland, "How do you foresee it … are you a believer," Spacey waxed philosophic on VR for some of the most captivating minutes I've spent on YouTube in years. "I am a believer," Spacey sternly responds. "I've been very fortunate to be able to go and see, right up until very recently, where it all is. And, I think it's gonna' be revolutionary. " Spacey then goes on to describe what he seems to think are the incredible implications of VR on sports, education and other entertainment, but focused on one piece of VR that we all haven't lent enough attention to. "I think it will end up being the home for capturing the living theatre," Spacey says, "because finally, we can take a three dimensional image and retain it as a three-dimensional experience. " The actor goes on to gush about VR's implications for film, but comes back to elaborate on this point, recalling one of the trailblazers in virtual reality storytelling, Vrse.works founder Chris Milk . "I'm forced by the very nature of my job to step into someone else's shoes, to wander around in someone else's ideas, to think differently," Spacey says. "And, it's that much harder not to have empathy for other people and their circumstances that are very different from your own. " "I think Chris Milk, one of the great VR pioneers said that he believes that VR is going to be an extraordinary empathy machine," Spacey recalls. Bingo. Everything that is cool about VR – from the incredible gaming experiences we've already seen to how it will irrevocably transform the classroom and how it will redefine the term "front-row seat" – boils down to that very concept: the empathy machine. Now, watch Spacey elaborate above and tell me you don't see the immeasurable potential in virtual reality. Via The Verge ; Reddit Article continues below

2016-03-25 22:00 By Joe feedproxy.google.com

45 Microsoft apologizes for 'critical oversight' following Tay's meltdown Tay, the chatbot created by Microsoft to act like a bubbly millennial, was created with the best of intentions. We even shared a lovely game of "Would You Rather" with her. But, after it spouted a tirade of racist remarks that it learned from other users on Twitter, Microsoft pulled the plug. Now, the Redmond, Washington-based company has apologized and offered clarification on the Tay experiment, down-turn and all, as well as how challenges like these fuel research for an improved Tay, as well as greater AI efforts. Twitter, as Microsoft Research Corporate VP Peter Lee writes on the Microsoft Blog , was seen as the best platform to get a bunch of testers interacting with a new project. But, it didn't take long – less than 24 hours in the US – for things to go off-course. Way off-course. Lee states that "we stress-tested Tay under a variety of conditions, specifically to make interacting with Tay a positive experience. " But, it appears that Microsoft didn't prepare for one specific condition: the "coordinated attack by a subset of people. " We'll let you fill in the blanks regarding who that subset might be, as Microsoft doesn't let on either. "Although we had prepared for many types of abuses of the system, we had made a critical oversight for this specific attack. As a result, Tay tweeted wildly inappropriate and reprehensible words and images. " As a result of the mayhem, Tay is in time-out. Way to go, "subset" of humans. But, although Microsoft crafted Tay to be a well-behaved AI, it is accepting responsibility for the oversight and embracing the challenge of building a better Tay for the future. Tay, at her core, is an ambitious experiment in socializing an AI, one with a personality, name and feelings about things that are informed by her interactions with others – just like us. Lee states that "...the challenges are just as much social as they are technical. " And that, in order to "do AI right, one needs to iterate with many people and often in public forums," he continues. In the case of AI, iterating in a public forum can result in learned behavior that isn't exactly pleasant. But it can also yield an amazing experience, as it did for me. If you've used Tay, you'll probably agree that the trial, although cut short, was incredible. I had a few moments in which I felt like I was really talking with someone, or at least something that wasn't as easy to fool as the AIM chatbots that existed back in the day. (We're looking at you, SmarterChild.) Right off-the-bat, I tried to stump Tay. "What's your favorite video game? " I asked. She replied immediately, "I love final fantasy. " Then I barked my favorite command to spit at Siri: "tell me a story. " The following transpired: Despite a few sour apples twisting Tay into a racist, genocidal AI, it's pretty clear that Microsoft is onto something special here. Tay was quirky, conversational, a little weird, but obviously brimming with intelligence at-the-ready for a new buddy to tap into. There will always be unique challenges to overcome in the name of AI research, but I can't wait for my next conversation with Tay. Article continues below

2016-03-25 21:28 By Cameron feedproxy.google.com

46 Microsoft sees rise in government data demands, but fewer national security orders Microsoft has released its latest transparency figures for the second half of 2015, ending December. (Image: file photo via CNET/CBS Interactive) It's the latest report from the tech giant detailing how many demands the company gets from US and global law enforcement, and intelligence agencies. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant announced a near-11 percent rise in legal requests over the first half of the year, but did not say what the reason for the increase was. In total, the company received 39,083 demands for customer data from law enforcement agencies, affecting 64,614 accounts across the world. In two-thirds of cases, only subscriber data -- such as a person's name, email address, country of residence, gender, and IP addresses and traffic data -- was disclosed. In about two percent of cases -- roughly 975 separate demands -- the company was compelled to turn over content data, like Outlook.com emails, Skype instant messages, or data stored in OneDrive. Any "emergency requests," such as when there is an immediate threat to life, are not included in the total figure. Microsoft accepted 405 demands impacting 505 separate accounts from law enforcement agencies from around the world during the six-month period. On an enterprise basis, Microsoft received 14 requests from law enforcement relating to 35 enterprise accounts. The company rejected nine cases, but turned over five accounts in four separate occasions. A case relating to one enterprise account is still pending. Breaking down the figures, more than three-quarters of all requests made during the six-month period came from the US, the UK Turkey, France, and Germany -- all of which have faced an increased threat of terror during the period. US government pushed tech firms to hand over source code If source code gets into the wrong hands, the damage would be incalculable. On cases relating to national security, Microsoft and other companies remain subject to heavy reporting restrictions. Since the introduction of the Freedom Act last year , the Justice Dept. has eased in how it allows companies to report classified orders they received from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court. Companies can now report the number of secret demands they receive in narrower bands between zero and 500 requests, down from 1,000. But tech companies are still subject to a six-month delay in reporting these secret demands. Microsoft received fewer than 500 secret demands for content impacting between 15,500- 15,999 accounts during the first-half of 2015, down from 0-999 secret orders for content impacting 18,000-18,999 accounts during the second-half of previous year. The company also received fewer than 500 national security letters during the first-half of 2015, down from fewer than 1,000 during the second-half of 2014. Given the recent spate of terror attacks across Europe, and the shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., the biggest terrorist attack on US soil since the September 11 attacks, the government is expected to increase the number of national security requests during the the next reporting quarter.

2016-03-25 19:39 Zack Whittaker zdnet.com.feedsportal.com

47 Microsoft starts rolling out Office 365 Connectors as part of Groups Microsoft is expanding availability of Office 365 Connectors, a feature that pulls content and updates from apps and services directly into Office 365 Groups shared inboxes. Microsoft took the wraps off the first of these Connectors in preview form in November 2015 at the company's Connect() 2015 developer event. Via the Office 365 Connectors, information from apps and services like Twitter, RSS, and other Microsoft and third-party developers can show up inside users' shared Office 365 Groups Inbox. That way, users can stay inside Outlook but still work with other apps and services, rather than having to switch between multiple products -- as well as collaborate more seamlessly on shared information. Users can configure Office 365 Connectors and developers "can build against them through incoming webhooks to generate rich connector cards," company officials explained at the time. "There is also a new 'Connect to Office 365' button , which developers can embed on their site and enable users to connect to Office 365 groups," according to Microsoft. Microsoft Office 365 and Yammer integration: An update on what's coming when Microsoft is providing more dates and details about how it is integrating its Yammer enterprise social-networking technology with Office 365. As of today, March 25, there are more than 50 Office 365 Connectors available today, including ones for MailChimp, Asana, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Aha, Zendesk, Salesforce, Twitter and UserVoice. As Microsoft officials said last year, Microsoft also is planning to integrate Office 365 Connectors into Outlook 2016 and other versions of Outlook, too. Connectors currently work with the Office 365 Groups shared inbox, which requires an Office 365 work or school account. They also will work with Outlook 2016 and the Outlook Web App, which support Office 365 Groups. Additionally, Microsoft is rolling out Connectors for the Groups mobile app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. (The Outlook Groups app is already in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Windows Store, according to a Microsoft support article.) Office 365 Connectors are available now to Office 365 users who are part of Microsoft's First Release wave. They will be generally available "shortly," today's blog post said. More details on how the Connectors work is available here .

2016-03-25 19:19 Mary Jo zdnet.com.feedsportal.com

48 Microsoft delivers Windows 10 'Redstone' 14295 preview for PC and mobile Microsoft has released another new Windows 10 "Redstone" preview build for both PCs and phones to Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring. The new build, No. 14295 , includes a number of fixes, but no new features beyond the previously released test build, according to a March 25 blog post. Windows 10 at six months: Ready for primetime? Windows 10 has been available to the public for six months this week. By the numbers, it's been a hit, with 200 million active users as of the first of the year. Here's my midterm report. Today's build does run on a number of Windows Phones previously running Windows Phone 8.1 that have received the Windows 10 Mobile update. (Here is the list of phones eligible for this update. Microsoft execs note the Lumia 635 will be added at some point to the list. The Lumia Icon is still a "maybe" as of this week.) Build 14295 includes a number of fixes for PCs and others for Windows 10 Mobile. Among the ones for the PC versio is a fix for a driver bug that was blocking Kapersky Anti-Virus, Internet Security and Total Security Suite from working as expected. As usual, there are a number of known issues , too, for those installing this test build that are worth noting. The Band 1 and 2 sync issue bug is still not fixed in this build for Windows 10 Mobile users.

2016-03-25 18:19 Mary Jo zdnet.com.feedsportal.com

Total 48 articles. Created at 2016-03-26 18:00