Wednesday, May 07, 2014

IoT seems to be a hot topic recently.
The Tangled Web of IoT Security
… In addition to there being no clear definition of the IoT, estimates vary widely about the number of unique devices it includes. There are an estimated 26 billion devices, according to Gartner, but a whopping 212 billion, according to IDC.
… The Internet of Things has the potential to create an economic impact of US$2.7 trillion to $6.2 trillion annually by 2025, Microsoft said, based on statistics from McKinsey Global Institute.
As a result of the IoT, "potentially billions of devices will report data about themselves, making it possible to create new applications in areas as diverse as factory optimization, car maintenance, or simply keeping track of your stuff online," notes an MIT Technology Review report.


This may help. (I should have written a book like this) $42 ($35 paperback) or read the whole thing online for free.
New Report Details Basics of Cybersecurity for Decision Makers
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on May 6, 2014
At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy offers a wealth of information on practical measures, technical and nontechnical challenges, and potential policy responses. According to this report, cybersecurity is a never-ending battle; threats will evolve as adversaries adopt new tools and techniques to compromise security. Cybersecurity is therefore an ongoing process that needs to evolve as new threats are identified. At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy is a call for action to make cybersecurity a public safety priority. For a number of years, the cybersecurity issue has received increasing public attention; however, most policy focus has been on the short-term costs of improving systems. In its explanation of the fundamentals of cybersecurity and the discussion of potential policy responses, this book will be a resource for policy makers, cybersecurity and IT professionals, and anyone who wants to understand threats to cyberspace.”


ISPs are Monopolies. Monopolies do things companies with competitors don't dare to do. What did you expect?
Level 3 Communications, a company that provides bandwidth for a wide variety of customers trying to get content from point A to point B on the internet, just accused five U.S. ISPs and one European ISP of using their market power to interfere with how traffic flows from Level 3 onto the ISPs’ last-mile network. The result is that customers of those ISPs experience degraded quality for services going over Level 3′s network.
This is a so-called peering problem. The topic has been in the news since early this year, when consumers began complaining about the quality of their Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video streams on networks like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner Cable. The issue is that at the interconnection points where Netflix traffic attempts to enter the last-mile ISP’s network, there isn’t enough capacity. Usually, when that happens, the transit provider or the content provider negotiate to add more capacity by opening up more ports. (I explain the process in this story.)
However, in recent months Level 3, Netflix and Cogent have all gone public accusing some ISPs of keeping those ports congested while trying to charge above-market rates for direct interconnection. Netflix has signed such a direct interconnection agreement with both Comcast and Verizon. But it isn’t happy about it and accuses the ISPs of abusing their market power to extract payments from content companies trying to serve the last mile.


Perhaps I could ask my students...
Why the $20 smartphone won't be the next burner cellphone
News reports are bursting with the revelation of a $20 Android smartphone coming from chipmaker ARM by this summer, and the development will open up the Internet to millions of consumers who have only had access to text messaging.
… According to one report ARM has claimed $20 is rock bottom in terms of devising an inexpensive smartphone offering. The report states ARM's smartphone device will feature single-core Cortex-A5 processor and 2.5G wireless data.
Another news outlet is dismissing the device, describing it as almost a throwaway, a new kind of 'burner' phone, noting most users don't want such low-level functionality.


An Infographic for my “Intro to” students.
The History Of Media Storage


Perhaps an App for the “Marathon Runners Club,” if they ever get it off the ground.
Track, Compete, Socialize, Explore With Strava Running & Cycling For Android
Strava is an Android app (included on our Best Android Apps page) that records and tracks your running and cycling habits. The idea of tracking how far and where you go with GPS is a fairly recent development in the fitness world, although it’s taking off fast.
In this article, we’re going to focus on the functions and features of using the Strava Android app. However, Strava is also one of the must-have iPhone apps for cyclists. If you use a standalone GPS device (see supported GPS devices), Strava works perfect for many of those too.


Unfortunately, this applies to many, many areas of business and academia...

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