Monday, August 15, 2016

For my Computer Security students.
Report – Data Theft Rising Sharply, Insider Threats Cited as Leading Cause
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Aug 14, 2016
New Ponemon Institute Report Finds Most Employees Have Too Much Access, Multiplying Damage When Accounts Are Compromised: August 2016”


Interesting that www.securityweek.com is down.
The proxy failed to connect to the web server, due to TCP connection timeout.


We have the technology so we might as well have to use it.
How states use facial recognition to sniff out driver's license fraud
   Deep learning makes it easy and cheap to scan millions of photos for duplicates and fraud, and since it doesn’t involve any extra data collection or access — you just need to find matching entries, not link them to an identity — privacy groups see it as one of the more benign forms of facial scanning.  Forty-three of the 50 states have used some form of that technology, with seven of those states adopting the system for driver’s licenses in the last three years.  (The holdouts are California, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.)


It will be interesting to see if the Aussies solve this or elect a government that can.  Thoughts for my Architecture students.  Another ‘industry’ using obsolete technology? 
Census 2016: A case study in the confluence of failure
With continuous cuts to its funding, alongside an arrogant, dispassionate attitude towards the community and a systems provider that couldn't get the simple things right, it's little wonder the 2016 Australian Census turned into an absolute debacle.
   "It's the government that have made cuts to ABS staff and the ABS budget.  It's the government that failed to explain the changes that were happening prior to Census night.  It's the government who said it was all going well."
In February last year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) thought about moving to a 10-year Census cycle, such were its IT woes and need to save money after "efficiency dividends" were imposed on it by governments of both stripes.
Former chief statistician Brian Pink warned in the 2013 ABS annual report that ageing infrastructure and reduced budgets from the government had the potential to "seriously compromise" the agency's sustainability.  It also certainly did not help that Pink's role as chief statistician was left vacant for over a year.


For my Data Management students.  Last published 16,000 Internet years ago! 
Updated Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Aug 14, 2016
White House – OMB: [July 26, 2016] “the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) …releas[ed] an update to the Federal Government’s governing document for the management of Federal information resources: Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource.  The way we manage information technology (IT), security, data governance, and privacy has rapidly evolved since A-130 was last updated in 2000.  In today’s digital world, we are creating and collecting large volumes of data to carry out the Federal Government’s various missions to serve the American people.  This data is duplicated, stored, processed, analyzed, and transferred with ease.  As government continues to digitize, we must ensure we manage data to not only keep it secure, but also allow us to harness this information to provide the best possible service to our citizens.  [This] update to Circular A-130 gathers in one resource a wide range of policy updates for Federal agencies regarding cybersecurity, information governance, privacy, records management, open data, and acquisitions.  It also establishes general policy for IT planning and budgeting through governance, acquisition, and management of Federal information, personnel, equipment, funds, IT resources, and supporting infrastructure and services.  


Why use old technology, even if everyone else is? 
Google Fiber To Go Wireless? Underground Fiber Optic Cables Proving Too Expensive And Time-Consuming
The Google Fiber unit of Alphabet could be looking at going wireless, as the cost and time associated with installing underground fiber optic cables for the high-speed broadband internet service is slowing down the business.
   for most cases, Google Fiber is looking to use wireless technology to connect homes to the service as opposed to underground fiber optic cables.  In other cases, Google would be looking to lease existing fiber networks or ask the cities or power companies to build out the networks themselves.
Google Fiber, which looks to provide customers with up to 100 times the speed of typical broadband internet connections, is running into trouble with the so-called last mile, which is where the network is brought directly into the homes and buildings of the service's clients.  Getting through this last mile usually involves tearing up the streets and digging up nearby sidewalks, which is a huge burden in the construction of the network.  As such, the exploration on looking for a wireless solution to go over the last mile has started.


First secure the rights to the content, then find an appropriate delivery method?
Twitter and its live NFL games might be coming to Apple TV
Twitter is reportedly negotiating with Apple to bring the Twitter app to Apple TV — a move that would give the streaming platform's millions of users access to upcoming NFL games.  The talks have been reported by The New York Times as part of the social media platform's plans to broaden its appeal using live sports.  (NFL content is already available on Apple TV for paying NFL Game Pass subscribers, but games aren't live streamed in the US.)
Back in April, Twitter beat out rivals such as Facebook to secure the rights to live stream a number of NFL games, and has since signed similar deals with Wimbledon, the MLB, the NBA, and the NHL.


Isn’t this to be expected?  Who would want overnight delivery of 2X4s? 
Retail Results Will Show Amazon’s Effect
Do-it-yourself chains Home Depot Inc. and Lowe’s Cos. appear to have built a retail oasis mostly walled off from the reach of online behemoth Amazon.com Inc.
   Home Depot says just 25% of its business—smaller, easy-to-ship items like power drills and small hand tools—faces tough online competition.
That doesn’t mean either chain is immune to Amazon.  A UBS survey in June found that 11% of consumers planning a home improvement project themselves planned to buy something from Amazon.  That is far behind the 36% who said they planned to shop at Home Depot and the 21% at Lowe’s, but up from just 7% a few months back.  


It really does take time to learn how to use a new technology properly.
When Refrigeration was Controversial


For when my students want to get their geek on…
$5 Microcontrollers: Arduino, Raspberry Pi Zero, Or NodeMCU?

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