Security concerns rising for Internet of Things devices
The burgeoning market for gadgets that trigger a sprinkler system, help you
count the number of times you swing a
bat, or dim the lights automatically
are rising.
That’s a concern for any business due to how these devices
are also starting to show up at the corporate office for use in conference
rooms, executive suites, and even as a low-cost building security camera
system. Experts claim the industry is
not doing enough to protect these devices.
Craig Young, a cybersecurity researcher at Tripwire, says a big part of the
problem is that the firmware is not updated on a regular basis.
In one recent example, researchers at the University of Michigan
found they were able to hack into the Samsung SmartThings platform and even
control an entire home automation system.
… Young says the
most common hack is to break into a connected home hub, which then provides
access to any of the connected devices including door locks, motion detectors,
sprinkler systems, and even the alarm system protecting a home.
Surprisingly, there are few security apps available that
can monitor Internet of Things devices, let you know about any new emerging
attack vectors, and tell you about any recent compromises.
If not, why not? IBM
is using Watson to allow you to ask questions about the Ads they present. Lots of voice activated digital assistants
are available. Why not use the
technology you have available?
Facebook: No, we're not using your phone's mic to eavesdrop
Local.
Wal-Mart partnering with Uber, Lyft to pilot grocery delivery
program
At the company's annual shareholders meeting in
Bentonville, Ark., Friday, CEO Doug McMillon will announce a grocery delivery
pilot with Uber and Lyft. The test will
debut in Denver, Colo.,
and Phoenix, Az., over the next two weeks, and follows what the company called
a "very quiet" pilot between Sam's Club and Deliv in Miami, Fla., in
March.
… To place an
order for home delivery, a customer in one of the test locations goes online
and selects the preferred delivery window.
Store associates will then select and prepare their
orders, and request a driver from one of the companies to pick it up. Shoppers pay the retailer's standard $7 to $10
delivery charge online, and pay nothing to the driver when their order is
delivered.
Wal-Mart's latest test comes as it seeks to use its
network of stores to better compete against Amazon. To do so, it's leaning heavily on its grocery
business.
See? You can
over-incentivize.
Chile Producing So Much Solar Energy It’s Giving Electricity
Away for Free
In a new Bloomberg report, Chile Has So Much Solar Energy It’s Giving It
Away for Free, solar capacity from the country’s central grid has
increased four fold to 770 megawatts since 2013. Another 1.4 gigawatts will be added this
year with many solar power projects under
development.
… However, the article
points out that Chile’s rapid solar expansion isn’t all good news. Due to the nation’s bifurcated power grid, the
central and northern grids are not connected.
I didn’t think the two industries talked the same
language. Still, nice to see a local kid
make good.
http://www.businessinsider.com/marwan-fawaz-nest-ceo-leaving-denver-2016-6?google_editors_picks=true
Nest's new CEO lives in Denver and will commute to the Palo
Alto headquarters
Nest named Marwan Fawaz as its new CEO on Friday,
after Tony
Fadell announced that he was stepping down.
Fawaz
is a cable-industry veteran who is not nearly as well-known of a name in
Silicon Valley as Fadell, a former Apple executive.
In fact, he doesn't live in Silicon Valley. Fawaz
currently lives in Denver,
Colorado.
And according to a Nest spokesperson, the company's new
CEO will continue to live in Denver.
For my geeky students.
How to Create a Portable Windows To Go USB Drive
… What if I told
you that you could carry around your own version of Windows in your pocket,
ready to run on any computer you may encounter, with all the programs you
typically use already installed and set up exactly the way you like?
Well, you can. Don’t
worry, I won’t hold you in suspense. Here’s
how you can set up your own Windows 2 Go USB Drive (or external drive, if you prefer) that will let you run Windows 8 or
8.1 anywhere you need to. It’s free, it’s portable, and it’s yours.
For all of my
students!
Asking for Advice Makes People Think You’re Smarter
Download this
podcastA written transcript will be available by June 13, 2016.
Every week.
Hack Education Weekly News
… Via
the AP: “Donald Trump said that the federal judge
presiding over a lawsuit brought by former Trump University students has an
‘absolute conflict’ in handling the case because he is ‘of Mexican
heritage.’” More
via The Wall Street Journal.
… Via
the MIT Media Lab: “What
we learned from designing an academic certificates system on the blockchain.”
… Via
The Baltimore Sun: “Company says it can predict whether a teacher will be
good – before entering a classroom.” Riiiiight.
“The four-year-old company [TeacherMatch]
says that its proprietary screening tool – the Educators
Professional Inventory – can accurately predict whether a prospective hire will
be an effective teacher, and more specifically whether they will be able to
boost students’ test scores.” Proprietary
algorithms so no way third party verification, no research. But hey. This company was just acquired – more on that
in “The Business of Ed-Tech” section below – so it has to be legit, right?
… Cengage
says
that for fiscal year 2016, its digital textbooks outsold its print textbooks
for the first time.
… Via
Education Dive: “IT security in education on the decline.”
… Via
Techcrunch: “Nearly 1 in 4 people abandon mobile apps
after only one use.” So when folks insist “the future of education is mobile”
(and mean “apps” and not “the Web”), do keep this statistic in mind.
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