IT Executive news

• New 'moonshot challenge' at Harvard aims to make giant leap in AI

  21-01-2016 23:56
  
  Humanity has big hopes for artificial intelligence, but in reality machines have a long way to go to catch up with the human brain. Enter Harvard University, which has just won a $28 million grant to change all that.
  The grant aims to help scientists figure out why mammalian brains are so good at learning, and then design better computers accordingly. Harvard researchers will record activity in the brain's visual cortex in "unprecedented detail," map its connections and then reverse-engineer th
  
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• New 'moonshot challenge' at Harvard aims for giant leap in AI

  21-01-2016 23:56
  
  Humanity has big hopes for artificial intelligence, but in reality machines have a long way to go to catch up with the human brain. Enter Harvard University, which has just won a $28 million grant to change all that.The grant aims to help scientists figure out why mammalian brains are so good at learning, and then design better computers accordingly. Harvard researchers will record activity in the brain's visual cortex in "unprecedented detail," map its connections and then reverse-engineer the
  
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• China is the new battleground for Intel server dominance

  21-01-2016 22:57
  Intel has to keep a close watch on China, where an architectural battle could break its dominance in servers.Intel chips based on its x86 architecture are used in most servers worldwide. But the Chinese market is growing, and could kick-start emerging server architectures like ARM and IBM-backed OpenPower.Intel took a step to defend its server chip business in China on Thursday, saying it will deliver custom processors to Chinese companies through a partnership with Tsinghua University and Monta
  
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• Windows 10 needed universal apps, and Dropbox made one, complete with Windows Hello

  21-01-2016 22:24
  
  Microsoft’s partnership with Dropbox has been slow to evolve, but the two companies announced a universal Windows 10 app on Thursday with a unique twist: It allows customers to log in to a Dropbox account using Windows Hello.
  The app is fully baked for Windows 10, boasting notifications, quick search, commenting and drag-and-drop support as well as the Hello biometric login. Microsoft and Dropbox said the app, optimized for tablets, should be available within the next few days.
  
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• Microsoft adds Mac testers to its Office Insider preview

  21-01-2016 22:09
  
  Microsoft today announced its Office Insider preview program now accepts Mac users of Office 365 Home, Personal and University, following up on the the same beta offer to Windows customers in November.
  The company actually added Office Insider access earlier this month, but publicized it only today: On Jan. 5, an update to Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) for Mac -- Office's integrated maintenance utility -- exposed the Insider program to customers.
  To become an Office Insider, Mac users must check t
  
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• Verizon vows to build the first 5G network in the US

  21-01-2016 21:47
  
  Verizon says it will have the first 5G network in the U.S., a promise it probably can't fulfill until 2020 but will start working at this year. 5G is the next generation of cellular technology after LTE and the subject of intense research and development around the world. It's expected to become an official standard in 2020, and some mobile operators say they'll have it ready by then or even before. NTT DoCoMo says it will have 5G running in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, while
  
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• Google to boost compression performance in Chrome 49

  21-01-2016 20:38
  
  Google yesterday announced that a new in-house compression algorithm, dubbed "Brotli," will soon be added to Chrome to speed up page loading times and reduce data consumption on mobile.
  Brotli is currently slated to show up in Chrome's "stable" build channel with version 49.
  Google first publicly discussed Brotli in September 2015, touting it as more efficient in compressing website content than alternatives, including the most popular technology, "gzip." By compressing site components, Brotli,
  
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• Why 'data scientist' is this year's hottest job

  21-01-2016 20:34
  
  It's notable enough that close to half of the 25 "best jobs in America" named by recruiting site Glassdoor this week are tech-related, but even more striking is the fact that "data scientist" tops the list.With more than 1,700 active job openings on the site earlier this month and a median base salary of $116,840, data scientist also garnered Glassdoor's top "job score" ranking and "career opportunity" score.Last year, data scientist ranked No. 9; occupying the top spot then was physician assist
  
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• Google blocked more bad ads than ever in 2015, but they still keep coming

  21-01-2016 20:28
  
  When Google tells us it blocked 780 million bad ads last year, is that a sign that things are getting better?In one way it is, as the 49 percent increase in bad ads blocked outpaced Google's overall advertising growth, indicating that the company has been blocking a greater number of bad ads as a percentage of the whole. Clicks on its ads grew at a slightly more leisurely pace, rising 23 percent from a year earlier in the third quarter last year, the most recent for which figures are available.B
  
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• Cisco fixes critical flaws in digital encoder, unified computing manager and security appliance

  21-01-2016 19:55
  
  Cisco Systems has released software updates to fix critical issues that could allow attackers to compromise digital encoders, unified computing system management servers and Firepower 9000 series security appliances.The Cisco Modular Encoding Platform D9036, a hardware appliance that provides multi-resolution, multi-format encoding for applications that require high video quality, has a hard-coded static password for the root account.This is the highest privileged account on the operating system
  
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• Sample bomb threat procedures

  21-01-2016 18:15
  
  These are the detailed bomb threat procedures for a U.S.-based non-profit organization that promotes environmental activism and causes. A bomb threat procedure was drafted after the organization received a threat.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Oracle fixes critical flaws in Java, Database Server

  21-01-2016 18:10
  
  Oracle issued a gargantuan quarterly patch update this week, fixing a whopping 248 vulnerabilities across its product portfolio. Despite its size, Oracle Database, MySQL, and Java accounted for just a third of the fixes in the January Critical Patch Update.
  The January CPU addressed seven vulnerabilities in the Oracle Database Server, three for the Oracle GoldenGate component, eight in Oracle Java SE, and 22 in Oracle MySQL. The update also closed nine issues in Oracle Virtualization and 23 in
  
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• It’s a hybrid cloud world, and we’re all just living in it

  21-01-2016 18:10
  
  As organizations increase their use of cloud services, Forrester principal analyst Dave Bartoletti says they're coming to this realization: No one platform can provide everything developers and IT operations professionals need.
  According to a poll of global technology users, nearly two-thirds said they’re using more than one public and/or private cloud at the same time. As has been predicted for years, hybrid cloud has become a dominant deployment methodology. Organizations are combining
  
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• Cybersecurity much more than a compliance exercise

  21-01-2016 17:42
  
  Even as an overwhelming majority of large global enterprises feel vulnerable to data breaches and other security threats, too many organizations continue to approach cybersecurity as a compliance exercise, according to a new survey from the security vendor Vormetric.
  In a poll of more than 1,100 security executives around the world, 91 percent of respondents consider their organization to be vulnerable to internal or external data threats.
  And yet, 64 percent of respondents express the view tha
  
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• Trends in CIO hiring: The road to the C-suite passes through operations

  21-01-2016 17:39
  
  Heidrick & StrugglesKay Fuhrman, Heidrick & StrugglesTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Data breach numbers still high in 2015

  21-01-2016 17:09
  
  New year, new leakImage by Eli ChristmanThe number of U.S. data breaches tracked in 2014 hit a record high of 783 in 2014, according to a recent report released by the Identity Theft Resource Center. 2015 fell just two breaches short of tying that record. Here is a list of those breaches that compromised more than 1 million records (see the full report).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Bitbucket upgrade goes toe to toe with GitHub

  21-01-2016 17:00
  
  Giving GitHub a run for its money, Atlassian is upgrading its Bitbucket project hosting platform with improvements covering distributed teams, large files, and repository organization.
  Supporting both the Git and Mercurial revision control systems, Bitbucket offers code collaboration and Git that "massively scales," according to Atlassian. The company is adding Smart Mirroring, Git LFS (Large File System), and a Projects capability, for organizing multiple repositories, to Bitbucket.[ Get the m
  
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• Fintech gedijt niet goed in Nederland

  21-01-2016 16:55
  De Nederlandse financieel-technische sector kampt met verouderde regelgeving, onvoldoende kennis bij toezichthouders en gebrekkige samenwerking tussen startups, gevestigde partijen en overheid. In ons omringende landen zijn de omstandigheden voor digitale innovatie beter, zeggen Rabobank, ING Nederland, Holland... lees meer
  
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• How much at risk is the U.S.'s critical infrastructure?

  21-01-2016 16:14
  
  There is universal agreement that modern warfare or crime fighting is not just about bullets, bombs and missiles in physical space. It’s also about hacking in cyber space.
  But over the past decade there has been much less agreement over how much of a threat hackers are.
  On one side are those – some of them top government officials – who have warned that a cyber attack on the nation’s critical infrastructure could be catastrophic, amounting to a “cyber Pearl Ha
  
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• What does the future hold for artificial intelligence?

  21-01-2016 15:56
  
  In the past two decades, we've seen chess grandmasters and the best Jeopardy players in the world alike fall to in competition to computers. Heads-up No-limit Texas Hold 'em poker may be next. But the future of artificial intelligence (AI) is about way more than games.Last April and May, Carnegie Mellon University's AI, Claudico (developed by Professor Tuomas Sandholm and his team), played an 80,000-hand tournament against four poker pros. When the game ended, three of the four players had bigge
  
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• MetroPCS courts Sprint customers with deep discounts and free phones

  21-01-2016 15:06
  
  In the latest battle of the wireless war, Sprint and T-Mobile are trying to poach each other's customers with tempting bargains.T-Mobile turned up the heat this week via its prepaid subsidiary, MetroPCS. Starting Thursday, Sprint customers who switch to MetroPCS will get as much as 50 percent off their current Sprint agreements and receive free, low-end smartphones.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why Jim Dalrymple loves Apple's 12-inch gold MacBook

  21-01-2016 14:49
  When Apple launched the 12-inch retina MacBook there was a firestorm of criticism directed at the new laptop. Many Mac users were shocked that there was only one port, and many others disliked the new keyboard. There were heated discussions about the 12-inch MacBook on Reddit and other sites, and opinions have remained quite polarized about it.But there's one guy who absolutely loves the 12-inch MacBook, and that's Jim Dalrymple. He writes the popular Apple blog The Loop, and he recently shared
  
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• Google creates fix for zero-day kernel flaw, says effect on Android is greatly exaggerated

  21-01-2016 14:09
  
  After being caught off guard by the disclosure of a serious flaw in the Linux kernel this week, Google has quickly developed a patch for Android and shared it with device manufacturers.It might take weeks for device makers to start releasing firmware updates that include the fix, but that's not a huge problem since, according to Google's assessment, the flaw doesn't affect many Android devices to begin with.The privilege escalation vulnerability allows attackers to gain full control over Linux-b
  
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• Brave is the name, ad-blocking the game of new browser

  21-01-2016 14:07
  
  Brendan Eich, co-founder of Mozilla and for an 11-day stint, its CEO, yesterday announced a new browser called "Brave," that blocks outside online ads and ad tracking.
  Brave, which was at version 0.7 -- denoting its under-construction and fit-for-developers-and-other-strong-hearts-only status -- is for Windows and OS X on the desktop, iOS and Android on mobile. The browser does not have a final code launch date or one for a public preview. Users may sign up for notification when betas become av
  
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• How (and why) marketing tech fails to deliver on its promise

  21-01-2016 14:00
  
  For all the hype around marketing technology today, consumers should be awash in creative media that excites and endears them to brands, and ultimately leads to surges in sales. Unfortunately for marketers, this vision is more fantasy than reality.
  Marketing technology has evolved into a complex amalgamation of software, data collection and automation that aims to achieve the same simple goal marketing professionals have targeted for years, according Jake Sorofman, research vice president at Ga
  
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• IT resume makeover: Avoid a list of job descriptions

  21-01-2016 13:53
  
  Your resume is how you sell yourself to a hiring manager or a recruiter, which means you want to avoid a long list of job descriptions. That's the mistake resume writer Andrew Ysasi, president of Admovio and executive director of Kent Record Management, says that Kristine Spence made in her original resume. She focused on highlighting her work experience, but neglected to demonstrate the impact she had on the bottom line of her former companies and the impressive trajectory of her career from ma
  
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• How to win the war for IT talent

  21-01-2016 13:32
  
  The global war for IT talent is only going to intensify in 2016.Even IT heavyweights like Adobe and Facebook struggle to adequately source and screen enough engineering talent to meet the demand for these skills. Some IT companies are leveraging unorthodox methods to solve the problem. Here are three ways to approach the problem.Focus on skillsFinding IT talent with the right skills and the experience is one of the major problems IT companies face, not because there's a deficit of skilled progra
  
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• Unisys en AWS samen in innovatie voor bedrijfsbeveiliging via cloud

  21-01-2016 12:23
  ICT-leverancier Unisys Corporation en Amazon Web Services (AWS) gaan samenwerken om organisaties een beveiligingsoplossing via de publieke cloud van AWS te bieden. Klanten van AWS beschikken over een geavanceerde beveiligingsoplossing, terwijl klanten van Unisys gebruik kunnen maken van het gemak en de schaalbaarheid... lees meer
  
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• Review: Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 4

  21-01-2016 12:00
  
  In November, Microsoft released Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 4. With the final release due out in the second half of this year, TP4 gives us the latest look at where Microsoft's flagship operating system is heading. There are several interesting spots to look at and some licensing news that is controversial. I put the release through its paces for around a month; here are my observations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Mingis on Tech: Drones on the rise, Detroit on the move -- to Silicon Valley

  21-01-2016 12:00
  
  In this "cars n' copters" edition of Mingis on Tech, Executive News Editor Ken Mingis sits down to talk drones with Contributing Writer Michael deAgonia and Detroit with Senior Writer Lucas Mearian.Drones are hot, hot, hot right now -- witness the more than 181,000 units that have been registered with the FAA. Computerworld's resident drone reviewer deAgonia explains why, covering the finer points (and price points) of quad-copter drones like the Chroma and Dragonfly, which he just tested. Also
  
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• Essential admin tips: How to blend Macs into your business

  21-01-2016 12:00
  
  If you still think Macs are fare for only specialty departments like design and marketing, think again. Business use of Macs is on the rise, and with it the need to better manage the fleet.
  This past fall, for example, Apple and IBM highlighted the growing number of Macs used by employees of Big Blue, with IBM committing to 50,000 new MacBooks, a purchase order that saw IBM deploying about 1,900 Macs each week.[ Windows 10 vs. OS X El Capitan: Which gives sys admins the most management control?
  
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• Applicatie-ontwikkelaars populairste IT-zelfstandigen

  21-01-2016 11:41
  Ontwikkelaars van applicaties zijn de meest populaire groep zelfstandigen onder externe IT’ers en zij zijn veelgevraagd om bedrijfsapplicaties cloud-proof te maken. Ten opzichte van voorgaande jaren is het aandeel van deze ZP’ers binnen het IT-domein gestegen naar bijna 25%. Daarop duidt een klein onderzoek... lees meer
  
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• Facebook sets up 'sports stadium' to pull American football fans

  21-01-2016 08:48
  
  Facebook wants to grab the large audiences that American football attracts, and has launched Facebook Sports Stadium, which it describes as a dedicated place to experience sports in real time "with your friends and the world.""It’s a second-screen experience that we hope makes watching the broadcast even better," wrote Product Manager, Steve Kafka in a post.The social network is apparently aiming to replace other social networks, particularly Twitter, which sees a lot of real-time discussi
  
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• Foxconn said to bid over $5B for Sharp

  21-01-2016 07:04
  Large contract manufacturer Foxconn has bid to take over ailing Sharp for its display business and manufacturing know-how, according to news reports.
  Sharp, which has had to take the help of banks frequently, is said to be set to consider a review of a competing offer from the Japanese government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, which could be favored because of the government's interest in keeping the company in local hands and protecting jobs.
  Foxconn, which assembles products
  
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• Fight for privacy of students, cellphone users moves to US states

  21-01-2016 06:04
  The fight for privacy is moving to U.S. states with 16 states and the District of Columbia introducing legislation on Wednesday that address issues such as requiring permission before student data is shared for non-educational purposes and the requirement of warrants before using cell site simulators to track phone users.“A bipartisan consensus on privacy rights is emerging, and now the states are taking collective action where Congress has been largely asleep at the switch,” said An
  
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• Major tech companies spent millions more on lobbying in 2015

  21-01-2016 04:39
  Most major tech companies increased the amount of money they spent attempting to influence lawmakers and the regulatory process in Washington, D.C., through federal lobbying.Behind the increased spending is a push by tech companies to reduce or eliminate regulations that are slowing them down as they expand into sections of the economy like cars and medical devices.Google spent more on lobbying than any other tech company although the US$16.7 million total for 2015 was down about
  
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• San Francisco has had its first autonomous car accident

  21-01-2016 01:50
  
  San Francisco saw its first traffic accident involving an autonomous car earlier this month.It occurred on the afternoon of Jan. 8 when a Nissan Leaf autonomous vehicle operated by Cruise Automation hit a parked Toyota Prius.The car was in manual control mode at the time, but an account of the incident says it started when the automation computer steered the car incorrectly."The vehicle began moving in its lane to the left, then began correcting to the right at which point the drive decided the
  
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• Ukrainian power companies are getting hit with more cyberattacks

  21-01-2016 01:33
  A number of Ukrainian power companies are seeing fresh cyberattacks following ones in December that briefly knocked out power for tens of thousands of customers.
  Security vendor Eset said on Wednesday that the attacks use a different kind of malware, prompting questions about whether the same group or groups are involved.
  "The malware is based on a freely available open-source backdoor – something no one would expect from an alleged state-sponsored malware operator," wrote Robert Lipovsky
  
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• The top 5 Hadoop distributions, according to Forrester

  21-01-2016 01:09
  
  A new report by Forrester Research’s big data analysts says that adopting Hadoop is “mandatory” for any organization that wishes to do advanced analytics and get actionable insights on their data.
  Forrester estimates that between 60% and 73% of data that enterprises have access to goes unused for business intelligence and analytics. “That’s unacceptable in an age where deeper, actionable insights, especially about customers, are a competitive necessity,” anal
  
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• MIT offers Internet of Things training for professionals

  21-01-2016 01:05
  
  MIT is offering an online course about the Internet of Things, and this is what you need to know up front: It's going to require, perhaps, six to eight hours of study time a week, which includes watching videos of lectures, engaging with faculty and fellow students in forums and taking tests.
  It begins April 12 and continues through May 24. It costs $495, and unlike some online courses, there is no free option. Students who complete the program and pass the tests earn a certificate of completio
  
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• AT&T's latest business discount is a 2-for-1 smartphone deal

  21-01-2016 01:05
  
  AT&T on Wednesday announced aggressive discounts on new smartphones and devices, including a 2-for-1 smartphone offer for business customers.
  A big focus of the AT&T discounts is special deals on Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and Gear S2 smartwatches. Analysts interpreted that focus on Samsung devices as a way to clear out inventory prior to expected upgrade announcements coming in late February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
  AT&T is also facing pressure to add more subscribe
  
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• Apple Watch Hermès on sale in 10 different styles, both in stores and online

  21-01-2016 00:20
  
  Starting Friday, you can go out and order an Apple Watch Hermès from the Apple Store online, but you might want to bring your French dictionary.
  First announced in September 2015 during Apple’s big iPhone 6s event, the Apple Watch Hermès collection was originally only available to purchase in select Apple Stores and Hermès store locations in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto, as well as in several cities in Europe and Asia. However, i
  
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• Criminal charges filed against two LA drone pilots

  21-01-2016 00:17
  
  The Los Angeles City Attorney filed criminal cases against two drone pilots on Wednesday for allegedly flying their drones in controlled airspace.
  The charges are the first under a new city ordinance that restricts drone flights to less than 400 feet, during daylight hours and not within 5 miles of an airport. The rules mirror Federal Aviation Administration regulations and carry a maximum penalty of up to $1,000 in fines and six months in prison.
  In each incident, the drones in question were s
  
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• FireEye to grow intelligence capabilities with iSight Partners deal

  21-01-2016 00:03
  
  FireEye has acquired Texas-based iSight Partners for $200 million, a deal that executives say will give FireEye stronger intelligence on cybercriminal and hacking groups before they strike.
  The transaction, announced Wednesday, closed on Jan. 14.
  FireEye started with an end-point protection product aimed at filtering out malware before it entered a company's network. But the company has sought to expand its range of services through acquisitions as cybersecurity has become an ever-increasing co
  
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• Sir David Attenborough narrates Google’s latest virtual reality Expedition

  21-01-2016 00:00
  
  Cardboard isn’t just for playing games: Google also uses it in its Expeditions program to bring free virtual field trips to classrooms. On Wednesday, the company announced that it’s expanding the program and rolling out two new Expeditions episodes, including a virtual tour of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and London’s Buckingham Palace.
  Google’s Cardboard Expeditions are designed to take kids—and their teachers—to
  
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