IT Executive news

• Augmented reality gets a second life in manufacturing

  23-03-2017 23:24
  
  The ungraceful death of the consumer version of Google Glass in 2015 may have had some grieving the early death of augmented reality. But the technology is being resurrected by companies on the manufacturing floor. 
  Take for example Lockheed Martin. Technicians at the aerospace manufacturer use Microsoft's Hololens headset to design and examine models of spacecraft such as the Mars lander ahead of it's 2018 mission.  Lockheed Martin
  Technicians at Lockheed Martin's Collaborative Human
  
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• FBI director floats international framework on access to encrypted data

  23-03-2017 23:21
  
  FBI director James Comey has suggested that an international agreement between governments could ease fears about IT products with government-mandated backdoors, but privacy advocates are doubtful.Speaking on Thursday, Comey suggested that the U.S. might work with other countries on a “framework” for creating legal access to encrypted tech devices.“I could imagine a community of nations committed to the rule of law developing a set of norms, a framework, for when governmen
  
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• 32% off Nintendo Wii Remote Plus, Toad - Deal Alert

  23-03-2017 23:00
  
  Simple, intuitive and easy to use. The Wii Remote Plus is a unique controller for the Wii and Wii U video game systems, now with the increased sensitivity of Wii MotionPlus built-in. The button presses of typical controllers are replaced by the natural, fluid motion of your hand. The Wii Remote Plus senses your every action and makes you feel less like a player and more like you're part of the game. This Wii remote is highly rated, and currently discounted 32% on Amazon to just $27.15, savi
  
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• Microsoft expands connected car push with patent licensing

  23-03-2017 22:33
  
  Microsoft's push into the connected car space has moved up a gear with a new patent licensing agreement with Toyota. The world's second-largest auto maker will have access to a range of Microsoft patents as part of the deal announced this week.
  Rather than trying to build a high-tech automobile of its own, Microsoft is focusing on providing carmakers with the tools they need to create smarter vehicles and the Toyota deal is the first of what it hopes will be a series of such agreements.
  Microso
  
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• Instagram adds two-factor authentication, censors photos that are deemed offensive or disturbing

  23-03-2017 22:10
  
  When in doubt, blur it out. That’s how Instagram is handling any controversial photos that surface on its platform.
  On Thursday, Instagram announced a new policy to blur out “sensitive” content that users have flagged as either offensive or disturbing. The blurred photos and videos do not explicitly violate Instagram’s content guidelines, so they don’t warrant a removal by Instagram standards. However, some users may still find them too sensitive to view. 
  
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• 20% off Razor Hovertrax 2.0 Hoverboard Self-Balancing Smart Scooter - Deal Alert

  23-03-2017 22:05
  
  Step on the deck and go with Razor Hovertrax 2.0, the world’s smartest self-balancing electric scooter. Intelligently-engineered with EverBalance technology, Hovertrax 2.0 is the only board that auto-levels for a safer, easier mount and a smoother ride. Whether you’re coasting, racing, or commuting, Hovertrax 2.0 is always in balance. Indoors or out, Hovertrax 2.0 does the work so you can enjoy the journey. Hovertrax 2.0: technology so advanced, it’s simple. Once you learn how
  
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• Leaked iCloud credentials obtained from third parties, Apple says

  23-03-2017 21:52
  
  A group of hackers threatening to wipe data from Apple devices attached to millions of iCloud accounts didn't obtain whatever log-in credentials they have through a breach of the company's services, Apple said."There have not been any breaches in any of Apple's systems including iCloud and Apple ID," an Apple representative said in an emailed statement. "The alleged list of email addresses and passwords appears to have been obtained from previously compromised third-party services."A group calli
  
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• Most Android devices lack latest security patches

  23-03-2017 21:14
  
  Nearly three-quarters of Android devices on the five biggest U.S. carriers are running on security patches that are at least two months old, putting them at greater risk of being hacked.
  That finding was made in an analysisreleased Thursday by Skycure, a mobile threat defense vendor. 
  The report also found that the city of Boston has had the biggest recent increase in smartphone and other wireless device threats — including malicious attacks — among 11 major U.S. cities. Incide
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Social determinants: powering the next big leap for healthcare analytics

  23-03-2017 21:13
  
  Real estate isn’t the only thing that’s all about location. Your ZIP code may be the single biggest predictor of your health and mortality. Healthcare analytics professionals increasingly view ZIP codes as surrogates for income, education, employment status, ethnicity and other related data elements that are collectively referred to as social determinants of health (SDOH). These types of data are beginning to play a critical role in population health management (PHM) practi
  
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• H-1B lottery’s game of chance is legal, judge rules

  23-03-2017 20:54
  
  A lawsuit that challenged the fairness and legality of the H-1B lottery system, describing it as a "never ending game of chance," has been thrown out by a federal judge.
  The case was heard by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon in Oregon; in a 31-page opinion, Simon said that the government's random visa distribution method does not violate the law.
  The judge's ruling means that there will no changes to the H-1B distribution system this year.
  On April 1, the U.S. will receive visa petitions
  
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• Google: Half of Android devices haven’t been patched in a year or more

  23-03-2017 20:41
  
  Google engineers yesterday acknowledged that half of all Android devices had not received a security update in the past year, even as they argued that the firm has made progress in streamlining the open-source operating system's patching process.
  "About half of devices in use at the end of 2016 had not received a platform security update in the previous year," Adrian Ludwig and Mel Mille, members of the Android security team, said in a post to a company blog.
  Although Google has issued monthly
  
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• Fable F#-to-JavaScript tool integrates with Microsoft .Net Core SDK

  23-03-2017 20:22
  
  Fable, a compiler that enables Microsoft's F# "functional first" programming language to emit JavaScript, has reached a 1.0 beta stage, featuring integration with Microsoft's .Net Core SDK.
  Leveraging the Babel JavaScript compiler, Fable makes JavaScript a back end for F# without having to compile to .Net bytecode. The beta release has .Net Core serving as an open source implementation of .Net for Windows, Linux, and Mac.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Facebook makes Messenger more like iMessage with emoji reactions

  23-03-2017 20:10
  Facebook has incorporated new features into its Messenger app, and they may seem familiar to iMessage users.
  Facebook Messenger now lets users add emoji reactions to individual messages, just how Facebook users can “react” to posts in their News Feeds. Facebook is also giving users the ability to include @mentions in their messages. Both of these new features will begin rolling out on Thursday and will be available globally in the coming days, according to Facebook.
  You can add an e
  
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• Save $1,100 on the HP LaserJet Enterprise M506dh Printer By Using This Code - Deal Alert

  23-03-2017 19:44
  
  HP is having a spring sale, and they've discounted the LaserJet Enterprise M506dh Printer by a whopping $1,100 if you use the special coupon code BMA165655 between now and 3/31. This HP Laser Monochrome Printer has a steadfast printing speed of up to 45 ppm -- perfect when you have a progressive printing system in mind. Its 1200x1200 dpi copy ensures sheer, precise copies in result. It’s an f2a71a#201 Automatic duplex printer that can absorb up to 250 sheets on its output bin, and do
  
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• Google's Android Things OS won't work on new Raspberry Pi board

  23-03-2017 19:33
  
  The new Raspberry Pi Zero W was designed to be a board to make internet-of-things devices, but a key OS from Google won't work on the hardware.Google's Android Things IoT OS will not work with the small developer board, which is partly a wireless board, partly a gadget development tool. The Zero W is priced at US$10.The Zero W has a 1GHz single-core BCM2835 processor, which is based on the ARMv6 architecture.Android Things does not support ARMv6, so the OS will not work on the board. The OS is s
  
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• Wikileaks documents show CIA's Mac and iPhone compromises

  23-03-2017 19:24
  
  The U.S. CIA has had tools to infect Apple Mac computers by connecting malicious Thunderbolt Ethernet adapters to them since 2012, according to new documents purported to be from the agency and published by WikiLeaks.One of the documents, dated Nov. 29, 2012, is a manual from the CIA's Information Operations Center on the use of a technology codenamed Sonic Screwdriver. It is described as "a mechanism for executing code on peripheral devices while a Mac laptop or desktop is booting."Sonic Screwd
  
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• Newly leaked documents show low-level CIA Mac and iPhone hacks

  23-03-2017 19:24
  
  The U.S. CIA has had tools to infect Apple Mac computers by connecting malicious Thunderbolt Ethernet adapters to them since 2012, according to new documents purported to be from the agency and published by WikiLeaks.
  One of the documents, dated Nov. 29, 2012, is a manual from the CIA's Information Operations Center on the use of a technology codenamed Sonic Screwdriver. It is described as "a mechanism for executing code on peripheral devices while a Mac laptop or desktop is booting."
  Sonic Scr
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 3 innovative ways to boost blog engagement

  23-03-2017 18:43
  
  According to Hosting Facts, approximately 2.7 million blog posts are published every day. But how many of them actually get any engagement? Engagement involves conversations, interactions, multiple likes, comments and shares, and getting your audience to do those things is no cakewalk.So, what does it take to boost blog engagement? To be honest, it takes time and patience to build active readership. Though churning out high-quality content is a good start, it takes a lot more than that to get th
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Transform your IT from cash-eater to profit-maker with managed IT as a service

  23-03-2017 18:33
  
  The vast majority of cloud migration programs supporting IT transformation rarely end up with the promised business benefits.These scattered initiatives, decided in the CIO’s office, are often disconnected from any basic business strategy. Who can objectively pretend that leveraging the cloud to cut IT costs and streamline IT operations is enough to help the business become an innovation champion, prevent market share erosion or stop customer churn? These are actually the challenges.The fa
  
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• Using personality profiling to make call centers more efficient

  23-03-2017 18:14
  
  Andy Traba is Vice President of Behavioral and Data Science at Mattersight, a company that spun out of eLoyalty about six years ago to pursue the idea that you can identify communication preferences through speech analysis and use that knowledge to improve call center performance. Traba, who runs the team that is responsible for generating algorithms that turn freeform conversations into data, as well as the team that builds applications around those datasets, explained how it works to Network W
  
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• Senate votes to kill FCC's broadband privacy rules

  23-03-2017 18:13
  
  The U.S. Senate has voted to kill broadband provider privacy regulations prohibiting them from selling customers' web-browsing histories and other data without their permission.The Senate's 50-48 vote Thursday on a resolution of disapproval would roll back Federal Communications Commission rules requiring broadband providers to receive opt-in customer permission to share sensitive personal information, including web-browsing history, geolocation, and financial details with third parties. The FCC
  
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• Intel merges AI operations into a new unit

  23-03-2017 18:13
  
  Intel's artificial intelligence efforts have been scattered over many different units but are now being united into a single operating group.The Artificial Intelligence Products Group will focus on the development of chips and software products tied to machine learning, algorithms, and deep learning.The new group could become Intel's single most important group as companies implement machine learning into operations. Intel is tweaking more chips and developing software to take on workloads like
  
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• Snowden's ex-boss offers tips on stopping insider threats

  23-03-2017 18:10
  Steven Bay, a former defense contractor, knows a thing or two about insider threats. For a brief period, he was the boss of Edward Snowden, the famous leaker who stole sensitive files from the U.S. National Security Agency.Recalling the day he learned Snowden had been behind the NSA leaks back in June 2013, Bay said he received texts about the breaking news while in a leadership meeting at a church. The first text said "Sorry man, looks like your worst nightmare came true."To read this article i
  
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• How gamification improves customer engagement and retention

  23-03-2017 18:01
  
  “Engaged consumers have a significant impact on your bottom line,” says Alex Gault, vice president of sales and marketing, DeepMarkit. “According to Gallup, brands that successfully engage their customers realize 63 percent lower customer attrition and 55 percent higher share of wallet.” And a prime way to engage customers is by using games that reward them for playing – and shopping -- with you.[ Related: 3 enterprise gamification success stories ]To read
  
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• Cisco security researcher: Ransomware crowd big on customer service

  23-03-2017 16:03
  
  Cisco Senior Security Researcher Brad Antoniewicz often gets asked whether those who take people’s computers hostage with ransomware actually hold up their end of the bargain and decrypt files when victims pay by bitcoin.
  “They’re in it to make money…Good customer service is important to these people,” he said, and not at all tongue in cheek, during his lunchtime address on the opening day of SecureWorld Boston this week.
  Antoniewicz, sporting a RUN DNS t-shirt re
  
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• Digitalisering keert verzekeringswereld binnenstebuiten

  23-03-2017 15:37
  Waar verzekeraars zich traditioneel richtten op het verkopen van polissen en binnenhalen van nieuwe klanten, is er steeds meer aandacht voor het inzetten van data, automatisering en KI. De branche transformeert vanuit de kern en kan wereldwijd met meer dan anderhalf miljard groeien, volgens onderzoek door... lees meer
  
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• Interview William Binney, klokkenluider

  23-03-2017 15:28
  William Binney, voormalig technical director bij de Amerikaanse NSA en sinds 2001 klokkenluider, legt uit hoe het systeem dat onder zijn leiding werd gebouwd om alle online data ter wereld af te tappen en te analyseren na 2001 in snel tempo van alle interne gebruiksrestricties werd ontdaan. Hierdoor kon het systeem... lees meer
  
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• Does unconscious bias training really work?

  23-03-2017 15:15
  
  I've read some good pieces lately on the state of diversity -- or lack thereof -- in Silicon Valley. This long-form Atlantic piece, "Why is Silicon Valley so Awful to Women?" does a solid job of laying out the challenges to a fully inclusive tech industry, as does this two-part PBS NewsHour story, "How Silicon Valley is Trying to Fix its Diversity Problem," based on similar reporting and with associated video.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: What a tea ceremony can teach you about leadership

  23-03-2017 14:54
  
  I recently had to the opportunity to observe an interview between an emerging cloud-based software company and a finalist for a key operational role. The company had been desperately looking for a person that could help them consolidate hundreds of application instances into a single data center. The software company had been executing numerous acquisitions of new technologies but had been unable to get them under the same roof. The role for which they were recruiting would provide them the expe
  
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• Facebook starts warning U.S. users when they're sharing fake news

  23-03-2017 14:54
  
  In a few months, you may no longer have to write “FAKE” below your friends’ Facebook posts. Fake news warning alerts appear to be rolling out to Facebook users in the United States after first appearing in Germany in January.
  The new alerts, flagged with help from independent fact-checkers, are designed to prevent users from sharing fake news stories unwittingly, but they will not prevent people from sharing the story if they still choose.
  When you try to share a story that ha
  
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• 53% off Jaybird X2 Sport Wireless Bluetooth Headphones - Deal Alert

  23-03-2017 14:46
  
  With a regular list price of $149.99, the current discount makes the Jaybird X2 Sport is now available with a 53% discount for this deal. Features include:Premium Bluetooth Audio For Skip-Free Music Outdoors
  8 Hours of Music + Calls With Complete Remote Controls
  Secure Over/Under-Ear Fit Options
  Lifetime Sweat proof Warranty
  Includes Comply Premium Sport Memory Foam Ear Tips, Patented Secure-Fit Ear Fins, Friction-Fit Silicone Sport Carrying Case, Silicone Ear Tips, Charging Cable & Cor
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How Florida Local Government Agencies Collaborate to Improve Citizen Services

  23-03-2017 14:16
  
  Many private sector IT organizations today still face budget challenges with the added pressure to create unique customer experiences as they collaborate as part of business teams to improve competitive differentiation. Now think about local government IT organizations, faced with the same challenges but having much smaller IT teams; but still having to work with numerous agencies looking for ways to provide improved services to its citizens. Kind of makes you shudder doesn't it.
  Well, if you w
  
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• Internationale informatiebeveiligingsnormen geadopteerd door Europa

  23-03-2017 14:08
  Onlangs zijn ISO 27001 en ISO 27002, de belangrijkste internationale normen voor informatiebeveiliging, overgenomen als Europese normen. Beide worden in alle Europese landen als nationale norm gepubliceerd en conflicterende nationale normen worden ingetrokken.ISO 27001 (Informatietechnologie - Beveiligingstechnieken... lees meer
  
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• Why building candidate personas helps you hire the right talent

  23-03-2017 14:06
  
  If you're trying to improve your ability to attract top talent without sacrificing your commitment to diversity and inclusion, consider using a "candidate persona" strategy.The concept is similar to creating "buyer personas" in marketing, says Maren Hogan, CEO of Red Branch Media, in a session at SourceCon, last week in Anaheim, Calif.
  "A candidate persona is a fictionalized representation of your ideal hire for a specific role. This should mostly be based on data, but it also requires a bit of
  
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• IRS makes tax refund scams harder but W-2 phishing attacks continue unabated

  23-03-2017 14:00
  
  Anti-fraud measures by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state agencies over the past two years have made tax refund scams harder for cyber criminals to pull off even as attacks targeting taxpayer information continue unabated.
  So far this year, at least 124 organizations have disclosed incidents in which an office worker or payroll processor inadvertently leaked employee W-2 data after being conned by a phishing email purporting to be from the CEO or other senior company official.
  The big
  
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• Experts: U.S. needs a federal CISO

  23-03-2017 13:53
  
  Last week, the Trump administration announced the appointment of a White House cybersecurity coordinator. That's a good first step, security experts say, but the government also needs to have a federal CISO.
  "It's a big leadership vacancy," said Sanjay Beri, CEO and co-founder at cloud security vendor Netskope.
  The job of a federal CISO is very new -- it was only created last year and filled in September with the appointment of retired brigadier general Gregory Touhill. He was previously the de
  
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• Look before you leap: 4 hard truths about IoT

  23-03-2017 13:00
  
  Most technologies go through a stage when everything seems possible. Personal computers in the early 1980s, the internet in the late 1990s and mobile apps around the beginning of this decade were like that.But so was the first unboxing of a Galaxy Note 7. In time, either suddenly or gradually, reality sets in.The internet of things still looks promising, with vendors and analysts forecasting billions of connected devices that will solve all sorts of problems in homes and enterprises. But the sea
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: You hate your boss. Now what?

  23-03-2017 13:00
  
  Everybody experiences pressure at the office (even the virtual office). Technology leaders and their teams may experience it more than most because of the relentless pace of change and the often under appreciated responsibility of "keeping the lights on."
  Those pressures and their effects on emotions and rational thinking can thwart any company’s best efforts at employee engagement, a positive cultural environment and, significantly, low turnover. A bad company environment can mean the su
  
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• How to choose a prepaid mobile data plan

  23-03-2017 12:55
  
  Data-only SIM cards can give you freedom from two-year contracts and high-priced smartphone hardware. They're also great if you're travelling internationally, or if you have an old smartphone or LTE-enabled tablet that you want to use off-contract.These seven pre-paid SIM cards will give you plenty of options, whether you're travelling internationally, looking for talk and text or just want monthly data.Things to know before you buy
  Compatibility can get confusing when you start considering pre-
  
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• How to stop insider threats

  23-03-2017 11:50
  
  Watch what leaves the officeImage by ThinkstockEmployee turnover is common, as is the practice of employees taking sensitive and confidential data with them when they leave, particularly data that they were involved in generating. This creates a significant risk for employers whose data was misappropriated, resulting in potential data breaches that can trigger regulatory actions or legal actions, as well as a variety of other consequences. Most employers are not adequately prepared to deal with
  
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• Enterprises misaligning security budget, priorities

  23-03-2017 11:40
  
  Imagine paying for a small lock on your house every year. Burglars continue to break in despite what you think is a strong security deterrent. You spend the same amount every year on this inadequate security despite the different products on the market that promise to protect your home better.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• The goal of a new machine

  23-03-2017 11:39
  
  Not every computer owner would be as pleased as Andrew Wheeler that their new machine could run "all weekend" without crashing.But not everyone's machine is "The Machine," an attempt to redefine a relationship between memory and processor that has held since the earliest days of parallel computing.Wheeler is a vice president and deputy labs director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He's at the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany, to tell people about The Machine, a key part of which is on display
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Building a strong web of trust in the machine learning age

  23-03-2017 11:30
  
  Every day, we provide data to companies in exchange for great experiences powered by machine learning (ML). Facebook’s ability to tag friends in a photo seems obvious. Gmail’s ability to prioritize messages provides an intuitive way to triage conversations. Our user data makes these ML-based experiences possible. We provide this data under the assumption of trust that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.Businesses that wish to provide similar experiences face two challenges: T
  
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• Open source JavaScript, Node.js devs get NPM Orgs for free

  23-03-2017 11:00
  
  NPM Inc.'s NPM Orgs tool, which has been available as a paid service for JavaScript and Node.js development teams collaborating on private code, is now available for free use by teams working on open source code.
  The SaaS-based tool, which features capabilities like role-based access control, semantic versioning, and package discovery, now can be used on public code on the NPM registry, NPM Inc. said on Wednesday. Developers can transition between solo projects, public group projects, and
  
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• Danger, danger! 10 alarming examples of AI gone wild

  23-03-2017 11:00
  
  Going rogue! 10 scary examples of AI gone wildImage by geralt via PixabayScience fiction is lousy with tales of artificial intelligence run amok. There's HAL 9000, of course, and the nefarious Skynet system from the "Terminator" films. Last year, the sinister AI Ultron came this close to defeating the Avengers, and right now the hottest show on TV is HBO's "Westworld," concerning the future of humans and self-aware AI.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• CW@50: Data storage goes from $1M to 2 cents per gigabyte (+video)

  23-03-2017 11:00
  
  When Computerworld was founded in 1967, a 1-megabyte hard drive would have set you back by $1 million.
  Today, that same megabyte of capacity on a hard disk drive (HDD) costs (about two cents.
  Through those five decades, data storage was seen as little more than a support technology, when in actuality has always been one of five tech pillars -- like processors and software -- underpinning our modern computer systems, said Owen Melroy, vice president of Media Components at Western Digital Corp. (
  
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• Tapping the brakes on 802.11ac wave 2

  23-03-2017 10:01
  
  802.11ac wave 2 is the splashy new kid in the wireless technology pool, but some experts caution that you might not want to let it play without lifeguards present just yet.
  Wave 2 access points are now available from major wireless vendors, and have started to make inroads into the enterprise. The technology has been gaining ground in sales statistics recently, to the point where it’s starting to undercut sales of first-gen 802.11ac gear.
  +ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Study shows 802.11ac wave
  
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• Apple acquires Workflow automation app, offers it free

  23-03-2017 04:59
  
  Apple has acquired the Workflow automation app, which allows iOS users to trigger a sequence of tasks across apps with a single tap.A spokesman for Apple confirmed on Wednesday the company's acquisition of DeskConnect, the developer of the app, and the Workflow app, but did not provide further details.Workflow, developed for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, allows users to drag and drop combinations of actions to create workflows that interact with the apps and content on the device. It won an
  
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• It wasn't the money: Wozniak on robots, design, and Apple's origins

  23-03-2017 00:32
  
  More than 40 years after founding Apple Computer, Steve Wozniak has a lot to say about the early days of the world's richest company -- and about technology, learning, and being a born engineer.
  On stage at the IEEE TechIgnite conference in Burlingame, California, on Wednesday, he gave a glimpse into how a tech legend thinks.On open sourceIn the early Seventies, Wozniak read about phone phreaking, in which "phreakers" made free phone calls by using electronics to mimic the tones used for dialin
  
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