IT Executive news

• FCC hit with DDoS attacks after John Oliver takes on net neutrality

  08-05-2017 22:24
  The U.S. Federal Communications Commission's website slowed to a crawl after comic and political commentator John Oliver urged viewers to flood the agency with comments in support of net neutrality, in what appeared to be a repeat of a 2014 incident.With the FCC headed toward a repeal of net neutrality rules it passed in early 2015, Oliver on Sunday echoed his "Last Week Tonight" commentary on the topic from three years ago. (Note to viewers: The link to Oliver's new diatribe is not sa
  
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• Dell takes Intel's cue on PCs, puts enterprise on top of the agenda

  08-05-2017 22:12
  
  For the umpteenth time, Dell Technologies has reiterated that PCs are important to the company, and it won't quit the market.But PCs occupied only a few minutes of CEO Michael Dell's opening keynote at Dell EMC World in Las Vegas on Monday. PCs are the engine that keep enterprises chugging, he said.Instead, Dell spent time educating attendees about the new Dell Technologies and its products. It's been less than a year since the US$67 billion Dell-EMC merger was finalized, and a lot of focus was
  
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• Sony's clever image sensor helps autonomous cars see better

  08-05-2017 21:41
  
  Sony has developed a CCD image sensor that can help autonomous cars make sense of electronic road signs and see better when transitioning between dark tunnels and daylight.The IMX390 sensor has an anti-flicker function that means images of LED road signs come out clear. As LED signs are often used to indicate temporary road conditions or changes in speed limits, it's important for an autonomous car to be able to recognize them.On a standard sensor, LED signs appear to flicker or have a stro
  
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• Linux Foundation to develop tool for building blockchain business networks

  08-05-2017 21:38
  
  The Linux Foundation announced a new software project under its Hyperledger open consortium aimed at creating a collaboration tool for building blockchain business networks -- or smart contracts -- and their deployment across a distributed ledger.The new project, called Hyperleder Composer, is a modeling language based on JavaScript and with REST API support, that allows non-developers and developers to model their business network. The language also supports modeling of relationships and data v
  
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• Teenagers who became hackers

  08-05-2017 21:06
  
  Kids these daysImage by Ólafur Páll GeirssonThe National Collegiate Cybersecurity Competition (NCCDC) is an annual event that seeks to get college students involved in cybersecurity. This year, as usual, the kids were playing defense, but many of the competitors had certain black-hat incidents in their past, having hacked systems as varied as insulin pump, a connect avionics system, and a beer kegerator.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Talent and leadership: What CEOs fear most is the thing they can change

  08-05-2017 20:52
  
  In the face of this year’s political disruption, corporate fears of recession and cybersecurity are legitimate. Not surprisingly, a 2017 global CEO survey reflects those worries. More surprising, however, is an even bigger C-suite concern: ensuring the quality of their people.Attracting and retaining top talent are now the biggest fears of U.S. executives, and with good reason. The next generation of leaders is most likely to facing ongoing, broad and ill-defined challenges from the unrele
  
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• Oracle's next big business is selling your info

  08-05-2017 20:44
  
  There’s a decent chance you're part of Oracle’s next big business. Not selling products to you, but selling you as a product. That's the idea behind the Oracle Data Cloud, a massive pool of information about consumers and companies.The tech titan has put it together by tracking people across the web and buying data from a variety of sources. People who have their data included may not even know that they’ve opted in for that data collection.There’s no big red button that
  
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• 81% off Centon 4 GB DataStick Pro USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Deal Alert

  08-05-2017 20:39
  
  This 4GB USB drive from Centon is just a little over $3 right now -- so cheap that Amazon won't ship it on its own. But if your cart totals $25 or more, toss in some of these sticks right now for dirt cheap. The flash drive is built with a sturdy aluminum housing, works on both PC and Mac, and is a cheap & simple way to move files around. It's listed on Amazon as an add-on item, meaning its cost prohibitive to ship on its own, but if your cart totals $25 or more, take advantage of this
  
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• Why some people are willing to pay for a mobile app

  08-05-2017 20:34
  
  Who pays for apps? Who doesn't when they should? And who is most likely to make in-app purchases on the fly?To help app developers build a strategy, we asked two experts about mobile app purchasing behavior: John B. Dinsmore, assistant professor of marketing at the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University and lead author of "To 'Free' or Not to 'Free': Trait Predictors of Mobile App Purchasing Tendencies and Joe Silverman, CEO of New York Computer Help.To read this article in full
  
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• 17% off Corsair Gaming MM300 Anti-Fray Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad - Deal Alert

  08-05-2017 20:33
  
  The MM300 is a high endurance, pro-grade cloth mouse pad for high-DPI gaming mice. Reinforced stitched edges guard against surface peeling, and the optimized textile-weaved surface design gives superior control and precision tracking for absolutely lethal in-game accuracy. With multiple sizes available, from small to extended, the MM300 has just the right size to fit your needs.  This gaming pad currently averages 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 840 people (read reviews) on Amazon, where
  
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• Cyberspionage goed voor kwart cyberaanvallen, ransomware meer dan hardnekkig

  08-05-2017 20:23
  Financieel gewin blijft veruit de belangrijkste drijfveer van cybercriminaliteit, maar geeft wel terrein prijs aan cyberspionage, dat gestaag in omvang toeneemt. Daarop duidt het tiende Data Breach Investigations Report van Verizon.Wat opvalt is dat het aloude phishing is toegenomen. Beveiligingsincidenten en... lees meer
  
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• Merged Dell EMC busts out Isilon, XtremIO, and VMax updates

  08-05-2017 19:32
  
  Dell EMC is making one of its broadest rollouts of updated storage gear in years at Dell EMC World on Monday, packing more capacity and performance into several product lines.Coming several months after the completion of the Dell-EMC merger, the update includes the second generation of EMC's XtremIO all-flash array, a new architecture for its Isilon network-attached storage platform, and an improved flash module for the VMax line.Some of the gains made in these products flow from improvements th
  
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• Microsoft pulls plug on Windows 10's debut version

  08-05-2017 19:31
  
  Microsoft will issue the final security update for the debut version of Windows 10 tomorrow.Windows 10 1507 -- Microsoft tags feature upgrades with a yymm label -- will receive its last security patches on May 9. The retirement date had been quietly announced last month when it appeared on several support documents.[ Related: Windows 10 Redstone: A guide to the builds ]"The time has now come to end servicing for version 1507," one of those documents stated.To read this article in full or to leav
  
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• Dell strengthens data center stack with shiny new assets

  08-05-2017 19:00
  
  Just a few years back, Dell said it didn't want to mimic sloppy behemoths like IBM or HP and, instead, wanted to be lean and focus on the mid-market.But after a US$67 billion merger with EMC in 2016, the new company called Dell Technologies is a full-bodied systems integrator, offering hardware, networking, storage, and services.In the meanwhile, the company's rivals slimmed down. The new Hewlett-Packard Enterprise focuses on data-center hardware, while IBM focuses on software.Dell Tec
  
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• Dell EMC's newest switches will come with its open network OS

  08-05-2017 19:00
  
  Dell's drive into open networking accelerated on Monday with the announcement of the first switches to ship with OS10, the company's network operating system that's based on open source.At Dell EMC World in Las Vegas, the company introduced two data-center switches running OS10 Enterprise Edition, an enhanced version of the open-source OS that Dell announced early last year.The software is based on technologies from the Linux Foundation and the Open Compute Project and is already available throu
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How Google Cloud will bring AI, machine learning to enterprise software

  08-05-2017 18:54
  
  Google has been quietly hard at work for some time now, developing its artificial intelligence and cloud capabilities to do something new. And at the Google’s Cloud Next conference in March the company announced that it was developing tech to aid machine learning for enterprise business.Eric Schmidt, the chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, said the company had invested $30 billion into the Google Cloud Platform in order to develop its analysis and artificial intelligence c
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Resisting? Running for office? Get trained online, you will.

  08-05-2017 18:49
  
  Darkness is in the air. The Rebel Alliance is hopelessly outmatched. The Empire terrorizes the galaxy. The rebels train to fight back. The ‘force’ is with them...Oops. Wrong script. That’s Star Wars.Back in the real world, thousands of activists hone their skills to resist and run for office. But, how do you train an army of volunteers and candidates to bring about change? Does online training really work? What resources already exist? What's the right software platform? T
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 tips to help overcome fear of change: It’s going to be (more than) OK

  08-05-2017 18:34
  
  Ask your office-mates how they feel about changes to at-work technology. The general response will probably be, “I'm OK with change; just don’t mess anything up!” Most of us feel lucky to keep our heads above water on an average day, and the thought of introducing something new can cause shivers of dread.So how can technology departments help end users overcome fear of change when trying to take business to the next level? As I mention in my book The Four Intelligences of the B
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why blockchain, ICOs and tokenization will transform your personal data

  08-05-2017 18:05
  
  You’ll soon be able to buy and sell health data with tokens, similar to how you’re issued drink tickets at a comedy club. The first step in understanding why tokens will be important to the future of health is differentiating an IPO (initial public offering) from an ICO (initial coin offering), which we’ll discuss here.The definition of what a token is has changed. Traditionally, tokens were visible representations of value. Arcade tokens were physical coins that you bough
  
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• US device searches at borders ignite resistance

  08-05-2017 17:37
  
  Aaron Gach wasn't expecting U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to demand to search his smartphone when he returned to San Fransisco from Belgium in February.The artist and magician, a U.S. citizen, had just attended an art event near Brussels and was targeted for advanced screening by CBP after his flight landed in the U.S. During a series of questions from CBP agents ("Did you pack your bag yourself?"), they repeatedly asked to search his smartphone, Gach said."Do you understan
  
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• How to prevent your data from being searched at the US border

  08-05-2017 17:37
  
  During the past two years, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has targeted ever larger numbers of travelers' smartphones and laptops for searches as they cross the border into the country.U.S. courts have generally upheld a so-called border search exception to the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, allowing CBP to search electronic devices without a court-ordered warrant. In April, a group of lawmakers introduced legislation to require warrants to search devices owned by U.S. citizens a
  
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• 40% off Char-Broil Performance TRU Infrared 450 3-Burner Cart Gas Grill - Deal Alert

  08-05-2017 17:36
  
  The Char-Broil Performance TRU Infrared 450 3-Burner Cart Gas Grill is currently discounted a significant 40% to just $155, making it a worthy consideration for the upcoming Father's day. If I'm reading it correctly, $155 puts this 4-burner 450 model at $35 cheaper than the lesser 2-burner 300 model. Double-check my math, but I'm feeling good about this one. It would appear that you're getting a lot for your money at this price. The grill features an electronic ignition, infrared technology for
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: iOS: Has Apple damaged developers?

  08-05-2017 17:31
  
  As I write this post Apple’s stock has hit a new high of $151 per share, and the company is swimming in money. Apple's treasure hoard has topped $250 billion and shows no sign of slowing down. Apple is one of the richest and most successful companies in history.But what about the developers that create the apps in Apple’s iOS App Store? One writer recently considered the idea that Apple has actually done an enormous amount of damage to developers by fostering a race to the bottom in
  
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• Supply chain attack hits Mac users of HandBrake video converter app

  08-05-2017 17:04
  
  Hackers compromised a download server for HandBrake, a popular open-source program for converting video files, and used it to distribute a macOS version of the application that contained malware.The HandBrake development team posted a security warning on the project's website and support forum on Saturday, alerting Mac users who downloaded and installed the program from May 2 to May 6 to check their computers for malware.The attackers compromised only a download mirror hosted under download
  
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• Microsoft's Surface Pro 5 won't appear before a 'meaningful change'

  08-05-2017 16:24
  
  The latest rumors about the so-called Surface Pro 5 appear to be just that, based on recent statements from Microsoft’s hardware chief. Despite the Surface Pro 4 launching well over 18 months ago, if Microsoft’s working on a new tablet as expected, it seems likely to be a simple refresh of the current model.Speaking with CNET, Microsoft hardware chief Panos Panay said the company doesn’t plan to produce the expected Surface Pro 5 until there’s a way to make “me
  
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• Android Wear 2.0 finally arrives on Huawei Watch as slow rollout continues

  08-05-2017 16:22
  
  Android Wear 2.0 has already been out for a couple months, but it’s been slow to catch on. The new 2.0 watches leave quite a bit to be desired, and the update has been slow to reach some of the most popular devices. But we can finally cross one of our favorites off the list.Owners of the original Huawei Watch can now load up the newest version of Android Wear on their wrists. Over the weekend, the update began rolling out to devices that were running the Android Wear 2.0 developer’s
  
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• How to use PowerShell with DISM

  08-05-2017 16:16
  
  With the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update in early April, Microsoft changed the default command-line environment in Windows 10 from the Command Prompt (aka cmd.exe) to PowerShell. There, the old black-and-white command-line interface gives way to a new, blue-and-white style in the latest version of Windows 10.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 25% off YETI Rambler 20 oz Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Tumbler with Lid - Deal Alert

  08-05-2017 16:03
  
  Mom or Dad's day gift alert, here. The Rambler 20 oz. bottle is next-level, and the perfect addition to rough commutes, day hikes, or kayak sessions. Features a no-sweat design and tough 18/8 stainless steel construction -- kitchen-grade, durable, and rust-proof to last a lifetime. Yeti has over-engineered these double-wall insulated tumblers to ensure your drink still keeps its temperature no matter how much of a beating this cup takes. Its clear, dishwasher-safe and shatterproof cap prote
  
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• Linium and CareWorx Launch Partnership to Enhance Service Management Capabilities for Mid-Size Companies

  08-05-2017 15:30
  
  Linium, a world-class provider of business services that empower the entire enterprise, and CareWorx, a leading global managed service provider, today announced a partnership to deliver a powerful turnkey service management solution built on ServiceNow, a leading enterprise service management cloud platform, that will enable mid-size companies to automate and improve customer service, and sharpen their focus on business development and revenue growth.
  
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• Lowe’s now offers inexpensive professional monitoring with its Iris smart home service

  08-05-2017 15:00
  
  Here’s a smart-home spin on a familiar philosophical question: If an alarm goes off in an empty house where there’s no one to hear it, does it make a sound?If you want your smart home system to also provide home security, having a third party that can contact emergency responders on your behalf is an essential feature. If a burglar breaks in or a fire breaks out while you’re away from home, a local siren will provide little protection. If it’s loud enough, it might convin
  
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• 8 things CMOs need to know right now

  08-05-2017 14:58
  
  What’s the best way for CMOs to evaluate marketing ROI? What will be the next big revolution in marketing? And what advice does James Corden of “Carpool Karaoke” fame have to give CMOs?Here are answers to these questions and more tips, strategies and sage advice for CMOs from the recent Marketo Marketing Nation Summit in San Francisco.1. When it comes to engaging with customers, less is more
  Consumers today receive endless marketing emails and ads that follow them wherever they
  
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• BrandPost: SD-WAN Steps Up as an IoT Enabler

  08-05-2017 14:57
  
  Unlike the software-defined network (SDN) — which is like network virtualization on steroids, but primarily datacenter-based — the software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) is essentially application routing capabilities for WANs, primarily everywhere but the data center. And it is getting a lot of market traction. While the forecasts vary wildly, SD-WAN will see only more growth as the Internet of Things (IoT) really starts to take off.The numbers for the IoT market range from $16
  
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• Harman Kardon teases the Invoke speaker, a Cortana-powered Echo competitor

  08-05-2017 14:47
  
  Harman Kardon’s Invoke speaker, the Microsoft Cortana-powered answer to the Google Home and Amazon Echo, will ship this fall according to a preview page with the first official images of the tabletop device.Though pricing hasn’t yet been revealed, Harman Kardon said that the Invoke will perform three major tasks: make and receive calls with Skype, control popular music services like Microsoft Groove, and “get things done” with Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant.
  
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• HP to scale up its 3D printer business for use in mass manufacturing

  08-05-2017 14:01
  
  After announcing its first revenue from sales, HP Inc. today said it is now focused on scaling up its Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing business that it believes will rival standard manufacturing technologies, such as injection molding.While HP is planning some direct sales of its new Jet Fusion printer lineup, the vast majority of the machines will be sold through about 30 resellers in North America and Europe, where the company is focusing its attention. HPWhat's interesting "is 80% of these channe
  
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• IT Career Roadmap: Salesforce consultant

  08-05-2017 13:07
  
  What is a Salesforce Consultant?Career: Salesforce Consultant
  Roles: Salesforce administrator, Salesforce developer, Salesforce consultant, various Salesforce certified credentials
  Minimum education: Bachelor's degree, Salesforce training and certifications
  Relevant areas of study: Programming, marketing, sales, business, communications
  Technology skills: Salesforce.com, Java, C#, Apex, Visualforce
  Potential companies to work for: SMBs, large enterprises, PR/Advertising/Marketing agencies
  Salary
  
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• Galaxy S8 and S8+ case roundup: Protect your investment in style

  08-05-2017 13:00
  
  A phone this expensive deserves some protectionImage by Jason Cipriani/IDGSamsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ are two of the best-looking devices we’ve ever seen.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Email, email, in the cloud

  08-05-2017 12:45
  
  As my company continues to move enterprise applications to the cloud, the latest development presents a security opportunity. We are giving up our on-premises Microsoft Exchange email in favor of the Microsoft Office 365 service. With the transition, we might be able to curtail the common employee practice of communicating and storing sensitive business-related data in email.Trouble Ticket
  At issue: The company email system is moving to the cloud.Action plan: Work with IT to make sure infor
  
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• Computer forensics follows the bread crumbs left by perpetrators

  08-05-2017 12:36
  
  The boss gets tipped off that an employee might be leaving the company and in so doing is trying to grab as many clients as possible to take with him to his new job. The company brings in computer forensic specialists to look through the employee’s actions online to find the evidence before confronting the employee.Alfred Demirjian, president and CEO of computer forensic company TechFusion, has seen that and many other scenarios in the 30 years he has been in the business--anything from an
  
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• 7 things Microsoft left out of Windows 10

  08-05-2017 12:23
  
  As usual in the tech industry, not everything that’s previewed by a vendor shows up in the final product. That’s what happened with the latest update to Windows 10, the Creators Update, which was released last month. Microsoft showed off some big changes and some smaller tweaks in its Insider Previews that are nowhere to be found in the Creators Update.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• The real-world guide to Windows 10 migration

  08-05-2017 12:00
  
  With Windows 10 already deployed on more than 400 million computers, it’s hard to argue with its success. But the fastest adoption rate of any Windows release has thus far played out predominantly on consumer devices. The enterprise tells a different story, with organizations still mostly on Windows 7. But the change is coming fast. Brad Anderson, corporate vice president at Microsoft, recently announced that 86 percent of enterprises will upgrade to Windows 10 within three to four years;
  
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• Surface Laptop vs. MacBook Air vs. Dell XPS 13 vs. HP Spectre x360 13t: A specs comparison

  08-05-2017 12:00
  
  Microsoft has called its new Surface Laptop the one to "reset the category."That's a lofty ambition for a PC that is essentially wading into a gladiator pit. Unlike the Surface Pro and the Surface Book, which can stay above the fray with ultra-expensive, unique features, the Surface Laptop is just another thin-and-light clamshell, territory well-trod by proven contenders including Dell's XPS 13, HP's Spectre x360 13t, and of course, Apple's MacBook Air.To read this article in full or to leave a
  
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• Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4 is coming in phones midyear

  08-05-2017 12:00
  
  If you hate waiting for your smartphone to charge, relief is coming soon.After some hiccups, Qualcomm's superfast charging technology, called Quick Charge 4, will be in smartphones around the middle of this year.Qualcomm says Quick Charge 4 is one of the fastest smartphone battery technologies. It can charge a smartphone up to 50 percent in less than 15 minutes, or give enough juice for five hours of talk time in five minutes, the chip maker claims.The new charging technology is about 20 percent
  
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• Hot jobs of the future

  08-05-2017 12:00
  
  "Roughly 50 percent of all the jobs on the planet will disappear by the year 2025," predicts futurist Thomas Frey, founder of the DaVinci Institute think tank.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Bridgestone modernizes data center, hauls out 13 tons of copper wire

  08-05-2017 12:00
  
  In October 1968, Lyndon Johnson was president, the Beatles released Hey Jude, and computer scientist Douglas Engelbart presented the "Mother of All Demos."It was also the year tire-making giant Bridgestone Corp. opened a data center in Akron, Ohio. If walls could talk, this data center could tell the story of IT.That center opened on Oct. 9, 1968, with racks and racks of tapes and a water-cooled mainframe. Today, it is the home of systems supporting an almost completely virtualized environment.T
  
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• Azure, AI, JavaScript headline Microsoft Build 2017

  08-05-2017 12:00
  
  At its Build 2017 developer conference in Seattle this week, Microsoft will put its Azure cloud and Windows 10 front and center with sessions ranging from cloud services to artificial intelligence to programming languages.The company will provide a road map for the Azure Compute platform and discuss how to use the cloud service for continuous delivery. Brendan Burns, co-founder of the Kubernetes container orchestration platform and the lead on Azure Container Services, will talk about containers
  
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• 12 top tech fields of the future

  08-05-2017 12:00
  
  Top jobsImage by ThinkstockTech jobs of the future will include programmers, analysts, application and system developers, database and network administrators, engineers, designers, architects, scientists, researchers, statisticians, specialists, project and system managers, system and data integrators, technicians and tech support, quality controllers, trainers, and consultants in each of the following 12 areas. (Read the full story: Hot jobs of the future.)To read this article in full or to lea
  
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• Echo Discounted 17% With This Rare Deal From Amazon - Deal Alert

  08-05-2017 03:05
  
  You can pick up Amazon Echo for $30 below list price right now with this rare deal from Amazon. Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more—instantly. All you have to do is ask. Echo has seven microphones and beam forming technology so it can hear you from across the room—even while music is playing. Echo is also an expertly tuned speaker
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: One day wearables will save your marriage

  08-05-2017 02:34
  
  There is a current global surge in popularity of the use of “wearables” for various health and fitness applications. The beeping of fitness watches and devices is the ever-present soundtrack to gyms and tarmac these days as people embrace the information age.Recently, intensive research has examined the use of biometric data in prediction models for human interactions.Potentially, you could wear a device on your wrist that could warn you that you were about to have a fight, and conse
  
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