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Windows

Submission + - The Windows 8 Power Struggle: Metro vs Desktop (hothardware.com)

MojoKid writes: "Metro, Microsoft's new UI, is bold, a dramatic departure from anything the company has previously done in the desktop/laptop space, and absolutely great. It's tangible proof that Redmond really can design and build its own unique products and experiences. However, the transition to Metro's Start menu, for some desktop users, is jarring and worse yet, Desktop mode and Metro don't mesh well at all. The best strategy Microsoft could take, would be to introduce users to Metro via its included apps and through tablets, while prominently offering the option to maintain the Desktop environment. Power users who choose to use the classic UI for desktops and laptops can still be exposed to Metro via tablets and applications without being forced to wade through it on their way to do something important."

Comment So the PC doesn't seem to be dead yet. (Score 1) 296

With all of the news about the "post-PC" world, this survey indicates that for at least one segment of the population, the PC still accounts for the overwhelming majority of computing time.

This, for some reason, is reassuring to me, as I have not yet succumbed to the lure of the thinly-sliced consumption device.
Education

Submission + - School system choose Windows 7 tablet over iPad (networkworld.com)

Doofus writes: Network World is reporting that the Charlottesville City public school district has selected a Fujitsu tablet running Windows 7 over the Apple iPad. The school's IT team decided that the Fujitsu Windows 7 tablet came out ahead of the iPad on security and durability.

The integrity of iPad's glass was an issue, and Fujitsu's tablet can withstand shock resulting from drops and also can operate in demanding environments, said Dean Jadlowski, director of technology for the Charlottesville City Schools, in a statement. The Q550 can last longer in backpacks and reduce repairs, which could reduce maintenance costs.


Comment HIIT works, but you have to do it (Score 3, Interesting) 437

and therein lies the problem.

HIIT has actually been around and been discussed in running groups for a number of years. Lest you think I am pulling this from where the sun doesn't shine, I write this from some personal experience; I am an experienced ultramarathoner (six 50 milers). HIIT is extremely difficult for "normal" people to do as an ongoing exercise program.

The great majority of Americans are simply not capable of pushing themselves as hard as is required for a successful HIIT regimen. If you're not capable of pushing yourself to do this type of strenuous exercise, you're not going to do it. It's as simple as that.

HIIT will work extraordinarily well for people that are already moderately fit or even overweight if they are capable of pushing through their pain (not the physical pain, the mental pain). Again, and again, and again; and each iteration is harder than the last.

Most people - especially the great unwashed overweight masses (pun intended) - aren't willing or capable of doing this, and simply aren't going to do it. They would be better served starting out just walking briskly for 30 minutes four or five times a week.

Comment Re:Good for them (Score 1) 1271

argue with me about whether vaccines are, in fact, the greatest medical development for humanity in the past two centuries

This is demonstrably false, though I am too busy to find citations right now.

I agree that vaccines have been a substantial boon to human health, but it pales beside the most truly important development. The development and maintenance of properly functioning public sanitation systems has clearly been the greatest medical development for humanity in the past two centuries.

Comment Critical infrastructure protection needs oversight (Score 1) 300

Cybersecurity Disaster Seen in U.S. Survey Citing Spending Gaps

“If you interview power companies and say, ‘Is your control system connected to the Internet,’ they’ll say, ‘Of course not,’” James Lewis, technology program director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said in an interview. “It turns out in almost every case a control system is connected to the Internet and it’s vulnerable to being hacked.”

Comment Go for it, regardless. (Score 1) 201

I encourage you to pursue the online coursework, whether or not you seek a certificate or a degree, if you enjoy the coursework.

I spent five calendar years taking online courses for an MS in a technology field, because I was unwilling to sacrifice time at work for in-person classes. My team at work - colleagues and supervisory staff - respected the discipline required to attend and successfully complete online courses (4.0), and my salary bump after the degree was granted was significant.

As long as the parent institution is accredited by an appropriate higher education accreditation authority, your hard work will pay off.

Good luck -
Security

Submission + - Hack Attacks Now Leading Cause Of Data Breaches (informationweek.com)

gManZboy writes: "The majority of data breaches stem from hack attacks, followed by data that's lost while physically in transit. That's according to a forthcoming study from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), which assessed all known information relating to the 419 breaches that were publicly disclosed in the United States in 2011. A copy of the report was provided to InformationWeek in advance of its release.

Last year, data breaches triggered by hacking--defined by the ITRC as "a targeted intrusion into a data network," including card-skimming attacks--were at an all-time high, and responsible for 26% of all known data breach incidents. The next leading cause of breaches was data on the move (18%)--meaning electronic storage devices, laptops, or paper reports that were lost in transit--followed by insider theft (13%).

But how accurate is the underlying data? "Breaches have long been unreported, or underreported," Karen Barney, ITRC's program director, said."

Programming

Submission + - Learn to code, it's fun and easy! (cnn.com)

Doofus writes: In another of an increasing number of opinion pieces I've seen in many places, an author is citing Bloomberg's promise to "learn to code" as a reason why everyone and his or her sibling should learn to write software.

Anyone else afraid of the rush of the unskilled masses into the coding trenches? Anyone else remember the flood of wanna-bes several years ago who were incapable of doing real programming but wanted the $ real coders were making?

Submission + - IBM Shrinks Bit Size to 12 Atoms (computerworld.com)

Lucas123 writes: IBM researchers say they've been able to shrink the number of iron atoms it takes to store a bit of data from about one million to 12, which could pave the way for storage devices with capacities that are orders of magnitude greater than today's devices. Andreas Heinrich, who lead the IBM Research team on the project for five years, said the team used the tip of scanning tunneling microscope and unconventional antiferromagnetism to change the bits from zeros to ones. By combining 96 of the atoms, the researchers were able to create bytes — spelling out the word THINK. That solved a theoretical problem of how few atoms it could take to store a bit; now comes the engineering challenge: how to make a mass storage device perform the same feat as scanning tunneling microscope.
Businesses

Ready For Your Payroll Software Update? 105

SEWilco writes "A federal payroll tax reduction for two months is being pushed by the President. Paying less money to the government seems good, but if the law is changed it will change the payroll taxes in January and February. Many of us can well imagine what that will do to the many payroll systems which are already programmed with the 2012 tax rates."

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