46949883
submission
snydeq writes:
The Squeaky Wheel's Brian Katz offers a refreshingly simple take on the buzz around BYOD in business organizations these days: 'BYOD is only an issue because people refuse to realize that it's just about ownership — nothing more and nothing less.' A 'hidden issue' hiding in plain view, BYOD's ownership issue boils down to money and control. 'BYOD is pretty clear: It's bringing your own device. It isn't the company's device or your best friend's device. It's your device, and you own it. Because you own the device, you have certain rights to what is on the device and what you can do with the device. This is the crux of every issue that comes with BYOD programs.'
46559967
submission
snydeq writes:
'The 23rd century may seem a long way off, but you'd be surprised by how much of the future predicted by Star Trek is already here. We already have handheld communicators (smartphones), sassy voice-driven computers (Siri), Geordi La Forge-like vision (Google Glass), and at least 4.5 billion Earth-like planets to choose from. (Whether any of them contain green-skinned alien babes in gold bikinis is still to be determined.) As for warp drives, transporters, phasers, and the rest? It will be here sooner than you think. Join us as we boldly go on a tour of Trek tech.'
45724671
submission
snydeq writes:
For more than a decade we've been hearing that online privacy is dead, and it's hard to argue with the evidence. Law enforcement agencies routinely obtain location and call data from wireless carriers, government agencies can access data from cloud storage with minimal judicial oversight, and then there's CISPA, by which Congress wants to enable private companies to share even more customer data with Uncle Sam. And that says nothing about the increasing online tracking and data mining being done by private entities. 'Despite this gloomy assessment, all hope is not lost. While threats to our personal privacy expand daily, so do potential solutions — whether it's new privacy legislation, enhanced regulation, stealth computing technology, or the emergence of a consumer-driven data economy.'
45217703
submission
snydeq writes:
If you avoid some gotchas and keep a close eye on resource usage, you can have a handy server in the Amazon cloud for free, InfoWorld's Serdar Yegulalp reports. 'In the long run, any serious AWS user will want to take fuller advantage of what the Amazon cloud has to offer — but why not make the most of the free resources in the meantime? The free tier is a great way to find one's legs with AWS, start some projects, and maybe even build a functional application or three.' Servers, storage, databases, data transfer — the article offers tips on billing, I/O usage, elastic addresses, and backup.
45140291
submission
snydeq writes:
We need bare-bones Linux distros tailored for virtual machines or at least the option for installs, writes Deep End's Paul Venezia. 'As I prepped a new virtual server template the other day, it occurred to me that we need more virtualization-specific Linux distributions or at least specific VM-only options when performing an install. A few distros take steps in this direction, such as Ubuntu and OEL jeOS (just enough OS), but they're not necessarily tuned for virtual servers. For large installations, the distributions in use are typically highly customized on one side or the other — either built as templates and deployed to VMs, or deployed through the use of silent installers or scripts that install only the bits and pieces required for the job. However, these are all handled as one-offs. They're generally not available or suitable for general use.'
45139361
submission
snydeq writes:
Computer scientists have unleashed hordes of humanlike social bots to infiltrate Facebook — and they are awfully effective, InfoWorld reports. 'These social bots masquerade as online users, adding posts that seem like they came from real people. But they secretly promote products or viewpoints, and some you might friend use their new connections to siphon off your private information. When coordinated by a botmaster, these social bots can wreak havoc and steal information at a massive scale. ... Furthermore, because so many services build on top of social networks, the risk runs deeper. Many technologies, including data sharing and backups, integrate with sites like Facebook. Their authentication schemes rely on the implicit trust network that social bots are designed to break into.'
44947981
submission
snydeq writes:
From forced maintenance teams to locking out all libraries, Andrew C. Oliver lists 16 surefire ways to torture developers — and watch them walk out the door. 'Having great developers means creating a great environment. In an increasingly competitive world, that means everything from free food to paid screw-off time. But not everyone has gotten the message. Some places still practice developer abuse. Here are its many forms. Do not indulge in more than one or two, or you may never see your best developers again.'
