Digital disruption at Santa's WorkshopImage by Stephen SauerSanta's not the only one going digital - here are our favorite digital products to give (or receive) for the holidays. The next 20 slides are the "best of the best" from this year's Cool Yule Tools, now in its 17th incarnation. To access the entire guide, head here.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Things are hopping at Santa 2.0 (S2) – the new name for Santa’s Workshop. The North Pole toy factory has undergone a serious digital transformation, with centuries-old processes giving way to new and more efficient methods. Even the sleigh has gone digital – it’s now a self-driving, self-flying gift distribution system. Initially the S2 team wanted to hire Uber drivers to deliver presents, but after some more tinkering the autonomous system kicked in. But don’t worry – the reindeers are all doing just fine in their retirement.While good girls and boys might still be handwriting their wish lists and delivering them via the post office, once the S2 team gets a hold of the requests, they’re quickly scanned, digitized and processed through the new ecosystem. Collaboration elves all work hard together (via a dedicated private Slack channel) to guarantee that production is on top of their game as well. Drones, robots, virtual reality and other emerging technologies are all being used to make sure that the S2 has another successful holiday season.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Just over five years ago, IBM's Watson supercomputer crushed opponents in the televised quiz show Jeopardy. It was hard to foresee then, but artificial intelligence is now permeating our daily lives.Since then, IBM has expanded the Watson brand to a cognitive computing package with hardware and software used to diagnose diseases, explore for oil and gas, run scientific computing models, and allow cars to drive autonomously. The company has now announced new AI hardware and software packages.The original Watson used advanced algorithms and natural language interfaces to find and narrate answers. Then, Watson was one supercomputer, but now AI systems are deployed at a grander scale. Mega data centers run by Facebook, Google, Amazon, and other companies use AI on thousands of servers to recognize images and speech and analyze loads of data.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Over 412 million accounts on dating and entertainment network FriendFinder Networks have reportedly been exposed, the second time that the network has been breached in two years, according to a popular breach notification website.The websites that have been breached include adultfriendfinder.com, described as the "world's largest sex and swinger community," which accounted for over 339.7 million of the 412 million accounts exposed, LeakedSource said Sunday.Other network sites that had user accounts exposed were cams.com with 62.6 million exposed, penthouse.com with 7 million, stripshow.com with 1.4 million, icams.com with about 1 million and an unidentified website adding 35,372 users whose accounts were exposed.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
An attacker doesn’t need an IoT botnet or massive resources for a denial of service attack to knock large servers offline; researchers warned that all it takes is one laptop for a “BlackNurse” attack to bring vulnerable Cisco, SonicWall, Palo Alto and Zyxel firewalls to their knees.Danish researchers at the Security Operations Center of telecom operator TDC described BlackNurse as a low bandwidth Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) attack that “is capable of doing a denial of service to well-known firewalls.”In their report (pdf), the researchers wrote:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Online retailers Amazon.com and Newegg are getting a jump on Black Friday 2016 with a slew of tech deals, including from Amazon some big cuts on its Echo, Kindles and tablets.Black Friday watchers such as BFads and Best Black Friday have been tracking new ads such as these closely and we've been watching them closely.MORE: 40-plus Eye-Popping Black Friday 2016 tech dealsAmazon really wants you to buy its own stuff
Amazon has already begun its Black Friday countdown and is attempting to lure shoppers via Lightning deals that can last for only a few hours, until items being offered at cut-rate prices are gone.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
There's no better time to get a new iPhone than in November. Not only have all the kinks associated with iOS presumably been ironed out by then, but Black Friday promotions across a number of big name retail outlets makes finding incredible deals on Apple smartphones surprisingly easy.In what's become something of a tradition, many retailers have started publishing their Black Friday deals weeks in advance, presumably so that shoppers can take stock of what's available and plan accordingly. While Black Friday may be more closely associated with finding tremendous deals on HDTVs, it's also a great time to pick up all types of consumer electronics.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Plenty of retailers are cutting the price of Microsoft Xbox One S 500GB bundles from $300 to $250 this Black Friday and holiday shopping season, but GameStop is offering a cool blue console on an exclusive basis. GameStop, which is closed on Thanksgiving day, but will have deals on the Xbox and dozens of other gaming items available online before Black Friday formally commences on Nov. 25.
The Toys R Us Black Friday 2016 ads have been revealed, too, and while the retailer is promoting lots of LEGOS, dolls and sports toys, it geeks out with tablets, robots and drones as well. Toys R Us stores open at 5pm on Thanksgiving day.
Black Friday watchers such as BFads and Best Black Friday have been tracking new ads such as these closely and we've been watching them closely.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
If you are like me, you were pretty convinced that Secretary Clinton was poised to be the President elect. Confidence in this opinion was based on reviewing numerous big data analytics models from the fivethirtyeight.com, the New York Times, Princeton, etc. The lowest percentage gave Mrs. Clinton roughly a 65% chance of winning on November 8. So, what happened? Every database jockey recognizes the old maxim of garbage in/garbage out. In other words, killer algorithms and all the processing power in the world are rather useless if your model is built on the back of crappy data. Obviously, all the brainiacs building these models made a critical mistake in not gathering data from disenfranchised white voters in rural areas. The result? A stunning election result and lots of eggs on ivy league elitist faces.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Phaiser's BHS-730 Bluetooth Sport earbuds are both highly rated and dramatically discounted on Amazon. Averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 4,600 people (read reviews), the list price of $160 has been reduced a significant 75% to just $39.99. The BHS-730 uses the highest quality hardware, as well as Bluetooth 4.1 and A2DP stereo transfer protocols to produce bigger bass, lighter-than-air treble, and perfect phone call clarity every time. Bullet-shaped Comply T-400 M memory foam tips provide total isolation from external noise. It's designed to withstand the toughest environments, and the earbuds are made from Aviation Grade Aluminum-Magnesium-Alloy which doesn't add weight. And a LiquipelTM Nano-Coating means it can be dropped into water and will live to see another day. The BHS-730's are magnetized, so they stick to each other and stay securely around your neck when you need to take them out of your ears. Along with the earbuds you get a generous 7 sets of ear tips, a 60-day "no questions asked" return policy, and a lifetime sweatproof warranty as well. See the discounted Phaiser BHS-730 now on Amazon. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It’s always been difficult trying to find the right category for Microsoft’s hybrid tablet/laptop Surface Book. And now with the new Surface Book i7 in hand, it’s even harder to figure out just what square hole to put this round peg into.Before we get too far into the review, let me say that the Surface Book i7 is incredibly fast for a laptop in its class, offering no less than twice the performance of the original Surface Book, which itself outstripped all others in its day. Even better, it has stupidly long battery life that bests all the laptops we’ve tested.Done. Fini. Move along, right? Well, not quite. The world isn’t the same as it was a year ago and the Surface Book i7’s competitors have been hard at work too, and there are aspects of Microsoft’s hybrid device that aren’t perfect.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Satellite service provider Globalstar has dropped its controversial plan to launch a wireless network in the U.S. in part of an unlicensed band that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth use.The plan had alarmed supporters of those technologies who feared the network would interfere with them and effectively privatize unlicensed spectrum. Globalstar’s TLPS (Terrestrial Low-Power Service) proposal was one of several ideas introduced in recent years to mix licensed and unlicensed uses of spectrum. While some have been ruled out, others, such as LTE-Unlicensed, are moving forward.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The demand from Internet of Things, automotive networking and video applications are driving changes to Ethernet technology that will make it more time-sensitive.Key to those changes are a number of developing standards but also a push this week from the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory to set up three new industry specific Ethernet Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) consortiums – Automotive Networking, Industrial Networking, and ProAV Networking aimed at developing deterministic performance within standard Ethernet for real-time, mission critical applications.+More on Network World: IEEE sets new Ethernet standard that brings 5X the speed without disruptive cable changes+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This cordless electric wine opener from Oster removes the cork in seconds with one-button operation, and opens up to 30 bottles before needing to be recharged. It features a foil cutter for easily removing seals and a comfortable soft-grip handle. Currently averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 4,000 people (read reviews). It's discounted 35% on Amazon, so you can get it right now for just $12.99. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Black Friday frenzySome have begun referring to this month as Black November since Black Friday sales have stretched far beyond Thanksgiving Day and Nov. 25. But who’s complaining when hundreds of dollars are being lopped off the prices of the hottest smartphones, tablets, PCs and gaming systems. Here’s a look at some of the best deals.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Hours after Donald Trump won the presidential election, a suspected Russian cyberespionage team was blamed for targeting several U.S. think tanks with phishing emails designed to fool victims into installing malware.On Wednesday, the phishing emails landed in the inboxes of dozens of targets associated with U.S. think tanks and non-governmental organizations, said security firm Volexity.A hacking group called APT 29 or Cozy Bear was behind the attack, according to Veloxity. This is one of the same groups that security experts say was also responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee and is allegedly tied to the Russian government.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
President-elect Donald Trump, working with Congress, may try to make it harder and more expensive to hire H-1B workers. His intent would be to change the economics of visa usage and encourage employers to hire U.S. workers.Trump could do this by working with a bipartisan group in Congress committed to reform. But Trump also has executive power levers and could impose changes on his first day in office. He also can prod various federal agencies to launch investigations into visa use.Ron Hira, associate professor of public policy at Howard University, said it’s too early to predict what a Trump administration will do, if anything, about the visa programs. Republicans and Democrats have splits on this issue in each of their parties, and “business interest groups will be out in full force trying to stop any sensible reform.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Google said it will deal with website recidivists that have dodged the company's punishments for spreading malware and spawning email scams.When Google flags sites for hosting malicious code or unwanted software, or running some kind of scam, users see warnings in Chrome and other browsers. The alerts appear as long as Google believes the site poses a threat.But after making changes to align their sites with Google's "Safe Browsing" terms, webmasters may ask Google to lift the virtual embargo.Not surprisingly, some took advantage of the mechanism for lifting the warnings. Sites would cease their illicit practices, but only long enough to get back into Google's good graces. Once Google gave the all-clear, the once-dirty-then-clean site would have a serious relapse and again distribute malware or spew phishing emails.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Enterprises considering adopting public clouds are concerned about where their data is located and how it's protected, according to a new survey by IDG.Companies will have about 60 percent of their IT environment in public, private, or hybrid clouds, according to a survey of about 1,000 IT decision makers.Of those considering public cloud deployments, the top concerns were where data is stored, at 43 percent of respondents, and security, with 41 percent of respondents.And with all the high-profile hacks of well-known online brand names, it's no surprise.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Cloud storage is an indispensable tool in today's hyper-connected world. But unlike the early days of cloud storage, when vendors regularly rolled out new capabilities and routinely bumped up storage limits, the market has matured in terms of capabilities and storage norms. Here are some key factors to consider before choosing a new cloud storage service.Getting started with the cloud
One of the first things you should do when choosing between cloud services is compare storage options, features and costs. Free offerings might work if you need only the basics, but some of the most important or advanced capabilities are available only via paid plans. Some cloud services offer very limited storage space for free, and some offer none at all.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here