Intel launches 500 drones for nighttime light show

Could hundreds or thousands of drones in the sky ever replicate the thrill we get from watching a fireworks display?Intel is hoping to reproduce a little of that magic with its Shooting Star drones. They're equipped with lights to provide a show in the night sky, and Intel is offering a whole fleet of them as a service to theme parks, entertainment companies, and cities.Last year, the company managed to get 100 of them flying in formation to produce patterns and, of course, the Intel logo. Now it's managed to synchronize 500 of the devices to display more ambitious and complex patterns (and yes, a better Intel logo).+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD Infographic: Commercial drones by the numbers +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Democracy has died of dysentery: The Voter Suppression Trail

Despite a number of potential digital threats, voter fraud remains a mostly imaginary problem in this country, a specter raised by politicians seeking to justify ever-more stringent rules designed to suppress voter turnout in areas unfavorable to them.But in a largely post-truth political discourse, simply pointing out that this is a fact doesn’t seem to be enough. What is needed – and what the New York Times Op-Docs project has collaborated with the satirists at GOP Arcade to produce – is a video game.+ CAN THE ELECTIONS BE HACKED? Find out with Network World's package of stories +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Our Shared Values

After this week’s news that the IP Networking assets of Brocade will be sold to a lucky buyer, I wanted to take the time to reflect on what we’ve achieved, our value as the Network Edge business unit of Brocade, and why we value our partners and customers and intend to continue delivering the quality products and customer service Ruckus is known for.

25% to 30% of users struggle with identifying phishing threats, study says

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.   Humans are often the weak link in any cybersecurity defense. People behave unpredictably because we are sometimes driven by emotion and by an innate desire to trust and please other people. Also, we tend to take the path of least resistance, even if that path inadvertently creates a cybersecurity risk. Attackers understand these human traits, which is why they are frequently successful in exploiting people to get around more predictable machine-based defenses. As an example, consider phishing. It’s estimated that globally, 8 million phishing email messages are opened every day, and of those, 800,000 recipients of the malicious messages click on the embedded links. Ten percent of the people who click on a link actually give their information, such as login credentials for personal applications or their employer’s applications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

25% to 30% of users struggle with identifying phishing threats, study says

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.   Humans are often the weak link in any cybersecurity defense. People behave unpredictably because we are sometimes driven by emotion and by an innate desire to trust and please other people. Also, we tend to take the path of least resistance, even if that path inadvertently creates a cybersecurity risk. Attackers understand these human traits, which is why they are frequently successful in exploiting people to get around more predictable machine-based defenses. As an example, consider phishing. It’s estimated that globally, 8 million phishing email messages are opened every day, and of those, 800,000 recipients of the malicious messages click on the embedded links. Ten percent of the people who click on a link actually give their information, such as login credentials for personal applications or their employer’s applications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Skills deficit hampers IoT growth in 2017

The allure of IoT is strong. Companies are eager to explore the potential for connected products and business processes. But technologies and use cases for the IoT vary wildly, and the vendor landscape is rapidly changing, warns research and advisory firm  Forrester. Adding to the hurdles IT teams face is the demand for IoT skills – including data analytics, security and wireless networking expertise – that are already in short supply in many organizations. IoT technology uses new network protocols, hardware and specialized software, and successful deployments will require expertise in business transformation, data science, cybersecurity, and industrial automation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

49% off Microsoft Foldable Keyboard for iOS, Android, and Windows devices – Deal Alert

This folding keyboard from Microsoft pairs with any combination of 2 iPads, iPhones, Android, Windows tablets, and Windows Phones. It features a water repellent keyset and fabric to protect against accidents. Unfold to turn on, and fold to turn off. Pairs quickly and reliably with Bluetooth 4.0 technology. Its built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 3 months on a single charge. It currently averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon (read reviews) from nearly 200 reviewers, and its list price of $100 is currently reduced to $50. See the discounted Microsoft keyboard now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 ways enterprise networkers can – and can’t – be like webscale stars

Everybody wants to be a winner. One way to get there is to follow the leaders.In networking these days, big cloud companies like Google and Facebook are at the top of their game. They run giant data centers, continually launch and modify large-scale applications, and don’t seem to be bound to big system vendors. Many ordinary enterprises would love what the internet heavyweights have: standardized networks that can support any application without administrators having to configure a lot of proprietary hardware.Conveniently, some of those cutting-edge companies offer parts of their technology to others through open-source specifications. But there are limits to how well a company in the insurance or machine-tool business can emulate world-changing tech giants. It turns out no one can just become Google, at least not overnight.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 ways enterprise networkers can – and can’t – be like webscale stars

Everybody wants to be a winner. One way to get there is to follow the leaders.In networking these days, big cloud companies like Google and Facebook are at the top of their game. They run giant data centers, continually launch and modify large-scale applications, and don’t seem to be bound to big system vendors. Many ordinary enterprises would love what the internet heavyweights have: standardized networks that can support any application without administrators having to configure a lot of proprietary hardware.Conveniently, some of those cutting-edge companies offer parts of their technology to others through open-source specifications. But there are limits to how well a company in the insurance or machine-tool business can emulate world-changing tech giants. It turns out no one can just become Google, at least not overnight.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Physics Code Modifications Push Xeon Phi Peak Performance

In the worlds of high performance computing (HPC) and physics, seemingly straightforward challenges are frequently not what they seem at first glance.

For example, doing justice to an outwardly simple physics experiment involving a pendulum and drive motor can involve the need to process billions of data points. Moreover, even when aided by the latest high performance technology, such as the Intel Xeon Phi processor, achieving optimal compute levels requires ingenuity for addressing unexpected coding considerations.

Jeffery Dunham, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Natural Sciences at Middlebury College in Vermont, should know. For about eight years, Professor Dunham

Physics Code Modifications Push Xeon Phi Peak Performance was written by Nicole Hemsoth at The Next Platform.