As The Server Goes, So Goes The World

At this point in the 21st Century, a surprisingly large portion of the manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, marketing, and retailing of every good and service known to humankind is dependent on a piece of circuit board with two Xeon processors welded to it, wrapped in some bent sheet metal with a few blinky lights peeking out of the darkness.

Back in 1885, as the United States was beginning its rise to power, Reverend Josiah Strong declared in his populist book, Our Country: “As America goes, so goes the world.” National borders and national interests still exist, but networks cross boundaries …

As The Server Goes, So Goes The World was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

70% off RAVPower Portable Charger 6700mAh (2.4A Output & 2A Input) External Battery Pack iSmart Technology for Smartphones – Deal Alert

With a minimalistic design weighing in at only 7.1 oz and providing up to 2 extra charge for most smartphones, the Luster Battery Pack is essential for keeping your devices powered throughout the day. iSmart technology automatically detects and delivers the optimal charging current for any connected device- ensuring the fastest and most efficient charge.  The Luster charger is perfect for a stocking stuffer and comes in 4 bold colors: Gold, Black, Blue and Pink. Currently receiving 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 1,500 people (read reviews) on Amazon, and the listed price of $50 has been reduced 70% to just $15. See it on Amazon now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Wisconsin to recount US presidential election vote after hack concerns

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has decided to recount the votes in the state in the last U.S. presidential elections, after concerns were raised that the voting systems can be hacked.The recount, which was requested by Jill Stein, candidate of the Green Party for the U.S. presidential election, and Rocky Roque De La Fuente, another candidate, is expected to begin late next week, the Elections Commission said.“The Commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for President of the United States, as requested by these candidates,” administrator Michael Haas said in a statement Friday.Citing the hack of the Democratic National Committee of the Democratic Party in the run-up to the election and reports of breaches of voter registration databases in at least two states, Stein in her petition for recount wrote that Wisconsin uses both the optical scan and direct-recording electronic types of electronic voting machines, which are both susceptible to compromise.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Wisconsin to recount US presidential election vote after hack concerns

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has decided to recount the votes in the state in the last U.S. presidential elections, after concerns were raised that the voting systems can be hacked.The recount, which was requested by Jill Stein, candidate of the Green Party for the U.S. presidential election, and Rocky Roque De La Fuente, another candidate, is expected to begin late next week, the Elections Commission said.“The Commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for President of the United States, as requested by these candidates,” administrator Michael Haas said in a statement Friday.Citing the hack of the Democratic National Committee of the Democratic Party in the run-up to the election and reports of breaches of voter registration databases in at least two states, Stein in her petition for recount wrote that Wisconsin uses both the optical scan and direct-recording electronic types of electronic voting machines, which are both susceptible to compromise.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Save Big on Amazon Products Now Through 11/28 – Deal Alert

Amazon has released more deals on some of their most popular products and we have them all listed below. These discount runs through 11/28. $40 off Echo $40 off Tap $10 off Echo Dot $16.66 off 7" Fire Tablet (price will be $33.33 after reduction) $30 off Fire HD 8 $20 off Fire Essentials Bundle when purchased separately (final price $51.31)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

23% off Sphero Star Wars BB-8 Droid – Deal Alert

Meet BB-8 - the app-enabled Droid that's as authentic as it is advanced. BB-8 has something unlike any other robot - an adaptive personality that changes as you play. Based on your interactions, BB-8 will show a range of expressions and even perk up when you give voice commands. Set it to patrol and watch your Droid explore autonomously, make up your own adventure and guide BB-8 yourself, or create and view holographic recordings. It currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon (read reviews). With a regular list price of $129.99, you can buy it now with this deal for just $99.99.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Stuff The Internet Says On Scalability For November 25th, 2016

Hey, it's HighScalability time:

 

Margaret Hamilton was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for writing Apollo guidance software. Oddly, she's absent from best programmers of all time lists.

 

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  • 98 seconds: before camera infected with malware; zeptosecond: smallest fragment of time ever measured; 50%: Google Cloud cheaper than AWS; 50%: of the world is on-line;

  • Quotable Quotes:
    • @skamille: Sometimes I think that human societies just weren't meant to scale to billions of people sharing arbitrary information
    • @joshk0: At @GetArbor we use #kubernetes to host a 30K QPS ad-tech serving platform. Maybe smaller than Pokemon Go but nothing to sneeze at.
    • HFT Guy: 2016 should be remembered as the year Google became a better choice than AWS. If 50% cheaper is not a solid argument, I don’t know what is.
    • Glenn Marcus: Hybrid [Progressive Web App] development takes 260% more effort man hours than Native development.
    • Bruce Schneier: I want to suggest another way of thinking about it in that everything is now a computer: This is not a phone. It’s a computer that makes phone calls. A refrigerator is Continue reading

Up to 31% off Multiple Fitbit Tracker Models – Deal Alert

Fitbit trackers come in various models and fitting each individuals fitness needs. Discounts are now being offered for many of these models.  Below are several of the models that are currently discounted on Amazon.Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristbandh—Make every beat count with Fitbit Charge 2-the all-new heart rate and fitness wristband built for all-day, workouts and beyond. PurePulse continuous heart rate makes it easy to maximize workouts, better track calorie burn and get a snapshot of your cardio fitness level, while all-day activity and auto sleep tracking, lets you see how your whole routine adds up. Record your workouts with multi-sport modes to see real-time workout stats on screen, or rely on SmartTrack to automatically record select exercises for you. The large OLED display helps you stay connected with call, text and calendar alerts, stay active with Reminders to Move, and find moments of calm with personalized guided breathing sessions. Plus, you can find a look that fits your style with customizable clock faces and interchangeable bands. With more advanced features in a sleeker package, it's the motivation you need to push yourself further-every step, every beat, every day. Currently available on Amazon at the Continue reading

20% off Nest Learning Thermostat – Deal Alert

The Nest learning thermostat learns from you and programs itself, so it is cooling and heating more efficiently and saving you money. Plus, it can be controlled from anywhere on earth through your mobile device. So coming home from vacation no longer means coming back to a blisteringly hot house. Nest claims that on average people save 10% to 15% on heating and cooling bills, so this is one of those products that aims to pay for itself. Nest also works with "Alexa". It averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 4,600 people (84% rate it 5 stars, read reviews). It typically lists for $249 and is being discounted 20%, down to $199. Learn more or purchase the discounted Nest (3rd generation - current model) at Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple’s underwhelming Black Friday 2016 event is live! Gift cards galore

Apple, which last year was too cool to have a Black Friday sale, has revealed its one-day deals -- focused on older products -- for Black Friday 2016 this Nov. 25.You can get up to a $150 gift card when purchasing select Apple products, with Macs earning the biggest rewards.The $150 gift card rewards apply to purchases of MacBook Airs starting at $1,000, MacBooks and MacBook Pros (13-inches) starting at $1,300, and MacBook Pros (15-inches) starting at $2,000, among others.MORE: Best Black Friday 2016 deals on Apple iPhones, iPads, Watches & moreTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple’s Black Friday 2016 event is live! Gift cards galore

Apple, which last year was too cool to have a Black Friday sale, has revealed its one-day deals for Black Friday 2016 this Nov. 25.You can get up to a $150 gift card when purchasing select Apple products, with Macs earning the biggest rewards.The $150 gift card rewards apply to purchases of MacBook Airs starting at $1,000, MacBooks and MacBook Pros (13-inches) starting at $1,300, and MacBook Pros (15-inches) starting at $2,000, among others.MORE: Best Black Friday 2016 deals on Apple iPhones, iPads, Watches & moreTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Will AI usher in a new era of hacking?

It may take several years or even decades, but hackers won't necessarily always be human. Artificial intelligence -- a technology that also promises to revolutionize cybersecurity -- could one day become the go-to hacking tool.  Organizers of the Cyber Grand Challenge, a contest sponsored by the U.S. defense agency DARPA, gave a glimpse of the power of AI during their August event. Seven supercomputers battled each other to show that machines can indeed find and patch software vulnerabilities.Theoretically, the technology can be used to perfect any coding, ridding it of exploitable flaws. But what if that power was used for malicious purposes? The future of cyberdefense might also pave the way for a new era of hacking.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Will AI usher in a new era of hacking?

It may take several years or even decades, but hackers won't necessarily always be human. Artificial intelligence -- a technology that also promises to revolutionize cybersecurity -- could one day become the go-to hacking tool.   Organizers of the Cyber Grand Challenge, a contest sponsored by the U.S. defense agency DARPA, gave a glimpse of the power of AI during their August event. Seven supercomputers battled each other to show that machines can indeed find and patch software vulnerabilities. Theoretically, the technology can be used to perfect any coding, ridding it of exploitable flaws. But what if that power was used for malicious purposes? The future of cyberdefense might also pave the way for a new era of hacking.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Japan plans superefficient supercomputer by 2017

Japan plans to build a super-efficient computer that could vault it to the top of the world's supercomputer rankings by the end of next year.With a processing capacity of 130 petaflops, the planned computer would outperform the current world leader, China's Sunway TaihuLight, which delivers 93 petaflops. One petaflop is one million billion floating-point operations per second.Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) isn't just aiming to build the world's fastest supercomputers, it also wants to make one of the most efficient. It is aiming for a power consumption of under 3 megawatts -- a staggering figure, given that Japan's current highest entry in the Top500 supercomputer list, Oakforest-PACS, delivers one-tenth the performance (13.6 petaflops) for the same power.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Linux hardening: a 15-step checklist for a secure Linux server

Gus Khawaja Most people assume Linux is secure, and that’s a false assumption. Imagine your laptop is stolen without first being hardened. A thief would probably assume your username is “root” and your password is “toor” since that’s the default password on Kali and most people continue to use it. Do you? I hope not.The negative career implications of choosing not to harden your Kali Linux host are severe, so I’ll share the necessary steps to make your Linux host secure, including how I use penetration testing and Kali Linux to get the job done. It’s important to note that, while they are many distributions (AKA distros) of Linux and each one differs from the command line perspective, the logic is the same. Use the following tips to harden your own Linux box.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

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