Watson’s the name, data’s the game

There's a data expert making a name for himself in the corporate world today, and he's attracting a lot of attention. He's a lightning-fast learner, he speaks eight languages and he's considered an expert in multiple fields. He's got an exemplary work ethic, is a speed reader and finds insights no one else can. On a personal note, he's a mean chef and even offers good dating advice.  The name of this new paragon? Watson. IBM Watson. Named after IBM's first CEO, Watson was born back in 2007 as part of an effort by IBM Research to develop a question-answering system that could compete on the American quiz show "Jeopardy." Since trouncing its human opponents on the show in 2011, it has expanded considerably. What started as a system focused on a single core capability -- answering questions posed by humans in natural language -- now includes dozens of services spanning language, speech, vision and data analysis.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

It’s (not) elementary: How Watson works

What goes into making a computer understand the world through senses, learning and experience, as IBM says Watson does? First and foremost, tons and tons of data.To build a body of knowledge for Watson to work with on Jeopardy, researchers put together 200 million pages of content, both structured and unstructured, including dictionaries and encyclopedias. When asked a question, Watson initially analyzes it using more than 100 algorithms, identifying any names, dates, geographic locations or other entities. It also examines the phrase structure and the grammar of the question to better gauge what's being asked. In all, it uses millions of logic rules to determine the best answers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

It’s (not) elementary: How Watson works

What goes into making a computer understand the world through senses, learning and experience, as IBM says Watson does? First and foremost, tons and tons of data. To build a body of knowledge for Watson to work with on Jeopardy, researchers put together 200 million pages of content, both structured and unstructured, including dictionaries and encyclopedias. When asked a question, Watson initially analyzes it using more than 100 algorithms, identifying any names, dates, geographic locations or other entities. It also examines the phrase structure and the grammar of the question to better gauge what's being asked. In all, it uses millions of logic rules to determine the best answers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Here’s to our health, with help from Watson

IBM may have originally built Watson to win at Jeopardy, but it saw potential applications in healthcare early on. Eventually, it formed a dedicated business unit focused squarely on making those applications happen.As far back as 2012, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and IBM teamed up to develop a Watson-based system that could help doctors create individualized cancer treatment recommendations for their patients.The following year, IBM, Memorial Sloan-Kettering and WellPoint introduced products based on Watson. A project with Cleveland Clinic, meanwhile, focused on developing a new tool to help physicians and medical students learn how to make better decisions more quickly.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Milestones along the way in Watson’s colorful history

How did IBM's Watson get to where it is today? Here are some key events that happened along the way.May 1997: Deep Blue conquers chess IBM's Deep Blue computer beats world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match that lasts several days and receives massive media coverage around the world. It also inspires researchers at IBM to undertake an even bigger challenge: build a computer that could beat the champions at Jeopardy.February 2011: Victorious at Jeopardy Watson competes on Jeopardy and defeats the TV quiz show’s two biggest all-time champions. It wins US$1 million; IBM donates the full amount to charity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Here’s to our health, with help from Watson

IBM may have originally built Watson to win at Jeopardy, but it saw potential applications in healthcare early on. Eventually, it formed a dedicated business unit focused squarely on making those applications happen. As far back as 2012, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and IBM teamed up to develop a Watson-based system that could help doctors create individualized cancer treatment recommendations for their patients. The following year, IBM, Memorial Sloan-Kettering and WellPoint introduced products based on Watson. A project with Cleveland Clinic, meanwhile, focused on developing a new tool to help physicians and medical students learn how to make better decisions more quickly.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Milestones along the way in Watson’s colorful history

How did IBM's Watson get to where it is today? Here are some key events that happened along the way. May 1997: Deep Blue conquers chess IBM's Deep Blue computer beats world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match that lasts several days and receives massive media coverage around the world. It also inspires researchers at IBM to undertake an even bigger challenge: build a computer that could beat the champions at Jeopardy. February 2011: Victorious at Jeopardy Watson competes on Jeopardy and defeats the TV quiz show’s two biggest all-time champions. It wins US$1 million; IBM donates the full amount to charity.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cloud-Managed WiFi Provider Open Mesh Adds Switches

Omron’s table tennis robot gets machine learning smarts

Omron's table tennis robot is getting smarter. At this week's Ceatec electronics show in Japan, the company has unveiled a new version that uses machine learning to assess the strength of an opponent and ramp up its game accordingly.The robot, named Forpheus, was first shown at the event in 2014 to impressive reviews. A series of robotic arms manipulate a table tennis bat, guided by cameras that watch the ball and predict where it's going to land.Omron developed the robot to promote the company's sensor technology and this latest version is showing off some of what can be done when sensing combines with machine learning and artificial intelligence.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Top 5 Docker Questions from Microsoft Ignite

Last week was busy for the Docker team at Microsoft Ignite in Atlanta. With the exciting announcement about the next evolution of the Docker and Microsoft relationship, the availability of Docker for Windows Server 2016 workloads, the show floor, general session, keynotes, and breakout sessions were all abuzz about Docker for Windows. Whether you were attended or not we want to make sure you didn’t miss a thing, here are the key announcements at this year’s Microsoft Ignite:

• Docker Doubles Container Market with Support for Windows Workloads
• Availability of Docker For Windows Server 2016
• Docker Commercially Supported Docker Engine available in Windows Server 2016

Cool @VisualStudio and @docker integration being demoed by @shanselman at #MSIgnite auto creation of Dockerfiles & debug inside containers. pic.twitter.com/HVDHKmwRrL

— Marcus Robinson (@techdiction) September 26, 2016

Wow @Docker engine included with all Server 2016 deployments. #MSIgnite #keynote

— Joe Kelly (@_JoeKelly_) September 26, 2016

Here our top 5 questions heard in the Docker booth:

1. What are containers?

While container technology had been around for more than a decade. However, as the leader in the containerization market, .Docker has made the technology usable and accessible to all developers and sysadmins. . Containers allow developers Continue reading

IDG Contributor Network: DDoS attacks using IoT devices follow The Manchurian Candidate model

In the movie The Manchurian Candidate, two soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed into sleeper agents. Later the soldiers become unwitting assassins when activated by a handler.  Sound familiar? It should.Hackers use a similar model for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks using IoT devices. This process has four phases. Capture: Identify and take over control of IoT devices Subvert: Reprogram the device to conduct malicious acts Activate: Instruct the hacked device to launch attack Attack: Launch the DDoS attack  Why are such attacks increasing? How can IoT device security be hardened? What DDoS protections are available? What advisory resources are available? Let’s take a look.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: DDoS attacks using IoT devices follow The Manchurian Candidate model

In the movie The Manchurian Candidate, two soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed into sleeper agents. Later the soldiers become unwitting assassins when activated by a handler.  Sound familiar? It should.Hackers use a similar model for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks using IoT devices. This process has four phases. Capture: Identify and take over control of IoT devices Subvert: Reprogram the device to conduct malicious acts Activate: Instruct the hacked device to launch attack Attack: Launch the DDoS attack  Why are such attacks increasing? How can IoT device security be hardened? What DDoS protections are available? What advisory resources are available? Let’s take a look.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Deep-dive review: The iPhone 7 Plus is the best iPhone yet

Let's get this out of the way about the biggest change to the iPhone 7: The elimination of the old-style audio jack doesn't mean Apple is trying to force users to buy wireless AirPods. The iPhone 7 comes with wired headphones (that plug into the Lightning connector port), and it comes with a free adapter if you have your own headphones you'd rather use.If you're hung up on the missing audio jack, which you shouldn't be, then the iPhone 7 isn't for you. For everyone else, I'll be clear: The iPhone 7 is the best iPhone I've ever used - and I've owned every single version, dating back to 2007.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to keep IT security together in a company that’s gone bankrupt

Corporate chaosImage by peteThe supply chain upon which modern multinational commerce depends was thrown into chaos earlier this year when South Korea's Hanjin Shipping filed for bankruptcy. Dozens of container ships with hundreds of crew and thousands of pounds of cargo onboard were essentially stranded at sea, as ports barred the ships' entry for fear that they wouldn't be able to pay for docking services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to keep IT security together in a company that’s gone bankrupt

Corporate chaosImage by peteThe supply chain upon which modern multinational commerce depends was thrown into chaos earlier this year when South Korea's Hanjin Shipping filed for bankruptcy. Dozens of container ships with hundreds of crew and thousands of pounds of cargo onboard were essentially stranded at sea, as ports barred the ships' entry for fear that they wouldn't be able to pay for docking services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How Shodan helped bring down a ransomware botnet

Shodan is a search engine that looks for internet-connected devices. Hackers use it to find unsecured ports and companies use it to make sure that their infrastructure is locked down. This summer, it was also used by security researchers and law enforcement to shut down a ransomware botnet.The Encryptor RaaS botnet offered ransomware as a service, allowing would-be criminals to get up and going quickly with their ransomware campaigns, without having to write code themselves, according to report released last week.The ransomware first appeared in the summer of 2015. It didn't make a big impact -- in March, Cylance reported that it had just 1,818 victims, only eight of whom had paid the ransom.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How Shodan helped bring down a ransomware botnet

Shodan is a search engine that looks for internet-connected devices. Hackers use it to find unsecured ports and companies use it to make sure that their infrastructure is locked down. This summer, it was also used by security researchers and law enforcement to shut down a ransomware botnet.The Encryptor RaaS botnet offered ransomware as a service, allowing would-be criminals to get up and going quickly with their ransomware campaigns, without having to write code themselves, according to report released last week.The ransomware first appeared in the summer of 2015. It didn't make a big impact -- in March, Cylance reported that it had just 1,818 victims, only eight of whom had paid the ransom.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: IoT security guidance emerges

More than a year ago, an eye-opening RAND study on cybersecurity comprehensively explored just how vulnerable the Internet of Things (IoT) is and was going to be. Afterthought-style patch-on-patch security, as well as significant vulnerability risks involved with slapping internet connectivity on previously non-connected objects, were among the startling findings and predictions in that report. Since then, questions have arisen as to just how one should approach the security needs of the soon-to-be billions of networked, smart, cheap sensors expanding around the globe like popcorn.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: IoT security guidance emerges

More than a year ago, an eye-opening RAND study on cybersecurity comprehensively explored just how vulnerable the Internet of Things (IoT) is and was going to be. Afterthought-style patch-on-patch security, as well as significant vulnerability risks involved with slapping internet connectivity on previously non-connected objects, were among the startling findings and predictions in that report. Since then, questions have arisen as to just how one should approach the security needs of the soon-to-be billions of networked, smart, cheap sensors expanding around the globe like popcorn.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

40% off Weight Gurus Bluetooth Smart Connected Body Fat Scale with Backlit LCD – Deal Alert

This Bluetooth scale from Weight Gurus supports and auto-detects up to 8 users. The scale syncs results separately and securely, and integrates with FitBit, Apple’s Health app, Google Fit, and other popular apps. It measures weight, BMI, body fat, lean mass, water weight, & bone mass, displaying them on an extra-large, backlit LCD screen. Non-slip, scratch-resistant feet. 4 precise weighing sensors ensure an accuracy of +/- 0.2 lb. Large, tempered glass weighing surface holds up to 400 lbs. 4 AAA batteries included. The scale averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 1,600 people on Amazon (read reviews). Its typical list price of $100 has been reduced 40% to $60. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here