H-1B visas and IT workers: Watch this 5-minute video to understand the outrage

 Life in a capitalist society means good people will lose their jobs, most often through no fault of their own. Rarely, however, is that outcome more unfair – unconscionably so – than when IT professionals are displaced by foreign contract workers holding H-1B visas.Computerworld’s Patrick Thibodeau, who understands this subject like few other journalists, explains the layoff process in this gripping five-minute video: Every day our political class allows this practice to continue is a day of shame for this country.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

21% off Innova 3100i Vehicle Engine & ABS Diagnostic Code Reader – Deal Alert

When the "check engine" light comes on, we're left wondering what exactly is going on under the hood. With an engine code reader like this one, you can quickly find out what your vehicle is trying to tell you, and be armed with information before you rush off to a mechanic. Simply plug it in, turn on your ignition, and follow the on-screen prompts. The 3100i will show you existing problems, and can detect & display pending problems as well. Check and erase engine light codes with the push of a button on any car, light truck, minivan, hybrid, or SUV (OBD2) manufactured since 1996. The 3100i can also diagnose and erase anti-lock breaking system (ABS) codes on most 1996 and newer GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota and Honda's. A "freeze frame" feature shows engine conditions such as fuel trim and engine coolant temp at the time the malfunction indicator lamp was set. And it can also check the performance of your battery and alternator. The Innova 3100i averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 830 people (read reviews) and its typical list price of $100 has been reduced to $79. To read Continue reading

The cloud just cost 5,500 Cisco workers their jobs

Cisco this week announced it is laying off some 5,500 workers, about 7 percent of its global workforce. The firings fell far short of the 14,000 positions that had been rumored, but they still cut deep.And it can’t help ease the sting that workers getting pink slips had to listen to Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins exult, “We had another strong quarter, wrapping up a great year.” That “we” doesn’t extend to the fired workers, obviously.So, what’s really going on here?Basically, Cisco is trying to keep up with fundamental changes in the world of infrastructure. Those changes take many forms, but the biggest, most obvious development is the incredible rise of cloud computing. Companies are scrambling to run every possible workload into the cloud, which is grabbing an ever-increasing share of new infrastructure investment.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Cuban CDN

On a recent trip to Cuba I brought with me a smartphone and hoped to get Internet access either via WiFi or 3G. I managed that (at a price) but also saw for myself how Cubans get access to an alternate Internet delivered by sneakernet.

Cuba is currently poorly served by the Internet with a small number of public WiFi hotspots. There are currently 175 public WiFi hotspots in the country, many in public parks. In addition, many large hotels also have public WiFi. Since this is the primary way Cubans get Internet access it’s not uncommon to see situations like this:

Getting on the WiFi means buying a card that gives you access for 2 CUC ($2) per hour. These cards have a login number and a password (hidden behind a scratch off panel). The hour can be used in chunks by logging off and on.

There’s also mobile phone access to the Internet (I saw 3G, EDGE and GPRS as I traveled across Cuba), but at 1 CUC ($1) per MB it’s very expensive. The phone company does provide email access (to their own email service) and so some Cubans I met used their phones to get Continue reading

NASA to send spacecraft on 1.2B-mile journey to asteroid

NASA is less than a month away from launching a spacecraft designed to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth for the first time.Scientists are hoping the seven-year mission, set to launch on Sept. 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, will give them information about the makeup of the solar system, about life on Earth and the potential of life elsewhere in the universe, and about asteroids and how they could affect Earth.“This mission exemplifies our nation’s quest to boldly go and study our solar system and beyond to better understand the universe and our place in it,” said Geoff Yoder, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “NASA science is the greatest engine of scientific discovery on the planet and [this mission] embodies our directorate’s goal to innovate, explore, discover and inspire.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How IT can limit the risk of popular messaging apps

In the fight against shadow IT, CIOs have faced for more significant challenges than modern consumer messaging apps. And the popularity of apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, iMessage and Google Hangouts has, in many cases, led to a more open IT approach to consumer communication tools in enterprise. When IT leaders let employees use their personal devices for work, it's a safe assumption that multiple consumer messaging apps will also come into play. The onus is on the CIO and the IT team to mitigate potential problems that could come from the careless use of such apps at work, according to Adam Preset, research director at Gartner. CIOs should realize consumer messaging apps can increase staff efficiency, but they should also try to empower workers to make choices that don't threaten their organizations, he says. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why a security team embraces shadow IT

When you hear the phrase "getting ahead of shadow IT," it typically comes from a CIO who is implementing new technologies so that employs won’t take it upon themselves to purchase tools. But you don't expect such proactive practices from an enterprise's information security team, which a CIO often enlists to place a moat around corporate assets. Mike Bartholomy, Western Union's senior manager for information security Mike Bartholomy takes a different tack at Western Union. The financial services firm's senior manager for information security says that companies that try to block everything may see it backfire. "What we've seen happen in other organizations is that when you take something away that is a great enablement tool that may be moderately risky, you run the risk of pushing users towards something that is very risky," Bartholomy says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why a security team embraces shadow IT

When you hear the phrase "getting ahead of shadow IT," it typically comes from a CIO who is implementing new technologies so that employs won’t take it upon themselves to purchase tools. But you don't expect such proactive practices from an enterprise's information security team, which a CIO often enlists to place a moat around corporate assets. Mike Bartholomy, Western Union's senior manager for information security Mike Bartholomy takes a different tack at Western Union. The financial services firm's senior manager for information security says that companies that try to block everything may see it backfire. "What we've seen happen in other organizations is that when you take something away that is a great enablement tool that may be moderately risky, you run the risk of pushing users towards something that is very risky," Bartholomy says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How IT can limit the risk of popular messaging apps

In the fight against shadow IT, CIOs have faced for more significant challenges than modern consumer messaging apps. And the popularity of apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, iMessage and Google Hangouts has, in many cases, led to a more open IT approach to consumer communication tools in enterprise. When IT leaders let employees use their personal devices for work, it's a safe assumption that multiple consumer messaging apps will also come into play. The onus is on the CIO and the IT team to mitigate potential problems that could come from the careless use of such apps at work, according to Adam Preset, research director at Gartner. CIOs should realize consumer messaging apps can increase staff efficiency, but they should also try to empower workers to make choices that don't threaten their organizations, he says. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Video: The real story behind the H-1B visa program

The vast majority of people who work in IT did everything right: They invested in their education, studied difficult subjects, kept their skills updated. They own homes, raise families and look to the future.But no job is safe, no future entirely secure -- something IT workers know more than most. Given their role, they are most often the change agents, the people who deploy technologies and bring in automation that can turn workplaces upside down. To survive, they count on being smart, self-reliant and one step ahead.Into that mix of dedication and hope comes the H-1B visa program. It allows a limited number of high-skilled foreign workers to work at U.S. companies. But over the years it has also become a way for companies to outsource jobs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Median IT wage is $10K higher for men than women

Men in IT earn a median of $82,370 a year compared to $72,035 for women, according to new data by the U.S. Census Bureau.The wage gap is perhaps is the most disquieting finding in a study of 2014 data by the Bureau, which also found that IT workers are younger than those in other occupations, more likely to have an advanced degree and more often work from home.Women comprise 25% of the IT workforce, which U.S. officials put at 4.6 million, a figure roughly in line with private estimates. In 1990, women constituted 31% of the IT workforce.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

NASA $1M contest intent on sending robots to Mars

NASA engineers want humanoid robots to help astronauts living and working on Mars to help build habitats, grow food and make potable water.The space agency on Tuesday opened registration for teams to compete for a $1 million prize purse in what it’s calling the Space Robotics Challenge.The contest is intended to encourage development of robots that are capable of working in the harsh environment of Mars and that have enough strength, precision and autonomy to be useful to human teammates.A qualifying round will run from mid-September to mid-November. Teams that make it through that initial round will then compete in the finals next June.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s new plan to save Edge: reward points

Microsoft today made a play to boost usage of Edge with an awards program that gives users points for browsing with the Windows 10 application."Earn points for every hour of active browsing ... up to 30 hours a month," Microsoft announced on a promotional page.To qualify for points in the new program -- formerly Bing Rewards, rebranded as Microsoft Rewards -- Edge users must have the Bing search engine as the browser's default. Microsoft defined "active browsing" as meeting two conditions: Edge had to be the highlighted icon in the taskbar -- meaning it was the only app in focus on the desktop -- and the user had to be "engaged with the browser" via clicking, mouse movements or watching full-screen video.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How Adobe uses machine learning to drive marketing success

Earlier this year, Adobe took the wraps off its new Adobe Marketing Cloud, touting new data science capabilities like Adobe Analytics' Segment IQ, which uses machine learning to help marketers gain deep insight into audience segments. On Wednesday, Adobe advanced Segment IQ another step with the release of Segment Comparison for Analysis Workspace.Segment Comparison for Analysis Workspace is the first in what Adobe promises will be a series of audience analysis and discovery tools within Segment IQ. It uses machine learning techniques to perform automated analysis on every metric and dimension to which you have access. Nate Smith, senior product marketing manager, Adobe Analytics, says this allows Segment Comparison to uncover the key characteristics of the audience segments that are driving your company's KPIs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Office, Outlook, Slack, Handoff: The digital workplace reborn

"Office productivity" has meant Microsoft Office and Outlook on a Windows PC for nearly two decades, and most of us take it for granted as part of the technological woodwork. New versions of Office and Outlook long ago outstripped the functionality 99.9 percent of us need, and except for jarring UI changes like the introduction of the Ribbon in 2007, we take new versions in stride.But the digital office has undergone a fundamental, positive change in the past few years, one that should cause a rethink by users and IT alike.[ Office 365 is now ready to deploy across all your clients. InfoWorld shows you: How to make document sharing really work in Office 365. • What works and what doesn't in Office 365 collaboration • What works in Outlook on Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. • How to migrate to Office 365. | Road map: The coming revolution of the lowly desk phone. ] The rebirth of Microsoft Office is (hopefully) only the start Five years ago, I would have said that Microsoft Office and Exchange were dying dinosaurs, given Microsoft's active development of crappy mobile versions and continued crippling of the MacOS versions.To read Continue reading

20 great new features in Android 7.0 Nougat

The latest changes to Google's ubiquitous mobile operating systemAndroid 7.0 Nougat is loaded with new features and refinements, each one improving upon the overall Android experience. Some changes, such as bundled notifications, are quite obvious. Then there are the less visible changes, such as a new multitasking shortcut. Follow along as we take a look at what’s new in Google’s latest mobile OS.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel doubles down on 5G strategy

Intel is ramping up its efforts on 5G. The company has outlined three 5G focus areas – the industry partnerships, end-to-end 5G-related hardware and software development (such as Narrow Band IoT), and 5G standards-setting. The company’s next generation and standards organisation 5G business and technology general manager, Rob Topol, said 5G is set to change the way the company operates and how the market responds to connectivity. “We’re very excited about 5G as a company. We have started research and development on it at a very early stage so that we can build prototypes that demonstrate many different use cases. 5G is going to be something that will be a network change and a wireless change that will be much more than just about smartphones or other mobile devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel doubles down on 5G strategy

Intel is ramping up its efforts on 5G. The company has outlined three 5G focus areas – the industry partnerships, end-to-end 5G-related hardware and software development (such as Narrow Band IoT), and 5G standards-setting. The company’s next generation and standards organisation 5G business and technology general manager, Rob Topol, said 5G is set to change the way the company operates and how the market responds to connectivity. “We’re very excited about 5G as a company. We have started research and development on it at a very early stage so that we can build prototypes that demonstrate many different use cases. 5G is going to be something that will be a network change and a wireless change that will be much more than just about smartphones or other mobile devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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