Stuff The Internet Says On Scalability For April 29th, 2016

Hey, it's HighScalability time:

The Universe in one image (Pablo Budassi). Imagine an ancient being leaning over, desperately scrying to figure out what they have wrought.

• 50 minutes: Facebook daily average use; 1.65 billion: Facebook Monthly active users; 25PB: size of Internet archive; 7 years: speedup of encryption adoption from the Snowden revelations; 10 million: strands of DNA Microsoft is buying to store data; 300TB: open data from CERN; 2PB: data from PanSTARRS' imaging survey; 100 billion: words translated by Google per day; 204 million: Weather Channel views in March on Facebook; 


• Quotable Quotes:
  • @antevens: -> Describe your perfect date. ......<- YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.XXXXXX
  • @ValaAfshar: 1995: top 15 Internet companies worth $17 billion. 2015: top 15 Internet companies worth $2.4 trillion.
  • @BenedictEvans: The move to mobile took away Facebook's monopoly of social, but gave it much greater scale, engagement & revenue potential.
  • Sundar Pichai: We will move from mobile first to an AI first world.
  • Chris Sacca~ We [Google] literally could feel a scale that had never been felt before on Continue reading

Facebook’s killer quarter reinforces mobile’s dominance

If you paid attention to Apple’s quarterly report earlier this week, you could be forgiven for thinking that the mobile revolution was beginning to stall.Slipping mobile hardware sales For the first time ever, iPhone shipments slipped year over year, and the growth of global smartphone sales is slipping to about 7 percent this year, per Gartner. That’s the first time it’s dipped below double digits. Ever.Similarly, iPad sales have been going nowhere for a while now. In fact, the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker recently noted a 14.7 percent decline in worldwide tablet shipments in the first quarter of 2016, noting “an overall disinterested customer base.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: Chromatic Dispersion

Chromatic dispersion of short optical pulses traversing optical fibers is a fundamental problem when it comes to optical transport. Signal distortion, if not properly compensated, will lead to inter-symbol interference that may result in data loss or traffic interruption. This paper describes the technologies used to compensate for chromatic dispersion and how to implement reliable optical connections between equipment nodes that could extend more than 100km apart. -Data Center Journal

The post Worth Reading: Chromatic Dispersion appeared first on 'net work.

Worth Reading: Chromatic Dispersion

Chromatic dispersion of short optical pulses traversing optical fibers is a fundamental problem when it comes to optical transport. Signal distortion, if not properly compensated, will lead to inter-symbol interference that may result in data loss or traffic interruption. This paper describes the technologies used to compensate for chromatic dispersion and how to implement reliable optical connections between equipment nodes that could extend more than 100km apart. -Data Center Journal

The post Worth Reading: Chromatic Dispersion appeared first on 'net work.

LinuxFest Northwest 2016: Enterprises and hobbyists have a picnic

Last weekend—April 23 and 24—was LinuxFest Northwest (LFNW) in Bellingham, Washington. And it was a truly excellent event.The amazing thing about LFNW is how very community-centric it is—yet still manages to draw in 2,000 attendees over the course of the two-day event.And, when I say “community-centric,” I really mean it. The exhibit hall, which is often one of the largest areas of many conferences, is small. Really small. Two short rows of booths with a scattering of booths around the edge of the room.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM offers advice on how to secure blockchain in the cloud

Cloud providers hosting blockchain secure transactions technology should take additional steps to protect the records, IBM says.IBM's new framework for securely operating blockchain networks, released Friday, recommends that network operators make it easy to audit their operating environments and use optimized accelerators for hashing -- the generation of numbers from strings of text -- and the creation of digital signatures to pump up CPU performance. Along with the security guidelines, IBM announced new cloud-based blockchain services designed to meet existing regulatory and security requirements. The company has worked with security experts to create cloud services for "tamper-resistant" blockchain networks, it said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM offers advice on how to secure blockchain in the cloud

Cloud providers hosting blockchain secure transactions technology should take additional steps to protect the records, IBM says.IBM's new framework for securely operating blockchain networks, released Friday, recommends that network operators make it easy to audit their operating environments and use optimized accelerators for hashing -- the generation of numbers from strings of text -- and the creation of digital signatures to pump up CPU performance. Along with the security guidelines, IBM announced new cloud-based blockchain services designed to meet existing regulatory and security requirements. The company has worked with security experts to create cloud services for "tamper-resistant" blockchain networks, it said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Docker Community Spotlight: Luisa Marieth Morales

Toy maker Maisto’s website pushed growing CryptXXX ransomware threat

Attackers are aggressively pushing a new file-encrypting ransomware program called CryptXXX by compromising websites, the latest victim being U.S. toy maker Maisto. Fortunately, there's a tool that can help users decrypt CryptXXX affected files for free.Security researchers from Malwarebytes reported Thursday that maisto.com was infected with malicious JavaScript that loaded the Angler exploit kit. This is a Web-based attack tool that installs malware on users' computers by exploiting vulnerabilities in their browser plug-ins.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Toy maker Maisto’s website pushed growing CryptXXX ransomware threat

Attackers are aggressively pushing a new file-encrypting ransomware program called CryptXXX by compromising websites, the latest victim being U.S. toy maker Maisto. Fortunately, there's a tool that can help users decrypt CryptXXX affected files for free.Security researchers from Malwarebytes reported Thursday that maisto.com was infected with malicious JavaScript that loaded the Angler exploit kit. This is a Web-based attack tool that installs malware on users' computers by exploiting vulnerabilities in their browser plug-ins.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

AI looms large in Google’s view of the future

AI technologies such as machine learning will play a key role in shaping the future, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in the company's annual Founders' Letter to stockholders on Thursday."It’s what has allowed us to build products that get better over time, making them increasingly useful and helpful," wrote Pichai, who cited examples such as voice search, translation tools, image recognition and spam filters.The recent victory of DeepMind's AlphaGo software over legendary master Lee Sedol at the ancient game of Go is "game-changing," Pichai added. Far from portending humanity's downfall, however, the victory is ultimately one for the human race, he said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

As iPhone sales slump, Apple again talks up Services revenue

For the second quarter running, Apple executives this week talked up the growth of the company's Services category in an attempt to highlight the earnings potential of the devices now in customers' hands."The Services business is powered by our huge installed base of active devices, which crossed 1 billion units earlier this year," said CEO Tim Cook during the Tuesday earnings call with Wall Street. "Those 1 billion-plus active devices are a source of recurring revenue that is growing independent of the unit shipments we report every three months."Cook's comments were an abbreviated version of the argument that Apple's CFO, Luca Maestri, made in January during that month's call about the December 2015 quarter. At the time, Maestri spent significant time delving into Services -- a category that included revenue from iTunes, the App Store, AppleCare, iCloud, Apple Pay, licensing and others -- and trumpeting Apple's ability to earn money from current customers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 free tools for API design, development, and testing

10 handy no-cost tools for API developmentImage by PeteLinforth via PixabayThe rise of RESTful APIs has been met by a rise in tools for creating, testing, and managing them. Whether you’re an API newbie or an expert on an intractable deadline, you have a gamut of services to help you get your API up and running quick, and many of them won’t cost you a dime.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Got ransomware? These tools may help

Your computer has been infected by ransomware. All those files -- personal documents, images, videos, and audio files -- are locked up and out of your reach. There may be a way to get those files back without paying a ransom. But first a couple of basic questions: Do you you have complete backups? If so, recovery is simply a matter of wiping the machine -- bye bye, ransomware! -- reinstalling your applications, and restoring the data files. It's a little stressful, but doable. Are they good backups? Even if you did the right thing, backups aren’t foolproof, as legions of traumatized users have discovered. Unfortunately, this may be hard to determine without a full restore, so be aware that the wipe-and-restore method carries some risk. [ Wait, is that fake ransomware or the real thing? Here's how to tell and what to do about it. | Make threat intelligence meaningful: A 4-point plan. | Discover how to secure your systems with InfoWorld's Security newsletter. ] If you answered no to either question, don’t throw in the towel and pay the ransom yet. Maybe -- maybe -- there's a decryption tool that can get you out of this Continue reading

Got ransomware? These tools may help

Your computer has been infected by ransomware. All those files -- personal documents, images, videos, and audio files -- are locked up and out of your reach.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

How to tell if you’ve been hit by fake ransomware

Unlike most malware, ransomware is not stealthy. It's loud and obnoxious, and if you've been infected, the attackers will tell you so in no uncertain terms. After all, they want to be paid.“Your personal files are encrypted,” the message on the computer blares. “Your documents photos, databases, and other important files have been encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key, generated for this computer.” While the language may vary, the gist is the same: If you don’t pay the ransom -- typically within 48 to 72 hours -- your files are hosed.[ Oh no! Got real ransomware? Then one of these tools might help. | 4 reasons not to pay up in a ransomware attack. | Safeguard your data! The tools you need to encrypt your communications and Web data. ] Or are they? There is a slim possibility the perpetrators may be trying to fake you out and the files haven’t been encrypted. While not a common scenario, it does happen, according to industry experts. Rather than paying up, you can bypass the scary fake message and move on with your day.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to tell if you’ve been hit by fake ransomware

Unlike most malware, ransomware is not stealthy. It's loud and obnoxious, and if you've been infected, the attackers will tell you so in no uncertain terms. After all, they want to be paid.“Your personal files are encrypted,” the message on the computer blares. “Your documents photos, databases, and other important files have been encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key, generated for this computer.” While the language may vary, the gist is the same: If you don’t pay the ransom -- typically within 48 to 72 hours -- your files are hosed.[ Oh no! Got real ransomware? Then one of these tools might help. | 4 reasons not to pay up in a ransomware attack. | Safeguard your data! The tools you need to encrypt your communications and Web data. ] Or are they? There is a slim possibility the perpetrators may be trying to fake you out and the files haven’t been encrypted. While not a common scenario, it does happen, according to industry experts. Rather than paying up, you can bypass the scary fake message and move on with your day.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

11 Excel tips for power users

Want to get more out of Excel? At Microsoft's inaugural Data Insights Summit last month, several experts offered a slew of suggestions for getting the most out of Excel 2016. Here are 10 of the best.(Note: Keyboard shortcuts will work for the 2016 versions of Excel, including Mac; those were the versions tested. And many of the query options in Excel 2016's data tab come from the Power Query add-in for Excel 2010 and 2013. So if you've got Power Query on an earlier version of Excel on Windows, a lot of these tips will work for you as well, although they may not work on Excel for Mac.)1. Use a shortcut to create a table. Tables are among the most useful features in Excel for data that is in contiguous columns and rows. Tables make it easier to sort, filter and visualize, as well as add new rows that maintain the same formatting as the rows above them. In addition, if you make charts from your data, using a table means the chart will automatically update if you add new rows.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft locks down Cortana: Blocks integration with other browsers, search engines

Microsoft is tightening control over Cortana.  Only its Microsoft Edge browser and Bing search engine will work with searches initiated through Windows 10’s digital assistant, the company said Thursday.Microsoft isn’t prohibiting third-party browsers like Opera and Chrome from working with Windows 10, and you can still configure the operating system to launch those browsers by default, when, say, a coworker emails you a link to a Web page. But, if you launch a search via Cortana, only Edge and Bing will be used to complete it, Microsoft said in a blog post. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

More Open-Source Network Management Tools on Software Gone Wild

After listening to Open-Source Network Engineer Toolbox Nick Buraglio sent me an email saying “we should do another podcast on open-source network management tools…” and so we did. In Episode 56 of Software Gone Wild Nick, Elisa Jasinska and myself discussed a whole range of network management challenges and open-source tools you can use to address them.