Don’t be sloppy, use a floppy

One of the quirkier and more popular sections on Reddit is called r/MildlyInteresting, which features stuff that is … go ahead and guess. Posted there last night was the above photo, which I found to be … go ahead and guess.It turns out that using old floppy disks as drink coasters is not a new idea. You can find plenty – both authentic and reproductions – online.However, one Redditor had a reasonable quibble with the one in the picture:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Thursday, May 28

Lenovo’s concept smartphone lets you interact with projected imagesA Lenovo concept smartphone that’s fitted with a laser projector module can display content on a hard surface, like a table or wall, where users will be able to interact with the projected images. On Thursday, Lenovo showed off “Smart Cast,” which can also read the gestures of users interacting with the projected images: in one demo, a user was able to play a song on the image of a piano keyboard projected onto a table.Google said to be planning a do-over on mobile paymentsTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Thursday, May 28

German gov’t proposes telecom data retention law

German telecom and Internet operators could once again be forced to store customer traffic and location metadata for police investigation purposes, five years after a previous data retention law was declared unconstitutional.The draft data retention law unveiled on Wednesday would oblige providers to store call and Internet traffic metadata for a maximum of 10 weeks while location data would have to be stored for four weeks, the German government said.The measure is meant to help law enforcement agencies in their fight against terrorism and serious crime. According to the government, it strikes the right balance between freedom and security in the digital world.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

German gov’t proposes telecom data retention law

How now IoT cow? Sensors can take Elsie’s temperature

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Docker Security Tools and Upcoming Webinar

I wanted to follow up on our recent security blog post on May 5th introducing the CIS Benchmark and our Docker white paper. Having the documents is useful, however the ability to easily put these benchmarks into practice is equally … Continued

Sony keeps optical discs alive with storage startup acquisition

Sony’s push to get enterprise users to store data on optical discs has received added momentum with its acquisition of a Facebook-linked startup focused on optical storage.Led by former Facebook executive Frank Frankovsky, Optical Archive in California will develop new optical disc library systems for corporate clients’ “cold storage,” which hold data that aren’t accessed often but are preserved for a long time. Examples of such data are photos on social media sites and regulatory or legal documents.The move marks the entry of Sony, which developed the Blu-ray disc over a decade ago, into data center storage, a market it has shied away from partly due to the limited capacity of its optical discs amid the explosion of cloud-based storage.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Don’t Be Overly Enthusiastic about Vendor Claims (This Time It’s Brocade)

I was running the first part of the Data Center Fabrics Update webinar last week, mentioned that Brocade VDX 6740 supports Flex ports (a port you can use as Fibre Channel or 10GE port), and someone immediately wrote a comment saying “so does VDX 6940”. I was almost sure Flex ports aren’t available on VDX 6940 yet, and as always turned to vendor documentation to figure it out.

As expected, the data sheet is a bit vague, somewhat reflecting reality, but also veering into the realm of futures instead of features. Here’s what they say:

Lenovo shows smartphone that lets users interact with projected content

Smartphones and smartwatches won’t just display content, but will also be able to beam it on to tabletops, walls and even to the eye, according to Lenovo.More remarkably, users will be able to interact with the projected images.On Thursday, Lenovo unveiled a concept smartphone called “Smart Cast” that’s fitted with a laser projector module on top of the device. The feature lets the handset display the phone’s content on a hard surface, like a table or wall.However, the phone isn’t just a mobile digital projector. It can also read the gestures of users interacting with the projected images. In a demo, the Chinese company showed off the concept device, by using it to project a virtual piano keyboard on a table. The user could then play a song on the keyboard.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apache Cordova fixes flaw that could cause apps to crash

A fix has been released for a vulnerability in a widely used piece of code in Android devices, which could cause apps to crash or display unwanted dialog boxes.The flaw lies in Apache Cordova, which is a set of APIs (application programming interfaces) that let developers access functions such as a camera or accelerometer using JavaScript, according to its website.Trend Micro, which found the problem, wrote that 5.6 percent of apps in Google’s Play store use Cordova and are vulnerable. iOS is not affected.Apps using Cordova that “don’t have explicit values set in Config.xml can have undefined configuration variables set by Intent,” according to a description of the flaw on the Cordova website.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Wi-Fi access point scans can betray a person’s location

Many Android applications collect information on Wi-Fi access points, which researchers contend can be used to figure out where a person is more than 90 percent of the time.The privacy implications of Wi-Fi access point scanning is often overlooked but presents a risk if the information is abused, according to the study, written by the Technical University of Denmark, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Copenhagen.Wi-Fi information isn’t considered location data, and Android applications such as Candy Crush Saga, Pandora and Angry Birds routinely collect it.“This makes it possible for third party developers to collect high-resolution mobility data under the radar, circumventing the policy and the privacy model of the Android ecosystem,” wrote Sune Lehmann, an associate professor at DTU Informatics at the Technical University of Denmark, in a blog post.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Lenovo’s new Windows 10 tablet to arrive in August

Lenovo will be one of the first to offer a Windows 10 tablet, with a new ThinkPad device that’s slated to arrive in August.The next generation ThinkPad 10 will be loaded with Microsoft’s upcoming OS, and is aimed at business users. It will have a starting price at $499.The ThinkPad 10 is available with a choice of quad-core Intel Atom processors, the X5 Z8500 or the X7 Z8700, which are part of Intel’s “Cherry Trail” line of processors.Other options include either 2GB or 4GB of RAM, and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. Apart from the faster processors and a new USB 3.0 port, the ThinkPad 10 is otherwise similar to the previous generation. It still contains a micro-SD card slot, and there is optional support for a fingerprint reader and smart card reader. The 10.1-inch screen has a resolution of 1920 pixels by 1200, and battery life is up to 10 hours.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

After medical marijuana, Sidecar eyes alcohol and pharmaceuticals

Earlier this month, Sidecar expanded its mobile ride hailing service to deliver medical marijuana in San Francisco. It’s not the only substance the startup wants to bring to your door.Sidecar is in talks with potential partners to deliver alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs to its users, said CEO Sunil Paul. And in case you’re craving them badly, it will get them to you in an hour. It’s not yet delivering those items but plans to by the end of the year, Paul said in an interview Wednesday.Sidecar’s ride hailing service works similarly to that of Uber and Lyft, with a few differences. The app lets riders choose from a list of drivers who are able to set their own fares. And the company claims to be more transparent than rivals when surge pricing is in effect, specifying the exact fare up front. Still, Sidecar hasn’t proved as popular as Uber and Lyft and is active in far fewer cities.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Open Source Routing: A Comparison

I have been getting more interested in open-source networking software, and I figured it was time to write a post comparing some of the more popular open source projects in this space.

Not only do we have several options (which hasn’t always been the case) for running routing protocols in FOSS, but we also have a variety of use cases that are increasing in popularity (using BGP for SDN-type purposes, not just to do internet peering). So isn’t an idea limited to enthusiasts who like to spin their own router - this kind of software has very interesting large-scale applications as well.

This won’t be a comprehensive list, just the top three that I’ve been looking into. I also won’t be going into too much detail on how to set all this software up - I’m saving that for a follow-up post.

Quagga

Quagga is at the top of this list primarily because from my perspective, it is the most well-known. It is best to think of Quagga as a collection of smaller daemons, each with a specific task. This task may be to run a routing protocol like OSPF or BGP, or it may be something else.

In this Continue reading

Open Source Routing: A Comparison

I have been getting more interested in open-source networking software, and I figured it was time to write a post comparing some of the more popular open source projects in this space.

Quagga

In this Continue reading

Programming an ACI Fabric

By now, you’ve probably heard of Cisco’s Software Defined Networking (SDN) solution that is centered around ACI, or the Application Centric Infrastructure. Like most SDN platforms, a key component is the controller otherwise known as the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) in the case of ACI. The APIC provides a single pane of glass that centralizes policy, configuration, and monitoring of the complete fabric. It also more importantly exposes the complete system via an object oriented REST API, which is what we’ll look at in this post.

By itself, ACI reduces the number of touch points in the network. This is no different than any other controller-based network that exists today and is a great step in the right direction. We can then honestly say SDN simplifies operations.

The issue is if you don’t have something else driving ACI, or any other SDN solution for that matter, it could take a large number clicks within the UI to configure a new tenant, application, or whatever is being configured. This is error prone as we all know it’s pretty easy to fat finger something! Because of this, it still makes total sense to automate network fabrics even if it’s not for Continue reading

Microsoft app store gets a spring clean before Windows 10 launch

Microsoft is cleaning house in the Windows Store, enacting policies that could see some apps removed as it tries to reduce clutter and ensure fair pricing ahead of the Windows 10 launch later this year.The new policies, designed to make it easier for users to find quality apps, will also clamp down on developers who abuse keywords to game the Store’s search results.First off, Microsoft wants to ensure users can distinguish between different apps, which means developers will need to use icons that accurately reflect what a program does, and that aren’t too similar to other app icons in the store. The same rules will apply to application titles, and to application functionality.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC ruling could bolster robocall battle

The Federal Communications Commission could soon clear a path to help in the ongoing battle to fight unwanted and in many cases illegal robocalls and text messages.FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is proposing a number of changes that the FCC says would “close loopholes and strengthen consumer protections already on the books,” such as the widely used Do-Not-Call Registry. The FCC proposals were in response to industry players who sought clarity on how the Commission enforces the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)."The FCC wants to make it clear: Telephone companies can – and in fact should – offer consumers robocall-blocking tools," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a blog post. In the past some carriers we concerned that blocking automated calls could be construed as violations of the TCPA that requires them to ensure that all calls placed over their networks reach their intended recipients.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Avago Might Buy Broadcom, Though It’s Hard to Fathom

Rumors of a monster chip deal run counter to Broadcom's personality — but times do change.

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