Microsoft study claims technology shortens our attention span

In a report that may not surprise anyone, a new study from Microsoft reveals that our attention spans are at an all-time low, and the culprit, not surprisingly, is the ubiquity of technology which now touches every corner of our lives 24/7.Indeed, you can thank the iPhone for ushering in the smartphone era and creating a world where most of us remain tethered to our devices, lest we miss a text message or the latest sports scores.According to Microsoft's study, which was conducted via EEG scans, the average attention span dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2013. To put that data into context, the average attention span of a goldfish is about 9 seconds, according to the study.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Solar power road surface actually works

Remember that road surface being tested in the Netherlands that acted as a giant solar panel converting solar energy into electricity? Well, guess what? It actually worked.Six months into the test, the engineers say they've generated 3,000kwH of power from the 70-meter bike path test track. That's enough power to run a one-person household for a year, and more than expected of the project, according to SolaRoad, the company behind the experiment.Energy-neutral mobility Data centers are heavy users of electricity, and SolaRoad's better-than-expected electricity generation will be interesting news for those designing data centers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

VeloCloud’s SD-WAN puts packet steering on steroids to optimize performance

This column is available in a weekly newsletter called IT Best Practices.  Click here to subscribe.  Many vendors are racing to compete in the burgeoning software-defined WAN space. Each competitor has its own strategy of how to implement the network overlay that makes the network connections, provides virtualized services and steers applications. It all comes down to what the SD-WAN vendor wants to help its customers achieve.VeloCloud has an entry in this race, and the company has two goals: to simplify the way companies set up their branches within their wide area network, and to improve the performance of the WAN. There are several specific problem areas VeloCloud is setting out to address.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why you shouldn’t beat yourself up when troubleshooting

I’ve made a decent to large part of my living for more than 20 years learning about how to fix problems and then trying to tell others how to follow suit. And this last week has been among my highest in terms of frustration in using computers in my entire life. But, per my modus operandi, I have truth born from a bloody fight to share with you.A few weeks ago, I tried to deal with the mystery of my 2011 Mac mini taking forever to start up and be ready to use by switching to an external SSD drive with both FireWire 800 and USB 3.0 built in. I documented that here, and people have a lot of good opinions about my choice. Some thought I should have cracked open the Mac mini and put in a new drive; others thought that I should’ve used Thunderbolt; and others that I should have bought a new computer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

A New Home: Looking Back

I have moved to a new blogging platform! The timing was interesting, since the wordpress installation on which Keeping It Classless has operated for so long is about 5 years old (I operated on an older domain before Keeping It Classless was born).

WOW. Five years is a long time in blog years. I could not have possibly predicted back then what this blog would do for me. In going over these old posts, I saw a very interesting progression of my own skillsets and mentality, and I figured I’d share. Call it a thank you for helping me grow the past 5 years. Please forgive the length of this post, but I wanted to make sure to call out everything of significance.

It’s also been crazy to witness the change in writing style. Early on I was not shy about using idioms, memes, and Borat references in blog posts, and now - while I am still humorous from time to time - I am a little more formal and succinct. Another way of looking at it is that early on, there was very little difference between the way that I wrote and the way that I spoke. Today, there Continue reading

Eschew Obfuscation (Communicate Clearly)

Many years ago, I worked for a manager who had two signs on his desk. The first was a pencil with the words, “Pencil 2.0″ printed above them. The rest of the sign went on to explain how the pencil had undo (the eraser), was renewable (it can be sharpened), etc. The second sign was simpler, just two black words printed across a white background.

Eschew Obfuscation

Being just out of the US Air Force, and not having quite the vocabulary I should have (have I ever told you that reading is the key to having a great vocabulary?), I didn’t really understand the point. Now I do. Okay, to make it more obvious, from the Collins English Dictionary, 8th edition:

eschew: tr to keep clear of or abstain from (something disliked, injurious, etc.); shun; avoid
obfuscation: the act or an instance of making something obscure, dark, or difficult to understand

Now do you see? Avoid using language people can’t understand. Far too often, in the technical world, we use abbreviations, acronyms, and all sorts of cute nonsense to say things. We pepper our language with shorthands and inside jokes (squirrel!). While this sometimes helps communication, Continue reading

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Monday, May 18

Security researcher took over airplane systems via inflight techSecurity researcher Chris Roberts apparently told the FBI that he had successfully hacked into an airplane’s inflight systems numerous times over the last four years and took control of engine functions, according to a search warrant filed in court last month. Agents said that Roberts told them he hacked into in-flight entertainment systems by connecting an ethernet cable to an electronics box under the airplane seat in front of him, and issued a command that caused the aircraft to climb.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Monday, May 18

Security researcher took over airplane systems via inflight techSecurity researcher Chris Roberts apparently told the FBI that he had successfully hacked into an airplane’s inflight systems numerous times over the last four years and took control of engine functions, according to a search warrant filed in court last month. Agents said that Roberts told them he hacked into in-flight entertainment systems by connecting an ethernet cable to an electronics box under the airplane seat in front of him, and issued a command that caused the aircraft to climb.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 05.18.2015

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Atlantis HyperScale CX12Key features: Atlantis HyperScale hyper-converged appliances are turnkey solutions that offer the freedom to choose server hardware and hypervisor, and deliver 12TB all-flash performance at 50%-90% lower cost than traditional storage or competitive hyper-converged appliances. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 05.18.2015

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Atlantis HyperScale CX12Key features: Atlantis HyperScale hyper-converged appliances are turnkey solutions that offer the freedom to choose server hardware and hypervisor, and deliver 12TB all-flash performance at 50%-90% lower cost than traditional storage or competitive hyper-converged appliances. More info.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FTC recommends conditions for sale of RadioShack customer data

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has weighed in on the contentious issue of the proposed sale of consumer data by bankrupt retailer RadioShack, recommending that a model be adopted based on a settlement the agency reached with a failed online toy retailer.The state of Texas, which is leading action by several U.S. states, has opposed the sale of personally identifiable information by RadioShack, citing the online and in-store privacy policies of the bankrupt consumer electronics retailer.Apple and some wireless carriers have opposed the sale of some of the customer data, which it said was collected from their respective customers and was governed by their privacy policies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FTC recommends conditions for sale of RadioShack customer data

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has weighed in on the contentious issue of the proposed sale of consumer data by bankrupt retailer RadioShack, recommending that a model be adopted based on a settlement the agency reached with a failed online toy retailer.The state of Texas, which is leading action by several U.S. states, has opposed the sale of personally identifiable information by RadioShack, citing the online and in-store privacy policies of the bankrupt consumer electronics retailer.Apple and some wireless carriers have opposed the sale of some of the customer data, which it said was collected from their respective customers and was governed by their privacy policies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Alibaba faces lawsuit from luxury brands over counterfeits

Alibaba Group has been hit with a lawsuit from luxury brands that alleges that the Chinese e-commerce giant has been deliberately promoting the sale of counterfeit products.The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal, comes from Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and other brands owned by Kering. The brands claim that Alibaba has knowingly helped an “army of counterfeiters” to sell their products over its e-commerce sites.These counterfeiters include little-known Chinese vendors that are selling fake Gucci bags for cheap prices, and in wholesale quantities. Alibaba’s search algorithms direct customers to these counterfeits, even when it’s obvious that the products are fakes, the brands alleged in a filing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Security researcher’s hack caused airplane to climb, FBI asserts

The FBI contends a cybersecurity researcher said he caused an airplane’s engine to climb after hacking its software, according to a court document.The researcher, Chris Roberts, was questioned by the FBI on April 15 after he wrote a tweet that suggested he was probing aircraft systems on a United Airlines flight he took earlier that day.The FBI interviewed him after he flew into Syracuse, New York, and seized his electronics. Two days later, the agency then filed an application for a search warrant to examine Roberts’ gear, which has been published in federal court records.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

A New Home: Looking Back

I have moved to a new blogging platform! The timing was interesting, since the wordpress installation on which Keeping It Classless has operated for so long is about 5 years old (I operated on an older domain before Keeping It Classless was born). WOW. Five years is a long time in blog years. I could not have possibly predicted back then what this blog would do for me. In going over these old posts, I saw a very interesting progression of my own skillsets and mentality, and I figured I’d share.

A New Home: Looking Back

I have moved to a new blogging platform! The timing was interesting, since the wordpress installation on which Keeping It Classless has operated for so long is about 5 years old (I operated on an older domain before Keeping It Classless was born). WOW. Five years is a long time in blog years. I could not have possibly predicted back then what this blog would do for me. In going over these old posts, I saw a very interesting progression of my own skillsets and mentality, and I figured I’d share.
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