Dec 13, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Microsoft Surface Hub is Microsoft is an interactive technology whiteboard. It comes in 55 and 84 inch sizes. The Surface Hub features a 1080p touchscreen. It also has multi-touch capabilities. Furthermore, it runs on Windows 10. Finally, Microsoft Surface Hub is very popular.
Microsoft sells their Surface Hub mostly to businesses. I can see Microsoft Surface Hub being very popular with IT support, and in computer service shops. It’s popular in general. They launched Microsoft Surface Hub in March 2016. Keep in mind the release date is 9 months later than Microsoft wanted. Then, a few months later, they started running out. But now, according to Microsoft officials, their product is back for sale.
As a result, they shipped ?Surface Hubs to over 2,000 customers. These things hardly sell one at a time. The average customer asks for 50 of them per order. But one major car company really outdid itself. This company ordered 1,500 of them. Officials also say they’ll offer a ‘try and buy’ service. That’s only for the US and Europe. Consumers will be able to try it for 30 days before either buying it or sending it back (kinda like those infomercials). So due to the size and demand of Microsoft Surface Hub, don’t expect it to come cheap. A small model costs around $9,000. Then you have the large ones, which costs well over $20,000.
But the Microsoft Surface Hub has another dilemma. Their supply can’t meet demand. And from where I’m sitting, demand isn’t going down anytime soon. And another thing: Why does Microsoft allow companies to buy 1,500 at a time? Their lies the problem. There needs to be a maximum limit on how many a consumer can buy. It makes no sense for anybody to buy that many Microsoft Surface Hub systems at once. So limit that. In addition to that, Microsoft Surface Hub is about to get competition. In early 2017, Google expects to release The Google Jamboard. I bet The Google Jamboard will make sure enough supply meets demand. Then how will they stand up to that?
Dec 12, 2016 | News
There is little love between IT leaders and President-elect Donald Trump. But Washington and Silicon Valley must co-exist. Everybody knows this. So IT leaders attend Trump’s tech summit. Hence, the summit takes place Wednesday in New York City.
Those attending will include Google/Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Also attending will be Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty. In addition to all this, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will be attending. We don’t know about Elon Musk’s attendance. But these IT leaders see this as an opportunity. Furthermore, IT leaders expect a lot from President-elect Trump. They want tax reform. They also want America’s IT tech industry to be the most competitive. So do I. We all should.
Of course, there will be awkward moments. Bezos was vehemently anti-Trump. His Washington Post attacked Trump on many subject. Let’s not forget ?the conflict between Trump and Apple. This started over a phone allegedly used by one of the San Bernadino shooters. Trump believed Apple should give the phone info to the Feds. Apple doesn’t fell that way. Next month, Donald Trump becomes our US President. What will happen then. And what about Peter Thiel, who was a die hard Trump supporter?
There’s a lot of hostility toward him right now. As a result, Thiel may not attend. But don’t you think there’s going to be a lot of hostility anyway? Let’s face it. Most people in this meeting supported Trump’s rival, Hilary Rodham Clinton. Hopefully, they can put that behind and do what’s best for the country. What does this meeting have to do with IT? Lots. I can’t stress this enough how powerful our industry is in this nation. Furthermore, Washington and Silicon Valley need each other. They many not like each other, but they need to work together and respect each other. Maybe this meeting will heal wounds. We can only hope so. What do you think will become of this Wednesday summit?
Dec 11, 2016 | youtube
I have a confession to make. I love watching family shows on You Tube. This also includes families with small children. And I’m not the only one. Some have been on You Tube for years, literally their whole lives. But this Washington Post article got me thinking. ?Child You Tube stars: When every moment is caught?
So, the article stars with talking about a You Tube show. A six-year-old flaps his arms acting really dramatic. They’re conducting an experiment. As a result of being on You Tube all his life, he knows exactly how to act. Furthermore, the subscribers, likes, and positive comments roll in. In addition to that, the article suggests child stars don’t interest Americans as much. That’s so 20th century. But now, it’s about real life kids, and the daily tracking of life on You Tube. But what will happen when these kids grow in in this new world order?
This is what worries some. About the channel Washington Post talks about: they capture just about every move. The oldest sister, 10, records and films sleepovers with friends. The youngest, 3, knows how to vlog with an iPad. They even record their Halloween adventures. But how much is too much? This isn’t unique. You don’t even have to be a You Tube star. On my Facebook page, parents often put kids’ report cards for all to see. They also seem to record every accomplishment.
So you see, Generation Z (those born after 1996) is in a dilemma. Most will never know a time pre-social media. But what about when they get into the real world? Will shoving a camera or smartphone in your face be the normal for them? Will privacy rights be as extinct as the dinosaur? What does this have to do with IT? So, today’s information technology allows every move to be recorded. I admit…it might seem cute at first. But I do respect the family channels I look at. They make sure their kids have some privacy and normalcy. They will not record certain things. On some days, they won’t record at all. So You Tube kids: What will become of them?
Dec 10, 2016 | News, Security
Remember last summer, when everyone thought Russia?hacked the Democratic National Committee? But apparently, there’s more to the story! Much more. Attention: Russia hacked Republican National Committee!
So, this comes from US intelligence officials. And they are highly confident of this. Furthermore, intelligence officials believe Russia hacked the Democrat National Committee as well. They allegedly did it by hacking their computer systems. But wait, there’s more. Agents believe Russia leaked hacked documents to Wikileaks. That’s how Wikileaks?were able to report on so much dirt, especially on the Democrats. Then why didn’t these documents attack the Republicans? For months, they said they were never hacked. But now, we learn different. As one can expect, officials have no comment.
President-elect Trump’s transition people addressed the Russian hacking issue. Basically, they said it’s time to move on. Another government official said Russia’s hacking on the Republicans wasn’t as successful. But it did happen. We’ll never know how many files they got. Did Russia do this to help Trump win? We’ll probably never know that either. But the CIA and NSA stated that certain Russian officials conducted the cyber attacks. I have a feeling President Obama will want to find out all he can about this before January 20.
So what does this have to do with the IT field? Quite a bit. This is just another reminder the IT industry effects everything we do these days. This includes politics. It took some great IT minds, from overseas, to hack into not one, but two US political parties. Did they sway the election? We’ll probably never know that. Maybe it did. Maybe not. But it shows you how powerful IT can be. Not only that, this story reminds me how global IT is. Note the hackers didn’t come from the US. They came from Russia. What lessons are there for 2020?
Dec 9, 2016 | internet
President-Elect Donald Trump’s Twitter use is almost infamous. Yesterday, it happened again. So, this tweet was against an Indiana union leader who criticized his Carrier deal. But let’s take a closer look at the Twitter and Trump peculiar relationship.
First of all, let’s talk about the tweet itself. President-Elect Trump’s Carrier deal allegedly saved American jobs from going to Mexico. Also, much of his campaign focused on saving American jobs. But Indiana union leader Chuck Jones said the deal didn’t save that many America jobs. Hence, President-elect Trump lashed criticized Jones on Twitter. He said, “Chuck Jones, who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee [the] country.”
But there’s a debate here. Some say openly criticizing a man’s job skill, in front of millions, is inappropriate. Also, keep in mind Trump will be US President and leader of the free world starting January 20, 2017. Then, add some of the controversial things that came out during his campaign. Furthermore, add Twitter’s ‘zero tolerance’ on bullying and harassment. This came in the wake of the Leslie Jones case last summer. Several people lost their Twitter accounts in the following months. This includes several high profile people.
Personally, I don’t find this tweet to be bullying or harassing. Yes, it was a little embarrassing, especially for Chuck Jones. But this is nothing compared to some of the tweets Leslie Jones received. And tweets by the growing alt-right movement horrify me?. But most of them are banned now. However, that’s not what this is. This is the President-elect’s every move and communication on watch. This puts Dorsey in quite a position. In fact, Dorsey offers no comment when it comes to Trump’s account, except for, “It’s complicated”. Yes it is. It won’t get easier anytime soon. Trump’s Twitter account isn’t going away. Neither are the critics. What are they to do?
Dec 8, 2016 | Smartphone
In the smartphone and IT field, we mess up, too. And Samsung certainly messed up with Samsung Galaxy Note 7. But when we in the IT field mess up, we get back up and try again. Samsung seems to be doing just that by creating Galaxy 8. Will customers love Samsung Galaxy 8 phones?
So according to sources, the Galaxy 8 will be all screen. There will be no physical home button, but rather, a virtual one. It will be on the glass’ lower section. They will also come with wraparound displays and diode technology. They expect the size to be roughly the same. Another feature should include Snapdragon 835 chips. While others will have the Samsung Exynos processor. Keep in mind this is prediction from, ‘people with knowledge of the matter’. Nobody wants to identify themselves. So if the Samsung Galaxy 8 doesn’t happen like this, don’t blame me.
The Galaxy 8 should be out in March or April 2017. And Samsung will use stricter testing standards. or so they say. This could delay the release date. In addition to all this, they plan to upgrade software that controls voice messages, texting, and phone calls. They even boast of AI features no other smartphone allegedly has. Well, they did acquire Viv Labs Inc., a huge artificial intelligence firm. They’d better put good use to that, hadn’t they?
But they need make up for much lost ground. The Samsung Galaxy Note failure costed them $6 billion. ?Not only that, many loyal Samsung customers will never trust Samsung again. Furthermore, they’re up to their eyeballs in lawsuits. They need to hit this one out of the park. So what if they have to delay the release a month or two? I would much rather delay the release then have my device burn people and property. But what do I know? I don’t own a smartphone company. Do you think the upcoming Samsung Galaxy 8 will get people into Samsung’s good graces again?
Dec 7, 2016 | Malware, Security
I read an article this kinda disturbed me. They asked the question; Warning: Is antivirus software worth having anymore? But this debate didn’t start yesterday. In fact, the debate is several years old.
They invented the first antivirus software in 1987. Also, the same development team came up with a virus authorizing kit. Ah, the irony. While the antivirus technology gets better over the years, so does the hackers’. There’s another complaint: antivirus software’s basic approach remains the same. This remains true after nearly 30 years. First, it studies data. Then, it catches a malicious file. Afterwards, that antivirus puts down the file. Then, the antivirus puts the data on a ‘blacklist’. This prevents future attacks.
For many years, this worked. But in the last several years, some things happened. The first was stronger malware. Such viruses can take over a system before the antivirus can even catch it. Furthermore, the malware authors got smarter. They even use fake antivirus programs to counteract the real thing. That’s how they evade these programs. Much of this malware is in kit form. When it comes in gangs, that makes it more dangerous. Then there is ransomware. That’s when they hold a computer hostage until the ransomware author gets what they want.
Yes, these are problems. But this is no reason to just say the antivirus is dead. This is no excuse not to get antivirus protection, either. It’s better to have some protection than none at all. Despite the grim report, antivirus can and often does works. It saved more systems than I can count. Just ask some of our technicians and our customers. So get antivirus protection! As far as the problems are concerned, what we need to do is build better antivirus software. The bad guys have techies working hard on their side. We need to work even harder. What can we do to make antivirus protection even stronger?
Dec 6, 2016 | News
So yesterday, I read an interesting Facebook post. It said, “I hate everybody in grocery store lines! Everybody!” I doubt she meant any ill-will towards anyone. But it showed her frustration toward long grocery stores lines. Amazon wants to free you. So let me tell you about Amazon line free grocery adventures.
Yesterday, Amazon Go opened a grocery store in Seattle. And what was the hook? First of all, the hook is a line free shopping experience. But how do they pull that off? The store uses senors to track what the customer picked up off the shelf. Then, the customer gets a bill from Amazon (assuming the customer doesn’t put the item back). This includes prepared meals. Therefore, Amazon Go customers will walk away from the store without enduring a long line. Rather, they won’t endure a line at all.
Don’t go looking for an Amazon Go store in your town anytime soon. So far, the only physical Amazon Go store is in Seattle. Furthermore, that one doesn’t open until early 2017. But if this one is successful, Amazon Go will open 2,000 stores nationwide, according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon says nothing. Some experts say this would make the shopping experience quicker. Also, it would cut cost because you don’t have to hire check out clerks.
That last sentence in that last paragraph though. That’s just one problem with Amazon Go supermarket. If this gets too popular, or too successful, that’s thousands of more Americans without a job. This is not process! Also, you go home, days go buy, you spend your money. You forget about that Amazon Go bill. By the time you get it, your money is gone. What then? In addition to that, doesn’t Amazon have?enough power? Look at all the IT and tech based things they already have. I’m sorry…I hate monopolies. No…I’d much rather have my lines at the grocery store than deal with Amazon Go’s ramifications. At least those lines are keeping Americans employed. Furthermore, at least my grocery bill is due on arrival at the lines. Plus, I know I’m supporting my local/regional business, not a global conglomerate. Would you use Amazon Go?
Dec 5, 2016 | Computer technology, Software
Ever hear of Google DeepMind? So, it’s Google Alphabet’s artificial intelligence, or AI, sector. But they don’t want to keep AI training to themselves. They want you and me to train also. Here are some interesting facts about DeepMind, AI training.
DeepMind had an AI training environment called Labyrinth, just like the 1980s movie. But keep in mind ‘had’. It’s now the DeepMind Lab. It’s on the IT hosting service GitHub. And effective today, anyone can access and train AI systems on DeepMind Lab. Furthermore, anybody can can first create games for DeepMind Lab. Then, they can upload them on GitHub. So if this is your thing, then go ahead and get creative.
It seems like the good people of Google embrace AI training being open to the public. DeepMind co-founder Shane Legg hopes researchers and scientist can come up through breakthroughs. Aleready, DeepMind defeated a human in the strategy game Go. This is a great start for research. But there is another reason Google lets AI training go public. That reason is competition. Consequently, there’s OpenAI. That’s an AI research center, the creation of tech ?billionaire ?Elon Musk. Also, OpenAI created an AI robot that allegedly uses a computer like humans. This robot is Universe. In addition to that, Universe wants gamers’ open permission to include them in game development.
Shane Legg insists competition isn’t the reason DeepMind Lab is now public. But come on. It’s so obvious a 3rd grader can see it. Competition has a lot to do with it. It’s probably not the only reason. But everybody know it’s part of it. But I think DeepMind makes a great move on Google’s part. Artificial intelligence technology is more popular than ever. More people want to learn about AI technology, and should. This is a great way to teach kids about AI. I do believe that part. But how much of this is built on competition?
Dec 4, 2016 | News
The Christmas holiday season brings out the best in people, ?including in the IT field. But it can also bring out the worst in people from all walks of life. And right now, it brings the worst of some males in San Francisco. Attention: San Francisco Apple stores robbed!
So in recent weeks, thieves in hoods targeted Apple stores ?in the greater San Francisco area. First of all, the group runs in Apple Stores. Then, they grab as much merchandise as they can. Finally, they run out. The operation takes only a few seconds. But since there’s a gang of robbers, they take thousands of dollars worth of Apple products. So far, robbers hit up eight Apple stores. They robbed one store three times!
So obviously, this changes how Apple stores do security, especially in these hot spots. Store owners turned to a security company in Los Angeles for help. Some criticize this move as way out of line for Apple. But most Apple store customers in the Bay Area are cool with this move. “That?s the last thing you want is to be in the store and get robbed,” one customer said. Local police are also stepping up security.
Thankfully, there are no deaths or injuries related to these robberies. But so far, there are no arrest. I suggest Apple stores all across the nation take extra security measures. First of all, it’s the holiday season. Robberies skyrocket during this time of year. Every IT company needs to step up security. And the fact the robbers aren’t caught is chilling to me. Not only will they continue, this could encourage other robbers to do the same thing. Surely, many of you heard of copy-cat crimes. It’s my concern this could happen. Nobody wants to be a victim, especially not during Christmas. And who says these robbers won’t step up the terror and use weapons? Who says they won’t take it to that level? What should Apple do to ensure customers’ safety and security?
