Encrypted Messaging Apps Face New Scrutiny Over Possible Role in Paris Attacks

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Security experts counter that such arguments ignore the fact that even end-to-end encrypted technology leaves a trail of metadata behind that can be used to parse who is talking to whom, when and where. “Encryption is really good at making it difficult to hide the content of communications, but not good at hiding the presence of communications,” said Matt Blaze, a computer security expert at the University of Pennsylvania.

Source: Encrypted Messaging Apps Face New Scrutiny Over Possible Role in Paris Attacks

AMD lawsuit over false Bulldozer chip marketing is bogus

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AMD is facing a lawsuit over claims that it misrepresented the core counts of its eight-core Bulldozer products, but the lawsuit’s technical merit seems extremely weak.

Source: AMD lawsuit over false Bulldozer chip marketing is bogus | ExtremeTech

This lawsuit essentially asks a court to define what a core is and how companies should count them. As annoying as it is to see vendors occasionally abuse core counts in the name of dubious marketing strategies, asking a courtroom to make declarations about relative performance between companies is a cure far worse than the disease. From big iron enterprise markets to mobile devices, companies deploy vastly different architectures to solve different types of problems.

Microsoft and Red Hat Team Up to Offer Linux on Azure Cloud

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Jason Zander, Microsoft’s corporate VP and head of its Azure business, said since Microsoft began allowing Linux on its Azure cloud platform, about one in four customers are running one variant of Linux or another, and in China that figure rises to about one in two. “We have a lot of enterprise customers who want an enterprise version of Linux and who have a relationship with Red Hat already.”

Source: Microsoft and Red Hat Team Up to Offer Linux on Azure Cloud | Re/code

MIT Drone Autonomously Avoids Obstacles at 30 MPH

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CSAIL says Barry’s software runs 20 times faster than existing obstacle detection software. Operating at 120 frames per second, the open-source software allows the drone to detect objects and map its environment in real time, extracting depth information at 8.3 milliseconds per frame.

Source: Watch: MIT Drone Autonomously Avoids Obstacles at 30 MPH – Robotics Trends

Barry wrote about the system in his paper “Pushbroom Stereo for High-Speed Navigation in Cluttered Environments” (PDF) and says he needs to improve the software so it can work at more than one depth and dense environments.

Why I Hate Frameworks

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“Well, the problem with hammers is that there are so many different kinds. Sledge hammers, claw hammers, ball-peen hammers. What if you bought one kind of hammer and then realized that you needed a different kind of hammer later? You’d have to buy a separate hammer for your next task. As it turns out, most people really want a single hammer that can handle all of the different kinds of hammering tasks you might encounter in your life.”

Source: The Joel on Software Discussion Group (CLOSED) – Why I Hate Frameworks

NASA releases first images of Cassini’s dive through the geyser of Enceladus

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The reason scientists are excited about the data being returned from the geyser is that it may include elements of life beneath the surface of Enceladus. Cassini is not designed to detect life directly. However, it could pick up its building blocks.

Source: NASA releases first images of Cassini’s dive through the geyser of Enceladus | Examiner.com

Midwest Start-Up Achieves Rare $1 Billion Valuation

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Uptake’s model is to partner with well-known companies in various industries — from construction to mining to aviation — and create software and special algorithms that help these customers collect and understand huge amounts of data. The company is already producing positive cash flow, according to a person with knowledge of the financials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Source: Midwest Start-Up Achieves Rare $1 Billion Valuation – The New York Times