Puppet Labs’ IT automation software enables system administrators to deliver the operational agility and efficiency of cloud computing at enterprise-class service levels, scaling from handfuls of nodes on-premise to tens of thousands in the cloud. Puppet powers thousands of companies, including Twitter, Yelp, eBay, Zynga, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Google, Disney, Citrix, Oracle, and Viacom.
How Facebook dug deep within Android to fix its mobile app
After a bit of panic, we realized that we could work around this problem by breaking our app into multiple dex files, using the technique described here, which focuses on using secondary dex files for extension modules, not core parts of the app..
via How Facebook dug deep within Android to fix its mobile app | Ars Technica.
The City of Chicago is on Github
This means that projects like OpenStreetMaps will be able to add over 2GBs of Chicago data to their site. This also means that companies and Chicago startups who would like to leverage this data are able to as part of daily business.
via The City of Chicago is on Github – The Changelog.
I downloaded the crime data dataset that supposedly includes all reported crimes from 2001. The CSV file was 1G in plain text. They could have compressed it but it doesn’t matter. It contained over 4 million records. Now I have to figure out how to slice and dice this dataset and for what purpose I don’t quite know yet.
Human Interaction Under Threat from NINA
Nina stands for Nuance Interactive Natural Assistant and was launched on the iOS and Android platforms last August, allowing businesses to integrate the sophisticated voice recognition and natural language engine into their apps.
via Human Interaction Under Threat from NINA – the Virtual Assistant – IBTimes UK.
This sounds like an interesting development offshoot from projects like IBM’s Watson (the computer that beat the best humans on Jeopardy). Then there’s this.
The days of human behind the counter or at the end of a telephone line at coming to an end. As voice recognition and natural language engines become ever more sophisticated, it may soon be hard to distinguish between an automated system and the real thing.
I am not looking forward to this day. Perhaps this is what HAL tried to warn us about in 2001 A Space Odyssey. Very prescient indeed.
Sharpening Endpoint Security
Endpoints are as hard to define as they are to protect. The term traditionally referred to desktops and laptops, but endpoints now encompass smartphones, tablets, point-of-sale machines, bar code scanners, multifunction printers and practically any other device that connects to the company network. Without a well-conceived strategy, keeping track of and securing these devices is difficult and frustrating.
via Sharpening Endpoint Security – Dark Reading.
Some IT shops buy cleverly marketed products that promise off-the-shelf endpoint security using anti-malware and sandboxing. In most cases, attackers can easily bypass those defenses
Graphene’s Unique Properties Could Be Used to Make Better Photovoltaic Devices
Conventional materials that turn light into electricity, like silicon and gallium arsenide, generate a single electron for each photon absorbed. Since a photon contains more energy than one electron can carry, much of the energy contained in the incoming light is lost as heat. Now, new research reveals that when graphene absorbs a photon it generates multiple electrons capable of driving a current. This means that if graphene devices for converting light to electricity come to fruition, they could be more efficient than the devices commonly used today.
Here Come the TV Spectrum Prospectors
These early movers are obviously looking to get a hefty return on their investments. They are “no doubt counting on strong demand from wireless buyers and a valuation premium versus what they invested in the stations,” SNL Kagan said.
via Light Reading – Here Come the TV Spectrum Prospectors.
All this spectrum should belong to the taxpayers — not the TV stations.
Mars Rover Curiosity in Safe Mode After Computer Glitch
The issue cropped up Wednesday (Feb. 27), when the spacecraft failed to send its recorded data back to Earth and did not switch into its daily sleep mode as planned. After looking into the issue, engineers decided to switch the Curiosity rover from its primary “A-side” computer to its “B-side” backup on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. EST (22:30 GMT). [Curiosity Rover’s Latest Amazing Mars Photos]
via Mars Rover Curiosity in Safe Mode After Computer Glitch | Space.com.
K-12 student database jazzes tech startups, spooks parents
But the most influential new product may be the least flashy: a $100 million database built to chart the academic paths of public school students from kindergarten through high school.
via K-12 student database jazzes tech startups, spooks parents | Reuters.
Why do Enterprises Favor Centralized SIP Trunking Topologies?
Forrester Consulting estimates a 401% ROI for a typical large organization that deploys a centralized SIP trunking topology using Acme Packet E-SBCs. The Total Economic Impact of Acme Packet’s Session Border Controller, which is based on separate and independent research by Forrester, indicates organizations save by eliminating underutilized TDM trunks serving each location as well as lower per-minute rates that apply to VoIP usage. In fact, each of the customers that Forrester interviewed reported a 40%-60% reduction in monthly service fees upon replacing T1/E1 TDM trunk lines with SIP trunks. Obviously, savings is directly proportional to the number of TDM trunks eliminated.
via Why do Enterprises Favor Centralized SIP Trunking Topologies?.