The annual Association for Computing Machinery ACM A.M. Turing Award, sometimes called the “Nobel Prize in Computing,” recognizes Pearl for his advances in probabilistic and causal reasoning. His work has enabled creation of thinking machines that can cope with uncertainty, making decisions even when answers aren’t black or white.
via Judea Pearl, a big brain behind artificial intelligence, wins Turing Award.
Congrats UCLA.
The White House CIO office had one data center, said Colangelo. “We had no redundancy,” he said, before attendees of Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference here.
via White House CIO’s first 40 days included ‘worst day’ ever – Computerworld.
Those IT admins who use RDP to manage their machines over the internet, which is essentially the default in cloud-based installations such as Amazon’s AWS, need to patch as quickly as possible, Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek opined.
via Microsoft: Remote Desktop Protocol Vulnerability Should be Patched Immediately | SecurityWeek.Com.
RDP will always be a vector into a machine if running. The simplest solution would be to figure out a way so that you never have to run rdp.
The problem boils down to an oversight in the regulations for government software set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, says Wysopal. NIST’s rules outline security standards for network security–systems like firewalls and intrusion detection systems–as well as endpoint security like antivirus programs. But only the latest round of its regulations included standards for coding secure applications, and even those didn’t extend to most of the government’s web applications.
via Study Confirms The Government Produces The Buggiest Software – Forbes
“We’re zeroing in on the application layer, but that’s something that’s been pretty much ignored in the government space,” says Wysopal. “They don’t take a risk-based approach. They take a compliance-based approach. If it’s not in the regulations, it doesn’t get done.”
ZoneFlex outdoor access points uniquely combine dynamic beamforming and adaptive meshing to enable a new level of outdoor performance at the lowest cost. Built to withstand the harshest of outdoor conditions, they’re designed with the flexibility to function as standalone APs or as managed devices, using the same wireless controller as their indoor Smart Wi-Fi products. If no Ethernet cabling is available, the outdoor AP meshes seamlessly with the indoor access points.
The IEEE 802.11n network from Ruckus Wireless is designed for outdoor public use, with multiple antennas and beam-forming mechanisms to get around obstacles. It will be implemented by system integrator SmartWave Technologies.
via San Jose tries again with free downtown Wi-Fi.
San Jose’s new system will replace a series of public hotspots that the city set up with partner MetroFi in 2004. Those networks were supported by advertising, but the arrangement fell apart when MetroFi went out of business in 2008. The annual $22,000 operational cost for the single new network will be about equal that of the old hotspots, Sammeta said.
Are ESLs A Mercury-Free Replacement for CFL Lights? | Green Prophet.
If only there were a light bulb as efficient as a compact fluorescent light (CFL), but without the ghastly green light and brain-eating toxic mercury. Am I asking too much? The inventors of the Electron Stimulated Luminance (ESL) lights don’t think so. A company called Vu1 plans to sell ESL bulbs in Europe and the Mideast in 2013. Vu1 lights are based on cathode ray tube (CRT) technology, are dim-able and have the cozy glow of incandescent light bulbs. How did Vu1 accomplish this magic? It helps that I know a little bit about CRTs from the days when my brother and I repaired old televisions.
Ms. Garriott used a QB robot from a Mountain View, Calif., company called Anybots Inc. The QB sells for $9,700 and costs about $3,000 for an eight-hour rental. Its eyes glow blue when a user signs on, just like the EVE robot in the Pixar movie WALL-E.
via What Does It Say When a Robot Is the Life of a Party? – WSJ.com.
According to Apple’s description of the application, IT staff can create and restore from a backup of preconfigured settings and app data, as well as create and install configuration profiles, among a number of other setup options. Admins can also supervise devices and organize those into custom groups, restrict which computers they can sync with, and add common configurations automatically. Admins can even apply custom text, wallpaper, or pictures to the iOS devices’ lock screens (keep an eye on your snarky IT staff if your work-issued iPhone’s lock screen image mysteriously changes to Nyancat).
via IT staff can now manage iPads, iPhones, iPod touches with Configurator tool.
Apple first introduced iWork.com as part of an iWork software refresh in January of 2009. The goal was to allow iWork users to share their documents online for collaboration with others—sort of like a Google Docs, but by Apple. Since then, however, Apple launched iCloud—among other things, the service allows apps like iWork on the iPad to sync documents to other devices, and the launch of Mountain Lion for the Mac will bring that same functionality to the desktop.
via Apple: iWork.com to get the axe on July 31 so back up your documents.