Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/business/black-friday-retail-sales.html
December 01, 2020 at 01:46AM
Foot traffic was down considerably and internet sales surged during a holiday weekend altered by the coronavirus.
Monday, November 30, 2020
Group Seeking Equality for Women in Tech Raises $11 Million
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/technology/women-tech-allraise.html
November 30, 2020 at 10:54PM
The nonprofit organization, All Raise, is working on an expansion, as diversity in the tech industry remains elusive.
November 30, 2020 at 10:54PM
The nonprofit organization, All Raise, is working on an expansion, as diversity in the tech industry remains elusive.
G.M. Scales Down Nikola Deal
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/business/gm-nikola-electric-trucks.html
November 30, 2020 at 10:41PM
A new agreement, supplying hydrogen fuel cell technology from General Motors, is less sweeping than the strategic partnership outlined in September.
November 30, 2020 at 10:41PM
A new agreement, supplying hydrogen fuel cell technology from General Motors, is less sweeping than the strategic partnership outlined in September.
Bitcoin Climbs to Record High
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/technology/bitcoin-record-price.html
November 30, 2020 at 10:19PM
The crazy cousin of traditional currencies, which fell below $4,000 in March, passed $19,783. More investors now are buying it for the long term.
November 30, 2020 at 10:19PM
The crazy cousin of traditional currencies, which fell below $4,000 in March, passed $19,783. More investors now are buying it for the long term.
Amazon Shopping Needs a Prime Army
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/technology/amazon-shopping-needs-a-prime-army.html
November 30, 2020 at 09:40PM
Why the rush to hire so many people?
November 30, 2020 at 09:40PM
Why the rush to hire so many people?
No, Georgia’s governor cannot ‘overrule’ its secretary of state on voting.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/technology/no-georgias-governor-cannot-overrule-its-secretary-of-state-on-voting.html
November 30, 2020 at 09:22PM
The law prohibits the governor from interfering in elections.
November 30, 2020 at 09:22PM
The law prohibits the governor from interfering in elections.
Facebook to Acquire Start-Up Kustomer as It Faces Antitrust Glare
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/technology/facebook-kustomer-antitrust.html
November 30, 2020 at 08:52PM
The social network was said to be paying close to $1 billion for the customer relationship management start-up.
November 30, 2020 at 08:52PM
The social network was said to be paying close to $1 billion for the customer relationship management start-up.
London A.I. Lab Claims Breakthrough That Could Accelerate Drug Discovery
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/technology/deepmind-ai-protein-folding.html
November 30, 2020 at 06:36PM
Researchers at DeepMind say they have solved “the protein folding problem,” a task that has bedeviled scientists for more than 50 years.
November 30, 2020 at 06:36PM
Researchers at DeepMind say they have solved “the protein folding problem,” a task that has bedeviled scientists for more than 50 years.
Augmented Hardware and the Future of Software-Defined Storage
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/30/augmented-hardware-and-the-future-of-software-defined-storage/
November 30, 2020 at 04:56PM
November 30, 2020 at 04:56PM
One of the most exciting announcements at VMworld this year was Project Monterey. Long story short, VMware wants to offload some high-demand activities to smart network interface cards (SmartNICs) and other types of accelerators. By doing so, the virtualization stack will become more efficient and feature-rich, while enabling resource disaggregation and composability. This description might seem a bit vague, but there are a number of real-world benefits for the user, including increased security and efficiency, as well as better resource management. And all of these happen while also improving overall cluster performance!
The idea is quite simple and similar approaches have been used several times in the past. General-purpose CPUs are very sophisticated now and can do several things in parallel, but like it or not, there are limitations, and some resources are shared. The more varied the tasks a CPU is asked to do, the more it must switch context, producing internal cache misses that delay processing and impair system performance.
From a storage perspective, encryption, compaction, protocol conversions, and all the math around data protection contribute to stress on the CPU, resulting in less overall system efficiency and performance. In this regard, Project Monterey will bring to the table the ability to offload these tasks to accelerators and specialized hardware, enabling the system CPU to focus its potential and increase efficiency to run applications.
Unfortunately, Project Monterey is not here yet and we will need to wait several months to see a productized version of it. On the other hand, this technology is already available and several vendors in different fields are working on the same exact model as Project Monterey.
Software + Hardware-Defined Storage
Software is great, but software that can take full advantage of hardware is better. For many years we had hardware-based storage systems powered by purpose-built CPUs and ASICs, and this was the only way to provide the necessary power to make everything fast enough to work properly. The operating system of the storage array was specifically designed to work with the hardware and squeeze every single bit out of it. Over time, thanks to the increased power of CPUs and networking components we found out that ASICs (and other esoteric accelerators) became practically useless and more and more system architectures started to focus on standard hardware. This brought to the market an increasing number of “software-defined” solutions.
Everything worked pretty well with hard disk drives until the rise of, in order of appearance, flash memory, NVMe, and storage-class memory. It didn’t happen quickly, in fact flash adoption was slow because of its price at the beginning, but things radically changed over the last couple years.
Now we have 100Gb/s Ethernet (if not more!), NVMe and NVMe-oF (shorter data path and massive parallelization), and faster-than-ever storage that can be configured as a RAM extension (Intel Optane). The amount of data that these devices can manage is massive. To keep the storage system balanced and efficient, we need to ensure that every single component can receive the heightened flow of data without bottlenecks. It’s a classic example of history repeating, some would say.
Standard (that is, non-accelerated) software-defined storage systems were able to use general purpose CPUs because:
- Hard drives were slow (hundred of IOPS)
- Flash was faster but still manageable (up to tens of thousands of IOPS)
- Ethernet was relatively slow (10Gb/s)
- Protocols were designed to deal with hard drives in a serial fashion (SCSI, SATA, etc).
The day we unleashed the power of next-generation memory options thanks to NVMe and faster networks (100Gb/s or more), general purpose CPUs became the bottleneck. At the same time, expanding storage systems needed more powerful and expensive CPUs to operate. At the end of the day everybody wants to go faster, but nobody wants to give up on data protection, data services, security, and data footprint optimization. Would you do that?
Some SDS vendors understood this quickly and started to build a next generation of systems that take advantage of accelerators to do more (and better) with less (power and space).
Software + Hardware Optimized
I want to single out the example of Lightbits Labs here. Lightbit’s LightOS is an innovative NVMe-based scale-out software-defined solution that aggregates NVMe devices on storage nodes and exposes NVMe/TCP as its front-end protocol. It combines low latency and high performance of NVMe-oF (NVMe over fabric) storage with data services on standard TCP/IP Ethernet networks.
The company recently announced a partnership with Intel to take advantage of most of the latest hardware technology from the giant chip-maker:
- Intel Optane. For fast, non-volatile write buffer and metadata handling
- Intel Ethernet 800 Series NICs. For optimized low-latency NVMe/TCP optimization
- Intel QLC 3D NAND SSDs. For better $/GB.
- And more to come…
Lightbits already demonstrated incredible performance on general-purpose hardware. By adding these technologies to its solution, it is able to further optimize performance while also increasing overall system efficiency and cost. On one hand, Lightbits is offloading a series of tasks to the Intel SmartNIC (with specific optimizations made possible by ADQ technology) while taking advantage of the latest memory options for performance, capacity, and better cost compared to other solutions. For the user, it means better performance, more capacity, and higher overall efficiency alongside a reduced data center footprint that translates readily to better TCO.
What’s noteworthy is that these accelerators can be considered specialized hardware, but they are not custom hardware. In fact, we are talking about off-the-shelf components, not ASICs designed by Lightbits. This is particularly important and gives Lightbits a huge advantage in the long run because it can focus on software development instead of managing an ASIC design. This is something that will benefit Lightbits’ customers as well, because they will have additional options. In fact, they can choose between software-defined (fast, efficient, cost effective) and software-defined with hardware acceleration (faster, more efficient, TCO-focused).
Closing the Circle
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. Modern data centers are no longer x86-only. More and more, the most advanced infrastructures now rely on specialized hardware and accelerators like GPUs, TPUs, FPGAs, smart NICs, and more.
Software can already take advantage of these components and Lightbits is a great example of this. Its solution can work on general purpose hardware, but it can work even better with these components and provide better TCO and quicker return on investment at the end of the day.
From the user perspective, hardware augmentation (for lack of a better term) is just software-defined on steroids, and it provides additional options to design solutions that better respond to business needs.
Disclaimer: Lightbits Labs is a client of Gigaom
Teaching in the Pandemic: ‘This Is Not Sustainable’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/30/us/teachers-remote-learning-burnout.html
November 30, 2020 at 01:00PM
Teacher burnout could erode instructional quality, stymie working parents and hinder the reopening of the economy.
November 30, 2020 at 01:00PM
Teacher burnout could erode instructional quality, stymie working parents and hinder the reopening of the economy.
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Ransomware Attack Closes Baltimore County Public Schools
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/us/baltimore-schools-cyberattack.html
November 30, 2020 at 03:09AM
The attack, first discovered late Tuesday, disrupted the district’s websites and remote learning programs, as well as its grading and email systems, officials said.
November 30, 2020 at 03:09AM
The attack, first discovered late Tuesday, disrupted the district’s websites and remote learning programs, as well as its grading and email systems, officials said.
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Guns, Drugs and Viral Content: Welcome to Cartel TikTok
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/world/americas/mexico-drugs-cartel-tiktok.html
November 28, 2020 at 07:52PM
Mexico is set to shatter another murder record, but that grim reality is nowhere to be seen on the TikTok videos that go viral by showcasing drug cartel culture.
November 28, 2020 at 07:52PM
Mexico is set to shatter another murder record, but that grim reality is nowhere to be seen on the TikTok videos that go viral by showcasing drug cartel culture.
Friday, November 27, 2020
‘Tokenized’: Inside Black Workers’ Struggles at Coinbase
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/technology/coinbase-cryptocurrency-black-employees.html
November 27, 2020 at 01:00PM
Coinbase, the most valuable U.S. cryptocurrency company, has faced many internal complaints about discriminatory treatment.
November 27, 2020 at 01:00PM
Coinbase, the most valuable U.S. cryptocurrency company, has faced many internal complaints about discriminatory treatment.
Pushed by Pandemic, Amazon Goes on a Hiring Spree Without Equal
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/technology/pushed-by-pandemic-amazon-goes-on-a-hiring-spree-without-equal.html
November 27, 2020 at 01:00PM
The company has added 427,300 employees in 10 months, bringing its global work force to more than 1.2 million.
November 27, 2020 at 01:00PM
The company has added 427,300 employees in 10 months, bringing its global work force to more than 1.2 million.
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Leonard Kamsler, a Dissecting Golf Photographer, Dies at 85
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/sports/golf/leonard-kamsler-dead.html
November 27, 2020 at 01:08AM
He pioneered the use of strobe photography to break down a golfer’s swing. He was also innovative, even crafty, in documenting P.G.A. tournaments for decades.
November 27, 2020 at 01:08AM
He pioneered the use of strobe photography to break down a golfer’s swing. He was also innovative, even crafty, in documenting P.G.A. tournaments for decades.
Patients of a Vermont Hospital Are Left ‘in the Dark’ After Cyberattack
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/us/hospital-cyber-attack.html
November 26, 2020 at 01:00PM
A wave of damaging attacks on hospitals upended the lives of patients with cancer and other ailments. “I have no idea what to do,” one said.
November 26, 2020 at 01:00PM
A wave of damaging attacks on hospitals upended the lives of patients with cancer and other ailments. “I have no idea what to do,” one said.
Cho Joo-bin Gets 40 Years in South Korean Prison for Sexual Exploitation
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/world/asia/south-korea-video-sexual-exploitation.html
November 26, 2020 at 10:48AM
Cho Joo-bin was convicted of blackmailing young women into making sexually explicit video clips that he sold online.
November 26, 2020 at 10:48AM
Cho Joo-bin was convicted of blackmailing young women into making sexually explicit video clips that he sold online.
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
We’re Still Smarter Than Computers
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/technology/ai-gpt3.html
November 25, 2020 at 08:16PM
For now.
November 25, 2020 at 08:16PM
For now.
Amazon Produce Reviews: What Do They Mean?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/style/amazon-whole-foods-produce-reviews.html
November 25, 2020 at 08:05PM
Customers and sellers have relied on star ratings for decades, but the review system appears to have met its match: “Yellow Onion (Brands May Vary).”
November 25, 2020 at 08:05PM
Customers and sellers have relied on star ratings for decades, but the review system appears to have met its match: “Yellow Onion (Brands May Vary).”
It’s Time for a Digital Detox. (You Know You Need It.)
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/technology/personaltech/digital-detox.html
November 25, 2020 at 05:00PM
Excessive screen time can be harmful to our well-being, but we can free ourselves from tech’s hooks with goals, rules and boundaries.
November 25, 2020 at 05:00PM
Excessive screen time can be harmful to our well-being, but we can free ourselves from tech’s hooks with goals, rules and boundaries.
The Reigning Queen of Pandemic Yoga
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/25/magazine/yoga-adriene-mishler.html
November 25, 2020 at 01:00PM
The YouTube celebrity Adriene Mishler made yoga accessible and search-optimized even before so many Americans were confined at home. Can she help us learn to live better lives in front of the computer?
November 25, 2020 at 01:00PM
The YouTube celebrity Adriene Mishler made yoga accessible and search-optimized even before so many Americans were confined at home. Can she help us learn to live better lives in front of the computer?
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
YouTube, under pressure over election falsehoods, suspends OAN for Covid-19 misinformation.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/technology/youtube-under-pressure-over-election-falsehoods-suspends-oan-for-covid-19-misinformation.html
November 25, 2020 at 03:13AM
The company, which has largely escaped the scrutiny faced by other social media outfits, is being pushed to restrict misleading videos.
November 25, 2020 at 03:13AM
The company, which has largely escaped the scrutiny faced by other social media outfits, is being pushed to restrict misleading videos.
No, Trump cannot win Georgia’s electoral votes through a write-in Senate campaign.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/technology/no-trump-cannot-win-georgias-electoral-votes-through-a-write-in-senate-campaign.html
November 25, 2020 at 02:13AM
#WriteInTrumpForGA was one of Twitter’s top trending topics, though such a campaign might only hurt Republicans.
November 25, 2020 at 02:13AM
#WriteInTrumpForGA was one of Twitter’s top trending topics, though such a campaign might only hurt Republicans.
Democratic senators urge YouTube to remove election misinformation videos.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/technology/democratic-senators-urge-youtube-to-remove-election-misinformation-videos.html
November 24, 2020 at 10:20PM
The senators sent a letter urging action to the company, which has largely escaped the scrutiny of other social media companies.
November 24, 2020 at 10:20PM
The senators sent a letter urging action to the company, which has largely escaped the scrutiny of other social media companies.
Imagine a World Without Apps
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/technology/smartphones-apps.html
November 24, 2020 at 09:07PM
Video games are inching away from apps. Maybe every other industry can, too.
November 24, 2020 at 09:07PM
Video games are inching away from apps. Maybe every other industry can, too.
Roiled by Election, Facebook Struggles to Balance Civility and Growth
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/technology/facebook-election-misinformation.html
November 24, 2020 at 01:00PM
Employees and executives are battling over how to reduce misinformation and hate speech without hurting the company’s bottom line.
November 24, 2020 at 01:00PM
Employees and executives are battling over how to reduce misinformation and hate speech without hurting the company’s bottom line.
How Archaeologists Are Using Deep Learning to Dig Deeper
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/science/artificial-intelligence-archaeology-cnn.html
November 24, 2020 at 10:30AM
Trawling ancient history with neural nets.
November 24, 2020 at 10:30AM
Trawling ancient history with neural nets.
My Name Is GPT-3 and I Approved This Article
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/science/artificial-intelligence-ai-gpt3.html
November 24, 2020 at 10:30AM
The latest natural-language system generates tweets, pens poetry, summarizes emails, answers trivia questions, translates languages and even writes its own computer programs.
November 24, 2020 at 10:30AM
The latest natural-language system generates tweets, pens poetry, summarizes emails, answers trivia questions, translates languages and even writes its own computer programs.
When A.I. Falls in Love
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/science/artificial-intelligence-gpt3-writing-love.html
November 24, 2020 at 10:30AM
The Times asked GPT-3 to tell us a little about itself and its romantic life.
November 24, 2020 at 10:30AM
The Times asked GPT-3 to tell us a little about itself and its romantic life.
Monday, November 23, 2020
Meet The Top 2020 Presidential Election Misinformation ‘Superspreaders'
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/technology/election-misinformation.html
November 24, 2020 at 02:14AM
New research found that a handful of social media accounts had an outsize influence on false election information. President Trump topped the list.
November 24, 2020 at 02:14AM
New research found that a handful of social media accounts had an outsize influence on false election information. President Trump topped the list.
As Customers Move Online, So Does the Holiday Shopping Season
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/business/retailers-ecommerce-black-friday.html
November 24, 2020 at 01:00AM
Empty stores are turning into fulfillment centers and the market for warehouse space is booming, as the pandemic rockets the retail industry into its e-commerce future.
November 24, 2020 at 01:00AM
Empty stores are turning into fulfillment centers and the market for warehouse space is booming, as the pandemic rockets the retail industry into its e-commerce future.
Do You Have a Conflict of Interest? This Robotic Assistant May Find It First
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/science/conflict-of-interest-ai.html
November 24, 2020 at 12:51AM
They can’t detect all conflicts, but new computer programs serve as guard rails when scientists and publishers fail to self-police.
November 24, 2020 at 12:51AM
They can’t detect all conflicts, but new computer programs serve as guard rails when scientists and publishers fail to self-police.
Fact Check: No, Biden Did Not Have a Maskless Birthday Party
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/technology/biden-birthday-party.html
November 24, 2020 at 12:11AM
The video of a crowd singing happy birthday to the president-elect was from 2019.
November 24, 2020 at 12:11AM
The video of a crowd singing happy birthday to the president-elect was from 2019.
What We Like About Pandemic Shopping
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/technology/pandemic-shopping.html
November 23, 2020 at 09:12PM
This year might have forever changed shopping for American consumers, store workers and retailers.
November 23, 2020 at 09:12PM
This year might have forever changed shopping for American consumers, store workers and retailers.
How Misinformation ‘Superspreaders’ Seed False Election Theories
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/technology/election-misinformation-facebook-twitter.html
November 23, 2020 at 08:09PM
Researchers have found that a small group of social media accounts are responsible for the spread of a disproportionate amount of the false posts about voter fraud.
November 23, 2020 at 08:09PM
Researchers have found that a small group of social media accounts are responsible for the spread of a disproportionate amount of the false posts about voter fraud.
‘I Forget About the World:’ Afghan Youth Find Escape in a Video Game
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/world/asia/afghanistan-video-games-pubg-playerunknown-battlegrounds.html
November 23, 2020 at 07:01PM
The game’s cultlike following in Afghanistan inhabits a real-life version of its violent virtual reality.
November 23, 2020 at 07:01PM
The game’s cultlike following in Afghanistan inhabits a real-life version of its violent virtual reality.
Can a Computer Devise a Theory of Everything?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/science/artificial-intelligence-ai-physics-theory.html
November 23, 2020 at 01:00PM
It might be possible, physicists say, but not anytime soon. And there’s no guarantee that we humans will understand the result.
November 23, 2020 at 01:00PM
It might be possible, physicists say, but not anytime soon. And there’s no guarantee that we humans will understand the result.
Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/health/artificial-intelligence-veterans-suicide.html
November 23, 2020 at 01:00PM
The Department of Veterans Affairs has turned to machine-learning to help identify vets at risk of taking their own lives.
November 23, 2020 at 01:00PM
The Department of Veterans Affairs has turned to machine-learning to help identify vets at risk of taking their own lives.
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Intel and Nvidia Chips Power a Chinese Surveillance System
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/technology/china-intel-nvidia-xinjiang.html
November 23, 2020 at 05:00AM
Intel and Nvidia chips power a supercomputing center that tracks people in a place where government suppresses minorities, raising questions about the tech industry’s responsibility.
November 23, 2020 at 05:00AM
Intel and Nvidia chips power a supercomputing center that tracks people in a place where government suppresses minorities, raising questions about the tech industry’s responsibility.
Hollywood’s ‘We’re Not in Kansas Anymore’ Moment
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/business/media/wonder-woman-1984-hollywood-streaming.html
November 22, 2020 at 01:00PM
The announcement that “Wonder Woman 1984” will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on Christmas Day is the clearest sign that streaming is now central to the film industry’s business model.
November 22, 2020 at 01:00PM
The announcement that “Wonder Woman 1984” will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on Christmas Day is the clearest sign that streaming is now central to the film industry’s business model.
Saturday, November 21, 2020
52 Years Later, IBM Apologizes for Firing Transgender Woman
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/21/business/lynn-conway-ibm-transgender.html
November 21, 2020 at 11:16PM
Lynn Conway was one of the company’s most promising young computer engineers but after confiding to supervisors that she was transgender, they fired her.
November 21, 2020 at 11:16PM
Lynn Conway was one of the company’s most promising young computer engineers but after confiding to supervisors that she was transgender, they fired her.
Antibodies Good. Machine-Made Molecules Better?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/21/science/coronavirus-antibodies-artificial-intelligence.html
November 21, 2020 at 01:00PM
With help from computer algorithms, researchers designed proteins from scratch that can trounce the coronavirus in lab animals.
November 21, 2020 at 01:00PM
With help from computer algorithms, researchers designed proteins from scratch that can trounce the coronavirus in lab animals.
Friday, November 20, 2020
No, Trump’s sister did not publicly back him. He was duped by a fake account.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/technology/no-trumps-sister-did-not-publicly-back-him-he-was-duped-by-a-fake-account.html
November 21, 2020 at 12:54AM
The president shared an article that said his sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau, was supporting his claim that he had won the election. But the article was based on posts from an impostor Twitter account.
November 21, 2020 at 12:54AM
The president shared an article that said his sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau, was supporting his claim that he had won the election. But the article was based on posts from an impostor Twitter account.
Clubhouse, the
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/style/clubhouse-tiktok-tongji-west-of-hudson.html
November 21, 2020 at 12:54AM
Time to learn about reverse takeovers, kids!
November 21, 2020 at 12:54AM
Time to learn about reverse takeovers, kids!
What went viral this week.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/technology/what-went-viral-this-week.html
November 20, 2020 at 11:09PM
Stories about the Georgia recount, Charlie Brown TV specials and Keanu Reeves dominated the week on social media.
November 20, 2020 at 11:09PM
Stories about the Georgia recount, Charlie Brown TV specials and Keanu Reeves dominated the week on social media.
When Sharks Turned Up at Their Beach, They Called in Drones
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/science/sharks-drones-artificial-intelligence.html
November 20, 2020 at 09:18PM
A goal of the SharkEye project is to one day produce automated “shark reports” for beachgoers to help them gauge levels of risk.
November 20, 2020 at 09:18PM
A goal of the SharkEye project is to one day produce automated “shark reports” for beachgoers to help them gauge levels of risk.
Uncool Can Beat Flashy Tech
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/technology/simple-tech.html
November 20, 2020 at 08:42PM
Focus more on the boring stuff. It can make a profound difference in our lives.
November 20, 2020 at 08:42PM
Focus more on the boring stuff. It can make a profound difference in our lives.
These Algorithms Could End the Scourge of Tuberculosis
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/health/tuberculosis-ai-apps.html
November 20, 2020 at 07:44PM
In rural India and other places where tuberculosis is rampant, A.I. that scans lung X-rays might eliminate the scourge.
November 20, 2020 at 07:44PM
In rural India and other places where tuberculosis is rampant, A.I. that scans lung X-rays might eliminate the scourge.
Trump allies are among the frequent purveyors of election misinformation.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/technology/trump-allies-are-among-the-frequent-purveyors-of-election-misinformation.html
November 20, 2020 at 06:00PM
The who’s who includes the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Jim Holt of Gateway Pundit, Eric Trump — and the president himself.
November 20, 2020 at 06:00PM
The who’s who includes the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Jim Holt of Gateway Pundit, Eric Trump — and the president himself.
How Steve Bannon and a Chinese Billionaire Created a Right-Wing Coronavirus Media Sensation
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/business/media/steve-bannon-china.html
November 20, 2020 at 12:46PM
Increasingly allied, the American far right and members of the Chinese diaspora tapped into social media to give a Hong Kong researcher a vast audience for peddling unsubstantiated pandemic claims.
November 20, 2020 at 12:46PM
Increasingly allied, the American far right and members of the Chinese diaspora tapped into social media to give a Hong Kong researcher a vast audience for peddling unsubstantiated pandemic claims.
The Best Video Games to Get Lost In This Holiday Season
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/arts/best-new-video-games.html
November 20, 2020 at 04:00PM
A ninth-century Viking adventure, a game about robots that literally feels good to play and an escape from hell: Here is what’s new across gaming systems to satisfy players of all stripes.
November 20, 2020 at 04:00PM
A ninth-century Viking adventure, a game about robots that literally feels good to play and an escape from hell: Here is what’s new across gaming systems to satisfy players of all stripes.
How an Online Attack ‘Brought Twitter to Its Knees’
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-teenager-who-hacked-twitter.html
November 20, 2020 at 03:00PM
A teenager from Florida is accused of breaching one of the most high-profile internet platforms in the world. Watch how Twitter was hacked in a new Times documentary airing tonight on FX at 10 p.m. and streaming on Hulu.
November 20, 2020 at 03:00PM
A teenager from Florida is accused of breaching one of the most high-profile internet platforms in the world. Watch how Twitter was hacked in a new Times documentary airing tonight on FX at 10 p.m. and streaming on Hulu.
Roblox, edging toward I.P.O., reveals surging revenue and losses.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/business/roblox-edging-toward-ipo-reveals-surging-revenue-and-losses.html
November 20, 2020 at 04:04AM
The gaming site and app, which is popular with tweens, has benefited from the pandemic but continues to lose money.
November 20, 2020 at 04:04AM
The gaming site and app, which is popular with tweens, has benefited from the pandemic but continues to lose money.
Win-Win: Tallying the Benefits of a Cloud Application Migration
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/17/win-win-tallying-the-benefits-of-a-cloud-application-migration/
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
GigaOm last week updated a benchmark report we had published in August titled, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” authored by GigaOm Analyst Ned Bellavance. That report detailed some of the dynamics and decision making behind a cloud application migration effort, and helped lay out the costs and value that IT organizations can expect from the investment.
On the benefits side of the equation, Bellavance in the report singled out a trio of benefits:
- Increased productivity: Reduced admin overhead, improved operational efficiency, and speedier application and feature delivery are all cited here, as the unique scaling and service aspects of the cloud transform operational requirements.
- Enhanced features: Deployment slots that provide discreet app versioning and resourcing, integration with GitHub, BitBucket, and Azure Repos to enable continuous deployment (CD), and distributed backup, recovery, and replication services are described.
- Access to innovation: The ability to seamlessly test and leverage new platform and application features is a core value of cloud approaches.
The cost of achieving these benefits, of course, is the question. To answer it, Bellavance designed a series of benchmark tests to be run across three, largely equivalent, on-premises and cloud-based PaaS infrastructures:
- On-Premises: Windows VMs running on VMware
- Cloud: Microsoft Azure using Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database
- Cloud: AWS using Elastic Beanstalk, EC2, and Amazon RDS
His findings? With the effective performance of the three options roughly on par, it became clear that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an on-premises infrastructure was significantly higher than either of the cloud options. Bellavance found that the three-year cost of an on-premises application infrastructure was $69,300. The cost of hosts hardware ($20,000), Windows SQL licenses ($10,800), and VMware licenses and SnS ($10,500 apiece) were among the larger costs for an on-premises build out.
By contrast, Amazon AWS cost $44,237 over three years, with RDS Instance ($22,921) and EC2 Instances ($15,542) accounting for the majority of the cost. Microsoft Azure was less expensive still: $41,888 in total, with App Service ($20,288) and Azure SQL ($18,000) accounting for almost all the cost.
But this cost breakout bypasses an important advantage for Microsoft shops migrating applications from on-premises to the cloud. Specifically, Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHB) licensing reduces the cost of an Azure migration by enabling customers to apply their existing, on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses to Azure virtual machines and Azure SQL Database instances. The impact can be large. Bellavance in his research found that AHB shaved more than $10,000 off the three-year budget, dropping the total cost from $41,888 to $31,088.
Migration Advice
The numbers certainly add up, and for Microsoft shops with existing on-premises licenses, the savings over moving to AWS can be significant. Of course, it takes a well-thought-out and sensible migration plan to ensure that those savings can be achieved at all. Bellavance in his report offers guidance for IT organizations considering a migration effort. He urges a four-stage approach:
- Assessment: Categorize existing applications by revenue generation and cost to maintain. While there may be hundreds or thousands of applications to treat, consider working on applications according to a specific group — for example by department, application, or data type.
- Prioritization: Identify applications that make good migration candidates, according to criteria such as existing cost of maintenance, risk of migration, and opportunity created — for example to unlock new functionality.
- Evaluation: You can map application dependencies across data sources, services, and infrastructure to help identify group migration candidates.
- Validation: Perform test migrations to validate functionality and performance, and to build experience around target environments, for example, in terms of what operational management dashboards are available.
A cloud app migration effort can pay big dividends, both in terms of cost savings and operational gains. Check out Bellavance’s in-depth benchmark report, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” for a detailed exploration of the opportunity.
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Win-Win: Tallying the Benefits of a Cloud Application Migration
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/17/win-win-tallying-the-benefits-of-a-cloud-application-migration/
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
GigaOm last week updated a benchmark report we had published in August titled, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” authored by GigaOm Analyst Ned Bellavance. That report detailed some of the dynamics and decision making behind a cloud application migration effort, and helped lay out the costs and value that IT organizations can expect from the investment.
On the benefits side of the equation, Bellavance in the report singled out a trio of benefits:
- Increased productivity: Reduced admin overhead, improved operational efficiency, and speedier application and feature delivery are all cited here, as the unique scaling and service aspects of the cloud transform operational requirements.
- Enhanced features: Deployment slots that provide discreet app versioning and resourcing, integration with GitHub, BitBucket, and Azure Repos to enable continuous deployment (CD), and distributed backup, recovery, and replication services are described.
- Access to innovation: The ability to seamlessly test and leverage new platform and application features is a core value of cloud approaches.
The cost of achieving these benefits, of course, is the question. To answer it, Bellavance designed a series of benchmark tests to be run across three, largely equivalent, on-premises and cloud-based PaaS infrastructures:
- On-Premises: Windows VMs running on VMware
- Cloud: Microsoft Azure using Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database
- Cloud: AWS using Elastic Beanstalk, EC2, and Amazon RDS
His findings? With the effective performance of the three options roughly on par, it became clear that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an on-premises infrastructure was significantly higher than either of the cloud options. Bellavance found that the three-year cost of an on-premises application infrastructure was $69,300. The cost of hosts hardware ($20,000), Windows SQL licenses ($10,800), and VMware licenses and SnS ($10,500 apiece) were among the larger costs for an on-premises build out.
By contrast, Amazon AWS cost $44,237 over three years, with RDS Instance ($22,921) and EC2 Instances ($15,542) accounting for the majority of the cost. Microsoft Azure was less expensive still: $41,888 in total, with App Service ($20,288) and Azure SQL ($18,000) accounting for almost all the cost.
But this cost breakout bypasses an important advantage for Microsoft shops migrating applications from on-premises to the cloud. Specifically, Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHB) licensing reduces the cost of an Azure migration by enabling customers to apply their existing, on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses to Azure virtual machines and Azure SQL Database instances. The impact can be large. Bellavance in his research found that AHB shaved more than $10,000 off the three-year budget, dropping the total cost from $41,888 to $31,088.
Migration Advice
The numbers certainly add up, and for Microsoft shops with existing on-premises licenses, the savings over moving to AWS can be significant. Of course, it takes a well-thought-out and sensible migration plan to ensure that those savings can be achieved at all. Bellavance in his report offers guidance for IT organizations considering a migration effort. He urges a four-stage approach:
- Assessment: Categorize existing applications by revenue generation and cost to maintain. While there may be hundreds or thousands of applications to treat, consider working on applications according to a specific group — for example by department, application, or data type.
- Prioritization: Identify applications that make good migration candidates, according to criteria such as existing cost of maintenance, risk of migration, and opportunity created — for example to unlock new functionality.
- Evaluation: You can map application dependencies across data sources, services, and infrastructure to help identify group migration candidates.
- Validation: Perform test migrations to validate functionality and performance, and to build experience around target environments, for example, in terms of what operational management dashboards are available.
A cloud app migration effort can pay big dividends, both in terms of cost savings and operational gains. Check out Bellavance’s in-depth benchmark report, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” for a detailed exploration of the opportunity.
G.M. Accelerates Its Ambitions for Electric Vehicles
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/business/gm-electric-vehicles.html
November 19, 2020 at 09:09PM
General Motors says it will increase its investment and model offerings over the next five years “to expedite the transition to E.V.s.”
November 19, 2020 at 09:09PM
General Motors says it will increase its investment and model offerings over the next five years “to expedite the transition to E.V.s.”
How Fake Reviews Hurt Us and Amazon
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/technology/fake-reviews-amazon.html
November 19, 2020 at 08:24PM
New research shows that we need to be even more skeptical online shoppers.
November 19, 2020 at 08:24PM
New research shows that we need to be even more skeptical online shoppers.
How Sidney Powell inaccurately cited Venezuela’s elections as evidence of U.S. fraud.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/technology/sidney-powell-venezuela.html
November 19, 2020 at 06:24PM
Ms. Powell, a lawyer for President Trump, made the comments to promote viral conspiracy theories about vote switching.
November 19, 2020 at 06:24PM
Ms. Powell, a lawyer for President Trump, made the comments to promote viral conspiracy theories about vote switching.
Zillow Surfing Is the Escape We All Need Right Now
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/style/zillow-surfing-home-listings.html
November 19, 2020 at 01:00PM
Scrolling through real estate listings in far-flung destinations is a way to visualize an alternate life, whether you’re trying to move or not.
November 19, 2020 at 01:00PM
Scrolling through real estate listings in far-flung destinations is a way to visualize an alternate life, whether you’re trying to move or not.
No, The Army Didn't Seize Server Showing Trump Election Landslide
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/scytl-trump.html
November 18, 2020 at 06:07PM
A false rumor about Scytl, an election tech provider, is making the rounds on right-wing social media.
November 18, 2020 at 06:07PM
A false rumor about Scytl, an election tech provider, is making the rounds on right-wing social media.
Win-Win: Tallying the Benefits of a Cloud Application Migration
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/17/win-win-tallying-the-benefits-of-a-cloud-application-migration/
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
GigaOm last week updated a benchmark report we had published in August titled, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” authored by GigaOm Analyst Ned Bellavance. That report detailed some of the dynamics and decision making behind a cloud application migration effort, and helped lay out the costs and value that IT organizations can expect from the investment.
On the benefits side of the equation, Bellavance in the report singled out a trio of benefits:
- Increased productivity: Reduced admin overhead, improved operational efficiency, and speedier application and feature delivery are all cited here, as the unique scaling and service aspects of the cloud transform operational requirements.
- Enhanced features: Deployment slots that provide discreet app versioning and resourcing, integration with GitHub, BitBucket, and Azure Repos to enable continuous deployment (CD), and distributed backup, recovery, and replication services are described.
- Access to innovation: The ability to seamlessly test and leverage new platform and application features is a core value of cloud approaches.
The cost of achieving these benefits, of course, is the question. To answer it, Bellavance designed a series of benchmark tests to be run across three, largely equivalent, on-premises and cloud-based PaaS infrastructures:
- On-Premises: Windows VMs running on VMware
- Cloud: Microsoft Azure using Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database
- Cloud: AWS using Elastic Beanstalk, EC2, and Amazon RDS
His findings? With the effective performance of the three options roughly on par, it became clear that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an on-premises infrastructure was significantly higher than either of the cloud options. Bellavance found that the three-year cost of an on-premises application infrastructure was $69,300. The cost of hosts hardware ($20,000), Windows SQL licenses ($10,800), and VMware licenses and SnS ($10,500 apiece) were among the larger costs for an on-premises build out.
By contrast, Amazon AWS cost $44,237 over three years, with RDS Instance ($22,921) and EC2 Instances ($15,542) accounting for the majority of the cost. Microsoft Azure was less expensive still: $41,888 in total, with App Service ($20,288) and Azure SQL ($18,000) accounting for almost all the cost.
But this cost breakout bypasses an important advantage for Microsoft shops migrating applications from on-premises to the cloud. Specifically, Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHB) licensing reduces the cost of an Azure migration by enabling customers to apply their existing, on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses to Azure virtual machines and Azure SQL Database instances. The impact can be large. Bellavance in his research found that AHB shaved more than $10,000 off the three-year budget, dropping the total cost from $41,888 to $31,088.
Migration Advice
The numbers certainly add up, and for Microsoft shops with existing on-premises licenses, the savings over moving to AWS can be significant. Of course, it takes a well-thought-out and sensible migration plan to ensure that those savings can be achieved at all. Bellavance in his report offers guidance for IT organizations considering a migration effort. He urges a four-stage approach:
- Assessment: Categorize existing applications by revenue generation and cost to maintain. While there may be hundreds or thousands of applications to treat, consider working on applications according to a specific group — for example by department, application, or data type.
- Prioritization: Identify applications that make good migration candidates, according to criteria such as existing cost of maintenance, risk of migration, and opportunity created — for example to unlock new functionality.
- Evaluation: You can map application dependencies across data sources, services, and infrastructure to help identify group migration candidates.
- Validation: Perform test migrations to validate functionality and performance, and to build experience around target environments, for example, in terms of what operational management dashboards are available.
A cloud app migration effort can pay big dividends, both in terms of cost savings and operational gains. Check out Bellavance’s in-depth benchmark report, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” for a detailed exploration of the opportunity.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Local officials rebut 3 dead-voter claims by the Trump campaign.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/dead-voters-false-claims.html
November 19, 2020 at 02:20AM
The accusations from the campaign spread widely on social media.
November 19, 2020 at 02:20AM
The accusations from the campaign spread widely on social media.
Election misinformation often evaded YouTube’s efforts to stop it.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/election-misinformation-often-evaded-youtubes-efforts-to-stop-it.html
November 19, 2020 at 12:05AM
A research project that has been studying misinformation on the site said 34 percent of videos it studied spread false election claims.
November 19, 2020 at 12:05AM
A research project that has been studying misinformation on the site said 34 percent of videos it studied spread false election claims.
We Should Be Able to Use Apps Without Fear of Government Surveillance
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/government-surveillance-by-data.html
November 18, 2020 at 08:58PM
We should be able to use a dating app without fear of winding up in a military database.
November 18, 2020 at 08:58PM
We should be able to use a dating app without fear of winding up in a military database.
Giuliani peddles election conspiracy theories and falsehoods.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/giuliani-peddles-election-conspiracy-theories-and-falsehoods.html
November 18, 2020 at 06:31PM
In media appearances and social media posts this past week, Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, spread debunked claims of barred poll workers and a voting software company.
November 18, 2020 at 06:31PM
In media appearances and social media posts this past week, Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, spread debunked claims of barred poll workers and a voting software company.
No, the Army didn’t seize a German server showing a Trump landslide.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/army-server-election-rumor.html
November 18, 2020 at 06:07PM
A false rumor about Scytl, an election tech provider, is making the rounds on right-wing social media.
November 18, 2020 at 06:07PM
A false rumor about Scytl, an election tech provider, is making the rounds on right-wing social media.
No, Trump did not win in Nevada.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/no-trump-did-not-win-in-nevada.html
November 18, 2020 at 05:17PM
President Trump claimed that there was “large scale voter discrepancy” in Clark County, Nev. A review of votes there showed the contrary.
November 18, 2020 at 05:17PM
President Trump claimed that there was “large scale voter discrepancy” in Clark County, Nev. A review of votes there showed the contrary.
How to Have a Fully Remote Family Thanksgiving
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/personaltech/how-to-have-a-fully-remote-family-thanksgiving.html
November 18, 2020 at 05:00PM
Skipping travel this year to stop the spread of Covid-19? Here’s how to digitally reimagine the holiday, from meal prep to after-dinner activities.
November 18, 2020 at 05:00PM
Skipping travel this year to stop the spread of Covid-19? Here’s how to digitally reimagine the holiday, from meal prep to after-dinner activities.
Apple Halves Its App Store Fee for the Smaller Companies
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/apple-app-store-fee.html
November 18, 2020 at 02:00PM
App makers bridled at the 30 percent commission, which has drawn scrutiny from regulators looking into antitrust claims.
November 18, 2020 at 02:00PM
App makers bridled at the 30 percent commission, which has drawn scrutiny from regulators looking into antitrust claims.
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
No, a high-level member of the Biden campaign was not arrested in Texas.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/no-a-high-level-member-of-the-biden-campaign-was-not-arrested-in-texas.html
November 18, 2020 at 12:09AM
The staff member denied that he was arrested, and a photo purportedly showing his arrest was actually that of the actor Cuba Gooding Jr.
November 18, 2020 at 12:09AM
The staff member denied that he was arrested, and a photo purportedly showing his arrest was actually that of the actor Cuba Gooding Jr.
How Twitter and Facebook plan to handle Trump’s accounts when he leaves office.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/how-twitter-and-facebook-plan-to-handle-trumps-accounts-when-he-leaves-office.html
November 18, 2020 at 12:08AM
World leaders enjoy exceptions on the social media platforms, but that can change once they no longer hold office.
November 18, 2020 at 12:08AM
World leaders enjoy exceptions on the social media platforms, but that can change once they no longer hold office.
No, a revote in one local Nevada race is not a victory for President Trump.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/no-a-revote-in-one-local-nevada-race-is-not-a-victory-for-president-trump.html
November 17, 2020 at 11:59PM
President Trump claimed that there was “large scale voter discrepancy” in Clark County, Nev. A review of votes there showed the contrary.
November 17, 2020 at 11:59PM
President Trump claimed that there was “large scale voter discrepancy” in Clark County, Nev. A review of votes there showed the contrary.
Key takeaways from the hearing, by the numbers.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/key-takeaways-from-the-hearing-by-the-numbers.html
November 17, 2020 at 11:37PM
Content moderation came up the most. Republicans asked more questions. And Mark Zuckerberg was on the hook for more answers.
November 17, 2020 at 11:37PM
Content moderation came up the most. Republicans asked more questions. And Mark Zuckerberg was on the hook for more answers.
Lawmakers drill down on how Facebook and Twitter moderate content.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/lawmakers-drill-down-on-how-facebook-and-twitter-moderate-content.html
November 17, 2020 at 11:12PM
The issue of how the social media companies sort through content dominated the hearing.
November 17, 2020 at 11:12PM
The issue of how the social media companies sort through content dominated the hearing.
‘Release the Kraken,’ a catchphrase for unfounded conspiracy theory, trends on Twitter.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/release-the-kraken-a-catchphrase-for-unfounded-conspiracy-theory-trends-on-twitter.html
November 17, 2020 at 10:52PM
The conspiracy stems from a Fox Business appearance last Friday by a lawyer making claims about the election results.
November 17, 2020 at 10:52PM
The conspiracy stems from a Fox Business appearance last Friday by a lawyer making claims about the election results.
Win-Win: Tallying the Benefits of a Cloud Application Migration
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/17/win-win-tallying-the-benefits-of-a-cloud-application-migration/
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
November 17, 2020 at 09:29PM
GigaOm last week updated a benchmark report we had published in August titled, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” authored by GigaOm Analyst Ned Bellavance. That report detailed some of the dynamics and decision making behind a cloud application migration effort, and helped lay out the costs and value that IT organizations can expect from the investment.
On the benefits side of the equation, Bellavance in the report singled out a trio of benefits:
- Increased productivity: Reduced admin overhead, improved operational efficiency, and speedier application and feature delivery are all cited here, as the unique scaling and service aspects of the cloud transform operational requirements.
- Enhanced features: Deployment slots that provide discreet app versioning and resourcing, integration with GitHub, BitBucket, and Azure Repos to enable continuous deployment (CD), and distributed backup, recovery, and replication services are described.
- Access to innovation: The ability to seamlessly test and leverage new platform and application features is a core value of cloud approaches.
The cost of achieving these benefits, of course, is the question. To answer it, Bellavance designed a series of benchmark tests to be run across three, largely equivalent, on-premises and cloud-based PaaS infrastructures:
- On-Premises: Windows VMs running on VMware
- Cloud: Microsoft Azure using Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database
- Cloud: AWS using Elastic Beanstalk, EC2, and Amazon RDS
His findings? With the effective performance of the three options roughly on par, it became clear that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an on-premises infrastructure was significantly higher than either of the cloud options. Bellavance found that the three-year cost of an on-premises application infrastructure was $69,300. The cost of hosts hardware ($20,000), Windows SQL licenses ($10,800), and VMware licenses and SnS ($10,500 apiece) were among the larger costs for an on-premises build out.
By contrast, Amazon AWS cost $44,237 over three years, with RDS Instance ($22,921) and EC2 Instances ($15,542) accounting for the majority of the cost. Microsoft Azure was less expensive still: $41,888 in total, with App Service ($20,288) and Azure SQL ($18,000) accounting for almost all the cost.
But this cost breakout bypasses an important advantage for Microsoft shops migrating applications from on-premises to the cloud. Specifically, Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHB) licensing reduces the cost of an Azure migration by enabling customers to apply their existing, on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses to Azure virtual machines and Azure SQL Database instances. The impact can be large. Bellavance in his research found that AHB shaved more than $10,000 off the three-year budget, dropping the total cost from $41,888 to $31,088.
Migration Advice
The numbers certainly add up, and for Microsoft shops with existing on-premises licenses, the savings over moving to AWS can be significant. Of course, it takes a well-thought-out and sensible migration plan to ensure that those savings can be achieved at all. Bellavance in his report offers guidance for IT organizations considering a migration effort. He urges a four-stage approach:
- Assessment: Categorize existing applications by revenue generation and cost to maintain. While there may be hundreds or thousands of applications to treat, consider working on applications according to a specific group — for example by department, application, or data type.
- Prioritization: Identify applications that make good migration candidates, according to criteria such as existing cost of maintenance, risk of migration, and opportunity created — for example to unlock new functionality.
- Evaluation: You can map application dependencies across data sources, services, and infrastructure to help identify group migration candidates.
- Validation: Perform test migrations to validate functionality and performance, and to build experience around target environments, for example, in terms of what operational management dashboards are available.
A cloud app migration effort can pay big dividends, both in terms of cost savings and operational gains. Check out Bellavance’s in-depth benchmark report, “Costs and Benefits of .NET Application Migration to the Cloud,” for a detailed exploration of the opportunity.
Twitter’s chief, Jack Dorsey, is likely to face particular ire.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/jack-dorsey-senate.html
November 17, 2020 at 09:03PM
Twitter has been highly active in labeling election-related posts as disputed and misleading, including President Trump’s tweets.
November 17, 2020 at 09:03PM
Twitter has been highly active in labeling election-related posts as disputed and misleading, including President Trump’s tweets.
Democrats call for more regulation of the tech industry.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/democrats-call-for-more-regulation-of-the-tech-industry.html
November 17, 2020 at 08:56PM
The calls for legislative changes could portend an agenda aimed at Silicon Valley in the next Congress.
November 17, 2020 at 08:56PM
The calls for legislative changes could portend an agenda aimed at Silicon Valley in the next Congress.
Airbnb’s Biggest Problem
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/airbnb-troubles.html
November 17, 2020 at 08:30PM
Resentment of Airbnb poses a challenge both for the company and for the future of our communities.
November 17, 2020 at 08:30PM
Resentment of Airbnb poses a challenge both for the company and for the future of our communities.
Zuckerberg and Dorsey Testify: Live Coverage
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/17/technology/twitter-facebook-hearings
November 17, 2020 at 07:17PM
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Jack Dorsey of Twitter are testifying about their platforms, misinformation and the 2020 election. Follow along with us live.
November 17, 2020 at 07:17PM
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Jack Dorsey of Twitter are testifying about their platforms, misinformation and the 2020 election. Follow along with us live.
Tech’s legal shield draws substantive scrutiny.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/techs-legal-shield-draws-substantive-scrutiny.html
November 17, 2020 at 07:14PM
Lawmakers delved into Section 230, which largely protects tech companies from legal liability for what their users post.
November 17, 2020 at 07:14PM
Lawmakers delved into Section 230, which largely protects tech companies from legal liability for what their users post.
Republicans home in on bias complaints.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/republicans-home-in-on-bias-complaints.html
November 17, 2020 at 06:59PM
November 17, 2020 at 06:59PM
A website funded by right-wing groups gains followers with debunked voting fraud claims.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/technology/a-website-funded-by-right-wing-groups-gains-followers-with-debunked-voting-fraud-claims.html
November 17, 2020 at 06:08PM
Everylegalvote.com has fashioned itself as an anti-fraud buster, even as it pushes the false narrative that President Trump won re-election.
November 17, 2020 at 06:08PM
Everylegalvote.com has fashioned itself as an anti-fraud buster, even as it pushes the false narrative that President Trump won re-election.
SpaceX Crew Docks at the International Space Station
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/science/space/spacex-docks-international-space-station.html
November 17, 2020 at 05:54PM
“Docking confirmed,” the company founded by Elon Musk announced Monday night.
November 17, 2020 at 05:54PM
“Docking confirmed,” the company founded by Elon Musk announced Monday night.
If Mark Zuckerberg repeats himself, don’t be surprised.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/mark-zuckerberg-senate.html
November 17, 2020 at 05:30PM
Facebook’s chief executive has appeared in front of lawmakers so many times that he has become a pro at handling questions.
November 17, 2020 at 05:30PM
Facebook’s chief executive has appeared in front of lawmakers so many times that he has become a pro at handling questions.
Twitter’s chief, Jack Dorsey, is likely to face particular ire.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/ack-dorsey-senate.html
November 17, 2020 at 04:45PM
Twitter has been highly active in labeling election-related posts as disputed and misleading, including President Trump’s tweets.
November 17, 2020 at 04:45PM
Twitter has been highly active in labeling election-related posts as disputed and misleading, including President Trump’s tweets.
Disappearing Tweets? Twitter Now Has a Feature for That
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/twitter-fleets-disappearing-tweets.html
November 17, 2020 at 04:00PM
It’s called Fleets, and will allow users to post messages that vanish after 24 hours.
November 17, 2020 at 04:00PM
It’s called Fleets, and will allow users to post messages that vanish after 24 hours.
Don’t Fear the Robots, and Other Lessons From a Study of the Digital Economy
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/digital-economy-technology-work-labor.html
November 17, 2020 at 03:00PM
A task force assembled by M.I.T. examined how technology has changed, and will change, the work force.
November 17, 2020 at 03:00PM
A task force assembled by M.I.T. examined how technology has changed, and will change, the work force.
What to Expect in Senate Hearing With Zuckerberg and Dorsey
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/twitter-facebook-senate-hearings.html
November 17, 2020 at 08:01AM
The executives, who have now testified several times in recent years, will most likely face some new questions about how they handled the election.
November 17, 2020 at 08:01AM
The executives, who have now testified several times in recent years, will most likely face some new questions about how they handled the election.
Monday, November 16, 2020
Airbnb Reveals Falling Revenue, With Travel Hit by Pandemic
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/technology/airbnb-revenue-prospectus-ipo.html
November 17, 2020 at 03:16AM
The drop was $1.2 billion for the first nine months of 2020, in the first comprehensive look at the company’s finances as it moves to go public.
November 17, 2020 at 03:16AM
The drop was $1.2 billion for the first nine months of 2020, in the first comprehensive look at the company’s finances as it moves to go public.
Trump has amplified voting falsehoods in over 300 tweets since election night.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/technology/trump-has-amplified-voting-falsehoods-in-over-300-tweets-since-election-night.html
November 17, 2020 at 02:52AM
The president has mischaracterized the ballot counting process, falsely claimed victory and lodged baseless accusations of fraud.
November 17, 2020 at 02:52AM
The president has mischaracterized the ballot counting process, falsely claimed victory and lodged baseless accusations of fraud.
Fox News’s ‘partisan right’ audience on YouTube is dropping, researchers say.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/technology/fox-news-youtube-election.html
November 16, 2020 at 09:17PM
Fringe outlets that most aggressively pushed false information about voter fraud have seen their share of those viewers grow after the election.
November 16, 2020 at 09:17PM
Fringe outlets that most aggressively pushed false information about voter fraud have seen their share of those viewers grow after the election.
America’s Internet Has China Envy
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/technology/internet-china.html
November 16, 2020 at 08:19PM
But is China a peek at the future of technology, or a digital island all its own?
November 16, 2020 at 08:19PM
But is China a peek at the future of technology, or a digital island all its own?
A former right-wing media creator on how a ‘different reality’ became so prominent.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/technology/a-former-right-wing-media-creator-on-how-a-different-reality-became-so-prominent.html
November 16, 2020 at 07:06PM
Matthew Sheffield grew disillusioned after years of working in conservative media.
November 16, 2020 at 07:06PM
Matthew Sheffield grew disillusioned after years of working in conservative media.
Who is NetApp?
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/11/who-is-netapp/
November 11, 2020 at 10:44PM
November 11, 2020 at 10:44PM
At Cloud Field Day 9 Netapp presented some of its cloud solutions. This comes on the heels of NetApp Insight, the annual corporate event that should give its user base not just new products but also a general overview of the company strategy for the future. NetApp presented a lot of interesting news and projects around multi-cloud data and system management.
The Transition to Data Fabric
This is not the first time that NetApp radically changed its strategy. Do you remember when NetApp was the boring ONTAP-only company? Not that there is anything wrong with ONTAP of course (the storage OS originally designed by NetApp is still at the core of many of its storage appliances). It just can’t be the solution for everything, even if it does work pretty well.
When ONTAP was the only answer to every question (even with StorageGrid and EF systems already part of the portfolio), the company started to look boring and, honestly, not very credible.
The day the Data Fabric vision was announced, I was still skeptical, but this was a huge change for this company, and if they could pull it off I would be really impressed. The company started to develop products like StorageGrid, bought companies like Solidifre, integrated the different product families to make everything work together, and added additional tools to simplify the life of their customers. In the end, ONTAP was no longer the answer to every question, and the company became cool again.
Cloud, Built On Top of Data Fabric
Don’t get me wrong, the vision around Data Fabric was already including the cloud but it was incomplete in some aspects. Data Fabric was developed before the success of Kubernetes, for example, and multi-cloud was still a very distant future. But still, it needed a sort of update.
Now, after Insight and CFD, I think this strategy update feels complete and NetApp is one of the most hybrid-savvy vendors in the market landscape. Projects Astra or even the new VDS (Virtual Desktop Service) use the foundation of Data Fabric, and then build on top of it.
This is not a storage vendor anymore, not a traditional one at least. it is diversifying and becoming a more credible player at the cloud table. It is also interesting that it is doing it in a way that is not in competition with cloud providers or their traditional partners. In fact, they are presenting themselves as an enabling foundation layer to move data seamlessly from on-premises to the cloud and then manage it consistently, with a similar user experience, across different cloud platforms. CSPs really like the first part of this, while the latter helps their partners find the same environment on which to operate their solutions. From the user perspective, NetApp gives them additional options, increasing their freedom of choice. A win-win-win scenario, one could say.
From the outside, NetApp is building a set of interesting solutions on top of a credible and consistent data management layer. From a certain point of view this strategy is similar to what you can get from VMware, with their stack now available on all clouds and additional solutions built on top of it (like the DRaaS coming from the acquisition of Datrium for example).
Closing the Circle
I don’t know if NetApp can still be classified as a traditional storage vendor. Yes, revenues coming from storage box sales are still the lion’s share of their income (so they are still “traditional” from one point of view), but the strategy shift is quite visible here and cloud revenues are becoming more relevant, quarter after quarter.
Most enterprises are changing the way they think about IT infrastructures, hybrid and multi-cloud strategies are now the norm with a dramatic impact on how budgets are allocated. Users want to be free and run their applications where business requires it, and a traditional storage vendor is not part of this conversation. It is important to note that from this point of view NetApp is not alone, I mentioned VMware earlier in this post but others like RedHat have similar strategies in my opinion. They all want to build an identical user experience no matter where you deploy your applications (and data).
Will NetApp be able to change again? Will it be a credible cloud vendor? Will they become a true hybrid cloud-storage vendor? I think they did very well with Data Fabric and they are on the right path to repeat themselves. Only time will tell of course, but comparing them with some of the other traditional storage vendors, you can say they are really well positioned to do very well.
Sunday, November 15, 2020
SpaceX’s ‘Resilience’ Lifts 4 Astronauts Into NASA's New Era of Spaceflight
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/science/spacex-nasa-astronauts-launch.html
November 16, 2020 at 06:21AM
The crew will spend some 27 hours in a capsule built by the private company before docking with the space station Monday night.
November 16, 2020 at 06:21AM
The crew will spend some 27 hours in a capsule built by the private company before docking with the space station Monday night.
The Hot New Covid Tech Is Wearable and Constantly Tracks You
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/technology/virus-wearable-tracker-privacy.html
November 16, 2020 at 02:08AM
Sports leagues, large employers and colleges are turning to devices that could usher in more invasive forms of surveillance.
November 16, 2020 at 02:08AM
Sports leagues, large employers and colleges are turning to devices that could usher in more invasive forms of surveillance.
SpaceX’s Next NASA Launch: When to Watch
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/15/science/spacex-nasa-launch.html
November 15, 2020 at 08:01AM
Here’s what you need to know about four astronauts’ journey to the International Space Station on Sunday.
November 15, 2020 at 08:01AM
Here’s what you need to know about four astronauts’ journey to the International Space Station on Sunday.
Friday, November 13, 2020
Trump Administration Gives TikTok More Time to Reach Deal
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/technology/trump-tiktok.html
November 13, 2020 at 10:38PM
The Chinese-owned social media app now has until Nov. 27 for a deal that would give American companies more ownership of the service.
November 13, 2020 at 10:38PM
The Chinese-owned social media app now has until Nov. 27 for a deal that would give American companies more ownership of the service.
Food Delivery Is Magical Thinking
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/technology/doordash-food-delivery.html
November 13, 2020 at 08:45PM
We are missing a chance to see alternative food delivery ideas that could work better.
November 13, 2020 at 08:45PM
We are missing a chance to see alternative food delivery ideas that could work better.
Here’s how often election fraud has come up on right-wing radio talk shows.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/technology/heres-how-often-election-fraud-has-come-up-on-right-wing-radio-talk-shows.html
November 13, 2020 at 08:42PM
“The Rush Limbaugh Show" and others have raised the baseless idea of election fraud more than some other radio shows, according to an analysis.
November 13, 2020 at 08:42PM
“The Rush Limbaugh Show" and others have raised the baseless idea of election fraud more than some other radio shows, according to an analysis.
DoorDash Reveals I.P.O. Filing
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/technology/doordash-reveals-ipo-filing.html
November 13, 2020 at 06:15PM
The company’s performance renewed questions about whether “gig economy” businesses can turn a profit.
November 13, 2020 at 06:15PM
The company’s performance renewed questions about whether “gig economy” businesses can turn a profit.
Beware of this misinformation from ‘Stop the Steal’ rallies this weekend.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/technology/beware-of-this-misinformation-from-stop-the-steal-rallies-this-weekend.html
November 13, 2020 at 05:53PM
Events are being planned in many U.S. cities on Saturday by groups that are spreading false claims about voter fraud.
November 13, 2020 at 05:53PM
Events are being planned in many U.S. cities on Saturday by groups that are spreading false claims about voter fraud.
No, Dominion voting machines did not delete Trump votes.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/no-dominion-voting-machines-did-not-delete-trump-votes.html
November 13, 2020 at 04:16PM
Some Republicans said that software from the company caused widespread problems. Evidence shows that it did not.
November 13, 2020 at 04:16PM
Some Republicans said that software from the company caused widespread problems. Evidence shows that it did not.
Robots Join the Sales Team
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/realestate/real-estate-robots-ai.html
November 13, 2020 at 04:00PM
Brokers can hand off tours of listings and the litany of client questions to their bionic colleagues, but a human has to step in when a deal is ready to be made.
November 13, 2020 at 04:00PM
Brokers can hand off tours of listings and the litany of client questions to their bionic colleagues, but a human has to step in when a deal is ready to be made.
Covid Pushes Real Estate Into the Future
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/realestate/real-estate-coronavirus.html
November 13, 2020 at 01:00PM
There’s no going back to the old ways. Which technologies could propel the industry forward?
November 13, 2020 at 01:00PM
There’s no going back to the old ways. Which technologies could propel the industry forward?
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Who is NetApp?
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/11/who-is-netapp/
November 11, 2020 at 10:44PM
November 11, 2020 at 10:44PM
At Cloud Field Day 9 Netapp presented some of its cloud solutions. This comes on the heels of NetApp Insight, the annual corporate event that should give its user base not just new products but also a general overview of the company strategy for the future. NetApp presented a lot of interesting news and projects around multi-cloud data and system management.
The Transition to Data Fabric
This is not the first time that NetApp radically changed its strategy. Do you remember when NetApp was the boring ONTAP-only company? Not that there is anything wrong with ONTAP of course (the storage OS originally designed by NetApp is still at the core of many of its storage appliances). It just can’t be the solution for everything, even if it does work pretty well.
When ONTAP was the only answer to every question (even with StorageGrid and EF systems already part of the portfolio), the company started to look boring and, honestly, not very credible.
The day the Data Fabric vision was announced, I was still skeptical, but this was a huge change for this company, and if they could pull it off I would be really impressed. The company started to develop products like StorageGrid, bought companies like Solidifre, integrated the different product families to make everything work together, and added additional tools to simplify the life of their customers. In the end, ONTAP was no longer the answer to every question, and the company became cool again.
Cloud, Built On Top of Data Fabric
Don’t get me wrong, the vision around Data Fabric was already including the cloud but it was incomplete in some aspects. Data Fabric was developed before the success of Kubernetes, for example, and multi-cloud was still a very distant future. But still, it needed a sort of update.
Now, after Insight and CFD, I think this strategy update feels complete and NetApp is one of the most hybrid-savvy vendors in the market landscape. Projects Astra or even the new VDS (Virtual Desktop Service) use the foundation of Data Fabric, and then build on top of it.
This is not a storage vendor anymore, not a traditional one at least. it is diversifying and becoming a more credible player at the cloud table. It is also interesting that it is doing it in a way that is not in competition with cloud providers or their traditional partners. In fact, they are presenting themselves as an enabling foundation layer to move data seamlessly from on-premises to the cloud and then manage it consistently, with a similar user experience, across different cloud platforms. CSPs really like the first part of this, while the latter helps their partners find the same environment on which to operate their solutions. From the user perspective, NetApp gives them additional options, increasing their freedom of choice. A win-win-win scenario, one could say.
From the outside, NetApp is building a set of interesting solutions on top of a credible and consistent data management layer. From a certain point of view this strategy is similar to what you can get from VMware, with their stack now available on all clouds and additional solutions built on top of it (like the DRaaS coming from the acquisition of Datrium for example).
Closing the Circle
I don’t know if NetApp can still be classified as a traditional storage vendor. Yes, revenues coming from storage box sales are still the lion’s share of their income (so they are still “traditional” from one point of view), but the strategy shift is quite visible here and cloud revenues are becoming more relevant, quarter after quarter.
Most enterprises are changing the way they think about IT infrastructures, hybrid and multi-cloud strategies are now the norm with a dramatic impact on how budgets are allocated. Users want to be free and run their applications where business requires it, and a traditional storage vendor is not part of this conversation. It is important to note that from this point of view NetApp is not alone, I mentioned VMware earlier in this post but others like RedHat have similar strategies in my opinion. They all want to build an identical user experience no matter where you deploy your applications (and data).
Will NetApp be able to change again? Will it be a credible cloud vendor? Will they become a true hybrid cloud-storage vendor? I think they did very well with Data Fabric and they are on the right path to repeat themselves. Only time will tell of course, but comparing them with some of the other traditional storage vendors, you can say they are really well positioned to do very well.
Disney+ Passes 73 Million Subscribers as Streaming Takes Center Stage
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/business/media/disney-plus-73-million-subscribers.html
November 13, 2020 at 03:15AM
The company has experienced deep losses in its theme park division because of the pandemic, but investors don’t seem to care at the moment.
November 13, 2020 at 03:15AM
The company has experienced deep losses in its theme park division because of the pandemic, but investors don’t seem to care at the moment.
Twitter says it labeled 0.2% of all election-related tweets as disputed.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/twitter-says-it-labeled-0-2-of-all-election-related-tweets-as-disputed.html
November 13, 2020 at 01:59AM
Twitter is the first social media platform to publicly disclose how it performed during the election.
November 13, 2020 at 01:59AM
Twitter is the first social media platform to publicly disclose how it performed during the election.
No, the ‘Pallets Full of Ballots’ song is not true.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/no-the-pallets-full-of-ballots-song-is-not-true.html
November 13, 2020 at 12:39AM
A country-inspired song about the election has gone viral on social media, but its claims of election fraud are false.
November 13, 2020 at 12:39AM
A country-inspired song about the election has gone viral on social media, but its claims of election fraud are false.
One America News spreads debunked elections claims.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/one-america-news-spreads-debunked-elections-claims.html
November 13, 2020 at 12:36AM
President Trump has tweeted about some of the statements made on the conservative cable network.
November 13, 2020 at 12:36AM
President Trump has tweeted about some of the statements made on the conservative cable network.
2020’s Hot Gadget Is the Computer
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/2020s-hot-gadget-is-the-computer.html
November 12, 2020 at 08:18PM
Computers are no longer boring. This year, they’re everything.
November 12, 2020 at 08:18PM
Computers are no longer boring. This year, they’re everything.
Newsmax courts Fox News viewers with election denialism.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/newsmax-fox-news-trump.html
November 12, 2020 at 07:56PM
The president has been furiously sharing Newsmax clips and retweeting supporters who say they are turning to the network.
November 12, 2020 at 07:56PM
The president has been furiously sharing Newsmax clips and retweeting supporters who say they are turning to the network.
Republican distrust of news may be helping election misinformation spread.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/republicans-distrust-news-media.html
November 12, 2020 at 05:51PM
Conservatives are increasingly relying on right-wing outlets and pundits with a history of spreading falsehoods, research has found.
November 12, 2020 at 05:51PM
Conservatives are increasingly relying on right-wing outlets and pundits with a history of spreading falsehoods, research has found.
Harley Davidson to Leave India After Poor Sales
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/india-harley-davidson.html
November 12, 2020 at 01:00PM
The American icon saw promise in the world’s largest market for two-wheelers. But its bikes sold poorly in a country where incomes are low and manufacturing isn’t easy.
November 12, 2020 at 01:00PM
The American icon saw promise in the world’s largest market for two-wheelers. But its bikes sold poorly in a country where incomes are low and manufacturing isn’t easy.
New PlayStation and Xbox Arrive During a Pandemic Gold Rush
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/ps5-xbox-pandemic.html
November 12, 2020 at 01:00PM
The video game industry has notched record spending and profit in 2020, but to sustain its growth, it must prepare to compete with the return of concerts, movie theaters and live sports.
November 12, 2020 at 01:00PM
The video game industry has notched record spending and profit in 2020, but to sustain its growth, it must prepare to compete with the return of concerts, movie theaters and live sports.
How Some Conservatives Have Switched to Parler, Rumble and Newsmax
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/parler-rumble-newsmax.html
November 12, 2020 at 03:22AM
Since the election, millions have migrated to alternative social media and media sites like Parler, Rumble and Newsmax.
November 12, 2020 at 03:22AM
Since the election, millions have migrated to alternative social media and media sites like Parler, Rumble and Newsmax.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
PlayStation 5: The Next Step in Sony’s Rebound
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/sony-playstation-5-ps5.html
November 12, 2020 at 12:38AM
The gaming console, coming out in its latest version on Thursday, has become the Japanese giant’s centerpiece product.
November 12, 2020 at 12:38AM
The gaming console, coming out in its latest version on Thursday, has become the Japanese giant’s centerpiece product.
Facebook plans to continue a ban on political ads for another month.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/facebook-political-ads.html
November 12, 2020 at 12:33AM
The social network told advertisers about its timeline in an update on Wednesday.
November 12, 2020 at 12:33AM
The social network told advertisers about its timeline in an update on Wednesday.
These Microbes May Help Future Martians and Moon People Mine Metals
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/science/bacteria-mining-mars-moon.html
November 12, 2020 at 12:31AM
An experiment aboard the space station showed that bacteria were effective at extracting rare earth elements from rocks.
November 12, 2020 at 12:31AM
An experiment aboard the space station showed that bacteria were effective at extracting rare earth elements from rocks.
No, Dominion voting machines did not cause widespread voting problems.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/no-dominion-voting-machines-did-not-cause-widespread-voting-problems.html
November 12, 2020 at 12:25AM
Some Republicans said that software from the company caused widespread problems. Evidence shows that it did not.
November 12, 2020 at 12:25AM
Some Republicans said that software from the company caused widespread problems. Evidence shows that it did not.
Fact-Checked on Facebook and Twitter, Conservatives Switch Their Apps
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/facebook-twitter-parler-rumble-newsmax-conservatives-apps.html
November 12, 2020 at 12:23AM
Since the election, millions have migrated to alternative social media and media sites like Parler, Rumble and Newsmax.
November 12, 2020 at 12:23AM
Since the election, millions have migrated to alternative social media and media sites like Parler, Rumble and Newsmax.
Who is NetApp?
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/11/who-is-netapp/
November 11, 2020 at 10:44PM
November 11, 2020 at 10:44PM
At Cloud Field Day 9 Netapp presented some of its cloud solutions. This comes on the heels of NetApp Insight, the annual corporate event that should give its user base not just new products but also a general overview of the company strategy for the future. NetApp presented a lot of interesting news and projects around multi-cloud data and system management.
The Transition to Data Fabric
This is not the first time that NetApp radically changed its strategy. Do you remember when NetApp was the boring ONTAP-only company? Not that there is anything wrong with ONTAP of course (the storage OS originally designed by NetApp is still at the core of many of its storage appliances). It just can’t be the solution for everything, even if it does work pretty well.
When ONTAP was the only answer to every question (even with StorageGrid and EF systems already part of the portfolio), the company started to look boring and, honestly, not very credible.
The day the Data Fabric vision was announced, I was still skeptical, but this was a huge change for this company, and if they could pull it off I would be really impressed. The company started to develop products like StorageGrid, bought companies like Solidifre, integrated the different product families to make everything work together, and added additional tools to simplify the life of their customers. In the end, ONTAP was no longer the answer to every question, and the company became cool again.
Cloud, Built On Top of Data Fabric
Don’t get me wrong, the vision around Data Fabric was already including the cloud but it was incomplete in some aspects. Data Fabric was developed before the success of Kubernetes, for example, and multi-cloud was still a very distant future. But still, it needed a sort of update.
Now, after Insight and CFD, I think this strategy update feels complete and NetApp is one of the most hybrid-savvy vendors in the market landscape. Projects Astra or even the new VDS (Virtual Desktop Service) use the foundation of Data Fabric, and then build on top of it.
This is not a storage vendor anymore, not a traditional one at least. it is diversifying and becoming a more credible player at the cloud table. It is also interesting that it is doing it in a way that is not in competition with cloud providers or their traditional partners. In fact, they are presenting themselves as an enabling foundation layer to move data seamlessly from on-premises to the cloud and then manage it consistently, with a similar user experience, across different cloud platforms. CSPs really like the first part of this, while the latter helps their partners find the same environment on which to operate their solutions. From the user perspective, NetApp gives them additional options, increasing their freedom of choice. A win-win-win scenario, one could say.
From the outside, NetApp is building a set of interesting solutions on top of a credible and consistent data management layer. From a certain point of view this strategy is similar to what you can get from VMware, with their stack now available on all clouds and additional solutions built on top of it (like the DRaaS coming from the acquisition of Datrium for example).
Closing the Circle
I don’t know if NetApp can still be classified as a traditional storage vendor. Yes, revenues coming from storage box sales are still the lion’s share of their income (so they are still “traditional” from one point of view), but the strategy shift is quite visible here and cloud revenues are becoming more relevant, quarter after quarter.
Most enterprises are changing the way they think about IT infrastructures, hybrid and multi-cloud strategies are now the norm with a dramatic impact on how budgets are allocated. Users want to be free and run their applications where business requires it, and a traditional storage vendor is not part of this conversation. It is important to note that from this point of view NetApp is not alone, I mentioned VMware earlier in this post but others like RedHat have similar strategies in my opinion. They all want to build an identical user experience no matter where you deploy your applications (and data).
Will NetApp be able to change again? Will it be a credible cloud vendor? Will they become a true hybrid cloud-storage vendor? I think they did very well with Data Fabric and they are on the right path to repeat themselves. Only time will tell of course, but comparing them with some of the other traditional storage vendors, you can say they are really well positioned to do very well.
A Case for Facial Recognition
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/facial-recognition-software-police.html
November 11, 2020 at 10:07PM
Facial recognition software doesn’t have to be all or nothing, argues a city official in Detroit.
November 11, 2020 at 10:07PM
Facial recognition software doesn’t have to be all or nothing, argues a city official in Detroit.
‘Coded Bias’ Review: When the Bots Are Racist
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/movies/coded-bias-review.html
November 11, 2020 at 09:42PM
This cleareyed documentary explores how machine-learning algorithms can perpetuate society’s existing class-, race- and gender-based inequities.
November 11, 2020 at 09:42PM
This cleareyed documentary explores how machine-learning algorithms can perpetuate society’s existing class-, race- and gender-based inequities.
Training Facial Recognition on Some New Furry Friends: Bears
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/science/bears-facial-recognition.html
November 11, 2020 at 09:33PM
In their spare time, two Silicon Valley developers aided conservationists in developing artificial intelligence to help keep track of individual bears.
November 11, 2020 at 09:33PM
In their spare time, two Silicon Valley developers aided conservationists in developing artificial intelligence to help keep track of individual bears.
Fight Over Gig Workers Persists Despite Win for Uber and Lyft
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/business/economy/california-gig-workers-ballot-uber-lyft.html
November 11, 2020 at 09:03PM
A successful ballot measure in California makes drivers and other workers contractors, but the companies face continued pushback.
November 11, 2020 at 09:03PM
A successful ballot measure in California makes drivers and other workers contractors, but the companies face continued pushback.
Tweets from Biden aide show campaign’s frustration with Facebook.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/tweets-from-biden-aide-show-campaigns-frustration-with-facebook.html
November 11, 2020 at 08:17PM
The campaign has urged the company to more aggressively police misinformation for more than a year.
November 11, 2020 at 08:17PM
The campaign has urged the company to more aggressively police misinformation for more than a year.
There is no proof that people stole maiden names to vote.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/no-proof-maiden-names-vote.html
November 11, 2020 at 06:20PM
The hashtag #MaidenGate has spread, even though the tweet that planted the rumor contained no evidence of the supposed fraud.
November 11, 2020 at 06:20PM
The hashtag #MaidenGate has spread, even though the tweet that planted the rumor contained no evidence of the supposed fraud.
Who Will Win the 'Genius Dog Contest?' Watch the Competition Begin
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/science/smart-dogs-purina.html
November 11, 2020 at 05:55PM
Scientists in Hungary are streaming experiments with dogs that know many words, featuring them in a contest of canine intelligence.
November 11, 2020 at 05:55PM
Scientists in Hungary are streaming experiments with dogs that know many words, featuring them in a contest of canine intelligence.
The Election’s Over, but Not the Stress. Any Edibles Left?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/election-anxiety-cannabis-edibles.html
November 11, 2020 at 05:00PM
Sales surged as people turned to gummy bears, cookies and chocolates infused with cannabis to soothe their jitters.
November 11, 2020 at 05:00PM
Sales surged as people turned to gummy bears, cookies and chocolates infused with cannabis to soothe their jitters.
Phish Fight: Securing Enterprise Communications
Source: https://gigaom.com/2020/11/06/phish-fight-securing-enterprise-communications/
November 06, 2020 at 10:50PM
November 06, 2020 at 10:50PM
Yes, much of the world may have moved on from email to social media and culturally dubious TikTok dances, yet traditional electronic mail remains a foundation of business communication. And sadly, it remains a prime vector for malware, data leakage, and phishing attacks that can undermine enterprise protections. It doesn’t have to be that way.
In a just released report titled “GigaOm Radar for Phishing Prevention and Detection,” GigaOm Analyst Simon Gibson surveyed more than a dozen enterprise-focused email security solutions. He found a range of approaches to securing communications that often can be fitted together to provide critical, defense-in-depth protection against even determined attackers.
Figure 1. GigaOm Radar for Email Phishing Prevention and Detection
“When evaluating these vendors and their solutions, it is important to consider your own business and workflow,” Gibson writes in the report, stressing the need to deploy solutions that best address your organization’s business workflow and email traffic. “For some it may be preferable to settle on one comprehensive solution, while for others building a best-of-breed architecture from multiple vendors may be preferable.”
In a field of competent solutions, Gibson found that Forcepoint, purchased recently by Raytheon, stood apart thanks to the layered protections provided by its Advanced Classification Engine. Area 1 and Zimperium, meanwhile, are both leaders that exhibit significant momentum, with Area 1 boosted by its recent solution partnership with Virtru, and Zimperium excelling in its deep commitment to mobile message security.
A mobile focus is timely, Gibson says in a video interview for GigaOm. He says companies are “tuning the spigot on” and enabling unprecedented access and reliance on mobile devices, which is creating an urgent need to get ahead of threats.
Gibson’s conclusion in the report? He singles out three things: Defense in depth, awareness of existing patterns and infrastructure, and a healthy respect for the “human factor” that can make security so hard to lock down.
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