dWeb News
dWeb News |
- China has landed a rover on Mars for the first time—here’s what happens next
- Gates’ divorce drama: Did Bill Gates’ alleged affair prompt board resignations?
- dWeb Says . . .
- You should be totally freaked out by the DarkSide attack on Colonial Pipeline
- Perfect Storm: Grocery Prices Skyrocket; Meat Prices Soar; Corn Hits $7; Gas Prices Going Nuts; Extreme Weather Events
- Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of May 9, 2021
- How End User Computing (EUC) is Digitally Transforming the Post-Pandemic Workplace
- Elon Musk says he’s working with dogecoin to improve transaction efficiency
| China has landed a rover on Mars for the first time—here’s what happens next Posted: 17 May 2021 02:39 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from Neel V. Patel On March 14, China's space program took a huge leap forward when it landed a rover on Mars for the first time, according to state media. China is now only the second country to land successfully on Mars. The rover, named Zhurong (after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology) joins NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers as the only wheeled robots trekking around the surface of the planet. "This is really a milestone for the Chinese space program," says Chi Wang, the director of the National Space Science Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "It signifies Chinese space exploration steps out of the Earth-Moon system and heads for the [Mars] planetary system. A mission like this demonstrates China has the capability to explore the entire solar system." Zhurong is part of the Tianwen-1 Mars mission that China launched last July, the same month as NASA's launch of the Perseverance rover and the UAE's launch of the Hope Mars Orbiter. All three made it to Martian orbit in February. Perseverance headed straight for the surface, while China held Tianwen-1 in orbit for a few months to look for a suitable landing site for Zhurong. It eventually chose Utopia Planitia, the same region where NASA's Viking 2 spacecraft landed in 1976. Tianwen-1 comprises both an orbiter and the Zhurong rover. NASA has had a string of recent successes with Mars missions, but don't let that fool you—half of all missions to Mars end in failure. The Soviet Union previously landed a spacecraft on Mars in 1971, but communication was lost just 110 seconds later. As recently as 2017, the European Space Agency's Schiaparelli lander crashed on its way to the Martian surface. China's first attempt on Mars was actually as part of Russia's 2011 Fobos-Grunt mission to explore Mars and its moon Phobos. That spacecraft failed to leave Earth's orbit and ended up reentering Earth's atmosphere months later, leading China to pursue its own independent mission to Mars. Don't expect Zhurong to match up to, say, Perseverance. The latter weighs over one metric ton, is nuclear-powered, has 23 cameras, carries a carbon-dioxide-to-oxygen tech demonstration, can take and stow samples that will be returned to Earth one day, and even brought a new helicopter to the planet. The former is just 240 kilograms, solar-powered, has only carries six instruments, and is only expected to last for 90 Martian days (though it may very well survive for longer). Tianwen-1's purpose is to use its 13 instruments (seven on the orbiter, six on the rover) to study the geology and soil mineralogy of Mars, map its water ice distribution, probe the electromagnetic and gravitational forces of the planet, and characterize its surface climate and environment. While the orbiter will observe and measure these things from a global perspective and snapping images down to a 2-meter resolution, Zhurong will hone in on points of intrigue at the surface. It will use spectroscopy to find out what the soil is made of, measure magnetic fields on the ground, and track weather changes like temperature and winds. Perhaps most intriguing is that Zhurong has a ground-penetrating radar that will let it peer into activity and structures underground 100 meters deep—10 times further than Perseverance's radar. The hope is that this instrument will be able to detect potential reserves of water ice underground. Water resources could be a critical part of establishing a colony on Mars one day. Utopia Planitia in particular is "a relatively safe place to land and a possible place to find water," says Wang. China's no stranger to extraterrestrial landings—the country's lunar exploration program has seen three successful rover landings on the moon in less than 10 years. But that didn't necessarily make it easier to get to Mars. The distance between the two planets created an 18-minute time-delay in communication for China. The whole landing process has to be accomplished automatically, without any possibility for ground control to manually intervene. The country's never done that before. Now it knows it can. "This, to me, says they're getting right up there in terms of one of the world's premier space agencies," says Davis. "Just by the sheer fact that this has not been done by many people. This isn't a fluke, it's not like they just randomly launched and got lucky. They've clearly been working towards this." Although the notion of two countries with rovers on the planet also raises the specter of a growing rivalry between the US and China, that may be an oversimplification. Zhurong is nowhere near where Curiosity or Perseverance are. Davis points out that the two countries actually coordinated the trajectories of their respective 2020 launches to ensure they wouldn't crash into one-another. "Mars is big," he says. "Being able to operate multiple spacecraft there from multiple entities is possible. It's not like they're going to run into each other and cause problems." Instead, it's possible the mission might actually open up more opportunities for scientific collaboration. NASA is currently barred from working with the Chinese space program, but the release of peer reviewed research through the public press means there's an opportunity to compare results from similar investigations conducted by each country's rovers, such as subsurface radar data. "From that perspective," says Davis, "it's very beneficial for space exploration to have multiple countries, multiple entities doing this work. In terms of pure science, I'm very excited to see what the mission uncovers." On March 14, China's space program took a huge leap forward when it landed a rover on Mars for the first time, according to state media. China is now only the second country to land successfully on Mars. The rover, named Zhurong (after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology) joins NASA's Curiosity and…Space, Space exploration The post China has landed a rover on Mars for the first time—here's what happens next appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
| Gates’ divorce drama: Did Bill Gates’ alleged affair prompt board resignations? Posted: 16 May 2021 11:39 PM PDT dWeb.News Article from Mike Lewis  Bill Gates talks about the onset of COVID-19 in the early days of the global outbreak at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Bill Gates resigned from the Microsoft board after allegations surfaced that the company co-founder had an inappropriate, years-long sexual relationship with an employee, the Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday. The board, according to the Journal, "decided that Bill Gates needed to step down from its board in 2020 as they pursued an investigation into the billionaire's prior romantic relationship with a female Microsoft employee that was deemed inappropriate." At the time of his resignations from both the Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway boards in March of 2020, Gates said he wanted to devote more time to his work through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In the letter posted on LinkedIn, Gates, 64, wrote that he wanted "to dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities including global health and development, education, and my increasing engagement in tackling climate change. The leadership at the Berkshire companies and Microsoft has never been stronger, so the time is right to take this step." But slightly more than one year later on May 2, 2021, he and his wife of 27 years, Melinda, shocked the philanthropy and tech worlds when they announced on Twitter that they were ending their marriage. Since then, speculation has swirled about the potential causes of the breakup, who will get what when assets are split, and what will happen to the foundation. The same day the Journal posted the story about the board investigation, the New York Times published additional details critical about Bill Gates' professional behavior including inappropriate behavior toward female employees. According to the Times, "…Bill Gates had also developed a reputation for questionable conduct in work-related settings….On at least a few occasions, Mr. Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to people with direct knowledge of his overtures." Even though the Gateses announced plans to divorce two weeks ago, the couple has been rumored to be meeting with attorneys since 2019 to begin hashing out the details required to split more than $130 billion in assets and fund the world's largest foundation. A spokesperson for Gateses denied that the board resignations have anything to do with the affair which occurred in 2000 and ended without issue. "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably," the spokesperson said to the Journal. She added that Bill Gates' "decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier." Bill Gates resigned from the Microsoft board after allegations surfaced that the company co-founder had an inappropriate, years-long sexual relationship with an employee, the Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday. The board, according to the Journal, "decided that Bill Gates needed to step down from its board in 2020 as they pursued an investigation into the billionaire's prior romantic relationship with a female Microsoft employee that was deemed inappropriate." At the time of his resignations from both the Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway boards in March of 2020, Gates said he wanted to devote more time to his work through the… Read MoreMicrosoft, Bill and Melinda Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Divorce The post Gates' divorce drama: Did Bill Gates' alleged affair prompt board resignations? appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
| Posted: 16 May 2021 04:53 PM PDT dWeb.News Article from Daniel Webster   The post dWeb Says . . . appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
| You should be totally freaked out by the DarkSide attack on Colonial Pipeline Posted: 16 May 2021 02:40 PM PDT dWeb.News Article from Andy Meek  We've seen this movie before. After warnings go unheeded, a predictable, completely avoidable disaster strikes the US — in the process, revealing a soft, exposed underbelly of risk. And the people who get paid to stop this kind of thing from happening never seem to learn, most of the time, until it's too late — or nearly. This time, it was the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline which took the US to the brink of a major national energy crisis, based on a confidential analysis from the US Energy Department as well as the national Homeland Security Department — both of which surmised that a cascade of bad outcomes was about to unfold, if this Colonial Pipeline thing had gone on a little longer. Just a few more days of the pipeline's operational network being offline, for example, and the lack of diesel would have forced buses and various mass transit options to shut down, for one thing. And the domino effect would have also included factories and refiners likewise being put on ice — because a continued shutdown of Colonial's network would have left them with nowhere to distribute their product. Today’s Top DealAirPods Pro are finally back in stock at Amazon… at the lowest price of 2021!Price: $197.00
And all because a Russian criminal extortion ring threw a ransomware attack at the IT network – not even the operational side! — of a US fuel pipeline. Oh, and a quick update on that gang: If you believe the official headlines, the developers behind the DarkSide ransomware are said to have been taken offline, perhaps a result of the Biden administration exerting pressure quietly behind the scenes. Or as a result of our cyberspooks unleashing God-knows-what. At any rate, cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter's Zero Day Substack notes that the latest chatter about the ransomware gang points to its website, which previously was only accessible via Tor, now being unavailable. And that's not all. Someone from a rival ransomware gang reportedly left a message on a dark web forum in recent days that said the DarkSide founders had lost access to the site which they used to host and publish stolen data from their victims. Other infrastructure, such as their payment server, was also supposedly taken away from the DarkSide ring. At the same time, not everyone is buying this turn of events — specifically, they're not buying the notion that just one week after pulling off the Colonial attack, the DarkSide extortionists have been forced, no pun intended, to go dark. "I sincerely hope the Infosec community and media don't lose their minds over thinking DarkSide is actually shutting down when it's almost certainly a rebranding attempt to avoid the heat," Robert M. Lee, CEO of the security firm Dragos, tweeted on Friday. Likewise, from Kimberly Goody, manager of the financial crime analysis team at FireEye: "Mandiant has observed multiple actors cite a May 13 announcement that appeared to be shared with DarkSide RAAS affiliates by the operators of the service. This announcement stated that they lost access to their infrastructure, including their blog, payment, and CDN servers and would be closing their service … The post cited law enforcement pressure and pressure from the United States for this decision." Here's the key point from Goody, however: "We have not independently validated these claims and there is some speculation by other actors that this could be an exit scam." All of which is to say, all signs point to the fact that we got very, very lucky this time. Even so, what happened to Colonial Pipeline almost guarantees that critical infrastructure in the US will be hit again, and the outcome will probably be even worse next time. Why? Well, for one thing, the victims in this case actually paid the ransom (nearly $5 million). That sends a message to the next extortion ring that wants to try this, as does what happened next — the DarkSide attackers gave Colonial a decryption tool that sounds like it was pretty terrible and slow to work, so Colonial resorted to doing the mitigation they could have done without paying up in the first place. Another signal sent to the next DarkSide. Worst of all, the Russians who broke into Colonial's network provided something of a roadmap for the next time, showing that it doesn't take much effort at all to produce chaos in a portion of the US, given how vulnerable so many interconnected systems are. In this case, the hackers hit a pipeline's IT network, and Colonial itself took the pipeline down themselves — a dream come true for the bad guys. Darkside is Ransomware-as-a-Service. For the most part, affilates carry out intrusions and deploy the Darkside ransomware which comes with substantial support. Profits are split between the parties. For more context and tactical detail see our report. https://t.co/pmpixfvI07 — John Hultquist (@JohnHultquist) May 11, 2021 The sort of good news here is that federal officials maybe, just maybe, got scared straight. Private enterprises control some 80% of critical infrastructure in the US, and there are reports that the Biden administration was already starting to view the Colonial Pipeline situation through a political lens — according to The New York Times, President Biden told aides in recent days that the lines at gas stations over the past week were a political disaster in the making, causing many in the administration to flash back to the oil crisis during the Carter presidency. Nothing here, however, has changed the fact that I remain unshakably worried about the US in general, and in our ability to not even start to do the right thing until some disaster has already exacted a terrible price. The Colonial situation, for me, is a kind of near do-over of the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, for example, when warning signs were ignored and when the broader population no doubt assumed that the deployment of technology, of multiple redundancies, and of experts and agencies paid to stop this or that threat, would hopefully mean that the worst wouldn't strike us here. Making these two situations embarrassingly worse is the abundance of warnings that were, and will be, ignored. With the coronavirus pandemic, for example, we saw what was happening in the rest of the world — in places that dealt with it first, like China. Rather than shore up our defenses, though, political leadership at the time told everyone it can't happen here. Likewise, we've seen what hackers can do in a situation like Colonial's, yet we will be attacked again because someone, somewhere, will not be ready. #ColonialPipeline — Vera – Biden&Harris Will Make America Great Again (@prayerfeathers) May 14, 2021 It is a weakness and a pretty scary shortcoming of the US, but our belief in the infallibility of our technological power, in our multiple protective redundancies, and in experts and federal agencies has proven to be misplaced time and time again. Here's another, unrelated example: I was utterly floored by an incident described by journalist Carol Leonnig in her new book, Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service. "Just before 11:30 p.m. on a rainy Friday night in March 2017, a young man clambered over a five-foot-high fence and landed on the far northeast corner of the White House complex. His slender frame passing over the spiked black fence-line triggered a sensor that alerted Secret Service officers to a possible breach." She goes on to write how, since it was at night, the officers on duty struggled to get a visual of where this guy actually was on the complex, as they frantically roamed themselves. Which helped the 26-year-old intruder, in the confusion, to hop over two more barriers and also slip past not one, not two, but three staffed security posts — and walk all the way up to the east entrance to the White House. This guy even put his face up to the window and jiggled a door handle to see if it was locked. "Over the course of 17 minutes," Leonnig writes, the intruder "enjoyed a relaxed ramble around the grounds, eluded a team of 15 trained security professionals who were alerted to a likely burglar and crossed 200 yards of White House property without being stopped." He even had time to sit down and tie his shoe. That's because of a slew of failures in the Secret Service's supposedly high-tech defenses which combined to leave one of the most protected houses in the world vulnerable to a random intruder. They included a sensor on the White House fence malfunctioning, which meant that once the guy jumped over, an alarm that was supposed to sound inside didn't. According to Leonnig, there are also motion-activated lights on the White House grounds that the intruder should have triggered, but same story — they weren't working. An officer who caught up to the intruder tried to radio for help, but couldn't. His radio was busted. And a camera covering the portion of the grounds where the intruder was roaming was, you guessed it, broken. That unforgivably idiotic series of failures reminded me of all the broken defenses, the busted tripwires and the missed warnings that led to the coronavirus pandemic being as awful as it's been in the US — more than 585,000 official deaths from the virus and counting, as of the time of this writing, based on Johns Hopkins University data. Same with Colonial Pipeline. Everyone who knows anything about cybersecurity has been waiting for this line to be crossed, for attackers to start wreaking havoc on the US power grid, and other key pieces of infrastructure. It's only a matter of time. "Every fragility was exposed," Dmitri Alperovitch, a co-founder of the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told The New York Times about the Colonial Pipeline attack. "We learned a lot about what could go wrong. Unfortunately, so did our adversaries." Today’s Top DealApple’s hot new AirTags are finally back in stock on Amazon – hurry before they sell out again!Price: $29.00 And all because a Russian criminal extortion ring threw a ransomware attack at the IT network – not even the operational side! — of a US fuel pipeline. Oh, and a quick update on that gang: If you believe the official headlines, the developers behind the DarkSide ransomware are said to have been taken offline, perhaps a result of the Biden administration exerting pressure quietly behind the scenes. Or as a result of our cyberspooks unleashing God-knows-what. At any rate, cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter's Zero Day Substack notes that the latest chatter about the ransomware gang points to its website, which previously was only accessible via Tor, now being unavailable. And that's not all.
The post You should be totally freaked out by the DarkSide attack on Colonial Pipeline appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
| Posted: 16 May 2021 09:34 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from Daniel Webster  Beware: Food Prices Spike — Will Continue to RiseConsumers will Pay the Price, Ultimately By Daniel Webster dWeb.News "It seems to be a perfect storm as far as ingredients, labor and every other element we're looking at," Joe Grendys, the billionaire owner of Koch Foods told Forbes. "The inputs going into producing these products have gone up at a pace we haven't seen in quite some time." Research firm NielsenIQ reports that seafood has climbed 18.7 percent while baked goods have increased 7.5 percent in the 13 week period ended April 24. Grocery store prices overall are up 3.3 percent from March 2020 to March 2021, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). If you ordered from a restaurant during that time, your meal costs rose 3.7 percent. The big reason for the price increases is corn, which helps animals put on weight quickly and is one of the single largest expenses in livestock production. The price of a bushel of corn has increased to over $7 from just above $3 a year ago, the highest prices for corn in a decade. When corn was last above $5, in 2010 through 2014, producers and independents went bankrupt across the meat industry. Earlier this month, R-CALF, the lobbying organization for the nation's 5,000 independent cattlemen, warned that rising grain prices would put some of the last independent producers left in the meat industry out of business. Between 2010–14, thousands of independents were driven out of the beef industry. R-Calf president Bill Bullard said $7 corn in a competitive livestock market would not create as bad of a problem. But he says he's now heard of producers like one that's been in business 46 years questioning if they will make it another season.
READ MORE: FLIPPIN' BONKERS!: GAS HITS $7 GALLON Consumer Price Index IncreaseThe Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose last month to 4.2 percent over the previous April. That is the highest inflation rate since September 2008. Most importantly, the core CPI, which tracks food and energy prices rose 0.9 percent. Consequently, that was 0.6 percent above projections. Short-Term VolatilityFood prices can move almost instantly with a change in weather, geopolitics, social unrest, and a variety of other factors. A combination of events has come together to impact current food prices. READ MORE: Gas Prices Hit $3 Per Gallon Average, First Time Since 2014Oil and Supply ChainGasoline is used to fuel everything from tractors used in the planting and harvesting of grains, vegetables, and fruit to delivery of those products in addition to meat and fish. As a result, any price increase in oil contributes to price increases in food. In addition to gas prices, problems in the supply chain impact not only food prices but other grocery store items. For instance, remember the toilet paper shortage? Extreme WeatherExtreme weather events, as well as gradual changes, have had an impact on the food supply. The most recent major weather event is the winter storm that wreaked havoc deep into Texas. The immediate impact of that storm was knocking out the power grid. That left people without heat and electricity as temperatures dropped to record lows. However, the long-term impact has slashed the supply of many food sources. Losses from that one storm have been estimated at $600 million. Of that, $14 million in milk, cattle, and poultry were lost. In addition, a vast array of fruits and vegetables were destroyed. Government SupplementsGovernment policy has had some effect on food costs by driving up corn prices. More corn is going into fuel tanks. As a result, less is going into stomachs. The U. S. government pays subsidies to use corm for biofuels. As a result, the price of corn has risen and there is less corn to eat. The creation of ethanol consumes 37 percent of the nation's corn. That's more than six times the amount used in 2000. The PandemicYou've heard it before, but it bears repeating. The pandemic upended the food supply and helped drive up the cost of food and many other goods. The pandemic accelerated in March of last year. Many states and cities instituted safety measures that lead to more people eating at home more often. That increased the demand for groceries. Meanwhile, nations began closing their borders to limit the spread of COVID-19. That disrupted shipping which further limited the food supply. As a result, prices went higher. Limited StockpilesThe World Trade Organization (WTO) limits the amount certain foods, such as corn and wheat, can be stockpiled. That policy is designed to level the playing field between countries that subsidize farmers and those that do not. This policy is effective in times of abundance. However, it worsens the problem during shortages.  Rising Meat PricesAnother factor increasing food prices is an increase in meat consumption – especially pork. People around the world are becoming more affluent. As a result, those who could not afford meat a few years ago now can. So, you say, just raise more animals. Fine, but the animals you want to eat have to eat as well. That leads to a need for more grain. That increase in demand raises grain prices even more. That leads to higher meat prices. The Darkness Before The DawnReading all the above and watching prices climb at the grocery may lead you to think the solution is simply not to eat. That's been tried and most agree the results are not satisfactory. Take heart, the high prices we are experiencing today and, perhaps, for the rest of the year are not permanent. USDA PredictionsThe Department of Agriculture is expecting grocery prices to rise another one to two percent in 2021, before stabilizing as the pandemic passes. Restaurant food costs will grow by another two to three percent, says the USDA. The Agriculture Department is even predicting beef and veal prices will drop between 1.5 to 2.5 percent by the end of the year. Of course, the USDA projections can not predict whether a hurricane, tornado, flood or other natural disasters will disrupt the food supply. READ MORE: Prices Skyrocket — on EVERYTHING ConclusionThere are many things you can not do about food prices. You can not increase grain yields, cut transportation costs, or change the weather. However, you are not powerless. You can exercise a plan of action to minimize the effects of rising food prices. There are many sources for inexpensive recipes online and in publications. You can also set a budget and stick to it. Here are some other ideas for fighting food costs. The post Perfect Storm: Grocery Prices Skyrocket; Meat Prices Soar; Corn Hits $7; Gas Prices Going Nuts; Extreme Weather Events appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
| Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of May 9, 2021 Posted: 16 May 2021 08:39 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from GeekWire  Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of May 9, 2021. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on GeekWireSeattle teen entrepreneurs sell their health-tech startup and take a break from collegeThe news: Seattle entrepreneurs Sage Khanuja, 17, and Nikolas Ioannou, 18, have sold their telemedicine startup Spira to Galileo, a New York-based healthcare company. … Read More Why this Seattle deli ditched third-party delivery services: 'I don't want them anywhere near our food'Jonny Silverberg, co-owner of Seattle's Schmaltzy's Delicatessen, remembers his breaking point. … Read More Report: Pentagon may cancel JEDI cloud computing contract amid legal battle and political criticismThe Pentagon is considering "pulling the plug" on the $10 billion JEDI cloud computing contract, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. … Read More Internal memo: Longtime Amazon exec Jeff Blackburn returns after brief hiatus to lead new entertainment unitBlackburn's back. Longtime Amazon exec Jeff Blackburn is returning to the Seattle tech giant, just a few months after he departed and spent five weeks at a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. … Read More Jeff Bezos will reportedly join the billionaire boating class with a $500M luxury sailing superyachtIt's not exactly the type of vessel that would putter around near the shores of Amazon's South Lake Union campus in Seattle, but Jeff Bezos is reportedly looking to set sail with a boat of his own. … Read More SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell as Blue Origin's CEO? New book about Jeff Bezos says she was askedWhen it comes to his Blue Origin space venture, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos likes to say "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." But a new book claims Bezos was so concerned about the slow pace of progress five years ago that Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, was asked about becoming Blue Origin's CEO. … Read More Melinda Gates reportedly consulted with divorce lawyers since 2019The news: Melinda Gates has been working with divorce lawyers since 2019, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. … Read More Washington state plans to fully reopen by June 30 as governor pushes COVID vaccine incentivesWashington state will move to fully reopen and lift restrictions put on the economy by COVID-19 by June 30, Gov. … Read More 'Amazon Unbound' is a portrait of a company 'getting perilously close to invincible'"I wonder what unit profitability was in 2017 without advertising?" That seemingly mundane question, posed by Jeff Bezos during a meeting of Amazon's senior leadership team, won't get as much attention as other details from business journalist Brad Stone's new book, "Amazon Unbound" — especially not when compared to revelations about the billionaire's relationship with a helicopter pilot, and his ensuing battle with a supermarket tabloid. … Read More Madrona Venture Labs raises $8M, unveils plan to turn its investors into co-founders of spinoutsThe news: Madrona Venture Labs, the startup studio associated with Madrona Venture Group, has raised $8 million for its fourth fund. … Read More See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of May 9, 2021.… Read MoreGeekWire Weekly The post Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of May 9, 2021 appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
| How End User Computing (EUC) is Digitally Transforming the Post-Pandemic Workplace Posted: 16 May 2021 07:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from Dipti Parmar  Since the start of the global pandemic, many column inches have been devoted to the inevitable rise in home-working. No business could have foreseen a situation in which the majority of their workforce would have to work from home for months on end. Even before many companies were forced to make (and help) their employees work from home due to COVID-19 restrictions, we noted a definite trend towards the emergence and spread of the gig economy. Consultants and freelancers kept a lot of projects and campaigns going efficiently in a variety of organizations and industries. Most countries are working towards vaccinating their citizens, and it stands to reason that people are slowly beginning to return to their "regular" offices. This means companies again need to respond to new realities in workforce behaviors and set up tools and IT infrastructure that enable employees to get the job done equally well from home, office, and away locations. End-User Computing (EUC) is Digitally TransformingAlthough many businesses, small and large, have embraced digital transformation, there are challenges in implementing these technologies successfully at all levels. The workforce has to be adequately equipped to keep supply chains going, the product line churning, and providing efficient customer service as usual. Companies that fail to do this risk lagging behind and a hurried implementation process risk leaving employees with insufficient training to take advantage of the transition. The disruptive post-pandemic futureThat said, a 2020 McKinsey survey of 800 executives worldwide suggests that workplaces and companies face a disruptive post-pandemic future due to accelerated (and ad-hoc) digitization and automation. This is because many businesses were forced to expedite tech implementation that enabled employees to work remotely. The Post-Pandemic WorkplaceThis now-from-home, now-from-the-office work culture could become the norm in the future is neither the responsibility nor a potential worry for the end-user. Employees and independent workers who comprise today's workforce simply expect to be able to use devices, apps, and software that they like and are comfortable with — if they are to deliver work on time. They couldn't care less about barriers or complexities posed by the IT architecture of the company. It is up to CIOs, CTOs and other IT leaders of your company to make sure they're able to use their devices and apps of choice and have enough flexibility to carry out the tasks at hand productively. The answer is End User Computing. What is End User Computing (EUC)?Put simply, EUC is an umbrella term used to describe the scalable technology that IT teams use. The tech provides access to workstations, applications, and data to end-users in an organizational setting. The broader ecosystem includes apps, mobile devices, cloud interfaces, laptops, smartphones, wearable devices, and so on. In essence, it's any software and hardware that companies and their employees use in their day-to-day jobs. This includes making it easier for non-coders to develop and use simple applications without help from the core IT team. In a nutshell, computing and network technology are used to connect and share data securely amidst employees and stakeholders both internally and externally. How Is EUC Implemented?There are two ways companies can implement end-user computing: On-premises data centersLarger companies and organizations have internal data centers that can have their employees log in using their own devices from anywhere, using a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) setup. VDI uses virtualization and hyper-convergence technology to create desktop images called virtual machines (VMs) and deliver them to end users' devices when they login to the company's data center. Each VM is allotted a working set of data, applications, storage, and compute power necessary for the user to complete their tasks, according to their role. Over the cloudFor leaner organizations that don't need full control over their resources, it is simpler to access VDI's equivalent over a public, private, or hybrid cloud infrastructure. Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) enables you to access your AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure apps via a simple HTML browser as well as integrate with SaaS, IaaS and PaaS resources from popular cloud vendors. This means users need no more than a WiFi connection and a browser-enabled device to access their favorite apps and keep working without any hitches. Why EUC Is Synonymous with Business TransformationMany companies are comfortable with the public cloud and SaaS model that lets their users log in with commodity devices to their networks. Further, these solutions are low cost as well as scalable. However, the new models of EUC with VDI and DaaS ensure increased security, interoperability with legacy apps and infrastructure, as well as identity management and a consistent user experience from any location or via any connection. From power users' point of view, it offers the DevOps triad of continuous integration, continuous delivery and continuous deployment. These are the specific advantages: More Freedom for EmployeesTraditionally, the work computer and its capabilities were controlled and constricted. People could rarely change the personalization settings or install apps of their choice. In contrast, EUC affords employees more flexibility in the form of software, hardware, content formats, data access, and querying capabilities. This flexibility makes it easier for employees not only to do their jobs better but also to connect with one another as well as customers. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)BYOD is the natural shift to user-centric IT, providing a seamless connection between employee's personal and professional lives. EUC empowers employees to use their preferred devices, and therefore, operate in a more comfortable and convenient tech environment. They can better use their expertise with their chosen technology while saving your business from spending more on new devices. BYOD is not just popular in companies now; many schools, hospitals, and government agencies are also starting to save costs and digitize faster this way. A More Mobile WorkforceA study by FlexJobs found that 96% of employees wanted to have some form of remote work even after the end of the pandemic. Further, they use at least one laptop and one mobile device to access their work remotely. While this means IT teams might have to adapt to new realities and problems in endpoint configuration and control, EUC tech is sufficiently advanced to accommodate hardware-agnostic device management. With granular policy implementation, you can set up and configure devices remotely within minutes to ensure your workforce benefits from maximum uptime. Centralized ManagementWith an increasingly high number of desktops, both virtual and real, and mobile devices connecting from various locations, your IT teams might be excused for fearing a loss of control. Not only do you have to manage users across different geographies, but also with varying hardware/software configurations and insecure connections to boot. EUC, however, allows admins to manage these devices from a unified, singular interface. It enables the installation of applications, updates, and security patches, using just a few clicks or automated API calls. Plus, you can use the same tech to onboard new employees and apply policies. The VDI or DaaS management interface lets you monitor the number and nature of apps installed by users on their devices. You can also add or remove users to optimize compute and network usage during peak or idle times. Granular SecuritySecurity is a considerable concern in many EUC implementations, given the wide variety of devices involved. As a result, businesses must adapt to meet the ever-increasing security requirements. Measure SecurityEUC solutions provide measures such as embedded security or multi-factor authentication to tackle these concerns. Businesses in the finance, government, or health sector, where data security is a grave concern, can ensure sensitive data is not stored on user devices. You'd do best to implement a zero-trust architecture (ZTA) model. Make sure all devices and users are authenticated every time they connect to the company network, and then give access only on an as-needed basis. Final ThoughtsThe transformation of work culture, as well as technology, will continue to pick up the pace beyond the end of the pandemic. While adapting to these new norms in the wake of COVID-19 poses a challenge, businesses have the perfect opportunity to embrace the long-lasting benefits EUC software provides. Balance user needs with business needsWhen you focus on balancing user needs with business needs, you are bound to achieve business objectives quickly. Blending a consistent user experience with security and ease of use will improve both productivity and creativity in your organization, attracting more users into the ecosystem. Businesses that ride these transformations by offering a dependable and user-friendly experience to remote workers are more likely to build a stronger brand and improve work-life balance for their employees. The post How End User Computing (EUC) is Digitally Transforming the Post-Pandemic Workplace appeared first on ReadWrite. Since the start of the global pandemic, many column inches have been devoted to the inevitable rise in home-working. No business could have foreseen a situation in which the majority of their workforce would have to work from home for months on end. Even before many companies were forced to make (and help) their employees The post How End User Computing (EUC) is Digitally Transforming the Post-Pandemic Workplace appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
| Elon Musk says he’s working with dogecoin to improve transaction efficiency Posted: 16 May 2021 07:40 AM PDT dWeb.News Article from Chris Smith  If you see dogecoin price surging yet again on cryptocurrency exchanges, social media, and the news, that's because Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been propping the meme coin on Twitter again. Musk has had a massive influence on doge, which rose spectacularly from less than 5 cents a few months ago to nearly 70 cents last week. The coin then fell sharply just as Musk hosted Saturday Night Live, a show where he made various references to the meme coin and continued to drop in the past few days alongside bitcoin and most of the market. The same Musk surprised fans last week when he said that Tesla would no longer accept bitcoin payments for electric cars, as bitcoin isn't energy efficient. The announcement came just as abruptly as the news that Tesla would accept bitcoin payments for vehicles less than two months ago. Musk is back on the doge bandwagon, revealing on Twitter that he's working on making this particular coin more efficient. Today’s Top DealApple’s hot new AirTags are finally back in stock on Amazon – hurry before they sell out again!
It's unlikely that Musk or Tesla were unaware of exactly how energy efficient bitcoin mining was when Tesla decided to buy $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin earlier this year or when it enabled bitcoin payments. And some still debate Musk's claim that crypto mining can't be eco-friendly. But Musk's decision to stop accepting bitcoin payments briefly accelerated the coin's price drop last week. Bitcoin rebounded a few hours later, although it's still trading a few thousand dollars below the price at the time of Musk's tweet. The Tesla exec said at the time that the company will not be selling any bitcoin and plans to use the cryptocurrency in the future. Tesla is considering other digital tokens as well, Musk said, without naming any names: Tesla will not be selling any Bitcoin and we intend to use it for transactions as soon as mining transitions to more sustainable energy. We are also looking at other cryptocurrencies that use <1% of Bitcoin's energy/transaction. A few days before that, but after his SNL appearance, Musk ran a poll on Twitter asking followers whether they want Tesla to accept doge. Over 78% of the more than 3.9 million votes answered yes. Working with Doge devs to improve system transaction efficiency. Potentially promising. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2021 After saying that Tesla will no longer process bitcoin payments, the CEO wrote on Twitter that he "strongly believes in crypto, but it can't drive a massive increase in fossil fuel use, especially coal." A few hours later, he revealed that he is "working with doge devs to improve system transaction efficiency," adding that it's "potentially promising." The tweet is somewhat cryptic, as Musk has not elaborated what that means. Dogecoin started as a meme coin a few years ago, without having any real purpose. Even so, it developed a cult following, and its popularity exploded in the past few months. It's unclear how Musk plans to make use of it for Tesla or other projects, but his SpaceX already announced that doge payments would fund a mission to the moon. Dogecoin is trading at 55 cents at the time of this writing. Today’s Top DealAirPods Pro are finally back in stock at Amazon… at the lowest price of 2021!Price: $197.00 The same Musk surprised fans last week when he said that Tesla would no longer accept bitcoin payments for electric cars, as bitcoin isn't energy efficient. The announcement came just as abruptly as the news that Tesla would accept bitcoin payments for vehicles less than two months ago. Musk is back on the doge bandwagon, revealing on Twitter that he's working on making this particular coin more efficient. It's unlikely that Musk or Tesla were unaware of exactly how energy efficient bitcoin mining was when Tesla decided to buy $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin earlier this year or when it enabled bitcoin payments. And some still debate Musk's claim that crypto mining can't be eco-friendly. But Musk's decision to stop accepting bitcoin payments briefly accelerated the coin's price drop last week. Bitcoin rebounded a few hours later, although it's still trading a few thousand dollars below the price at the time of Musk's tweet. The Tesla exec said at the time that the company will not be selling any bitcoin and plans to use the cryptocurrency in the future. Tesla is considering other digital tokens as well, Musk said, without naming any names:
After saying that Tesla will no longer process bitcoin payments, the CEO wrote on Twitter that he "strongly believes in crypto, but it can't drive a massive increase in fossil fuel use, especially coal." A few hours later, he revealed that he is "working with doge devs to improve system transaction efficiency," adding that it's "potentially promising." The tweet is somewhat cryptic, as Musk has not elaborated what that means. Dogecoin started as a meme coin a few years ago, without having any real purpose. Even so, it developed a cult following, and its popularity exploded in the past few months. It's unclear how Musk plans to make use of it for Tesla or other projects, but his SpaceX already announced that doge payments would fund a mission to the moon. Dogecoin is trading at 55 cents at the time of this writing.Bitcoin, dogecoin, Elon Musk, Tesla The post Elon Musk says he's working with dogecoin to improve transaction efficiency appeared first on dWeb.News Daniel Webster dWeb Internet Cowboy  |
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