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BetaNews.Com (15 non lus)

Alphabet prepares for $5 billion stock buyback

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 7:18pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

With all this cash lying around, Alphabet is planning on buying back shares of its own stock, The Economic Times has reported.

According to the report, high profit which the company had in the third quarter of this year, has prompted it to announce it would give investors some of the money.

"They’re growing up", The Economic Times cites Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Financial.

One of the bigger issues with Google is the fact that it has a lot of companies and firms that are completely unrelated to its core business, like self-driving cars, pharmaceutical companies and whatnot.

Those firms, also called "Larry Page’s moonshots", have had investors questioning how profitable they are and how much the company is really spending on risky business ideas. With Google getting a parent company, and leaving only the core business to itself, the financial results will be clearer.

"Products like Search, Android, Maps, Chrome and YouTube each have over a billion users already, and Google Play crossed that milestone this quarter as well", said Sundar Pichai, Google’s new chief executive. |But what’s most exciting is that we’re just beginning to scratch the surface".

|This is the appetizer, and the main meal comes next quarter when they report the new corporate structure", said Ben Schachter, an analyst with Macquarie Securities.

Typical of a company filled with engineers, the buyback was encased in a riddle, with an exact value of $5,099,019,513.59 -- which mirrors the square root of 26, as in the 26 letters of the alphabet.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: Filipchuk Oleg/Shutterstock
Do the right thing: How changing behaviors prevents breaches

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 7:07pm CET par Ryan Stolte

In most cases, insiders -- which include employees and third party vendors -- want to do the right thing. They don’t want to put their company at risk of a breach. After monitoring and analyzing the behaviors of more than a million users, our Bay Dynamics experts discovered that in approximately 90 percent of data loss prevention incidents -- meaning when employees leak sensitive data outside an organization -- the employees are legitimate users who innocently send out data for business purposes.

Without even realizing it, insiders are putting their organizations at risk of a breach -- using weak passwords, sending out private information they should not be accessing, clicking on any link that comes into their inbox, etc. They do not understand the potential repercussions of their actions and as a result, we keep seeing more breaches.

Businesses need to get a better grasp on what their insiders are doing on a daily basis -- what kind of information do they access? How do they access it? Which websites do they typically visit? Who do they typically email? By collecting information about how their insiders are regularly behaving, businesses can more easily identify behaviors that are out of the norm and take action to nip that behavior in the bud before it’s too late.

We are increasingly seeing more businesses taking this approach, called User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), where instead of solely focusing on attacks coming from the outside, in-house IT and security teams are looking at the inside -- who is doing what, what their entities are doing (devices they use like laptops), and are any of them posing a security risk. In the Market Guide for User and Entity Behavior Analytics, by Avivah Litan, published September 22, 2015, industry analyst firm Gartner says it "expects the UEBA market revenue will climb to almost $200 million by the end of 2017, up from less than $50 million today".

To give an example of UEBA in action... our UEBA software was collecting and analyzing information about the behaviors and actions of individual employees within a large enterprise business. We noticed a subset of individuals who were slowly leaking private corporate information outside of the network. It wasn’t typical behavior of those individuals, their peers or the individuals who work with their team. We sent the findings to the in-house security team, providing names and other information so that they could take action immediately. Sure enough, the group of employees was planning to leave the company and use the leaked information to help start a new business.

UEBA helps change risky insider behaviors early on to minimize businesses’ risk of a breach and also helps stop breaches in progress. However, it’s important to note, that UEBA works best when it’s the glue that ties together businesses’ security tools. In-house IT and security teams face challenges sifting through the abundance of information coming from their various security tools already in place. They don’t know which alerts to address first, if they are real threats and oftentimes overlook important alerts because they did not have the time to get to them or they were not flagged as imminent. UEBA helps overcome that challenge by wrapping up and correlating all of that data so that it tells one story about each individual user. IT and security teams receive a complete picture of what their users are doing, who they need to take immediate action on first, who they need to keep their eye on and why.

Based on the numerous breaches we continue to see, the "defense-in-depth" strategy is not working. Criminals are finding ways to circumvent the various controls, oftentimes posing as legitimate employees to move about freely within businesses’ environments and steal data. Businesses need to shift from an "outside-in" to an “inside-out” approach when it comes to security. Even if criminals use a legitimate employee’s login credentials to move around the corporate network, they cannot 100 percent walk in that employee’s shoes. They cannot mimic everything that employee does on a day to day basis. The second they slip, UEBA will catch them.

Image credit: Jakub Zak/Shutterstock

Ryan Stolte is Co-Founder and CTO at Bay Dynamics. He has directed the strategy, architecture, and implementation of IT and Information Security solutions for over 15 years. Since its founding in 2001, Ryan has grown Bay Dynamics into a leading solution provider with a diverse portfolio of products and services. His breadth of experience in improving information security processes and deep knowledge of Business Intelligence provide the foundation for the patented technology behind IT Analytics™ and Risk Fabric.
Things to look out for before deploying Windows 10

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 7:01pm CET par Sergio Galindo
The arrival of Windows 10 is a significant step forward for the Windows platform, further unifying the desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone ecosystem and implementing another significant change to the Windows user interface.

Many are already looking at Windows 10 as a refined and bug-fixed migration alternative to Windows 8. Business interest in deploying the new system is high -- particularly as Windows 10 is a free update for many existing PCs. However, free or not, a badly planned and executed Windows 10 migration in the workplace has the potential for substantial disruption.

What are the minimum activities that businesses should undertake before deploying Windows 10? Consider the following:
- Clearly communicate to staff that they should not upgrade any company PC to Windows 10 themselves, even if they see a genuine pop-up from Microsoft inviting them to do so. It is critical that any updates to existing PCs is overseen by IT.
- Audit the IT estate to see exactly what systems are in use and where, and to understand what hardware is currently in use. Doing this will help with identifying Windows 10 drivers for existing hardware, checking compatibility of existing desktops and laptops, and identifying any particularly old systems that need replacement rather than a software update.
- Categorize all existing software applications by their mission critical nature. Check whether they will be compatible with Windows 10 as-is, or after an available update. If a piece of software is not Windows 10 compatible and never will be (for example, legacy bespoke software that is no longer supported), confirm what the latest OS version is that it will run on, and whether it can be run in a virtual machine environment.
- Where applications won’t work with Windows 10 directly, consider creating a virtual machine environment running the most recent OS that the software will work on. This will enable you to dispose of legacy hardware, deploy Windows 10, but retain key unsupported software systems in a way that isolates it from other systems and software. Test the operation of such software in a VM rigorously before decommissioning working physical systems.
- Where possible, create a testing environment for the most common desktop configurations in use in the company, to ensure hardware compatibility with Windows 10 before deploying into live environments. Ensure applications, drivers, accessories and network devices continue to function as expected. This also applies where Windows 10 will be deployed on brand new hardware. Lab test an example configuration first.
- Stagger the deployment, just in case something goes wrong. Minimise the number of machines that will need rolling back in the event of a failed deployment or undiscovered compatibility issue presenting. Also avoid deploying during normal business hours if possible.
- Once deployed, keep on top of software updates and bug fixes to drivers. Windows Update will only look after Microsoft’s own updates, so consider deploying an automated patch management solution. This will help with gathering, deploying and managing drivers and other software updates during and after a Windows 10 deployment. In the first year after deployment, driver and application updates are likely to be frequent as glitches and compatibility issues manifest and are reported.
Maintaining a discontinued operating system (OS) is akin to keeping an old car on the road -- the supply of service parts eventually dries up as manufacturers focus on supporting more recent incarnations. Even recent versions such as Windows 7 is starting to be left behind by software and driver developers.

With this in mind, moving to the latest OS for free makes solid business sense. Just remember to gather all the data about the IT estate first and ensure compatibility, otherwise a free update can quickly turn into a costly and time-consuming one.

Sergio Galindo, general manager of GFI Software.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: Anton Watman / Shutterstock
Microsoft launches website to help MacBook users switch to Surface Book

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 5:18pm CET par Brian Fagioli
While I am not a huge fan of the Surface Book, some people apparently are. You see, the high-priced hybrid computer is, according to Microsoft, selling well. Could Apple fans be converting?

The Windows-maker is clearly targeting Mac users with this offering, as it constantly compares it to the MacBook Pro. Just in case Microsoft is successful in converting a few OS X users, the company has launched a new website titled 'Making the switch: MacBook to Microsoft Surface Book', to help with the transition.

Microsoft says the following.

Computers, and the memories you keep within them, are incredibly personal. We know moving these memories from one platform to another can be nerve-racking and learning new software can seem daunting. We want to make the transition as easy as possible. If you currently have a Mac and have questions about switching to Microsoft Surface Book and Windows 10, we designed this site to help get you started.

On the bottom of the page, Microsoft lists four tutorials.
- Getting started with Windows 10 on Surface Book
- Using Surface Book: Tips for MacBook users
- Moving photos, files, and mail from Mac to Surface Book
- Using Surface Book with iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes
While I am sure this guide for converts will help some Surface Book buyers, I am not convinced that many Apple users will actually switch. Yes, graphic artists will absolutely love the active stylus and tablet capability, but the iPad Pro is right around the corner.

Making the move from OS X to Windows could be a costly affair; Mac users may have to repurchase software if it is even available on Microsoft's platform. Not to mention, there will be a steep learning curve. Mac users are rather loyal, so it is not realistic that they will jump ship because of one computer.

Do you think many OS X users will switch to Surface Book? Tell me in the comments.
What's the most-destructive PC virus?

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 5:14pm CET par Sam Pudwell

Cyber security is at the forefront of people’s minds in the technology industry at the moment, with a plethora of high-profile breaches pushing the subject into the mainstream.

The likes of Sony, Ashley Madison and T-Mobile have all been hacked within the last 12 months and developing trends such as cloud computing and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) have made security a hot topic for discussion.

There are several different ways in which breaches can occur, but one of the most prevalent is the computer virus. To delve a bit deeper into this area, SupremeSystems has created an infographic looking at the most destructive computer viruses of all time.

According to its findings, approximately 33 percent of the world’s computers have been affected by some kind of malicious software, with viruses accounting for 57 percent. The countries most affected are China (56 percent), South Korea (51 percent) and Taiwan (44 percent).

But which viruses have been the most destructive? In terms of the number of computers affected, the Storm Worm Trojan, which was transmitted via email and affected Microsoft users, hit around 10 million computers to claim top spot.

The reported damages for Storm Worm are unknown, so the clear winner in this category is My Doom, with reported damages of $38 billion (£24.5 billion).

The full infographic can be found below.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo Credits: maraga/Shutterstock
What's next for the PC: 'PC Does Whaaat?!' campaign

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 3:28pm CET par Ali Din

If the tech space is evolving and competitive on the cutting edge, then the PC market is on the bleeding edge. Many factors have affected the industry, but the PC’s fate has been due to the appeal of smartphones, tablets, and the need for mobility. While mobile devices are the rave, can they really replace the workload and capabilities of the PC?

In an effort to make the PC "cool" again, five major PC makers -- Microsoft, Intel, Dell, HP and Lenovo -- joined together to launch a $70 million, 6-week advertising campaign. The campaign, titled, "PC Does Whaaat?!”, launched with targeted online TV commercials focusing on the features available on the Windows 10 platform, and through broadcast and social media channels in the US and China.

Though only some of the commercials were released, the campaign has already generated major criticism. Some critics analyzed the campaign's shortfalls, including its inability to obtain the “cool factor” that PCs once had.

Shifting Trend Towards Mobility

PCs were a booming industry 10 years ago. However, with the launch of mobile devices (e.g. tablets, smartphones, wearables), and the fanatical surge of Apple products, PCs don’t seem to have a lot of cachet. Today’s users require mobility at home and in the workspace with an emphasis on convenience.

Businesses, in particular, are taking advantage of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), which helps save on costs by having employees bring their own personal devices to the workplace. Employees also have the opportunity to access important company data and applications through any device, anywhere. This allows employees to have the flexibility to work remotely from any location without affecting productivity.

Hosted Virtual Desktops

Hosted Virtual Desktops (HVDs) provide the platform for BYOD. They can run on any computer, on any interface, including Mac, PC, and Android. HVDs push the limits of the workspace and enable employees to increase their level of productivity and resiliency. They enhance PCs, and can lead to cost savings, enhanced business continuity, and security.

Migrating to cloud virtual desktops can reduce the costs of purchasing the newest devices and managing outdated infrastructure. Many people still have doubts about switching to the cloud, but cloud-hosted virtual desktops can actually provide higher security and reliability than traditional infrastructure. In the cloud, company data can be stored in multiple redundant data centers and secured with multiple layers of security to ensure that a business is always running, and always secure.

The "PC Does What?!" campaign highlights an increasing trend of the need for portability in devices. Will the outdated 30+ year old PC industry be able to revive itself? If the trend continues towards mobility, people should look to virtual desktops to deliver the convenience they require, and hey, virtual desktops run on both Mac and PC, so you can opt for the operating system of your choice.

Ali Din is SVP and CMO at dinCloud, a cloud services provider that helps organizations rapidly migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud. With an MBA and over ten years’ marketing experience, Ali provides product marketing and brand management for the company. For more information, visit: www.dincloud.com or follow @dinCloud on Twitter.
Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book go on sale today -- will you buy one?

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 3:22pm CET par Wayne Williams

Surface Pro 4, the latest generation of Microsoft’s popular Windows slate, and Surface Book, the company’s brand new high-end laptop, both go on sale today -- provided you live in the US or Canada. If you live elsewhere you’ll have to wait until November.

Pre-orders have reportedly been brisk, with both devices going in and out of stock. Microsoft says the initial reaction to Surface Book and early pre-order activity has exceeded its expectations, so it’s likely to have limited quantities in store today.

As a refresher, Surface Pro 4 runs Windows 10 Pro and is powered by the new 6th generation Intel Core M, i5, or i7 processors. It’s thinner than its predecessor, and 30 percent faster too. The screen size has increased from 12 inches to 12.3 inches.

Microsoft describes Surface Book as the "ultimate laptop" and says it’s twice as fast as the MacBook Pro. It also runs Windows 10 Pro and can reportedly deliver up to 12 hours of battery life and has a 13.5” PixelSense display with six million pixels. What’s cool is the screen detaches, so it can be used as a tablet.

The device is powered by a 6th Generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and features Intel HD graphics, and up to 1TB of storage. Surface Book is also available with discrete NVIDIA GeForce GPU if you require a little more oomph.

There are reasons for and against buying the Surface Book, although of course that’s true of any such device.

Now that both products are officially on sale, we’re interested to know whether you’re planning to buy either of the devices, and if so which.

Please answer our poll, and then leave a comment below telling us why you voted as you did. If you are going to buy either device, please say which model you've opted for.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Mozilla may drop FTP support from Firefox

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 3:09pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

When your product has millions of users, any change that you make is guaranteed to impact a significant number of people. So, when you decide the time has come to remove a traditional feature, you are sure to encounter some resistance. Question is, where do you go from there?

Mozilla is in this exact situation. The organization apparently wants to drop support for FTP in a future version of its Firefox browser. And, even though most folks are likely not making use of it, there are still hundreds of thousands if not millions of other people who will be affected.

FTP support is actually seen as a bug on Bugzilla, Mozilla's bug tracker, which is where the removal was suggested earlier this year. The report, called "Remove built-in support for FTP", has, so far, gathered the attention of a small part of Firefox's loyal user base, with only a handful of users leaving a comment; most, however, see it as a terrible idea. Some of the replies we could not even post here, given the tone that was used.

The bug report lists no reason as to why FTP support should be removed from Firefox. Doug Turner, the tester who proposed this change, only points to a Chromium project issue for more information, but without adding any clarification after.

The Chromium issue discusses the idea of removing FTP support, to streamline the browser, while providing users with an alternative, specifically an app or extension which they could download to replace the dropped functionality. This issue dates back to mid-January 2014, and, so far, FTP support is still alive and well in browsers like Google Chrome, as there is apparently no viable route for offering FTP support as non-baked-in functionality.

At the time of writing this article, the Bugzilla bug is not assigned to anyone, so that means there is nothing concrete that is being done to strip the FTP support from Firefox. That could very well change as the bug gains more attention from developers. There is also the issue that it is not clear whether FTP extensions -- there are a few available, indeed -- would work without built-in support for FTP in Firefox.

Clearly, we do not yet know how much work would be involved in this project. This suggests that it may take a while before we would actually see a release that ships without this feature.

As I implied above, the problem that Mozilla has, if it wants to actually go through with it, is that there still are many folks who make use of FTP support.

In case you are not familiar with how FTP is used, a relevant usage case is the downloading of installation files, such as, ironically, Mozilla's own browser. As some commenters have pointed out, FTP servers are also a valuable resource for downloading older files.

While there are no numbers provided, Google estimates that around 0.1 to 0.2 percent of Chrome users rely on FTP. That may not mean much, but when you consider how many million of users a popular browser may have, we are still talking in the order of hundreds of thousands, millions even, of people. And Mozilla can't afford to lose any more Firefox users.

Looking at the W3Schools browser stats, Firefox had a market share of nearly 50 percent in 2009. Now, it is down to just above 20 percent market share. NetMarketShare says that, from October 2013 to September 2015, Firefox's market share dropped from 18.7 percent to 11.46 percent. No matter the source of the stats, one thing is clear -- Firefox is bleeding users and what Mozilla is doing ain't helping.

Mozilla might still decide that this bug shouldn't be pursued, which would be the sensible approach given Firefox's performance. So, we have reached out for a comment, and will update this story accordingly.

Thanks for the tip, M.S.!

Photo Credit: Ahturner/Shutterstock
New platform simplifies OpenStack cloud networking

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 3:05pm CET par Ian Barker

OpenStack is a popular open source tool for creating public and private clouds and is used by big companies around the world.

To make running OpenStack systems easier, open source network specialist Akanda is launching a new version of its Astara platform that radically simplifies the complexity and scale of implementations.

"Astara's first release as an official OpenStack project is an exciting one for OpenStack operators," says Henrik Rosendahl, CEO, Akanda. "The goal of Astara is to make Networking and DevOps’ lives easier. With tremendous community support and momentum for the platform throughout its first year, Astara is the answer for massively simplified OpenStack networking stack that can replace traditional -- and expensive -- single vendor lock-in".

The latest Astara release is compatible with the latest 'Liberty' OpenStack release and includes a new load balancer driver which allows OpenStack operators to configure the platform to load and manage only the resources they choose. Neutron virtual network resources are now much more quickly provisioned onto appliance VMs via a new service that manages pools of hot-standby appliance VMs.

The new release also offers integration and support for Dynamic Lightweight Network Virtualization which gives OpenStack operators a complete, OpenStack-ready stack. There are active high availability and scaling improvements, plus syncing to Liberty’s global requirements, ensuring smooth installation into system namespaces shared by other OpenStack projects. For clouds running OpenStack Kilo or Juno releases the new Astara release can be completely back ported.

More information about the latest release is available on the Akanda blog.

Image Credit: Chaiyapop Bhumiwat / Shutterstock
Apple might break its Q4 iPhone sales record

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 12:55pm CET par Barclay Ballard

Apple may have broken its Q4 iPhone sales record, according to analyst estimates.

Forbes has aggregated all the predicted sales figures for the last quarter (Q4 FY2015) and found that the average estimate was 48.72 million, a 24 percent increase when compared to twelve months ago.

The most optimistic estimate came from Sherri Scribner of Deutsch Bank who predicts that Apple may have sold 51.1 million units. By comparison, the lowest estimate of 45 million was made by Sundeep Bajikar of Jefferies.

Apple’s release of both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are likely to have boosted the sales figures, with both models receiving praise despite only introducing a limited number of new features. Collectively the two handsets sold 13 million units in the first week of launch, an increase on the 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units sold in the same period last year.

This year’s figures will also be boosted by Apple’s progress in the Chinese market. Last year, the iPhone 6 did not launch immediately in China, but the release of the iPhone 6s occurred on the same day across the US, UK, China and a number of other markets.

Apple will release its official sales figures this week, at which point it will become clear which analyst prediction was the most accurate. In any case, it is unlikely that the Cupertino-based company will beat last year’s record iPhone sales figure of 74.5 million (for Q4 CY2014/Q1 FY2015).

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: Wayne Williams
Behind the big names, the first hires of major tech companies

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 11:47am CET par Ian Barker

We've all heard of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, but what about the people they hired in the early days of their fledgling businesses?

You probably don’t know anything about Marc McDonald's role at Microsoft or Shel Kapha'’s at Amazon, but these were among the first people hired by those companies and had a significant effect on their growth.

Recruitment search engine Adzuna has produced an infographic highlighting the roles of the lesser known people behind the success of some tech giants.

You can find out more about the lesser known names at Google, eBay, Dropbox, Tumblr, Yahoo and more in the graphic below.

Photo Credit: EDHAR/Shutterstock
Apple is the coolest brand and battery life doesn't matter in the world of wearables

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 10:47am CET par Mark Wilson

Consumer opinion about wearable devices is somewhat divided, accordingly to a new survey by Juniper Research. The company found that the wearables market is dominated by Apple and Samsung, but it is Apple that manages to take the 'coolest brand' crown.

Microsoft will be disappointed to find itself ranked in 13th place, but the survey shows that it is the familiar technology companies that remain the most popular. Fashion and designer brands like Nike, Rolex, and Ralph Lauren account for a tiny percentage of sales. The research also found that there is a limit to what people are willing to pay for a wearable.

Only a fifth of people questioned said that they would be willing to pay more than $175 for a wearable device -- interesting when you consider the number of devices priced above this level. Apple is trailed by Samsung, Google, LG, and Sony in the top five, while Motorola appears in slot number 14, and Pebble way down at 20.

The top two companies -- Apple and Samsung -- were the preference of 75 percent of people, while no fashion or sports brand was supported by more than 3 percent of respondents. There is a lack of clarity about just why some wearables should be purchased, apart from in the case of exercise-specific devices. Juniper Research Analyst James Moar said:

As well as a more definite use, fitness devices also win on value. They are the least costly wearables in the market, and the only category consistently under $175, which our survey identifies as the price ceiling for most consumers.

The research also found that battery life is seen as unimportant by the vast majority of people. Just 4 percent said that they would be put off buying a wearable due to poor battery life.
Microsoft arrives on Fifth Avenue, opens a new store in New York City

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 10:10am CET par Alan Buckingham

There is no more iconic street than New York's Fifth Avenue -- okay, maybe there are some rivals such as the Champs Elysee -- but the Big Apple's street has its claim to fame. It's the residence of many famous locations and now one more company is calling it home.

Microsoft is opening a flagship store on the famous avenue, marking its latest location in an ever-expanding footprint.

The store, located at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, opens today. This isn't your typical mall store either. It's five stories and 22,369 square feet.

"Our store on Fifth Avenue -- as well as every other one of our locations across the US, Puerto Rico and Canada -- is here to showcase the best of Microsoft to the local community," says David Porter, corporate vice president of Worldwide Retail and Online Stores at Microsoft. "We exist to build relationships with our customers, one person at a time, and we are excited to do that on Fifth Avenue starting today".

This is the first "flagship" store and Microsoft is going all out with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by executive Kevin Turner. There will be discounts on Surface and Xbox One and the first 1,000 people will get tickets to see Pitbull at Rockefeller Center.

The company promises that the store "will offer a full lineup of products, devices and services. Microsoft associates will be able to help consumers no matter what device they purchased or where they purchased it from".

This brings the total number of stores to 110 with locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Other international locations are on the horizon,
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Generate spectacular 3D fractals with Mandelbulber

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 8:28am CET par Mike Williams

Fractal generators have been around for a very long time, but most of them just provide yet another way to produce the same Mandelbrot-based imagery we’ve seen so many times before.

Mandelbulber is different, because not only does it give you more formulae to play with, but it also renders your creations in spectacular 3D.

When we last looked at the program, back in 2013, a complex interface made it difficult to get started. But fortunately a complete rewrite for version 2.x has made it much more accessible.

There’s no need to choose a formula from a list any more, for example, as they’re all represented by thumbnails of their starting image. Select one, click Render and a preview is generated in a few seconds.

If you spot an interesting area, clicking it zooms in and generates a new image (you can press Ctrl+Z to Undo if it turns out not to be interesting, after all).

There are buttons to move or rotate the camera, and/ or the object, to help you get the view you need.

The starting resolution of 800×600 makes for speedy fractal generation, but image quality isn’t great. To fix that, click the Image Adjustments tab bottom left and enter your preferred resolution. (This isn’t restricted to your screen size, and in fact if you want to generate an image for use elsewhere -- printing, maybe -- you may want it to be much larger.)

You’ll probably want to adjust your image colors, at least occasionally, and there are a lot of palette options to explore. Or you can avoid all that complexity by simply clicking Effects > Generate New Random Palette until you find something you like.

Mandelbulber’s more advanced features haven’t gone away. At all. If anything, there are even more in these latest editions.

The program does have a lot of tooltips, though, and we don’t just mean the usual short text phrases. Many have a lot of detail, and some even include detailed graphics to explain a particular point.

Put it all together and this is a great package for anyone interested in fractals, or computer art. Go download it immediately.

Mandelbulber is an open source application for Windows, OS X and Linux.
EFF tells California Supreme Court no searches of controlled substance prescriptions

Publié: octobre 26, 2015, 7:31am CET par Alan Buckingham

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been busy lately, especially with all of the revelations coming from Edward Snowden. The organization has been busy taking on the NSA, but that doesn't mean it won't have time for other causes.

Now the EFF is taking on the California Supreme Court, urging an end to the gathering of personal prescription information by law enforcement and done without a warrant.

Prescriptions in question cover things such as pain, anxiety, attention disorder, insomnia and the like. Up until now, this was a treasure trove of information being gathered, though reasons for that netting of data are unclear.

The EFF states that "In an amicus brief filed today, EFF told the state’s highest court that law enforcement agencies should be required to seek a judge’s approval to access such records. Controlled substance prescription records contain highly sensitive information about patients’ medical history and should be afforded the same degree of privacy as any other medical records".

The case came to light after a lawsuit, Lewis v. Superior Court, in which the doctor alleged that records had been accessed from the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) without a warrant and without any probable cause or suspicion of the patients.

A Los Angeles court found the practice legal and an appeals court upheld the ruling referring to the practice as the monitoring of controlled substances.

"The California Supreme Court should overrule the decision to downgradepatients’ expectation of privacy over controlled substance prescription records,’’ says EFF Senior Staff Attorney Lee Tien. “The court should require law enforcement to obtain a warrant supported by probable cause to access these sensitive records".

There is no time frame for when this will all be decided, but information should be coming from the EFF regarding progress of the case.

Photo credit: Junial Enterprises / Shutterstock