Cutting Edge Technology in the news

[calikid]

"Makes me wonder just HOW FAR Microsoft can drop in value/market share. The bigger they are....."

'Wintel' on the wane: Intel goes Google

Intel has been synonymous with Windows PCs seemingly forever. But it's trying to change that in a hurry. Enter Google.
by Brooke Crothers

The fact that Microsoft and Intel no longer rule the personal computing world isn't news. But what happens next is.

I'll start with a flashback from the early '90s. I remember attending the launch of Windows 3.1 when I lived in Japan. Kazuhiko Nishi, former friend and business partner of Bill Gates, made a statement that foretold the fate of the Japanese PC industry as well as the global PC market.

I'm paraphrasing, but he said Microsoft was the chassis and Intel the engine of the personal computer. The point, of course, was that the two companies controlled the Windows PC and, as a consequence, controlled the digital computing world.

That was then. Today, Intel needs to be the engine powering the non-Windows world. That's where the explosive growth is.

So Intel is turning to Google. I've been hearing from sources at Intel for a long time that Android is the future. And Intel said as much to CNET this week.

Expect to see Intel-based Android laptops and hybrids priced between, let's say, $200 to $500 in the coming months. (Likely, at first, from companies such as erstwhile Netbook vendors Asus and Acer.)

A lot of the above will emerge in Asia, not necessarily the U.S.

And those aren't the only new Android devices you'll see. Intel's Communications Group is also pushing hard into Android phones. The Lenovo K900 and Motorola RAZR I, and phonelike devices such as the Asus FonePad, come to mind. Intel will continue to expand this business in developing countries.
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[calikid]

I may never understand the stock market, MS is having a terrible year, market share/sales-wise, but their stock is more valuable than ever?!?
Not what I would have predicted.

Microsoft shares hit five-year high despite Windows 8 flop

With solid earnings and big growth in corporate sales and cloud-computing technology, Microsoft's stock reaches levels not seen since 2007.
by Jay Greene

The news may seem bleak for Microsoft these days, what with Windows 8 sales disappointing, and the PC market itself sliding.

But don't tell Wall Street. Microsoft shares closed Tuesday at $33.10, their highest level in more than five years.

Microsoft shares have been moribund for the better part of the last decade. Investors have come to view the company, once the most valued stock in the world, as one with limited growth opportunity, particularly as rivals Apple and Google race ahead in key consumer markets.

The recent stock bounce, which gained momentum earlier this month, is largely a reflection of the strength of Microsoft's enterprise software and cloud services business. The software giant posted solid, but not spectacular, third-quarter results on April 18, making its biggest gains with business customers.

The company has seen good growth in its Office 365 productivity service. Microsoft recently noted that its Azure cloud computing technology is now generating more than $1 billion in annual sales. And last week, ValueAct Holdings disclosed that it has accumulated a $1.9 billion stake in Microsoft, bullish on its cloud-computing prospects.
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[calikid]

Youthful indiscretion can come back to haunt you. Best to keep it in your pants, especially when a camera is around.

“Revenge porn” suit targets generic porn sites, Web hosts

Woman sues ex-boyfriend and four sites that allegedly hosted her nude pictures.
by Timothy B. Lee

A Florida woman who says her ex-boyfriend uploaded compromising pictures of her to various websites has filed a lawsuit against numerous parties connected to her plight. It's the second well-publicized lawsuit fighting back against "revenge porn" sites.

Like the first lawsuit, it seems to be taking a broad, confused view of who's responsible. The lawsuit not only names the woman's ex-boyfriend, but also four websites she says hosted the pictures—and even their Web hosting companies.

Plaintiff Holly Jacobs says that her ex, Ryan Seay, "took, appropriated, or otherwise obtained pornographic images" of Jacobs while they were dating. After the relationship went sour, Seay allegedly "began publishing pornographic photographs and video of the plaintiff as well as plaintiff's name, occupation, details about her schedule, and other personal and private facts about the plaintiff on various websites."

Jacobs describes the defendant websites—sextingpics.com, anonib.com, pinkmeth.tv, and xhamster.com—as "revenge pornography" sites that "traffic in pornographic photographs of young women and children as well as private facts and details of the victims." But looking at the sites, one gets a rather different impression.

XHamster appears to be a generic website for user-submitted pornography. Its "about us" page states that "we created a perfect platform for users to share their own amateur content and for producers to advertise their professional works." We didn't see any sign that the site was geared toward revenge pornography. Story Continues

[CasperParks]

I shake my head each time I hear that the law must be broken, in order to uphold the law.
If it's a bad law, repeal it. If it's a good law follow it.
No exceptions.
Sorry if it is inconvenient, but if I have to follow the law, then my government (and my ISP) should too.

U.S. gives big, secret push to Internet surveillance

Justice Department agreed to issue "2511 letters" immunizing AT&T and other companies participating in a cybersecurity program from criminal prosecution under the Wiretap Act, according to new documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
by Declan McCullagh

Senior Obama administration officials have secretly authorized the interception of communications carried on portions of networks operated by AT&T and other Internet service providers, a practice that might otherwise be illegal under federal wiretapping laws.

The secret legal authorization from the Justice Department originally applied to a cybersecurity pilot project in which the military monitored defense contractors' Internet links. Since then, however, the program has been expanded by President Obama to cover all critical infrastructure sectors including energy, healthcare, and finance starting June 12.

"The Justice Department is helping private companies evade federal wiretap laws," said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which obtained over 1,000 pages of internal government documents and provided them to CNET this week. "Alarm bells should be going off."

Those documents show the National Security Agency and the Defense Department were deeply involved in pressing for the secret legal authorization, with NSA director Keith Alexander participating in some of the discussions personally. Despite initial reservations, including from industry participants, Justice Department attorneys eventually signed off on the project.

The Justice Department agreed to grant legal immunity to the participating network providers in the form of what participants in the confidential discussions refer to as "2511 letters," a reference to the Wiretap Act codified at 18 USC 2511 in the federal statute books. Story Continues

With corporations and governments in bed together, wonder if they are passing STDs to each other.

[norenrad]

[calikid]

SNL GOogle Glass Sketch

Appears the tech is not exactly ready for prime time....

[enigphilo]

Government Lab Admits to Using Quantum Internet for Two Years

This might be the biggest tech humblebrag ever. A team of scientists at Los Alamos National Labs has quietly shrugged its shoulders and admitted to the fact that, yeah, it's been using quantum internet for, like, the last two years. Whatever.

Steady on there, cowboy! If you're not familiar with the concept of a quantum internet, then you should be. The dream of many a security expert, it's a concept that uses the laws of quantum mechanics to create perfectly secure online communication. The idea is that measuring a characteristic of a quantum object—like a photon—always changes it, so attempts to intercept messages screws them up and renders them incomprehensible.

Story

[Doc]

It sounds like a lot of steps for a benefit that may be elusive. If they are doing it for the experimental value, well, that would be something else

[calikid]

Loved this FPS game when it first came out. Hope the reboot is half as good!
Wolfenstein: The New Order revealed
The rumors were right. Bethesda today announced Wolfenstein: The New Order, a new entry in the seminal first-person shooter series heading to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and next-generation consoles during Q4 2013.

Wolfenstein: The New Order revealed
By Eddie Makuch

New game from Bethesda and MachineGames coming to current- and next-gen consoles in Q4 2013.

The New Order is set in 1960 after the Nazis won World War II. Gamers play as the familiar American war hero B.J. Blazkowicz and are tasked with launching an "impossible counter-offensive" against the Nazi powers that have taken over the world.

Set in Europe, The New Order will have players infiltrating Nazi strongholds and battling legions of enemies, while taking control of "super weapons" that the Nazis have used to dominate earth--"and beyond," Bethesda teased. Story Continues

[calikid]

The Senate has passed the bill, now it's up to the House of Reps. Death & Taxes. If you walk to work, we'll tax your feet.
If as a businessman, I'm going to work for the governments collecting/tracking sales tax, how much do I GET PAID for me work?

Internet sales tax: What you'll pay, and when
By Heather Kelly

Internet shoppers could be one step closer to having to pay sales taxes on online purchases.

In a vote on Monday, the U.S. Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, which will require all online retailers to collect sales taxes for the states where they ship goods.

The legislation still needs to pass the Republican-controlled House before it can become a law. White House spokesman Jay Carney has said that President Obama supports the bill.

Why is there no online sales tax now?

Until now, online shoppers have enjoyed buying items from e-commerce sites mostly sales-tax free. That's because older laws require stores to collect sales tax only on goods shipped to states where they have a physical presence, such as a distribution center or a physical store.

The primary reason for not requiring sales taxes for products sold across state lines is that it was just too complicated. Having to juggle the various sales tax laws and amounts for all 45 states that have sales tax was seen as a burden on businesses.

States that collect sales tax often have different rates depending on the type of goods being sold. Alcohol might have a higher sales tax rate while some goods like groceries dental equipment can be tax free. Within a state, cities and counties can charge additional taxes.

What's changed?

The most recent Supreme Court ruling that addressed the issue was in 1992, when Internet commerce was non-existent and computer software not as advanced.

Advocates for the online sales tax argue that current technology makes it possible to simplify and automate the task of collecting sales taxes for various states. Story Continues