People still haven’t learnt their lesson when it comes to running Windows XP, it seems.Attackers took advantage of a known, major flaw in Windows XP to launch a cyberattack which is still causing chaos globally.But the operating system still runs on many PCs around the world, even though Microsoft stopped providing security support on April 8, 2014. According to statistics from Net Applications, it’s actually the third most popular operating system globally, with 7.04% market share.That means an out-of-date, unsupported operating system is more popular than any version of Windows 8, any version of Mac OS X, and Linux.Windows 7 and Windows 10 are more popular than XP, with around 49% and 26% market share respectively.Here are the top five most popular operating systems, according to Net Applications:Windows 7: 48.5%Windows 10: 26.28%Windows XP: 7.04%Windows 8.1: 6.96%Mac OS X 10.12: 3.21%How many XP-powered PCs does that translate to?Analyst house Gartner predicted that there would be 2 billion PCs in use globally by 2014, but there have been no updated figures since then. If we conservatively take 2 billion as the number, that suggests there at least 140 million PCs still running Windows XP.Europol, the EU’s policing arm, warned that the cyberattack, known as “WannaCry,” will continue to wreak havoc this week as people return to work and log onto their PCs. WannaCry is ransomware — malicious software that encrypts people’s data, then demands payment in exchange for decryption. It has hit at least 200,000 victims across 150 countries so far, according to Europol, and caused chaos in the UK’s NHS, Telefónica in Spain, and many other organisations globally.Even though it no longer supports XP, Microsoft took the unusual step of issuing an emergency patch for Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003 on Friday night.
Cable startup Layer3TV is making its biggest move yet. The company, which offers broadband-provided access to a traditional bundle of live television programming, has turned on its service in Los Angeles. It’s the Denver-based company’s largest expansion to date, after rolling out its service in smaller markets including Chicago and Washington, D.C. Layer3’s coverage area in Los Angeles extends north to Malibu, east to Pasadena and south to Newport Beach. The company is offering over 250 channels, including more than 200 in HD — a big selling point for the company as it competes with traditional cable rivals such as Comcast and Spectrum. Los Angeles, says Layer3 CEO Jeff Binder, “is the epicenter of entertainment.” He calls it an “extraordinary opportunity” to bring the company’s package of 4K and HD programming to the region. Founded in 2013 by cable and media veterans, Layer3 spent several years building out its technology and negotiating content deals before embarking on a nationwide rollout last fall. Plans start at $89 a month, with the option to add channels like HBO, Showtime and Epix for an additional cost. In addition to promoting its HD channels, Layer3 also offers no binding contracts, 24/7 customer support, a DVR that records up to eight shows at a time, access to a library of on-demand programming and a user interface designed to feel more like Netflix than Xfinity. But the company is facing more competition than it did when its founders started out on their plan to reinvent cable for a new generation. Since then, tech companies and traditional media conglomerates have begun releasing their own streaming-based live TV services, among them Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV and, soon, a Hulu service.
Home Run Pro.com is your online, open source resource and marketplace geared to; Self-employed, IT Professionals and the customers that need their services such as;
Residential Technology Installations (Smart Home IT)
Trouble Calls
PHILOSOPHY
We are also a Technician Centric Organization; Our primary focus is the training and development of high-quality technicians to better serve our service buyers. We will utilize every resource available to instill into our technician members, the Soft-Skills and Technical Knowhow to tackle a wide range of IT projects.
More and more, your devices come embedded with software. From phones to cars to refrigerators to farm equipment, software is helping your stuff work better and smarter, with awesome new features. Cool, right?
Yep… until it breaks and you want to fix it yourself (or take it to a local repair shop you trust). Or you think of a way to make it work better that requires tinkering with the software (or some third party does). Or you want to give it to a friend or re-sell it. Then, you have a problem. Why? Copyright.
Software is subject to copyright, and than means that, as a rule, you might own your device but you only license the software in it. And that license (often called an “End User License Agreement”) is likely to come with any number of restrictions on your ability to tinker with your stuff. Typical clauses forbid reverse-engineering (i.e., figuring out how the software works so you can adapt it), transfer (i.e., giving it to a friend), and even using unauthorized repair sources at all.
Further complication: the software may come with digital locks (aka Digital Rights Management [DRM] or Technical Protection Measures [TPMs]) supposedly designed to prevent unauthorized copying. And breaking those locks, even to do something simple and otherwise legal like tinkering with or fixing your own devices, means breaking the law, thanks to Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
And then there’s manual lockdown, which happens when manufacturers refuse to publish crucial repair information (including the manuals themselves, but also things like diagnostic codes for cars)—and then threaten to sue anyone else who tries to do so with a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
The end result: users are disempowered, trained to go hat in hand to the Apple store just to change a battery (rather than doing it themselves). Medical clinics must waste scarce resources on expensive repair contracts rather than patient care. Independent repair shops are driven out of business. And the electronic waste piles up, as users discard their devices rather then fixing them or donating them for re-use.
If you can’t fix it, you don’t own it. From challenging restrictive end user agreements to supporting the fair use of repair manuals and diagnostic codes, EFF is fighting to give owners control over their own devices. Learn more through the links below.
Published on Jan 11, 2017
For decades, NASA has used computer models to simulate the flow of air around aircraft in order to test designs and improve the performance of next-generation vehicles.
At NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, researchers recently used this technique to explore the aerodynamics of a popular example of a small, battery-powered drone, a modified DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter.
This simulation reveals the complex motions of air due to interactions between the vehicle’s rotors and X-shaped frame during flight. In the video, airflow interactions are shown as undulating lines. Pressure changes are shown using color. Areas of high pressure are red; low are blue.
Learn more: http://go.nasa.gov/2jkklik
Video credit: NASA Ames Research Center/NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division/Tim Sandstrom
NASA Ames Research Center is located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. Follow us on social media to hear about the latest developments in space, science and technology.
Kodi® (formerly known as XBMC™) is an award-winning free and open source (GPL) software media center for playing videos, music, pictures, games, and more. Kodi runs on Linux, OS X, Windows, iOS, and Android, featuring a 10-foot user interface for use with televisions and remote controls. It allows users to play and view most videos, music, podcasts, and other digital media files from local and network storage media and the internet. Our forums and Wiki are bursting with knowledge and help for the new user right up to the application developer. We also have helpful Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Youtube pages.
Xtera comes off life support, AT&T deploys more fiber to the premises, score one for Europe, and Stephen can’t stop talking about 400G, apparently. All in this week’s edition of the Friday 5 video with Lightwave Editorial Director Stephen Hardy.
A2DP, GATT, HID and BIP are all important Bluetooth profiles. Fact! A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) makes streaming stereo music possible. GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) allows developers to build unique profiles specific for their applications. HID (Human Interface Device Profile) makes your Bluetooth enabled mice and keyboards work effortlessly. BIP (Basic Imaging Profile) allows you to send images between devices (other phones, printers, even picture frames).
Bluetooth 5 Now Available:
Adoption of latest Bluetooth® specification propels interoperability, sets stage for transformative wireless connectivity
One to one connectivity have been solved. With much of the industry not realizing that bluetooth range can now be extended up to 1000 feet between low cost bluetooth routers and standard bluetooth low energy devices.
Key feature updates include:
Four times range
Two times speed,
Eight times broadcast message capacity.
Longer range powers whole home and building coverage, for more robust and reliable connections.
Higher speed enables more responsive, high-performance devices.
Increased broadcast message size increases the data sent for improved and more context relevant solutions.
“This means whole-home and building coverage, as well as new use cases for outdoor, industrial, and commercial applications will be a reality. With the launch of Bluetooth 5, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core: the global wireless standard for simple, secure, connectivity.”
For quite some time now, it’s largely been accepted as fact that innovation in the HDTV space had hit an insurmountable ceiling. With ultra-thin 4K displays delivering incredible picture quality at remarkably low prices, it was hard to fathom what the future of TV watching would entail, or if it would even be markedly different from what it is today.
But as the famous Steve Jobs quote goes: The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Apple may not have figured out how to re-invent the HDTV, but the same can’t be said for Panasonic.
People still haven’t learnt their lesson when it comes to running Windows XP, it seems.Attackers took advantage of a known, major flaw in Windows XP to launch a cyberattack which is still causing chaos globally.But the operating system still runs on many PCs around the world, even though Microsoft stopped providing security support on April 8, 2014. According to statistics from Net Applications, it’s actually the third most popular operating system globally, with 7.04% market share.That means an out-of-date, unsupported operating system is more popular than any version of Windows 8, any version of Mac OS X, and Linux.Windows 7 and Windows 10 are more popular than XP, with around 49% and 26% market share respectively.Here are the top five most popular operating systems, according to Net Applications:Windows 7: 48.5%Windows 10: 26.28%Windows XP: 7.04%Windows 8.1: 6.96%Mac OS X 10.12: 3.21%How many XP-powered PCs does that translate to?Analyst house Gartner predicted that there would be 2 billion PCs in use globally by 2014, but there have been no updated figures since then. If we conservatively take 2 billion as the number, that suggests there at least 140 million PCs still running Windows XP.Europol, the EU’s policing arm, warned that the cyberattack, known as “WannaCry,” will continue to wreak havoc this week as people return to work and log onto their PCs. WannaCry is ransomware — malicious software that encrypts people’s data, then demands payment in exchange for decryption. It has hit at least 200,000 victims across 150 countries so far, according to Europol, and caused chaos in the UK’s NHS, Telefónica in Spain, and many other organisations globally.Even though it no longer supports XP, Microsoft took the unusual step of issuing an emergency patch for Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003 on Friday night.
