business – Page 26 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

Microsoft Targets The iMac With New All-In-One Surface PCs, Reports Say

New submitter Miche67 writes: Two reports say Microsoft is working on an all-in-one (AIO) PC under the Surface brand. If that’s true, it would put it in competition with HP and Dell, which have their own AIO lines, as well as put it in competition with Apple’s iMac. Network World reports: “Both DigiTimes and Windows Central picked up on the story, each citing their own sources. DigiTimes, a Taiwan-based publication with connections to the PC industry over there (but also a very mixed record of accuracy) said the new devices would come in the third quarter of this year. Windows Central, which is a little better when it comes to rumors, said it did not have a solid release date.” Business Insider was able to find a patent filing by Microsoft for a desktop PC that supports the rumored AIO design. “The device is evidently targeting a ‘modern and elegant’ design and is meant to be something akin to a premium appliance or furniture, ” Windows Central wrote. Intel’s release date of the new Kaby Lake line of processors around Q3 of this year complicates things. While Kaby Lake is said to be more mobile-friendly with less power consumption and heat, they would make for a good choice for an AIO machine. However, it would be pushing it for Microsoft to release its AIO machines in the same quarter that Kaby Lake is due. On a semi-related note, a programmer at Building 88 recently confirmed that Microsoft will release Surface 5 devices next year powered by Kaby Lake processors. He posted pictures of four device holders marked “2017” on his Twitter account. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Microsoft Targets The iMac With New All-In-One Surface PCs, Reports Say

DMCA Notices Remove 8,268 Projects On Github In 2015

An anonymous reader writes: Github’s transparency report for 2015 shows that the site received many DMCA notices that removed more than 8, 200 projects. “In 2015, we received significantly more takedown notices, and took down significantly more content, than we did in 2014, ” Github reports. For comparison, the company received only 258 DMCA notices in 2014, 17 of which responded with a counter-notice or retraction. In 2015, they received 505 takedown notices, 62 of which were the subject of counters or withdrawals. TorrentFreak reports: “Copyright holders are not limited to reporting one URL or location per DMCA notice. In fact, each notice filed can target tens, hundreds, or even thousands of allegedly infringing locations.” September was a particularly active month as it took down nearly 5, 834 projects. “Usually, the DMCA reports we receive are from people or organizations reporting a single potentially infringing repository. However, every now and then we receive a single notice asking us to take down many repositories, ” Github explains. They are called ‘Mass Removals’ when more than 100 repositories are asked to be removed. “In all, fewer than twenty individual notice senders requested removal of over 90% of the content GitHub took down in 2015.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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DMCA Notices Remove 8,268 Projects On Github In 2015

Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s Quora Account Hacked

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is the latest high-profile victim of a hacking group called OurMine. Earlier today, the group managed to get hold of Pichai’s Quota account, which in turn, gave them access to his Twitter feed as well. In a statement to The Next Web, the group said that their intention is to just test people’s security, and that they never change the victim’s passwords. Looking at the comments they left after hacking Pichai’s account, it is also clear that OurMine is promoting its security services. The same group recently also hacked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Twitter and Pinterest accounts. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Axiom Plans A New Private-Sector Outpost in Space

A seed-funded company named Axiom wants to build a private-sector outpost in orbit by launching a new module for the International Space Station, according to an article on Space News. Once on the station, Axiom Space would use it for commercial purposes, ranging from research to tourism. [Former space station manager] Suffredini said that it would also be available for use by NASA when the company is not using it, helping the process of transitioning research done on the International Space Station to future private stations. Research hardware elsewhere in the station could eventually be moved to this module to allow its continued use after the station’s retirement. Slashdot reader MarkWhittington shares an article from Blasting News: In the meantime, Nanoracks, a company that is already handling some of the logistics for the ISS, is proposing a commercial airlock for the ISS. The development of commercial space stations, as well as commercial spacecraft such as the SpaceX Dragon and the Boeing Starliner, constitutes NASA’s long-term strategy of handing off low-Earth orbit to the private sector while it concentrates on deep space exploration. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Axiom Plans A New Private-Sector Outpost in Space

Businesses Lose $3.1 Billion to Email Scams, FBI Warns

Business have lost over $3 billion because of compromised e-mail accounts, the FBI reports, citing “a sophisticated scam targeting businesses working with foreign suppliers and/or businesses that regularly perform wire transfer payments.” 22, 143 business have been affected — 14, 302 within the U.S. — with a total dollar loss of $3, 086, 250, 090, representing an increase of 1, 300% since January of 2015. Using social engineering or “computer intrusion techniques, ” the attackers target employees responsible for wire transfers (or issuing checks) using five scenarios, which include bogus invoices or executive requests for a wire transfer of funds, with some attackers even impersonating a corporate law firm. “Victims report that IP addresses frequently trace back to free domain registrars, ” warns the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, which also urges businesses to avoid free web-based e-mail accounts. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Businesses Lose $3.1 Billion to Email Scams, FBI Warns

Olli is a 3D Printed, IBM Watson-Powered, Self-Driving Minibus

An anonymous reader writes from a report via Phys.Org: Arizona-based startup Local Motors unveiled Olli — a 3D-printed minibus capable of carrying 12 people. It’s powered by IBM’s supercomputer platform Watson and is designed as an on-demand transportation solution that passengers can summon with a mobile app. The company claims it can be “printed” to specification in “micro factories” in a matter of hours. They say it is ready to go as soon as regulations allow it to hit the streets. While Local Motors has developed the system to control the driving, IBM’s Watson system is used to provide the user interface so passengers can have “conversations” with Olli. “Watson is bringing an understanding to the vehicle, ” said IBM’s Bret Greenstein. “If you have someplace you need to be you can say that in your own words. A vehicle that understands human language, where you can walk in and say, ‘I’d like to get to work, ‘ that lets you as a passenger relax and enjoy your journey, ” he said. The vehicle relies on more than 30 sensors and streams of data from IBM’s cloud. Olli will be demonstrated in National Harbor, Maryland, over the next few months with additional trials expected in Las Vegas and Miami. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rolls-Royce Unveils First Driverless Car Complete With Silk ‘Throne’

An anonymous reader writes: Rolls-Royce has unveiled its first driverless vehicle dubbed The Vision Next 100. It is an autonomous vehicle aimed at “the most discerning and powerful patrons in the world.” There’s no steering wheel but there is a silk “throne” where passengers can sit and stare out the window. Rolls-Royce said the zero-emission model, codenamed 103EX, showed the company “rejects the notion of anonymous, utilitarian and bland future modes of mobility.” The owner will be “encircled by the most modern handcrafted fine-line Macassar wood panelling” as they gaze at a “generous” high-definition television display. In addition to the “finest one-off deep-pile ivory wool carpet, ” the vehicle features a virtual assistant named Eleanor, inspired after the actor Eleanor Thornton. It will be able to remind users about meetings; it will even bring the car around to the front of the owner’s house at the start of a journey. “As the Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 gracefully comes to a halt, something magnificent occurs, ” the company said. The glass roof rises to allow the occupant to stand, while a step emerges from below the running board and a red light is projected, “carpet-like” to announce their arrival. Rolls-Royce did not say how the vehicle would be powered or how much it costs, but it did say it’s due to hit the streets in the 2040s. You can watch a 360-degree video of the 103EX the company posted on YouTube. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Rolls-Royce Unveils First Driverless Car Complete With Silk ‘Throne’

Twitter Invests $70 Million In Music Streaming Service SoundCloud

An anonymous reader writes: Recode reports that Twitter has decided to purchase a piece of the music streaming service SoundCloud. Roughly two years ago, Twitter thought about buying SoundCloud, but ultimately ended up walking away from the music service. Now, Twitter has invested around $70 million “as part of a round that should end up in the $100 million-range.” Recode reports: “The round is expected to value SoundCloud at about $700 million — the same value that investors placed on the company in 2014, when it raised $60 million; since then it has also raised a debt round.” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wouldn’t comment on the specifics, but did confirm Twitter’s stake in the company. “Earlier this year we made an investment in SoundCloud through Twitter Ventures to help support some of our efforts with creators, ” said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. “They’ve been great partners of ours over the years and their community-supported approach mirrors ours in many ways.” Twitter may try and integrate SoundCloud into its service to increase growth and engagement, while SoundCloud may try and use Twitter to promote its newly launched subscription service. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Twitter Invests $70 Million In Music Streaming Service SoundCloud

Harley-Davidson will make an electric motorcycle in 5 years

Harley-Davidson wasn’t just fooling around when it showed off its electric Project LiveWire motorcycle. In a chat with the Milwaukee Business Journal , the bike maker’s Sean Cummings says that there will be an electric Harley within the next 5 years. That’s 2021, if you want to mark your calendar. He’s not giving any clues as to what this e-bike will entail, but it probably won’t resemble the 2014-era LiveWire. As our Autoblog colleagues point out , the biggest challenge is maximizing range. The LiveWire concept only got 60 miles on a charge at best, which just won’t cut it when you’re riding to Sturgis . Harley doesn’t have the luxury of a large car floor to hold its battery packs — it has to cram a lot of cells into a narrow space without making the bike ugly or unmaneuverable. A cruiser may make more sense than a street bike. Having said this, the very fact that Harley is planning a production e-bike is noteworthy. This is a brand that’s virtually synonymous with loud, roaring gas engines. Clearly, it believes there’s enough interest in the idea (or at least, enough pressure from an eco-conscious society) that it’s worth bucking expectations. Via: Autoblog Source: Milwaukee Business Journal (sub. required)

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Harley-Davidson will make an electric motorcycle in 5 years

The Biggest Maker of Raspberry Pis Has Been Acquired For $871 Million

An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Verge: The biggest manufacturer of the Raspberry Pi minicomputer, Premier Farnell, has been acquired by Swiss industrial component supplier Daetwyler Holding AG for roughly $871 million. According to Bloomberg, the deal will reportedly help both companies compete better in the components market. “By combining forces, we significantly increase our competitiveness and extend our product range, ” Daetwyler Chairman Ulrich said in a statement, “facilitating a one-stop shopping experience for our wide range of customers from a multitude of industries.” Premier Farnell is one of the only companies with a license to design and distribute Raspberry Pis. The Wall Street Journal says the Raspberry Pi devices are a big part of the company’s business, as the division in charge of the Pi raked in 16 percent of the company’s total revenue last year. Read more of this story at Slashdot.