September 28, 2013

Some Robots Are Starting to Move More Like Humans
Mimicking human movement is ideal for a robot designed to take on human tasks. But such robots can also help researchers explore how biomechanics can give rise to more intelligent behavior, a field known as embodied intelligence or cognition. “Most people know that intelligence requires the body, but they don’t know why,” says Pfeifer. “I think [Roboy] can be a really interesting research platform for learning in systems with many degrees of freedom.”


Microsoft Creating New Office Touch Apps
The new Modern UI app, codenamed Office Reader, was demonstrated Thursday in front of thousands of Microsoft employees during a meeting in Seattle, according to a report in The Verge. Microsoft VP Kirk Koenigsbauer presented the multimedia tool, which supports Web pages, Office documents, PDFs and interactive e-books. The app reportedly will be able to recommend content and include several methods for organizing information.


IT does not know ethics
It is important that IT professionals put more focus on ethics because the business world is finally understanding how much trust and power they give us to run their IT infrastructure. The visibility of Business Ethics is increasing with online magazines by that title becoming popular as Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility continue to get focused attention. And, of course, there are all the horror stories about ethics. As Canadians, we should at least know about Bre-X.


Where Does Security Fit Into Change Management Processes?
If the course of action regarding the change is easy to identify (e.g., x will fix y), then it’s a good idea to have the risk evaluation piece completed after all other vetting for the change process. That is, once you have identified the solution, determined that it is feasible/cost effective/meats requirements, etc., you can present the change for a security evaluation. If it’s the only option, it will be the job of the evaluator to determine what risk the change might introduce to the organization.


How CIOs and IT Teams Can Make IT Matter Again
The shift in responsibilities will demand a shift in capabilities, and many CIOs would be well served by brushing up on some critical skill sets ... CIOs eyeing the future will find golden opportunities to become game-changers for their organizations. If they want to take full advantage of the opportunity, though, they need to reposition themselves within the organization, shifting from technology tactician to strategic technology visionary.


Hefty price premium awaits early DDR4 memory adopters
The adoption of DDR4 has been delayed due to the decline in the PC market and price stabilization this year of DDR3 memory, whose prices had been falling by double digits in previous years. Happy with DDR3 margins, companies like Samsung and SK Hynix shifted manufacturing capacity to make mobile memory for smartphones and tablets, which are growing markets.


RDBMS vs. NoSQL: How do you pick?
The market is abuzz with terms like NoSQL, Big Data, NewSQL, Database Appliance, etc. Often, IT decision makers can get very confused with all the noise. They do not understand why they should consider a newer, alternative database when RDBMSs have been around for 20+ years. However, many leading enterprises are already using alternative databases and are saving money, innovating more quickly, and completing projects they could not pursue before as a result.


Accidental Architectures and the Future of Intelligent Networks
There are, however, certain undeniable trends which drive the practical implementations of information systems. By no means is the challenge of heterogeneity new. Movements like the Service Oriented Architecture were focused on bringing some rhyme and reason to the otherwise scatterplot world of information and application landscapes. Today, SOA is not widely discussed, but that’s because its guiding principles now largely rule the roost.


Five Mistakes You Do Not Want to Make As a Project Manager
There are plenty of other mistakes, just waiting to be made - or avoided. Keep your eyes open and keep these five major mistakes in mind whatever project you are working on. Don’t forget that being a project manager is a constant learning exercise; gaining experience and improving your PM skills to be able to take on bigger and more complex challenges and grow your career as a project manager.


What Amazon should do: Think different. Be more like Apple
In addition to focusing on the device's design and function, Amazon will need to heavily market the Mayday feature, much like Apple did when it first unveiled Siri. Amazon wants to control how a consumer experiences its services through a device, but to achieve that it first needs people to want the gadget. Just look at how Samsung achieved its No. 2 ranking behind Apple. It used the sex appeal of its Galaxy S smartphone line, and extended it to its family of Galaxy tablets.



Quote for the day:

"Man can alter his life by altering his thinking" -- William James

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