Kunena Site Syndication http://www.itincanada.ca/ Mon, 20 May 2013 08:09:57 -0400 Kunena 1.5.11 http://www.itincanada.ca/components/com_kunena/template/default_ex/images/english/emoticons/rss.gif http://www.itincanada.ca/ Kunena Site Syndication http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/38-networking/3708-switching-to-teksavvy-from-rogers-prelude#3708 Like many other folks, I've been wondering whether Teksavvy isn't a better, more cost effective alternative to existing carriers - especially Rogers, on whose network Teksavvy operates (at least around where I am). A friend told me about a discussion he had with Rogers, where he told them he was switching and got offered an attractive, long-term-guaranteed rate. He then sent this link (http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/r28217245-Rogers-worried-), which includes the following in a post: "When I called to cancel my Internet with Rogers, their initial retention offers were underwhelming...As soon as I indicated I was switching to TekSavvy, WITHOUT HESITATION, she offered: - unlimited - rate guaranteed for 8 years - $35/month - new modem rental included" So - I called Teksavvy - not an easy task, with wait time of 20 minutes + (but a pretty good callback service). When I got through, I learned that Teksavvy's prices for equivalent services (better in some cases - especially with respect to bandwidth caps - a 300 Gb limit with Teksavvy, and a 150 limit I keep exceeding and paying penalties on) was far lower than I was paying with Rogers). Next step - call Rogers (much easier to get through, I guess there's less of a rush to talk with them!). When I connected, I found that Rogers had clearly decided on a change of tactics to deal with Teksavvy. The rep stated that the best she could do was an offer that was not very competitive with Teksavvy, and hinted darkly that Rogers takes care of its own customers first (implying that if I switched, I'd lack tech support). A subsequent conversation with a manager continued the FUD theme; he added that I had to decide whether I wanted "a Mercedes Benz or a Fiat." Leaving aside the fact that I'd happily trade my rusting C240 for one of those cool Fiat 500s, I asked if he planned on matching Teksavvy. He wasn't going to do that, and stated that no one in Rogers was senior to him, so there was no sense in asking that question of anyone else. So - I called Teksavvy and placed an order. The experience in the next post... Thu, 16 May 2013 09:15:48 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/74-cloud-insights/3707-the-future-of-cloud-and-what-you-can-do-about-it#3707 Working with the folks at TELUS Talks Business, I've put up a new TTB post entitled "The future of cloud: six trends that will shape what you do and how you do it. (http://community.telustalksbusiness.com/community/talking_business/blog/2013/05/15/the-future-of-clo)" The post describes where I think cloud will go over the next 8-10 years - the ways in which IT trends like mobility, social, gamification and near-field communications will affect how businesses connect with customers and each other, and the ways in which cloud enables us to do this. I've put up a video as well - here it is. Please forgive the shirt; like cloud itself, the weather was hot, hot hot when we were shooting! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Cc4gJMA-mho Wed, 15 May 2013 10:04:31 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/48-it-in-healthcare/3706-the-creative-destruction-of-medicine#3706 Ron Kaczorowsky shared a video with me that I wanted to share here as well. It's an extended NBC interview with Dr. Eric Topol, author of "The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the digital revolution will create better healthcare." In the video, Topol demonstrates how mobile technology can be used to measure blood sugar, as an EKG, as the basis of an ultrasound machine that can share images wirelessly - even as the basis for a wrist-mounted ICU monitoring station. He believes that people will use the technology take ownership of their own healthcare - with patient-centred care resulting in both highly personalized health services (such as receiving notification of pending heart attacks via special ringtones) and trimming hundreds of billions in wasted medication and testing from the healthcare system. Well worth the 9:30 to view. And if you have a few extra minutes, please check out the article on patient-centred healthcare in the most recent IT in Canada magazine (http://www.itincanada.ca/?dig=201303)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B-jUOOrtks Tue, 14 May 2013 15:04:42 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/74-cloud-insights/3701-cloud-computing-law-and-regulation-conference#3705 I would have been interested in that one, too! Unfortunately, I've received notice that the event is cancelled. I would agree that there's still a lot of confusion around the implications of cross-border data transmission. In many ways, I think "Patriot Act" has become shorthand for "fears about how my information can be appropriated without my consent or even knowledge." For the most part, the Patriot Act itself isn't (at least as I understand it) the primary source of concern. At one extreme, some Canadian enterprises are prohibited from allowing data to leave the country (regardless of the Patriot Act). At the other, those engaged in criminal activity would likely find that the border isn't really a shield. There is a reasonable position in the middle that holds that keeping data in Canada is a wise move because it aligns the laws and regulations that govern a Canadian organization and the laws and regulations that govern its IaaS/hosting provider. Other perspectives hold that this is a non-issue, or alternatively, that a Canadian organization is just 'better off' with data in Canada, subject to Canadian law (which includes, as I understand it, provisions for complying with access requests from the U.S.) than in the U.S. Hmmm - I'm not sure that's clearer. I wish the conference was going ahead! Maybe something else will pop up to provide more/better guidance on this... Mon, 13 May 2013 15:32:02 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/39-personal-tech/3704-15gb-for-your-google-properties#3704 In case you haven't heard, Google just announced that it has unified Gmail, Google Drive, and Google+ photo storage and all users now get 15GB of shared space. Whoo hoo! Free storage party! You can read the full blog post from the Google team here: http://gmailblog.blogspot.it/2013/05/bringing-it-all-together-15-gb-now.html Mon, 13 May 2013 15:23:57 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/32-software/3702-iss-to-boldly-go-with-linux-over-windows#3702 There's lots of buzz surround OS refreshes these days with the end of support for Windows XP in 2014 looming on the horizon. At least one "celestial" client won't be making the upgrade to Win 7 or 8... An article from The Telegraph reports (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology ews/10049444/International-Space-Station-to-boldly-go-with-Li) that the computers onboard the International Space Station (ISS) are to be "switched from Windows XP to the Linux operating system in an attempt to improve stability and reliability." The article states that Linux is already used to run various systems aboard the ISS and that custom versions of Linux are widely used in many other scientific projects, including CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Is Linux simply better suited to these kind of highly-technical/science specific tasks? Or should Microsoft be working harder to have its technology used in these kinds of high-profile projects? Mon, 13 May 2013 15:15:03 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/43-security/3693-is-it-funny-because-its-true#3700 Both funny and definitely true. While I never let anything financial (online banking/PayPal etc) auto-save passwords or remain logged in, things like FaceBook, Twitter and email tend to remain logged in all the time if you're accessing them through my laptop. Probably not the safest approach, but my laptop is password protected after a few minutes of inactivity and I guard it (physically) by usually never letting it leave my sight. I guess in the end it all comes down to having the right balance of convenience and security. Fri, 03 May 2013 16:31:53 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/49-digital-life/3699-smartphones-snuffing-your-creativity#3699 A neat article from Fast Company is making the argument that having the constant stimulation of a smart device in your pocket - always-on email, Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia, Google and so on... - is snuffing out our creativity. The premise goes: if we never get bored, we never get creative. While I'm by no means getting ready to toss my iPhone in the trash bin in the hopes of gaining a creative edge I think there is some truth in the argument that these "always-on" devices can in some ways be harming our creative and critical thinking abilities. What's your take? Fast Company article link: http://bit.ly/15ai4N1 Fri, 03 May 2013 16:22:11 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/51-it-nomics/3695-potential-impact-of-disruption-in-korean-prodn#3698 Here is the article - not sure why the link isn't working, sorry. Disruption in Korean production could have catastrophic impact on global electronics biz TEXT SIZE By: IHS iSupply 2013-05-01 What would happen if half of all global production for dynamic random access memory (DRAM), two-thirds of NAND flash manufacturing and 70 percent of the world’s tablet display supply suddenly disappeared from the market? The answer would be chaos, with the worldwide electronics supply chain grinding to a halt and stopping major market product segments in their tracks, including smartphones, media tablets and PCs. For high-tech companies, this could be the outcome if current tensions escalate to the point of war on the Korean peninsula, resulting in the disruption of South Korea’s technology manufacturing base. While IHS regards such a major conflagration and disruption as unlikely, forward-thinking technology firms are planning for such a contingency, just as they are preparing for other natural and man-made disasters that could impact their businesses in the future. “However, South Korea now plays a more important role than ever in the global electronics business. And with the supply chain having become more entwined and connected, a significant disruption in any region will impact the entire world. Because of this, it is important for companies to understand the magnitude of South Korea’s role in the global electronics market—and to prepare for any contingencies,” said Mike Howard, senior principal analyst for DRAM & memory at IHS. Leading technology firms Samsung and SK Hynix are headquartered close to Seoul, the capital of South Korea, which lies only about 30 miles from the border with North Korea. Both companies have major manufacturing operations in the area as well. “Any type of manufacturing disruption of six months would prevent the shipment of hundreds of millions of mobile phones and tens of millions of PCs and media tablets,” Howard warned. Memory loss Fully 66 percent of industry revenue for the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) market, as well as 48 percent of total NAND flash revenue, belonged in 2012 to the two South Korean memory titans Samsung and SK Hynix. While their combined share of both in the NAND market has remained fairly level for the last three years, the collective portion in DRAM of the two entities has been steadily rising, as shown in the attached table. Such a high proportion of global production could not be easily or quickly replaced by manufacturers in other regions. The Icheon facility of SK Hynix is located approximately 30 miles southwest of Seoul, while Samsung’s massive manufacturing complex at Hwaseong is within 24 miles of the capital. DRAM plays an essential role in products including PCs, media tablets and smartphones. While some gadgets could have their amount of memory reduced—a smartphone with 32 gigabytes (GB) of NAND could be downsized to 8GB, or an 8GB laptop reduced to 4GB—other devices must have the memory for which they were originally designed, especially where DRAM is involved. “A server with only half its intended DRAM is essentially half a server—and a smartphone cannot have its DRAM quantity changed, as it needs the original amount for which it was designed,” Howard noted. *(See Chart 1) Display disaster An equally bad situation could occur in the large-sized display market, which is heavily dependent on South Korean suppliers, especially in the media tablet market. LG Display and Samsung Display of South Korea together held a 49.6 percent share of unit shipments of large-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) panels in the fourth quarter of 2012. Large-sized panels are defined as those that are 10-inches or larger in the diagonal dimension and are used in products including televisions, notebook PCs and desktop monitors. Also included in the category are and 7-inch and larger displays used in media tablets. South Korea accounts for 70 percent of global supply of tablet display unit shipments, as presented in the figure attached. “Inventory and production capacity for media tablet displays currently are at a high level,” said Sweta Dash, senior director, display research & strategy, for IHS. “Because of this, a short-term disruption of South Korean production would have a minimal impact. However, a long-term stoppage or reduction of production would have a major effect and dramatically reduce global tablet supply.” *(See Chart 2) Phone hangup Samsung at present is the global leader in smartphones as well as in total handsets, while fellow South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics ranks No. 6 in both categories. Together, the two companies account for more than a 30 percent market share for cellphones and smartphones. http://www.ept.ca/daily_images/1002267118-1002267122.jpg Cheryl Fri, 03 May 2013 11:23:52 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/50-it-bulletin-insights-for-smbs/3691-windows-updates-flagging-sales-a-future-rumours#3697 I was directed by LinkedIn to a ZDNet piece on this, entitled (tellingly) Windows 8: Microsoft's New Coke moment (http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-microsofts-new-coke-moment-7000014779/). It includes a market share pie chart that tells a stark tale: Windows 7 at 44.72%, XP at 38.31%, Win 8 at 3.82%. Now, these numbers aren't necessarily a clear demonstration of the market, despite their use of many significant digits. The chart is unsourced, so it's hard to weigh its validity, and there's no indication as to what it measures - if it's "market share of installed corporate PCs" or something like that, the fact that Win 8 is new would work against it; if it's "current sales of notebooks and tablets," it raises other questions (like "who the heck is still selling XP?"). The point of the article, though, is about the interface issue you raise in your post. Author Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols says "Everyone knows that New Coke was a total disaster for Coca-Cola. Except, of course, that isn't actually what happened...In Coke's case, the company realized quickly how badly they'd blundered and brought back old Coke as Classic Coke. And, this is the part everyone outside of the soft-drink business forgets, Coca-Cola actually immediately came back stronger than ever. Decades later, the Cola wars are history and Coca-Cola is the winner." In the piece, Vaughan-Nichols wonders whether Microsoft will take a similar tack and re-introduce the "Aero" interface (including the start button you're looking for!). One has to believe that Microsoft has many more reasons than Coke to not fork the product line: I'm sure that it's massively more complex to evolve two UIs than to produce a carbonated beverage according to two recipes (one of which, kind of by definition, isn't supposed to change), and Microsoft needs the Metro interface to help bolster its mobile device strategy. But you're right enough about Win 8 being sub-optimal for non-touchscreen devices. It may be that Microsoft is ultimately forced to choose between supporting the interface of the future, the interface of the mouse-and-keyboard PC, or a dual interface strategy... Thu, 02 May 2013 13:10:19 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/43-security/3689-comment-cyber-dialogue-iii#3694 Thanks for the comments. I agree that there are many new approaches security. At a cryptology panel at the most recent RSA Conference, I heard some pretty interesting discussion which suggested that it is basically impossible now to protect against all advanced threats. In light of this, the best strategy is to accept this fact, plan for it, and prioritize protection of different enterprise applications/data. The discussion starts at 10:55 in the video on page 5 of this article: http://www.itincanada.ca/index.php?cid=0&id=19110&np=5 My take on consensus at Cyber Dialogue was that governments are unlikely to intervene because they have no practical way of doing so.... Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:21:06 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/74-cloud-insights/3692-qwhy-cloudq-whitepaper-now-up-on-cloudfingrca#3692 I'm pleased to announce that the "Why cloud?" whitepaper - the third (of six) in the 2013 cloudfingr cycle - is now available at www.cloudfingr.ca (www.cloudfingr.ca) (scroll down to "Research Library" in the right-hand column). The paper, sponsored by HP, joins "How to cloud" (sponsored by TELUS) and "What is cloud?" (issued with CVCA) as resources that we've put in place for the Canadian cloud community. I think it's a good paper (of course, I'm biased!) - I'd really like to hear what you think about the content and its implications! Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:01:26 -0400 http://www.itincanada.ca/component/kunena/43-security/3690-how-one-man-hijacked-a-plane-with-his-smartphone#3690 By now, you've probably heard about Hugo Teso, a security consultant, who showed a packed audience in Amsterdam how he used his Android phone to hijack an airplane. The presentation has been well-reported and the headline, guaranteed to get attention, was usually "Hacker with Android Phone Hijacks Airplane". Of course, buried in the article, is mention that the plane was virtual, not real, and the hacking was done using some sophisticated (but usually not explained) methods involving weaknesses in the way aircraft are controlled. The scenario is do-able, yes, but not very likely. The hack by Teso was to show that these things are possible and that the world's aircraft electronics standards are not just exceedingly lax, but woefully out of date. Here's how Teso did the deed. === He's not just a security consultant and computer nerd.. he's also a licensed commercial pilot. In fact, Teso has been a pilot longer than he's been an IT guy. He says that while flying planes and studying the way various instruments and control systems interact, he realized that much of this technology is straight out of the 1990s (at best). Being a security consultant, he eventually put two and two together and saw how it could be exploited. To demonstrate that it works and then show the world so the various airlines and regulatory agencies involved could make fixes, he went ahead and did it. To a simulator. === How his hack works. He saw that there were several things that could be exploited and if done together, they'd literally be able to take over an aircraft. The first step is to find out what planes you can access and then gain access to your target. Most flight communications, whether pilot-to-tower or aircraft-to-tower or satellite, are completely open and insecure. Using one of those, the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system - which sends location data to air traffic controllers - Teso could find out what planes were within range and what types of computers and systems they have on board - even the plane type and maximum number of total passengers (seats). He also figured out how to use the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which is how communications from the aircraft to controllers or satellites is done. So, using the ADS-B system, he targeted a virtual aircraft and then using ACARS, he could block communications or change non-voice comms to whatever he'd like so air traffic controllers, if they didn't try to manually contact the plane via voice (which would be blocked) would not likely know anything was awry. From there, Teso created an Android app for his phone that could upload a specific payload of information to the plane's computers - flight plans, commands, etc. The app can literally control the plane through screen-taps on a map or by building detailed flight plans and then uploading them. Yes, those commands could include "Visit ground" (crash) or "Be punckish" (start randomly setting off alarms and alerts to the pilots). Even the accelerometer (motion sensor) in the phone can be used to fly the plane "by the wire." === His plan is specifically to make change, not show others how to cause wrecks. Teso took several precautions before going public with his app and ideas. First, the app itself will only work with a simulator - not on real aircraft. Next, he alerted authorities in several countries, with full details, long before his presentation in Amsterdam. Finally, he hasn't released full information on how everything works to the public, only authorities. He hopes that the publicity and uproar from the world's traveling public will accelerate fixes to secure flight networks and computers so that a hijacking by cell phone never actually happens. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:58:52 -0400