Big Brother Is Watching over Us!We all should know that any Internet activity we perform is being tracked by our Internet service provider, but it's just exactly where that information is going that raises red flags and presents an ethical dilemma. In this story, Joe Townsend examines how Big Brother is watching over us.
Configuration Management in the NewsIt’s normal to not hear about configuration management (CM) during the evening news or read about our profession in your local newspaper. However, that doesn’t mean things are not progressing in our field, as this news roundup will detail.
Expect Glitches to Hit New Healthcare Insurance MarketplacesOn October 1, the new US government-backed healthcare insurance marketplaces begin open enrollment for individuals. However, recent reports suggest that the software behind the marketplaces may not be quite ready for opening day, and could cause glitches.
How NSA Cracks Encrypted DataNew facts continue to come out about the National Security Agency’s information-gathering programs. Each day's news seems to outdo previous scoops about its spying capabilities. This week is no different, with new reports detailing NSA's efforts to crack encrypted data.
Don’t Be Afraid of Big DataIt's starting to look like big data isn't as scary as organizations might have once thought—especially when heavyweights like IBM are rewarding those who are willing to spread "data literacy" to anyone who will listen. Learn how you could be your company's hero by standing up to big data.
New Software Helps Scientists Identify Animal SoundsThanks to software, scientists now have the ability to record massive amounts of audio samples from ecologically diverse areas and use technology to help in the species-identification process—a labor-intensive task, given the difficulty in deciphering the sounds in many hours of recordings.
The Software behind the PRISM Intelligence-Gathering ProgramNews of the National Security Agency’s PRISM intelligence-gathering program has reverberated throughout the media. This sophisticated computer system has the capability to sift through enormous amounts of data and extrapolate meaning, giving the NSA a way to track people and their behaviors.
What the Government's New Open Data Policy Means for DevelopersOn May 9, 2013, President Obama signed the Open Data Executive Order, which mandates that open government data is now the standard—not the exception. The public will be able to access government datasets rendered in open, machine-readable formats and, when appropriate, expose data via APIs.
