Emory Forbes 74's blog

Pre-orders for the Surface 2 with LTE are now open in the UK

Microsoft's LTE-equipped Surface 2 has only been available in limited markets since it was formally announced, but today the company has said it's opening pre-orders in the UK. As per the company's usual sales approach, the 4G tablet is already live...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_GddZqNFYfA/
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Apr 15, 2014 11:28:11 AM

Nikon 1 J4: An Interchangeable-Lens Camera That's All About "Features"

Just a month after announcing the pricey V3 interchangeable-lens camera , Nikon global just pushed out info about a more compact, and we're assuming more affordable, version of the mirrorless camera. The Nikon 1 J4 is ultra-fast and loaded with beginner-friendly features.

How to turn off Touch ID and revert to a passcode or password

Touch ID tries to balance convenience with security by letting you unlock your iPhone 5s with only a fingerprint. However, that won't be the right balance for everyone. Whether you simply don't like or trust biometrics, or it's just not right for your current situation and circumstances, Apple makes it easy to turn Touch ID off and a passcode or strong password on.

How to turn off Touch ID for the Lock screen

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone 5s.
Scroll down and tap on Touch ID & Passcode.
Enter your passcode when prompted.
Under the Use Touch ID For section, turn Off the option for iPhone Unlock.

You can also disable Touch ID for iTunes and App Store purchases at the same time if you'd like.

How to turn on long, strong alphanumeric passwords on your iPhone or iPad

If neither a simple 4-digit passcode nor Touch ID are secure enough for you, you can choose to protect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a longer, stronger alphanumeric password. That greatly reduces the chances that anyone can guess or brute-force their way into your device and access your data without your permission. What's more, Apple makes it easy to set up.

How to secure your iPhone or iPad with a strong alphanumeric password

What are you using to secure your iPhone or iPad? Touch ID, passcord, password, nothing at all? Let me know what and why!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/3NB9EY9h0mI/story01.htm
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Apr 15, 2014 10:58:58 AM

Meet the guys who store humans at freezing temperatures for the future

We Will Live Again is a fascinating documentary on the Cryonics Institute, the place where 99 dead human bodies are stored at freezing temperatures in hopes that they'll be able to be revived and live again in another life. It's crazy and bizarre and eerie in all the right ways.

Microsoft announces Skype TX with studio-grade audio and video for broadcasters

Today, Microsoft's unveiling Skype TX, a new version of its VoIP service geared toward broadcasters. The service uses technology developed by Cat and Mouse -- a recent MSFT acquisition -- to offer the higher-quality audio and video output that media...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ex4Z1Eo6AQg/
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Apr 15, 2014 9:07:20 AM

How to fix a broken earpiece on your iPhone 5

If you're having issues with the earpiece on your iPhone 5, there's a possibility it could need to be DIY repaired. Symptoms typically include low audio through the actual earpiece, crackling sounds, or no sound at all. If that sounds like something you're experiencing, your earpiece could be bad. Luckily, a DIY earpiece repair isn't terribly hard and can save you a ton of cash. So follow along and we'll walk you through from start to finish!

What you need to DIY replace a blown earpiece on an iPhone 5

You'll need some tools and parts in order to repair your iPhone 5, including the replacement assembly. If you're in the United States or Canada, we highly recommend checking out eTech Parts as we've had lots of good experiences with them and know their customer service is out of this world. All the links below will route you to the direct item on eTech's site.

Replacement iPhone 5 earpiece - Buy now
Suction cup - Buy now
5-point security screwdriver - Buy now
Standard #000 Phillips screwdriver - Buy now
Spudger tool - Buy now
Razor blade - Buy Now
iSesamo Opening tool (not necessary but awesome for prying up cables and getting under adhesive) - Buy Now

Step 1: Power off your iPhone 5

Before beginning any repair, always power your iPhone down completely using the Slide to power off option. Easy enough right?

Step 2: Remove the front screen assembly

To begin, use your security screwdriver to remove the two screws in the bottom of your iPhone 5 that sit on either side of the dock.
Now place your suction cup above the Home button and gently pry up from the bottom. Take care not to pull the entire screen off as the top of the screen is still attached by several cables. You only want to release the bottom portion.
Once the screen is free, swing up the display assembly so you can get to the shield that is holding the cables in place.
Using your ##000 screwdriver to remove the three screws holding the display shield down. Set the shield aside and remember not to mix up the screws.
Now use your spudger tool to pry up the three cables that attach the display to the board. After you do so, the display should be free from the device. As a side note, you can only see two of the cables (as marked in the photo below) as the third is underneath. Most of the time the third one simply pops up on its own when you remove the first two. You may need to free it but most likely, it'll come up on its own. The second photo below shows its location on the board for reference.
Set the device aside once the display is free.

Alternate method: If you're having issues pulling the screen up with a suction cup, you may insert a razor blade on the outer edge of either screw hold and pry upwards slightly. This method gives you enough clearance to stick your spudger tool underneath and release the screen. I recommend this method if your hands aren't as steady or you're afraid you may pull too hard and damage a cable.

Step 3: Replace the earpiece speaker assembly

Place your display assembly face down on a clean cloth as to not scratch the screen.
Remove the two screws holding the earpiece speaker and shield in place using your #000 screwdriver.
Gently lift the earpiece and shield off the display assembly.
Now swap out the old earpiece for the new one. Be sure to line up the contacts on the back of the earpiece with the contacts on the cable assembly on the back of your iPhone display. An easy way to know the earpiece is positioned correctly is if the screw holes are lining up correctly. If they are, you're in good shape!
Replace the earpiece shield on top of the actual earpiece. Make sure it also lines up with the screw holes correctly.
Replace the two screws that hold the earpiece and shield in place using your #000 screwdriver.

Step 4: Reconnect the display assembly

Re-attach the three cables for the display back to the board of your iPhone 5.
Carefully re-position the display shield over the cables once you're sure they are secure.
Replace the three screws you removed previously using your ##000 screwdriver. Sometimes the top right screw is not magnetized and may be a little tricky to get back in. I normally guide it in with my finger and then use the screwdriver. Makes for an easier job.
Now snap the display back down and into place. Be sure to line up the grooves in the top of the screen inside the frame. If you are facing resistance, do not force the display down. Make sure everything is lined up properly and that the clips in the top are aligned properly. Then try gently pressing down again.
Replace the two screws that sit on either side of the Lightning dock using your security screwdriver.

Step 5: Test the earpiece

Now that you're iPhone 5 is fully assembled, you can go ahead and turn it back on. In order to test the earpiece, place a test call and make sure whatever issue you were having is now gone. Also toggle speakerphone on and off to be sure that both functions pass audio back and forth correctly.

If everything went as planned, you should be in working order again! If not, check out our iMore forums and do a quick search. If you still can't find help or an answer, feel free to email me with questions or suggestions for other guides.

What don't you like about iOS 7?

Now that iOS 7 has been around for a while and folks have had a chance to go all in with it, the moonlight phase with some of what it brought might be over. Â Sure, there's plenty to love in iOS 7 and we've looked at all of that extensively but what about some of the not so great stuff it brought?Â

When upgrading to a new OS there is always 'good' stuff to be had but some folks don't adapt to change all that well and often times, that leads to some frustrations with things that are new. A nice thread popped up in the iMore Forums recently that asks the simple question - What don't you like about iOS 7? - a lot of the answers are really interesting to read through.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/b7hkufe5FB4/story01.htm
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Nov 27, 2013 6:10:01 PM

After Two Years of Nuclear Crises, Japan Opens Its Biggest Solar Park

This month, Japanese electronics company Kyocera launched the country's largest solar plant. The facility can power 22,000 homes—and, maybe more importantly, it poses no risk of melting down, injuring workers, or spewing radioactive water into the Pacific ocean.

Internal Emails Reveal Warnings HealthCare.gov Wasn't Ready

Henry Chao, the project manager of HealthCare.gov, is sworn in to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Henry Chao, the project manager of HealthCare.gov, is sworn in to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

HealthCare.gov could barely function on the day the health insurance marketplace debuted, and internal emails show at least some top health officials could see the failure coming.

In emails from July, released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Obama administration officials write of unskilled developers and a series of missed deadlines. One email said the "entire build is in jeopardy." But when the administration's top people in charge of the implementation testified before the committee in the months leading up to the site launch, they said just the opposite — that they were ready.

"Administration officials looked us in the eye and told us everything was 'on track' but when we pull back the curtain now, the mess is disturbing," committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said in a statement.

You can read the full email exchanges at the committee site. But here are the most dire warnings detailed in the emails between Henry Chao, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project manager in charge of HealthCare.gov, and other officials:

Three months before launch, only 10 developers from contractor CGI Federal were working on a crucial part of the site — the marketplace for choosing plans — and of those, only one was "at a high enough skill level."
Coordination issues between two main contractors — CGI Federal and QSSI. In all, HealthCare.gov has at least 47 different federal contractors involved, but CGI and QSSI won the big contracts for major chunks of the build. It seems QSSI and CGI couldn't seem to work smoothly together. Today, QSSI is the "lead contractor" in charge of getting everyone on the same page.
The only developer who was working on the payment pages for enrollment quit CGI without programming the 10 key user interface pieces of the transaction part. "Needless to say it is in jeopardy," wrote CMS' Jeffrey Grant.
The part of the system that does monthly payment calculation of insurance plans did not get priority by the contractor, who called it "not an October 1 item." (The health care insurance website launched Oct. 1.)
"Seriously substandard staffing," is how Grant described its contractor's people power. The key contractor, CGI, missed deadlines due to "insufficient" programmer resources. A month from testing certain parts of the system, no development work had even started. CGI Federal got at least $93.7 million to build HealthCare.gov.

Interestingly, Chao, who took the brunt of tongue-lashings from lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee this week, comes out in the emails as a decent public servant who took seriously his promises that HealthCare.gov would work, only to wind up the pilot of an exploding plane. With a July email sharing a video link to his summer testimony assuring lawmakers the site would work on time, he urges his team not to fall short, writing:

" 'I wanted to share this with you so you can see and hear that ... I under oath stated we are going to make Oct. 1,' Chao wrote. 'I would like you (to) put yourself in my shoes standing before Congress, which in essence is standing before the American public, and know that you speak the tongue of not necessarily just past truths but the truth that you will make happen.' "

The other key takeaway may not surprise those of you who have been following this saga closely. The contractors, namely CGI Federal, were woefully understaffed and underprepared despite their multimillion-dollar federal contract. Its track record with similar IT projects isn't great. The Washington Examiner reported that CGI's performance on Ontario, Canada's health care medical registry for diabetes sufferers was so poor that officials ditched the $46.2 million contract after three years of missed deadlines.

These documents call into question whether contractors can fix the website as promised by the end of November.

The HealthCare.gov wreckage highlights the systemic issues with federal IT purchasing: Contractors with serious technical chops often don't compete for these bids. Contractors experienced at navigating the complex world of winning contracts win bids. President Obama reiterated his calls for systemic federal procurement reform in remarks to the press on Thursday.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/11/15/245399200/internal-emails-reveal-warnings-healthcare-gov-wasnt-ready?ft=1&f=1001
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Nov 16, 2013 12:30:42 AM

Cloud audits often don't mean what you think they do

November 06, 2013

Of all of the potential shortcomings of the cloud, trust is perhaps the largest. "Seeing is believing" is a truism that certainly applies to IT. Although you could have the worst-run internal IT shop ever, there's a comfort in being able to walk down to the data center and put your hands on what makes it tick. Moving critical pieces of your application infrastructure into the cloud removes that (sometimes false) sense of security and leaves many people feeling exposed.

Of course, that's completely natural -- any time you trust anyone to do anything for you, you are exposing yourself to risk. If a provider tells you it's taking nightly backups of your cloud-hosted ERP application and it turns out not to be true, you're the one who'll suffer in the event of a failure. The same is true with a traditional IT department, but at least you can wander down and ask to see tapes and backup logs if you're concerned that your people might not be on the ball. That's not so easy to do when systems might be hosted hundreds or even thousands of miles away in a nameless data center and you're customer No. 20,000 out of 100,000.

From the cloud provider's perspective, this lack of trust is a tough problem to solve. Assuming you're doing a thorough job, how exactly do you get a potential client to trust your operation well enough to give you its business? Aside from having a good track record with existing clients that might recommend you, publishing audit reports such as SAS-70, SOC-1 (aka SSAE 16), SOC-2, and SOC-3 has been a great way to go about instilling that trust by having an independent third party vouch that you're doing what you say you're doing.

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Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-explosion/cloud-audits-often-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-do-230269?source=rss_infoworld_top_stories_
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Nov 13, 2013 6:46:06 AM