Matt's Faves: LTU Security Event THURSDAY, Cyborg Batteries, IE 10, Drones and More
So here's the very latest in tech, from local to across the universe...
* If you're worried about wireless security, visit me at Lawrence Tech Thursday morning for our monthly Last Thursdays Unwired at Lawrence Technological University event. The proliferation of smart mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and notebooks is driving the BYOD ("Bring Your Own Device") explosion and putting ever-increasing demands on wireless networks. Organizations want to harness the productivity gains these devices provide, but without putting network assets at risk. It is now more important than ever to have control over your entire network -- both wired and wireless -- with comprehensive, integrated security policies and increased visibility. Find out how to secure your WLAN and eliminate wireless network management headaches in our meeting Thursday, Feb. 28 at LTU. It's all free. Doors open at 7:30 and the really smart people start talking at 8, shortly after I introduce them. Register at this link.
* Sigh. Another emergency patch for another zero-day Adobe Flash exploit.
* Our cyborg future may not be far off. An ultra-stretchy battery could one day be used to power bionic eyeballs, brain-wave monitoring devices and robotic skins, new research suggests.
* Hundreds of Internet address suffixes to rival ".com" should be available for people and businesses to use by the end of the year, the head of an Internet oversight agency said Monday. The initial ones, expected in mid-2013, will likely be in Chinese and other languages besides English, said Fadi Chehade, CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
* Most of us know how to turn on a computer and browse the Web, but how many of us can build a website, application or computer program from scratch? Some of the tech industry's heavyweights are starring in a promotional video for Code.org -- a non-profit organization dedicated to computer programming education.
* NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spotted solar particles moving at incredible speeds near Saturn, giving scientists a rare up-close look at phenomena that occur during dramatic star explosions. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57571349/nasa-spacecraft-finds-particle-accelerator-at-saturn/
* An internal memo at Yahoo Inc .introducing a ban on working from home has sparked a debate on whether remote working leads to greater productivity and job satisfaction or kills creativity and is just a chance to slack off. Working remotely has become commonplace due to technology and has been welcomed particularly by people with young families or those facing long and expensive commutes. http://news.yahoo.com/yahoo-memo-sparks-debate-pros-cons-working-home-183107374--sector.html
* Four months after Microsoft released Internet Explorer 10 with and for Windows 8, Redmond has finally released a version of the company's newest browser for Windows 7 users in 95 other languages too. More than 700 million people now have access to the company's most up-to-date browser.
* Here's a cool new feature of the next Google Chrome -- a visual indicator when a tab is playing audio.
* Here's the latest on drones; basically, it's only a matter of time before fighter jets no longer contain pilots.
* HP's Meg Whitman says the company is shifting resources from PCs to tablets.
* A homemade jetpack has just made its first hop.
* Ford shows off its new small SUV for Europe, the EcoSport, at the Barcelona wireless show. Looks suspiciously like my new C-Max Hybrid.
