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IBM has developed the world’s smallest computer, which could help track objects, foil counterfeiters, and boost efficiency. A computer as big as a grain of salt could transform shipping that crisscrosses the planet, said IBM researchers who recently unveiled the experimental device. Using blockchain technology that would provide a secure and efficient log of physical objects tagged with the tiny computers, shippers could track goods at every step of extended supply chains, foiling counterfeiters and upping efficiency, Dan Friedman, senior manager of communication circuits and systems at IBM Research, told Seeker. “That’s what we want to do — something that...

There's more to your computer's operating system than meets the eye. Ash Edmonds via Unsplash ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Apple prides itself on the polish and slickness of its software, and on the surface, macOS proves itself an intuitive and easy-to-navigate operating system. Dig deeper, however, and you'll find a heap of useful settings and options that let you customize your computing experience. Here are 24 of our favorites. 1. Mute Siri Siri doesn't have to speak her responses aloud—she can silently display them on screen. If you'd prefer this option, click the Apple menu, followed by System Preferences and Siri. Finally, next...

Help!! I am having problems with my home desktop, which is an Apple IMac. Last Thursday morning when I turned it on I got my username and password entered but then the progress bar to boot the system up just stopped. I tried turning it off and restarting it but the same thing happened. I called the Apple techs and we went through several diagnostic tests. This tech tells me I need to buy more RAM so he gives me the product numbers and what to order. Since my device is 6 years old Apple no longer sold the parts,...

Only Intel machines are affected by Meltdown Details have emerged on two major processor security flaws this week, and the industry is scrambling to issue fixes and secure machines for customers. Dubbed “Meltdown” and “Spectre,” the flaws affect nearly every device made in the past 20 years. The Meltdown flaw only affects Intel processors, and researchers have already released proof of concept code that could lead to attacks using Meltdown. The vulnerabilities allow an attacker to compromise the privileged memory of a processor by exploiting the way processes run in parallel. They also allow an attacker to use JavaScript code...

Walmart's NYC-based innovation center is experimenting with a cashier-less store concept called Project Kepler, which "aims to reimagine the in-store shopping experience with the help of technologies like computer vision," Recode reports. Project Kepler is in part aimed at creating a store that would feature no checkout lines or cashiers, but use computer vision to detect which products customers leave the store with and then charge their accounts accordingly. Why it matters: Amazon is also experimenting without cashiers, while roughly 3.5 million Americans operate cash registers for a living. Recode also reports that Walmart's new start-up subsidiary, called Code 8,...

ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) — Cyber shenanigans for 200? A former “Jeopardy!” winner has been charged with illegally accessing co-workers’ email accounts at a small Michigan college. Stephanie Jass is a former history professor at Adrian College. She appeared in Lenawee County court on Tuesday, charged with unauthorized access to a computer and using a computer to commit a crime.

I am in need of a new computer. I gotten the blue screen of death three times.I am not very savvy on operating or even on understanding a lot of the technical stuff. I know I don't want Windows10 because my wife has been struggling with it and I don't handle frustration well. I also don't like the idea of "renting" software with potential contract changes every year. I have heard that there are outlets that sell laptops with Windows7. That's what I've been using for years and it is where I'm comfortable. I'd like directions on where I might...

Ever notice how people texting at night have that eerie blue glow? Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen? During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun. f.lux f.lux fixes this: it makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day. It's even possible that you're staying up too late because of your computer. You could use...

Just in case it’s been weighing on your mind, you can relax now. A team of theoretical physicists from Oxford University in the UK has shown that life and reality cannot be merely simulations generated by a massive extraterrestrial computer. The finding – an unexpectedly definite one – arose from the discovery of a novel link between gravitational anomalies and computational complexity.

Exclusive: Did Imran Want Capitol Police To Find Wasserman Schultz’s Laptop? A laptop that Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has frantically fought to keep prosecutors from examining may have been planted for police to find by her since-indicted staffer, Imran Awan, along with a letter to the U.S. Attorney. U.S. Capitol Police found the laptop after midnight April 6, 2017, in a tiny room that formerly served as a phone booth in the Rayburn House Office Building, according to a Capitol Police report reviewed by The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group. Alongside the laptop was a Pakistani ID card,...

Project Description Since 2012, we have been investigating the use of algorithms, automation and computational propaganda in public life. Political bots are manipulating public opinion over major social networking applications. This project enables a new team of social and information scientists to investigate the impact of automated scripts, commonly called bots, on social media. We study both the bot scripts and the people making such bots, and then work with computer scientists to improve the way we catch and stop such bots. Experience suggests that political bots are most likely to appear during an international crisis, and are usually designed...

I recently installed a Netgear Nighthawk X6 router. I've replaced the default passwords with 10 digit, random, unrelated characters. Two of my devices (a desktop and a laptop) are running Avast free virus protection. When I run an Avast scan, it says Service is vulnerable to attacks from within your network. When I click on their recommended solution, they say to update the firmware. I've gone to the Netgear website and it says all is updated. I recently vacationed in Colorado. I stayed at a private condo and used their wifi. I ran the Avast scan on my laptop. At...

The “accidental hero” who halted the global spread of an unprecedented ransomware attack by registering a garbled domain name hidden in the malware has warned the attack could be rebooted. *snip* ...the spread of the attack was brought to a sudden halt when one UK cybersecurity researcher tweeting as @malwaretechblog, with the help of Darien Huss from security firm Proofpoint, found and inadvertently activated a “kill switch” in the malicious software.

The Senate voted to kill Obama-era online privacy regulations, a first step toward allowing internet providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to sell your browsing habits and other personal information as they expand their own online ad businesses. Those rules, not yet in effect, would have required internet providers to ask your permission before sharing your personal information.

Boldly going where no man has gone before, the Kirk Ransomware brings so much nerdy goodness to the table that it could make anyone in IT interested. We have Star Trek, Low Orbital Ion Cannons, a cryptocurrency payment other than Bitcoin, and a decryptor named Spock! Need I say more? Discovered today by Avast malware researcher Jakub Kroustek, the Kirk Ransomware is written in Python and may be the first ransomware to utilize Monero as the ransom payment of choice.

IBM Q isn’t vaporware. It’s a project years-in-the-making that could help quantum computation reach its massive potential. The future of quantum computers may arrive sooner than you think. When news arrived of IBM’s move to offer the first commercially available universal quantum computer last week, it was characterized as a “handoff” from IBM Research to IBM Systems. According to the company’s CTO and vice president of quantum computing, technical strategy, and systems, Scott Crowder, that’s not entirely the case. “It’s not quite a ‘handoff,’ it’s really a partnership,” explained Crowder. “This is definitely a transition point from it being pure...

OK- installed Linux Mint Cinnamon 18.1 recently, everything was working fine- then recently what has been happening is I'll be working along fine, and then for some reason, my windows go transparent- Icons are still opaque on desktop- but everything I open, card games, Internet browser, notepad etc are all transparent- even the shutdown dialogue is- Can't find any info online linux forums about this behavior- Any thoughts on how to fix it?

All my colors are are OK except for light greern/yellow

Before I even talk about DHS employees being locked out of the computer system…lets look back at a prior story on DHS. A government watchdog agency is investigating allegations that Department of Homeland Security officials improperly attempted to breach the Georgia secretary of state’s internal elections network last year. In a Jan. 17 letter to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, DHS Inspector General John Roth said his office was probing “a series of ten alleged scanning events of the Georgia Secretary of State’s network” that may have originated from DHS-affiliated IP addresses. DHS IG spokeswoman Erica Paulson confirmed the...

The thread on F.R.mentioned above indicated that Obama had the White House computer system replaced with a new one on January 1, 2017 and suggested that the old system is now under his control at the offices of Organizing for Action, a new N.P.O. set up by him. What evidence of his crimes and corruption are on that old system and how compromised is the new system at the White House?