New Technology Reviews!.: Environment

iPod designer Tony Fadell takes on thermostats with Nest Labs

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<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="250" mce_src="http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5608/nestthermostatshot.jpg" mce_style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;" src="http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5608/nestthermostatshot.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 8px; max-width: 640px;" width="225" />Tony Fadell, Apple's former Senior Vice President of the iPod Division, oversaw iPod and iPhone development between 2001 and 2009. Ten years after his most iconic project first saw the light of day, the "father of the iPod" has a new product: Nest, a home thermostat that's smarter than the average bear.</div>
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Nest is a new breed of home thermostat that Fadell has developed with partner Matt Rogers, who led an engineering team at Apple's iPod division in 2009. Mike Matas, formerly of Delicious Monster and Apple, contributed to the design.</div>
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"It's a thermostat for the iPhone generation," says Fadell. Aside from its striking looks and color-coded, digital display, the Nest thermostat boasts impressive features. For example, a motion sensor notices if there are people in a room and adjusts its temperature accordingly. It also learns your habits and preferences, so there's no programming to be done.</div>
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Even fine-tuned adjustments of just a few degrees can make a big difference for consumers and the environment. The New York Times notes that each degree cooler (in winter) or warmer (in summer) a house is kept translates into a 5 percent energy savings, according to experts. John E. Bowers, director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency at the University of California, Santa Barbara, likes the idea of using an smart device to monitor those adjustments. "There is a huge amount that can be gained in homes, and an intelligent thermostat could be a great opportunity," he told the Times.</div>
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The Nest will ship sometime in November at US$250, via the company's site and Best Buy's website. It certainly looks cool, but what would you expect from "the father of the iPod?"</div>
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iPod designer Tony Fadell takes on thermostats with Nest Labs

Tony Fadell, Apple's former Senior Vice President of the iPod Division, oversaw iPod and iPhone development between 2001 and 2009. T...

Top Tech & Business Minds Try To Save the Oceans

<div><br/><div></div><br/><div><img alt="shark image" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-581763" height="179" src="http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/9568/630shark.jpg" title="shark image" width="378" /></div><br/></div><br/><em>Shark Tag, You’re It </em>is an online platform designed to bring in the best, most creative ways to help drive ocean conservation. Drawing from a roster of top business talent, the platform has encouraged submissions from the likes of Google and the Boston Consulting Group. All of this was made possible thanks to the Summit at Sea, to which <em>Shark Tag, You’re It</em> is attached. Its genesis, however, is a twisted path.<br/><br/><em>Shark Tag, You’re It</em> is actually attached to just one event during the upcoming Summit at Sea. Considered a Davos for a younger, hipper set, the summit is a large-scale brainstorm and talent exchange for major minds and artists including Sir Richard Branson, Russel Simmons, The Roots, executives from Google, GE, UNICEF, Zappos and more. The three-day event takes place, appropriately, on a cruise ship sailing off the coast of Florida with a dedicated focus on ocean conservation and marine issues.<br/><br/>Think of it as one part networking, one part philanthropic mission and one part Carnival Cruise. One event during the weekend is a shark-tagging expedition to help monitor the health of Florida’s shark population. With 1,000 guests vying for a spot, the shark tagging was quickly overbooked. As a solution, the summit drew up <em>Shark Tag, You’re It</em>. The platform is essentially a competition: Come up with the best idea (picked by the summit) for helping the oceans and you get a chance to tag some sharks. The following question was posed: “What is the most serious issue facing the oceans today, and how can you, your company, or your industry help address it?”<br/><br/>The brainstorming, however, quickly outgrew the competition. As a result, the site has sparked a healthy and wildly creative conversation from some of the biggest names in tech, business and philanthropy.<br/><br/><img alt="music image" class="alignright size-full wp-image-581769" height="165" src="http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2581/191music.jpg" title="music image" width="191" />“I think it’s a phenomenal idea,” says Joey Rubin, of Dante’s Fried Chicken. His idea involved turning the GPS information from the tagged sharks into musical notes to be programmed on an X and Y axis. The sharks’ movement could then create a free-form symphony at sea. “I think the summit has been a pretty elusive property for such a long time, but the community is very engaged. It’s an idea economy … it’s a currency in a way.”<br/><br/>Mike Stepka, Google’s VP of Strategy and Business Operations, tackled global warming as it pertains to the ocean, outlining how Google tries to cut down its collective carbon footprint.<br/><br/><img alt="mural image" class="alignright size-full wp-image-581771" height="156" src="http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7214/191whale.jpg" title="mural image" width="191" />Artist Jane Kim proposed a migrating mural and public art installation. The murals could each depict different scenes from the Blue Whale’s migratory pattern such that people could experience that migration in a dynamic way. They could be set up along a highway, for example, to give a sense of motion. “It was great to actually see people be motivated and inspired by these ideas,” Kim says. “One of the things I’ve been wondering is do people actually care about the environment?”<br/><br/>Both Rubin and Kim say they contributed to <em>Shark Tag</em> without knowing it was a competition of sorts. The cultural idea exchange has instead been the driving factor on the forum. The site is built to encourage discovery. Ideas are not categorized by type or company, leaving visitors to bounce between the proposals. This does, however, make it hard to find individual projects.<br/><br/>The biggest concern is that all this brainpower will go to waste. There is no obligation for any of the suggestions to be carried to completion, even those that are picked as “winners.” Yet, Rubin thinks that end-goal misses the point of the online brainstorm: “Maybe none of them happen, but you just had 50 top entrepreneurs and top influencers use their skills and the tools they had available to start a conversation.”<br/><br/><img alt="google image" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-581775" src="http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1290/630google.jpg" title="google image" /><br/><br/>For her part, Kim has been contemplating a Kickstarter campaign to make her murals a reality, adding: “I’m totally concerned about [the projects not being completed]. But at the same time [<em>Shark Tag, You're It</em>] isn’t about that because it’s great that people are engaged and energetic. Even if these things don’t get made over night, I don’t think it’s a fail.”<br/><br/>Regardless of what becomes of the platform, it’s refreshing to see business leaders and their invite-only summits prioritizing philanthropy and social impact in new and innovative ways.<br/><br/>What do you make of <em>Shark Tag, You’re It?</em> Does it matter if these projects get made or is it more important to get major corporations engaged in the conversation? Sound off in the comments.

Top Tech & Business Minds Try To Save the Oceans

Shark Tag, You’re It is an online platform designed to bring in the best, most creative ways to help drive ocean conservation. Drawing from ...

Cyber Security Professionals - Necessities In The 21st-Century Computing Environment

<br />		<p>The vast network of cyber-space presents - or, can harbor -- major threats to the security of personal computers; LAN and WAN networks; and wireless Internet networks. Trained computer networking specialists who are experts in cyber-security are needed to secure networks and computer systems for effective data storage and retrieval. Just as importantly, they are needed to secure the privacy and integrity of personal and corporate identities. These professionals can find work in private firms, in consulting, or at the state and federal government levels. Most individuals complete at least a bachelor's degree before working in the cyber-security field.</p><p>Hackers pose special threats to computer network security. These technology and networking experts use their insider information to grant themselves access to computer networks, without permission. Our modern computing environment is an open one, and individuals with systems and software knowledge - or, even, persons with the gumption to steal data or computing devices - can easily get their hands on very sensitive information.</p><p>Much information should be kept private, and serious damage can ensue if this information falls into the hands of hackers. One of the greatest risks to business computer and personal computer users who are working on unsecured networks is identity theft. A cyber-thief can use a personal or company address; financial and credit card information; or even a personal social security number to steal money from individual or corporate accounts. This is a serious crime - one with far-reaching consequences, including ruined credit records -- and increasingly easy to commit in today's open-computing, technology-heavy environment. Cyber-security professionals who are adept at designing secure, hack-proof information systems and networks are needed to win the fight against identity theft.</p><p>Spyware and viruses pose another threat to the integrity and security of computer data. Spyware is installed on a computer without the user knowing, and can collect personal data or interfere with computer applications or run-time. Viruses are computer programs that replicate themselves to infect the machines, often damaging files or even hard drives in the process. There now exist several types of anti-virus and anti-spyware software that can be installed on a personal computer or on networked office computers for low or no cost. Security professionals on IT repair teams might be trained in the use of this software. Some professionals might provide security consulting services to businesses and individuals, as well.</p><p>Skilled cyber-security professionals also know how to install and maintain firewalls. These pieces of software or computer appliances are security devices that monitor activity between networks - usually, networks with different levels of security and access. Firewalls might restrict permissions to various Internet activities or Web sites. The level of security firewalls provide on large business networks can be changed or altered by security administrators. There exist many types of firewalls, including network layers and proxy servers. Understanding what each type of firewall does, and when it should be applied are main responsibilities of a cyber-security student; typically, he or she will take several classes about firewalls to complete a network security degree.</p><p>Design and evaluation of secure computer network systems are special skills, in which cyber-security information systems professionals must be proficient. Secure network architecture is imperative in preventing hacking and threats to information integrity. Some cyber security professionals will be employed as business consultants, routinely evaluating system security software, and creating and testing secure network systems.</p><p>Finally, some cyber-security professionals might be employed to work on major projects and contracts where information privacy and integrity is vital. The U.S. Department of Defense or the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in Washington, D.C., for example, need cyber-security specialists to create networks that will protect highly sensitive or classified data. Similarly, cyber-security specialists are needed in biology and scientific research centers, such as those found in universities and hospitals, to make sure data and findings remain secure. Specific federal regulations outline how these findings should be secured, so specialists can help these research centers stay compliant.</p><p>The field of cyber-security is a constantly evolving and important area of information systems science. Individuals pursuing an education in this challenging and lucrative field will be sure to find fascinating work and a lifetime of learning throughout their careers.</p>	<br />	<br />		<br />			<br />				<br />					<br /><br />						<p>Potomac College, an adult learning school [http://www.potomac.edu/articles/adult-learner-college.php] with campuses in Washington, DC and Northern Virginia, offers a <a href="http://www.potomac.edu/degree_programs/bach_info_manage.php" target="_new">bachelors degree program in information systems</a>, with a concentration in cyber-security. For more information, visit the school's Web site, <a href="http://www.potomac.edu/" target="_new">www.potomac.edu</a>.</p>					<br />

Cyber Security Professionals - Necessities In The 21st-Century Computing Environment

The vast network of cyber-space presents - or, can harbor -- major threats to the security of personal computers; LAN and WAN networks; a...