An anonymous reader writes: Stack Overflow today launched Salary Calculator, a tool that lets developers check out typical salaries across the industry. The calculated results are based on five factors: location, education, years of professional coding experience, developer type, and technologies used professionally. Stack Overflow is releasing the tool because it believes developers should be empowered with more information around job searches, careers, and salary. The company noticed ads on Stack Overflow Jobs that include salary information get 75 percent more clicks than ads without salary information. Even in cases when the salary range is below average, the ads still get 60 percent more clicks.
Agent AI is looking to automate more of the customer service process. To do that, it’s built its own customer relationship management product, as well as AI tools that sit on top — and now it’s making the CRM part available for free.
While giant software businesses have been built around CRM, CEO Fred Hsu said the market has changed, with the software becoming less differentiated and more commoditized.
He’s not saying that Agent AI’s CRM software — which allows businesses to save customer data, manage different communication channels and visualize customer interactions — isn’t good. But in his view, his company’s advantage will be on the AI side (it’s in the name, after all). And those AI products work best when they have lots of data to work with.
“By making our commodity software available for free, it’s a no cost, no risk way to make it really easy to onboard that customer data,” Hsu said.
Specifically, Agent AI’s Co-Pilot and Auto-Pilot services both draw on data about past interactions, a company knowledge base and more.
Co-Pilot suggests responses to customer questions and allows team members to accept those responses with just one click, while Auto-Pilot moves closer to full automation, sending responses to routine questions without any human intervention. Agent AI says Auto-Pilot can answer 50 to 80 percent of routine customer service inquiries.
Hsu also noted that Agent AI isn’t charging a standard software-as-a-service subscription fee. Instead, customers pay $1 per automated conversation, which he argued makes AI accessible to a wider range of businesses.
“Part of the problem and maybe some of the opportunity is that it’s been very binary — you have AI or you don’t,” he said. “It’s cost and timing prohibitive. … I haven’t seen realistic, usable models for these [businesses] who just want rapid fire, accurate, high quality converstaions.”
Also worth noting: While Agent AI is using free CRM as a way to bring businesses and their data on-board, Hsu said its AI technology also integrates with other CRM services through APIs.
Welcome to another post in our series of interview blogs for the upcoming Percona Live Europe 2017 in Dublin. This series highlights a number of talks that will be at the conference and gives a short preview of what attendees can expect to learn from the presenter.
This blog post is with Dana Van Aken, a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Her talk is titled Automatic Database Management System Tuning Through Large-Scale Machine Learning. DBMSs are difficult to manage because they have hundreds of configuration “knobs” that control factors such as the amount of memory to use for caches and how often to write data to storage. Organizations often hire experts to help with tuning activities, but experts are prohibitively expensive for many. In this talk, Dana will present OtterTune, a new tool that can automatically find good settings for a DBMS’s configuration knobs. In our conversation, we discussed how machine learning helps DBAs manage DBMSs:
Percona: How did you get into database technology? What do you love about it?
Dana: I got involved with research as an undergrad and ended up working on a systems project with a few Ph.D. students. It turned out to be a fantastic experience and is what convinced me to go for my Ph.D. I visited potential universities and chatted with many faculty members. I met with my current advisor at Carnegie Mellon University, Andy Pavlo, for a half hour and left his office excited about databases and the research problems he was interested in. Three years later, I’m even more excited about databases and the progress we’ve made in developing smarter auto-tuning techniques.
Percona: You’re presenting a session called “Automatic Database Management System Tuning Through Large-Scale Machine Learning”. How does automation make DBAs life easier in a DBMS production environment?
Dana: The role of the DBA is becoming more challenging due to the advent of new technologies and increasing scalability requirements of data-intensive applications. Many DBAs are constantly having to adjust their responsibilities to manage more database servers or support new platforms to meet an organization’s needs as they change over time. Automation is critical for reducing the DBA’s workload to a manageable size so that they can focus on higher-value tasks. Many organizations now automate at least some of the repetitive tasks that were once DBA responsibilities: several have adopted public/private cloud-based services whereas others have built their own automated solutions internally.
The problem is that the tasks that have now become the biggest time sinks for DBAs are much harder to automate. For example, DBMSs have dozens of configuration options. Tuning them is an essential but tedious task for DBAs, because it’s a trial and error approach even for experts. What makes this task even more time-consuming is that the best configuration for one DBMS may not be the best for another. It depends on the application’s workload and the server’s hardware. Given this, successfully automating DBMS tuning is a big win for DBAs since it would streamline common configuration tasks and give DBAs more time to deal with other issues. This is why we’re working hard to develop smarter tuning techniques that are mature and practical enough to be used in a production environment.
Percona: What do you want attendees to take away from your session? Why should they attend?
Dana: I’ll be presenting OtterTune, a new tool that we’re developing at Carnegie Mellon University that can automatically find good settings for a DBMS’s configuration knobs. I’ll first discuss the practical aspects and limitations of the tool. Then I’ll move on to our machine learning (ML) pipeline. All of the ML algorithms that we use are popular techniques that have both practical and theoretical work backing their effectiveness. I’ll discuss each algorithm in our pipeline using concrete examples from MySQL to give better intuition about what we are doing. I will also go over the outputs from each stage (e.g., the configuration parameters that the algorithm find to be the most impactful on performance). I will then talk about lessons I learned along the way, and finally wrap up with some exciting performance results that show how OtterTune’s configurations compared to those created by top-notch DBAs!
My talk will be accessible to a general audience. You do not need a machine learning background to understand our research.
Percona: What are you most looking forward to at Percona Live Europe 2017?
Dana: This is my first Percona Live conference, and I’m excited about attending. I’m looking forward to talking with other developers and DBAs about the projects they’re working on and the challenges they’re facing and getting feedback on OtterTune and our ideas.
Percona Live Open Source Database Conference Europe 2017 in Dublin is the premier European open source event for the data performance ecosystem. It is the place to be for the open source community as well as businesses that thrive in the MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, time series database, cloud, big data and Internet of Things (IoT) marketplaces. Attendees include DBAs, sysadmins, developers, architects, CTOs, CEOs, and vendors from around the world.
Professional reloader, Bob Shell, reviews the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases and puts their claims of reduced cost and increased durability to the test. Editors Note: Caution, Reloading is dangerous, read our “Reloading Disclaimer“. The reloading data published by this website is intended discussion purposes only. As with all data collection, mistakes are possible. You have been warned.**
Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases, a new 2-Piece Nickel Alloy 9mm Cases.Bob Shell
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- We are in an age where all types of novel ammo and reloading components are coming to the market. That is good news for us shooters as much of this is improvements over previous offerings.
One new company is Shell Shock Technologies which is making some innovative 9 mm ammo cases. These cases are definitely a new idea that is based on manufacturing methods not previously used to my knowledge.
Shell Shock Technologies came up with a novel idea, a 2-piece case that is made from a nickel alloy. The exact process is proprietary therefore the exact production methods used are not revealed.
Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases
I received some cases for evaluation and shooting along with the dies necessary to load those. There is a sizing and decapping die and a belling die. The bullet seating is done with a normal die which isn’t included. For detailed info, you can go here: http://ift.tt/2hewjxr .
Since the technology is new they have a video on how to use their dies and cases. There are some differences from the typical methods, so it would behoove you to check out the video prior to using these cases. You can see the video here ( http://ift.tt/2heK4bL ) and get other info pertinent to this product. The Shell Shock Technologies sizing and belling dies can be used for standard brass ammo cases, which is a plus because these new cases are superior to brass but will never replace them.
The Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases are a two-piece and are lighter than traditional brass. The bottom is an aluminum alloy while a nickel alloy part is the top, which makes the case magnetic. That makes them easier to pick up at a range. I weighed a number of them and they all weighed 35 grains with no variation. That would be a contributing factor in producing consistent ammo. Some brass cases I weighed came in at 63 to 64 grains so the advantage of lightweight cases would be evident if you had to carry a large amount of ammo. I measured several for length and they all came in at .7505 with no variation. That would be another feature that would contribute to accuracy and consistency.
If Shell Shock Technologies wanted to do some serious weight reduction by using a 50-grain bullet which is available or they could design their own. Such ammo would reduce both weight and recoil.
During my testing of the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases I also received 200 rounds of factory loaded 9 mm with a copper 124 gr HP. They are produced by L-Tech Enterprises using Shell Shock Technologies cases. They sent some info showing penetration and weight retention results. They are consistent and if you are not a reloader this ammo is an option if you are not interested in reloading the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases.
L-Tech Enterprises using the Shell Shock Technologies cases
Loading the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases
The first load I used is standard load using 5 grains of Winchester 231 Smokeless Powder and a 115-grain FMJ. The load is very mild and the cases were covered with soot which is normal with light loads. The reason is low-pressure loads do not seal the chamber which allows some powder to come back into the action. While messy it is seldom an issue in regards to performance. The soot cleans off easily for those who like good looking cases. Most nickel cases have that advantage though brass needs extra cleaning if that is important.
The load is very mild and the cases were covered with soot which is normal with light loads.
I have switched to standard sizing dies and have not had any issues. Some of the NAS3 Shell Cases have now been fired 3 or 4 times and they are holding up. I have 1 case that split in the normal way that was fired 3 times and it is my only failure. You do have to lube the cases to avoid excess labor in sizing. So, the issue of durability seems to be resolved.
The question is: why would you purchase the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases as opposed to more conventional pieces?
Most 9 mm ammo cases last several firings and are easy to get. Performance wise there isn’t any real difference. My reason to purchase would be their light weight. If you wanted to carry a large amount of ammo the light weight case would be desirable. Now if you put this case with a light weight bullet then it would be a really desirable product. Liberty makes a 50 grain non-lead HP and that paired up with Shells Sock case should make some top rate ammo. Carrying a small amount of this ammo wouldn’t make a difference but carrying or transporting a large amount would show a sizable weight advantage. I have a 60-grain bullet to work with and at high velocity should make a nice self-defense load.
I sized some fired cases with normal 9mm sizing dies and don’t see any problems and effort is the same as the special dies. Belling is normal and priming feels a little odd. I tried some once fired cases using both sets of dies and the effort appears identical though lubing or case wax makes them easier to size. I noticed that a couple had increased the size of the groove. Not sure if that is a function of the dies or a case.
If you closely look at the groove it shows that the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases is a two-piece case. ( Click Here for Full Size Image )
If you closely look at the NAS3 Shell Case groove it shows that the case is a two-piece case. I am also unsure of how the case is assembled either by a screw on or pressed together. The inside is slightly shallower than a conventional case but not by much, at an average of .05”.
A look at the inside of the Shell Shock Technologies custom die shows that it appears to be the same as a conventional die and like a good die has a tungsten core. With the photos, it appears that the construction is very different than a conventional piece of brass. Most of them felt like a two-stage deal though not very difficult to prime. It will be interesting to see how they go through a Dillon or RCBS progressive press.
I am going to load cases with the same load but using both sets of dies. I have some 60 gr HP and had to size the new cases to make them fit tight enough. The 115-gr cast did not need to have the new cases sized.
Another gun came into the mix a Sig with a 4” barrel. A Norinco was also used giving us different guns for testing and that gives us more info on what to expect with the cases and loads.
Different guns, including the Beretta, were used in testing the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases , to give us more info on what to expect with the cases and loads.
Some of the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases have now been fired 7 times, there is no indication of any problems, and I am using RCBS dies only as I don’t see a need for the Shell Shock Technologies special ones. That would make these cases more desirable if it isn’t necessary to use special dies. I still recommend you get the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Case dies to see which method works best for you. I just received some new powders from Chris Hodgdon resembling some older powders such as Red Dot. With one load, I used standard and Shell Shock Technologies’ cases to observe any differences. One load won’t tell the whole story but further testing will reveal the differences. In the end there was some differences between regular cases and Shell ShockTechnologies cases but not much.
In the end there was some differences between regular cases and Shell ShockTechnologies cases but not much.
Some of the cases have now been fired 7 times, there is no indication of any problems, and I am using RCBS dies only as I don’t see a need for the special Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 dies.
Since I received some more gun powders from Hodgdon will try a couple with these cases and starting with the Red. The cases are holding up after 5 to 6 firings using the standard RCBS dies. The new Red powder needs some work, which has nothing to do with the cases. Many loads were tried along with three handguns to get a good overview of the Shell Shock case and some new powder and bullets were tried. Some of the lighter bullets were made by me as they are not generally available such as the 60-grain. The Acme Bullet Company has a cast 9mm bullet with a red coating which tends to make them slick and aids in feeding. In addition did include loads that didn’t do particularly well and for the sake of info they are included. Furthermore, they might shoot better in another handgun.
The Acme Bullet Company bullet is a cast item with a red coating which tends to make them slick and aids in feeding.
Shell Shock Technologies 9mm Cases Performance
Load
Bullet
Velocity
Comment
8 grs 231
60 gr HP new ogive
1580.81
Better
8 grs WW 572
60 gr HP new ogive
1458.79
Very Consistent
7 grs Tite Group
60 gr HP
1629.3
Ok
7 grs WW-572
115 gr FMJ Sig
1153.46
Nice Load
7.5 grs WW-572
115 gr FMJ Sig
1270.25
Consistent Max
7.5 grs 231
115 gr Cast Coated
1139.82
Very Consistent*
6.5 grs WW 572
115 gr FMJ
1063.18
Consistent
6.5 grs WW 572
115 gr FMJ Norinco
1115.8
Consistent
6.5 grs WW 572
115 gr Cast Coated
1099.14
Super Consistent
6.5 grs WW-572
130 gr FMJ
1073.8
Nice Load
6.5 grs HS-6
135 gr HP Custom Die
945.8
Mild Ok*
6.5 grs HS-6
135 gr HP RCBS Die
912.1
Fed Ok*
6 grs 231
115 gr FMJ
1107.5
Consistent
6 grs Red
115 gr FMJ Norinco
1283.83
High ES
6 grs Red
115 gr FMJ
1300.2 Berretta
High ES
6 grs Unique
135 gr HP RCBS Die
1062.5
Nice Load
6 grs HS-6
147 gry Berry
924
Fed Better
6 grs WW-572
147 gr Berry
1080.89 Berreta
Nice
5.5 grs Red
130 gr Acme
1084.64 Norinco
Fair
5.5 grs Red
130 gr Acme
1090.5 Beretta
High ES
5.2 grs Blue Dot
158 gr Cast Coated
762.18
Consistent
5 grs Red (Shell Shock)
115 gr FMJ
861.75 Beretta
Too Light
5 grs Red (regular)
115 gr FMJ
827.46 Beretta
Too Light
5 grs Red (Shell Shock)
115 gr FMJ
859.2 Norinco
Light
5 grs Red (Regular)
115 gr FMJ
839.9 Norinco
Light
4 grs Tite Group
115 gr FMJ (Dillon)
1094.7
Consistent Feeds
L-Tech
124 gr HP
1085.55
Consistent
L-Tech
124 gr HP
1044.5
Consistent*
I am using some CMA bullets but the ogives are too blunt and won’t feed so I have reformed them with a 9-mm bullet die that I bought years ago. They look better and the diameter has increased which has allowed them to be seated tighter and more consistent. Since the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases weighs much less than conventional brass cases do a 60-grain bullet should really help. No point in having a light case and a standard weight bullet. There is a noticeable difference in weight which may allow someone to carry more ammo.
The 60 grain has some potential so I am going to work with it in regards to shape and loads. Since it is so light, velocity has to be high in order to cycle the gun. Such a load should be nice in a lightweight gun as it will cut down on recoil. When I changed the ogive, the diameter increased to .356-.357 which is probably the reason that they are more consistent than the unformed bullets which have a .355 diameter.
I am using some CMA bullets but the ogives are too blunt and won’t feed so I have reformed them with a 9-mm bullet die
There are several companies that are using the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases and I would like to see Liberty Ammunition pick them up with their 50-grain bullets.
Just for info, I weighed some 9-mm ammo with these results. They were rounded off and you can see that if a large quantity of ammo was carried the Shell Shock cases would cut down on the weight enough to make a difference. The CMA 60 gr did better but still jammed on occasion in the Norinco. Of course, that would render it unsuitable for defense work but I will try and work with the ogive but due to the short length that may be difficult.
The 147 grain did well with the heavier load of HS-6 with no stovepipes. Like any situation and gun, it is recommended that you thoroughly check out the ammo that is intended to be carry fodder. I took the 135 gr CMA and changed the ogive to a more rounded shape to ensure that it will feed in everything. In addition, they were .354 in diameter and the reshaping increased it to .358. Since there is a possibility that they may cause some problems reduced it to .356. Some .357 diameter bullets were swaged down to 356 a FMJ and a cast coated both round nose. The purpose is for sub sonic loads.
Liberty ammo makes some high-performance ammo using lighter than standard bullets. The 9 mm bullets weigh 50 grains so I measured a loaded round. The Shell Shock case weighs 35 grains so a loaded round with a Liberty bullet would weigh 85 grains.
I was curious as to case capacity of Shell Shock casings against other commercial cases. I used WW-572 filled to the top in each case and the results surprised me. I thought that the Shellshock case would have more capacity based on their weight. Here are the results though not scientific:
Shell Shock Cases Grain Capacity
Shell Shock
13.1 grains
Federal
13.2 grains
PMC
13.1 grains
GFI
13.3 grains
Win
13.2 grains
As you can see they are very similar. The next step is to use the same load in both types of cases.
Shell Shock 9mm Cases
Liberty Factory 9mm Case
50 gr bullet
120
Shell Shock 9mm Case
60 gr Bullet
95
Factory 9mm Case
115 gr FMJ
186
Shell Shock 9mm
115 gr FMJ
150
Shell Shock 9mm
147 gr Barrry
182
One thing that I haven’t noticed is any mention of the cases being reloaded on a progressive machine. That would be a plus if that is the case. Therefore, I had a friend run some through his Dillion RL550B press. Other than the requirement that they be lubed the process went off without a hitch. With a normal bullet, everything went fine. We fired some of the rounds made on the Dillon and they fed flawlessly so there should be no issues but they have to be lubed regardless of which dies or machine is used to load them. That new powder WW 572 seems to work well in the 9’S just need to adjust the loads.
Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases : Here to Stay
Based on my observations the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Cases are here to stay. They are durable and can compete with conventional brass cases in regards to price and reloading life. For my purposes, they are perfect. I load small batches of test ammo for trying out various powders and bullets. I don’t use progressive loaders so anyone who does can figure out the best way to make large quantities of ammo. In a few years, they will have a good share of the market though they won’t entirely replace the brass cases for several reasons.
Based on my observations these cases are here to stay.
They have a few upsides such as durability and price. Since they are partly nickel alloy a magnet will pick them up. I have fired hundreds of rounds and had one case that split. I can live with that. The only downside is the requirement that they have to be lubed. A quick spray on may speed up the process especially with a progressive machine. I have talked to the company rep and he says that other calibers are in the works such as the 45 ACP and 223 among others. Hopefully, they will be available soon so I can see how they shoot.
I would recommend that you give the Shell Shock Technologies NAS3 Shell Case product a try and you will be a customer.
About Bob Shell:
A Custom Reloader of Obsolete and Antique Ammo, Bob Shell, writes about the subject of Guns, Ammo, Shooting and Related Subjects. Visit: http://ift.tt/1zXZcyA.
These things are kinda cool… if you love guns and trinkets and gadgets and such. And who doesn’t?
They’re perimeter alarms… er, make that “things that go bang.” Okay, they’re both. Made by Fith Ops, they’re available to fire a shotgun primer or a specialty 12 gauge blank shotgun shell. The idea is to make noise to 1) scare off any intruder(s) and 2) let you know that your perimeter has been breached.
You arm these things by loading and cocking them, then attach a trip line using some sort of cordage. When movement of the trip line pulls the pin, the alarm will go bang.
Hardly a new concept, but interesting anyhow. And although I’m not a fan of Taofledermaus on YouTube, this video gives you a good look at these versions — including a package showing a tent protected by these alarms from a bear — and bigfoot!
Naturally, they do dumb stuff like loading shells with black powder and red powder, magnesium, and glitter… in most cases, it’s the black powder that makes the big fireballs.
Enjoy.
VIDEO
Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started… [Learn More]
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced a 12-month review that aims to prioritize how the service conducts research for the future.
“Today, I am announcing a 12-month effort to conduct a broad review and revision of our science and technology strategy,” Wilson told audiences during a speech at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference.
“It will define our highest research priorities, to be sure, but it will also help us strengthen new relationships between our Air Force and the science community, our universities, and our industry partners,” she said.
Wilson didn’t detail any specific programs or research areas. The Air Force Research Laboratory, for example, studies everything from lasers to stealth technology in hopes of developing potential future defense applications.
The secretary said her goal is to simultaneously strengthen partnerships between American universities and the service on basic and applied research, especially given the U.S. finds itself “at a time when federal research funding may be uncertain.”
Making her AFA debut as service secretary — the first military secretary to be confirmed in the Trump administration — Wilson said the Air Force Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, will lead the review alongside the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and the National Academies of Science and Engineering.
“We will listen broadly and engage those who are on the cutting edge of science so we can focus on research efforts on the pathways that are vital to our future as a service,” she said.
It is time for the Air Force “to be the sponsor of choice for research scientists,” Wilson said, referencing next-generation engineering as the Pentagon begins to look at next best platforms, aircraft and weapons systems for a potential high-end fight.
The push for more research development comes as the Air Force wants to boost funding for next-generation technologies, such as a potential sixth-generation fighter.
The service’s fiscal 2018 budget request released in May included $25.4 billion for research, development, test and evaluation programs — an increase of $5 billion, or 26 percent, from the current year, according to budget documents.
Innovation has always been rooted in the Air Force’s vision, Wilson said.
She said she and an aide had made a relevant discovery this week, as she was moving items around in her office at the Pentagon.
Her military aide discovered in an old desk a memo written by Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, the first and only leader to hold the position General of the Air Force. The memo, dated Dec. 6, 1945, was addressed to Arnold’s successor and first Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Carl A. Spaatz.
Wilson reminded the audience that Arnold was also an innovator.
“A large part of [his] memo had to do with research and science and innovation,” she said.
Citing Arnold’s stark reminder that the Air Force must get more out of science and research programs in order to stay ahead, Wilson said, “From time to time, it is important to refresh our science and technology strategy, to step back from the programs and problems of today, and project 10 or 20 years into the future.”
Swords are cool. Who doesn’t like swords? They are big knifey things that slash and stab and whatnot! But more people like swords than own them… especially when it comes to kids. But this little girl reportedly bucked the trend by finding a magnificent sword in Dozmary Pool — the very body of water into which King Arthur’s Excalibur was thrown, according to legend.
Seven-year-old Matilda Jones, from Norton, Doncaster, England, spotted the sword as it lay flat on the bottom of the lake, as she waded waist-deep in the pool. Her father didn’t believe her until he saw it for himself.
‘I told her not to be silly and it was probably a bit of fencing, but when I looked down I realised it was a sword. It was just there laying flat on the bottom of the lake.’
Matilda’s father had told her and her younger sister about the King Arthur legend during their drive to the lake.
Dozmary Pool has numerous Arthurian connections:
It is… the home of the Lady of the Lake and is where a young Arthur rowed out to claim the mighty Excalibur.
…
Folklore has it that Dozmary Pool is where Excalibur was thrown by Sir Bedivere after the Battle of Camlann and Arthur’s death.
According to local tradition after three attempts to relinquish the sword, Sir Bedivere finally managed to comply with King Arthur’s wish and threw it into the lake, an arm rose from the surface, caught the sword and vanished back into the water.
Theoretically, someone may have flung this sword into the lake in order to reenact Sir Bedivere’s legendary toss.
This is no small sword — it’s as long as its discoverer is tall!
‘The sword is 4ft long – exactly Matilda’s height,’ added Paul. ‘I don’t think it’s particularly old about 20 or 30 years old. It’s probably an old film prop.’
At the end of their six-day holiday the family brought the sword home and Matilda and Lois are enjoying telling all her family and friends about her discovery.
I have found a lot of cool stuff, but never a sword. Unless a machete counts…?
It can be hard for big companies to keep tabs on all the research and innovation in their industry. The search for the best patents can be both cumbersome and disorganized.
That’s the idea behind Resolute Innovation, a startup that aims to connect companies with big ideas. New York-based Resolute is building what they’re calling “technology scouting software,” or a searchable R&D database. From food and beverage to cosmetics to pharmaceuticals to space, the concepts span many categories.
Resolute is raising $3.3 million in Series A funding, led by Revolution Ventures, the venture firm created by Tige Savage, David Golden and AOL co-founder Steve Case.
“The tech transfer process needs to be re-imagined,” said Case. He believes Resolute will “emerge as the leading platform in building this bridge between innovators with ideas and intellectual properties with businesses that can take those ideas and commercialize them and scale them.”
A lot of the research is provided by universities, including Columbia University (my alma mater), which has a partnership with Resolute. Other ideas stem from startups, hospitals, federal laboratories and research institutes.
Resolute makes money by selling subscriptions to its software. The team says it has thousands of customers and has been working with Fortune 500 companies and other large institutions.
Tige Savage said that he invested because Resolute “uses modern AI technology to make this stuff findable, searchable, indexable, organized.” He believes it fits his investment thesis of looking for “categories where billions of dollars being spent in old-fashioned ways.”
CEO Sebastian Metti says he plans to use the funding to expand their network of researchers. He also wants to continue the international expansion, targeting Asia, Europe, North America and Israel. The startup previously just had angel investors.
Today’s cotton candy is made by heating and spinning sugar using a motor. Eater host Clifford Endo is here to show you how to make it the old fashioned way, using a technique similar to noodles, hand-pulling inverted sugar to make thousands of hair-thin sugar strands.
Cybersecurity is a major concern no matter what size or type of business you are running, but most people just aren’t doing enough. We don’t tend to think about information security until it is too late – after a breach has already occurred. And those breaches can be costly, often putting small businesses completely out of business within a few months in some instances. Many large corporations have recommended practices in place that should stave off most attacks, but unfortunately since humans are the weakest link in cybersecurity chain ultimately breaches are going to happen no matter how well prepared your company is. The new preferred model for cybersecurity is the zero trust model with network segmentation.
What Is Zero Trust?
In the old way of doing cybersecurity, gaining access to a network was as simple as putting in your username and password. Once you were in, you were in, and you pretty much had access to everything once you were inside. A username and password granted you trusted access to the network. Unfortunately this model has some pretty obvious vulnerabilities – hackers only need to gain access to login data, and that has turned out to be pretty easy to do through social engineering.
In the zero trust model, everyone is assumed to be a hacker. Login info will get you into the front door, but there are many more doors inside once you get there thanks to network segmentation. Activity logs are inspected regularly, sometimes even in real time, to detect any threats as quickly as possible. Employees only have access to what they absolutely need, which leaves fewer open doors for hackers to exploit once they do break into a network. And traffic is monitored so that suspicious activity can be detected quickly and threats eliminated before they do serious damage.
Even the Department of Homeland Security recommends zero-trust segmented networks. Among their recommendations:
Design network segments around need-to-know and zero trust principles
Ensure that sensitive information is segmented, even from other sensitive information
Layer security measures so each segment has its own requirements for access
How Much Do Data Breaches Cost, Anyway?
According to Hackerpocalypse: A Cybercrime Revelation from Cybersecurity Ventures:
“Cybersecurity Ventures predicts global annual cybercrime costs will grow from $3 trillion in 2015 to $6 trillion annually by 2021, which includes damage and destruction of data, stolen money, lost productivity, theft of intellectual property, theft of personal and financial data, embezzlement, fraud, post-attack disruption to the normal course of business, forensic investigation, restoration and deletion of hacked data and systems, and reputational harm.”
The individual cost of cleaning up breached records varies by company and by industry. Retail breaches, which are often the most publicized type of breaches because they affect vast numbers of consumers at once, cost millions of dollars per incident to clean up. They also cost the retail outlet in lost sales and reputational damage. But even small data breaches that happen to small businesses that only cost in the tens of thousands to clean up can put a company out of business. After all, how many small businesses have tens of thousands of dollars they aren’t using to put toward cleaning up a data breach?
How To Implement Zero Trust Segmented Networks
Even if you don’t have a large corporation with an information security team and a network architecture specialist there are still ways to get the needed security measures to protect your small business.
Software can automate some security needs
Next generation firewalls can provide greater security
BYOD and password hygiene policies can go a long way
Security consultants often specialize in working with small businesses to find infosec solutions
SaaS and NaaS providers can give your business the same level of security as large corporations
Don’t Let Infosec Get Away From You
Doing something about your company’s information security before it’s too late is crucial if you want to stay in business. Hackers are always looking for vulnerabilities to exploit, so the time to act to make your network safer is now. You are the weakest link and hackers know that. Don’t let them destroy your businesses by not acting to protect it. Learn more about zero trust network segmentation http://ift.tt/2uQZ1uj from this infographic!