NSA flashes BIOS for 60 Minutes (the plot thickens)

	Jonny Evans: Apple reveals iPad, iPhone futures in Best of 2013 lists | Preston Gralla: Has Microsoft finally admitted Windows 8 was a colossal blunder?
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	Richi Jennings: NSA flashes BIOS for 60 Minutes (the plot thickens) NSA saved the world, no BIOS. American TV news magazine 60 Minutes (NYSE:CBS) is once again in the news, for allegedly reporting the news. This time, there were no additional revelations of Amazon's schemes to drop tchotchkes from buzzing drones. Instead, during an interview by CBS correspondent John Miller with NSA officials, we learned of a nefarious plot worthy of the best Cold War era spy novels. NSA brass spoke of a Chinese "BIOS Plot", designed to "brick" all computers and crash the global economy. The supposed evil plan was foiled by the NSA, with the help of a few good computer companies. In IT Blogwatch, the Never Say Anything (NSA) interview is all bloggers can talk about. Read More WHITE PAPER: SAS What Manufacturers Must Know About Managing Technology A successful Information Management strategy improves the ability to make decisions based on the latest, most accurate information. Analytics can be used to optimize routine data management responsibilities, providing the basis for strategic information management. Learn more In this Issue Jonny Evans: Apple reveals iPad, iPhone futures in Best of 2013 lists Preston Gralla: Has Microsoft finally admitted Windows 8 was a colossal blunder? JR Raphael: Nexus 7 vs. G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition: Which should you get? Darlene Storm: 60 sickening Minutes: NSA saved us from Chinese Dr. Evil BIOS plot to brick all PCs Stuart Kippelman: 5 projects, and only 5 projects, in your IT plan for 2014 Chris Poelker: The rapid rate of change in IT Sharky: Identity crisis WHITE PAPER: inSegment Leverage a patient portal to craft a healthcare community You probably have several goals for your patient portal of choice. Is "community" one of them? With a bevy of vendors offering portal solutions, it can be challenging for a hospital to know where to start. Fortunately, YourCareCommunity helps ease the decision-making process. Learn More Jonny Evans: Apple reveals iPad, iPhone futures in Best of 2013 lists Apple has published a series of editorially selected Best Of 2013 lists. These seem to reflect the emerging divergence in the way in which people use iPads and iPhones: iPad owners seem interested in productivity and visual/video apps while iPhone users tend to casual gaming and social networking. Read More Preston Gralla: Has Microsoft finally admitted Windows 8 was a colossal blunder? Microsoft's decision to finally bring back a true Start menu to Windows begs the question: Has it finally recognized what a massive mistake it made with Windows 8, or is Microsoft just reluctantly assuaging critics? Read More JR Raphael: Nexus 7 vs. G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition: Which should you get? The Nexus 7 and G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition both run stock Google Android software and deliver outstanding user experiences. So which tablet is right for you? Read More WHITE PAPER: HP and Intel® Xeon® processors Storage eGuide Having the right backup strategy is essential in today's data-driven world. Enterprises must design backup infrastructures that can ensure the availability and integrity of critical corporate data. But building such an infrastructure isn't easy, nor is finding storage products that suit an organization's specific needs without going over budget. Learn More Darlene Storm: 60 sickening Minutes: NSA saved us from Chinese Dr. Evil BIOS plot to brick all PCs If you saw the 60-minute infomercial for the NSA, then you "know" the spy agency allegedly stops viruses / malware that could brick PCs and practically destroy the world. So where was it when Cryptolocker ransomware pretty much did exactly that by destroying data via encrypting it until the ransom was paid? Where was this intelligence that stopped disaster for any of the viruses, Trojans, or malware that have trashed computers? "Crap" is what security researchers call the NSA BIOS plot claim during 60 Minutes. Read More Stuart Kippelman: 5 projects, and only 5 projects, in your IT plan for 2014 Annual project planning can be painful, but it's a much needed tool in order to run IT effectively. Of course, every project will deliver amazing value to the company by delivering incredible results - but in a world of finite resources, how do we make the right choices? Read More Chris Poelker: The rapid rate of change in IT I just recently spent a few days in beautiful downtown Las Vegas at the Gartner Data Center Conference, and I must say, it was quite informative and a good show all together. One thing I found especially intriguing is how the IT industry has been changing so rapidly lately. Read More Sharky: Identity crisis Help-desk tech gets a call from a user who complains that her files have disappeared from her PC's desktop since yesterday -- and she's sure someone must have deleted them. Read More
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