Category: Computing

What Happened To Photosynth.net? – @Visbody

A long, long time ago I recommended a fantastic service called PhotoSynth, a service now sadly departed to the great bit bucket in the sky.

Here’s the story of how the service flamed to greatness before dying to embers.

Photosynth.net was an application that made it possible for users to capture the world in 3D using two types of tools: panoramas and synths. Having started as a research project of a University of Washington student, Photosynth was later developed by Microsoft.

If you try to find Photosynth.net today, it doesn’t take long before you receive the message, “This site can’t be reached” because “www.photosynth.net’s server IP address could not be found.” You can check your connection, proxy, firewall, and DNS configuration followed by running the Windows network diagnostic tool, but the problem will not be resolved.

What could have happened to Photosynth.net, the website that Time Magazine once named one of the 50 best websites of 2009? We took some time to find out by following the site’s history, the service it provided, and some of its notable achievements.

Source: What Happened To Photosynth.net? – Visbody

Zoom Events will try to re-create the in-person conference experience

I know, I know. You’re totally video-conferenced out. The last thing you want to be thinking of is what you’re going to do next tear. But, you know, maybe now’s the best time to explore these things. Before you absolutely, positively have to.

Zoom is announcing an expanded live events product today that’s launching this summer. Zoom Events builds on Zoom’s previous paid event marketplace, OnZoom, by layering in features that can support larger multiday events and non-video activities like chat.

Zoom says it’s still building out Zoom Events in the lead up to its launch, but as it stands, it’s both a rebranding of the more small-business focused OnZoom, with new features that serve Zoom’s original pre-pandemic customers — enterprise companies. Like OnZoom, with a paid Zoom Meetings or Zoom Webinar license you’ll be able to host live events, organize them in a hub, sell tickets, and track stats like ticket sales or attendance.

Source: Zoom Events will try to re-create the in-person conference experience – The Verge

How to work from home effectively – the best tips

It’s been well over a year and the likelihood is that we’ll still be working from home for a while yet. Rather than just making do perhaps it’s time to think how best to organise ourselves for this.

Nozbe — to-do, task, project and time management application

Nozbe have some thoughts:

At Nozbe, we all work from home on a regular basis. We don’t have a physical office at all. Throughout all these #nooffice years, we’ve learned how to be the most productive while working remotely.

Work-from-home as the ultimate solution

Companies across the world are already encouraging more and more people to work from home. Businesses’ and employees’ daily routines don’t have to be hindered by switching to a home office system. Working from home in many cases can be even more effective than working in a shared office space, where people often work in noisy, open spaces and are constantly interrupted.

Our best tips for working from home

Here are our top guidelines for working from home and making the most of it.

Source: How to work from home effectively – the best tips

France embraces Google, Microsoft in quest to safeguard sensitive data | Reuters

The question of who to use, where and how your data is stored is tricky. Various legislative frameworks, often competing, make choosing a vendor problematic. This French government initiative may point the way for other countries.

Cat-and-computer

Some of France’s most sensitive state and corporate data can be safely stored using the cloud computing technology developed by Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O), if it is licensed to French companies, the government said on Monday.

The comment, part of strategic plan laid out by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and two other ministers, acknowledges U.S. technological superiority in the field and contrasts with previous calls from European politicians for fully homegrown alternatives.

Source: France embraces Google, Microsoft in quest to safeguard sensitive data | Reuters

SpecTrust raises millions to fight cybercrime with its no-code platform | TechCrunch

The issue of CyberSecurity grows continually, and with it the opportunities for businesses and careers in the industry.

Risk defense startup SpecTrust is emerging from stealth today with a $4.3 million seed raise and a public launch.

Cyber Mentor Fund led the round, which also included participation from Rally Ventures, SignalFire, Dreamit Ventures and Legion Capital.

SpecTrust aims to “fix the economics of fighting fraud” with a no-code platform that it says cuts 90% of a business’ risk infrastructure spend that responds to threats in “minutes instead of months.”

Source: SpecTrust raises millions to fight cybercrime with its no-code platform | TechCrunch

Adobe Believes Every Student is Creative

Adobe for Education have a YouTube channel with helpful teaching videos both for Adobe products but also for creativity generally.

A good idea deserves to be shared with the world, in whichever media will make the most impact. Whether it’s a video, a website, posters, flyers, t-shirts, an app, or a social media campaign. We believe that when students learn to express themselves in any medium, they’ll find their voice. They’ll find new ways to make an impact, in school and beyond. The students of today are the ones with the new ideas, for whatever challenges come next. So let’s give students the chance to create a better word. Subsc

Explainer: What Is Google FLoC?

Worried about browser cookies?

Would a central cookie authority make anything better?

Am I FLoCed?

Read about Google’s FLoC proposal here.

Google says it will block third-party cookies from its Chrome browser and instead will use what’s called Federated Learning of Cohorts, or FLoC. It’s billed as a privacy-preserving platform that lets advertisers reach users using behavioral targeting without needing third-party data. The news has received negative attention from other tech companies and it’s even run afoul of Europe’s GDPR policy. Here’s what FLoC is and the impact on your privacy.

Source: Explainer: What Is Google FLoC? – Flipboard