Understanding how computers work, how they connect and communicate, and how to make the most of that connection is a sought-after skill in the modern workplace. Our computers are an essential part of our working lives, and they’ll only become more important as software, the internet, and the way we use them becomes more sophisticated. And every workplace requires ways to securely share information from device to device and person to person in an easy and reliable way. Cisco is one of the most prevalent companies offering a range of technological functions to workplaces around the world, and mastering their systems – and earning certification through the relevant exams – is a good way to get ahead for anyone who uses them frequently.
Intel is ramping up its planned investments in existing semiconductor facilities, and it’s willing to build a European foundry if the EU kicks in a lot of cash. On Monday, Intel announced that it will invest $3.5 billion dollars in foundry upgrades to its facility in New Mexico. These new upgrades to the company’s facilities in Rio Rancho will allow the Rio Rancho plant to increase its use of Foveros at the facility. Foveros is the name for Intel’s new 3D interconnect technology that allows the manufacturer to build new kinds of processors. It’s currently used for Lakefield and Alder Lake is widely expected to tap the capability as well.
Gaming is at an all time high in terms of popularity right now with gaming hardware becoming increasingly hard to find. Today for just $1,665 you can buy one of Dell’s new Alienware M17 R4 that has all the hardware you need to run games with blistering speed and with high quality graphics settings. Intel Core i7-10870H 17.3-Inch 1080p 144Hz Gaming Laptop w/ Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB M.2 PCI-E SSD for $1,665.99 from Dell (List price $1,899.99) Intel Core i7-1165G7 13.4-Inch FHD Laptop w/ Intel Iris Plus Graphics, 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD for $899.00 from Dell (List price $1,459.99) External SSD for $249.99 from Amazon (List price $379.99) Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Wireless Over-Ear Headphones for $249.00 from Amazon (List price $299.99) Wireless Earbuds for $109.99 from Amazon (List price $149.99) 11-Inch Tablet 2021 Version for $799.99 from Amazon
Robotics firm Boston Dynamics has had a long, winding road to its first consumer product. It began doing work for DARPA and other government entities years ago, and then it was passed around from Google to Softbank, and now to Hyundai. Along the way, Boston Dynamics released Spot, a quadruped robot that you can buy for a mere $75,000. The New York Police Department leased a Spot robot, but after public backlash, TheNew York Times police have decided to return the robo-dog. Boston Dynamics released Spot back in September of 2019, but it only allowed select companies to buy it.
A bit over a year ago, I started experimenting with video restoration and AI upscaling for my . Today, I’d like to talk about the benchmark I’ve built as part of those efforts and what sort of interesting things it can tell us about ultra-high-end workstation performance. Such discussions aren’t much fun without practical hardware to play with, so we’ll also be examining how performance in our new test scales between an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X with 64 cores and four RAM channels, and a Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3995WX-equipped Lenovo ThinkStation P620 workstation with the same 64 cores and eight RAM channels.
NASA reported last week that its Ingenuity Mars helicopter failed to lift off for its fourth flight, but it succeeded early on Friday. Now, NASA has confirmed that it will be adding a new component to Ingenuity’s Mars mission — it’s , and it’ll get extra flight time on the red planet as an “operations demonstration.” Ingenuity rode to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, which is the primary robotic explorer for this mission. Ingenuity was added as a technology demonstration as mentioned above, and the team doesn’t expect it to survive its first winter on .
For scientists who study climate change, it’s no longer a question of whether or not human activity is affecting the planet. It’s a question of how much we’re wrecking the only place we call home. According to a new study from a French-led team, things aren’t going great. The researchers found that the rate of ice loss from glaciers has , and there’s every reason to expect that trend will continue. The team is confident in its measurements because it was able to use the same methodology to analyze every significant glacial ice stream. In 1999, NASA launched the Terra climate satellite, and it’s been up there taking pictures ever since.
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter was supposed to complete its fourth flight early yesterday, but data beamed back to Earth indicates . NASA isn’t worried, though. This appears to be the same issue that caused the delay in Ingenuity’s first flight timeline. NASA says it’s planning to try this one again today, and we should know in a few hours whether or not it was successful. Because Mars is so far away, NASA doesn’t control Ingenuity or Perseverance in real-time. Instead, it sends commands and allows the robots to execute them autonomously. Earlier this month, NASA had to postpone the helicopter’s historic first flight because of a software issue.
As something we use every day, the internet seems simple on the surface. Open a web browser or app on any device and away you go. But this simplicity is deceptive – the internet is a vastly complex, almost indefinable thing, but also a thing with practically unlimited potential. It’s an exciting realm to operate in, whether for work or for your own personal pursuits and knowing how to use it properly can enhance everything you do online. And it can also keep you safer. Knowing how to store data without leaving the door open for nefarious interests, and how to protect yourself and your loved ones while they’re using the internet is vitally important.
