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Monday, September 15, 2014
ISIS Crisis Meeting: Kerry, World Leaders Discuss Threat to Iraq
France’s president said there was “no time to lose” in the fight against ISIS, as Secretary of State John Kerry joined leaders from more than 20 nations at a crisis meeting in Paris on Monday to come up with a strategy to defeat the militant group in Iraq.
Diplomats from around the world pledged to fight Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham militants "by any means necessary." Reuters reported that the countries agreed to provide Baghdad with "appropriate military aid" to combat ISIS. However, Iran and the United States ruled out coordinating with each other, leaving Baghdad's government caught between two powerful and antagonistic allies.
Kerry has spent days travelling through the Middle East to drum up financial and political support for a broad-based coalition to tackle the militants’ threat. After the conference ended, Kerry met privately with President Fouad Massoum at the Iraqi Embassy in Paris.
The beheading of British aid worker David Haines – the third Westerner executed at the hands of ISIS in recent weeks – has ramped up calls for a quick and clear strategy to destroy the militants. British Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday said the U.K. was considering all necessary steps to defeat ISIS – butstopped short of authorizing airstrikes.
French President Francois Hollande echoed the need for an international response as he opened Monday's international conference.
"The terrorist threat is global and the response must be global,” he said. “There is no time to lose.”
As the delegates from more than 20 nations gathered in Paris, French aircraft were due to begin their first reconnaissance flights over Iraq, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told Europe 1 radio. The U.K. also has been flying reconnaissance missions over Iraq.
While Western nations agree on the need for a quick response to tackle the threat of ISIS, thus far the U.S has been the only nation carrying out airstrikes in Iraq since the militants launched their deadly campaign to consolidate a broad swath of territory straddling the country’s border with Syria.
While Obama has said the U.S. is considering airstrikes in Syria, America’s allies have been reluctant to join in. The U.K. has not ruled out participating in Syria airstrikes, but a previous attempt to gain parliamentary approval for similar military action last year failed. A statement issued after Monday's conference made no mention at all of Syria.
On Sunday's "Meet the Press," White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonoughoutlined what success would look like in the war against ISIS.
"Success looks like an [ISIS] that no longer threatens our friends in the region, no longer threatens the United States. An [ISIS] that can't accumulate followers, or threaten Muslims in Syria, Iran, Iraq, or otherwise," McDonough said.
- Cassandra Vinograd
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Hurricane Odile Slams Mexico's Cabo San Lucas Celebrity Resort
Tourists and locals in the Mexican town of Cabo San Lucas emerged from both shelters and gleaming resorts on Monday to assess the damage after Hurricane Odile roared through — the strongest ever to hit the Baja California peninsula.
Just after sunrise, it was still too early to get a sense of the destruction, but a local newspaper reported that people were hurt by flying glass and that a fire had broken out at the Cascadas resort. A phone call there from NBC News went unanswered.
Odile slammed into Cabo with 125 mph winds and dumped six months’ worth of rain in an hour. Mexican authorities evacuated coastal areas and readied shelters for up to 30,000 people.
At one shelter in Los Cabos, tourists crowded on the concrete stairs of a service area after the designated shelter area was destroyed.
Josh Morgerman, a California storm chaser, said his Cabo hotel lobby exploded in a “heap of rubble.” Writing on Twitter, he said he “escaped by crawling, scampering, running.”
Chelsea Ballenberger, a nurse from Alabama vacationing in the nearby city of La Paz, said she was forced to take refuge in the shower when her room flooded.
“As soon as we moved to the shower the windows shattered,” she wrote on Facebook. “We can hear the wind howling everywhere. ... Definitely the scariest thing I have ever been through.” Jason T. Vogt, a Canadian expatriate, simply described the scene as “total devastation” in a Facebook post.
Nick Wiltgen, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, said he was monitoring “mind-boggling” reports of 11 inches of rain in just one hour — almost as much as the region’s yearly average of 13 inches. While this measurement could be due to storm-damaged equipment, he said reports of 7 inches were believable.
The storm was bearing down on La Paz, a city of 200,000 people, at 5:30 a.m. ET but was expected to weaken as it headed up the peninsula through Tuesday. The U.S. Southwest could see heavy rain and flash flooding on Tuesday.
Downgrading Windows: How low can you go?
Summary: It might come as no surprise that you can downgrade your Microsoft operating system one level, from Windows 8.x to Windows 7, for example, but did you know that you can limbo all the way down to Windows 95? You can.
While researching information for another article, I ran across a real gem on Microsoft's web site: a document titled, "Downgrade rights for Microsoft Volume Licensing, OEM, and full-package product licenses." As you can see in Figure 1 below, you may downgrade your desktop operating system to Windows NT 3.51 or to Windows 95 and every operating system since, from Microsoft's latest Windows 8.1 flagship. The big question is, "Why would you want to"? The answers to that simple question are far more interesting than the question itself. Microsoft has set the bar pretty low on this one.
But before I analyze the fascinating possibilities of this self-created loophole, allow me a momentary tangential pursuit. What if other products had this same downgrade capability? The most obvious one that comes to mind is automobiles. It would be cool if Chevrolet did this. I could buy a new Corvette and immediately downgrade it to a 1965 427ci, 4-speed, convertible, real metal awesome ride.
Figure 1: Downgrade matrix for Windows 8.1
OK, so there aren't that many examples where the downgraded version is that much cooler than the new purchase. The Corvette example works.
In the case of purchasing a new Canon T5i digital camera, I wouldn't want to downgrade to a Canon AE-1. I love my Canon AE-1 that I bought in 1983 but, let's be realistic, that's not a good trade.
However, in the case of certain operating systems (namely, Windows 8.x), one could effectively argue the point that a "downgrade" to Windows 7 is a good trade. Extended support for Windows 7 stretches out to January 2020. That means you could use Windows 7 for the next five-and-a-half years, which gives Microsoft enough time to come up with something a bit more palatable to the masses and businesses.
Honestly, I don't know of too many businesses that wouldn't appreciate the ability to make that trade. That is unless business owners want to convert all desktop hardware to Surfaces or touch screen computers. Sure, it's possible but expensive. It's less expensive and more sensible to make that downgrade.
A funny side note is that Windows Vista is a downgrade option. Seriously Microsoft, trading one Corvette for another is one thing but trading a Corvette for a Chevette is quite another. And a broken Chevette at that.
Sorry, I digressed from my already-in-progress tangent.
The document's latest update was March 2014. That means that Microsoft's much loved Windows XP was one month away from being mothballed — at least in theory it was one month away from being mothballed. Customers had other ideas.
And how long has Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 been out of production support?
Do you see my point here?
If you decide to not support an operating system, as Microsoft has, why would you allow customers, especially Volume License customers, to downgrade to non-supported operating systems?
Windows 7 and even Windows Vista, I can see, because they're still supported but anything older and unsupported isn't just unwise, it's downright silly.
For example, I could purchase 100 brand new HP laptops, fresh from the factory with pre-installed Windows 8.1 on them, and because I'm a Volume License customer, I could instruct my IT department to reimage those 100 systems with Windows 95.
Or, because I'm a Volume License customer, could I demand that HP preinstall Windows Vista on them instead of Windows 8.1?
Great Debate:
Windows 8 was a bold bet by Microsoft to link PC, tablet and phone interfaces. Is it too soon to say the bet flopped?
Yes, I'm being purposely facetious to prove a point. I'd never install Vista on anything that I didn't want thrown back at me. But I could do it according to the downgrade document.
I believe that companies will exercise this option to avoid moving to Windows 8.x. I feel that there are too many people who just aren't comfortable with Windows 8's interface, lack of a Start button, and the feeling of unfamiliarity that Windows 8.x has. I've gone back and forth on Windows 8 myself. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I hate it, and sometimes I think that I'm glad I switched to a Mac for my primary personal computer.
No, Windows 8.x isn't the first operating system to offer downgrades. They all have. I can remember back when Vista first hit the market. Users could downgrade to Windows XP. I advised as many as I possibly could to do so.
If you haven't yet gleaned the answer to the question posed in the first paragraph, "Why would you want to?,"
- Windows 8.x isn't ready for prime time business.
- Earlier versions of Windows are more user friendly.
- Users want to remain productive.
- Businesses don't want or need disruptive work environments.
- Earlier Windows versions are now "off the radar" for hackers and malware writers.
- Older versions require less hardware.
- The price to upgrade is too high.
- Not everyone wants to use a touch screen.
I think that Windows 8 was a nice try for Microsoft. And maybe it will work out in the long term. But in the short term, Windows 8 is a fail. Many companies and individuals will continue to use Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 before making the leap into the newer Metro-ized desktop systems.
I'd like to know how many Microsoft employees use Windows 8.x as opposed to how many have stayed with versions 7 and older. It wouldn't surprise me to find that at least 60 percent still use an older version. At one time, I heard that a large number of Microsoft employees used Linux, but I never verified that claim.
Any Microsoft employees want to participate in an interview with me? I won't reveal your identity, if you choose to do so.
What do you think of the downgrade options for operating systems? Would you exercise your right, use what's installed on your systems, or even chance a mass conversion to Windows 8.x? Talk back and let me know.
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Microsoft's $2.5B Acquisition of Minecraft Could Be Announced Monday -- Report
Analyst suggests the acquisition is meant to support Microsoft's mobile business.
Reports that Microsoft will buy Minecraft developer Mojang might be confirmed very soon.
"A source briefed on the matter" told Reuters that Microsoft will officially reveal it will acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion tomorrow, Monday, September 15. Note that the figure is higher than the $2 billion first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
According to Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund, the deal is meant to support Microsoft's mobile business. "We don’t view this acquisition as a signal of Microsoft's intent to double down on Xbox but consider it an attempt to better address mobile on a cross-platform basis," He said. "This also appears to be consistent with (Microsoft) CEO Satya Nadella’s mobile and cloud strategy."
Minecraft: Pocket Edition, the mobile version of the game available through the iTunes App Store and Google Play, is indeed tremendously popular. In April, Jens Bergensten of the Mojang’s mobile team revealed that Pocket Edition sold over 21 million copies.
Minecraft is already available on PC, mobile, Xbox 360, and PS3, and it recently released on PlayStation 4and Xbox One. The game continues to make it onto both digital and retail top 10 sales charts month after month. Purported inside sources speaking to Bloomberg claim that "Microsoft will keep Minecraft available for rival products" should the deal go ahead.
Would you be more likely to buy a Windows Phone or a Surface tablet if it was the best mobile device to play Minecraft?
Google reveals the first ultra-cheap Android One smartphones
The new initiative kicks off with downloadable YouTube videos in India
Google has unveiled the first smartphones to run on its Android One platform, a standard designed to help push affordable smartphones in the developing world. The initiative kicks off in India, where Micromax, Spice, and Karbonn are all selling phones with 4.5-inch screens, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel main and 2-megapixel front cameras, 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processors, dual-SIM slots, microSD expandable storage, and FM radios.
Android One devices will ship with support for more languages, including Hindi, and feature more local publications in Google Play Newsstand. Google is also making a special version of YouTube available which will allow Indian users to download videos and re-watch them multiple times without incurring excessive data charges. The first phones are expected to retail for 6399 rupees ($105).
Similarly inexpensive smartphones have been around for a while, but Android One represents a concerted effort from Google to put its stamp on the user experience. These phones will all run close-to-stock Android without heavy manufacturer customizations, and Google will be able to push software updates itself. This should avoid the situation that arose a few years ago in other parts of the world, where low-powered phones were stuck on early versions of Android without any hope of an update, leaving customers unable to access new apps and services. Google has adopted a similar strategy at the higher ends of the market with its Nexus and Google Play edition devices that run stock Android.
Indian customers on carrier Airtel will be able to download software updates, including theupcoming Android L release, for the first six months of ownership. Google and Airtel are also offering 200MB of data a month on top of the regular cap for downloading apps from the Play store.
HTC, LENOVO, AND OTHERS ARE SIGNING UP
After India, Android One phones are set to make their way to Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal before the end of the year. Google says phone manufacturers including HTC, Asus, Acer, Panasonic, and Lenovo are joining the program, alongside chip maker Qualcomm.
India is the second biggest mobile market in the world, but hasn't yet achieved strong smartphone penetration. As such, it's a major growth opportunity for the likes of Google and Microsoft, which has achieved some success in certain parts of the world with its low-cost Nokia Lumia Windows Phone handsets. Handset makers like Micromax are also producing cheap Windows Phone devices, but with Android One, Google may have found a way to provide a consistent experience on the world's most prevalent mobile ecosystem to a whole new audience.
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