This Week I Learned - Week #151

This Week I Learned -

* The Cloud OS is Microsoft's hybrid cloud solution comprised of Windows Server, Windows Azure, System Center, Windows Intune, and SQL Server - Building Clouds with Windows Azure Pack [PDF Sampler, Chapter 1]

* "Widgets do track you, as well as sometimes pump advertising: disqus is a good example, they provide comments, but do put advertising content above the comment block. Another example is Facebook. The Facebook like button that's embedded on every site allow Facebook to know what stuff you like: for example, lets say you go on tmz.com for some celebrity stuff, Facebook will then derive that you like celebrity rumors, and so on."

* Tips for Extending Smartphone Battery Life:
1. Use auto-brightness for the screen
2. Block power-sucking ads
3. Tweak your email settings - most phones can be configured to instead check for (or “fetch”) emails on a schedule — say, every 30 minutes — or only when you manually tell your email app to refresh.
4. Play downloaded music instead of streaming.
5. Turn off wireless when reception is poor.
6. Check the battery usage lists - on a Windows Phone, check Settings > Battery Saver > Usage. Be on the lookout for apps that are active for extended periods in the background and are using a lot of battery power. If you find apps using up lots of energy in the background, disable their background activities.
7. Disable unnecessary location tracking.
8. Shut off unnecessary push notifications.

* Silicon Valley can seem like the land of overnight success. College dropouts show up and become billionaires a few years later. Mark Zuckerberg was a billionaire by the time he was 23, and Facebook paid $19 billion for WhatsApp when it was just five years old.....for start-ups that raise money, the mortality rate is high, with most dying after an average of 20 months and $1.3 million in financing. - NY Times

* ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook currently costs Rs 178,459 (inc. GST delivery). It comes with Intel Core i7-5500U processor, 14 inch WQHD IPS Display (non-touch), 8 or 4 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD. It is touted as the toughest ThinkPad ever made, having undergone eight separate military specification tests. It's RapidCharge feature lets 80% battery to be restored in just under an hour.

* ..lithium ion, the technology that most mainstream batteries are based on, is low cost and easily reproducible while being safe — so we’ll be stuck with it for the foreseeable future. In general, lithium ion improves about 10 percent a year in terms of the amount of energy that can be stored in a given space

* Your spine is a column of 33 small bones called vertebrae and between each is a small piece of disk-shaped cartilage. These discs act as a cushion and prevent the vertebrae from grinding against each other when you "do the twist" or any other movements that involve your back...."bulging" discs are those that shift out of place and put pressure on the nerves in the spinal column. On the other hand, herniated/slipped/ruptured discs are those where the disc cracks or is damaged and the jelly-like fluid inside the disc leaks and irritates the nearby nerves. Disc degeneration refers to any back pain that result from discs that aren't functioning properly...The discs between your vertebrae are made up of a tough outer layer that contains nerves and a soft, jelly-like inside layer. They work together to act as shock absorbers for all the movement and forces a person's body goes through. Over time, all of that strain and stress put on the back (lifting, bending, carrying the sofa up five flights of stairs, etc.) causes wear and tear on the discs and vertebrae. The discs, which are made up of 80 percent water, also dry out with age, making it more difficult for them to absorb shock. These factors make it more likely for your discs to degenerate. You may be able to reduce your risk of back pain by getting regular physical activity, practicing proper posture, and maintaining a healthy weight. - Go Ask Alice!

* In the US, leap year coincides with the presidential election years.

* "Poverty is not just about a lack of money. It’s about the absence of the resources the poor need to realize their potential..time & energy. About 1.3 billion people—18 percent of the world’s population don’t have lights, heat, air conditioning, or even the Internet" - Bill & Melinda Gates 2016 Annual Letter

* “If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.” – Tom Peters, Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution

* Sai Chintala has a nice way to recollect names of disconnected acquaintances on meeting them - "......(without causing me or them embarrassment).  “Are you still working in the SAME project” (to check if they are from AppLabs or Cigniti),  “Are you still in the same COMPANY” (to narrow down my guess),  last resort question “What is your new EMAIL address. Did it change recently ?” (that would nail down their name)"