PDP-11/70 was due to be the first computer to predict an election outcome – but no one could predict it falling over [Tue Aug 25 2020]

Hi {NAME}, Daily Headlines - 25 August 2020 ***************************************************************** PDP-11/70 was due to be the first computer to predict an election outcome – but no one could predict it falling over Remember when the only interference was electromagnetic? ***************************************************************** Business * Highways England primes market for £2bn tech spend as part of massive investment in crumbling roads network Tender notices cover range of IT needs all the way down to parking meters Data Centre * IT blunder permanently erases 145,000 users' personal chats in KPMG's Microsoft Teams deployment – memo 'Microsoft has confirmed the Teams chat data is not recoverable' * Oh dear, what a pity! It seems you can't join the directors at the Zoom meeting today Mute your mic anyway, the foam is hissing as you open your beer * ‘IT professionals increasingly define themselves by capabilities they excel at managing’ says Atlassian chap Cloud magically means ‘Microsoft expert’ is less valuable than ‘sales tech expert’, apparently Emergent Tech * US Air Force shows off latest all-electric flying car, says it 'might seem straight out of a Hollywood movie' Not a Hollywood action flick by the looks of it * Uncle Sam to blow millions on getting fusion power finally working – with the help of AI Plus: Formula One teamed up with AWS to rank top 20 race car drivers since 1983 Personal Tech * RasPad 3.0 converts Raspberry Pi 4 to a tablet – be prepared for some quirks Wedge-shaped fondleslab for fun projects, coders will need a keyboard, and you'll just have to ignore the fan * This'll upset the Apple cart: 1,200 iOS apps downloaded 300 million times a month include 'ad fraud' code Synk accuses China-based Mintegral of distributing malicious SDK * PDP-11/70 was due to be the first computer to predict an election outcome – but no one could predict it falling over Remember when the only interference was electromagnetic? * Google says Australian pay-for-news code means it can’t quit the country Pushes back against accusation of misinformation with argument its only option is to stop indexing almost everything Security * Canadian shipping company Canpar gets an unwanted delivery – ransomware Meanwhile, Gmail finally deals with a 'confused mailman' problem * Bletchley Park Trust can’t crack COVID-caused revenue slump without losing staff Plans 35 job losses and even a reduction in IT spend Software * Microsoft sides with Epic over Apple developer ban, supports motion for temporary restraining order 'Apple’s discontinuation of Epic’s ability to develop and support Unreal Engine for iOS or macOS will harm game creators and gamers,' says Microsoft * SUSE plots edgier Kubernetes with Linux behind the wheel Just don't mention the cow-meleon, OK? * Accenture scores £20m contract extension with UK pensions department: Competition? We've heard of it But it's a complex technology stack, so we're the sole contender * India's contact-tracing app grows an API to share health status info with businesses Users who opt-in will share COVID encounter info with the boss, in the name of returning the economy to a more normal footing Bootnotes * A bridge too far: Passengers on Sydney's new ferries would get 'their heads knocked off' on upper deck, say politicos Can we make them higher? * Unexpected Porthcawl in the borkage area: Riding an indoor Power Truck to nowhere A seaside holiday in the little known Welsh town of Bork ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This email was sent to {EMAIL} You can update your preferences here: or unsubscribe from this list: Situation Publishing Ltd, 14 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8HN, UK The Register and its contents are Copyright © 2020 Situation Publishing. All rights reserved. Find our Privacy Policy here: