Tag Archives: tough

What to Do If Your Laptop Is Lost or Stolen: Essential Tips for Tough Situations

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lAptops are essential tools, housing countless important documents, images, and cherished memories. Losing them is about more than just work interruptions. Here’s what to do if the unfortunate occurs:

What should I do if my laptop is lost or stolen?

  • Try to locate it using Microsoft or Apple’s Find My services. Lock it remotely and mark it as lost to safeguard your data.

  • Remove it as a trusted device from services like your Apple or Microsoft account, cloud services, online shops, or other browser apps.

  • Change the password for your primary accounts, such as your Apple or Microsoft account, starting with email accounts that a thief might access through password resets.

  • In the UK, call 101 to report the theft to the police, providing details like the laptop’s make, model, color, and serial number.

  • Reach out to your insurance provider. If you have coverage, your laptop might be included in some home contents policies.

  • Inform your bank about credit cards that might have stored information on your laptop.

  • Contact the laptop’s manufacturer to report the theft and request to blacklist the serial number.

What should you do immediately after getting a new laptop?

Once you acquire a replacement laptop (whether new or used), there are several precautions you can take to ensure its safety.

  • Establish strong passwords or long pins that are difficult to guess. Enable and utilize face or fingerprint recognition, and ensure your laptop locks the screen after a brief period or when the display turns off.

  • If not already activated, enable device encryption in the Privacy and Security Settings.

  • Set up two-step verification for your Microsoft or Apple account, along with any other accounts you use.

  • Activate “My Device” in the Windows 10 or 11 Security Settings or in iCloud Settings on Mac. This helps you locate a lost laptop, lock it remotely, and display a lost message to anyone who finds it.

  • Regularly back up your data. On Windows, you can use Windows Backup to save files and settings, or utilize Microsoft’s OneDrive Cloud Service (5GB free). For Macs, use Time Machine to back up to an external drive, and sync iCloud with apps and files (5GB free). Alternatively, copy files to an external drive but ensure sensitive documents are encrypted before backup.

  • Store important documents in the cloud. Microsoft and Apple offer cloud services, but there are numerous alternatives, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Proton Drive.

  • Keep your proof of purchase secure, and remember your laptop’s color, model number, and serial number.

  • Consider insuring your laptop under your home contents policy. You may need to add it to a list of high-risk or high-value items, especially when leaving home. Alternatively, seek dedicated laptop or gadget insurance, which often includes theft protection.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Alphabet, Google’s Parent Company, Fails to Impress Wall Street with Revenue Amid Tough AI Competition

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Alphabet, Google’s parent company, saw a drop of over 6% following the release of its quarterly results on Tuesday. The company reported revenue of $96.5 billion, slightly below analysts’ expectations of $96.67 billion. While Alphabet exceeded investors’ earnings per share (EPS) expectation of $2.13 by reporting $2.15, the company highlighted a strong fourth quarter led by AI advancements and overall business momentum.

Revenue breakdown included $84 billion from Google Search and services, with $12 billion from YouTube advertising and cloud revenue. Analysts are closely watching Alphabet’s competitive position in AI search and cloud revenues amidst growing competition from players like Chinese DeepSeek and OpenAI.

The company’s deceleration reflects a challenging year for Google, raising concerns about its future competitiveness. Alphabet plans to invest $750 billion in capital spending in the coming year to further develop AI and infrastructure.

Despite ongoing AI development efforts across the industry, Alphabet remains focused on AI innovation with a significant investment plan. The company aims to leverage its AI capabilities for monetization in the coming years.

Concerns about rising AI costs and their impact on Alphabet’s AI advertising strategy have emerged in light of recent developments. Analysts are closely monitoring how these developments will shape Alphabet’s future AI initiatives and competitiveness.

Additionally, Alphabet remains committed to responsible AI development practices, emphasizing the importance of democracy, human rights, and global cooperation in AI leadership. The company reaffirms its commitment to using AI for positive impact and national security.

Legal challenges, including antitrust investigations, pose further uncertainties for Alphabet’s future. The Ministry of Justice’s case against a major search company raises concerns about potential regulatory actions that could affect the tech industry.

In light of geopolitical tensions, particularly with China, Alphabet faces additional challenges as regulatory scrutiny intensifies. China’s response to tariff announcements and antitrust investigations adds to the uncertain outlook for Google.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Olympic athletes may encounter tough competition in the form of scorching Paris temperatures

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Pierre Maslow, a statistician at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, stated that Paris is considered the highest risk city among all European capitals. Heat exposure concerns in 854 European cities.

The Olympic Village in Paris will feature a wildlife-friendly rooftop, environmentally-friendly building materials, and green spaces including a public park.

However, as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the event, no air conditioning will be installed in the players’ rooms. Instead, the complex will rely on natural airflow cooling and groundwater cooling systems. Organizers mentioned that even in the heat, nighttime temperatures do not exceed 79 degrees. Read more here.

A study in Nature Climate and Atmospheric Science suggests that heatwave temperatures are on the rise in comparison to 2003. Temperatures could now reach up to 7 degrees F higher than during the 2003 heatwave.

During the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, extreme heat affected many athletes, leading to rescheduling of events. About 110 athletes suffered heatstroke during the Tokyo Games due to high temperatures. Endurance events were moved to Sapporo to deal with the heat.

The absence of spectators at the Tokyo Games helped reduce the burden on medical staff, according to Shota Tanaka, a part-time researcher at Kokushikan University. However, this is an issue that Paris must consider as the number of heatstroke cases is expected to be high.

Tanaka added, “Holding the Olympics in August is fundamentally a risky idea from a heatstroke perspective.” Athletes typically prepare for the heat several weeks before the games.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Expecting an Increase in IT Budgets in 2024, Though Startups May Face Tough Conditions

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I think most People would agree that 2023 was a difficult time for startups. Many layoffs occurred as companies struggled to move from growth to profitability. On the other hand, sales cycles were becoming longer and many startups were struggling to grow at a decent pace.

As we start to see that the economic indicators are starting to improve a little bit.
calming inflation,
cost of money You might think 2024 might be a better year if currencies weaken and headwinds for most currencies subside.

necessarily.

We’re entering a new era, one in which money won’t flow as freely, and according to the experts we spoke to, it won’t be coming back anytime soon. This means startups that don’t have enough capital now may continue to struggle in 2024, and flipping the calendar won’t change that.

What does that mean for startups heading into 2024? It means they need to prove their worth more than ever. This means you need enough cash to survive long sales cycles. That means he will have to fight for a piece of the corporate budget, and perhaps 2024 could be a year much like his 2023.

Budget outlook

A good starting point for budget discussions is what the proposed budget looks like. Analyst firms like IDC and Gartner forecast IT spending each year, but they typically adjust throughout the year as reality becomes clearer.

IDC predicts growth of 6.8%, up from 5% last year. This figure covers hardware, software, and services, but excludes communications spending. Gartner, on the other hand, predicts a slightly higher rate of 8.2%.

The overall upward trend should be good news for startups looking to corporate buyers to lift their business. But his Gartner analyst John-David Lovelock, who tracks IT budgets, says that while 2023 was a year of increased efficiency, it won’t just end in the new year.

Source: techcrunch.com