Tag Archives: russia

‘Classed In’ Brings Private Social Networks to Schools

By Guest PostMarch 7, 2013Technologyasp, ceo, classed in, cloud based, cloud computing platform, columbia university, dnevnik, educational social network, gabriel levi, k 12 schools, microsoft bizspark startup, microsoft sql server, new york, north american market, private social networks, russia, russian educational processes, schools, software platform, st. petersburg, windows azure

Microsoft BizSpark startup improves communication and provides easy access to administrative resources combined with an educational social network.

REDMOND, Wash. — March 7, 2013 — During a trip to his home town in St. Petersburg, Russia, Gabriel Levi noticed that his local school system could modernize its services for educators and students by streamlining communication and reducing manual tasks. Using his entrepreneurial instincts, he saw a need and created a solution. Now Levi is CEO and founder of Classed In, where he has turned his mission into a thriving business with a comprehensive educational social network that connects teachers, students, administrators and parents at approximately 27,000 K–12 schools in Russia — more than half the country’s schools.

Levi attended college at Columbia University in New York and studied economics and computer science, while he dreamed of starting a business. When a work assignment took him back to St. Petersburg a few years later, he was struck by how Russian schools were still relying on completely manual processes for everything from registration and grade reporting to class assignments and homework. His point of reference was personal: Levi’s mother was a university instructor, and his younger brother was in middle school at the time. (more…)

Software Piracy Costs Billions in Time, Money for Consumers and Businesses

By Guest PostMarch 6, 2013Technologyadware, billions, brazil, businesses, chief information officers, China, computer users, consumers, cost, david finn, emotional strain, Germany, idc, identity theft, India, infection, it managers, john gantz, malware induced cyberattack, Mexico, microsoft corp., microsoft cybercrime center, money, pirated software, play it safe, poland, russia, software piracy, Thailand, time, trojans, unexpected malware, united kingdom, united states, website

New Microsoft-commissioned study also highlights dangers for those that use counterfeit software.

REDMOND, Wash. — Although some computer users may actively seek pirated software in hopes of saving money, the chances of infection by unexpected malware are one in three for consumers and three in 10 for businesses, according to a new study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. and conducted by IDC. As a result of these infections, the research shows that consumers will spend 1.5 billion hours and US$22 billion identifying, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware, while global enterprises will spend US$114 billion to deal with the impact of a malware-induced cyberattack.

The global study analyzed 270 websites and peer-to-peer networks, 108 software downloads, and 155 CDs or DVDs, and it interviewed 2,077 consumers and 258 IT managers or chief information officers in Brazil, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Researchers found that of counterfeit software that does not come with the computer, 45 percent comes from the Internet, and 78 percent of this software downloaded from websites or peer-to-peer networks included some type of spyware, while 36 percent contained Trojans and adware. (more…)

Changes in Cloud Distribution Explain Some Weather Patterns

By Guest PostMarch 4, 2013Environmentability to reflect, atmospheric sciences, black carbon, change in clouds, changes in cloud, climate change, cloud cover, cloud features, cloud properties, cumuliform clouds, distribution, global warming, heavy pollution, homogeneous, horizontal clouds, impact on temperature, jet stream, light, mid latitude, monsoons in india, northern india, rainfall, regional cloud changes, russia, ryan eastman, scientist, stephen warren, storm track, study clouds, thickness, tropics, university of washington, volume of data, weather patterns, weather stations

Regional cloud changes, such as those that result in less rain during monsoons in India and those that indicate a widening of the tropics, may be as important to watch as the overall amount of cloud cover, new University of Washington research indicates.

Authors of the paper, led by Ryan Eastman, a UW research scientist in atmospheric sciences, set out to examine observations collected from weather stations around the world as a way to study the distribution of clouds. The research was recently published in the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Climate. (more…)

Around the World with Windows Store Apps

By Guest PostFebruary 26, 2013Technologyapp builder, barcelona, calculator, chimpact, cookbook, doodlegod, ela, france, Germany, italy, joybits, magix, mobile world congress, music maker jam, paint 4 kids, phd student, physics, pietro, richard walters, russia, slow sense, spain, urban airship, US, windows 8, windows store apps, yippee entertainment

From a physics Ph.D. student-turned-app builder to chimps launching an indie game studio, app builders across the globe are bringing amazing experiences to Windows 8 and enjoying success along the way.

REDMOND, Wash. – Feb. 26, 2013 – This week, thousands have descended upon Barcelona, Spain, for Mobile World Congress, the world’s premier mobile industry event. In honor of this international gathering, we’re celebrating Windows Store apps from around the world, along with stories of the people working behind the scenes to bring those apps to life on Windows 8. (more…)

Russia Meteor Not Linked to Asteroid Flyby

By Guest PostFebruary 16, 2013Sciencealaska, asteroid flyby, atmosphere, canada, chelyabinsk, earth, infrasound data, jet propulsion laboratory, kilotons, NASA, network of sensors, object, pasadena, paul chodas, peter brown, russia, russia meteor, size, trajectory, university, western ontario

New information provided by a worldwide network of sensors has allowed scientists to refine their estimates for the size of the object that entered that atmosphere and disintegrated in the skies over Chelyabinsk, Russia, at 7:20:26 p.m. PST, or 10:20:26 p.m. EST on Feb. 14 (3:20:26 UTC on Feb. 15).

The estimated size of the object, prior to entering Earth’s atmosphere, has been revised upward from 49 feet (15 meters) to 55 feet (17 meters), and its estimated mass has increased from 7,000 to 10,000 tons. Also, the estimate for energy released during the event has increased by 30 kilotons to nearly 500 kilotons of energy released. These new estimates were generated using new data that had been collected by five additional infrasound stations located around the world – the first recording of the event being in Alaska, over 6,500 kilometers away from Chelyabinsk. The infrasound data indicates that the event, from atmospheric entry to the meteor’s airborne disintegration took 32.5 seconds. The calculations using the infrasound data were performed by Peter Brown at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. (more…)

Kofi Annan to students: ‘It’s your world now’

By Guest PostFebruary 13, 2013General, Politicsabsolutely essential, afghanistan, africa, arab league, city college, civil war, cuny, east timor, economic prospects, egypt, geneva, global food security, India, international monetary fund, jackson institute, Japan, jean krasno, john negroponte, kofi annan, kosovo, latin america, macalestar college, minnesota, native ghana, new york, nigeria, nutrition, Pakistan, political, radical change, russia, security council, sub-saharan africa, switzerland, syria, town hall meeting, un secretary general, united states, violent world conflicts, world economy

Former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan predicted during a campus visit that the civil war in Syria will become even more tragic before the international community takes action to help resolve the conflict, but said he is optimistic about the political and economic prospects for Africa in the years ahead. (more…)

Brazilian Online Video Audience Reaches 43 Million Unique Viewers in December 2012

By Guest PostFebruary 6, 2013Technologyadvertisers, alejandro fosk, brazil, brazilian, brazilian internet users, China, Comscore, comscore video metrix, Facebook, Google, latin america, online video activities, online video audience, online video market, publishers, russia, social networking destination, video viewing behavior, Yahoo, YouTube

Analysis of Online Video in Brazil Shows Facebook as the Fastest Growing Top 10 Online Video Destination in Past Year

Sao Paulo, Brazil, February 6, 2013 – comScore , a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an analysis on online video activities in Brazil based on insights from its comScore Video Metrix service. The study found that Google Sites is the largest online video destination in Brazil, while Facebook is the fastest growing among the top ten. The study also showed that Brazil is the seventh largest online video market worldwide with a viewing audience of 43 million people in December.

“Online video is an important part of the internet landscape in Brazil, reaching a large number of people in an engaging context that is attractive to marketers and advertisers,” said Alejandro Fosk, comScore senior vice president for Latin America. “comScore Video Metrix supports this growing market in Latin America by providing accurate and objective insights on online video viewing behavior that publishers, advertisers and agencies can rely on to make smarter digital investments.” (more…)

Putin: ‘USA’s get-out attitude to Russia unacceptable’

By Guest PostDecember 20, 2012Politicsadoption, american citizens, anarchy, anti russian law, anti soviet law, ban, capital in russia, cia prisons, dmitry anatolievich, echo, Economy, euro area, foreign adoption, foreign journalists, gdp, get out attitude, industrial growth, inflation rate, izvestia, jackson vanik amendment, m 10 highway, magnitsky act, military personnel, moscow, moscow radio station, negative attitude, poor harvest, prime minister, putin, recession, russia, russian, russian children, russian officials, russian president, skolkovo project, st. petersburg, stability in russia, state duma, statistics, united states, vladimir putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin started his large press conference at midday, December 20^th. The conference brought together more than 1,200 Russian and foreign journalists.

The head of state started with statistics. According to him, the growth of GDP in January-October of this year made up 3.7 percent. According to Vladimir Putin, this is a good result. Recession in the world economy (and in particular in the euro area) became an obstacle for reaching better results, as well as a poor harvest in Russia. Last year, more than 90 million tons of grain were collected. This year, the harvest has dropped to 74 million tons. (more…)