Mary Meeker's 2014 Internet Trends Report

Jeff Bercovici, Forbes staff writer, accurately states: "Every year, the entire technology industry stops whatever it's doing for an hour to hear what influential analyst Mary Meeker thinks are the most important trends playing out on the internet." Her slides on "Re-Imagining" are of interest and her take on education is significant to us at PCATT. If you're in the technology industry, it's worth looking at all 164 slides. Overall, her expectations are upbeat and positive. You can read the Forbes summary or view her original slides. 

Dallas Shiroma, Manager of Emerging Technologies at PCATT, is our guest writer for this month's eZine. Folks who have taken courses from Dallas remember him because he's an excellent instructor. He is certified to teach Cisco, Red Hat, photovoltaics, smart grid, and other topics. Dallas actually wrote the smart grid curriculum we use today. His eZine topic is computer malware with the appropriate acronym, RAT. 

"You've probably read that over 100 people have been arrested in a global operation against Blackshades, a popular RAT.  What is a RAT?"  Answer here.

This list of certifications from Computerworld is admittedly "foundational" but worth consideration. Perhaps the most valuable part of this article is the checklist at the end of the article of questions to ask yourself regarding which IT certification is right for you. (Article requires registration with ComputerWorld.) You can prepare for three out of the five certifications on this list through PCATT. 

"Forget Robots. We'll Soon Be Fusing Technology With Living Matter" 

If that title scares you, you're not alone, but imagine the possibilities. In this fascinating talk with Joi Ito, the director of the MIT Media Lab, he speaks of the convergence of the digital and the physical in a responsible way. Click through the slide show and you'll see the ideas that are being worked on now such as a sensor you place on garbage can lids to detect garbage levels and a vehicle that uses a gyroscope and algorithmic controls. If you like very nerdy (and cool) stuff, this is for you. 

PCATT IT Summit and the Apple Summer Institute

It was great seeing so many of you at our two recent events, the PCATT IT Summit and the Apple Summer Institute (ASI). The ASI is specifically for educators and tech people who work at schools and colleges. The experts from Apple Education and their colleagues really outdid themselves, raising questions, providing solutions, and conducting hands-on sessions for classroom use.

Feedback we received from you about the PCATT IT Summit is appreciation for the "very techie" keynotes and breakout sessions. Ross Brunson from the Linux Professional Institute has given us several Linux certification exam vouchers. We'll throw all the names of attendees in a hat and randomly select the lucky folks who will receive these vouchers. 

It takes both presenters and attendees to make these events a success. We would like to say, "Many thanks to all of you". Let's do this again next year.

We talk a lot about 3D printing at PCATT. We can teach you how to design in 3D and print what you design. But what about this idea of 4D printing developed in a collaboration between Stratasys, Autodesk, and MIT's Self-Assembly Lab? Perhaps the best way to understand it is to see it in this vimeo from Skylar Tibbits, a researcher at MIT's architecture department. 

The approach to preparing for a cyberattack is different for a CIO who must take a broad strategic view. Jonathan Hassell, IT expert, writer, and consultant, offers practical strategies to the CIO to prepare for that cyberattack, one you hope never happens. 

And Finally...

You know we end with something off-beat or amusing. This one is both. An Australian SEO company created an infographic about what people "Google" - that is, what they want to know. For example, did you know that 4,400 people ask, "How do I Google something?" Hope nothing in this infographic offends you. It's the data, not us. 

Summer is a great time to catch up on your training and we've listed our courses which start in the month of June. Topics are varied: Website Marketing, Open Data and Online Mapping, BICSI Technician Level Training, GIS Essentials, Advanced Photovoltaics, surely you'll find something that meets your needs. Check out the entire course listing for June.