Tech
Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia team to deliver end-to-end enterprise network services | Computer Weekly
Looking to help modernise and future-proof campus networks across a range of use cases and industries, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) and Nokia have strengthened their strategic partnership to deliver an end-to-end portfolio of network services designed to support the digital transformation of critical industries such as transportation, smart cities, energy and utilities, healthcare, and hospitality.
The joint networking services have been deployed by Ikos Resorts in Greece, Pantai Jerudong Hospital in Brunei and Wembley Park in the UK in deployments designed to help establish campus-wide fibre-based LAN networks capable of delivering multi-gigabit data speeds to customers.
Nokia and ALE say the wins mark a significant milestone in the five-year partnership, and add to a long list of successful deployments at some of the world’s most demanding projects, such as Grand Paris Express, Montreal Railways and Okada Manila Resort.
By integrating their respective networking portfolios, the two companies say that they are “uniquely positioned” to meet the evolving demands of complex environments such as hospitality segments where resorts like Ikos are using their combined offering to connect hundreds of bedrooms across their luxury all-inclusive sites. With Nokia and ALE, Ikos was able to run its guest services, CCTV, voice, Wi-Fi and building safety sensors through a single, high-availability network architecture.
The fibre infrastructure also helped to save space and reduce the number of network layers. Boasting a legacy in delivering optical fibre services and being a trusted integrator in enterprise communications, Nokia and ALE have deployed their joint offering into more than 100 enterprises globally.
At the heart of the infrastructures is Nokia’s Optical LAN, which is designed to provide enterprises and campuses with a high-capacity fibre-based network capable of supporting the growing bandwidth needs for all in-campus devices and applications.
The optical LAN includes network performance with 10 gigabit speeds; “significantly” reduced power consumption, making operations more sustainable and cost-effective; and a light infrastructure in which the network can be simplified with minimal hardware requirements, reducing complexity and enhancing reliability. It is also attributed with lower total cost of ownership through efficient design and reduced maintenance, maximising return on investment.
Integrated into ALE’s network offering for enterprise in-building and campus connectivity, the technology is said to offer significant advantages, including lower energy consumption and total cost of ownership. ALE’s LAN and Wi-Fi also see use in providing an automated service that is claimed to be able to onboard devices efficiently while securing the network thanks to asset discovery and classification, virtual segmentation and continuous monitoring. Features include Layer 2 services, HPOE and optional redundant uplinks.
“By combining ALE’s agile enterprise networking solutions with Nokia’s carrier-grade infrastructure, we offer a comprehensive portfolio that addresses the unique needs of critical industries,” said Sandrine El Khodry, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s executive vice-president of global sales and marketing. “Our partnership is built on trust, innovation and a shared commitment to customer success.”
Matthieu Bourguignon, senior vice-president and head of Europe at Nokia, added: “Our collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise allows us to deliver end-to-end, mission-critical solutions that go beyond traditional boundaries. We are proud of the joint successes we’ve achieved and look forward to enabling even more transformative projects together.”
Tech
The Best T-Shirt for Dad-Bods Is on a Great Deal Right Now
This includes me. I’ve been wearing the heck out of True Classic’s black crew-neck, in the belief that the shirt makes a virtue out of a life well-enjoyed. And it apparently also includes WIRED senior editor Jeremy White. “To my shame,” averred White, “the ‘dad bod’ fit is perfect and the neck size is not too big, not too small, just right.”
The True Classic is not fancy fabric, just a basic cotton-poly blend like a lot of the T-shirts currently on the market. Which is to say a bit soft and a bit stretchy, kind of a gym shirt or a muckaround shirt. It’s comfortable, but not embarrassing.
If you have a dad-bod in your life, this may be the time for a gift of a six-pack for those without defined six-packs. You don’t have to tell him why you bought it.
Oh, but note, the current flash deal says it’s “58 percent off.” This is only true when compared to buying six single shirts. However, the flash deal as of December 10 is an additional 25 percent off the standard bulk discount, making for a pretty nice price. When the current $75 flash deal expires, there’s a good chance it’ll be replaced by another flash deal on True Classic’s most popular shirt, but … no guarantees.
Tech
Many States Say They’ll Defy RFK Jr.’s Changes to Hepatitis B Vaccination
Most Democratic-led states say they will continue to universally recommend and administer the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, despite new guidance against it issued last week by a federal vaccine advisory panel handpicked by Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Northeast Public Health Collaborative and the West Coast Health Alliance, which formed earlier this year in response to Kennedy’s concerning overhaul of vaccine policy, along with a other blue states, plan to to defy the latest recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP.
Hepatitis B is a serious, incurable infection that can lead to liver damage and liver cancer. It can be passed from mother to child during delivery, and without vaccination, about 90 percent of infants infected at birth develop chronic hepatitis B infection. Among those with chronic infection, 25 percent will die prematurely from the disease.
Since 1991, ACIP and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended a universal dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours after birth. The sooner a newborn gets the vaccine, the higher the chance of preventing chronic infection. The birth dose is credited with dramatically lowering infection rates in children. Yet last week, Kennedy’s newly formed ACIP, which includes several vaccine skeptics, overturned that 30-year precedent. In June, Kennedy announced a “clean sweep” of ACIP, removing all of its previous 17 experts and replacing them with new members of his choosing.
During a chaotic two-day meeting that was riddled with misinformation, the committee voted to recommend the hepatitis B vaccine at birth only for infants born to pregnant people who test positive for the virus or whose status is unknown. For those whose hepatitis B status is negative, the panel recommended “individual-based decision-making”—meaning parents should talk with their doctors about vaccination first. If the baby does not receive the first dose at birth, the panel suggests delaying the first dose until the child is at least two months old.
Medical experts have decried the decision, saying that screening across the US is imperfect and does not catch all infections. Half of people who have it don’t know that they’re infected.
“The United States went through several iterations of recommendations for vaccinating against hepatitis B that were all risk-based. We tried screening mothers, we tried only vaccinating babies born to mothers living with hepatitis B, and they all failed. The universal birth dose was the ultimate success and the reason why we’ve seen childhood hepatitis B cases decline by 99 percent since we implemented it,” says Michaela Jackson, director of prevention policy at the Hepatitis B Foundation.
Tech
Google DeepMind partners with UK government to deliver AI | Computer Weekly
The UK government is partnering with Google DeepMind through a non-legally binding memorandum of understanding to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help deliver scientific breakthroughs and smarter public services.
It includes the potential for a new AI system, Gemini for Government, which the government hopes will cut bureaucracy, automate routine tasks and free up civil servants to focus on improving services for people.
Through the partnership, Google DeepMind said its existing cutting-edge AI models will be made available to UK scientists. These include tools like AlphaGenome, which uses AI to sequence strands of DNA and spot potential weaknesses; and AI Co-scientist, supporting researchers to generate new theories and research proposals.
DeepMind describes these tools as working like an AI microscope – designed to support scientific discovery, and enabling researchers to tackle problems of unprecedented complexity and scale. The AlphaFold tool, for example, which predicts protein structures, has already furthered work in a range of areas such as crop resilience and antimicrobial resistance.
Education is another possible use case. Google DeepMind said it is looking to develop a version of Gemini grounded in the national curriculum. It said it is also supporting research into AI in education, and its impact on teaching and learning.
Discussing the partnership, prime minister Keir Starmer said: “This partnership will make sure we harness developments in AI for public good so that everyone feels the benefits.
“That means using AI to tackle everyday challenges like cutting energy bills thanks to cheaper, greener energy and making our public services more efficient so that taxpayers’ money is spent on what matters most to people.”
The partnership will lead to DeepMind opening its first automated research lab in the UK next year, a move Labour hopes will strengthen the country’s position as a global leader in science and technology.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said: “DeepMind serves as the perfect example of what UK-US tech collaboration can deliver – a firm with roots on both sides of the Atlantic backing British innovators to shape the curve of technological progress.”
The lab uses Google’s Gemini engine to provide AI and robotics to power new discoveries and run experiments. The main focus area for the new lab will be the development of superconductor materials capable of carrying electricity with zero resistance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said such superconductors could be used in low-cost medical imaging and help to ensure the next generation of computer chips are more power-efficient.
Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind co-founder and CEO, said: “AI has incredible potential to drive a new era of scientific discovery and improve everyday life. We’re excited to deepen our collaboration with the UK government and build on the country’s rich heritage of innovation to advance science, strengthen security and deliver tangible improvements for citizens.”
The partnership marks Google’s latest backing of the UK’s tech and science sector. In the summer, it announced it would be helping to modernise outdated government IT.
Google has also committed a £5bn investment to support UK AI infrastructure and research efforts, which was announced ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.
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