Posted by: xSicKxBot - 09-13-2018, 07:02 PM - Forum: Windows
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Data guru living with ALS modernizes industries by typing with his eyes
The couple remodeled their two-story townhouse near Guatemala City so he had everything he needed on the first floor and didn’t have to navigate stairs. Otto learned to use a trackball mouse with his foot to type with an on-screen keyboard. But it was cumbersome, and he needed Pamela nearby to move the cursor from one corner of his two 32-inch screens to another as he navigated Excel spreadsheets and Power BI dashboards.
A tracheotomy was put in his throat to help him breathe, taking away his limited speech and increasing his isolation. But when Knoke, who spends two hours a day reading blogs and researching, saw his friend Juan Alvarado’s post about the new Eye Control feature in Windows 10, he let loose with his version of a shout and immediately ordered the Tobii Eye Tracker hardware to use with the software.
Otto Knoke with his wife, daughters and sons-in-law. Photo provided by Pamela Knoke.
Alvarado, who met Knoke as a database consultant working on the ATM system Knoke had implemented, hadn’t known about Knoke’s condition until he suddenly saw him in a wheelchair one day. And fittingly, Eye Control itself began with a wheelchair.
Microsoft employees, inspired by former pro football player Steve Gleason, who had lost the use of his limbs to ALS, outfitted a wheelchair with electronic gadgets to help him drive with his eyes during the company’s first Hackathon, in 2014. The project was so popular that a new Microsoft Research team was formed to explore the potential of eye-tracking technology to help people with disabilities, leading to last year’s release of Eye Control for Windows 10.
Knoke said it was “a joy” to learn how to type with his eyes, getting the feel of having sensors track his eye movements as he navigated around the screen and rested his gaze on the elements he wanted to click. Using Eye Control and the on-screen keyboard, he now can type 12 words a minute and creates spreadsheets, Power BI dashboards and even PowerPoint presentations. Combined with his foot-operated mouse, his productivity has doubled. He plans to expand his services to the U.S., where he spent six years studying and working in the 1970s. He no longer relies on his wife’s voice, because Eye Control offers a text-to-speech function as well.
“It was frustrating trying to be understood,” Knoke said in the email interview. “After a few days of using Eye Control I became so independent that I did not need someone to interact with clients when there were questions or I needed to explain something. We have a remote session to the client’s computer, and we open Notepad and interact with each other that way.”
His wife and his nurse had learned to understand the sounds he was able to make, even with the tracheotomy restricting his vocal chords. But now he can communicate with his three grown daughters, his friends and all his customers.
Using a foot-operated mouse, Eye Control for Windows 10 and the text-to-speech function, Otto Knoke is able to communicate with his family — including his daughter, seen here — as well as with clients.
“Now when our children visit, he can be not just nodding at what they say, but he can be inside the conversation, too,” Pamela Knoke said. “He always has a big smile on his face, because he’s got his independence back.”
He’s also started texting jokes to friends again.
“It’s kind of like it brought my friend back, and it’s amazing,” Alvarado said. “Otto told me that for him, it was like eye tracking meant his arms can move again.”
Being able to text message with Eye Control has helped his business as well.
Grupo Tir, a real-estate development and telecommunications business in Guatemala, hired Knoke for several projects, including streamlining its sales team’s tracking of travel expenses with Power BI.
“Working with Otto has been amazing,” said Grupo Tir Chief Financial Officer Cristina Martinez. “We can’t really meet with him, so we usually work with texts, and it’s like a normal conversation.
“He really has no limitations, and he always is looking for new ways to improve and to help companies.”
Today we’re very happy to announce that the second preview of the next minor release of ASP.NET Core and .NET Core is now available for you to try out. We’ve been working hard on this release over the past months, along with many folks from the community, and it’s now ready for a wider audience to try it out and provide the feedback that will continue to shape the release.
Customers using Visual Studio should also install and use the Preview channel of Visual Studio 2017 (15.9 Preview 2) in addition to the SDK when working with .NET Core 2.2 and ASP.NET Core 2.2 projects. Please note that the Visual Studio preview channel can be installed side-by-side with existing an Visual Studio installation without disrupting your current development environment.
Azure App Service Requirements
If you are hosting your application on Azure App Service, you can follow these instructions to install the required site extension for hosting your 2.2.0-preview2 applications.
Impact to machines
Please note that is a preview release and there are likely to be known issues and as-yet-to-be discovered bugs. While the .NET Core SDK and runtime installs are side-by-side, your default SDK will become the latest one. If you run into issues working on existing projects using earlier versions of .NET Core after installing the preview SDK, you can force specific projects to use an earlier installed version of the SDK using a global.json file as documented here. Please log an issue if you run into such cases as SDK releases are intended to be backwards compatible.
What’s new in Preview 2
For a full list of changes, bug fixes, and known issues you can read the release notes.
SignalR Java Client updated to support Azure SignalR Service
The SignalR Java Client, first introduced in preview 1, now has support for the Azure SignalR Service. You can now develop Java and Android applications that connect to a SignalR server using the Azure SignalR Service. To get this new functionality, just update your Maven or Gradle file to reference version 0.1.0-preview2-35174 of the SignalR Client package.
Problem Details support
In 2.1.0, MVC introduced ProblemDetails, based on the RFC 7807 specification for carrying detils of an error with a HTTP Response. In preview2, we’re standardizing around using ProblemDetails for client error codes in controllers attributed with ApiControllerAttribute. An IActionResult returning a client error status code (4xx) will now return a ProblemDetails body. The result additionally includes a correlation ID that can be used to correlate the error using request logs. Lastly, ProducesResponseType for client errors, default to using ProblemDetails as the response type. This will be documented in Open API / Swagger output generated using NSwag or Swashbuckle.AspNetCore. Documentation for configuring the ProblemDetails response can be found here – https://aka.ms/AA2k4zg.
ASP.NET Core Module Improvements
We’ve introduced a new module (aspNetCoreModuleV2) for hosting ASP.NET Core application in IIS in 2.2.0-preview1. This new module adds the ability to host your .NET Core application within the IIS worker process and avoids the additional cost of reverse-proxying your requests over to a separate dotnet process.
ASP.NET Core 2.2.0-preview2 or newer projects default to the new in-process hosting model. If you are upgrading from preview1, you will need to add a new project property to your .csproj file.
Visual Studio 15.9-preview2 adds the ability to switch your hosting model as part of your development-time experience.
Hosting in IIS
To deploy applications targeting ASP.NET Core 2.2.0-preview2 on servers with IIS, you require a new version of the 2.2 Runtime & Hosting Bundle on the target server. The bundle is available at https://www.microsoft.com/net/download/dotnet-core/2.2.
Caveats
There are a couple of caveats with the new in-process hosting model: – You are limited to one application per IIS Application Pool. – No support for .NET Framework. The new module is only capable of hosting .NET Core in the IIS process.
If you have a ASP.NET Core 2.2 app that’s using the in process hosting model, you can turn it off by setting the <AspNetCoreHostingModel> element to outofprocess in your .csproj file.
Template Updates
We’ve cleaned up the Bootstrap 4 project template work that we started in Preview 1. We’ve also added support to the default Identity UI for using both Bootstrap 3 & 4. For compatibility with existing apps the default Bootstrap version for the default UI is now Bootstrap 3, but you can select which version of Boostrap you want to use when calling AddDefaultUI.
HealthCheck Improvements
There are a few small, but important, changes to health checks in preview2.
You can now call AddCheck<T> where T is a type of IHealthCheck:
This will register your health check as a transient service, meaning that each time the health check service is called a new instance will be created. We allow you to register IHealthCheck implementations with any service lifetime when you register them manually:
A scope is created for each invocation of the HealthChecksService. As with all DI lifetimes you should be careful when creating singleton objects that depend on services with other lifetimes as described here.
You can filter which checks you want to execute when using the middleware or the HealthCheckService directly. In this example we are executing all our health checks when a request is made on the ready path, but just returning a 200 OK when the live path is hit:
// The readiness check uses all of the registered health checks (default)
app.UseHealthChecks("/health/ready");
// The liveness check uses an 'identity' health check that always returns healthy
app.UseHealthChecks("/health/live", newHealthCheckOptions()
{
// Exclude all checks, just return a 200.
Predicate = (check) => false,
});
You might do this if, for example, you are using Kubernetes and want to run a comprehensive set of checks before traffic is sent to your application but otherwise are OK as long as you are reachable and still running.
What’s still to come?
We are investaging adding a tags mechanism to checks, so that they can be set and filtered on. We also want to provide an Entity Framework specific check that will check whatever database has been configured to be used with your DbContext.
Migrating an ASP.NET Core 2.1 project to 2.2
To migrate an ASP.NET Core project from 2.1.x to 2.2.0-preview2, open the project’s .csproj file and change the value of the the element to netcoreapp2.2. You do not need to do this if you’re targeting .NET Framework 4.x.
Giving Feedback
The main purpose of providing previews is to solicit feedback so we can refine and improve the product in time for the final release. Please help provide us feedback by logging issues in the appropriate repository at https://github.com/aspnet or https://github.com/dotnet. We look forward to receiving your feedback!
Winter is coming in Iron Marines’ September Update
We’re fans of Ironhide Studios’ Iron Marines. Released a year ago tomorrow, it was an interesting RTS/Tower Defence hybrid that had some excellent visual design.
It got a major update a few months after launch but not much since then. Come September 25th, the game is set to get a major update in the form of a new planet – Borealis, as well as the following new features:
9 new stages
10 new enemies
New boss Fight
3 new paid heroes
New upgrades
New power ups
Over 10 new achievements
There’s a trailer you can watch below, and the update is coming to both iOS and Android versions of the game. We’ll remind you when the time comes via The Weekender.
A kidnapping in Shibuya brings together a detective, a journalist, a former gang leader, a big pharma researcher, and a part-timer stuck in a cat costume for a series of unexpected events. Can they?or the city itself?make it through the day?
Jump into the enhanced Career Mode, build your own race team and compete in the Xtreme Dirt Tour. Prove that you are the best in the world in the new Online Tournaments feature. Plus, all your favorite modes are back.
The Naruto franchise is back with a brand new experience in Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker! This new game lets gamers battle as a team of 4 to compete against other teams online! Graphically, Shinobi Striker is also built from the ground up in a completely new graphic style. Lead your team and fight online to see who the best ninjas are!
FEATURES:
* 4 vs. 4 team based gameplay with 8 ninjas fighting simultaneously; play co-op with your friends to become the best ninjas online.
* Enjoy a new graphic style with more vivid colors for characters, maps and ninjutsu.
* Dynamic 3rd person ninja gameplay lets players take advantage of an arena environment with vertical running and jumping.
* Features favorite Naruto characters and teams from the series including Naruto, Sasuke, and Team 7.
Marvel's iconic comic book hero Spider-Man has starred in numerous video game adaptations over the years, and while some of his outings have been excellent, the results haven't always lived up to the webslinger's reputation. His latest title, Marvel's Spider-Man, has released exclusively on PlayStation 4 later this week, and judging by the game's reception, it's one of his best video game adventures yet.
Developed by Insomniac Games (the studio behind Ratchet & Clank and Sunset Overdrive), Marvel's Spider-Man is set in an original, standalone universe separate from the comic series. The game casts players in the role of an older, more experienced Peter Parker, who must use his powers to save New York from some of his most memorable villains, including Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, and Silver Sable.
GameSpot's Edmond Tran praised Insomniac's take on the comic book hero for its excellent narrative and satisfying web-swinging mechanics. "Swinging around New York as Spider-Man is endlessly fulfilling. It's a relatively straightforward system that isn't overly demanding on inputs, but the minor adjustments and variables in terrain you need to consider while in motion (webs require tangible attach points), as well as the weighty feeling of Spidey makes the process feel satisfyingly manual--there's just enough effort required to make you feel as if it's all on you," he wrote in GameSpot's Spider-Man review.
Ahead of its release, reviews of Marvel's Spider-Man began appearing online. We've rounded up a sample of them below to give you a quick overview of what critics have to say about Spider-Man's latest outing. For a broader look at Marvel's Spider-Man's critical reception, be sure to visit GameSpot's sister site, Metacritic.
Game: Marvel's Spider-Man
Developer: Insomniac Games
Platform: PS4
Release date: September 7
Price: $60 / £45
GameSpot -- 9/10
"Minor shortcomings don't detract from Insomniac's achievement in creating a game that feels like an authentic interpretation of a beloved creation. The feeling of embodying Spidey and using his abilities is astonishing, and the time spent on exploring its major characters help make its story feel heartfelt, despite superhero bombast. There have been open-world Spider-Man games before, but none so riveting and full of personality, none that explore and do justice to this many facets of the universe. Insomniac has created a superior Spider-Man experience that leaves a lasting impression, one that has you longing for just one more swing around New York City, even after the credits roll." -- Edmond Tran [Full review]
IGN -- 8.7/10
"I wanted Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 to make me feel like Spider-Man: To sail between the highrises of New York City, to nimbly web up hordes of enemies, and tussle with familiar, animal-themed villains. Insomniac Games' first foray into the world of Marvel handily delivers on all of that. But what I didn't expect from Spider-Man was to come away feeling just as fulfilled to have inhabited the life of Peter Parker. Aside from a few odd pacing issues, which momentarily took me out of the experience of being a superhero, and a world of optional missions that don't always quite live up to the heft of the main story, Insomniac has delivered a Spider-Man story that both surprised and delighted me, coupled with gameplay that made me feel like Spider-Man nearly every step of the way. The Wall Crawler's open world doesn't consistently deliver the thrilling moments of its main campaign, but the foundation laid here is undoubtedly a spectacular one." -- Jonathon Dornbush [Full review]
Eurogamer -- Recommended
"What I love more than anything, is that behind the traversal and combat, Insomniac is a wonderfully controlling developer. For the entire length of the campaign they won't hand the city over to a day/night cycle or randomise the weather because they want total command of the atmosphere for the beats big and little to play out in. Just like they want those webs to attach to buildings in a convincing manner, they don't want to leave too many other details to be ground up in the cogs of an open-world. Somebody, in other words, is looking out for Spider-Man, a superhero whose pleasing vulnerability means that he needs looking after now and then--just as he could do with a little help getting his belongings out of the trash." -- Christian Donlan [Full review]
US Gamer -- 4.5/5
"Insomniac Games takes Marvel's most popular character for a spin and the results are fantastic. The developer establishes its own Spider-Man with a unique supporting cast and a beautiful recreation of New York to play around in. This is an absolutely beautiful game, with solid combat and a great story. Most of all, it really sells the feeling of being Spider-Man. The gaming history of Spider-Man has been uneven, but this is an amazing entry in that history. Pun intended." -- Mike Williams [Full review]
Game Informer -- 9.5/10
"Like Batman: Arkham Asylum before it, Spider-Man raises the bar for one of the world's most beloved heroes. You feel like you're doing everything he's capable of. Insomniac succeeds in making Peter and the supporting cast just as memorable and engaging as the wall crawler. Excitement is delivered consistently from the outside of play right up to the last story frame, which is a real shocker that contains a reveal that will make the wait for the sequel almost unbearable." -- Andrew Reiner [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 4.5/5
"Spider-Man is still a hugely enjoyable adventure full of great characters and moments, and just about one of the best videogame realisations of superheroing to date. Insomniac are a studio with nearly 25 year's experience of producing slick, tactile action adventures that feel great to play, and seeing that expertise turned to a licensed game has created an impressively, polished and crafted experience." -- Leon Hurley [Full review]
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Deploying Hyperledger Fabric on Kubernetes
Deploying a multi-component system like Hyperledger Fabric to production is challenging. Join us Wednesday, September 26, 2018 9:00 a.m. Pacific for an introductory webinar, presented by Alejandro (Sasha) Vicente Grabovetsky and Nicola Paoli of AID:Tech.
Why should you care?
Hyperledger Fabric is rather awesome, but deploying a distributed network has been known to give headaches and even migraines. In this talk, we will not be providing you with a guillotine that forever gets rid of these headaches, but instead we will talk you through some tools that can help you deploy a functioning, production-ready Hyperledger Fabric network on a Kubernetes cluster.
Who should attend?
Ideally, you are a Dev, an Ops or a DevOps interested in learning more about how to deploy Hyperledger Fabric to Kubernetes.
You might know a little bit about Hyperledger Fabric and about Docker containers and Kubernetes. We assume limited knowledge and will do our best to as possible and explain and demystify all the components along the way.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 09-12-2018, 11:50 PM - Forum: Windows
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Windows 10 Tip: Set up Windows Hello from your lock screen
If you’re interested in setting up Windows Hello to sign in faster and more securely, you can do so, thanks to the Windows 10 April 2018 Update.
Previously Microsoft account users had to navigate deep into Settings to find Windows Hello. Now, you can set up Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint or PIN straight from your lock screen by clicking the Windows Hello tile under Sign-in options.
Check it out in action:
This feature is only available for users who use their Microsoft Account to sign in to Windows. It is not available for work or school accounts, or local accounts.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 09-12-2018, 11:50 PM - Forum: Windows
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Azure preparedness for Hurricane Florence
As Hurricane Florence continues its journey to the mainland, our thoughts are with those in its path. Please stay safe. We’re actively monitoring Azure infrastructure in the region. We at Microsoft have taken all precautions to protect our customers and our people.
Our datacenters (US East, US East 2, and US Gov Virginia) have been reviewed internally and externally to ensure that we are prepared for this weather event. Our onsite teams are prepared to switch to generators if utility power is unavailable or unreliable. All our emergency operating procedures have been reviewed by our team members across the datacenters, and we are ensuring that our personnel have all necessary supplies throughout the event.
As a best practice, all customers should consider their disaster recovery plans and all mission-critical applications should be taking advantage of geo-replication.
Rest assured that Microsoft is focused on the readiness and safety of our teams, as well as our customers’ business interests that rely on our datacenters.
You can reach our handle @AzureSupport on Twitter, we are online 24/7. Any business impact to customers will be communicated through Azure Service Health in Azure portal.
If there is any change to the situation, we will keep customers informed of Microsoft’s actions through this announcement.
For guidance on Disaster Recovery best practices see references below:
