This Week I Learned - Week #266

This Week I Learned -

* Many REST web services return results formatted as JSON text or accept data formatted as JSON. Most Azure services such as Azure Search, Azure Storage, and Azure Cosmos DB have REST endpoints that return or consume JSON. Azure SQL Database lets you parse and query data represented in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format, and export your relational data as JSON text.

* From the Microsoft veteran and co-author of "Enterprise Cloud Strategy" comes the new free ebook "Designed to Disrupt" [PDF]

OpenShift on Azure will be jointly engineered, operated, and supported by both Red Hat and Microsoft. As a fully managed service, it will be kept up-to-date, with a single unified bill, integrated support experience, and in all respects a native Azure service.

CloudEndure Disaster Recovery is now available as a SaaS subscription for direct purchase on the newly expanded Microsoft Azure Marketplace

* The minimum required Android version to run NetGuard is 5.1 (Lollipop). NetGuard is an app that can reduce your data usage, increase battery life, and increase your privacy. NetGuard blocks traffic based on the IP addresses an application is trying to connect to. If more than one domain name is on the same IP, they cannot be distinguished. If you set different rules for 2 domains which resolve to the same IP, both will be blocked. In lockdown mode, all traffic for all applications will be blocked, except for applications with the condition 'Allow in lockdown mode' enabled. You can use this mode to limit battery usage or network usage, for example, when your battery is almost empty or when your data allotment is almost exhausted. NetGuard does not analyze the data itself, except for DNS requests to provide ad blocking. You can tether (use the Android hotspot) / use Wi-Fi calling while using NetGuard. There is a free open-source version for which there has been considerable effort put in.

x86 refers to the Intel processor architecture that was used in PCs. x64 is the architecture name for the  extensions to the x86 instruction set that enable 64-bit code. Invented by AMD and later copied by Intel when they couldn't get their own 64-bit arch to be competitive, Itanium didn't fare well. Other names for it are x86_64, AMD's original name and commonly used in open source tools. x64 means a CPU that is x86 compatible but has a 64-bit mode as well (most often the 64-bit instruction set as introduced by AMD is meant

* The Google connectivity services system application checks if the current network is really connected to the internet. This is probably accomplished by briefly connecting to some Google server. If this is not the case, there will be an '!' in the Wi-Fi or mobile icon in the system status bar.

* From Android.StackExchange: I would like to know what is the best/recommended practice to prepare myself to the day when my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Ace) will be stolen.
Remote tracking...applications are good in theory. My suggestion, write down your IMEI. If your phone is stolen, report it to your carrier. This wont necessarily stop anything if it is a GSM device, but couldn't hurt. Any of the apps that claim to help you track your device down after stolen are basically useless. I could take the phone and have the battery out before I walk out the door. Then once I am clear, I can pop out the SIM, turn the device back on, and do a full data wipe. any app you installed to track is gone.

* Facts about flying:
- On any given day there are approximately 2,00,000 airplanes in the sky.
- You have around 90 seconds to escape an airplane in case it catches fire. Chances of survival after two minutes are extremely slim.
- Qantas Airways, Australia's flag carrier, is widely considered as the world's safest airline. It has never reported any fatalities.
- Food tastes different while you're on a flight? It's because one-third of your taste buds turn numb because of altitude.

* The online dictionary Vocabulary.com not only informs but also entertains with light-hearted word definitions & usage examples. Kindred can mean a group of people related by blood or marriage or similar in quality or character. Example -  Marx Brothers, a family of United States comedians consisting of four brothers with an anarchic sense of humor

* EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to internal sites, such as corporate intranets, as well

* Amazon Global Selling is a program that helps sellers sell across 10 international marketplaces of Amazon. 32000+ Indian sellers are currently selling to customers in more than 180 countries.

* FSSAI has released a plan to lable genetically modified (GM) food in India, months after informing the Supreme Court that genetic foods are not allowed to be sold in India.

* A raga could be called a mode in Western music, because Western music is mostly on equal temperament scales, whereas Indian and Arabic music has microtonal nuances in many such ragas and Malkauns. The ascending and descending of notes plays a major role in some of the Vakra ragas. Very few composers have managed to bring out emotional music and miracles, heightening the possibility of compositions.

* "I used to love these pianists (George Shearing, Ramsey Lewis, Erroll Garner) and try and emulate them, copy their solos. That’s how I started to develop my own style. That’s what I tell youngsters today – what’s the first thing you must do? The three ‘i’s – imitate, integrate and innovate." - Louiz Banks

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