I spend a ton of time scrolling through the endless documentary titles on Prime Video. And if you look hard enough, sometimes it has a way of serving up some perfect weekend (or weekday) doc gems.
Despite the polar temperatures in some parts of the country, Paramount+ is coming in hot this week with a lineup of movies I can get behind.
After a weekend of binge-watching a series or two, I like to slow things down for the week with a good movie or two. Netflix offers the deepest well out there, but who wants to spend 30 minutes hunting for something to watch?
Another week, another round of must-see movies on Amazon Prime Video. This week, yes, we’re going to laugh a little, but we’re also embarking on some wild, heartfelt, and harrowing adventures.
BELLEVUE, Wash. — The students in Mr. Yavorski’s 5th grade computer science class at Ardmore Elementary School didn’t recognize their guest instructor Monday morning. Most of them had been watching the Disney Channel, not The Daily Show, during his years as host.
Trevor Noah prefers it that way.
“Kids don’t know me at all, which I love — it’s my favorite thing ever,” he explained afterward. “They aren’t responding to me because of celebrity, and I’m not responding to them from a position of celebrity. It’s just us in a room.”
It was a good starting point to learn about AI together. Noah was at Ardmore for Code.org’s Hour of AI. The comedian, author and podcast host is Microsoft’s “Chief Questions Officer,” and he had a lot of questions for the kids.
“Why did the ‘random’ algorithm work at the beginning but not at the end?” he asked toward the close of the session, after he and the students had spent nearly an hour programming in “Bug Arena,” a game where digital bugs compete to cover the most territory with paint.
Noah wasn’t testing them. He genuinely wanted to know.
“Because it’s random,” one student explained. “Random can work a lot of times, but later on, when the puzzles get more difficult, you gotta use your techniques.”
After more back-and-forth, thinking through the problem aloud with the class, Noah nodded: “I feel like you’re on to something.”
That’s how it went for much of Noah’s guest appearance at Ardmore Elementary for the Hour of AI, arranged by Microsoft as part of national Computer Science Education Week.
“We are all kids in the age of AI,” Noah said later. “This isn’t the kind of situation where adults have a leg up. I would argue most adults in the world are behind kids when it comes to AI.”
Noah has been experimenting with AI on his own, spending hours building agents and automated systems. For his stand-up comedy, for example, he’s been working on tools to transcribe his sets, keep everything in a central archive, and make it searchable.
But his first love is video games. He told the class he’s been playing Grand Theft Auto since it was top-down, not first-person, and rattled off his credentials in Minecraft and Elden Ring.
“I could probably beat all of you in any game,” he said. “I know you don’t believe it, but it’s true.”
When one student mentioned Madden NFL, Noah conceded, “You’ll beat me in Madden.”
His interest in technology, he told the students, grew out of his interest in games. “Sometimes you play a game and you think, it should be like this. I want to make my own games.”
The classroom dynamic fit Noah’s approach. He wasn’t there to lecture; he was there to explore alongside the kids, and to get them thinking about how AI actually works.
The event, formerly known as the Hour of Code, has introduced more than 1 billion students in more than 180 countries to computer science since its inception more than a decade ago.
The change in focus is a recognition that the ground has shifted. In an era when AI can write code, the idea isn’t just to teach kids to program. It’s to help them understand what the technology is doing behind the scenes, including the fact that it can make mistakes.
“We want the kids to get a real understanding of how AI doesn’t necessarily ‘know.’ It’s always guessing and using probabilities to make its best judgments,” explained Hadi Partovi, the Code.org CEO, who joined Noah as a special guest teacher for the Ardmore class.
Also leading the class Monday was Jacqueline Russell, a Microsoft product manager focused on computer science education. She led the volunteer mobilization, training 300 Microsoft employees who’ve been dispatched to classrooms across Western Washington this week. It dovetails with the company’s broader Elevate Washington initiative for AI education and training in the state.
For the Bellevue School District, the event was also a chance to bring attention to how it funds technology in schools. Local levies account for 24% of the district’s budget, and voters will decide in February whether to renew a four-year technology and capital projects levy that fills the gap for classroom technology, devices for students, and STEM programs.
For Ardmore Principal Yusra Obaid, the visit reinforced a broader message. “Computer science is for everybody,” she said. “You don’t have to be a specific person or look a certain way.”
Before leading the class, Noah met in the Ardmore library with a group of Bellevue School District teachers — who were much more firmly in the Comedy Central demographic. They were grappling with questions of their own, including how best to use AI to engage with kids, and whether AI would undermine the fundamental components of education.
Noah did more listening than talking, taking in what the teachers had to say.
“There is a valid concern from teachers in and around whether or not AI will erase what we consider learning to be,” he said afterward. But he saw it as a reason to engage, not retreat. “A good teacher is somebody who continues to ask themselves questions, doesn’t assume that they know, and then themselves tries to keep on learning.”
He said he hoped the kids (and everyone else) would walk away from the experience Monday with an “unbridled curiosity” about what’s next. “Keep being curious, keep having fun with it,” he said, “and keep enjoying the fact that you don’t know.”
Security awareness firm KnowBe4 has issued a warning about a new PayPal themed phishing scam that uses real PayPal email addresses to trick victims into handing over sensitive financial information.
The scam begins when victims receive an email from a legitimate PayPal domain containing an invoice for a large purchase they never made. The message also includes a phone number to call if the recipient wants to dispute the charge.
However, while the email may appear authentic, the invoice is fake. Cybercriminals are creating genuine PayPal accounts and using them to send these fraudulent invoices. If the victim calls the listed number, they are connected not to PayPal but to a fraudster posing as a support representative, who will attempt to extract credit card details or pressure the victim into paying a bogus “account fee.”
Javvad Malik, Lead CISO Advisor at KnowBe4, explained that the scam exploits people’s trust in familiar brands and their tendency to react quickly to unexpected charges.
“Even though the email may come from a real PayPal address, this is a clever social engineering trick designed to create panic,” Malik said. “Cybercriminals know that if they can get you to act before you think, they can manipulate you into giving away information or money.”
To stay safe from this and similar scams, Malik advises users to:
The post KnowBe4 warns of new PayPal invoice phishing scam appeared first on IT Security Guru.
Cannabis Seed Genetics Explained: Grow Your Dream Strain with The Vault
So, you’ve got your grow lights set up, your soil primed, and your excitement through the roof—but how much do you really know about the genetics of the cannabis seeds you’re planting? If you’re serious about growing top-shelf cannabis, understanding cannabis genetics is the secret sauce. And trust me, once you get the hang of it, choosing seeds from The Vault Cannabis Seed Store will feel like picking out a legendary Pokemon!
In this blog, we’ll demystify cannabis seed genetics and explain why this matters for every grower, whether you’re just starting or already have a few bountiful harvests under your belt. Let’s unlock the door to a world of knowledge that can help you grow the strain of your dreams.
The Basics: What Are Cannabis Seed Genetics?
When we talk about cannabis seed genetics, we’re essentially talking about a plant’s DNA. Just like in humans and animals, the genetic makeup of a cannabis plant dictates its appearance, growth habits, and effects. Whether it will grow tall and lanky or short and bushy, produce dense buds or airy flowers, be rich in THC or packed with CBD—all of these traits are written in its genetic code.
In cannabis, genetics determine:
Strain type (Sativa, Indica, Hybrid)
Cannabinoid profile (THC, CBD, CBG, etc.)
Terpene profile (those tasty aromatic compounds!)
Growth traits (height, yield, flowering time)
Resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental conditions
To make it easy, think of cannabis seed genetics like the ultimate blueprint for your plant. Choose wisely, and you could end up with a strain that checks off every box on your wish list.
Indica vs. Sativa vs. Hybrid: The Classic Debate
Before we dive into more complex genetic details, let’s cover the basics of Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid strains. If you’re new to growing, you’ll likely see these terms everywhere, and they’re foundational to understanding cannabis seed genetics.
Indica
Indica strains are often short, bushy, and suited to colder climates. They’re known for producing a “body high”—that warm, relaxing sensation that leaves you glued to the couch and binge-watching your favorite shows. They typically have shorter flowering times, which makes them appealing for growers looking to harvest sooner rather than later.
Common traits of Indica plants include:
Shorter height (great for indoor grows)
Broad leaves
Relaxing, sedative effects
Shorter flowering time (usually 6-9 weeks)
Popular Indica strains you can snag from The Vault Cannabis Seed Store include Northern Lights and Granddaddy Purple.
Sativa
On the flip side, Sativa strains are tall, lanky, and thrive in warmer climates. These plants are known for their “head high”—a cerebral, uplifting effect that pairs well with creativity and focus. If you’re a day-time user or want a strain that helps you feel energized and inspired, Sativa is your go-to.
Common traits of Sativa plants include:
Taller height (sometimes up to 12 feet!)
Narrow leaves
Uplifting, energetic effects
Longer flowering time (usually 10-14 weeks)
Some popular Sativa seeds at The Vault include Amnesia Haze and Durban Poison.
Hybrid
Then there are Hybrid strains, which are a blend of both Indica and Sativa genetics. These strains give growers and consumers the best of both worlds, often combining the relaxation of Indica with the mental stimulation of Sativa. Hybrids can lean more towards one side or be a true 50/50 split, offering a wide range of effects.
For a hybrid experience, check out strains like Blue Dream or Girl Scout Cookies, both available at The Vault Cannabis Seed Store.
The Importance of Parent Genetics: It’s All in the Family
If you’ve ever heard of a strain being referred to as the “child” of two other strains, you’re not imagining things. Cannabis plants, like animals, have parents. Breeders combine strains (called “crossing”) to develop specific traits, and the offspring (your seeds) inherit traits from both the mother and father plants. It’s like playing with the ultimate genetic toolkit!
For example, if a breeder wants a strain that grows fast (Indica trait) but also produces high yields (Sativa trait), they might cross an Indica-dominant strain with a high-yielding Sativa. The resulting strain might be exactly what they were aiming for—or it might not. Breeding is both an art and a science, and that’s why the genetics behind your seeds are so important.
At The Vault Cannabis Seed Store, you’ll notice strains like White Widow or OG Kush that have been used to breed many of the most popular hybrids on the market today. Knowing the lineage of your strain gives you insights into what you can expect during your grow.
Landrace Strains: The Originals
Let’s talk about landrace strains, which are like the ancient ancestors of today’s cannabis. These strains developed naturally in specific geographic regions, without human interference, and are often the purest forms of Indica or Sativa genetics you can find. Think of them as the OGs of the cannabis world.
Some famous landrace strains include Afghani, Thai, and Durban Poison. While modern hybrid strains might offer more specialized effects or better yields, landrace strains offer a piece of cannabis history and some of the purest genetics available. If you’re a purist or a cannabis historian, growing landrace strains can be an exciting way to experience cannabis in its original form.
Feminized vs. Regular Seeds: The Genetic Dilemma
When shopping for seeds, you’ll come across terms like feminized and regular. This is another crucial aspect of cannabis seed genetics that every grower should understand.
Feminized Seeds
Most growers opt for feminized seeds because they eliminate the guesswork. Feminized seeds are genetically engineered to produce only female plants—important because only female plants produce the resinous buds we all love.
Pros: No need to worry about male plants, which means no accidental pollination or wasted space.
Cons: Some growers argue that feminized seeds might not be as genetically stable as regular seeds, but with high-quality breeders, this isn’t usually an issue.
At The Vault, you can find an extensive selection of feminized seeds, such as Purple Punch and Wedding Cake.
Regular Seeds
Regular seeds give you both male and female plants, meaning you’ll need to sex them and remove the males if you’re only after those glorious buds. However, regular seeds are favored by breeders who want to create new strains by crossing male and female plants.
Pros: Potential to breed your own strains.
Cons: You’ll need to watch out for males unless you’re specifically breeding.
The Vault also stocks an impressive range of regular seeds, like Skunk #1 for those adventurous growers looking to tinker with genetics.
Autoflowering Genetics: The Quick Grower’s Dream
Another genetic factor that’s shaking up the cannabis world is autoflowering seeds. Unlike traditional photoperiod strains, which depend on light cycles to flower, autoflowering strains will automatically switch from vegetative growth to flowering after a certain amount of time, regardless of light exposure.
Autoflowering seeds are often created by breeding cannabis strains with Cannabis ruderalis, a wild, hardy cannabis species known for its ability to flower quickly. These plants tend to be smaller and have shorter grow cycles, making them perfect for beginners or those with limited space and time.
For a speedy grow, check out autoflowering strains like Auto Gorilla Glue or Auto White Widow at The Vault Cannabis Seed Store.
Why Buy from The Vault Cannabis Seed Store?
Alright, now that you’re a cannabis genetics whiz, let’s talk about why The Vault Cannabis Seed Store is the best place to shop for cannabis seeds. Whether you’re looking for landrace strains, hybrid powerhouses, or autoflowering seeds, The Vault offers:
A vast selection of premium genetics from trusted breeders.
Feminized, regular, and autoflowering options to suit every grower’s needs.
Discreet worldwide shipping to ensure your seeds arrive safely.
Exclusive promotions and freebies to make your purchase even sweeter.
Conclusion
Cannabis seed genetics are the backbone of every successful grow. Whether you’re after a relaxing Indica, an energetic Sativa, or a balanced Hybrid, understanding the genetics of your seeds is crucial to growing the perfect plant. And with the wide range of high-quality seeds available at The Vault Cannabis Seed Store, you’re just a click away from growing your dream strain. So what are you waiting for? Get growing today!
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Remember: It is illegal to germinate cannabis seeds in many countries including the UK. It is our duty to inform you of this fact and to urge you to obey all of your local laws to the letter. The Vault only ever sells or sends out seeds for souvenir, collection or novelty purposes.
The post Cannabis Seed Genetics Explained first appeared on Cannabis Seeds News.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Data is one of the most important and valuable assets for businesses. It functions as a guiding light, helping leaders see around corners, make transformative strategy decisions, stay uber competitive, and deliver better tangible business outcomes. In some cases, data is as elevated and celebrated as revenue, customer service excellence, and profitability.
However, data is uniquely vulnerable to an unintended effect of the rapid shift to digitization and the cloud; the data breach epidemic. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a dizzying number of organizations have been experiencing a disturbing number of data breaches.
In 2022, a total of 4,100 publicly disclosed data breaches led to the exposure of approximately 22 billion records. In response, Check Point Field CISO, Deryck Mitchelson says, “For me, it feels as though we are growing numb to all of this…What we’re forgetting is that on the back of these breaches, it’s your data, it’s my data that is being compromised.”
When it comes to contending with the complexity of data ecosystems and data protection, most organizations are under-prepared. As a result, we’re seeing that consumers are willing to vote with their digital footprints. The story is in the statistics, below.
Earn consumer trust by avoiding data breaches. Second-only to industry conditions, levels of consumer trust are the next biggest determinant of an organization’s market performance.
According to one study, roughly three weeks after a given company breach was made public, company share prices dropped by 3.5 percent (on average). A year after a breach, affected companies under-performed the NASDAQ by 8.6 percent. After three years, companies continued to under-perform the market by more than 15 percent.
For consumers, digital data collection, sharing, analysis and privacy are difficult to understand. Thirty-five years ago, there weren’t smartphones or laptops emitting location data. Cameras weren’t built into nearly every technological device. Everyday devices couldn’t easily be misused or misrepresented to consumers in relation to unwanted tracking, data collection and subsequent possible identity theft.
To respect data is to respect your end-consumers and your business growth potential.
Data privacy and security can be incredibly technical and complex. But in failing to protect your data and your reputation in the eyes of consumers, you might experience a nightmare.
Data Privacy Week is January 22 – 28th. Share these #dataprivacyweek tweets with your network.
#dataprivacyweek is a call to action. After all, 84% of customers are more loyal to brands that have strong security controls. Improve your #datasecurity.
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Did you know? The average data breach in the U.S. costs 4.2 million. Protect your data; protect your resources. #dataprivacyweek
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Learn more about how to champion data privacy within your organization. See 10 data privacy tips to protect your organization this year. Also check out this executive-level insights article.
Lastly, don’t miss registration for the most important cyber security event of 2023; CPX 360. Register here.
The post Eye-opening data privacy trends and statistics (2023 and beyond) appeared first on CyberTalk.
It’s data privacy week! This week-long international initiative was developed by the National Cybersecurity Alliance, and encourages all organizations to respect data through improved security and management transparency.
Rich streams of data have enabled organizations to analyze client behavior, identify opportunities, establish baselines, set performance goals, gather business intelligence and so much more. While our data-driven culture fosters continuous improvements, lack of strategic alignment around data protection can result in the loss of this asset’s value or your organization’s value – and it can happen quickly.
The average company has 534,465 files containing sensitive data. In certain industries, like finance, every employee is given access to over 1,000 sensitive files. Worse yet, more than 70% of employees have been known to share sensitive and business-critical data via insecure or under-secured platforms and devices. Data exposure can result in reputational damage, legal penalties and other unwanted business outcomes.
Proactively address privacy and data protection requirements with future-proof strategies, technologies, and other positive measures. Doing so means differentiating your enterprise, increasing your organization’s value proposition and building consumer trust.
1. Locate and identify data. You can’t protect your firm’s information effectively if you don’t know that it exists, where it’s located, or what data you retain. Data can easily get lost within home-grown systems, documents, emails and retired legacy applications.
Your organization’s security team needs to understand where all critical systems and data are stored within the business. The security team also needs to track who has access to which data, why, and how it is being used, if at all. In turn, this will enable your security team to develop processes, controls and safeguards through which to ensure sufficient data protection and regulatory compliance.
2. Create clear security policies. When new regulations come into play, organizations commonly try to follow laws by implementing complicated policies as addendums to existing policies. While this approach may accomplish legal objectives, employees often struggle to understand and apply the new policies to their day-to-day tasks.
Organizations need to establish clear and easy-to-understand security policies. Policies need to address global security and privacy compliance requirements. They also need to be consistent. Pursue opportunities to simplify your data protection and privacy policies and processes. In so doing, you will assist everyone who genuinely strives to protect your organization’s data.
3. Develop connections. Security often involves a maddening number of stakeholders, especially within larger enterprises. To meet data privacy expectations, security teams will need to develop strong working relationships with professionals across all departments that need to secure data. In addition to better communication, policy development, and implementation, cross-departmental connections may allow your organization to discover and address non-compliance issues before an external auditor reports them.
4. Employee awareness. Educating employees about cyber security risks, data protection policies, and data protection best practices allows you to broadly reduce vulnerabilities. A strong awareness program should include educational content, follow-up messaging, testing, and measurement of employee involvement in said programs. Set your organization up for success by focusing on data protection best practices and by engaging in cross-team collaboration to create a data security and privacy ecosystem that supports evolving regulations and business growth.
5. Data loss prevention (DLP). Data loss prevention refers to a series of strategies and tools that organizations can employ to prevent data theft, loss, or accidental deletion. Organizations commonly use DLP to protect Personally Identifiable Information, to adhere to corresponding regulations, to protect intellectual property, to achieve greater data visibility, to secure the distributed workforce and to secure data on remote cloud systems.
Ahead of adoption, determine the most appropriate DLP deployment architecture or combination of architectures for your organization. In addition to helping achieve the aforementioned objectives, adoption of DLP also allows CISOs to retain the necessary reporting capabilities that enable frequent data security updates to management.
6. Backups, snapshots, replications. All three of these things have a role to play in data protection. While the three are often confused, all of them are intended to protect your data in different ways:
Data backups: In the event of loss or corruption, data backups enable you to restore systems to a previous point in time. Data backups create “save points” on your production servers. Because data backups can take a while to create, many firms schedule them at night or on weekends. Data backups are critical for compliance purposes.
Data snapshots: A data snapshot copies the state of an entire system at a certain point in time, presenting a virtual ‘snapshot’ of a server’s file systems and settings. In contrast with backups, snapshots only copy the settings and metadata required to restore data after a disruption.
Data replication: The term ‘data replication’ refers to copying data to another location – whether that’s a storage system within the same data center or a system in a remote data center. This data storage methodology enables all users to work from the same data sets. Data replication results in a consistent, distributed database.
7. Firewalls. While your company might have a firewall, are the networks still vulnerable at their core? Ensure that your firewall solution is configured securely. Take the following steps: Disable insecure protocols like telnet and SNMP or use a secure SNMP configuration. Schedule regular backups of the configuration and the database. Add a stealth rule in the firewall policy to hide the firewall from network scans. More in-depth insights here.
Guides to firewall security are often available from security vendors and third parties, such as the Center for Internet Security (CIS), which publishes CIS Benchmarks Network Devices. Also, see the SANS Firewall Checklist.
8. Authentication and authorization. These types of controls assist with the verification of credentials and ensure that user privileges are applied appropriately. Typically, these measures are implemented in conjunction with an identity and access management (IAM) solution and in tandem with role-based access controls (RBAC).
9. Endpoint protection (EDR). As part of a layered cyber security approach, endpoint protection helps secure desktops, laptops and mobile devices. Essential features of an endpoint solution include: anti-malware, behavioral analytics, the ability to enforce compliance with enterprise security policies, data encryption, sandbox inspection, secure remote access, and URL filtering.
When it comes to endpoint security solutions, the right choice depends on the endpoints in question and a given organization’s unique needs. Your organization might also consider an XPR/XDR solution, which integrates endpoint security, cloud computing security, email security and other security architectures.
10. Data erasure. By deleting data that your organization does not need to store and does not use, your organization can limit its liabilities when it comes to data protection. Under many compliance rules, erasure of unnecessary data is a requirement. In short, data erasure is a critical element of the data lifecycle management process.
Protecting the privacy and integrity of data helps your organization stay competitive, increases value and improves trust.
To learn more about data privacy week and executive-level data privacy protection strategies, see CyberTalk.org’s past coverage.
Lastly, don’t miss registration for the most important cyber security event of the year; CPX 360 2023. Register here.
The post 10 data privacy tips to protect your organization this year appeared first on CyberTalk.
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