This Week I Learned - Week #5 2023

This Week I Learned - 

* Microsoft Defender for Cloud protects workloads in Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), GitHub and Azure DevOps (ADO). Microsoft recommends using the native cloud connector.

Reference list of all the recommendations Defender for Cloud can provide for AWS resources 

* Data in the Archive tier of Azure Storage can take up to 15 hours to rehydrate, depending on the priority specified for the rehydration operation.

* Red Hat Enterprise Linux is now a supported operating system on OCI.

* Azure NetApp Files [PDF] is built in the Azure data center with direct access to compute nodes, it delivers agility, sub-millisecond latency, and high performance on par or better than on-premises storage.

* The Server Message Block protocol (SMB protocol) is a client-server communication protocol used for sharing access to files, printers, serial ports and other resources on a network. A group at IBM developed the SMB protocol in the 1980s. The protocol has since spawned multiple variants, also known as dialects, to meet evolving network requirements over the years.

* In 1996, Microsoft published a version of SMB 1.0 with minor modifications under the Common Internet File System (CIFS /sɪfs/) moniker. CIFS is a dialect of SMB. CIFS (Common Internet File System) and SMB  are both Windows file-sharing protocols used in storage systems, such as network-attached systems (NAS).  

* The terms SMB and CIFS are sometimes used interchangeably. Application interfaces and technical documentation often refer to them as one and the same, particularly SMB 1.0 and CIFS, using labels such as SMB 1.0/CIFS. SMB 1.0 and CIFS do not have the same level of security protections found in later dialects, as demonstrated by the WannaCry ransomware. SMB 3.0 provides far more advanced security protections. For this reason, most modern systems use the newer SMB dialects. For example, Windows 10 currently supports SMB 3.1.1, the most recent SMB dialect.

* SMB 2.0 improved the protocol's efficiency by drastically reducing its hundreds of commands and subcommands down to just 19.

* Released in 1992, Samba is an open source implementation of the SMB protocol for Unix systems and Linux distributions.

* The NetApp Cloud Sync service offers a secure and automated way to migrate your data to any target, in the cloud or on your premises. Cloud Sync is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that consists of a data broker group, a cloud-based interface available through BlueXP, and a source and target. The NetApp data broker software syncs data from a source to a target (this is called a sync relationship). You can run the data broker in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, or on your premises. A data broker group, which consists of one or more data brokers, needs an outbound internet connection over port 443 so it can communicate with the Cloud Sync service and contact a few other services and repositories. 

* BlueXP (formerly Cloud Manager) provides a centralized control plane to manage, monitor, and automate data in hybrid multicloud environments.

* Azure NetApp Files supports SMB 2.1 and SMB 3.1 (which includes support for SMB 3.0)

* The most commonly cited architecture for scalable WebSocket backends can be found on the Socket.IO documentation. If you're building a multiplayer game, Hathora offers a scalable alternative to Socket.IO

* Microsoft’s AI-coding tool GitHub Copilot  is built on GPT

Several of the Microsoft documentation sets are open source and hosted on GitHub. Not all document sets are completely open source, but many have public-facing repos where you can suggest changes via pull requests (PR). The user experience on Microsoft Learn integrates GitHub.

* Of the world’s large tech firms, Alphabet Inc. may be caught most deeply in the innovator’s dilemma. The classic theory from Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen says large companies struggle to innovate because they fear hurting an established business. Alphabet has been in that bind for the last few months, coming under tremendous pressure to respond to ChatGPT, the OpenAI tool that could reinvent internet searching with its remarkable conversational answers to any question. But Google has to be cautious: its $150 billion search business makes money every time we click on ads and links; single, synthesized answers to queries could draw those clicks away. 

* Kodak invented the digital camera in 1975. Kodak made a lot of money with very good margins providing silver halide film; digital cameras, on the other hand, were digital, which means they didn’t need film at all. The company went bankrupt in 2012 as because consumers had access to better products: first digital cameras, and eventually, phones with cameras built in. Kodak is a cautionary tale of how an innovative company can allow its business model to lead it to its eventual doom. 

Apple invests in open source technologies, most notably the Darwin kernel for its operating systems and the WebKit browser engine

* Netflix estimates as many 100 million households are watching the service for free. Netflix monitors IP addresses, device identifications and account activity to determine whether a customer is signed on from their primary residence.

* ISRO's Bhuvan has a Post Office search page that can help you track over 1.55 lakh post offices in India.

Olympus Mons is a giant volcano on Mars, three times as high as Everest and as wide as France

* Kinnow is a hybrid between King (Citrus Nobilis) and Willo Leaf (Citrus Deliciosa) mandarins. Fazilka district in Punjab is known for the best quality kinnow. The fruit is grown in about 2.5 lakh acres in the district. Farmers get ₹10-35 per kg.

* In several markets, including Europe, only juice made from sweet orange varieties, Citrus sinensis, also known as the China orange, may be labelled as orange juice. To be correct from a horticultural perspective, the common name for the species Citrus reticulata is mandarin, some varieties of which are called tangerines. However, the word tangerine is often used as the common species name. 

* In the US, “orange juice” may come also from the Ambersweet orange, a crossbreed between sweet orange, tangerine and grapefruit that was developed to enhance the colour and taste of juice blends with other early varieties. US regulations allow also for up to 10% of tangerine or hybrid orange/tangerine juice to be included in orange juice. Orange juice should come from the endocarp of the fruit.

* There are usually ten segments in an orange, but sometimes there are more or less.

Source: The Orange Book: A unique guide to orange juice production by Tetra Pak

* Fruits like Papaya, Guava, Strawberry contain more vitamin C than oranges.

Limonin is a complex compound that causes bitterness in juice. It is formed in orange juice shortly after extraction. 

* During their first few years of growth, orange trees do not bear fruit. But when they do, the yield per tree increases gradually until the trees reach maturity at about 10 years old.

Indonesia, the Philippines and India account for over 75% of total coconut production globally. Indonesia and Thailand are one of the world’s largest exporters and consumers of coconut milk. 

* Under suitable climate, rainfall and environmental conditions, coconuts can germinate and grow into coconut palms and start fruiting after three years. Each bunch of coconuts can contain between five to 12 nuts.

* Once the coconut is opened, coconut water begins to lose its nutrients and flavours. This is partly due to naturally occurring enzymes found in coconut water. When peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) come into contact with oxygen, reactions cause nutritional and flavour losses. The composition of coconut water obtained from young (7-9 months) and mature (10-13 months) coconuts varies. The composition, physicochemical, PPO and POD enzyme activities are influenced by factors such as geographical location and variety. The compositional differences relate to the effects deterioration reactions have as well as the quality aspects of coconut water. In general, young coconuts have higher sugar levels and total phenolic contents than mature coconuts. While mature coconuts have higher protein levels and pH values than young coconuts, the amount of minerals can also vary between young and mature coconuts. For example, the amount of potassium in coconut water increases as the coconut matures.

The Sannyasi rebellion or monk rebellion 1770-77 was a revolt by the sannyasis and sadhus in Bengal, India against the British under the leadership of Pandit Bhabani Charan Pathak. Apart from Sanyasis and Fakirs, the revolt saw active participation of displaced Zamindars, peasants, artisans and disbanded armies of Nawabs. 

* In 2017, the Goods and Services Tax, or GST, came into effect. It replaced several multiple taxes levied by the central and state governments. Since then it has become the major source of the government's indirect tax collection. In 2021-22, over 57% of the indirect tax collection came from GST. GST has now outstripped income tax to become the biggest source of tax revenue for the government. 

* A person with an income of Rs 15 lakh would have paid Rs 1,42,500 without cess, after taking a deduction of Rs 4 lakh under various heads under the old regime, and would pay Rs 1,50,000 without cess under the new regime. This is still slightly higher under the new regime.

* The real money gaming industry — which runs games where users can stake money for winnings on apps has mainly two categories i.e. Fantasy Sports and Online Card Games. The 2023 budget has brought in tax deducted at source (TDS) at 30% on all net winnings from online gaming either at the end of financial year or during withdrawal, and in the process done away with the earlier threshold of 10,000. With the winnings now being treated as income, even withdrawals as small as 500 will attract TDS.

* Adani Group consists of 7 publicly listed companies - Green Energy, Power, Total Gas, Transmission, Enterprises, Wilmar, Ports. Their total valuation is USD 238 Billion. These companies stocks have grown 6X in last three years. 

* A.B. Chetty founded the first cinema theatre in Odisha, Sri Sitaram Vilas Talkies (SSVT) in Berhampur (then part of Madras Presidency) in 1927. The name of the city Berhampur, also known as Brahmapur is said to have been derived from the name of Lord Brahmeswara, worshipped in a temple at Lathi, 4 km from the main town.  

* The Amar Chitra Katha comic book on Raja Raja Chola provides a quick context to follow the historical fiction of Ponniyin Selvan. In the comic book, Arul Mozhi and Vanthiyathevan have their weddings on the same day. 

* "Artificial intelligence can never overtake human paranoia and human curiosity." - Aiyyo Shraddha 

* "Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere."

* "Taxes: because freedom isnt free, its just expensive."

* "Taxes: because freedom isnt free, its just expensive."

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