Techwire Hot Links: What We’re Reading and Listening To

The Techwire staff writes daily, and on our way to finding items of interest for you to read about, we also read a lot of stories. Here are three articles and a podcast that we thought you would find interesting, informative and timely.

Ransoming our schools: “In the early days of ransomware attacks, the common wisdom was to simply pay the ransom and sweep the attack under the rug. Michael Makstman, chief information security officer for the City and County of San Francisco, says that approach has led to larger problems today,” says a report on darkreading.com. “I think paying ransom in the last few years fueled the ransomware industry,” Makstman says. “It’s left us all in a worse place.”

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Cool, cool water: The idea of a water-cooled data center has been in the formative stages for years, and one recently went live in the Port of Stockton, where San Joaquin County and some companies are leasing space. Now, according to an article on constructiondive.com, Nautilus Data Technologies, based in Pleasanton, is partnering with engineering/construction giant Bechtel on a plan to build more water-cooled data centers.

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Sharing your jam: When you’re stuck in traffic, one thing that can ease your anxiety and anger is being connected, even virtually, with others in the same jam. That’s the finding of a study performed by the San Jose Department of Transportation, the University of California and Sony Ericsson, as reported in Techwire’s sister publication, Government Technology. According to the story, “the ability to share and receive information in real-time while in traffic created a sense of community for connected drivers, the study found … (and) such tools also have potential to alleviate traffic problems by sharing alternative routes for drivers.” The apps in the study included Waze and Roadify.

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To serve and to lead: Lourdes Castro Ramirez is the secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, which puts her squarely at the confluence of several ongoing issues in the state: the health of its businesses and the plight of its homeless. Castro Ramirez is the featured guest in the latest HiPerleadership podcast, hosted by David Morris, CEO and founder of HiPER Solutions. Morris, a thoughtful interviewer, elicits the secretary’s thoughts on “what it takes to be a servant leader, how she helped address a housing crisis in San Antonio, Texas, by involving the individuals most affected, and how she is working to do the same in solving the homeless and housing crises impacting California.” Castro Ramirez offers “actionable insights on how to earn trust, hire great people, and make change happen within a complex government system,” Morris says in his preface to the 23-minute podcast.