My name is “Kurtz”
Not many had heard of George Kurtz or his company, CrowdStrike, before last Friday’s widespread outage, where a routine update caused havoc on Microsoft Windows systems. However, it turns out this wasn’t the first time it happened with him.
Back in 2010, as Chief Technology Officer at McAfee, he was at the helm during a security update debacle that crashed tens of thousands of PCs worldwide. This past Friday, history repeated itself when CrowdStrike, founded by Kurtz, rolled out an update that triggered another global disruption.
From air traffic control to news broadcasts, the fallout was widespread and immediate. Talk about deja vu!
A day off for IT staff
In an ironic twist of fate, the very software designed to protect us caused a worldwide digital meltdown, and guess what? IT employees everywhere just got an unexpected holiday!
CrowdStrike’s antivirus update turned computers into brick-like blue screens, grounding flights, halting payments, and even sidelining 911 services. But while the world scrambled, IT professionals found themselves with an unexpected day off on Friday.
Instead of troubleshooting frantic emails and rebooting servers, IT wizards were lounging in their pajamas, sipping coffee, and finally catching up on Netflix shows. Some even hit the beach, relishing the rare moment of peace without the incessant hum of malfunctioning machines.
As they say, every cloud has a silver lining, even if that cloud happens to be digital!
Robot tax proposal
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes the workforce, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), backed by the RSS, has a novel solution: a ‘robot tax’. In a bold pre-budget pitch to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the SJM has suggested that this tax could fund the upskilling of workers displaced by automation.
Imagine robots footing the bill for human training! As we approach the July 23 Budget, the proposal promises an innovation in tax policy and planning. All eyes are now on the Budget speech that might just make robots pay their fair share!
A House for the MPs
More than 200 former Lok Sabha MPs, who are yet to vacate their official accommodation in Lutyens’ Delhi, have been issued eviction notices. They have been asked to surrender their bungalows at the earliest so that allotments to new members can be expedited, sources said.
Incidentally it is the Lok Sabha house committee that allots accommodation to the MPs. But it is the directorate of estates under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry that allocates bungalows to ministers.
And if media reports are to be believed, so far no bungalow has been allotted to new ministers.
English, please
Recently, a Ministry issued some “press notes” which were to be read as an official statement, but attributable to sources. While this is a normal practice, the problem arises when this note is in Hindi.
Apparently, the Ministry top brass did not give approval for the English version of the ‘Notes’ and so, all communication and literature were issued only in Hindi. This is despite the Ministry having a host of non-Hindi speaking officials.
Apparently, many reporters first asked for an English version. When this was met with a stoic silence, some reporters called up the concerned Minister’s office seeking the English version. Of course, clearances were then expedited and the document landed.