Microsoft is killing Nokia. The brand that is. Microsoft announced that it is changing the phone name from Nokia Lumia to Microsoft Lumia. Rebranding will take some time, but with this move, it is evident that the brand is dead.

The Globe and Mail reported that the Maple Leafs are betting big on Big Data. It is surprising that it has taken them this long. Other sport organizations, notably the MLB with its Sabermetrics, have been doing it for quite some time. The Maple Leafs started pouring resources into gathering data, analysis, visualization and predictive analytics. They are planning to use it for drafting, contract negotiation, on-ice strategy and style of play.

Have you heard of Wello or AliveCor? These are a new breed of devices which attach to your smart phone and claim to detect atrial fibrillation, track your blood pressure, temperature and even more. You can also get other devices that can measure your sleep patterns, oxygen level in your blood, and your overall physical activity.

You might have heard by now about a new problem in the computer world – Shellshock. I’ll spare you the technical details. The one thing you should know is that this bug was discovered in a part of the Linux operating system. Linux, the free version of Unix, with numerous variations in distribution, is embedded in countless number of devices. As far as people know, the bug was introduced sometimes in 1992.

As you may remember, IBM nominated its computer ‘Watson’ to compete in the game Jeopardy against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.

Alibaba went public. The Chinese ecommerce company chose the New York Stock Exchange (after Honk Kong regulators refused) to launch their bid to go public. It has been branded the largest IPO of all times, with billions of dollars flying around.

Back when the company was just starting out, Barb asked George to order the hardware from Dell. He ordered a version of the hardware he used at home, with a few changes suggested by a sales guy he doesn’t even remember.

What sparks your interest more? The theft of 1.2 billion user names and passwords, or a few nude pictures of celebrities? Perhaps the nude pictures received more attention, but you should be concerned about both. This time the target was iCloud.

Have you heard about Uber? In case you haven’t, it is a start up which is creating havoc in the taxi industry. The issue here is that this is not a taxi service. It is a method of connecting people who have cars, with people who need to go somewhere. They are in over 100 cities around the world and growing.

Siri will get a sister. The team that built Siri, left Apple and started a new company called Viv. Google and Microsoft are working hard to make their devices smart. The device which you carry around everywhere and from nostalgia you still call a phone albeit a smart one, is becoming an information hub.