Apr 12, 2018 | internet
So geeks, admit it, many of you are sports fanatics. I know I am. In fact, many in our Boston computer service shop are sports fans. I have good news. Introducing ESPN+: ESPN and Disney goes streaming.
So ESPN+ will be ESPN, and their father company Disney’s first streaming launch since they partially acquired BAMTech last year.? BAMTech also provides streaming services for HBO, Major League Baseball, and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), among others. It will cost $5 a month. Okay, it’s officially $4.99. But I hate when they try to tease us with that ‘save a penny’ trick. Or you can get it for $50 a year ($49.99 is the official price). Also, you can even get a free month trial.
So what will you get? You’ll get MLB, NHL (hockey), and MLS (soccer). Then you’ll get college sports, and documentaries like ESPN’s award winning 30 For 30. The only adds you’ll get will be the commercials you watch as if you’re watching the game on regular TV. The ESPN+ app will be seen on Fire TV, iPads, iPhones, Apple TV, Droid devices, and Chromecast. This app will also include sports news and scores. But this new ESPN+ app will not have big annual games, like the Super Bowl, World Series, or NBA Finals.
So that’s pretty much introducing ESPN+. But do you know what I’m seeing in IT service? I see a big shift from cable to streaming services. One example of this is You Tube’s new streaming service. You can get much of what you can on cable for a far less price. Furthermore, I read an article where many of the most hated companies in America are cable companies. Ouch! So once again, our technology is changing the game. About this ESPN+. To me, it’s worth a trial for a couple of months. But they didn’t say anything about the NFL regular season. I hope they include that, because that’s perhaps the biggest money maker of the year, despite the NFL’s problems. Is the ESPN+ app worth getting?
Apr 11, 2018 | General, internet
So let me get the elephant out of the room. I know everybody is talking about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s grilling on Capitol Hill. And if you can’t get enough of this story, then here’s another article. However, there’s also a bigger question here. How do we fix big tech? Can we even fix IT support?
In the 1990s, the Internet boom changed everything. But now, in the late 2010s, it seems to be at a crossroads. I say this because this technology gave us so much jobs, innovation, and ease. Now, it’s giving us fear, scandal, cyber crime, and if you ask some people, borderline apocalypse. Look at the AI/robot technology movement. At one time, people looked at the Internet as finally, a level playing field for prosperity. Anyone who wanted to get rich, or add income, could just start an online business. However now, it looks like all of online industry and computer manufacturing are dominated by a handful of mega corporations. There was a time when tech seemed like an escape from harsh realities. But now, big brother technology follows us everywhere, whether we want it to or not, adding more gray hair, ulcers and stress.
Don’t get me wrong. I love 21st century technology and modern IT service. It kept me employed for nearly 15 years. I love the fact that I…no…we can do things that we couldn’t do with it even 10 years ago. But just like a parent with a misbehaving child…who and what I love is also who and what I chastise. Many say, “Companies like Facebook and Amazon are too big to fail. So they’re too big to care.”. I understand that concern, but they better care. If Mark Zuckerberg didn’t care before, you can bet he’s caring now. Imagine your company’s dirty laundry being aired out for all America and rest of the world to see. That is what is happening to Facebook now. President Trump is already calling Amazon out. These two stories alone should be warnings to us all. How do we fix big tech? Can we?
Apr 10, 2018 | youtube
So a few days ago, me and a tech talked about You Tube in our Boston computer service shop. A father of two elementary school aged children, he got You Tube Kids. But soon, he found stuff on You Tube Kids so disturbing that he cancelled the app altogether. Then I read an article that backs up this father’s concern. You Tube age restriction: Do they work?
So according to one article, even the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is taking note. In fact, they’re looking into practices surrounding You Tube Kids. Lately, they’re are a lot of complaints from family rights and privacy rights groups. Some say they’re collecting data from children under 13. Then, they use it to advertise to these kids. There is a law they call the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. It has strict rules to protect children from data collection. But some advocates say You Tube broke these rules, and try to do so subtly. However, You Tube came up with a ready answer. They say You Tube Kids is for teenagers, 13-17. However, statistics show You Tube Kids’ biggest age demographic is children between the age of 5 and 12. However, You Tube and the advocacy groups are working hard to come up with some kind of solution.
I’m sure advertising was one of his concerns, but it’s not the only one. Because he mentioned inappropriate content that shouldn’t be on You Tube Kids. He’s not the only concerned parent. In fact, recently, they admitted they need to do better job. They’re also using human moderates, not just AI ones, like some other IT service companies do. That alone is disturbing. But I suggest a solution: Create two You Tube Kids apps. Make one for teenagers. Make the other one for kids under 12. That way, parents know which app is proper for which age group. It’s Google/You Tube. They’re one of the richest corporations in the world. They can afford to make two separate, age appropriate You Tube Kids’ networks. If this keeps up, they may not be able to afford not to create two You Tube Kids’ networks. You Tube age restriction: Do They Work?
Apr 9, 2018 | Security
So unfortunately, there is another cyber attack to tell you about. Someone compromised over 200,000 Cisco switches. But wait…it gets better. Because Iran was the one that found the attack and alerted the world. Cisco global cyberattack:? What you need to know.
So according to Iran’s tech leaders, hackers hit around 3,500 systems. But guess which nation got the worst of it? You guessed it. Because here in the USA, this Cisco global cyberattack affected over 55,000 systems. Also, over 14,000 computers in China got hit. Other victims range throughout India, Europe and Asia. The hacker left a calling card. That card is a US flag and a quote saying, “don’t mess with our elections”.
Iran said they fixed the flaw and hours, and hackers did little damage. I don’t hear much from the US or other nations about this latest attack. But I do come across some interesting news. The news came from the attackers themselves: They say it’s against Russia. You see, the attackers still think Russia interfered with the US 2016 elections. Yes, they did attack Russia, but we don’t know how many systems they got. But this latest attacks expose a huge problem in the IT service community. There are many mediocre security practices in IT support.
Hackers know it, and they’re taking advantage of it. In fact, look at what happened to the city of Atlanta several weeks back. It seems like the bad guys are getting smarter while the rest of us are slipping. Some of the bad guys reasons’ are financial, while some are political, like what we’re seeing here. Some motives are even more sinister. This is why we need to do a better job protecting ourselves. This is also why we need to do a better job finding and bring these guys to justice. What do you think needs to be done?
Apr 6, 2018 | Computer technology
So earlier this week, I talked about China’s growing influence and takeover of all things IT support. Then I hear a disturbing IT service trend. They call it China’s social credit score. Is America next?
But here’ is what makes it even worse. American tech companies give China’s communist government the tools to make this happen. So what is a social credit score? It works like a financial credit score, but it’s way more invading. Because your financial credit score judges you simply on bad financial situations or choices, like credit card payments or overdue bills. But China’s social credit score judges you on way more; the impacts are also far deeper.
China’s mobile device business tops $9 trillion a year. So the Chinese government uses citizens’ mobile devices and other computers to track what you’re saying or doing. That’s how they get the info to determine your social score. They use things like your social media accounts, text messages, emails, phone calls, etc. But what if you get a bad social credit score? Like a bad financial credit score, it can keep you from getting? your dream house or car. But that’s the beginning. A bad China social credit score can keep you from getting a job, an apartment, a passport, a drivers’ licence, or even health care or education for your children!
In China, anything can get you bad social credit. Simply criticizing Jingping can do it. How ironic: This happens right when they give Jingping the Chinese presidency for life! Or an innocent joke or conversation can do it. Even talking bout your religion or spirituality can knock your credit score down. Do you see how stifling this is to free speech? But this can’t happen in America, can it? Not so fast. For years, people have gotten fired over what they put on social media. This intense political climate and political correct culture isn’t helping matters either. What about this Real ID Americans are supposed to have by 2020? They hook up this ID to a national database to track you better. Also, American tech companies gave China the tools to do this. Whose to say they won’t do it to us? China’s social credit score: Is America next?
