So everybody, even those of us in computer repair, like You Tube. But there is a social/political beef between two major You Tube stars. Those stars are conservative activists Steven Crowder and progressive Vox reporter Carlos Maza. There are also accusations of harassment. But not even You Tube is clear of what harassment is. This is You Tube harassment and confusion.
So it started when You Tube stopped Crowder’s many flow and ads over some racist and homophobic comments he made about Maza. Then, they said Crowder can make money again after he fixed things. One of those things Croweder musts fix is stop linking an certain online shop. This online shop sells a t-shirt so vulgar I can’t even repeat it.
But before disciplining Crowder, You Tube talked to Maza. They told Maza that Crowder’s comments were clearly hurtful. However, You Tube says they don’t violate their policies. That’s because they say it’s an open platform, so anybody can express their opinions, so long as it’s within their policies. But the things Crowder said did go after Maza’s race and sexual orientation. That does violate You Tube policy. Maza even discusses this in Twitter. Maza lists the names and insults he claims Crowder throws at him. Also, Maza hints that Crowder influences others. Because according to Maza, he wakes up to a whole bunch of insults online that follows Crowder’s.
So this is the murky situation. Think about all the comedians we enjoy, who often take swipes at public figures. Then think about the political shows that take swipes at their opponents, or people they see as ‘enemies’. You Tube communication leader Chris Dale tried to explain the difference between opinion and harassment. So there is You Tube harassment and confusion. What do you think? Should You Tube take a harder stance against harassment? Or could this lead to censorship and political correctness overload?
So what if you had an opportunity to share a meal with multi-billionaire Warren Buffet. How much would you pay for that? Would it be $1,000, $10,000, $100,000? Lunch with Warrren Buffet. What’s your price?
So one man, crypto currency enthusiast Justin Sun, paid a whopping 4.57 million to lunch with Warren Buffet. But you don’t hear me though. That’s $4,570,000 (approximately)! But how did this happen? Justin Sun won an auction on Ebay. There were five bidders fighting for this honor. Furthermore, they put in a combined 18 bids. However, when the smoke cleared, Justin Sun won it..for this much. I should also point out every dollar of Sun’s bid goes to Buffet’s Glide Foundation. That’s a charity that aids to homeless and poor in San Francisco, especially the impoverished Tenderloin district.
So Sun can invite seven of his friends. They will dine with Buffet at Smith & Wollensky? in Manhattan, NYC. But there is one rule…they can’t talk about Buffet’s investments. However, I’d like to be a fly on the wall for this one. Because Justin Sun loves crypto currency. In fact, many in IT service and computer repair truly believe crypto currency will be the next big economic thing. Warren Buffet hates it. Nonetheless, Buffet says he is delighted to meet this young man. I wonder how happy Buffet will be if the topic turns into crypto currency.
Now some of you may look at this and say, “Who in the world would pay 4.57 million to eat with Warren Buffet, or anybody else?”. That’s my first reaction. Then I read about the Glide Foundation. For decades, they aided the poorest of the poor in one of America’s richest cities, San Francisco. This money will go to things like housing the homeless, job training and provision, and getting people off drugs and alcoholism. Buffet says this money will go to help thousands. I believe him and I hope so. In San Francisco right now, they need Glide Foundation more than ever. But if you won a lunch with Warren Buffet, what would you ask him?
So Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference is now underway. It’s taking place between June 3-7 in San Jose, California. But it started with a keynote speech that lasted well over 2 hours. I can’t cover everything, but here are some things that struck me. The 2019 WWDC highlights…so far.
So this is a developer’s conference right? If you’re a developer, then you may be happy with the ARKit 3 and SwiftUI. The ARKit 3 uses better argumented reality to capture subjects. Then the SwiftUI is a new say to develop Swift apps. Here, you can use things like screen rotation. Speaking of apps, let me mention the iOS 13. This new features swears it will help your apps launch twice as fast. It also features dark mode. That’s a darker option if your device is too bright.
However, some other things caught my attention. One thing is the Apple TV gaming controllers. These will work with Xbox One and Playstation. But the real purpose of these is to prepare for their own gaming service, Apple Arcade. Then there is the Apple Watch. Because competition in the IT support watch game is getting fierce. Maybe that’s why they’re making it easier to use the iWatch without depending on your iPhone.
Those are just some of the things that struck me. Now they talked about a lot more, like the new Mac Pro and iPadOS. But the conference is still young. This Apple Watch though, there’s only one thing that’s going to make it competitive with other watches. That’s the price. So far, I don’t hear a thing about that. This goes for all other things Apple as well. I’m not an Apple fan myself, but many of our computer repair clients are. And if you are, here is what’s coming up at their WWDC conference. Those are the 2019 WWDC highlights…so far. What do you want to see from this conference?
So over the last several years, we hear stories of people getting fired over a bad social media post. We also hear of China’s social credit score. But now, it seems Big Brother is digging his shovel a little deeper. US screens social media for visa applicants.
So from now on, US visa applicants must submit their social media pages, all emails, and smartphone on their applications. This new law will affect over 15 million upcoming visa applications. The US State Dept. insists this is a move to fight terrorism. A statement said they’re doing this for ‘extensive security screening’ and “…to protect US citizens”. I hear that one a lot.
But this new law isn’t for everybody. It’s mostly for people who traveled to high terrorist countries. Or at least that’s how the State Dept. explains it. For them, they must provide every social media username they had over the past five years. They also must provide emails and phone numbers over the past five years. Then, they must give their status of the nation as well as whether their families are with terrorists organizations. Many insists we must do this to keep America safe. But many others beg to differ.
The Economist magazine says this is the wrong thing at the wrong time. Because we’re in the midst of this trade war with China, we need all the good international labor we can get. Also, other publications remind us the USA isn’t the only candy store in town. Immigrants are already turning to other countries like Canada, Germany and Australia. Because in these nations, visa issues are less of a factor. Also, keep in mind how many of these immigrants in the IT service field. But the US screens social media for visa applicants anyway. Is this a means of safety or protection? Or is this another evasive big brother move?
So I predicted the US vs. China trade war and the Huawei controversy had no end in sight. I appear to be right. Because China threatens blacklist over Huawei.
So most of you know, the US pretty much banned Huawei from doing any business in this country. But now, China seems ready to retaliate. According to Gao Feng, a China’s commerce spokesperson, they’re putting a list together. This list includes any company, or nation, that hinders business with Chinese companies. Feng calls this list ‘unreliable entities’. This all stems for the Huawei controversies. However, within 90 days or go, Google can still aid Huawei. But that’s only for emergency services.
So what does any of this have to do with IT service? Well, Google, Intel, and other Silicon Valley giants are either limiting or outright cutting off ties with Huawei. Furthermore, Huawei leaders say this stoppage of business with US companies will hinder business. They also say it damages their reputation. So far, the US imposed a $200 billion tariff on Chinese goods. In response to this, they expect China to pose a $60 billion tariff on US goods. That tariff could already be in the works. And this could be just the beginning.
Because now, Huawei is taking this to the courtroom. They claim what the US is doing is unconstitutional. But let’s get back to this blacklist. We don’t know who is on it yet. But you can best believe some of the biggest IT companies are, like the Google’s, the Amazon’s, the Intel’s, the Microsoft’s. If they do this, then this will have a huge impact on the American IT support industry. I’m not excusing Huawei by any means, nor am I in support of the way China does business. In fact, I don’t approve of it. But China has the world’s 2nd largest economy. So if China threatens blacklist, then where do we go from here?
