So everybody knows Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is heading for divorce. He’s one of the greatest IT support legends of all-time. But public divorce alone is bad enough. Then add these next two events. It adds up to a bad week for Amazon and Jeff Bezos the IT service billionaire.
So Bezos accused AMI, a media company that owns the National Enquirer, of blackmail. I had no idea National Enquirer still existed. But on to the story…Bezos said this medium is holding nude pictures over him. The Amazon CEO even claimed the blackmail is politically motivated.? You see, Bezos hired a private investigator to see how they got private texts and photos. They especially look at Saudi Arabian connection. Because of this, according to Bezos, AMI claimed they would publish his texts and photos if they didn’t stop this investigation. However, AMI says they could publish these as ‘newsworthy’.
Then Amazon has to deal with legendary Hollywood director Woody Allen. He’s suing Amazon for $68 million. That’s a lot of money for anybody. It is even if you’re Amazon. Allen is suing them over a movie deal that ended in disaster. Allen planned to direct the film, “Rainy Day in New York”. But suddenly, Amazon Studios cancelled the deal. Allen claims they ended it after a sex scandal from the early 1990s re-surfaced (his alleged affair with his stepdaughter). In December 2017, as the Me Too movement gained momentum, Dylan Farrow wrote a scathing article, asking why Allen gets away scott free, while guys like Weinsten, Spacey and Cosby get exposed. Of course, since the 1990s, Allen denied any wrongdoing.
Amazon gave a vague statement with legalize. Even in that statement, it seems these old accusations does have something to do with this project ending. So yes, this is a bad week for Amazon and Jeff Bezos. And in this politically and socially turbulent era, the climate seems too good not for this to happen. Do politics have to deal with this? Or do jealousy and envy?
So we all know one of the next big thins in IT service is the driverless car. In America, IT support corporations and tech billionaires are working on it. But what about world government? Well, the UK government supports driverless cars.
So they will back up trials of these cars…cars that won’t have human drivers. They will also use these driverless car tests to study tech’s evolution. However, their goal is to have such cars on the road in public by 2021, only two years from now. In the United Kingdom, their government has an ‘auto minister’, a man who oversees all things vehicles. His name is Richard Harrington. He states he wants his nation to lead the next generation of these cars. He also wants these cars on his roads in 2021.
UK government supports driverless cars has been in the works for years. Because in 2015, the United Kingdom signed off to allow the tests of driverless cars. However, these tests require human beings to be behind the wheel and to supervise these tests. Well, they do for now. In fact, they’re going to drop that rule in the near future. Instead, they’ll just release info about the trials, and the risks before the next trial.
So why am I talking about what the UK will do with the driverless car? Because this is the way much of the world is going. I’m sure many of you know the US, China, and other tech savvy nations have been trying these cars for years. The United Kingdom is one of the most tech savvy nations in Europe. Some may say as the UK goes, so goes Europe. So when they come up with their own driverless cars, it’s going to be competition for the US, and others around the world. So out of all the nation, who do you think will win the driverless car competition?
So we’re coming to the end of 2018. Things are not boring in the tech and IT service world. So I want to look back at some of 2018 in tech: The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else.
We can’t talk about 2018 in tech without talking about AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics. Let’s look at the good side of AI in 2018. It led to science and medical discoveries. It also led to educational tools and creation. Furthermore, AI helped us explore the moon, planets and other things in space. However, we all learned about AI’s dark side in 2018. Some governments, like China’s are using it to impose their will. Privacy advocates worry it will spy on us 24/7 and infringe on all our rights. Then there is the fear AI will cost, many, many jobs. I’m concerned that major corporations, governments, and even consumers are embracing AI before really thinking about the consequences. Am I right, or is this just paranoia?
Then there is the smartphone race, particularly between Apple and Samsung?In 2018, Apple became the first American company to be worth over one trillion dollars.? They came out with the IPhone XR, XS, and SX Max. While sales did okay, they were still disappointing by Apple’s standards. So let’s look at Samsung. They overcame a lot this year, like exploding phones?and corruption scandals. For example, their Galaxy Note 9 phone exceeded all exceptions. Not only did they run with Apple, but beat them in some instances. In fact, in Q3 2018, Samsung made record profits. They have many tricks up their sleeve for 2019. Will Samsung overthrow Apple in 2019 (I sure hope so!)?
Then there are the world’s two biggest companies: Amazon and Google. Amazon became the second company to be worth a trillion dollars. It established cashier-free stores; it’s also the first company to guarantee a $15 minimum wage. But the real highlight of the year is establishing their second headquarters. They chose three places: Queens in New York City, Arlington, Virginia in Metro DC, and Nashville, Tennessee. Google celebrated their 20th anniversary with mixed results. Yes, they gave us Google Hub and came out with an awesome auto answering service. However, many criticized them (myself included) of enabling China’s censorship ambitions. Then there were sexual misconduct scandals and the $5 billion fine by the European Union. How will Google overcome these issues in 2019?
I can go on and on about 2018. For example, 2018 in tech is a time that I’m sure Space X wants to remember. However, 2018 in tech is a time I’m sure Facebook wants to forget. But I want to hear from you. What does 2018 in tech mean to you?
So this is an IT service blog, right? Then why am I talking about Nike shoes? Because I for one find IT support and Nike an interesting combination.
Some time ago, Nike brought out self-lacing sneakers. However, now they’re bringing it back. That’s right. With these sneakers, the computer technology will lace them up for you. First of all, these are cheaper. The old price was $720. These new ones will be $350. It sounds like a lot for shoes, and it is. But keep in mind some people pay more for Air Jordans?that you still have to lace yourself.
We don’t know much about these self-lacing shoes. As I stated, the two main things are they are #350, and they will be out sometime in 2019. So cross them off your 2018 list now, they’re not coming this year. Sorry about that. Nike’s CEO Mark Parker calls it “A smart shoe designed for the perfect fit.” He also shared his dream of turning his product, high end sneakers, into a high end digital product. They tried back in 2016, with the Hyper Adapt. It didn’t make much noise. But I don’t have to tell you how much technology can change in less than three years.
But I will say this: lowering the price is the first step. Just because you add some technology to it doesn’t mean people will automatically buy it. Not everybody can build the iPhone X. So I applaud them for cutting the price in half. Now when it comes to lacing shoes of any kind, I absolutely hate it. Some other people do, too. However, some shoe enthusiast love lacing these shoes. In fact, it’s what some live for. So how are they going to convince them about this IT support and Nike combination? Will people pay $350 for self-lacing smart shoes?
So yes, I know Apple is having their live event show right now. I also know Apple is promoting many of their latest products. Furthermore, I know many of our computer repair customers can’t get enough Apple (for reasons I can’t understand). But I want to talk about Twitter. Twitter doubles character count, but not use.
So remember last year, when Twitter doubled the maximum character count from 140 to 280? They thought this would boost Twitter use, because not even the NFL could do that. However, neither does doubling the character count. In fact, it doesn’t change anything at all. For instance, only 12% of all tweets surpass 140 characters. Only one percent even made it to 280 characters.
Here’s something else. When Twitter’s maximum count was 140, the average tweet was only 34 characters. Not that twitter doubles character count, the average tweet is only 33 characters. Maybe I should be more clear. Because while people aren’t using the new maximum count, people are using Twitter more. The number of tweets going out increased 30% since this new ruling. And responses to these tweets are going up as well. This is what we know of English speaking tweets. They’re still working on those of other languages, but they’re expecting the same results worldwide.
However, this is the most astonishing stat, and in a good way. The phrases ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ have increased since Twitter doubles character count. On the surface, that might not sound like much. But in this era where this is so much division, hatred and strife, hearing the phrase ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ more often is a huge step up! It even gives me hope for humanity. Also, keep in mind how much people use twitter and other IT services for trolling and other stuff. So yes, Twitter use itself is increasing. But is Twitter benefiting from other uses?
So in Brussels, Belgium, IT service and IT support’s best and brightest gathered. Apple CEO Tim Cook was the main event speaker. But he wasn’t promoting the latest iPhone this time. Instead, he sounded an alarm about tech’s future. It was Tim Cook vs data industrial complex.
So I should say, there is no official ‘data industrial complex’ in Brussels, Europe, or anywhere else. However, Cook warned against how data and our own info can be used against us. Also, he said ‘they’ are turning our own data and information against us with ‘military efficiency’. Cook didn’t name names, but he didn’t mince words either.
One area that really worries cook is AI, or artificial intelligence. Cook worries that if this trend keeps up, tech companies will know us better than we know ourselves. Cook admitted that AI’s purpose is, and still can be, good. But that’s not what is happening. This AI is collecting huge personal profiles at a rapid pace. And it’s getting more out of control daily. The threat of privacy particularly concerns Cook. He told the Brussels crowd that if AI is going to be any good, then it has to respect human privacy and human rights. He called on all nations around the world to do this.
Cook also stated he supports federal privacy laws in the United States. Then he called on other nations to push for tech privacy laws. This is Tim Cook vs data industrial complex. He’s not the only one. Late in his life, Stephen Hawkins warned against AI. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk goes as far as to build colonies on Mars and the moon because he feels AI is that much of a threat. Now Tim Cook offers his concern about this not just trend, but new way of life. If our tech billionaires and leaders are this concerned, then shouldn’t we be as well?
