So we all know how critical IT service and online technologies are to today’s world. But you may not know where some of these companies come from. Top businesses are tech: Guess where two are from?
So let’s get the more obvious out of the way. Maybe it’s not so obvious. But a list of the top 10 most valuable companies in the world came out. Eight of them have something to do with IT support and/or computer technology. The first is Google, which should not surprise anyone. Google held the number one spot for most of the 2010s, and shows no signs of letting it go. In fact, they made $302 billion last year. That’s a 23% increase from the year before. Number 2 is Apple and number 3 is Amazon. This surprises me because since Amazon is taking over everything. Also, what they touch turns to gold. I thought surely Amazon would be second on the list.
However, here is the real surprise (or maybe not). Two of the top 10 are e-commerce companies from China. One is Tencent, coming in at number five. It’s the first year they made the list. They made $179 billion in 2017. That’s a whopping 65% from 2016. Then there is Alibaba. They rank #9 on the list. Not only is Alibaba very popular in it’s native China, but in economic powerhouses like Brazil, Israel, and South Korea. In fact, it’s the top e-commerce site in these nations, topping Amazon and Ebay. We can also credit the entrepreneur spirit of young Chinese people. Plus, many worldwide are ditching US e-commerce sites for these Chinese sites.
Other tech companies rounding out the top 10 are Microsoft (#4), Facebook (#6), and AT&T (#10). The two non tech and e-commerce companies on the top lists are Visa (#7) and McDonald’s (#8). I find it crazy that Walmart and Ebay didn’t make this list. But as you can see, most of the top businesses are tech. What do you make of the list? Who do you think should or shouldn’t make it? Who do you think should be higher on the list?
So most of us know the saying. If mama ain’t happy, then nobody’s happy. Don’t let this be your dilemma this Mother’s Day weekend. The IT support world wants to help. Here are last minute Mother’s Day gifts for tech moms.
So in this day age, just about everyone has a smart device. This also means in this day age, everyone is going to need earplugs. This is where Jaybird’s X3 earbuds come in. Not only are these long lasting quality plugs, but they have their own app. Furthermore, they are sweatproof and waterproof, and have an 8 hour battery life. But they’re not cheap. The average price is around $100.
Or perhaps your Mom wants to join the voice speaker and smart home device craze. That’s where Amazon Echo comes in (I can’t believe I’m actually promoting anything from Amazon! Help!). But from what people around our Boston computer service shop tell me, Amazon Echo is easy to use. It plays music, gives recipes, turns off lights, and reads your books to you at your command. However, this Amazon Echo can be addictive, and can spoil you rotten. Amazon Echos can come in quite a few forms, generations and prices. The cheapest I can find is around $41.00.
Or your Mother may want a fitness tracker. There are plenty to choose from. But according to many tech critics, the best fitness tracker for moms is the Garmin Vivofit. First of all, it has a red bar that keeps you accountable. It tells you when you’re inactive, and gets you on the move. It has one year battery life. Furthermore, it records your moves and progresses. You can get this fitness tracker for as little as $60, depending on which vendor you use.
Those are just some last minute Mother’s Day gifts for tech moms. What are your last minute ideas?
So I always thought Amazon as distant to it’s customers. Because it’s so big and so reaching, they’re probably too big to care. But apparently, Amazon really, really wants to get to know you, more than you want to. Amazon scans your body: for online shopping’s sake.
So according to Wall Street Journal, Amazon wants to know your body size. In New York City, they’re inviting volunteers to Amazon offices. There, Amazon watches their body shape and changes over a four month period. It’ s because they want to know how body shape changes over periods of time. Those who volunteered for this got a $250 Amazon gift card.
However, this has somewhat to do with buying clothes. This has much to do with Amazon’s latest acquisition: Body Labs. They got Body Labs because they want to get into 3D body scanning. The clothing part is that Amazon wants to sell you the perfect fit. This would also reduce returns. If you buy an outfit that doesn’t fit you, of course you’re going to return it. Yes this has a lot to do with IT support, like Body Labs. That’s just one more piece of IT service they have under their belt.
But you know what this tells me? Amazon wants your clothing business so bad they’re buying out a tech company in order for you to buy their clothes. Some call that genius. But some others call that insanity. Amazon scans your body; not yet. This is still in their experiment phase. But between you and me, I like my retail stores. And if they don’t fit me, I can take them back to the store, and get my refund exchange right then. I don’t have to wait days and days. So is this Amazon body scan going to work? Or did Amazon waste an acquisition?
So yesterday, I talked about a security alert involving malware. Being the good IT support steward I try to be, I want to alert you on another one. It’s time to change your Twitter password.
But don’t just take my word for it. Because Twitter Support itself delivered the warning yesterday afternoon. They discovered a bug that played with passwords. Then, Twitter assured users they fix the bug before it caused any real problems. However, they do suggest changing your password as soon as you can. There’s a reason for their urgency. Because it stored password in an unmasked environment. Also, the bug stored plain passwords (those without numbers) openly on their internal log.
I think some are getting the message. So far, Twitter’s warning tweet got over 15,000 hearts. It also has over 28,000 users talk about this. Tech Crunch and other major tech publications reached out to Twitter about this episode. Twitter leaders and spokespeople insists this lapse will have an extremely low effect on your account. According to their investigations, there is no evidence of foul play or on outright attack. This was just an honest mistake… a mistake made by one of the largest social media companies of all-time.
Yes, you need to change your Twitter password. Please do so sooner than later. I’m not telling you…they are. At Computer Geeks, we have thousands of Twitter followers. Many of them near our Boston computer service shop. It looked like Twitter was finally out of the woods. As you remember, in the past one or two years, they endured financial setbacks and bullying scandals. Now, this comes up. When you do change your password, don’t make it an easy one. Choose something you and only you would remember. It’s better to make it with both numbers and letters. This is yet another security alert.
So Facebook is having their Face 8 conference in San Jose. That’s quite a feat for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. I say that because not long ago, Congress grilled him in Washington. But let’s look at this Face 8 conference: announcements and expectations.
So the first thing that strikes me is FaceDate. Yep, you can now set up a profile, to non-friends, a profile strictly for dating purposes. Then, they’ll match your dating profile with other suitors. If they find a match, then they let you know in a special inbox, not the regular Messenger. Maybe Zuckerberg learned something from his trip to Washington. Because now, there’s a ‘clear history’ feature. Here, you can wipe out your data history off their data store.
You don’t think it’s all about Facebook, do you? Surely, you know Facebook is in other things? This is where their Oculus Go comes in. They’re showing off their VR headset. But you can have one, too. A 32 GB one will cost you $199. If you need 64 GB of Facebook VR, then that will cost $249. They’re also celebrating their What’s App getting over 450 million users. They’re also adding stickers and group video chats. Do you have your Oculus Go yet? Then the next step is Oculus TV. They’re still working on it.
There are a few things that strike me here, especially about the FaceDate. Yes, I hear of some people who found love on Facebook. In fact, a regular at our Boston computer service shop claimed he met his wife on his Facebook page. And they make an awesome couple. But why can’t people on your Facebook friend page be included? What if there is somebody on your page you really like, but don’t have to nerve to ask out (sorta like jr. high)? Could FaceDate work in a situation like that? The Oculus Go is intriguing as well. The VR and AI craze dominates IT service these days. What role with it play here? And what role will Facebook privacy awakening play here?
So do you still wonder where Amazon will put their second headquarters? I? know Boston is in the running, but Boston will benefit from Amazon already…at least on paper. Amazon comes to Boston, and adds jobs.
In fact, Amazon leaders say they will add 2,000 jobs to Boston. They plan to build a 430,000 square foot skyscraper and office space in downtown Boston, near our computer service shop. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is happy. In a statement, he said this will add to Boston’s thriving workforce. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker also agrees. He praised Amazon for bringing thousands of jobs and help industries like IT support, research and robotics. Furthermore, Boston is still in the running for the big headquarters. You know, the one that they promise will add over 50,000 jobs and billions of dollars.
But what kinds of jobs will Amazon bring to our city? It will be mostly tech jobs. This includes speech science. In other words, they’ll be working on voices for Alexa. Then some others will be reading and working on books for the Amazon Audible service. They’ll also be working on Amazon Web services. Then there will be other employees working on and with Amazon Robotics. Keep in mind this city already has Boston Dynamics. So look at what they’re turning out. I admit, it will be interesting, even fun, to compare what Amazon robotics will do compare to Boston Dynamics.
Ready or not, Amazon comes to Boston. Yes, there is some good that comes with that. Our political leaders confirm it will bring jobs and add to our economy. Those are huge pluses. But what about certain downsizes. Look at Silicon Valley’s mess. Look at the wealth inequality, poverty, and ridiculous cost of housing. Here in Greater Boston, it isn’t much better. Almost daily, I see affordable housing being torn down and luxury condos built for millionaires. Will these jobs ease that burden or add to the burden? Will Amazon pay these employees fairly?
