Everywhere you turn, it seems like Americans are working harder and longer for less and less. The technology world is not excluded from this new reality. Jut ask former Yelp employee Talia Jane.
Friday afternoon, this Yelp customer service representative wrote a letter to CEO Jeremy Stoopelmen complaining of low pay. Two hours later, Talia Jane was suddenly fired for that letter. That letter, and her response, made it to Twitter and has been circulating social media ever since. Jane’s letter brings up two other issues. The cost of living in Silicon Valley/Bay Area is becoming unbearable. The letter states that Jane earned a bi-weekly paycheck of $733, 80% goes to paying the rent. She’s not alone. The 25-year-old stated most colleagues around her age are struggling economically. It’s so bad that they have to take second jobs and/or live with their parents. Even Stooplemen tweeted in agreement that costs of living were astronomical. ?The letter also kills the stereotype of the Silicon Valley techie as overpaid and entitled. One tech rep wrote they will move some of their customer support team to Phoenix, Arizona. The housing market is cheaper, and they will be paid the same wage. Stooplemen insists Jane’s firing had nothing to do with her protest letter or Twitter campaign.
I hope Stooplemen is telling the truth on that. Nobody should be fired because of a complaint letter that was sent to the CEO before it hit social media. I could see if Jane made a malicious social media smear campaign, but clearly she didn’t. This was a genuine concern of her own survival. Even Stooplemen agreed on that, somewhat. But there is a crisis of wealth inequality in this country. Even political candidates address this. For instance, in the mid-1980s, the average CEO made 30 times that of the average American wage earner. Today, the average CEO makes over 300x that of American wage earners. So this problem is by no means limited to Yelp or the computer tech industry. And frankly, I don’t see it getting any better. Do you?
Over the years, we’ve covered some disturbing cyber crimes and hack attacks, from international government hacking to sextortion hacking. But we could see the most disturbing and demonic cyber attack yet play out before our eyes.
Hackers took over computer systems at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. They’re demanding 3.6 million dollars, or 9,000 Bitcoin. This is what’s called ransomware. The system has been down for a week. Doctors and nurses now must use manual documentation, faxes and telephones, basically knocking them back to the early 1980s.?Allen Stefanek, the hospital’s CEO, said he noticed IT issues last week. And it escalated to this. Many patients were transferred to major nearby hospitals. This had to be done because this hospital’s X-rays and CT scans got shut down because of the cyber attack. Documentation, lab work and pharmacy cases were severely affected. For some patients, the damage has already been done. A patient named Jackie Mendez and her mother had to drive an hour to get medical tests. Patient Belmont West couldn’t get his grandmother’s medical test. West expressed frustration because of the system’s delay. ?A $3.6 million ransom is high for any ransomware demand. This is what makes this a high profile case and gave the case national news.
As bad as this is, this hospital hostage crisis could have turned out a lot worse. Patients could have died due to lack of quality medical supplies. Patients may not get the quality medical care they deserve. But the hackers don’t care two cents about the patients or their health. That’s what makes it so disturbing. The fact they would hit up an institution where the sick and dying are being cared for shows their lack of empathy and their intense contempt for humanity. This is what’s called sociopaths. And they hide behind computers to do their wicked deeds. Will will it take to catch these culprits?
What do Iggy Azalea, Curt Shilling, and James Woods have in common? They’re all celebrities that had to endure cyber bullying in the recent past. Emmy award winner James Woods is putting his foot down and cyber bullies are being dealt another blow.
There is a cyber masked Twitter user calling James Woods a “cocaine addict”. Woods and his lawyers are taking legal steps not only to expose him, but sue the anonymous Twitter user $10 million for defamation. But the mystery Twitter user has lawyers in court fighting to keep his anonymity. According to the New York Times, the Twitter’s name is Abe List. But Woods now has the legal permission to sue Abe List and expose him as well. List’s lawyers say the “cocaine addict” claims aren’t to be taken seriously. Woods’ lawyers reply most readers would accept the allegation as a factual statement. it’s ironic because Woods is regular Twitter user himself and uses the social media site to express politically conservative views. Some of Woods’ tweets have targeted President Barack Obama. ?The other irony is that Abe List isn’t some thug or criminal or angry outcast living in mamma’s basement. Reports say he’s a Harvard educated and works at a Los Angeles private equity firm.
This legal fight is far from over. Neither side seems to be backing down. I know celebrities can be easy targets. First off, they’re in the public eye. Second off, people think celebs are so busy they won’t notice such vile, negative comments and allegations. Third off, many cyber trolls can hide under anonymous names and profiles and never get caught…or so they think. But more and more celebs are fighting back. And that’s another reason we should be careful of what we put on social media. I repeat my general rule of thumb: If you can’t bear to say it to someone’s face, don’t post it. Who will win this lawsuit: James Woods or Abe List?
Do you use a dating site? You’re not alone. A study by Pew Research Center in summer 2015 shows you’re in abundant company.
Around 2,000 adults age 18-64 were polled. Of those, 12% said they used a dating site. That’s up from 9% just three years ago. Nine percent said they used a dating app on their smart device. That’s up from 3% in 2013. A combined 15% say they use some kind of Internet dating service. In 2013, that number was 11%. Two age demographics lead the trend. One demographic is the young adult 18-24 crowd. The second one is more surprising. As it turns out, older Americans 55-64 are turning to online dating. The number of 55-64-year-olds using dating sites have doubled (from 6 to 12 percent) since 2013. Almost one fourth of young adults say they use online dating. But there’s even more to it. Nearly half of adults say they know someone who uses online dating. And nearly 30% say they know someone who married or started a long-term monogamous relationship with online dating. Why is online dating so popular? Eighty percent of those who use it say it’s a good way to meet people. More than half say it helps people find a better match and online dating is easier and less awkward.
I too know people who used online dating. For some, it lead to successful marriages. For some, it led to first dates ending in disaster. For some, it lead to quick hook-ups. Personally, I’m still skeptical of online dating. I prefer meeting people the old fashioned way: in person. But if you are going to date online, be careful. Some dating sites are really ethical and honorable. Some are nothing but trouble. Don’t even get me started on the Ashley Madison fiasco, a fiasco that ruined lives and families. Do your research and homework, on the person as well as the website. In 2016, they’re enough tools where you can do that now. Would you use a dating site?
Do you know what today is? Yes, it’s Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras. Yes, it’s voting day in New Hampshire. But it’s also Safer Internet Day.
Safer Internet Day began in 2002 and is celebrated every 2nd Tuesday in February. It’s now observed in 120 countries. It was first observed to help keep children and teens safe online. But over the years, issues like hacking and identity theft became so prevalent the day takes on another meaning. That meaning is keeping you safe from hackers, malware, cyber criminals, even national agencies and world governments. Safer Internet Day is observed by giving tips to keep you and your family safe. We at Computer Geeks honor that tradition.
Change your passwords and change them often. Don’t use easy passwords either. Use passwords that you and only you would know like the name of your elementary school, your first car, or first pet, and the year these things happened (it’s always good to mix alphabetical and numerical signs together).
Get and update anti-virus software. With free anti-virus services like Avast, there’s no excuse not to.
If an email or social media post sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you get one saying something like, “We have money waiting for you. But we need some information…”, don’t give in. Too many people had been had.
If someone calls you and claim they’re from a legit corporation, like Microsoft , and say you need to pay to get a virus removed, or need your credit card information, don’t do it! Some scammers have put up viruses, then call you claiming to be a Microsoft rep and demand money. Microsoft doesn’t operate like that. If a virus is holding your computer hostage, call Computer Geeks.
Parents, monitor your children and teenagers’ computer activities. They’re too many cyberbullies, pedophiles, trolls, con-artists, even terrorists out there to be too relaxed about your kid’s online safety. Talk with your kids and warn them about the dangers out there. Remember, you’re their parent, not their friend. What other tips would you offer to keep innocent people safe online?
Another Super Bowl has come and gone. The ads have come and gone. But this year’s ads won’t be as memorable, according to the hashtags.
Hashtags were in 45% of Super Bowl ads, compared to 50% last year. Twitter and Facebook led the social media way, though neither were mentioned that much. A website called MarketingLand counted 60 different ads between the first kickoff and the end of the game (pre-game festivities weren’t counted). Of those 60, 27 had hashtags, 21 had their ad’s website, 3 had their Twitter and 3 had their Facebook posts. This is the lowest count since MarketLand started conducting such research in 2012. That year, only 12% ads had hashtags of them. Of course, four years ago, many of us were still trying to figure this social media thing out. Movies went heavy on the social media. The main movies advertised were Jungle Book, Independence Day Resurgence, and X-Men Apocalypse. They had at least one hashtag, URL, or social media symbol. Another movie, Jason Bourne of the Bourne Identity franchise had none of those. In fact, the majority had none of the those. The rest only had one: either a hashtag, URL, or social media siting. Only one ad, T-Mobile, had a hashtag, URL and social media siting.
So are hashtags a trend in commercial that is fading? I don’t know. But I know this year’s Super Bowl commercials left a lot to be desired. Look at the Doritos commercial. Are they going to convince me Doritos are so good they will make a pregnant woman give birth early? What a joke. And don’t even get me started on those prescription drug commercials they had. Haven’t the pharmaceutical companies saturated and invaded the advertising market enough? Maybe social media companies were just ashamed to be a part of that. I was ashamed at looking at some of those commercials. Is the ad hashtag trend winding down? Or were the Super Bowl commercials just that bad?
