Sep 12, 2015 | email, Entertainment, Humor, internet
Everyone loves the emoji. What better way to express yourself than the cute little faces and symbols one can put in emails and social media posts? But there is new emoji coming out that isn’t so cute.
The undesirable emoji I refer to is the middle finger emoji. It’s officially called Unicode 7. It took 15 months for it to be approved. It will be available on iOS 9.1. At the Apple conference last Wednesday, a lot of new emoji symbols were introduced, such as the hot dog, taco, burrito, champagne bottle, unicorn, even a Jewish synagogue. But the one that stands out to me is this very direct middle finger that needs no translation. To be fair, the signal has always been in the computer world somehow. Emoji One, What’s App, and Windows 10 has the finger cartoon. But Apple’s 9.1 version has the best version (if you want to call it that) of it. Let’s say you wanted to upset someone. You had these four finger versions to choose from. You’d want to choose the iOS 9.1 version. Don’t go rushing to your iPhone device to get this emoji yet. It won’t be available until next year. I’m sure there are those, including some of you reading this, that can’t hold out that long.
From an economic standpoint, this emoji is going to be a huge seller. I just feel it. I am totally for free speech and First Amendment rights! I hate censorship. So I don’t think this emoji should be taken down by any means. But I?have to throw my moral card down. Isn’t there enough hatred and anger in the world today? Does Apple really want to add anymore? If you’re dissatisfied with something, or someone, isn’t there another, more dignified emoji you can send? Yes, the middle finger emoji is legal and constitutional. But is it responsible and is it right?
Sep 10, 2015 | Computer technology, Entertainment, internet, News, Smartphone
Yesterday, Apple held their annual September press conference. They demonstrated new and improved items for the upcoming 2015-16 year. As usual, Apple had the media and the public talking.
Yes, new iPhones were revealed, but that was the mid-card side show. The main events were the were the super sized 12.9 inch iPad Pro and Siri controlled Apple TV (which I talked about several times). Apple iWatch bands also made an appearance. We knew this was going to be an awe-inspiring show when Cook said monster announcements are in store. There were 2 1/2 hours of them. There were a few pleasant surprises. The new versions of iPhone 6 will cost the same as the old ones. But this iPad Pro is as powerful as is large. Thanks to A9X, it has twice as much memory bandwidth and ?store performance as it’s predecessor, iPad Air 2. Maybe that’s why it has twice as much price. The smallest iPad Pro will cost $749. The LTE 128 GB model will cost $1,079. Then there’s the Apple TV. The remote might be the best thing about Apple TV. It’s small, sleek and contains Bluetooth support and a touchpad to live for. The Siri app is even more far out. I saw a demonstration where the man said comedy. Apple TV immediately downloaded all the comedies available to him. There are so many apps here I don’t know where to begin. Don’t expect Apple TV to come cheap. They closed with multi platinum selling pop group One Republic.
Obviously, I can’t cover everything about this conference. So you can click here to watch the whole conference. And it was a great one. But here comes the big challenge: turning this conference into sales in the months to come. Will people buy this Apple TV over competitors like Amazon? Are people willing to pay anywhere from $750-1,080 for iPad Pro? Will Siri make you sorry you ever invested in your new Apple TV? Apple has talked the talk. They set the expectation bar high. Can they walk the walk?
Sep 8, 2015 | internet, Smartphone, Software
The United States and United Kingdom aren’t the only nations embracing the Uber craze. One of the fastest growing economies in the world is joining the movement.
Uber expands in China. This ride-hailing app will expand to over 100 Chinese cities over the next year. That’s double of what Uber’s goals were just a few months ago. Chief Executive Travis Kalanick ?made this known in a speech in Beijing. Over four billion dollars were raised in a short time to make this happen. And now it’s happening by leaps and bounds. “When we started this year, we were about one percent market share. Today, nine months later, we’re looking at about 30 to 35 percent market share,” Kalanick said of Uber growth in China. Uber executives and investors bank heavily on China’s online transport market to become the biggest and most lucrative of them all. They’re even welcoming the Chinese government’s new regulations. That’s a far cry from other nations Uber has invaded (no pun intended). Kalanick spoke of the importance of a good relationship with China’s Internet services. Kalanick bragged about China’s ahem…’progressive’… government and services. This showering of praise came right after the Chinese Internet search leader demonstrated a smartphone finding services on it’s own with no human assistance.
Okay, China is the fastest growing economy in the world. In a few years, it might be the top economy in the world, whether we Americans like it or not. But look at the way Kalanick is kissing up to Chinese officials. I don’t remember Uber leaders rolling out the red carpet to other nations. I wonder how the Chinese people will respond to Uber. In the US and UK, Uber has done well. Uber has also been met with massive resistance from San Francisco all the way to London. No wonder why Kalanick is kissing up to China. Will it work?
Sep 5, 2015 | internet, Smartphone
Another school year is upon us. In much of the country, it’s already started. Do you or your kids need a tech boost to help make the As and Bs and avoid the Fs and Ds?
Here are some apps that can help. Is foreign language on the schedule course this year? Duolingo can help. This free app creates courses and lesson plans for 23 different languages. For example, there are four pictures and you’re asked to match which English word matches with picture, which is in the language you’re studying. This app is for all ages and can be addictive. It’s a lot more fun than sitting in the classroom breaking down the verb ‘etre’. ?Have you been assigned a research paper? EasyBib can help. It helps you create citations and bibliographies. There’s one version that helps you choose from 7,000 bibliography styles, from MLA to APA to Chicago. Do you need help in organizing your academic and social life (and in this busy and chaotic age, who doesn’t)? The My?Homework App can help. Geared for the high school and college crowd, it does everything from track class schedules to gather contact information. Then there’s Quizlet. This is the ultimate study app. This free app gives you study tools like flash cards, practice tests, and educational games.
Obviously, there are many, many more educational apps to choose from. The world has changed so very much since I went to school, even college. The best app we had was the library. But now, with these and so many other apps, there’s no excuse for our kids not to do well. You can’t say, “They’re too expensive”. The apps I mention are either free or nearly free. Take advantage of them. With back to school apps, this should be the most educated and knowledgeable generation of all-time. And in many ways, it already is. So what subject do you need a back to school app for?
We at Computer Geeks would like to wish everyone going back to school, and their parents, a very happy and successful upcoming school year.
Sep 3, 2015 | internet
How would you like to see historic online wills? How would you like to read the wills of your favorite American heroes, villains, and celebrities? Thanks to Internet technology, you can.
Thanks to Ancestry.com, you can see wills and other family details of America’s most famous and infamous. You can choose from any era, from Colonial times to the 21st century. They’ve digitize such records of 100 million Americans, whether they were famous or not. These records are even more personal than any memoirs ever written. These records contain wealth and possessions and power that followed them long after they’d pass away. What they left to whom said a lot about their family relations. American Revolution hero Paul Revere had 16 kids with two wives, but by the time Revere died, only five were still alive. According to his last will and testament, he left all his furniture to one unmarried daughter. Nineteenth century abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe left railroad stock and a Florida orange grove to her son. Cotton gin inventor Eli Whitney had one son, but left $1,000 each to two nephews. Whitney died in 1825; keep in mind how much $1,000 was worth. You can find a lot more from these wills and records.
I’ve always been a huge history buff. I believe history is important for all of us. If we forget history, we’re doomed to repeat it. Ancestry.com is offering quite a history lesson here. These documents and wills pose a lot of questions. These are questions like, “Why did Eli Whitney leave $1,000 to his nephews and not his son? What did he leave his son? What were the relationship dynamics in the family at that time? If Revere left all that furniture to one daughter, what did he leave to his other living children?” Which historic figure would you like to look up on Ancestry.com?
Sep 1, 2015 | internet
First and foremost: We at Computer Geeks would like to congratulate Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and her husband Zack on their expectancy of twins. But it’s Mayer’s work decision during the maternity process that has many talking.
Marissa Mayer announced she was taking limited time away and working throughout this process. She did the same thing back in 2012, when her first son was born. Her first son was born right after she became Yahoo CEO. Her twin girls are expected to arrive in December 2015. But Mayer’s decision comes at a time when maternity leave, especially for tech industry women, is a hot button issue. Some complain she should take more time off. Some even say she’s setting a bad example for working women by keeping such a rigorous schedule while becoming a three-time mother. Thankfully, Yahoo’s maternity leave policy is far more lenient. Yahoo offers 16 weeks of paid maternity leave for new mothers and 8 weeks of paid paternity leave for new fathers. Yahoo gives new parents who are employees $500 to spend on supplies like diapers, food, clothes and childcare. But this is nothing compared to Netflix. Several weeks ago, Netflix offered a whole year of paid maternity leave for all new parents. That’s record breaking.
So what do I think about Mayer’s decision to work through her pregnancy? I say to each her own. If taking this approach is what’s good for Mayer and her family, then who are we to complain? Who are we to tell her how to raise her family? ?I’m just glad Yahoo and other Silicon Valley companies are offering generous paternity and maternity policies for their employees. Did you know that of all developed nations, the United States of America is the stingiest when it comes to maternity leave policies? When a parent welcomes a child in the world, the last thing she or he ought to be worried about is, “Is my job going to be there when I get back?” Will better maternity leave policies catch on in this country?
