A couple of months ago, we had the unfortunate duty?to report the sudden and tragic death of 47-year-old David Goldberg, CEO of Survey Monkey and Silicon Valley legend. Now, his widow Sheryl Sandberg steps in his shoes.
Ms. Sandberg, Facebook‘s Chief Operating Officer, will be on the directors’ board of Survey Monkey, her late husband’s online survey company. Survey Monkey announced Sandberg’s appointment to their board of directors. She vows to help people make better decisions, and this position will help Sandberg do just that. Survey Monkey is more than just cool surveys and polls. It’s used by employers to watch job morale, and even used by Wall St. to watch product markets and sales. Who knew this survey site had that kind of power? On the board, Sheryl Sandberg vows to keep Dave Goldberg’s vision alive of building a lasting company that will improve the way everyone does business. During Goldberg’s leadership, Survey Monkey went from a staff of 14 to a staff of 550. By the end of his six year tenure, Survey Monkey was a two billion dollar company. GoPro senior executive Zander Laurie has served as Survey Monkey’s executive chairman since Dave Goldberg’s untimely death.
I salute Sheryl Sandberg for taking this role. Who better to fulfill Mr. Goldberg’s legacy than the woman who was closest to him? Survey Monkey is a fast growing company that can really help people economically and morally. Who better than Ms. Sandberg to help them reach that potential? Who better to help manage the 550 employees and boost morale in that office than Ms. Sandberg? Plus, this was one of the biggest power couples in Silicon Valley. Wouldn’t you want that kind of legacy, honor and respect on your team? Let’s stir the pot a little bit. Wouldn’t Sheryl Sandberg make a great CEO of Survey Monkey?
There were more American travelers this 4th of July weekend than any 4th of July since 2007, the eve of the Great Recession era. Many of those travelers took to the skies. If that was you, then how was your in-flight Internet experience?
I ask this because on all airlines, Internet use is an economic booster. But they’re not all the same. On major carriers like American, you could pay up to $20 for not great service. However on carriers like Jet Blue, WiFi is not only complimentary, but runs smoother than butter. Don’t forget these are the same airfares that offer free baggage check-in, unlike the big boys. Jet Blue can pull off free WiFi because of it’s generous relationship with Internet provider ViaSat. Jet Blue writes one check for all the bandwidth, and 40% of it’s passengers take advantage of this service. But there’s Internet providers like Gogo, which is used by American, Delta, United and even Virgin America. Gogo makes profit by charging a small number of people crazy amounts for Internet services. Maybe that’s why only 7% of these passengers even use in-flight WiFi. Gogo can charge as little as $5 an hour to $60 for a monthly subscription for frequent flyers. There’s Row 44, who works with Southwest Airlines. Southwest charges $8 a flight for their services, but frequent fliers can use it complimentary. United is also partnering with Panasonic, which will charge $20 a flight. No thank you.
It’s crazy I find out about this when the US government is about to investigate collusion in the airline industry. I also find it interesting the same companies who charge a ton for checked baggage are the same who charge a ton for WiFi use. Only 7% of passengers who are forced to pay for in-flight WiFi actually do so. But when WiFi is offered for free, 40% use it. Shouldn’t that be a clue to all airlines? What conclusions do you find from this report?
The FBI is investigating not one, not five, but eleven different attacks on the San Francisco Bay Area’s Internet system. This isn’t your typical attack.
This attack was physical, not cyber. This attack messed up internet cables 11 times going back to about a year. According to the FBI, the first of these attacks took place in July 2014. This attack disrupted the Internet for businesses and residential homes alike. The disruptions went as far as Sacramento, the state capital and 88 miles from downtown San Francisco. In one very recent attack, the culprit broke into a vault underground and cut several fiber optic cables. What makes this so concerning is that these fiber optic cables are the lifeblood of the information super highway. If you infect, disrupt, or tamper with the lifeblood, then the rest of the body, in this case the whole Internet, is going to suffer. In this latest attack, the fiber optic cables tampered with belong to Colorado based service providers called Level 3 and Zedo. ?Unfortunately, this case isn’t unique. Earlier this year someone cut through Arizona cables and cut off Internet services for tens of thousands. In 2009 California, underground fiber optics were deliberately cut. This virtually killed Internet and cell phone service for three heavily populated Southern California counties.
But what’s scary is we don’t know who is responsible for these attacks. What’s even scarier is they don’t have a motive. Authorities believe the culprit(s) are dressing up as utility workers using utility workers’ tools to break in and cut the cables. This could be a disgruntle employee. But something tells me this is far more sinister. Isn’t it bad enough that we’ve got cyber criminals trying to wipe out corporations and the shoppers therein? And what about international enemies who want to do harm? I wonder what would happen if a group of enemies decide to cut off fiber optics all over the country at once? Some may say, “That’s too far fetched.” Is it really though?
Throughout the centuries, there’s been inventions that have literally turned things inside out. There’s been the wheel, gunpowder, light bulb, phonograph, TV, computer, and of course, the Internet. Let’s see how much Internet has increased so far this 21st century.
In 2000, barely half of American adults used the Internet. Today, that number is at 84%, although that number has stabilized in the last few years. Even Internet use among senior citizens has skyrocketed. Now, 58% of seniors are on the World Wide Web. Those who have college and advanced degrees are more likely to go online than those who have less than a high school diploma. But even that gap is shrinking. Economically, those making six digit figures are more likely to go online than those who make under $30,000 a year. But even the economic gap is shrinking. Those living in rural neighborhoods are less likely to log on than their urban and suburban counterparts. However, 78% of rural residents still use the Internet. In 2000, Asian-Americans were the most likely among racial/ethnic groups to go Internet. Statistics prove that’s still true today. But others are catching up. In fact, African-Americans have seen the greatest Internet growth rate in the last 15 years. In 2000, men were slightly more likely to go online than women. Now, it’s about even.
What contributes to the rise of Internet use and the closing of all these gaps? I think it’s necessity and availability. These days, one can visit their public library for Internet use. Or you could go to someone’s house to do so. And it’s becoming necessary. I can’t imagine not having online access in 2015. Maybe that’s why tech leaders are working so hard to give everyone Internet access. Let’s face it, you need to Internet to do so many things now: travel bookings, job findings, running a business. Notice on job applications, the first thing they’ll ask you for is your email address. What would you do without the Internet today?
Twenty-first century technology helped create a new family phenomenon: the helicopter parent. Now, you can use your smartphone, social media, even RFID technology, to keep track of your child 24/7. But who says this behavior is just for parents?
Let’s talk about helicopter siblings. Older siblings are using modern technology to literally play ‘big brother’ to their younger siblings. Such habits start early. I just read one article where a 13-year old lectured his 12-year old sister about why she shouldn’t watch certain movies on Netflix. I can definitely see this older brother using the tablet or smartphone to spy on younger sister as they get older, especially when her first boyfriend comes around. ?Some psychologists believe children are imitating their helicopter parents when they do this. And helicopter siblings keep the trend well into adulthood. I read another article where an older brother used an app called Life 360 to follow his younger brother to a Kansas City restaurant. Jeff (older brother) can use Life 360 to see when Chris (younger brother) passes by, goes to work, or even goes on a date like he was in this Kansas City restaurant. I almost forgot to tell you; Jeff is 46 years old. Chris is 40.
Believe it or not, some younger siblings welcome it. Some voices say social media helicoptering keep them grounded and careful of what they post. I am not one of those voices. Family or no family, this is still an invasion of privacy. I understand why parents would use this to follow their teenagers, especially rebellious teens. I disagree with it, but understand it. So yes, I have a problem with grown adults using apps to follow other grown adults. At least Jeff and Chris consent. But what if there’s extreme family drama? Call me a product of the old school, but we didn’t need watching over 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And didn’t most of us turn out all right?
Ever been to a police station and had to pick a suspect out of lineup? Nowadays, computers can do that to anyone, including you. Even Facebook can pick you out.
There’s an experiment going on in Facebook’s lab headquarters. They want to recognize you even when they can’t see your face. They want to recognize who you are by your shape, clothes, hair, even your favorite pose. Yann LeCun leads Facebook‘s artificial intelligence program. You know how you can recognize somebody, especially somebody you know really well, without looking at their face? LeCun wants to see if computers can do the same. LeCun’s team studied 40,000 photos, some with their faces covered or turned away. They ran these photos through a neutral network. The final algorithm correctly recognized people’s faces, whether covered or not, 83% of the time. This could be a driving force behind an upcoming app called Facebook Moments. That should be ready for the public by next week. Facebook Moments will comb through a user’s photos, from family reunions to celebrations to that wild vacation/walk of shame. It’s believed this tool will even alert someone when a photo of him/herself pops up. I’m sure that will make privacy rights advocates happy.
And I’m glad they’re addressing the issue of privacy with this facial recognition. Controversy often follows when airports practice facial recognition in the name of safety. You know there’s a firestorm coming when a social media entity practices it in the name of social togetherness. It’s kinda fun to try and recognize someone you know in the real world. But for a computer to do it? I have mixed reaction about that. Yes, it can be a good thing. But I often wonder, can this be used for evil? Can this be used to deliberately track and/or stalk someone? Could this technology be used to create a nanny/big brother state?
