Google is probably one of the biggest corporation of all time. That’s quite an accomplishment, right? The European Union doesn’t think so.
Now, the European Union accuses Google of breaking antitrust rules and creating a huge monopoly in search engine and online shopping dominance. After a five year investigation lead by the European Union, they may plan to sue Google for over 6.4 billion dollars. That’s a tenth of what Google makes in a year. It took no time for Google to respond to this potential threat. It called the EU accusations ‘very disappointing’. They used charts to show Amazon and eBay’s profits in France, Germany, and United Kingdom do even better than Google’s. ?The rebuttal talked of how the EU plans to investigate Android soon. They reminded the EU of their lowered prices, impeccable customer service, and the cool apps Android provides, not to mention the revenue and jobs they contribute. Google believes they have, “…a very strong case”.
Looking at the charts from Germany, France, and United Kingdom, they do have a strong case. Those charts put Google in the middle of the competition. This is even against local European competition. ?Ebay and Amazon do way better. Even smaller companies we’ve never heard of in the USA do better in some cases. So the case of the charts is valid. But this is only part of the story. How are ratings doing in Belgium, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, etc? But on the other hand, the three nations studied in the charts are the biggest economies in Europe right now. So is it safe to assume these charts could be accurate for the other European Union nations? And, if so, then that opens other questions. Are European search engine companies in cahoots with the European Union to lessen Google’ s influence so the local search engines can have all the spoils?
How many remember the Pac-Man craze? It was the most popular video game of the 1980s. In fact, it was so popular Pac-Man had it’s own song, own cartoon, even it’s own cereal. Google is bringing this craze back.
You can now play Pac-Man with Google Maps. Just download any Google map anywhere in the world. You’ll see a Pac-Man window on the bottom left corner on the screen. Click on the screen and the map will turn into a Pac-Man board. Make sure your map has enough roads for a Pac-Man game or it won’t work. It’s best to zoom into a city or town. Or you can click on the Pac-Man icon in the middle of your map. The format is regular Pac-Man. There is no Mrs. Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, or any other version you might remember. At least, not yet. But it’s got everything the regular format had: the four ghost monsters, the fruit, the big dots where you can eat the ghost monsters, five chances before the game is over, everything. You can even keep up with score and put it on your Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.
I’ve played Google Maps Pac-Man and it can be very addictive! But I do have a playing tip. Play on roads that are straight and less plentiful. Playing on curvy and crazy roads will make the game even more complicated. This game is far more challenging than the 1980s Pac-Man. I haven’t even gotten past the cherry board yet. I’m not sure why Google decided to make Google Maps Pac-Man, or how long it will last. But I’m glad they’re doing it. This game is fun, family friendly, and a great way to cure the boredom blues. More than that, it allows an older generation to relive memories of the arcade or their first home video game system (though the arcade version was so much better, admit it!). It allows a new generation to get a taste of what life is like before Xbox. What other classic games could work on Google Maps?
Yesterday, I talked about rapper and music mogul Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter’s acquisition of the streaming service Tidal. They had their press conference yesterday. Remember when I asked which celebs would take part? Even I was surprised at the outcome.
At the conference, not only did we learn major A-List musicians support Tidal, they own pieces of this streaming service. Tidal co-owners include Beyonce, Madonna, Rihanna, Usher, Nicky Minaj, Alicia Keys, Calvin Harris, and groups Draft Punk and Coldplay. Together, they vowed to restore the value of music by launching a service owned by artists. Jay Z is still offering a million dollars and equity for other musicians to join him. The regular rates are $9.99 a month, which will pay standard royalties. But Tidal premium services will cost $19.99 a month, and that will pay artist the double royalties Jay Z promised.
But Tidal has a hard acre to plow. What is the customer supposed to get for $19.99 a month? We’re told higher quality audio files and new songs and albums before anybody else. I doubt that’s going to be enough to persuade customers. Customers are very cheap with their music today. In fact, music sales are half of what they were in 2000. Someone can easily go on You Tube‘s VEVO and watch the video for free at anytime. So I understand musicians’ frustration. But even teens and twenty somethings complain that music of the 2010s is plain awful. Do you know how many posts I’ve read from teens saying they prefer music from previous decades rather than today’s stuff? I think the artists should provide better music. Maybe then people will buy their product. Then there’s competition. Taylor Swift might have problems with Spotify, but customers don’t. They have 60 million subscribers. Tidal doesn’t even have 20,000. Apple and Beats are working hard to launch their own streaming service. All I heard from yesterday’s conference is how Tidal benefits the artists. All the artists I saw up there are multi-millionaires. How is this going to benefit consumers, many of whom are still struggling economically? Is Tidal going to be the next big thing in music? Or will it be the worse flop since Apple Newton?
Last year, NFL?coaches?started using tablets to produce and call plays. That was a huge advancement between American technology it’s most popular game. Now there’s another one.
Now, the NFL is poised to make history again. They’re going to broadcast a live game exclusively for the Internet. This game will be in the 2015 season, week seven, between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. Because this game will be live from London, England, it will come on at 9:30 am Eastern, 8:30 Central and 6:30 am Pacific. The NFL is touting this game to You Tube and other social media/Internet brands. For decades, the NFL and television have been synonymous. But during the 2010s, there’s been a movement to form a partnership with a major Internet conglomerate. Back in 2011, they tried to make a deal with Google to take Sunday Ticket Package. But the NFL went back to Direct TV. But this Bills vs Jaguars game won’t be on Direct TV. According to one sports-media consultant, the NFL selling one game from London could eventually lead to a long term relationship between the NFL and Internet. The NFL hopes this one game would be the catalyst to selling a package of games to a major Internet company.
I give the NFL credit about the timing. To air this game online at 9:30 Sunday morning right before the regularly scheduled games (which starts at 1pm Eastern) is genius. As an NFL fan myself, I’d love to watch four games a day (9:30 am, 1 pm, 4:25 pm, 8 pm). But it sounds like it’s going to take more than one game to establish some revolutionary move to move games on the Web. And what about TV companies and advertisers? If the NFL starts moving games to the Internet, I doubt they’re going to let $27 billion dollars a year go without a fight. So how would they react? And how many NFL fans are hardcore enough to watch this game so early? And which online company would take a chance on this?
Microsoft’s Windows 10 is coming soon. This summer, Microsoft will be offering free upgrades to their latest Windows edition. All Microsoft users will be eligible, even if they’re software copies aren’t genuine. But what’s behind such a generous offer?
Many say it’s a strategy to combat piracy in nations like China. They want to get the real Windows 10 to the hundreds of millions of Chinese Microsoft users before the piracy people beat them to it. They’re studies showing 75% of all computer software in China isn’t even properly licensed. The other goal is to ‘re-engage’ with Windows customers in China, before the illegal computer markets do, if they haven’t already done so. Interesting because it was speculated Windows 10 would be out in Autumn 2015; now they’re saying Summer 2015. No specific date has been released. But as early as January 2015, Microsoft announced free upgrade to Windows 10 for any Windows 7 users. Was this to save face with longtime Microsoft consumers? They’re partnering with mega Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group to help promote Windows 10 in China, especially to current users. They’re also partnering with other Chinese conglomerates like social media company Tencent Holdings and security company Qihoo 360 Technology to spread the good news of latest Windows upgrade. In fact, starting later this year, Lenovo said they want to start making and selling phones using Windows software.
It seems Microsoft really is in a mad dash to beat the pirates in getting Windows 10 to consumers. Can you blame them? China is the piracy capital of the world. China also has the fastest growing economy and has the biggest population in the world. It almost sounds like they’re putting more focused on Chinese customers than they are on American customers. But China’s population is several times that of the US. And with more buying power in that nation, you can bet Microsoft is in a race against the clock and piracy to get Windows 10 out. Wouldn’t you be?
For over 20 years, the Internet has brought people together, educated, united, and just plain made life easy for us all. But like everything in the world, the Internet has a dark side. Journalist Joseph Bernstein saw that dark side, and what he found isn’t pretty.
The first thing that struck Bernstein was how easy it was to take a walk on the dark web. All one has to do is Google Tor Browser and install the website Tor Project. I highly recommend against doing that. But if you’re going to be stubborn, don’t say you weren’t warned. Many .tor sites are going down anyway thanks to law enforcement or by the host themselves. Some go through portals like Hidden Wiki. But once you’re there, you can find any kind of darkness you want. Any kind of illegal narcotic is easy to find, even prescriptions. So are guns, passports, cheap iPhones, and even porn. One can find the more tangible products, like iPhones and guns and passports on Tor Supermarket. Bernstein says Tor Supermarket is easier to navigate and better looking than a lot of mainstream sites. But if you insist on buying cocaine or Oxycontin on the dark web, and you don’t get it, or the law intercepts your package, don’t go complaining. That’s the ‘honor system’ risk one will take.
Let’s get this out of the way: I DO NOT condone, promote, or encourage such website activities. The reason I even bring up such sites is to educate others of real dangers out there. Parents, please do what you can to block your children and teenagers from the dark web, and tell them why you’re doing it. I think the more we know about such dangers, the more we can prevent them or stay away from them. What other ‘dark websites’ should we know about?
