Nobody is immune to the hostile social-political climate that is 2017 America. No, nobody in computer repair, nobody in Silicon Valley. But Google is finding this out the hard way. Because one blog cost engineer James Damore his job. It also started a Silicon Valley war of ideas. Google political war: Silicon Valley in the crossfire.
So this is how it started. Damore wrote a blog they call the ‘anti-diversity manifesto’. He wrote why he is against Google’s programs to hire more women and minorities. He lost his job over this. However, this is the beginning of the story. Conservatives and Trump supports from everywhere are coming to Damore’s defense. Some are even declaring a cyber war on what they see as censorship against ?conservative ideas.
For example, Gab CEO Andrew Torba said this incident, and others, is a declaration of war. Then there’s Chuck Johnson. He worked on Trump’s transition team and runs conservative funding site WeSearchr. He plans to fight Silicon Valley until they, “change or go under”. There’s going to be a March on Google next Saturday. But?Mike Cernovich, an outspoken right wing conservative, plans to counter it. He and his followers even vowed to chain himself to offices if their views are censored.
But as for me, I disagree with Damore’s blog. We do need programs to increase diversity in Silicon Valley. The statistics are alarming. However, I understand why conservatives are concerned. I notice how they demonize ‘alternative media’ while praise mainstream media. There’s a reason people turn to alternative media. Because only six mega corporations own 90% of mainstream media sites. And when they have that much power, then of course they can push agendas rather than give facts. Many are sick and tired of it. That’s why they turn to alternative sites. Plus, the Constitution gives them free speech. If you don’t like it, turn it off. I don’t think they should fire Damore, either. I think this was an opportunity to talk about diversity. But they threw that away. Who will win this Google political war?
Last month, on his late night talk show, host/comedian John Oliver praised the Internet. He also called out the Trump administration. This is because of their lack of protection for net neutrality. But he wants you to do something about it. He wants you to Go FCC yourself: John Oliver for net neutrality.
So here is what Oliver wants you to do. Type go FCC yourself in any search engine. This will take you straight to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) website. In fact, it will take you to their proceedings page. Then, you will see a box ‘restoring Internet freedoms. If you want to comment about net neutrality, click on either +new filing or +express. It’s pretty simple from there. If you want to read other comments, click on 17-108 in the box. I must say, comments are many, and they are passionate.
So what is net neutrality? It guarantees ISP’s (Internet search providers) can’t slow down popular websites to help promote the big ones. Therefore, they have to treat everyone equally. For example, a local sports blogger has just as much Internet equality as ESPN. The Obama administration put this in play. But the Trump administration wants to curb net neutrality. In fact, Trump’s new FCC chair is?Ajit Pai. Pai leads the charge to limit net neutrality. In fact, Pai is a former Verizon lawyer.
Surely President Trump didn’t think people would just be okay with cutting down net neutrality. It’s been a fairly big topic in our Boston computer service shop. And from what I’m seeing on that page, the response is fast and furious. For one, I’m for net neutrality. It gives people equal competition. It can help the small guy become the next Amazon, or Walmart, or Verizon, as long as they’re willing to work at it. But I guess the Jeff Bezos’s or Ajit Pai’s don’t like that. And the fact that Pai is in the Trump administration is suspect to me. But I question Oliver’s motives, too. He’s been a staunch Trump critic from day one. Does John Oliver really care about saving net neutrality? Or is he using this issue just to hate on Trump?
So GIF means Graphics Interchange Format. On June 15, 1987, Steve Wilhite created the GIF. In 1987, he worked at CompuSave. The company asked him to make color images for files people can download. So in 1987, he came up with GIF. But it didn’t really take off until 1995, when the Internet started to take off. It got the loop ability, making it popular. It also helps that at this time, CompuSave was the first major ISP.
So for 15 years, GIF’s popularity went up and down. But it really skyrocked since 2010, thanks to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. They’re fun to send in text messages too. Let’s look at how popular GIF’s are in today’s society. People send 25,000 GIFs every minute. In fact, the number of these photos tripled in the past year. Facebook is getting into the Happy Birthday GIF spirit. They’re rounding up twenty Internet stars, people You Tubers Logan Paul and musicians DNCE. They’ll be others. You can even cast a vote about how you pronounce GIF. Happy birthday GIF!
But about this debate though. It even goes on in our Boston computer service shop. I pronounce it Jif (like the peanut butter). But other collegues and customers insists it’s pronounced with a hard G. The world may never know. However, we can thank Steve Wilhite for changing the computer landscape forever. Everyone in computer repair uses the GIF. Come to think of it, most people outside of computer service use the GIF. They’re fun, easy to communicate with, and at times, can be powerful. So Happy Birthday GIF. What’s your favorite GIF moment?
As most of you know, Verizon purchased Yahoo for around 4 1/2 billion dollars. But when mergers happen, it’s often low-end workers that leave. However, with this merger, even the Yahoo CEO has to go. Marissa Mayer resigns: Is Yahoo Dead?
So Verizon gave a statement. The statement announced Meyer’s choice to resign, rather than continue with the movie. Furthermore, Meyer penned a letter to her employers. She called it an honor to work and lead the company for five years (she took the role in July 2012). She also brags about how under her leadership, Yahoo grew and strengthened. But to her credit, Yahoo users did increase up to a billion per month.
But don’t feel too bad for Meyer. She will receive a $23 million parachute. Come to think of it, a lot happened during Meyer’s reign, good and bad. Yes, Yahoo did save face and get somewhat a good reputation. But during Meyer’s reign, they were also a victim of a mass hacking. Over 500 million emails were compromised. Maybe that’s why I have to jump through hoops to get to my Yahoo email. Also, every time you looked around, Yahoo leaders jumped shipped like Titanic passengers running to lifeboats. But this time, Yahoo itself got a lifeboat. That lifeboat was Verizon. So as Marissa Mayer resigns: Is Yahoo dead?
Maybe not. Yahoo apparently saved AOL. They also have Tech Crunch and Huffington Post. This is becoming more common in the IT support and computer service industry. For the last several years, it’s been one merger after another. Some celebrate this merger. I don’t. I think it’s a tragedy. Yahoo lead the Internet revolution in the 1990s. In fact, they came along even before Google. Yahoo is the first website I ever logged onto. But now, Yahoo is no longer their own. Because it’s now Verizon’s. So Marissa Mayer resigns: Is Yahoo dead?
Okay, we all know a Facebook posts can get you fired. Also, a compromising Facebook post can earn you a divorce or break-up. But in Pakistan, it earned one man something far more serious. A Pakistan man gets death sentence over Facebook.
So 30-year-old?Taimoor Raza is guilty of blasphemy. He got into a religious debate on Facebook with someone. But that someone turned out to be an undercover cop. The cop arrested him for blasphemy. This is part of Pakistan’s crackdown on social media freedoms. Because 15 others faced charges for this last year. There are also crackdowns on social media posts against the Pakistan government and military. Unfortunately, this is the new normal over there. Because last year, they passed the?Prevention of Electronic Crime Act.
Don’t think other people don’t notice. There is already an outcry about such human rights abuses. And it’s not just in Pakistan. This concerns much of the world. However, the Pakistan government shows no remorse. They still urge citizens to turn in others when they post ‘blasphemous’ things on Twitter and Facebook. However, Raza’s situation is nothing compared to what others are getting. Some people are being mobbed to death over such ‘blasphemous speech’.
So one question is, “What’s causing such extreme human rights abuse?” Is it all the Pakistani government? Or is that government giving the majority of the people what they want? One way or another, they need to break this cycle. It’s bad enough somebody loses their job over a Facebook post. That’s not right. But a Pakistan man gets death sentence? This is an assault on freedom of expression all over the world. Those of us in IT service in any capacity, whether it’s a computer repair technician to Microsoft CEO should be concerned. I say this because if they use social media to execute people for blasphemy, how far will they go? And social media is a beacon of free speech. But they use it as a way to silence it. Should this not concern us?
Today, we use AI (artificial intelligence) for many things. We use them for video games. Also, we use them to build robots. But do you use AI for food? Pinetrest and AI: They’re what’s for dinner.
So let me explain. Social media site Pinetrest are using pictures of your food to suggest other dishes ?and recipes. The AI feature Pinetrest Lens allows this to happen. Here’s how it works. You take a picture of a soul food dinner: fried chicken, greens, buttermilk biscuits, chicken pastry, dirty rice, yams. Consequently, I just made myself hungry there. Pinetrest Lens studies this soul food plate. Then, they give you recopies to make your own dinner.
Hence, Pinetrest started it this week. Yes, Facebook uses AI technology to suggest when and how to tag friends. This is different because they’re using food to apply computer vision technology. They already have food recipe features on Pinetrest. Also, you can search for diet options that fit your life. For example, there are recipes that cater to vegans, vegetarians, low-carb dieters, and others. They better have one for carnivores. If Pinetrest and AI can tell us what’s for dinner, it would be a huge step in the AI movement.
But why? Well, we all gotta eat. Also, we all have our favorite foods and our own dietary lifestyles. But imagine going to a restaurant, say, a New England seafood style place. We have a fair share of ‘chowda’ in our Boston computer service shop. You take a picture. Then, AI gives you a recipe to make your own New England style dinner. It takes a few practices, but you make the perfect New England dinner. You bring your friends, family and colleagues. Suddenly, not only does Pinetrest and AI make you a great cook, but a great entertainer as well. How can Pinetrest and AI help you?
