Apr 5, 2014 | Entertainment
Silicon Valley celebrated the premier of the HBO sitcom Silicon Valley. It’s about a group of programmers struggling to make it big in the computer technology world. But one real life Silicon Valley player didn’t think this comedy is so funny.
According to founder and CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk, the show totally missed the mark on what Silicon Valley is really about. This Pay Pal co-founder criticized the fact none of the characters were software engineers. He elaborated how different Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are, but this show went over the top. Musk says this show didn’t even get close to the essence of that part of California. For example, he talked about the social scene in Silicon and compared it to Mike Judge’s portrayal, saying, “The parties in Silicon Valley are amazing because people don?t care about how they?re perceived socially, which I don?t think Mike [Judge] got.”
Let me just say, I’ve never been to Silicon Valley. The closest place I’ve been to was San Francisco, and this was the early 1990s, before Silicon Valley was really Silicon Valley. So I can’t tell you what the culture is like. But is something deeper going on here? Some people don’t like getting spoofed on. Some people just can’t laugh at something that hits so close to home. Some people at this viewing say the show did a great job capturing Silicon Valley. I’m anxious to see this sitcom myself to see who is right. To those of you who live, work or have any connection to this part of the world, did Mike Judge’s comedy truly capture Silicon V. culture? Or is Elon Musk right about this show?
Apr 4, 2014 | internet, News, Uncategorized
Some time ago, I blogged about Turkey’s censorship on social media, mostly because Turkey’s prime minister Erdogan got caught in scandal.
Turkey’s court system took up the issue. They ruled in favor of…the people! They ruled the ban on social media sites like You Tube violates human rights. Twitter was included in this social media ban, but Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that ban violated the nation’s laws. The court in Ankara said the You Tube ban was too broad and instead of blocking the whole website, it just allowed the blocking of 15 videos. But Prime Minister Erdogan is hardly backing down. According to Reuters, Erdogan says he will comply, but doesn’t respect the ruling.
At this point, who cares what Erdogan respects? I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but anybody with that much leadership and authority who would censor all of social media to cover his own foul ups will get little respect from me. I do have respect for the Turkish court system. They listened to the people. You think the people wanted their social media shut down? They didn’t. They painted graffiti I.P. addresses for people to get to their social media addresses. So I salute the Turkish people and courts for taking a stand against censorship and borderline tyranny. What can other nations learn from Turkey?
Apr 3, 2014 | Computer Repair, Computer technology
I’ve blogged about this a week or two ago. Some are taking heed; some are dragging their feet. So let me remind you what’s going to happen on April 8.
Effective Tuesday, April 8, 2014, Microsoft will shut down support and security for Windows XP operating systems. If you’re going to be stubborn and keep windows XP after the 8th, you will be extremely venerable to malware, spyware, viruses and other attacks. It means if your business is governed by regulations like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), you may not be able to satisfy such regulations. I’ve seen the penalties for breaking such requirements, like fines civil lawsuits, stiff fines, even prison time! Software vendors will no longer run products to support Windows XP. Hardware products will no longer support Windows XP.
Now that I’ve scared you straight, there are things you can do about it. You can buy a new PC. There are a lot cheaper than they used to be. Computers made after 2006 aren’t going to carry XP. You should never use a PC over 10 years old anyway. I’ll go even further: If your PC can’t run Windows 8.1, get another computer. It’s cheaper, easier, and more convenient than it ever was. At the very least, you can convert your software system to Windows 7 or 8. Personally, I prefer 8. This is simple and inexpensive to do as well. So what’s your excuse for staying with XP? Oh that’s right: you don’t have one!
Apr 2, 2014 | Computer technology, internet
As recently as the mid 2Triple000s, few of us had access to mobile Internet. Few of us knew what an ‘app’ was. Let’s look at how things have changed.
According to a Flurry.com report, American mobile device owners spend 2 hours and 42 minutes on them, up 4 minutes from last year’s tally. But here’s the eye opener: only 14% of that time is spent on the Web, down from 20% in March 2013. The majority of that time is spent on apps. And of that app time, a third of that is spent on games and another 20 percent is spent on Facebook alone. After that, another combined 14 percent is spent between social network and entertainment.
On my mobile device, I’m a huge You Tube junky. I wonder if that qualifies for social network or entertainment. Come to think of it, I spent a lot of time on Facebook mobile, especially while out of town. I’m surprised a bigger percentage isn’t on entertainment. We’re heading toward an age where mobile entertainment is becoming so popular that by the 2020s, cable TV may be as obsolete as the VCR. I’m surprised games took up that much percentage. But everywhere I go, I do see people playing Angry Birds, Candy Crush and other games. I think in a few years, a lot more people will use mobile devices for entertainment and social media way more than gaming. Within a few years, these two will trade places on the pie charts. What do you think of these trends?
Apr 1, 2014 | Computer technology
Starting in September 2013, Apple began the release of their iPhone 5S and 5C devices. Wasting little time, they’ve moved on to Apple iPhone 6.
Yes, the new iPhone 6 plans to start production as early as May 2014. It should be released to the world sometime this fall. According to the rumor mill, they’re going to build the 4.7 inch screen, followed by the 5.5 inch screen. Anonymous sources say Japan’s Display Inc and Sharp Corp. will take part in the screen building. They’re using larger smartphones (iPhone 5 models were 4.0 inches) to better compete and possibly beat Samsung and other competitors. The iPhone 6 is rumored to use in-cell touch panel technology. This technology gives way to thinner construction than what we saw with the iPhone 5 models.
Yes I know this is being done to compete with Samsung, but I’m wondering if there’s more to motivate this move. A week or two ago, all the online community was abuzz about this new book called The Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs. This book claims Apple’s better days are over. Don’t forget that a couple a years ago, Apple’s stock was well over $700 a share. So obviously, Apple wants to compete, but I wonder if this scathing book is bringing a psychological urgency to build Apple iPhone 6. They weren’t even supposed to start building it this soon. But here they are. Note how quick Tim Cook was to jump on this book. Is this book causing Apple to step it up? Or is it causing this early production to be a big mistake?
Mar 31, 2014 | News
Just a few months ago, Bitcoin was the darling of many techies. It was the darling of the stock market for a while. Now, it may as well be just a collector’s item.
According to the IRS, Bitcoins are just that, property, not currency. So Bitcoins aren’t fungible (Returnable or negotiable in any kind of substitution). For example, if something cost $100, giving the cashier 5 $20 is just as good as giving them a $100 bill. Or putting it on a charge card is just as good as giving them 5 $20 bills. But they are still subject to capital gains taxation. But the days of Bitcoin being the next big financial or technology based craze is almost over.
But as of now, Bitcoin can still be used. Contractors can be paid in this currency so long as they declare it’s fair market on the day of payment as part of gross income. No more sudden price increases afterwards. If consumers convert their Bitcoins to regular currency, you can report those gains to a single transaction. As far as miners are concerned, from here on out, they must include fair market value on the currency the day it is mined, and not wait around until it’s circulated for a higher or lower drive. So with all that being said, is Bitcoin even worth investing in?
Mar 30, 2014 | Security
Documents leaked by Edward Snowden reveals the NSA and Britain’s GCHQ spied on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But they also spied on private German companies. Now I’m hearing that in 2009 alone, the NSA spied on over 120 world leaders.
The main German company they’re accused of spying on is called Stellar. Stellar isn’t your local grocer, beer garden or bakery in Berlin or Munich. It’s a mega, major company that deals in satellites and satellite technology. It’s customers include Internet companies, telecommunication companies, and to some extent, the German government. It’s reported they spied on Merkel’s personal cell phone as well as those as millions of ordinary German citizens. What does the NSA or GCHQ have to do with Stellar?
And Merkel isn’t the only one. In 2009 alone, the NSA put in alphabetical order the 122 leaders they wanted to target, according to Snowden’s latest document. The first name on the list was Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi, followed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The last man on the list was Yulia Tymoshenko, then the prime minister of Ukraine. Note there are around 200 nations and governments in the world, and 122 were chosen. You do the math.
When will it ever end? Or will it ever end? Is this our new normalcy?
Mar 29, 2014 | Security
Over the last several years, I’ve noticed a troubling trend in the journalism community: they’re being attacked by hackers. And whose doing the most of the hacking?
Not criminals, but government organizations around the world! Many mainstream news media, like New York Times, have been targeted by the Syrian Electronic Army, an organization that supports Syrian president Bashar Assad. According to Google security engineer Shane Huntley, 21 of the top 25 world news companies have been hit. Chinese hackers have made it a somewhat sport to infiltrate the mass media by using emails laced with malware. And it’s by no means limited to major media companies. Alternative media and even bloggers are being targeted.
But now, journalist are taking action. First, it’s good that we educate ourselves (since I’m a blogger, I’m including myself) about these dangers. Now, more journalist are doing what they can to protect themselves. But what saddens and concerns me is that this trend will likely continue, even worsen. The world around us seems to get a little more volatile with each and every passing day. I’m concerned with the domino effect this could have worldwide. And with the information these hackers could get, there’s no telling how this information could be used. How concerned should we be about these attacks on our journalists and bloggers?
Mar 28, 2014 | Entertainment
Amazon strives to join the social media circuit. Their original plan is linking videos to a subscription service. Now they want to take their services to a whole new level.
Amazon now wants ad-supported television and music services to air 24/7. This would include an Amazon produced series called Betas. Amazon wants to move from retailer to social media powerhouse that would rival You Tube and Netflix. Amazon has spent over a billion dollars on original entertainment production. With Amazon’s Prime service, which cost subscribers $99 a year, hired 10 pilots to go on air, sponsored by Geico and other companies. Betas was chosen for a first season on Amazon Prime. But if Amazon went from subscription to streaming mode, that would mean more pilots and original shows right?
Amazon hopes this process will drive people to buy more products. I think this is Amazon’s best way to go. Come to think of it, I think this is Amazon’s only way to go. Why would I pay $99 a year for a service I can get with other social media for free? Wouldn’t it make more sense to get advertisers to get invest in your company than to ask subscribers to pay basically chump change? And if you’re trying to produce TV shows, wouldn’t streaming give you more freedom to produce more shows? And wouldn’t streaming make you stronger against your competition? So wouldn’t it make more sense for Amazon to stream rather than subscribe?
Mar 27, 2014 | News
Without giving my age, I’m old enough to remember watching the local news at 6pm and the national news at 6:30 and that was your only news source for the day. It looks like those days are over!
According of a Pew Research poll, nearly a third of adults get at least some of their news on Facebook. At least half of all social media users either share, re-post, obtain and discuss news issues. Eleven percent submit their own content to news media and blogs. Then they took the five top social media sources: Facebook You Tube, Twitter Google, Linkedin. In all of these, the vast majority news consumers of these websites were Gen-Xers or Millennials, people under 50.
We can read a lot of things into these stats, but one thing is that younger people just don’t trust mainstream news anymore. Okay, it’s easy to say we’ve been around the Internet longer than our parents, but I’m convinced something else is going on here. I know there’s a lot of news I get from You Tube and other alternative media that mainstream media won’t touch. I’m not the only one. But you must be careful about some stories. There have been many hoaxes, particularly with celebrity deaths. When you see that, you need to check with mainstream media for that. But what’s to make of this poll (there’s a lot that I haven’t covered; this blog includes a link to that for your own viewing pleasure)? Should this be a wake up call to mainstream news or is this the way it will always be?
