When you think of censored things, what you do think of in computer service? Most would think of porn, trolling, extreme violence. But would you think of something as innocent as Winnie the Pooh? China does. It’s Winnie the Pooh vs China: Censorship issues.
So let me explain. A photo surfaced of Chinese President Xi Jinping walking with former US President Barack Obama. But some in the Chinese government thinks Jinping looked too much like Winnie the Pooh. So they banned any and all things Pooh. In fact, sharing or composing any message that has anything to do with Winnie the Pooh will get you blocked.
Maybe it’s because of Winnie and Jinping’s similar features. Both have round faces and body types. This was particularly true in this photo, where Jinping is without a coat or tie. That coat or tie better covers up his frame. Then there’s a picture of Jinping shaking hands with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Some compare that with Winnie the Pooh shaking hands with Eeyore. They banned that one too. Because in China, they forbid citizens to make fun of leaders. This includes the Internet and social media. If you do, they will censor it. I’m thankful nobody is arrested and going to prison over this. At least I don’t think.
But that’s the bigger issue of Winnie the Pooh vs China. It is the censorship reason and the cause of it. Here in the US, we make fun of our political leaders on a daily basis. But in China, that leads to censorship, if not worse. Now some say, “We should respect our leaders”. But shouldn’t we respect freedom and democracy? And shouldn’t we respect a Constitution that guarantees us free speech (which China doesn’t have)? Getting compared to Winnie the Pooh isn’t the biggest insult in the world. Believe me, our officials get worse. Is the Winnie the Pooh vs China controversy more of a censorship issue?
I believe texting and driving is the drinking and driving of the 2010s. It has the same devastating effects. It’s one of the biggest threats in IT service today. One Ohio woman is finding that out the hard way. The following story is tragic on all levels. Texting and Driving: So not worth it.
According to Akron, Ohio police, a woman was texting away when she caused an accident. I regret to tell you this accident took the lives of two teenage girls. Also, a third teen, a 15-year-old boy, got severely injured. However, a local hospital team expects him to survive. They say she was on her phone texting when she struck all three teenagers.
The woman’s name is 24-year-old Natasha Boggs. The accident happened in Coventry Township, an Akron suburb. Boggs now faces voluntary manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and several other charges. Also, in Ohio, texting and driving is illegal. In fact, all cell phone use while driving in Ohio is illegal. But now, that charge is the least of her problems. Here is what the local authorities say happen. The three teens walked on the right side of the road. Then, Boggs’ car drove over the white line and struck all three teens. Needless to say, if the court finds Boggs guilty, she could face years, maybe even decades, in prison.
But think of the prison of guilt she’s already facing. This preventable tragedy will haunt Boggs for the rest of her life. My heart goes to the families and friends of those killed and injured. I hate to say it, but such tragedies aren’t unique. The statistics are alarming. And here, three young promising lives (four if you include Boggs’; her life will never be normal after this) are either gone or severely affected. Please learn a lesson. Use a headset, pull over, wait a few minutes, do whatever it takes! Texting and driving: So not worth it. What suggestions do you have to make sure this never happens to you or anybody you know?
American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met this past weekend. Yes, they did discuss cyber security, although they mostly talked about election fraud. But don’t expect some cyber security alliance anytime soon. Trump and Putin vs Cyber Hacking: can it happen?
I guess not. Because hours after this meeting, Trump backfired. He tweeted this cyber security unit can’t happen. However, Trump does want to continue working with Putin. But I doubt cyber security is going to be a factor. If it is, it will probably be to fight election fraud. Even Republicans blasted this idea. For example, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said, “”It’s not the dumbest idea I have ever heard, but it’s pretty close”. ?Talk about not mincing words.
But Marco Rubio ?(R-FL) went even further. He compared a Trump-Putin ‘Cyber Security Unit’ to a Syrian ‘Chemical Weapon Unit’. Those are almost fighting words! But there is another reason this won’t work. Since November 2016, the Trump Administration ?fought rumors of Russia interfering in the last election. And these rumors are coming from everywhere. Are they true? I don’t know. But Putin sure denies it. That’s why very few want this cyber security alliance. Even Trump himself backed out on it.
But is seems to me this is has little to do with cyber security. This seems more like a political witch hunt. I am not here to side with any party. But we need to do something about cyber security. It’s a global threat that stares down every person in the world. Haven’t Wannacry and Petya taught us anything? Furthermore, don’t they know there are cyber crooks that will sell your identity for literally a few dollars? And then there are groups that could really mess up our world through hacking. This is what the world needs to address. Global hacking is one of the biggest threats to any IT service. ?Let’s stop the witch hunt and start focusing on what really threatens us all. So I ask you. Trump and Putin vs Cyber Hacking: can it happen?
Remember the Wannacry virus last month? You should because it almost crippled Great Britain’s medical industry. It got IT services, too. ?But yesterday, something worse hit Europe. Worse than Wannacry: Super cyber attack hits globe.
Ukraine got the worst of it. The virus hit over countless computers. Banks failed. The ATM’s stopped working. Also, Ukraine government systems took a blow. So did Ukaraine’s major media stations, like ?Channel 24. In fact, cyber attackers broadcast messages like, “Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service”. Russian computers went down. For example, one Russian creditor can’t even process client operations. ? The hackers demand $300 in Bitcoin. That may not sound like much, but that’s over $770,000 in US dollars. And they want $770,000 per attack! So far, they only made 3.7 Bitcoin, or around $9,500. But the hackers just keep on hacking.
However, this attack is by no means limited to Russia and Ukraine. They hacked German businesses, like Deutsche Bank. Some of India’s ports couldn’t even function because of the cyber attack. In Australia, Quantas Airlines, their main airlines, their online booking system took a hit. ?In Tazmania, they had to shut a candy factory down. The US isn’t immune. In Pennsylvania, they had to cancel surgeries (sound familiar, England?). ?A US law firm also had to shut down. In fact, no continent went unscathed.
Some experts say this isn’t as bad as Wannacry, because this virus is more limited. I beg to differ. I think it’s worse than Wannacry. Here’s why. Some experts say the attackers didn’t really care if they got paid. That’s scary because they could have a far more sinister motive. And nobody in the world has any leads on who is behind this. For all we know, a rouge dictatorship (North Korea) or terrorist group (ISIS) could be doing this. I don’t know. So the fact nobody knows whose is doing this, and very few can seem to stop is is chilling. And look at the ramifications.All it took is a few hacks to stop governments, banks, hospitals, airlines, law firms. What if they get the power to stop whole world systems at once?
The European Union isn’t the USA. They don’t play when it comes to stopping monopolies. They don’t even cut Google any slack. The European Union fines Google for billions.
So the EU fined Google 2.4 billion Euros. So that’s $2.7 billion dollars. They fined Google because they accused them of using their world dominance to get people to shop from their online store. Thus, this takes away from smaller online businesses. They have 90 days to pay, or face even more fines. This follows a 7-year-old investigation. This fine is the biggest fine the EU ever issued to any company.
The EU’s biggest beef is against Google Shopping. But due to this ruling, Google must change how it ranks websites. But Google may not be done yet. There is talk of an appeal. This may delay the fines and judgement for even more years. Keep in mind the investigation is already 7 years old. And this isn’t the only fine Google faces from the EU. The EU is also going after Google AdSense and Android. The EU reminds Google they can fine them up to 10% of it’s revenue per year. That adds to over 9 billion dollars a year. I don’t think Google is going to let that happen.
I can’t imagine other IT service industries, or other tech industries, are happy about that. Think of what mega conglomerates like Amazon and Walmart and Apple are doing. They’re taking over grocery stores and other aspects of life. This would never fly with the European Union. I don’t know what to say about European Union fines Google for billions. Part of me wants to believe they’re making it fair for all. If that’s the case, that is wonderful. We could use some of that here in America. But the cynic in me wonders are they doing this to block US companies from prospering in Europe. Mabye the EU is no better because they’re trying to throw their weight around. Who do you think is in the right?
Uber is one of the biggest success stories in business and IT service history. Ten years ago, Uber didn’t exist. But now, everyone uses Uber. Then this should be happy days for Uber, right? However, not so much. In fact, Uber investors want Travis Kalanick to resign. Kalanick agreed. Uber CEO resigns: What lies ahead?
I highly doubt Travis Kalanick chose to resign. But an investigation, led by former US Attourney Eric Holder, shows disturbing things going in the Uber office. They include bullying, sexual harassment, and ruthless aggressive leadership. For example, one woman accused Uber of constant sexual harassment.
Then they called for deeper looks into Uber’s work culture. Kalanick agreed. During that time, he agreed to step down for a lengthy period of time. Then, a boating accident killed his mother and severely injured his father. So obviously, Kalanick needed more time. This time, to grieve the death of his mother and care for his father. In addition to that, he wanted to continue to work on his leadership talents. Then the Uber CEO resigns. Despite the controversy Kalanick faces, many praise his leadership. For example, one man tweeted very few people will have the impact Kalanick already has.
He’s right. Within a few years, Kalanick’s Uber went from being unknown to being worth over $68 billion. But it goes to show if your work culture is bad, it will come back to haunt the CEO. However, before I go any further, I give my sympathy and condolences to Travis and the rest of the Kalanick family. A death and severe injury in the family takes an emotional toll on anybody. How can I not have a heart for that? Despite any investigation, you can’t argue with the bottom line. Uber is one of the greatest tech stories of our generation. I’m not excusing any misconduct that allegedly happened in the Uber office. If it’s true, than it’s something that they need to work on. So does the Uber CEO resigns story teach us anything about how we should maintain a positive work culture?
