So yesterday, I read an interesting Facebook post. It said, “I hate everybody in grocery store lines! Everybody!” I doubt she meant any ill-will towards anyone. But it showed her frustration toward long grocery stores lines. Amazon wants to free you. So let me tell you about Amazon line free grocery adventures.
Yesterday, Amazon Go opened a grocery store in Seattle. And what was the hook? First of all, the hook is a line free shopping experience. But how do they pull that off? The store uses senors to track what the customer picked up off the shelf. Then, the customer gets a bill from Amazon (assuming the customer doesn’t put the item back). This includes prepared meals. Therefore, Amazon Go customers will walk away from the store without enduring a long line. Rather, they won’t endure a line at all.
Don’t go looking for an Amazon Go store in your town anytime soon. So far, the only physical Amazon Go store is in Seattle. Furthermore, that one doesn’t open until early 2017. But if this one is successful, Amazon Go will open 2,000 stores nationwide, according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon says nothing. Some experts say this would make the shopping experience quicker. Also, it would cut cost because you don’t have to hire check out clerks.
That last sentence in that last paragraph though. That’s just one problem with Amazon Go supermarket. If this gets too popular, or too successful, that’s thousands of more Americans without a job. This is not process! Also, you go home, days go buy, you spend your money. You forget about that Amazon Go bill. By the time you get it, your money is gone. What then? In addition to that, doesn’t Amazon have?enough power? Look at all the IT and tech based things they already have. I’m sorry…I hate monopolies. No…I’d much rather have my lines at the grocery store than deal with Amazon Go’s ramifications. At least those lines are keeping Americans employed. Furthermore, at least my grocery bill is due on arrival at the lines. Plus, I know I’m supporting my local/regional business, not a global conglomerate. Would you use Amazon Go?
The Christmas holiday season brings out the best in people, ?including in the IT field. But it can also bring out the worst in people from all walks of life. And right now, it brings the worst of some males in San Francisco. Attention: San Francisco Apple stores robbed!
So in recent weeks, thieves in hoods targeted Apple stores ?in the greater San Francisco area. First of all, the group runs in Apple Stores. Then, they grab as much merchandise as they can. Finally, they run out. The operation takes only a few seconds. But since there’s a gang of robbers, they take thousands of dollars worth of Apple products. So far, robbers hit up eight Apple stores. They robbed one store three times!
So obviously, this changes how Apple stores do security, especially in these hot spots. Store owners turned to a security company in Los Angeles for help. Some criticize this move as way out of line for Apple. But most Apple store customers in the Bay Area are cool with this move. “That?s the last thing you want is to be in the store and get robbed,” one customer said. Local police are also stepping up security.
Thankfully, there are no deaths or injuries related to these robberies. But so far, there are no arrest. I suggest Apple stores all across the nation take extra security measures. First of all, it’s the holiday season. Robberies skyrocket during this time of year. Every IT company needs to step up security. And the fact the robbers aren’t caught is chilling to me. Not only will they continue, this could encourage other robbers to do the same thing. Surely, many of you heard of copy-cat crimes. It’s my concern this could happen. Nobody wants to be a victim, especially not during Christmas. And who says these robbers won’t step up the terror and use weapons? Who says they won’t take it to that level? What should Apple do to ensure customers’ safety and security?
So this happened in China, at a tech fair. In fact, the fair was the 18th annual Chinese International Hi-Tech Fair. They held it in the city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. There’s a robot they use as an educational tool. But this one had other plans than educating. Out of nowhere, the robot smashed a glass. Then, it attacked a man brutally and repeatedly. In fact, he had to leave on a stretcher. His next stop was the local hospital. But now they’re saying the injuries aren’t serious.
The fair’s managed services said something else. Furthermore, some Chinese websites say human error is to blame. One official said somebody confused the ‘front’ button with the ‘back’ button. Then the robot got confused. He went crazy and crashed into another display. The crash injured an innocent bystander. Actually, the glass the robot shattered did cut into the man. If anybody is wondering, the robot costs $1,890. So financially, this was a pretty devastating blow. But more to the point, don’t expect the ramifications of this to go away anytime soon.
Already, speculation is flying. Some on Chinese social media say this is the first shot in a human versus robot war. Many of us know of movies like I Robot, and other films predicting this. One person flat out tweeted, “The invasion of the robots have started.” I don’t know if I’ll go that far. But do you know what’s ironic? In a matter of two days, I’ve read two articles of how robots mess with humanity. The first talked about how they could take our jobs. The second is a robot taking people’s health. Or am I just getting paranoid?
President-elect Donald Trump stuns the media again. I say this because he named Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as the new Attorney General. Some point out his controversial racial history. And others point out his immigration policy. But what about Apple? Could the new attorney general start encryption wars?
So there’s a reason I bring Apple up. Some time ago, Apple clashed with the FBI over an iPhone. This iPhone belonged to one of the San Bernadino shooters. In this case, Trump sided with the FBI. So did Jeff Sessions. If you need a recap, the FBI ordered Apple to decode the phone. Apple refused. In fact, when the case broke, Trump suggested consumers boycott Apple.
Now, Trump will become US President in January 2017. Sessions will become the US Attorney General. Sessions openly criticized Apple and other tech companies for making products blocking government access. However, as US Attorney General,? Sessions will be the boss of the Justice Department. Hence, Senator Sessions will have power to prosecute companies that don’t comply with government demands. And Apple isn’t the only tech company who could be under the gun. Whats App is known for blocking government wiretaps. In addition, there’s talk of a revised bill that could go into law. They call it the Burr-Feinstein encryption bill. Consequently, this bill requires tech companies to make less secure products.
Why would this bill require less secure products? So government agencies have easier access to them. That is scary. First of all, if agencies have easier access to them, so will hackers and cyber criminals. Also, Trump’s campaign ran on pro-freedom issues. If Trump and Sessions demand government encryption, they’ll go against everything they campaigned for. Don’t we have the right to privacy? And do we not have the right to be left alone? I know we need to catch the bad guys. But isn’t there a better way?
Since Donald Trump’s election, there’s been a lot of talk about ‘fake news’. Facebook is in hot water about ‘fake news’. Some political leftists blame ‘fake news’ for Trump’s upset victory. But what is ‘fake news’? Do they really mean alternative media? But here is another question: Is fake news crackdown leading to censorship?
Even President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel weigh in on the issue. So, Obama participates in a press conference with Merkel. He said we’re living in a time where false information is on TV and Facebook. Facebook, Google and other tech sites are under the gun. That’s because many argue their websites are hotbeds for false news stories.
Earlier this year, Obama campaigned for Hilary Clinton in Michigan. But the President warned people not to believe something because they read it on Facebook. Online news site BuzzFeed did quite a study. They studied the last three months of an election. Their study showed the top 20 ‘fake news’ websites got more views than the top 20 mainstream news stories. President Obama hinted if people kept reading and believing ‘fake news’, the more people read it. One day I’m going to find which top 20 real news and top 20 fake news they’re talking about. But here is top 10 list of fake news websites, from 2014. ?
However, this isn’t the fake news they’re after. I agree. There are hoaxes on Facebook. How many celebrity death hoaxes do we read every year? There are other really fake news stories as well. But are they going after the really fake news? Or are they going after alternative news? Fewer people trust mainstream media than ever before. Between you and me, I saw a lot of fake on mainstream news. And don’t even get me started on these celebrity news shows that’s passed as news. I trust alternative news way more than I trust mainstream news. Apparently, many Americans do. I don’t think mainstream news sources like that. So maybe they’re asking political leaders and tech leaders to declare war on alternative media, calling it ‘fake news’. So who are the ‘fake news’ witch hunts after?
Ever hear of the Investigatory Powers Bill? Probably not. So, this bill passed in Great Britain. It went through the House of Commons and House of Lords (their version of Congress and Senate). So Great Britain, kiss your online freedom goodbye.
That’s because the Investigatory Powers Bill tightens Great Britain’s surveillance laws. It’s their biggest surveillance law passed this decade. British Home Secretary Theresa May introduced the bill in November 2015. But supporters claim good reason for this bill. They say this gives lawmakers more oversight. They also say this gives Britain better national security. But Britain already has strict surveillance laws. Privacy and civil rights groups already voice concern.
This law gives Britain four more powers. First of all, they can hack into any computer system they see fit. This includes corporate servers any your own personal smartphone. Also, it allows bulk hacking. They allow hacks on many systems at once. This is especially true if they suspect terrorism. This is even true for foreign systems used in Britain. Furthermore, Theresa May will appoint commissioners to oversee this measure. Finally, law enforcement can get data when they conduct investigations. They can do this without anybody’s knowledge or approval.
In conclusion, there are so many problems with this bill. But this shouldn’t surprise anyone. This country has cameras watching and lecturing people about littering. They’ve done this for years. On the surface, this looks safe. But scratch beyond that. This bill opens the portals of Big Brother. The government knows what every British person does online. That’s the real fear. I used to be trusting. I thought governments snooped only during emergencies.? But now I know better. They’ll do it to anybody, and for any reason. I’m glad civil rights advocates are speaking out. I wish there were more. What do you think? Will this bill enforce national security? Or is something far more sinister going on?
