Yesterday, February 11, 2014 there was a protest. There were no marches on Washington. There were no sit-ins. There were no banners or angry, unemployed workers in front of your local state house. This protest took place online.
It was called The Day We Fight Back. Web companies and social/political organizations from all walks of life came together to speak out against NSA surveillance. Last year, we learned the NSA was spying on our phones, computers and other tech based devices. The companies fighting back include Tumblr, Mozilla, Reddit, ACLU, Greenpeace, and hundreds if not thousands of other websites and organizations. These websites put up banners like pictures of Benjamin Franklin and his saying, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety”. One banner had an arrow pointing at the web logo that quoting, “This person is proud to join stop the NSA day.”
These online protest have happened before. In January 2012, over 8,000 websites deliberately shut down to protest SOPA and PIPA, bills that would give copyright holders the right to shut down websites as they saw fit without trial. After these protests, these bills died before they even made it to congress. But that was mostly the entertainment industry; this was the federal government. For months, the outcry has been so loud President Obama has called for NSA surveillance reform. Maybe this will add fuel to the fire. I think they’re getting the message people are tired of this surveillance. What needs to be done is to keep this pressure up. Don’t let up about our 4th amendment rights. There’s an old saying, “When the cats are away the rats will play.” Don’t let the rats play. Do you think this protest was a success?
The constitution says, “Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of the press.” That’s according to the US Constitution. Apparently, not all nations celebrate that kind of freedom.
The Turkish government, with the blessing of their prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan , are pushing for their government agency Telecommunications Communications Presidency (TIP) to block websites deemed…ahem…insulting. This is to be done without court authorization or any legal intervention. This adds to Turkish laws passed in 2007 which put Internet censorship almost to China’s level, one of the most censored nations in the world. Erdogan openly called social media sites like Twitter a menace, after these sites helped push protest throughout that nation last summer. Oh, one more thing…Erdogan’s political friends are facing corruption scandals. I’m just saying.
Of course, those in the Turkish government who oppose?Internet censorship are calling these bills and laws Orwellian. Some are even comparing Erdogan to some of the worst dictators of the 20th century. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but this could be a start to a disaster.?Learn a history lesson: If a?government is this?hardcore about censorship it means two things. It either?means they don’t want to be exposed or they’re slowly, systematically but surely?oppressing their own people. I’m not saying Turkey is doing that, but this is what it can lead to. But I do find it interesting this is happening at a time when political scandals and protests are?threatening?the ruling party, the?AKP Justice and Development Party. I also find it interesting this is the same Erdogan appeared?and spoke?in the?form of a?hologram. But this kind of censorship?is potentially very dangerous. Why am I talking about Turkey you may ask? Well, what if this mentality comes to America, or your own country?
Just 24 hours after Microsoft announced their CEO, Google announced it’s new YouTube leader. She will replace it’s current boss Salar Kamanger, whose held the position since 2010, and is now off to other Google ventures.
The new You Tube boss is Susan Wojcicki. She was one of the first Google employees, even had the headquarters in her own garage. For years, Wojcicki has been looking for a major leadership role. Now she has one, though she’s stepping in a whirlwind of uncertainty. There’s a tug-of-war going on between those who complain they’re not making enough money and those who want to turn it into a the next TV network. You Tube attracts over a billion visitors a month and has rumored to have profited over 5 billion in 2013 alone.
It’s interesting to see where this goes. I see Google stuck with one of their first and most loyal employees. I think that’s saying a lot. If you can’t trust someone whose been there since the beginning, who can you trust? And there are many who are actually watching YouTube channels as much, maybe a little bit more, than network TV. Plus, Wojcicki is an ad exec. Who better than an ad exec to clear up the ad problems and bring more revenue? Of course, I can’t even watch a YouTube video without an ad, but oh well. What do you think YouTube’s future will hold when Susan Wojcicki takes over?
And now it’s over. The mystery has been solved. Microsoft, the company that started and continues it’s computer software revolution, has chosen it’s next leader. It’s a guy many never heard of.
Microsoft’s new CEO is Satya Nudella. The 46 year-old is expected to take over the position effective immediately. This is allowing Steve Ballmer to start and enjoy his retirement. Nudella wasted no time. At 9am Eastern time, Mr. Nudella was announced new CEO. By 9:40, he’s reading his first statement to Microsoft employees. I’m not sure, but I’m guessing it was already prepared by the way it flowed. He laid out his 22 year history with Microsoft, what got him here and his longing to take the company to the next level. He says, “This is a critical time for Microsoft and the industry. …as technology evolves and we evolve with and ahead of it. Our job is to ensure that Microsoft thrives in a mobile and cloud first world.”
Nudella was raised in India and studied computer science at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. ?He worked at Sun Microsystems before coming to Microsoft. While at Microsoft, he’s had a slew of? jobs: helping build Microsoft Office, transforming the cloud, and leading it’s server and tools business. Well, that make me feels good about this choice. Someone who has been on many levels of the company will make a greater CEO than someone who spent his whole career in one division. And I appreciate the fact they went with someone who has the credentials to lead, instead of just some handsome face or pretty bod that looks good on paper. What do you think of Satya Nudella’s chances of being a successful Microsoft CEO?
Are you aware NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for exposing the NSA surveillance program last year? There is plenty more where that came from.
This surveillance thing isn’t limited to the USA. The CSEC is Canada’s version of?America’s??NSA. According to CBC,?Snowden’s documents reveals the CSEC uses?free Wi-Fi at?airports throughout that nation to track passengers coming and going. The tracking didn’t stop at the baggage claim; it lasted for days afterwards. Nonetheless, their?law prohibits them from targeting Canadian citizens. They’re only allowed to?track foreigners. The?CSEC responded, but in legalize. In?a statement, the agency said: “[We are]?mandated to collect foreign signals intelligence to protect Canada and Canadians. And in order to fulfill that key foreign intelligence role for the country, CSEC is legally authorized to collect and analyze metadata.”
It’s been over a decade since I’ve been to Canada, so I don’t know what the response will be. But I’m willing to bet it won’t be a positive one. Whether it be the US, Germany, China or Canada, people don’t like their rights being trampled on. And at least in the US they did have?a little?legal wiggle room. But from what I’m reading, the CSEC doesn’t even have that. And they statement issue is a poor excuse of explaining and poor excuse for covering up this act. I can about guarantee this isn’t over. What do you think the fallout will be like?
Did anybody see the State of the Union Address? Jobs and the economy were big themes. I liked what President Obama laid out. I just hope it works.
Last night, the US President called for six new high tech manufacturing hubs. He highlighted existing hubs in Raleigh, NC and Youngstown, OH. He praised them for connecting business and universities and helping the US lead the world in technology. He didn’t say where these hubs would be. He bragged about Youngstown’s contribution to 3D printing, with the help of $30 million in federal funding. He talked about Raleigh’s building energy efficient chips. Backed by $70 million in federal funding, companies from Delta Solutions to DIR Solutions are taking part in Raleigh’s project.
There’s a lot I can take in behind this. We needed these hubs, like yesterday! Don’t let that unemployment record fool you. That’s just the number of people who can’t collect unemployment benefits. The real number of unemployed persons is probably around 20% and that doesn’t include those being underpaid and those working two or three jobs just to survive. While they’re at it, put one, or two, or more of those hubs in Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan. Their job rates are woeful and U Michigan and Michigan St. are wonderful colleges turning out wonderful talent. Maybe Newark, NJ can get one of these hubs. I know $30 million and $70 million sounds like a lot of money. But do you know how much federal funding other nations got? Sorry, I don’t mean to get on a rant, but if more were invested in our nation and our people, then we’ll see this thing turn around. What do you think of these manufacturing hubs?
