This week, President Barack Obama will meet with Silicon Valley leaders about many of the hot button tech issues of 2013, like the NSA spy scandals and the Obamacare website fiasco.
These tech giants include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Yahoo President/CEO Marissa Meyer, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and AT&T President/CEO Randall Stevenson. One issue to be tackled is the improvements made to the infamous Obamacare website. It has been riddled with so many mistakes and glitches it has become the punchline in comedian’s jokes. The White House didn’t come out and say the NSA will be discussed but it will be. This meeting comes in the wake of a federal judge calling the surveillance programs ‘likely unconstitutional’. Also, issues like tech job security, job creation and education in the tech field.
I’d really like to be a fly on the wall for this meeting, especially when it comes to the NSA stuff. Many companies are now saying they were coaxed, manipulated, or outright bullied into cooperating with the Feds in these surveillance programs. There was a 60 Minutes article which didn’t make them look too much better. Now Snowden is working some deal with Brazil in exchange for asylum. Come to think of it, these issues aren’t going to be addressed in a day. They’re simply too many issues to be addressed. What about that EBT card glitch back in October? What about the struggle for college graduates in tech fields to find jobs? What about employers firing people and/or denying work simply for the content of social media’s pages? Where would I begin?
For the longest time, we’ve been told to turn off our electronic devices during takeoff and landing during flights. Two major airlines are changing that.
Effective November 1, 2013, Jet Blue and Delta Airlines will allow their passengers to use devices anytime during flight. They’re not the only ones. Pretty soon, the FAA will lead the way to allow all airlines to allow devices anytime during flight. On one flight, Jet Blue touted they were the first airline to let this happen. But let’s not go totally crazy. Laptops must be stowed away during the whole flight. Other devices must be in airplane mode during the flight.
But why did Jet Blue and Delta become the first airlines to do this? Was this an attempt to boost their gates? Will it work? In some cases, I think it will. I don’t know when other flights will jump on board, but the longer they drag their feet, the better it will be with Jet Blue and Delta. When I fly, I’m cool with not using my phone or iPod touch during takeoff and landing. But I understand not everyone is. And in this busy 21st century ‘I wanted it done yesterday’ world, some people might need to have their devices on at all times during flight. Or what about if a baby is whooping and hollering during these times? That’s a good time to blast on the music. So I say kudos to Jet Blue, Delta and the FAA for these changes. How do you feel about this new ruling?
This weekend, of October 26-27, 2013, in Washington, DC, thousands gathered to protest what they call ‘mass surveillance’ under the National Security Agency, as revealed by former agent and whistle blower Edward Snowden.
The event was held by the Capitol’s reflecting pool. It was sponsored by an unlikely coalition of conservative and liberal groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Freedom Works. Even the Tea Party was represented. The event started at Union Station. Props included a mock drone, large parachute, and one protester dressed as President Barack Obama with a big cardboard camera. Others carried picket signs like, ‘Don’t Tap Me Bro.’ Thomas Drake, a former NSA agent who revealed the NSA spying on our European Allies, especially German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was one of the key note speakers.
They’re not the only ones voicing their outrage. Back in my city, on the 4th of July, many took the streets to protest the NSA’s alleged surveillance of our computers and smartphones. In fact, I see the protests almost every weekend. I only expect the cries to get louder as more people are becoming aware of what’s going on. And with people more dissatisfied than ever with our government, you can bet more rallies like these are coming our way.You know when conservatives and liberals are marching together towards this cause, you’ve got something special.? Do you think the NSA is reading this very blog?
We are ending our second week of a government shutdown. Let’s look at the ways technology will be changed, or ways that we wish it would be changed.
10. NSA: Unfortunately, this organization will be spying and recording as usual. You know they’re going to keep this agency alive if all other aspects fail.
9. Smithsonian/National Parks: What does this have to do with technology?? It takes a lot of research technology to keep these American institutions going. But sense these workers were told to stop due to the shutdown, the research and technology is bound to follow.
8. Gov’t Contractors: Companies like United Technologies will have to hand out furloughs and slow down productions. With the contractors and inspectors gone due to the shutdown, that just trickles down.
7.No Emails?: Every person furloughed is forbidden to check work emails or any other work related technology. Failure to comply could even result in jail time. I heard some may even have their smartphones taken away to ensure obedience.
6. Data.gov: This website is shut down. A lot of people, including school children and college students, depended on this website for research projects and other projects. Obviously, government and private sectors are far more dependent on internet research then they were in the mid 1990s. What if this trend continues?
5. Cyber Security: An agency called NIST, whose specialty is ensuring online security, is shut down. Some nations may see the shutdown as an opportunity do get into cyber mischief. Is the government shutdown a field day for hackers?
4. National Science Foundation: They will make no payments during a shutdown, no grants, no loans, no nothing! Think of all the research and technology they can really help somebody that won’t be happening now.
3. Health/Disease: The Center of Disease Control will be limited in researching diseases, and the technology needed. I hear some cancer patients may not even get treatments due to the shutdown. The seasonal influenza program could be halted because of it.
2. NASA: During the shutdown, only 3% of NASA employees will be working. So pretty much, NASA is shut down. So to all the techies out there: there won’t be any cool science/technologies coming out of this historic institution. And with all this talk about comet Ison, this may not be a good time for that.
1. Furloughs: 800,000 people are without work now. That’s 800,000 people who literally don’t know where there next check is coming from. That’s 800,000 people who probably won’t be buying computers, smartphones, video games, or technological gadgets anytime soon.? My concern is if these men and women aren’t put back to work soon, this trend is going to trickle, then explode throughout the US economy.
Al Jazerera, the major Middle Eastern based news/current affairs network, is launching a 24 hour online news network, according to our sources. We can expect Al Jazeera Plus, that online network, to launch sometime in 2014.
The new online channel is expected to cover news, current affairs, as well as human interest. In other words, like other news networks, they’re going to tell you how to think and how to feel (I sure to heck hope not!). But Al Jazerra Plus has hubs literally all over the world, from? Johannesburg to Beijing. They’ll also have an office in San Francisco, California where English and Arabic language services will be available for everyone. Panelist will come from all over the media world, like CNN’s Peter Bale and Facebook’s Jon Steinberg.
I know some of you are going to look at the name Al Jazerra and all kinds of crazy images and stereotypes are going to come up. Let me change that perception. Several years ago, Al Jazeera was voted one of the most influential global entities, ranking alongside Google and and Apple. This says something about our changing times. More people are turning off mainstream news and more people are turning on online news and alternative media.? An online news site called Russia Today? which has over a million subscribers on You Tube alone. I’ve seen RT and I love how it tackles issues American mainstream media won’t touch. I think online news sites are doing well because they don’t give you a bunch of Hollywood fluff. So if Al Jazeera Plus is going to be successful, they must go this route. Give people something new and challenging. Make people think, don’t tell them what to think. The audience is already there, all they have to do is? captivate them. How do you think Al Jazeera Plus will do?
In February 2014, Sochi, Russia, a resort city on the Black Sea, will host the Winter Olympics. Expect lots of things: pageantry, athletic competition, and surveillance. They can expect lots and lots of surveillance.
During these next Olympic games, athletes and fans in Sochi can expect every move and every conversation to be watched. That’s because the Russian government is ensuring no action or communication goes unseen. According to documents given to British newspaper The Guardian, the FSB (NSA of Russia) and Russian owned communication technology companies are in cahoots to install phone and Internet services that track everything the person is saying. They even plan to track and intersect..ahem…sensitive words, phrases and comments on social media. One article gives this example: if you were to type in or talk about one of President Vladimir Putin’s political opponents, the FSB would see it and you we be watched even more carefully.
Though I am shocked and saddened by such revelations, I can’t say that I’m surprised. When you look at what the NSA has been accused of doing over here, and Russia’s history, it was only a matter of time before the Olympics would get this treatment. I don’t condone it by any means. Yes, I know safety and security must be a priority, especially in the new dangerous world we’re in. But remember what founding father Benjamin Franklin taught us, “Those who are willing to give up liberty for security deserve neither.” But I don’t think it’s about security here. Note that if you mention a political opponent, you’re subject to more scrutiny. The NSA doesn’t even go that far, I don’t think. What’s the real reason behind this Winter Olympic surveillance?
