So when most people think of Microsoft, they think of Bill and Melinda Gates, right? However, we forget that Gates had a lot of help in founding this IT support giant. His co-founder, Paul Allen, was there, literally from day one. R.I.P. Paul Allen: Microsoft co-founder and tech innovator.
Paul Allen died yesterday from lymphoma. He was 65 years old. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. But that’s not all. He also created the two button mouse. Furthermore, Allen created other Microsoft products and continued to push for higher standards in tech world. In fact, many say if there were no Paul Allen, then there would be no computing as we know it. In 1983, he left Microsoft, but this was just the beginning of his IT service career.
Paul Allen went on to found Vulcan. With Vulcan, he invested into many companies and other places that deals with everything from enhancing culture to fighting climate change. Soon, Allen became one of the greatest philanthropists in Seattle’s history. His own website says his giving surpassed $2 billion. For example, in 2003, he founded the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Here, he funded brain studies and combated brain illnesses, like concussions.? He also built homes for homeless and low-income citizens that ares.
Allen was a huge sports leader. He owned the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers. Even there, he was known for using technology to improve players’ lives on and off the field. Tributes pour in from all over the Silicon Valley community. Tim Cook tweeted “…our world has lost a force for good.”. Jeff Bezos fondly remembered his love for inventions. Then, his friend Bill Gates remembered him as a man who loved technology, life, and everyone around him. I’m not only impressed by his heart and tech genius, but by Allen’s humility and his willingness to help anybody in need. These are things we can use not only in the tech world, but in the whole world. R.I.P. Paul Allen. Thank you for all you did for us.
So last week, Hurricane Micheal devastated the Florida Panhandle. The pictures are hard to watch. Not only was this the strongest October hurricane of all time, but was one of the strongest storms of any time. However, many credit technology for helping out and even saving lives. Let’s look at Hurricane Michael and technology.
So many of people, like meteorologists, credit IT support and technology for saving lives. They credit radar and computer models for watching the storm’s rapid intensity. For example, on Sunday the 7th, it was just a tropical storm. But by the time it hit Wednesday the 10th, it was almost a category 5 storm.
They also thank the EOC (emergency operations center) for putting warnings out. They sent evacuation warnings to smartphones and other devices all over the land. Also, they kept using this to get the warning out. As a result, many people fled. In Franklin County, Florida, over 12,000 people left because of the warnings. Of the 1,000 people of Mexico Beach, FL, over 700 left. Cell phone companies and ISP providers set up hot spots all over the areas so people can contact missing relatives, friends and neighbors. They are sending hundreds more to help re-connect people with cell phone service. Who is doing the sending? It’s major phone companies like AT&T and Verizon.
I know on my Facebook page, people all over the hit areas mark themselves safe. People also talk about if they’re out of power. In some ways, social media gives regular people a journalist’s voice they didn’t have some 15 or 20 years ago. Oh, and like other disasters, online giving will pay a huge role in the clean up and recovery efforts. Just be careful about who you give to and accept help from. Those are just some of the ways IT service and technology are helping people whether the storm. How else do Hurricane Michael and technology go together, I mean in technology helping people?
So, how many of you know about the ‘spy chip’? It’s a chip that can read and compromise data on motherboards all over the world. But that’s just the beginning of it. It’s US government and corporations vs spy chip.
So last week, a scathing report came out of Bloomberg. This magazine claims China built these spy chips on motherboards. Also, SuperMicro owns and builds these motherboards, so they share some blame as well. However, the allegations don’t stop there. Because this article accuses Amazon and Apple of using this kind of equipment in their super data centers. Then, this would let China spy on these mega IT support and IT service?companies, and their many, many customers. Too many to count, in fact. Bloomberg say that they used over a dozen sources to confirm this.
But these companies aren’t letting their name get dragged around.? Because Apple, Amazon and SuperMicro released statements on their respective websites. They all deny it. In fact, even Homeland Security is getting in the mix. They’re siding with the three companies. They say they have no reason to doubt these three companies are telling the truth when they deny this spy chip. If anything, they doubt Bloomberg’s articles.
Lets look at this US government and corporations vs spy chip thing. Do you realize how rare it is for Homeland Security to issue a statement like this? Yes, they fight cyber terrorism and other threats. But rarely do they side with corporations over journalists. However, neither side is going to back down. This really is a case of they said vs they said. Then add on the China factor. First, you have this tariff fight. Then, you have Vice-President Pence calling out China’s intense censorship laws, and Pence asking Google to stop enabling this kind of censorship. Do you think there is more to this story?
So most people know about the trade tariff war between President Trump and China. But now, Vice-President Mike Pence gets involved. Pence asks Google and China to break up.
He said this to the Hudson Institute yesterday. Yes, the trade conflict is a factor. However, Pence talked about China’s oppressive censorship issues, especially online. Google plans on making a mobile Google just for China. Also, they’re even working with China on this. That doesn’t sit well with Pence. Because Pence openly criticized China about? their Internet restrictions. But he didn’t stop there.
In his speech, he named names. He praised other companies for skipping over the Chinese market and, “abetting Beijing’s oppression”. Then he called on other major corporations to do the same. That’s when he literally called out Google. Specifically, Pence asks Google to end anymore development of the Dragonfly app. Because the Vice-President worries will strengthen China’s Communist Party’s already strict censorship. His concerns also include privacy rights of Chinese citizens. If you don’t know what Dragonfly does, it’s their version of the search engine that bans Twitter and Facebook. But why would any engine want to ban Twitter and Facebook? They’re two of the most popular websites in the globe.
That’s because Twitter and Facebook are banned in China. But of course, many in that nation find a way to get it anyway. To that, I say good for them. China also blocks historic tragedies like the?Tiananmen Square massacre (I wonder why). I must say. On the surface, these motives look good. IT support and IT services like social media should be open and free by all governments. I wouldn’t want any company to help anybody nation who is pushing censorship. So I like the message. But what worries me here is motive. Does Pence really care about censorship in China? Or is this a way to fight the trade war on China?
So yesterday evening, my social media page went crazy. But it wasn’t over the baseball playoffs or the Brett Kavanaugh scandal. Because this was more like: Did you get that presidential alert yesterday?
At around 2:13 EST yesterday, a ‘Presidential Alert’ went out to millions of smartphones across the USA. The agency FEMA did the test. Also, keep in mind this was just a test. It’s part of the WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) system. The WEA is a system that goes to all wireless devices, kind of like the EAS does with radio and TV. Why do they do this? They say it’s in case of an emergency, like natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and even nuclear war.
But this isn’t the first time time alerts went out on cell phones. Because as early as 2006, George W. Bush’s administration came out with WEA system. The goal was to alert people on their cellphones (we didn’t have smartphones until late 2007) on a local level. The alerts included things like weather watches/warnings, and Amber alerts for missing children. But this is different. This time, the White House sent alerts to smartphones all across America. Even our clients in our computer repair shops caught that. In fact, people from here to my Facebook post say, “How did they get my number?”.
So for those who ask that, let’s not forget. It’s not 1987 anymore. It’s 2018. Our IT support and computer information are so intertwined. If they want to alert you, find you, or call you, then they can and will. This isn’t conspiracy theory. This is truth. Some people didn’t get the alert. For instance, I didn’t get the alert. Then again, I have a prepaid phone. So maybe that had something to do with it. But the majority of the people I talked with aren’t happy with this alert. Many say it seems more like an intrusion than a safety practice. Did you get that presidential alert yesterday?
So a few days ago, Facebook faced yet another crisis. In fact, this is even bigger than the Cambridge Analytica scandal they dealt with for months. Let’s talk about Facebook’s massive security breach.
So late last week, Facebook’s massive security breach happened. This breach impacted over 50 million Facebook users. That has to be a record. But wait…there’s more. This attack lets hackers take any piece of information they wanted. This means everything you posted. This also means your profile. Keep in mind what’s in your profile: names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, even info of family and your past. The one good thing is they don’t think this breach can get to your private messages.
However, there is more good news. Facebook leaders said they fixed the bugs that let this security breach happened. But in order to do that, they had to log out of over 90 million user accounts. But wait…I thought this breached impacted only 50 million users (I can’t believe I say only 50 million users). However, it turns out that 40 million more users may have been affected. You do the math. The FBI is now taking action. Although there are some suspects from Taiwan, but there’s not enough evidence yet. In fact, both Facebook and the Feds say they may never know who is behind Facebook’s massive security breach.
Here is the scary thing. I’m watching news shows address this. Even IT support experts say, “There’s nothing you can do”. Isn’t that something? We usually say stuff like ‘change your password’ or set up a verification system. But in this case, they can’t even say that. Because these hackers didn’t see, and didn’t even need to see your password. In all my 13 years in computer repair, this is the first time I ever heard an expert say, “There’s nothing you can do”! Wow! Could this be the future of the very systems we depend on for mere survival?
