Oct 13, 2016 | internet
Last weekend, after Hurricane Matthew, I read a disturbing story. It seemed like in Florida, a riot occurred at a mall. Thirty-one people died. That’s what I read in a Facebook article. But something didn’t seem right. That’s because the story was fake. There was no riot at a mall. Nobody died in violence. There was no violence. Lets’ see how Facebook deals with the fake news epidemic.
Six weeks ago, Facebook revamped their trending system. Yet, a group called The Intercept conducted an experiment. How much fake news would they find? As a result of their experiment, quite a few. They discovered five stories that were blatantly fake. Another three were inaccurate. And that’s an understatement. In addition, blog posts from blog site Medium made it through the Facebook feed. So did links from iTunes.
Furthermore, they probably didn’t catch every false news story. How can they? That’s because Trending tailors to each Facebook account. Your trend feed won’t be the same as somebody else’s. However, some stories top the news…or lack thereof. Some trending stories include how a man was kicked off Clemson University campus for praying. Clemson quickly called the story false. Seems like the iPhone 7 can perform magic tricks. That’s according to Facebook trending stories. Then there were those ugly fake stories concerning Fox News correspondent Megyn Kelly.
Consequently, Facebook has no comment. What can we do to stop this trend? Quite a bit. If a news story sounds too fantastic, check out other news sources. In no news source backs it up, you know it’s fake. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. I read my article and just felt something wasn’t right. I’m glad I checked. The story isn’t real. Remember that the next time a celebrity dies. If the person really has passed on, mainstream news sites worldwide will cover it. If it’s a hoax, no self-respecting, trustworthy news medium will cover it. I try not to even click on stories that sound fake. Don’t even give them the attention. What else can we do to quell fake news?
Oct 12, 2016 | Computer technology, youtube
Have you seen the commercials of Amazon’s Alexa? Alexa is Amazon’s talking machine. You speak a command to Alexa. She answers and carries it out. But wait…there’s more. In addition to commands, there’s music. As a result, Amazon, Alexa and music unlimited combine forces.
Amazon launches Amazon Music Unlimited. For $3.99 a month, customers get unlimited access to over 10 million songs. Furthermore, that’s twice the amount Apple Music costs. It’s several times the amount of Jay Z’s Tidal service. Seems like that’s the streaming service nobody wants. But there’s a catch. This service is available through Amazon devices only (like Echo or Amazon Tap). Also, you need Amazon Prime membership. With your own devices, you’ll pay $7.99. Without Amazon Prime membership nor Amazon device, you’ll pay $9.99 a month.
So, what does Alexa have to do with this? Quite a bit, actually. With Amazon Music Unlimited, you can ask for any song. For instance, you want to hear ‘No’ by Meghan Trainior. Just tell Alexa, “That new hot one by Meghan Trainor,” or the title and artist. You’ll get the song. Here’s another way you use Alexa. You want to hear a certain genre, or a certain decade. You don’t know, or you don’t care, what song it is. Say, “Alexa, play 1990s grunge”. You might get Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or Soundgarden’s ?”Black Hole Sun”. Hence, the possibilities are endless.
Amazon seems obsessed with dominating every aspect of our lives. They want to shop for us at grocery stores. They ship for us everyday of the week. Now, they want to play our music. I must admit, Amazon Music Unlimited is a great start. With the program alone, it rivals Apple Music and Spotify. However, you have to join Amazon Prime get an Amazon device to get the generous $3.99 a month price. I have mixed feeling about that one. But Alexa’s assistance in music titles, genres and even year and decades, is a huge plus. Just don’t expect me to ask Alexa to play any music from this decade! But back to this $3.99 price bargain. Will it get people to get Prime and devices? Or will it hinder people from getting Amazon Music Unlimited?
Oct 11, 2016 | General
The World Economic Forum is a global organization dedicated to economic improvement and innovation. Now, the World Economic Forum comes to San Francisco, neighboring the Silicon Valley. The San Francisco stay is permanent.
They chose San Francisco for their second US office. Since the San Francisco Bay area is a tech powerhouse, it makes perfect sense to choose this city. The other US headquarters are in New York City. While global headquarters are in Beijing, China and Tokyo, Japan. Therefore, leader Murat Sonmez is very optimistic about this decision. In a statement, he said, “Technology is having an unprecedented impact on the global economy…and it’s happening very, very fast.” As a result, Sonmez will be running World Economic Forum operations in San Francisco.
Also, tech giants like Uber and Twitter’s headquarters are there. As a result, young workers flock to San Francisco. They have dreams of tech stardom in their heads. Also, many dream of starting their own tech businesses. And they look for venture funding. Tech employment quadrupled this decade in San Francisco. The World Economic Forum slightly adds to it. About 60 staffers will solicit policies about technology.
First of all, I applaud this move. San Francisco is a tech powerhouse. Any global economic organization wants to be here. I hope San Francisco uses this to address the problems. The cost of living is astronomical. Rent is out of control. Furthermore, wealth inequality in San Francisco is at an all time high. They should use this time to solve these issues. Maybe this is an opportunity to reconcile the issues. Furthermore, let’s not forget the lack of diversity in the tech market. Yes, it’s gotten a little better in the last couple of years. That’s only because they addressed the issued. This forced tech companies to do something about this embarrassing issue. ?Will the World Economic Forum help with this? How will the World Economic Forum help with the San Francisco tech boom?
Oct 10, 2016 | Smartphone
By this time, we all know what a hideous flop Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been. Replacement phones should have helped. But even that has backfired, literally. Now, Samsung stops all Galaxy Note 7 sales.
Because last week alone, four explosions and burn incidents occurred. In Nicholasville, Kentucky, a man awoke to see his bedroom in smoke. This was because his Samsung Galaxy Note 7 caught fire. Not only that, the man was diagnosed was acute bronchitis. This occurs when one inhales too much smoke, especially at once. That same week, Southwest Airlines evacuated a flight from Louisville, KY to Baltimore, MD. The culprit? It was a replacement Note 7. In Framington, Minnesota, a 13-year-old girl burned her hand. A replacement Note 7 also caused this. Now, Samsung stops all production and sales of this product.
Also, major US carriers like AT&T stopped carrying the Note 7. Another major carrier, T-Mobile, cut ties with the Note 7. ?Carriers in Australia and China follow suit. Several weeks back, Samsung issued a recall on the Note 7. They offered replacement phones for those who needed them. Many took them at their word. It’s Samsung right? Samsung is one of the biggest phone makers in the world. We can trust them with replacement phones, right? Apparently, we can’t.
Battery issues remain the root of the problem. So Samusng finally did the same thing. They gave up and stopped the Note 7 sales and production altogether. They should have done this several weeks ago. Think of the scandal and retribution that will come from the Note 7 failure. It’s already happening. American hedge fund Elliot Management, demands answers from Samsung. Some estimates have Samsung profits down 40%. Also, another expert says Samsung Galaxy Note 7 stoppages will cost the company $630 million dollars in Q4 2016 alone. Consequently, this is during the critical holiday shopping season. Furthermore, Samsung has issues almost the same issues involving their washer/dryer systems. Think of all the problems Samsung faced recently. How many consumers will be able to trust Samsung again after this?
Oct 9, 2016 | Security
Remember a few months ago, when the Democrat National Committee reported their services hacked? We might have a prime suspect. The potential suspect isn’t a genius hacker in a basement. The suspect is a powerful nation. The US blames Russia for hacking.
The Obama administration accused the Russian government of stealing emails. These hack attacks could influence the presidential election next month. Some speculate whether or not Obama will impose sanctions on Russia. The compromised emails went on WikiLeaks. They also went on DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0. These two websites have ties to Russian intelligence. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement. The statement said only senior Russian officials could pull this off. However, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s name wan’t brought up. However, does it even need to be? The elephant is in the room.
The DHS is responsible for fighting cyber attacks. The Obama administration struggled to blame Russia. For weeks, they wouldn’t do so. But the election is under a month away. Now is the time to address this issue. Nonetheless, some of Hilary Clinton’s people aren’t biting their tongue. Rather, it’s quite the opposite. Some on the campaign trail accuse Russia of hacking to throw the election to Donald Trump. Also, some accuse the Trump campaign of helping them.
It seems like these allegations couldn’t have come at a worse time. This goes on while US Secretary of State John Kerry wants Russia and Syria tried for war crimes. This is over the attacks on civilians in Aleppo, a once thriving city in war torn Syria. And yesterday, the United Nations had an emergency meeting about Aleppo. Why do I bring up Syria? Because this war and these accusations only add fuel to already tense relations between the United States and Russia. Now they accuse Russia of throwing an election. Maybe they did. Maybe they didn’t. What would Russia have to gain? Does it matter? Aren’t the elections messed up already? Let’s suppose Russia hacked the DNC. What else are they capable of?
Oct 8, 2016 | youtube
With all the devastating news about Hurricane Matthew, maybe I should stick to something light today. There’s a You Tube video out there from Australia. These videos show snakes in a pool! Snakes in a pool!
In Queensland, Australia, a lady named Fiona Sheen showed off her swimming pool. But not for a party or TV show. There are two male pythons fighting in her pool. They fight for the affections of a female snake that’s nearby. The pythons goal isn’t to kill each other, like they do in some animal kingdoms. However, the fight is a test of strength. The one with the most strength mates with the female snake.
This wasn’t a one time, or one day occurrence. This backyard snake fight went on for well over a week. Sheen has 13 You Tube videos to cover it. In one video, Sheen sounds a little annoyed when she says, “Not again.” But she’s never fearful. There’s never a since that she’s in danger. I find that odd because the python is one of the most dangerous breeds of snake in the world. In fact, on one video, Sheen jokes, “Is the pool heated?” It’s almost like she’s now entertaining the snakes as guest. Since September 27, some of these videos have over 71,000 views.
That’s the beauty, and sometimes ugliness, of You Tube. Not only does it showcase human behavior, but animal behavior too. Fiona Sheen’s videos show human and animals aren’t that far apart geographically. They’re not far apart culturally, either. How many times have we argued over the same woman, or the same guy? How many times have we as humans competed over a potential date? Have you and someone else had a crush on the same person? That’s what’s happening between these two snakes in a pool. There’s a link of these snake fights in this article (second paragraph). Who do you think will win?
Oct 7, 2016 | Testimonial
In the last several years, Fitbit emerged from a great idea to a mega tech powerhouse. This health and fitness tracker now rivals Apple’s iWatch. What drives this success and purpose? Let’s get inside the mind of Fitbit CEO James Park.
James Park is also Fibit’s co-founder. I saw Park’s interview with CNBC ‘Mad Money’ host Jim Cramer. His mission is for Fitbit to be a digital healthcare company as well as a consumer electronics company. His goal is to get Americans healthier, and use 2010s technology to do so. Not long into the interview, Park stated average health care costs for Fitbit wellness plan users are 25% less. That’s according to a third party study, not by Fitbit. That’s good for employers as well as employees. Park praised his users for helping his cause for health and fitness. Users recommend Fitbit to loved ones. They use Fitbit to compete and challenge one another. Fitbit can also be used to hold others accountable in their fitness goals.
Fitbit doesn’t go without struggle. In 2016, Fitbit stocks fell over 50%. It was poor business guidance that caused the slide. Consumers and insiders often compare Fitbit to Apple’s iWatch. That’s a comparison Park tires of. He insists Apple isn’t Fitbit and Fitbit isn’t Apple.
But Fitbit is overcoming these obstacles. Stocks climbed back 15% since June. Their Fitbit Charge 2 is now the top selling fitness tracker on Amazon. I love it when a CEO has a deeper purpose than just making profit. I know some cynics may say, “He’s just putting on a front. He’s just making himself look sincere.” Maybe that’s true. Maybe Park really is sincere. But Fitbit is something America needs right now. Have you seen our obesity rates recently? Park is fighting the good fight about that, and I applaud him. What do you think of Fitbit and/or it’s CEO?
Oct 6, 2016 | internet
I’m about to say something surprising: One of the premier social media companies is looking for buyers. Yes, Twitter looks for buyers! Two or three years ago, I thought I’d never utter such a phrase.
One potential buyer would have been Google. Speculators believe Google should be the top buyer of Twitter. That’s not happening. In fact, tech insiders say Google is not and never was interested in purchasing Twitter. What about Apple? They show no interest. ?Disney is a likely candidate. Not anymore. As of now, Disney makes no bid offer. Insiders throw Facebook’s name in the hat. I highly doubt this will happen. Speculators say this isn’t because nobody wants Twitter. A bidding fight is happening. But hired bankers pump up excitement just to increase bids.
The purchase of Twitter will happen. It may not come overnight. The buyer may not be Google, Disney, Apple, or any other major global corporation. Salesforce shows some interest. But Twitter stocks tumble. In one day, Twitter stock fell nearly 20% in one day because of this bidding contest, or lack thereof. In late 2014, their stocks were over $60 ?a share. Today, stocks struggle to be $20 a share. Unless someone, or some company, clears up this process, stocks will continue to decrease.
I never thought this would happen. I always thought Twitter would remain it’s own entity. When it debuted in the late 2000s, it rivaled Facebook for social media supremacy. ?Now, it’s virtually under the auctioneer’s hammer. Apple and Google may not need Twitter as bad as Disney might. Cable subscriptions are down. That’s Disney’s bread and butter. Twitter could replace cable as a premier outlet for promotion and content. People already watch NFL games on Twitter. Why not watch Disney backed entertainment (it pains me to say this, but this includes the Star Wars franchise)? Who will eventually buy Twitter? Who should eventually buy Twitter?
Oct 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
The hits just keep coming for Yahoo. I don’t mean chart toppers either. First, they compromised hundreds of millions of emails. But a far more disturbing accusations arises. Did Yahoo sell customers out to the government?
According to credible news sources like Reuters, Yahoo created software to search customers’ emails. The searches were for US intelligence agencies. Under US government orders, Yahoo scanned hundred of millions of emails. The scan was for the NSA, FBI, and other agencies. This testimony comes from three former Yahoo employees. We don’t know what these agencies looked for. But the former employees said this agreement caused the resignation of major Yahoo players.
One such player was former Chief Information Security Officer Alex Stamos. Stamos resigned in June 2015. He’s now a security leader for Facebook. In a statement, a Yahoo spokesperson said,?”Yahoo is a law abiding company, and complies with the laws of the United States”. They didn’t confess to the allegations. They don’t deny them, either. Alex Stamos has no comment. Neither does any NSA official. But attorneys for the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), expressed disappointment. They wish Yahoo did more to challenge the government’s orders.
And quite frankly, so do I. Let’s not jump to conclusions. These allegations could be false. Two disgruntal former employees could be blowing off steam. So why talk about it? Because these allegations could be true. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were. What if they are? Then this is a devastating blow to Yahoo, again. The company recovers from a major hack. The company is being bought out. The American public has little trust in government agencies, especially agencies like the NSA. Now we learn about Yahoo’s possible cooperation with them? This is not good for Yahoo. Not good at all. What do you think? Are these false allegations? Or did Yahoo sell customers out to the government?
Oct 4, 2016 | Computer technology, News
Google prepares for major fall event today, October 4. Google plays show and tell with it’s goodies, for your viewing and buying pleasure. Let’s see what the Google Pixel event in San Francisco has to offer.
The main events are Pixel and Pixel XL. These will replace Google’s Nexus smartphone system. The Pixel has a 5-inch sreen. Pixel XL will have a 5.5 inch screen. Both include the Snapdragon 821 processor, 4 GB of Ram, 12-megapixel cameras, and fingerprint scanners. Phone maker HTC will manufacture them. The costs should start around $650. But Google will offer financing.
The rest of the items aren’t exactly mid-cards. Google Home will promote revolutionary device Google Home. With this home device, you can ask for today’s weather or turn the lights on. It will play your playlists. Google Home plays your videos on your TV. It boasts of the bass that Amazon Echo allegedly lacks. Speaking of which, it’s already stiff competition for Amazon’s Echo. It will sell for $129. That’s $50 less than the full-size Echo. Chromecast Ultra’s expected to be introduced and go on sale for $69. Look for a Google Wi-fi router to be introduced for around $129. Of course, expect surprises. Google Pixel event in San Francisco will start at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific today, October 4, 2016.
Here is a disclaimer. These are just expectations. So if Google announces something totally different, don’t blame us. I want surprises in this conference. It makes things interesting. You know, the holiday shopping season is fairly close. You don’t want to hear that. But it’s close. So having the conference in October is good strategy. Some of these products and services look good. Others I can do without. After the conference come the cliffhangers. Will Pixel and Pixel XL outsell Apple iPhone 7? Will Google Home be too much competition for Amazon Echo? How well will a Google Wi-fi router sell? Will there be any surprises?
