Aug 31, 2016 | Security
I’ve reported on some disturbing consumer trends, from sextortion to government hacking. Well, the disturbance keeps on coming. This is a consumer alert: the USB Killer is coming to a computer near you.
This isn’t a movie plot or a sci-fi novel. There really is a device called the USB Killer. It made news last year. Now, there’s an even stronger version floating out there. It sends 220 volts through a computer, whether it be a desktop, laptop or tablet. That much voltage kills a computer within a few minutes. According to it’s own creators, the USB Killer can destroy 95% of all computers. This includes Macs and other Apple based computers. Promoters say this killer device is for surge protection. But it could be used for more sinister purposes. There are things that equally add to the disturbance. One USB Killer promoter is rumored to by Dark Purple. He’s allegedly one of the most notorious hackers in Russia. We don’t really know the company behind this killer device. Tech media company Mashable contacted the mysterious makers. They’re based in Hong Kong. That’s all they were able to find out. The USB Killer will cost only $55.
The USB Killer’s creators are unknown. The USB Killer’s promoters could be Russian hackers. And it only cost $55 to destroy a computer. Yes, it could be used for surge protection. Let’s say you want to wipe out your own computer. To ensure nobody interferes with the data, and to ensure your privacy isn’t blasted on social media, you could use the USB Killer for good. But that’s the best case scenario. What’s the worst? A competitor, or even a disgruntal colleague or former employee, could wipe out important machines. This could sabotage or even destroy a business. A hacker could wipe out a computer, for money or for spite. Whole government agencies can wipe out critical classified information. What if Russian, Chinese, or Iranian spies go to Washington and use the USB Killer to wipe out critical military, security, or economic information? These are just a few of the malicious way this thing could be abused. Is the USB Killer a good idea or a weapon of destruction waiting to happen?
Aug 30, 2016 | News
The year 2016 hasn’t been good for the European Union (EU). Great Britain votes to leave. The EU and NATO are embroiled in a tense stand-off with Russia. Now they’re fighting with tech giant Apple. The EU orders Apple to pay billions to Ireland in taxes.
Apple is ordered to pay 13 billion Euros. That’s the equivalent to $14.5 billion. ?The EU courts ruled Apple conducted a scheme to route profits through Ireland. They ruled this scheme was illegal. Apple and Ireland plan to appeal the decision. One EU official says Ireland gave Apple illegal tax benefits. This enabled Apple to pay less taxes than other businesses, despite Apple being one of the richest companies in the world. For example, the 13 billion Euros is only 6% of the cash flow Apple has. Ireland’s Finance Minister Micheal Noonan plans to fight the EU’s allegations. This goes deeper than money. Noonan is fighting for the integrity of Ireland’s tax system. The EU accused Ireland of ‘reverse engineering’. This assured Ireland paid few taxes to guarantee employment. Apple employs 5,500 in Cork, Ireland, the nation’s third largest city. Apple is the second largest employer in Cork, next to government.
Ireland’s low income tax has lured businesses to Ireland for many years. It’s the reason why Ireland has one of the best economies in Europe. Even when other European nations are falling apart economically, politically, and socially, Ireland still thrives. This is why I question the European Union’s motives here. From what I read, Apple has done nothing but good for Ireland. They have provided good jobs, good income, and turned Cork into a prosperous, European Apple hub. What’s wrong with that? Hardly anybody in Ireland, from government officials to civilians, is complaining. Is the EU so strapped for cash they’re extorting companies for billions? And they wonder why nations want to succeed from the EU. Can’t they just let the nations rule? Does the EU really want justice? Or does the EU want to impose their will?
Aug 29, 2016 | Uncategorized
The health giant Fitbit reveals more wrist devices. These devices seem to be good additions. They had better be. Smart watch and wrist watch technology is getting competitive.
Fitbit releases two new devices. The first is the Charge 2. It’s expected to go on sale in September. The Charge 2 is larger than the original. That could be a negative or positive, depending on who you ask. For me, a larger device means you’re less likely to lose it, and you won’t forget you’re wearing it. The screen is larger, too. Other features include mid-workout status, breathing features and a better heart rate monitor. Other than that, it’s really no difference than the original Charge. The Charge 2 will cost around $150.
Then there’s the Flex 2. It’s expected to go in sale in October. Flex 2 looks nothing like Charge, or any smart wrist device, for that matter. It’s the first Fitbit device that’s ‘swim-proof’. You can thank the automatic swim tracking feature. You can wear it in the shower, pool, ocean, etc. It includes alerts when your smartphone is near. It’s the first of the Fitbit family to include this feature. The Flex 2 will cost you around $100. They are available to the public in the next two months. But you can pre-order today.
It sounds like Flex 2 is the better buy. It’s cheaper, and it offers more. It does everything a heart rate monitor is supposed to do. But here, you can use this system in water. That’s more valuable than one might think. Flex needs to step up their game. They’ve already taken flack over failing heart rate monitors. I’ve check who has the best fitness tracker for 2016. Yes, Fibit is on the list. But so is Jawbone, Garmin, Misfit, Xiaomi, and Withings. ?Fitbit has a lot on the line. Fitbit needs for these sales to be out of the park. I think they will do it with Flex 2. Will they do it with Charge 2?
Aug 28, 2016 | Computer technology, Security, Smartphone
Last night, I saw a rather disturbing technology based ad. Not only does it promote a tracking device, it describes how scary this device is. ?It tracking method vs. privacy. Which one will you choose?
The device being promoted was the TrackR. It’s a GPS system the size of a quarter. You install the TrackR app on your smartphone. Connect the app to your device. Attach the quarter like system to your keys, wallet, phone, tablet, spouse, significant other, child, employee, or anything or anyone else you wish. If you lose something, open the TrackR app. Tap the ‘find device’ function. The app tells you where your misplaced item is. The ad gave the scenario of being in a big parking lost. You forgot where to park (okay, that is very real situation). The TrackR would tell you where your car is. Another scenario used is the stolen bicycle. You use TrackR app. The app leads you to where your bike is now. How much will this tracking device costs? That’s the most tempting, yet disturbing thing about TrackR. I hope this doesn’t encourage you to get it, but one can purchase a TrackR app online for as little as $29! No, I’m not giving you the address!
Okay, the ad doesn’t say attach the quarter size device on your spouse, child, employee, or any other human being. I’ll give them that much credit. But don’t you see where this can lead? Yes, you can find your wallet, phone, bike or car. Those are best case scenarios. Think about the worst. People can sneak this device onto an unsuspecting human being. They will be able to track that human being wherever they go. A violent ex can track down his wife/girlfriend. An enemy can track down an enemy. A bully can track down his victim. A sex offender can use this device to track a child. All he’d have to do is slip this on the child’s book bag or in his coat pocket. This is why I’m scared to death of TrackR and what it could lead to. We already have our government and foreign governments watching our every move. We already have surveillance watching our every move. Do we really need this? It’s tracking method vs privacy? Which one will you choose?
Aug 27, 2016 | Error, Security
This is a McDonald’s happy meal toy alert. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 29 million McDonald’s fitness tracker toys are up for recall. This comes after 70 complaints of child skin irritation, from rashes to blisters.
The CPSC recommends parents return this toy to McDonald’s and ask for a replacement toy and a desert, such as apple slices or yogurt tube. The toy was an attempt to teach kids about physical fitness. It was supposed to get them interested in fitness and technology at the same time, and do so at an early age. The plan backfired. One mother in Arkansas named Casey Collyar?complained her son suffered burns. The son had the watch on for ten minutes. She thought the battery was the culprit. Through social media, Collyar urged parents not to get this dangerous fitness tracker. According to a McDonald’s leading spokesperson, the toys have been discontinued. A full investigation is being conducted. It’s also speculated certain skin allergies and sensitivities could be the cause. The Good Housekeeping Institute, ?a popular consumer rights’ organization, suggested parents check the watch’s materials. They should be soft, durable plastics. Consumers should also switch up wrists.
You can’t fault McDonald’s for trying. This fast food franchise has been under the gun for making our kids and our nation obese. Is that true? Well, it’s debatable. I grew up on happy meals back in the day, and got toys too. We weren’t worried about obesity. But I believe McDonald’s was sincere in releasing this smart wrists toy. They wanted kids to be tech savvy at an early age. They should be. McDonald’s is sincere in trying to get kids healthy again. This toy was meant to get kids active and teach them the value of good health. There is an old saying: The road to (destruction) is paved with good intentions. Does this saying explain the McDonald’s toy fiasco?
Aug 26, 2016 | Computer technology
It’s the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service. The National Parks are doing everything to get Americans to visit these parks. You can even visit national parks…through virtual reality.
In Washington, DC, somebody put on a Samsung Gear VR. That VR catapulted him to Yosemite National Park in California. You can get this system at the VR Oculus store. Facebook also has a 360 degree video through National Geographic’s Facebook page. This is all part of the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service, backed by US President Barack Obama. This VR footage shows Obama’s visit to the Yosemite Park in June 2016. It captures the Merced river and Sierra Nevada mountain range. It captures what the day is like at Yosemite. The sunset scene is absolutely breathtaking. See mountains like Half Dome and El Captain. Not only can you see, but you can hear Yellowstone. One can hear the music of the Merced River. We can hear Obama narrate his Yellowstone National Park experience as a kid. He also addressed perceived threats to the park, like climate change. This experience can come inexpensive.
When things do return to normal this Yellowstone guide has a lot of info about this park and has some amazing unusual routes.
You can experience Yosemite in your own home with Samsung Gear for around $100. But some say you need the Rift VR headset, developed by Facebook. The problem with Rift…it cost $600. Nonetheless, critics say Rift will give you a better Yosemite VR experience. I’ll stick with Samsung Gear, thank you very much. Critics say they would have liked to have seen more of Yosemite. I would like to see more national parks covered on VR. They want more people to visit the national parks. They could have displayed Yellowstone. That’s the park Obama talked about. They could have displayed Glacier National Park in Montana, Biscayne National Park in Florida, Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri, or the scores of other national parks in this great nation of ours. I love nature. I love history. I love America. I love our national parks. This is a wonderful thing they’re doing. But if they’re going to convince Americans to visit their national parks, shouldn’t they show more of these national parks?
Aug 25, 2016 | Entertainment, News, Security
Last month, I reported on the cyber trolling woes of Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones. Now, those woes worsen. Leslie Jones is cyber trolled again.
This time it’s far more serious. Hackers broke into her website and leaked nude photos of her. They hacked into her Tumblr account and took the photos from her iCloud. It didn’t stop there. They posted her drivers license, passport, phone number, and other personal information of Jones’. They put images of Harambe, the dead gorilla, posing with her and other celebrities. Please believe such images were photo-shopped. Since late July, Jones has been the victim of vicious cyber racist and sexist attacks. ?Jones’ website, JustLeslie.com, is now defunct. Jones just got back from Rio as a guest social media commentator for the Olympics. ?So far, neither Jones nor her people have responded to the latest round of cyber attacks and hack. Many speak out on her behalf. Ghostbusters director Paul Feig tweeted, “What’s happening to is an outrage.” Even Milo Yiannopulous, who was banned from Twitter for allegedly harassing Leslie Jones, now sympathies with her. He expressed distress and wishes her the best during this upsetting time.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time celebrity nude photos were released without their knowledge or approval. In 2014, nearly 500 celebrity photos, most of them nude, were hacked and leaked to the public. Only one person was arrested for this crime. Their lies part of the problem. Few people are being caught and prosecuted for this. If people feel they can get away with it, they’re going to keep doing it. We have to strengthen our laws and efforts to catch these crooks. This should be the happiest year in Leslie Jones’ life. She has a spot on the historic Saturday Night Live. She’s a star of a major motion picture. She landed a gig covering the Olympics. She’s one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood today. She should be living the American dream. But because of these trolls, bullies and hackers, Leslie Jones’ American dream has become an American nightmare. The nightmare seems to have no end in sight. Is this our new normalcy (I hope not!)?
Aug 24, 2016 | internet, News
In 2014, Facebook launched a feature called ‘safety check‘. Let’s say an emergency breaks out in someone’s hometown. The person can check in to let his/her Facebook friends know they’re okay. Facebook ‘safety check’ is activated again.
During the overnight hours, a 6.2 earthquake hit central Italy. The hardest hit regions were the Lazio, Marche and Abruzzo regions in the Apennine Mountains. This is about 80 miles northeast of Rome, but the city of Rome felt the quake. As of this writing, the earthquake caused at least 73 confirmed deaths. Over 150 are still missing. Thousands of families are left homeless. As I write this, rescue workers struggle around the clock to pull survivors out of the rubble. The hardest hit town was Amatrice. The small town of 2,600 was so devastated the town mayor said, “The town isn’t here anymore. I believe the [death] toll will rise.” One witness called the scene ‘apocalyptic’. Pope Francis calls the quake, ‘heartbreaking’. This part of Italy is also popular with tourists, especially during the height of the summer travel season. That business is gone. However, tourist revenue is the last issue on their minds right now. The US Embassy urges Americans to stay away from the earthquake zone.
Facebook safety check has helped in disasters before. They were there during the Nepal earthquake last year, the terrorist attack in Paris during November 2015, and ?after the Orlando mass shooting in June 2016. They’ll be there for this Italy earthquake. If you know someone in the hard hit area, use Facebook check to check on their well being. If you are in these hard hit areas, use Facebook check to alert your loved ones. However, the communications might be heavily affected. If they are, keep trying until you get through. Facebook’s ‘safety check’ is a good tool to use right now. Do you have this feature on your device? You never know when you might need it.
Aug 23, 2016 | Smartphone, Software
No, Google/Android isn’t coming out with a candy bar. Although, they got their hands in every other business, it wouldn’t surprise me if Google came out with a nougat candy bar. I digress. Here I am introducing Android 7.0 Nougat.
This new operating system is available this week. It can be used on Google’s Nexus devices. Nougat 7.0 boasts of new and improved updates. These updates include better Quick Settings and menus, new emojis, and battery improvement. Perhaps the biggest feature is Google Daydream, a mobile virtual reality app. Many critics praise the Quick Settings menu. You only have to swipe once, compared to twice with the old operating system. This was more of a competition move. Other Droid devices, like Samsung LG and HTC already have this. With Nougat, you can reply to messages without opening an app. Up to 72 more emojis will come with Nougat. We’re not really told what these emojis are or what they’ll be doing. They’ll be more diverse. That’s all we know. It will come with split screens. Nougat puts your phone into low battery phone. Here’s the crazy part: It does it automatically when you put your phone in your pocket.
Some things about Nougat 7.0 aren’t so good. It will take weeks, if not months, for Nougat 7.0 to debut on all Nexus devices. Then there’s the Google daydream. I’m sorry, but I’m weary of any virtual reality app that lets you play in VR 24/7. That just leads to social breakdown, to the point nobody knows fantasy from reality. So no Google Dream for me. But I do like the battery life. How annoying is it to always plug your battery because your phone is near empty? Automatic low battery preservation is a huge plus. So is messaging. How annoying is it to tap the phone several times before you can reply to a message? One swipe messaging is also a huge plus. We could always use more diverse emojis doing more things. Would you get Android 7.0 Nougat?
Aug 22, 2016 | General
Some think there are only two places to make it big in the tech world: San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. That’s not necessarily the case. California isn’t the only candy store in town when it comes to tech jobs.
I read a story about Kate Rogers, manager of a website builder called Weebly. She was tired of long commutes, high rent, and woeful wealth inequality gap in San Francisco. She moved to Phoenix. Rogers has never been happier. She feels she can thrive and prosper in Phoenix. She never has that feeling in San Francisco. Kate Rogers’ story isn’t unique.
San Francisco and Silicon Valley face issues like overcrowded highways and housing, ridiculous inflation costs, and disgruntal, underpaid employees. Phoenix is experiencing a renaissance. Though hit hard by the late 2000s Great Recession, they’re back and better than ever. Uber and Yelp have headquarters there. The cost of living is 25% cheaper in Phoenix. The average home in Phoenix costs $212,000. The average home in San Francisco costs $810,000. And Phoenix’s increase in tech jobs is 18% between 2010-2015. That’s just the middle of the pack. Raleigh, NC and Austin, TX have tech job increase rates 38% and 37%. Other hot rising tech cities include Nashville TN, Atlanta GA, Charlotte NC, Salt Lake City UT, and right here in Boston!
Yes, San Francisco and San Jose was also on this list. But if something isn’t done to combat these woes, they won’t be for long. California has competition, and plenty of it. Employees know it. Companies know it. They’re taking advantage of it. If more people can find better work, better pay, better housing, and a better environment for their families in other parts of the country, they’re going to take it. Here in Boston/Cambridge, MA, there are tech giants like M.I.T.’s labs. Google also has headquarters in Cambridge. Think about the college graduates. I’ll never forget the San Francisco employee who complained of conditions there. She was fired for it. I don’t think she’ll have a problem in Phoenix, Austin, Raleigh, Boston, or dozens of other rising tech cities. These places are putting Silicon Valley on notice. That’s a good thing for the worker and corporation. For the Silicon Valley area, not so much. In 10 years, will Silicon Valley even be Silicon Valley anymore?
