May 4, 2016 | networking, Software
First of all, Apple Music isn’t doing that bad. But they’re not doing really great either. We can thank increased competition, changing streaming habits, and celebrity disapproval for that. It’s time for an Apple streaming makeover.
Apple is making changes to Apple Music. They want to make it easier for all to use. Apple Music plans to better integrate streaming and downloading services as well as expand radio services. They will use a massive marketing campaign to get more customers to pay for Apple’s $10 a month streaming service. Nobody at Apple is confirming this, but tech insiders expect this and more to be revealed at their Worldwide Developers Conference in June. This is just Apple’s latest attempt to be #1 in the music streaming race. Two years ago, they purchased Beats Music, helping make Dr. Dre hip-hop’s possible first billionaire. They’re turning to seasoned musicians like Nine Inch Nails lead singer Trent Reznor to help with design. Apple CEO Tim Cook is banking on Apple Music because Apple stocks are in slow decline. So are iPhone sales. At first, Apple lead the charge going from physical to digital music. Now it’s struggling just to keep up. The year 2015 was the first year permanent download did better than streaming.
Then there’s competition. Spotify is gaining new subscribers and new backers. Jay Z’s Tidal, which costs $20 a month, just released Beyonce’s song “Lemonade,” which is breaking records on the charts. Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo” album, released under Tidal, did very well. It debuted #1 on the charts and has been streamed over 250 million times. But don’t count Apple Music out yet. Taylor Swift openly criticized Apple for not paying artists enough. Now, she’s doing commercials for them. Drake released an album with Apple, which is doing almost as well as Kanye’s. Are we heading for an all out streaming war between Apple and Tidal?
May 3, 2016 | News, Smartphone
In December 2015, a Sao Paulo, Brazil judge ordered cross-platform instant messaging app WhatsApp blocked for 2 days. This was retaliation for WhatsApp’s alleged failure to comply with a criminal investigation. Today, Brazil and WhatsApp is at it again.
A Brazilian judge ordered WhatsApp chat services blocked for 72 hours. For three days, Brazilians were forbidden to send or receive messages through this app. Those who disobey are fined up to $142,000 a day. And you think that speeding ticket you got is bad. But WhatsApp is the most popular method of communication in the country. More than half of Brazil’s population use WhatsApp on a regular basis. The ruling judge uses this as retaliation for WhatsApp, and it’s owner Facebook’s, failure to comply with judicial orders in a drug-trafficking case. But encryption is also a major factor. A Facebook representative commented on this case: “The way that information is encrypted from one cellphone to another, there is no information stored that could be handed over to authorities.? ?Technology companies offer their users ‘end-to-end’ encryption, very popular since the Edward Snowden revelations of 2013. This means the technology companies can’t access the information the consumers are delivering. This means governments can’t access it either. This just breeds conflict between legal systems and technology companies worldwide.
So basically, what the Brazilian government is doing is taking this one case out on over 100 million people. “So you’re not going to do what I want, Facebook? I’ll just take it out on our own people!” That’s the message they’re sending. ?This case and the Apple vs FBI case shows us the struggle of governments against tech companies is far from over. Brazil is enduring a lot of trials form environmental to political crises. And they have to host the 2016 Olympic games this summer. Does Brazil really want to play this game now? Don’t they have enough to clean up in such a short time?
May 2, 2016 | Computer technology, Security
You go to sleep. You wake up only to find your computer or smartphone doesn’t work. Neither does anyone else’s. You can’t even use your credit/debit cards because that system is kaput. You can’t fill up on gasoline because the electronic pumps aren’t working. Welcome to the world of an EMP.
This isn’t a sci-fi movie plot. Political leaders like Defense Department analyst Michael Maloof are extremely concerned of what an EMP could do to our computers, communications, banks, cars, transportation, food and water supply, electricity, emergency services. An EMP (electromagnetic pulse) can fry all electronics in it’s path. This can happen through a solar flare or a nuclear attack from high altitude. Think about how dependent we are on technology. If this were to happen, hospitals wouldn’t even be equipped to treat patients. Pacemakers would cease, leaving patients without this critical tool. Maloof believes North Korea has two satellites hovering over the US that can launch EMP’s at any moment. Even US Congress has been briefed on such EMP attacks. A device can fire an EMP from a distance and knock out power for an entire airport, or a high rise building. But Maloof is frustrated Congress isn’t doing more to prevent such a catastrophe. Other nations are. But Congress should be giving the EMP threat it’s highest priority, but it isn’t.
I agree with Maloof 100 percent. I don’t even hear the presidential candidates talk about this issue. It seems like we’re more concerned with who uses what bathrooms than a threat that could destroy us all. And if an EMP hit us, it would takes weeks, if not months to repair. ?Technology is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. If technology shuts down, our whole systems shut down. All the things we take for granted will cease to exist. It would be like knocking us from 2016 to 1835 in just one swoop. Shouldn’t our government and major tech corporations do more to prevent an EMP attack?
May 1, 2016 | Entertainment
The Symphony Advanced Media ranked top ranked shows for Millennials aged 18-24 years old. The top four have something in common: they weren’t on network or cable TV.
The top four shows among younger millennials were all on Netflix. The top show was “Making a Murderer” a true crime show following a controversial Wisconsin case. Other top shows, all on Netflix are “Master of None”, “F is for Family” (an adult cartoon about a 1970s family), and “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”. Making a Murderer was a hit with older millennials from 25-34. The top network hits with this age group were Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers. This viewing habits were tracked between September 21, 2015 and January 31, 2016. There’s a reason Netflix shows like “Family Guy”, ?”Jane the Virgin”, and “New Girl” did so well among 18-24 millennials. These shows are streamed either live or next day for 35 days. Shows from other streaming shows companies like Hulu and Amazon did well, too. Not everybody is following this trend. Among Gen Xers, those aged 35-51, nine of their top ten favorites are on the main four major networks: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
But it’s the Millennial viewing habits, particularly the younger ones, that are responsible for Netflix’s rise to power. They’re shows are even winning awards. I have two explanations for this. Look at the astronomical cost of cable/satellite/FIOS today. That’s because they’re all controlled by a small handful of companies. Younger people don’t want to, or can’t pay for such services. For less than $10 a month, they can get the same quality of entertainment. There’s the creative factor. If you look at Netflix, the majority of their shows are rated M. Younger people love racier TV. On the other hand, Gen Xers (like me) and Baby Boomers long for the days of family hour TV. Netflix can go where network TV often can’t. Why do you think Netflix is so popular with young adults?
Apr 30, 2016 | Security, Smartphone
Texting and/or using a smartphone while driving has become one of the biggest road hazards today. It’s the drunk driving of the 2010s. Did you know that nearly 40% of highway accidents in the US are caused by drivers with a phone in their hand? That number is even higher than those who drink and drive.
Thankfully, 2010s technology can prevent such calamities. If you have an Apple or Android based mobile phone, in which the vast majority of Americans do, you can have Siri read text messages for you. Just ask Siri to read your messages. And she will. Siri will give you a chance to reply. You say the reply and the voice messenger will send that reply to your intended target. It doesn’t matter if it’s one or ten texts, just say, “read my texts” and they will be read. Android based phones have an app called ReadItToMe, which users can download for free. It may cost you a little time and effort. But I’d rather take a little time downloading these apps than let distracted driving get me in trouble with my insurance company, get me in trouble with the law, or something even far worse. Did you know texting and driving is illegal on some level in most US states?
So take advantage of Siri and ReadItToMe. Get these apps for your teen drivers. Teach them how to use them. Set good habits and lead by example. Did you know over a third of teenagers admitted to texting while driving in the last 30 days? Maybe that’s because over a fourth of adults admitted to distracted driving in the last 30 days. We’ve got to do better. I‘m thankful there are tools out there to help us do better. What other tools or tactics can we do to curb the epidemic of distracted driving?
Apr 29, 2016 | Smartphone
Your Uber pulls up. The driver waits for you to grab your pocketbook. Oops…you forgot your ID. Oops…you forgot your gift. Oops…your friend is taking his/her sweet time coming out. You kept the driver waiting over five minutes. You might want to stop that.
Uber is testing a new pay system. This system will have drivers charge you extra if you make them wait more than two minutes after the driver pulls up. But wait…there’s more! This new tests include a two minute cancellation limit. Let’s say you change your mind, change your plans, or a friend volunteers to pick you up. Under this new system, if you don’t cancel within two minutes, you’ll be charged with a fee. Until then, you still have five minutes to cancel before you get slapped with this fee. We don’t know how much these fees will be. We don’t even know when, or if, these changes will go into effect. The only cities that are testing this is greater New York City/Northern New Jersey, Dallas, and Phoenix.
From the company and drivers point of view, I can see some logic behind this. For the driver to take five, six, eight, ten minutes waiting for the passenger, that’s taking time and money from the driver. But two minutes is a bit much. It can take two minutes to load items in the trunk, if that’s what needed. Is Uber going to charge a fee for that? The two minute cancellation rule is also a bit much. I can understand charging someone who no-shows without letting the driver at all. That’s cost the driver time and money, and tangles up passengers after you. But anything could happen in two minutes. So if you’re in New York, New Jersey, Dallas and Phoenix, take heed. If not, just hope these new fees don’t come to you. Are these new fees really about the improved well being of drivers and passengers? Or are they just schemes to fatten the pockets of Uber CEOs and other top Uber leaders?
Apr 28, 2016 | General, Smartphone
Apple and China have what I call a strange relationship. Some Apple‘s services are being censored by the government. Yet, Apple gives China many jobs, like iPhone factories. A Yahoo blogger visited and reported on many such a factory.
The report and the pictures are pretty alarming. The pictures were taken at a secretive iPhone factory that has around 50,000 workers. The factory is in Shanghai and the factory is the size of 90 football fields. This facility creates Apple products that are shipped and sold around the world. Their rigorous routine starts even before checking in. Forget punching a clock or answering a roll call: These employees enter the facility using facial recognition checks. Then after they walk through the doors, their IDs are scanned by an iPad. Metal detectors and other spy equipment are used to spy and catch anyone trying to spill potential secrets of the plant. Every worker is subjected to a uniform that consists of blue hats, pink jackets and black pants. They stand at attention like they’re in the military. A supervisor checks their name off a list. Employees head to their production line in single file. When this blogger was admitted inside to take pictures, it was the first time a Western journalist was allowed in the facility.
I don’t know how long their hours are, or how low their pay is, but I’m guessing this iPhone factory gig isn’t a dream job. ?There have been accusations of abuse and exploitation, though nothing can be proven. But of course the Chinese gov’t run media isn’t going to report on anything like this. If this is such a happy factory, then why do they have safety nets to prevent suicide attempts? According to statistics, only 30% of Americans like their job. Learning about this, I’ve developed a new appreciation for mine. I don’t have to endure facial recognition tests, metal detectors and background checks day after day. Don’t you appreciate your job more? Does it make you think where your iPhone came from?
Apr 27, 2016 | internet
How many of you have seen The Jimmy Kimmel Show segment Mean Tweets? I admit, some of it is pretty funny. But for some of us, mean tweets can be degrading and even life threatening.
Twitter is making it easier to report abusive posts. Due to it’s new rule, Twitter will let you report up to five abusive posts. When they’re are more abusive posts, it will give to Twitter a better chance to take action and what action to take. This has been months in the making. Earlier this year, Twitter strengthened his it’s anti-abuse policy and vows to crack down on everything from violent threats to copyright violations. Maybe this is the wake of outcries that Twitter isn’t doing enough to protect their 320 million views. The new abuse policies aren’t yet viewed on Twitter, but it will be.
I have mixed reactions on this one. First, Twitter should NOT be a place to deliver threats of violence, to threaten lives, to start fights, to threaten somebody’s family and close friends. Nobody should be using Twitter to blackmail, extort, hack or use it for a sextortion tool. And Twitter should definitely not be a tool to promote or commit or brag about acts of terrorism and mass shootings. The cowards who hide behind alias names and commits such actions should be shut down, and probably criminally prosecuted. In facts, most of these acts can be prosecuted. So there’s that. But equally is concerning to me is the overt and overdone political correctness. Sometimes a ‘mean tweet’ could be a criticism, a disagreement, or a not so politically correct joke. When I hear Jimmy Kimmel’s mean tweets, most of them fall into the latter category. This is where this generation needs to lighten up and toughen up. But Twitter needs to draw a line between real mean tweets and just tweets that may be taken the wrong way. If you ran Twitter’s anti-abuse policy, where would you draw the line?
Apr 26, 2016 | News
It seems every time I look around, a tech company is buying another tech company. Think about how often we’ve seen this in the last several years. It happened again.
It was just announced phone maker Nokia acquiring health tech company Withings. Since 2008, Withings have made health based watches, fitness bands, sleep trackers, thermometers, and scales. The acquisition is worth $192 million and will include headquarters in Cambridge, MA, Paris and Hong Kong. Nokia, one of the top phone makers in the 1990s and 2000s, is struggling to keep up with the ever increasing smart technology based 2010s. They already have the virtual reality Ozo camera. At the Mobile World Congress in February, they announced new 5G and security technology. Withings is equally as excited as Nokia is. “We?ve been impressed with the plans the Nokia team has shared with us both for preventive health and patient care…we can start working together to determine our way forward,” said Withings CEO Cedric Hutchings. However, this acquisition between Withings and Nokia is going to do Europe a lot more good than Silicon Valley. Both are based in Europe, although Withings have some headquarters in Massachusetts. Will this new alliance be able to stand up to the Silicon Valley machine?
This would be an opportune time for them to make this merger. Silicon Valley has been struggling over the last several months. Now this happened? Nokia is anxious to be a worthy competitor in the smartphone game, and in the smart technology game in general. Withings will help Nokia with things like smart watches and other accessories, but I don’t see how this is going to help their smartphone game. But I’m near Cambridge, and could this help headquarters here? This may be a strange question, but could Withings and Nokia be a good thing for the greater Boston/Cambridge area? Could it even make this area compete with Silicon Valley technologically?
Apr 25, 2016 | Computer technology
By now, most of know about Google’s ambitions for an electronic car. Now, rumors in the tech world run rampant about one of Google’s biggest competitors, Apple, trying to build a car.
There was an announcement that German car corporation BMW and Apple ended talks to collaborate on an iCar. According to German business journal?Handelsblatt, BMW and another German car maker called Daimler stopped collaboration with Apple over the potential car due to ownership and leadership issues. Sources say Apple wants their car built on it’s own cloud software. Just because collaborations fell between them and Daimler doesn’t mean Apple is going to stop their icar quest. Word of the web is Apple could already be in collaboration with Magna Steyr. Unlike their rival Google, Apple has no experience with producing a car. That’s why they’re so desperate to find a top notch car company for help. Some reports say Apple has employed up to 20 people in Berlin to work on this car project. Apple wants to have this car driving off the lot by 2020. German journal F.A.Z. describes these employers as top class software and hardware developers, salespersons, and engineers. Apple isn’t confirming anything about this project.
But there’s an elephant in the room here. Let’s assume Apple is trying to build their own car? Why are they doing so in Germany and Austria? At least Google is working on their car here in America. Detroit and other cities could have used this businesses. Do you know how many American developers, salespersons and engineers that can use these jobs? At a time when college graduates are $100,000+ in debt and struggling to find any job, and at a time American small businesses and franchises are shutting down, couldn’t we use these jobs? Couldn’t Apple have built a car making facility or invest in car making tools and people here in America?
