Feb 20, 2016 | Uncategorized
You have to go to the DMV. It’s hardly a fun experience. For some, getting a root canal or prostate exam is more enjoyable. There could be hope. Can Microsoft end DMV trips?
In India, Microsoft is working to hook up Skype with India’s Aadhar system. Keep in mind India’s population is well over a billion. They’re trying to connect a national ID database with Skype and other video services. On one hand, it would save you a trip to the often dreaded DMV. It could cut down on that often hour plus line and save precious time. But there are privacy issues in question because the whole national ID database is more accessible. First, a person’s ID account number (India’s SSN) is linked to their Skype account. When they Skype the DMV, the agent checks the ID number to see if they’re dealing with the right individual. That’s how licences, permits, registrations, and other DMV business can be done without a person even going to DMV headquarters. Fingerprints and facial scanners can be used to protect the customers’ ID. This program is just in it’s infancy, but over 75% of India’s population is already enrolled, all voluntarily . Maybe they’re onto something.
Such visits can be a pain here in the US. So imagine a nation with 1.3 billion people a third of America’s size. Now imagine what a nightmare the DMV can spiral into over there. You thought lines were long in your town. I understand why most of India’s population would enroll in this service. I am a little concerned with the privacy issue, and they better do a really good job to make sure this system, and the people, are protected. All it takes is one thief and one hack to cause chaos for everyone. Can a system like this work in the USA? Would it be welcomed?
Feb 19, 2016 | News
The battle between Apple vs FBI is heating up. Whose side are you on? As I reported yesterday, the FBI, through a magistrate judge, ordered Apple to help the Feds break into an encrypted iPhone. That encrypted iPhone belonged to deceased terrorist Syed Farook of the San Bernadino shootings. Apple refuses to comply.
Now everybody from tech companies to presidential candidates are taking sides. Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter stand with Apple. Civil liberties group ACLU says this order is unlawful and unwise. Human rights group Amnesty International support Apple’s right to fight back and says the FBI’s request sets a dangerous precedent. Edward Snowden tweeted the whole world is depending on Apple’s case. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum also believes freedom and liberty are on the line. Anti-virus expert John McAfee wrote an article in International Business Times comparing an Apple encryption break to giving our enemies nuclear weapons. But not everyone is on Apple’s side. The Chinese government will most likely side with the FBI, as they don’t take individual’s privacy rights. Presidential candidate Donald Trump says he agrees 100% with the court order. Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the FBI has the White House’s full backing and blessing on this issue.
Battle lines are being drawn. I noticed those in governments and those running for government positions are siding with the FBI. Those either in tech or civil liberties side with Apple. I just find that interesting. What if Apple continues to stick their ground? Could a case of Apple vs FBI go all the way to the Supreme Court? In the wake of Justice Antoni Scalia’s death, and depending on who gets the vacant seat, what would the ruling be? How significant is this case? Was Jan Koum right when she said all of our liberties on the line due to this one battle? Whose side are you on?
Feb 18, 2016 | Security
For months, a debate has been going back and forth between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This corporate heavyweight and government heavyweight aren’t backing down anytime soon.
It started several months ago. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the data of iPhone users will be shielded by strong encryption. The encryption will be so strong not even Apple can break in and interpret it. But FBI officials led by Director James Comey argue terrorists and criminals could use this shield to their advantage. The rhetoric intensified yesterday when it was discovered a San Bernardino shooter used an iPhone. A court ordered Apple to hack into the phone by disabling security measures. Apple has five days to legally challenge this order. If Apple does so, the debate will turn into one of the biggest legal boxing matches of our generation. And Apple is getting allies. Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a series of tweets supporting Cook’s stand. Pichai tweeted forcing companies to enable hacking will compromise the privacy of innocent individuals. Then there is a coalition called Reform Government Surveillance. It’s made up of mega tech/computer corporations like Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo and AOL. They say companies shouldn’t be forced to build back doors to spy on their door.
For three years, the struggle between government agencies and tech companies has brewed. Remember when the Ed Snowden story broke, and people thought the Feds and tech companies were in cahoots??Now we know that isn’t the case. Yes, I side with the tech companies. Hacking into the tech companies of terrorists and criminals may sound good on paper. But they probably won’t stop there. What’s there to stop them from hacking innocent human beings? Plus, it does little good to break into the iPhone of a terrorists that is already dead. You can’t put dead people on trial. Plus, if government agencies do start hacking into other peoples’ iPhones, isn’t that going to make it easier for cyber criminals to do the same? They can easily look up how the Feds did it and imitate the steps themselves. Whose side are you on?
Feb 17, 2016 | internet
Over the years, we’ve covered some disturbing cyber crimes and hack attacks, from international government hacking to sextortion hacking. But we could see the most disturbing and demonic cyber attack yet play out before our eyes.
Hackers took over computer systems at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. They’re demanding 3.6 million dollars, or 9,000 Bitcoin. This is what’s called ransomware. The system has been down for a week. Doctors and nurses now must use manual documentation, faxes and telephones, basically knocking them back to the early 1980s.?Allen Stefanek, the hospital’s CEO, said he noticed IT issues last week. And it escalated to this. Many patients were transferred to major nearby hospitals. This had to be done because this hospital’s X-rays and CT scans got shut down because of the cyber attack. Documentation, lab work and pharmacy cases were severely affected. For some patients, the damage has already been done. A patient named Jackie Mendez and her mother had to drive an hour to get medical tests. Patient Belmont West couldn’t get his grandmother’s medical test. West expressed frustration because of the system’s delay. ?A $3.6 million ransom is high for any ransomware demand. This is what makes this a high profile case and gave the case national news.
As bad as this is, this hospital hostage crisis could have turned out a lot worse. Patients could have died due to lack of quality medical supplies. Patients may not get the quality medical care they deserve. But the hackers don’t care two cents about the patients or their health. That’s what makes it so disturbing. The fact they would hit up an institution where the sick and dying are being cared for shows their lack of empathy and their intense contempt for humanity. This is what’s called sociopaths. And they hide behind computers to do their wicked deeds. Will will it take to catch these culprits?
Feb 16, 2016 | Smartphone
Good day, my groovy cats! How would you like to go back to the days of tie dye shirts, miniskirts, monster afros and dashikis? Instead of watching The Walking Dead and Empire, we can watch American Bandstand and Laugh-In. Apple is going back to 1970.
Let me explain. There is a nasty virus going around iPhones lately. If you have any mobile Apple device, do NOT set the date to 1/1/1970. If you do, it will stop working and it takes a trip to the Apple Store to revive it. But in most cases, even the Apple technicians are dumbfounded by this one. When a phone is unresponsive, it’s referred to as a brick phone because like a brick, all it can do is just lay there. Cyber trolls worsen the situation by deliberately releasing fake images just to trip people up. To this day, we don’t know what causes this virus (or Apple isn’t talking about it). But we have Apple’s word they are trying to solve it. There’s a statement on Apple support’s website claiming, “An upcoming software will prevent this issue from affecting iOS devices.” They urged anyone affected by this should call Apple Support. Nonetheless, there is no word when the upcoming software will be available.
For some people, it’s already too late. For some, the best thing they can do is get a new device. At best, under Apple Care, it’s just an aggravation. At worst, people will have to pay hundreds of dollars to get another device. I can hear the conspiracy theories now. Some may argue Apple deliberately put this virus out just so people will have to pay for another phone. I highly doubt it. Apple employees are suffering from this just almost as much as consumers are. Think of the backlog, overcrowded stores, and not so cool temperaments going on in Apple stores all over America. How soon do you think it will before Apple can fix this mess?
Feb 15, 2016 | internet, networking
What do Iggy Azalea, Curt Shilling, and James Woods have in common? They’re all celebrities that had to endure cyber bullying in the recent past. Emmy award winner James Woods is putting his foot down and cyber bullies are being dealt another blow.
There is a cyber masked Twitter user calling James Woods a “cocaine addict”. Woods and his lawyers are taking legal steps not only to expose him, but sue the anonymous Twitter user $10 million for defamation. But the mystery Twitter user has lawyers in court fighting to keep his anonymity. According to the New York Times, the Twitter’s name is Abe List. But Woods now has the legal permission to sue Abe List and expose him as well. List’s lawyers say the “cocaine addict” claims aren’t to be taken seriously. Woods’ lawyers reply most readers would accept the allegation as a factual statement. it’s ironic because Woods is regular Twitter user himself and uses the social media site to express politically conservative views. Some of Woods’ tweets have targeted President Barack Obama. ?The other irony is that Abe List isn’t some thug or criminal or angry outcast living in mamma’s basement. Reports say he’s a Harvard educated and works at a Los Angeles private equity firm.
This legal fight is far from over. Neither side seems to be backing down. I know celebrities can be easy targets. First off, they’re in the public eye. Second off, people think celebs are so busy they won’t notice such vile, negative comments and allegations. Third off, many cyber trolls can hide under anonymous names and profiles and never get caught…or so they think. But more and more celebs are fighting back. And that’s another reason we should be careful of what we put on social media. I repeat my general rule of thumb: If you can’t bear to say it to someone’s face, don’t post it. Who will win this lawsuit: James Woods or Abe List?
Feb 14, 2016 | Smartphone
My smartphone alerts me when there’s a tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning. It alerts me when there’s breaking news concerning the world and my city. Yes, it even alerts me when there’s breaking news concerning my favorite sports teams. But can smartphones detect earthquakes?
This is where Android’s new app My Shake comes in. It’s available free of charge at the Google Play store. It was invented by a team of seismologists led by Quigkai Kong and a team of computer scientists led by Richard Allen. My Shake was founded at the University of California-Berkeley. It uses your smartphone’s accelerometer as your own earthquake watch center. There are more obscure earthquake watch apps out there. But My Shake uses GPS to detect the slightest of earthquake rumblings and tremors. When My Shake detects an earthquake, it sends the origin, time, and strength (Richter scale). It also warns people in the neighborhood of how long they have to take cover before it hits. After the alert, as long as your phone is connected with WiFi, you’re given a second alert. It’s somewhat of a five minute timer, giving you one minute before the earthquake hits and four minutes after it hits. The My Shake app also detects were historic earthquakes took place over the decades. Try it in California.
An app like My Shake is way overdue. Stats show that 2015 was one of the busiest years for earthquakes ever, including one in Nepal that killed over 5,000 people. The biggest earthquakes of my childhood was the 1989 San Francisco earthquake that hit during the World Series. But so far in the 21st century, we’ve seen quakes that have topped 9.0 on the Richter scale. We’ve seen quakes and tsunamis that have killed tens of thousands at a time. Today, there was an earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand that caused a cliff to collapse. Thankfully, no deaths or injuries were reported. So I give these teams props for releasing this free app. How many lives will My Shake app save?
Feb 13, 2016 | News
Since 1975, United Technologies has led the way in building and researching high tech products. You can find their influence in everything from aircraft to security systems to military equipment. But now, United Technologies gets press for the wrong reasons.
In Indianapolis, Indiana, there is an air conditioning manufacturing plant called Carrier, which United Technologies owns. Carrier announced the plant will begin a move to Monterrey, Mexico starting next year. Eventually, this will cost 1,400 American jobs. A meeting was called. When workers heard this plan, let’s just say, they didn’t hide their disappointment and frustration. As company president Chris Nelson delivered the bad news, it was returned with jeering and cursing. Here’s the video, but viewer discretion advised: Some of the language is graphic. Him saying things like, “This was strictly a business decision” and “We’re committed to treating you with respect during this transition…” hardly made workers feel better. Even political leaders are getting involved. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett plans to issue an executive order to help out workers. Indiana Governor Mike Pence authorized his state to offer job training and education to those affected. Meanwhile in Huntington, Indiana, a town approximately 100 miles north of Indianapolis, another United Technologies plant announced it’s move to Mexico. Around 700 jobs will be lost…in a town of only 17,000 people.
Can you blame the workers for the reaction? I can’t. Imagine working hard, being loyal and doing the right thing for years, only to have your job shipped to a foreign land. Of coursed you’re going to be ticked off. Then they tell them it’s just business. That’s like a hit man or gangster telling the victim, “We have to kill you know. But it’s just business.” Unfortunately, their ordeal isn’t unique. So far in 2016, many businesses are cutting down or letting good workers go. By moving to Mexico, United Technology thinks they’re going to save money because they can pay employees less in Mexico and the unions aren’t as strong. That means they can exploit workers more without consequence. This is a total move of greed on United Technologies’ part. The only ones winning here are the CEO and top VP’s. Some may say, “Oh, that’s just capitalism.” I beg to differ. This looks more like crony capitalism to me, where only a few have a shot at the American dream while the vast majority starve. ?Is this just business or personal to you?
Feb 12, 2016 | internet, networking
Do you use a dating site? You’re not alone. A study by Pew Research Center in summer 2015 shows you’re in abundant company.
Around 2,000 adults age 18-64 were polled. Of those, 12% said they used a dating site. That’s up from 9% just three years ago. Nine percent said they used a dating app on their smart device. That’s up from 3% in 2013. A combined 15% say they use some kind of Internet dating service. In 2013, that number was 11%. Two age demographics lead the trend. One demographic is the young adult 18-24 crowd. The second one is more surprising. As it turns out, older Americans 55-64 are turning to online dating. The number of 55-64-year-olds using dating sites have doubled (from 6 to 12 percent) since 2013. Almost one fourth of young adults say they use online dating. But there’s even more to it. Nearly half of adults say they know someone who uses online dating. And nearly 30% say they know someone who married or started a long-term monogamous relationship with online dating. Why is online dating so popular? Eighty percent of those who use it say it’s a good way to meet people. More than half say it helps people find a better match and online dating is easier and less awkward.
I too know people who used online dating. For some, it lead to successful marriages. For some, it led to first dates ending in disaster. For some, it lead to quick hook-ups. Personally, I’m still skeptical of online dating. I prefer meeting people the old fashioned way: in person. But if you are going to date online, be careful. Some dating sites are really ethical and honorable. Some are nothing but trouble. Don’t even get me started on the Ashley Madison fiasco, a fiasco that ruined lives and families. Do your research and homework, on the person as well as the website. In 2016, they’re enough tools where you can do that now. Would you use a dating site?
Feb 11, 2016 | News
Earlier this week, venture capitalist Mark Andreessen tweeted, “Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now.” I’m sure he didn’t mean it as bad as it sounded. But this is a heavily connected and very PC world we’re in. The firestorm was fast and furious.
Since then, Andreessen has apologized and deleted the tweet. But criticism from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and India’s business leaders ?came in a hurry. Andreessen is a Facebook board member. Andresseen expressed frustration over free but limited mobile Internet access being banned in India. Some lawmakers in India fear Facebook’s major influence. But Andreessen quickly took the comments back, saying he is a huge admirer of India and the Indian people. Zuckerberg called the original tweet ‘deeply upsetting’. But Zuckerberg did say we need to understand India’s past. Hopefully, the apology is accepted and the business relationship between Facebook and India can move on. But the issue of Free Basics will not go away anytime soon. He still criticizes India’s government for the ban on Free Basics, saying, “Denying world’s poorest free partial Internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, strikes me as morally wrong.” Zuckerberg ?praises India for the progress they made.
If you want to say Andreessen’s wording of his frustration was wrong, it was. But he does have a point. Zuckerberg is right too. India has made tremendous economical, social and technological progress in recent decades. It’s home to one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It’s becoming one of the most respected nations in the world. That’s why it bothers me that lawmakers there hate Free Basics. If you’re going to continue to compete in the 21st century world, you need the Internet. The more people who have access to the Internet, the better, even if it’s free. I hope Facebook officials can convince India’s government to reconsider their ban on Free Basics. What’s the real reason they’re hating on free online access?
