So there are a lot of iPhone/social media wiseguys out there (that’s not a compliment). I think we all know of the ‘food licking’ challenge on social media. But what I’m talking about is far worse. This disturbing iPhone photo causes flight problems.
The flight is Jet Blue Flight 573 from Newark to Tampa. This occurred Sunday July 14. They scheduled take off was for 7:45 am. But those plans changed quickly when somebody sent pictures of suicide vests to passengers and flight attendants. The culprit used Apple’s AirDrop feature. So therefore, he/she can share pictures with other Apple phones and devices simply by using Bluetooth.
So when the pictures came up, pilots immediately returned the flight to the gate. Then, flight attendants escorted passengers off the plane. Police units of all kinds checked luggage. But even before that, people interviewed talked about Port Authority police and dogs coming on the plane. This was before anybody knew anything. Now imagine it’s you and your little kids on that plane. Imagine the nerves and fears and tears. The plane did take off…at 11:30am. That’s almost four hours after this security crisis got started.
What is even worse? Authorities believe the culprit behind the disturbing iPhone photo was one of the passengers on that plane! However, they can’t catch him. The sad thing is, they may never. I don’t know what the motive behind this was. But if this was a prank, then it’s not funny. And please…stop! Stop using your IT support and phones to terrify and hinder innocent people and tie up police units. It’s not cute, funny or cool. All it does it messes everybody up. Just like this food licking and spitting challenge. That’s not funny or cute or cool, either. All you’re doing is putting innocent people, including children, at risk for diseases. Do you really want that on your conscious? Also, do you want this disturbing iPhone photo on your conscious?
So have you ever taken a photo with your smartphone? It’s 2019, the height of the IT service age, so of course. But then you got all these people in your photos you don’t want there. Apparently, there’s an app for that now. Here’s the app that cleans your photos.
They call this app the Bye Bye Camera. This app removes human beings, including yourself, from photos you take with your smartphone. The organization behind this is Do Something Good. The people behind this say the Bye Bye Camera app takes the ‘selfie’ aspect of photos. They also say we’re heading into, “…the post human era”. Furthermore, Do Something Good reminds us that pets will be in the pictures.
However, there’s quite a demonstration of this. I saw a photo of a man standing on a sidewalk. Then a caption appears saying, “Please wait, detecting humans”. They use AI tech to take humans out of photos. They’re working on more causes with this kind of AI. It uses YOLO You Only Look Once). This is a kind of AI that detects a human being from the outline. Then they compare it with animals and non-living objects. That’s how they remove humans from photos. You can get the Bye Bye Camera app from the App Store for $3. That’s quite expensive for an app.
That’s the app that cleans your photos. It cleans of them of ourselves. I have mixed feelings about this. It would be fun to play with. Also, I know I have pictures that I would like to take the people out of. But I also have concern. First of all, they call it the post human era. That phrase alone scares me. Because it shows, to me at least, we now have such cynicism towards one another that we look forward to a time when we’re not even here. That’s creepy to me. In fact, I’d rather have the selfie culture that the ‘post human’ culture. I’m not crazy about this $3 price either. Would you use this app?
So the foldable phone is supposed to be the next IT service big thing. But it’s not looking good. Huawei’s trade war and Galaxy Ford’s issues keep getting in the way. Despite these setbacks, computer companies are moving on. Introducing the foldable laptop despite phone.
Because now, Lenovo shows off it’s ThinkPad X1. Their foldable display can make this thing look more like a tablet than a PC laptop. Yes, it’s 13.3 inches, but once you fold it, the screen and rest of it’s size is cut in half. I will admit. Those in computer repair know, and respect Lenovo for their innovations. Some worked. But some others ended in disaster.
What the ThinkPad X1 does is remove the screen from the tactical keyboard. That’s how you can fold it in half and cut space. But Lenovo isn’t the only one playing with this. Dell told computer experts they’re working on the same thing. But in the pictures I’m seeing of the Think Pad X1, the screen almost covers the keyboard. That’s how it folds. Experts know how little about this item. We don’t even know the price. But we can expect Lenovo to release it sometime in 2020.
Saying all this, what are we going to do about the foldable smartphone? Well, I’m interested in neither. But if you are, then my advice to keep waiting. Yes, Samsung delays the Galaxy Ford, but be patient. They’ll get there. The Trump administration pretty much blacklisted Huawei from even doing business in the US. Is it bad for me to say that I don’t feel sorry for Huawei at all? Not even a little bit. So needless to say, the foldable smartphone isn’t going so well, and has little resolution in sight. Now, Lenovo is introducing the foldable laptop despite foldable phone. Is this a good time though?
So Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote quite an article for the New York Times. It criticized Apple for using something we all crave and need…privacy. This Google CEO sounds off on Apple.
So let me explain. Pichai criticized Apple for selling privacy protection as a luxury item. This stems from new…ahem…budget smartphones from Apple and Google/Android. Because both offer privacy features. However, the Google smartphone starts at $399. But the new Apple one cost $749, almost twice as much. In the New York Times article, Pichai said, “Privacy cannot be a luxury good offered only to people who can afford to buy premium products and services”. Yes, he directed this to Apple and this new smartphone of theirs.
Then add the fact that Google’s new smartphone offers privacy protection features as much as Apple does. If that isn’t enough, then add the criticism Tim Cook has toward Google, especially when it comes to privacy issues. One time, he used the word, ‘surveillance’ quite often. He didn’t say Google directly, but even a kid know who Cook threw shade at. This week, Google showed off a bunch of new products helping consumers control their own data. Of course, many others criticized Google over the lack of privacy. Maybe Pichai is getting the message and trying to do something about it.
Because ‘privacy’ is now the word of the day of sorts in Silicon Valley. Look at some of the recent news articles in the IT service community. But look at these prices though. Google’s is almost half as Apple’s. That’s the part I find interesting. If Cook is criticizing Google so hard, then why is his privacy protection smartphone so much more? And why does Google CEO sounds off on Apple? Why are they doing this now? Is it because Pichai is so concerned with privacy? Or is this a way for Google to stick it to their arch rivals?
So, do you take Uber or Lyft to and from work every day? Then you should start looking for other ways to get there. Because Uber and Lyft drivers threaten strike.
Yes, drivers are planning on striking this weekend. The reason in because of low pay and poor working conditions, according to the IPO filing. Also, drivers demand better pay, better job security, and better proceeds. For example, they want 80-85% of proceeds to go to the driver. So here is the plan. On Wednesday the 8th, drivers in Chicago, San Francisco, LA, and New York plan to strike. This strike will start at 7am in there respective cities, just in time for the morning commute.
Those are just some of the cities. London drivers are also talking about striking. One strike leader, Bhairavi Desai says Wall Street investors are in Uber and Lyft leader’s ears. He says they’re telling the CEO’s they pay drivers too much already. Furthermore, he talks about how the CEO’s will make billions while drivers will suffer. So far, drivers in Boston, hope of our computer repair company, don’t have plans to strike. But that could change as well.
So far, I haven’t heard from Uber and Lyft leaders to talk about this. But you can best believe, the strikers are. One drivers says Uber is how he supports his 5-year-old son. He complains it’s getting harder for him to survive, while he accuses the rich getting richer. Look at how they chose rush hour on a weekday to start the strike. That’s not an accident. So if I were an Uber of Lyft CEO, I would try to talk to these strikers. I’d also try to work something out before you have a bunch of angry customers as well as drivers. Uber and Lyft drivers threaten strike. What are Uber and Lyft leaders doing about it?
So a New York City teenager files lawsuit against Apple. At the heart of this fight is Apple’s facial recognition. The young man is sewing for $1 billion.
So the young man’s name is Ousmane Bah, and he is 18. His lawsuit says Apple’s facial recognition made him a target of false accusations. The suit also says that last year, a Boston court summoned him on theft charges. The summons claimed he stole over $1,200 worth of Apple products. But wait…there’s more. Because it goes on to allege Bah stole products in New Jersey and Delaware. Obviously, Bah vehemently denies these claims.
In fact, Bah said he was at senior prom when one of the thefts took place (think of all the witnesses that can vouch for him). However, Bah explains that he lost his ID. Then, the real culprits pretended to be him, using facial recognition tech. Bah thinks that Apple’s software security blindly accepted the culprit’s fraud. Therefore, the facial IT support thought it was Bah’s face, and not the real suspect’s. That’s how they falsely accused Bah of theft. The college freshman’s lawsuit said this ordeal deeply affected him. Furthermore, these accusations caused him a lot of stress and hardship. So far, no word from Apple about this.
First and foremost, I am not here to take sides. These are all allegations, so far. I don’t know who is right or wrong. But there is a lesson we can learn here. As bad as this sounds, no piece of IT service is 110% secure. Anything can happen. So just because we spend lots of money of extra security doesn’t always mean we’re going to be 100% safe. Look at this New York City teenager and his lawsuit. Yes, we should take all the safety and security measures we can. But we should also be aware that anything can happen at anytime, regardless. Who do you think will win this lawsuit?
