SoftBank is an IT support and telecommunications powerhouse. Their headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan. But they made history again. Because they teamed up with an unlikely ally to create a mega fund. SoftBank and Saudi Arabia Create a tech monster.
Hence, this monster is the world’s biggest technology fund. They call it Vision Fund. ?The fund will start with $93 billion. Also, Japan and Saudi Arabia hope this fund challenges Silicon Valley investors. We will see. How is Saudia Arabia in this? Because the Saudi prince is the main investor. Not only that, but tech giants Apple and Qualcomm take part. So is US President Donald Trump. SoftBank promised President Trump this deal would give the US 50,000 jobs.
Keep in mind this happens while Trump visits the Saudi Royal Family. So why did Saudi prince Mohammad bin Salman invest in this? Because he wants his nation to be a powerhouse in technology, not just oil. So why did SoftBank CEO Mr. Son create this deal? He dreams to have a tech powerhouse outside of Japan. This deal was months in the making. In fact, there was so much infighting they didn’t think this deal would happen at all. But it did. SoftBank and Saudi Arabia created a tech monster.
But what does this have to do with the rest of us in computer repair, or other tech aspect? Well, if this SoftBank and Saudi Arabia deal does create all these jobs, then things will definitely look up. Here in the US, we need all the jobs we can get. Furthermore, we need all the tech jobs we can get. But I’m skeptical. How many times have we heard this before? So I’ll believe it when the jobs come over here. What about Silicon Valley. This SoftBank and Saudi Arabia deal will give them competition. Maybe that’s what they need in California: a wake up call. What do you think of this SoftBank and Saudi Arabia potential tech monster?
Are you visiting a site that has a Twitter button or logo? Be careful. Because Twitter knows you’re on that site, whether you push the button or not. Also, they will be sudden targets for advertisers. So Twitter updates privacy policy: What this means.
Yesterday, Twitter updated their privacy policy. So now, they collect and hold your web habits for 30 days. Before this, it was only 10 days. They do this because they want to sharpen their ad targets. Twitter wants to make sure the right ads go to the right people. Furthermore, Twitter updates policy for mobile apps. But wait…there is more.
Yes, you can control what ads come to you. But the Do Not Track option is gone. This options lets you tell websites not to track you. This was huge when they created it back in 2017. But recently, more and more companies, like Hulu, either refused to support it or quit it’s support. Twitter says the Do Not Track app simply didn’t come to much of anything. They will cut off this support on June 18, 2017. However, if you don’t want tracking, Twitter can still help you. There’s still the ‘Privacy and Safety’ setting and other settings. One disables Twitter from seeing when you visited websites.
We can be glad for that. Twitter updates privacy policy. At least there will be a privacy policy. Here in our Boston computer service shop, online/social media privacy is a major concern. So is security against malware. And Twitter hasn’t been doing that well, lately. Not even the NFL can help it. The bullying scandals haven’t help much either. So this is the last thing Twitter wants to be messing with: other people’s privacy. I know businesses have to evolve. We evolve in computer repair all the time. But we also have to realize what time it is. Don’t take away people’s right to protect their privacy. ?What does Twitter updates privacy policy mean to you?
Last weekend, I reported the WannaCry virus attacking 99 countries. But in the last two days, it got worse. It’s now in 153 countries. Asia is hit really hard. WannaCry: Could this be the worst ransomware?
So thy hackers demand $300. In six days, they’ll double it. Then, they threaten to delete the files. So far, over 38,000 businesses and individuals paid this ransom. So do the math. The cyber thugs made over $1.4 million in just a few days. ?They reported incidents in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. So imagine going to see the hottest movie in a theater. But instead of watching the movie, or the previews, all you see is the malware. That’s what theaters in South Korea went through.
Saturday, I mentioned how they hit British hospitals. One poor man couldn’t even have his open heart surgery because of this cyber virus. So far, we don’t know of an attack in the US. But Homeland Security works overtime to stop the malware and seek out those responsible. Good luck with that one. I say that because their codes are around the world. Then, there are copycat people are doing this. So where does this end?
This is no time for Americans to be complacent or laugh WannaCry. Wouldn’t they just love to attempt to destroy our American IT support and tech infrastructure? In fact, tech experts brace for more attacks this week. So let’s be on guard. First and foremost, patch up your system. If you’re having trouble with that, call a computer repair firm, like Computer Geeks. I can’t stress this other point. If you’re using Windows XP, or another unsupported software, stop immediately! Not only is it causing tech chaos, but political too. In Britain, political parties are already arguing about whose fault this is. I’ll solve the argument: it’s the hackers’ fault. So how seriously are you taking WannaCry?
Last week, in our Boston computer service shop, we had a debate. It was about how good, or not so good, Windows 10 is. So my argument was, “They’re doing better than other Windows services did”. Hence, it looks like they’re trying to do even better. Here are new Windows features, especially for GMail users.
But don’t expect this to happen overnight. The new Windows features will happen first to insiders, then to the general public. Furthermore, you’ll see them on Outlook and Office 365. That is, those who have ties to GMail accounts. If you want to focus on a certain email, the new features can do it. They can also help you with every day business and personal things, like traveling and package deliveries.
But Microsoft asks users to do their part. They need to send a copy of their email, calendar and contact to Microsoft cloud. This updates your GMail system. In the next few weeks, expect reminders to upgrade your GMail account. And they won’t stop reminding you, either. So if you miss the first prompt, just give it a few weeks. You’ll get another one.
In fact, they’ll probably cram it down your throat until you finally do accept the new Windows feature. That’s what I don’t like about these new features. And it’s not just Microsoft, but just about every IT service does it like this. It’s maddening. Okay, enough of my ranting. But I wish Microsoft would tell us a little bit more of these new Windows features. What else do they have to offer? Or is this it? And I’ve been talking to several Windows 10 users. I also spoke with some GMail users as well. A lot of folks are unhappy with these services. Will these new Windows features make them happy? Or will it further alienate more customers?
Since election night, there’s been a lot of infighting between news organizations. And breaking up isn’t so hard to do. But there is another breakup to report. The Guardian cuts ties with Facebook and Apple news apps.
However, this one cuts deeper. That’s because The Guardian was the first UK medium to embrace Facebook. They were also the first British medium to join the Apple News App. But two years later, all of that is over. A Guardian representative talked about the reasons why. ?The person reflected on this trail run with Facebook and Apple. But he/she suggests these formats don’t line up with their “objectives”. Therefore, they will stop running all articles through Facebook and Apple News.
This new policy begins today. But let’s look at other reasons. Some say it’s a money factor. They look at the profits that come through these apps. Hence, The Guardian concludes they can make more by sticking to their own publishing outlets. Remember kids, media is a business too. Furthermore, they want…no…they need to cut cost and increase profits at the same time. So they cut off service of Facebook and Apple News. They’re also asking people for donations and putting together membership fees for regular readers. It’s a sign of the times.
Yes, some of the struggle is economical. Gone are the days where you pay monthly to get your favorite newspaper delivered to your home. Now, there are many, many, ways to get your news through online and social media means. Most of them are for free. Here in our Boston computer service shop, we all have our favorite online news websites and apps. Which one are mine, you ask? I’m not telling. I’m not trying to start another ‘what is fake news’ debate. But is that the other reason why The Guardian is doing this? Is this just about money? Or are there social and political issues involved here?
You have password issues, don’t you? Most of us do. In fact, if you’re in computer repair, they’re almost a guarantee. Facebook wants to change that. Facebook passwords: Facebook helps recover passwords.
So yes, Facebook wants to help you recover passwords. But not just for your site. They also want to help you recover passwords for every site you need them. And in this day and age, ?you need passwords for many, many websites. This came up at the F8 Facebook Development Conference in San Jose, CA. So there, they develop a software. They call it, ‘Delegated Account Recovery’. Hence, with this software, people can recover any password to any account.
But there’s one catch. That account has to be a part of Facebook’s beta program. So here is what that means. Can you log on to the website through Facebook? Then you can use this new Facebook passwords software. You click on the ‘forgot my password’ button. Then, that button takes you to Facebook. From there, they’ll ask you questions only you would know. The question would be something like, “Where did you attend high school?”. It could also give you a Facebook friend and tell you to give his or her name. If you get it right, Facebook gives the website confirmation that you are who you really are. And boom! Your Facebook passwords problems are solved.
But I will tell you one thing. This program will be very popular. Do you know how many people come in our Boston computer service shop with password issues? If I had a dollar every time this happened, then I would be rich. So the demand will be there. And think about all the sites where you can log on through Facebook. That’s just how powerful Facebook is these days. But would it be safe? I love Facebook. But, do we want one website, Facebook, to have this much power over us?
