Nerd News Tracker
Is ‘dopamine fasting’ Silicon Valley’s new productivity fad? – BBC Worklife
This article is an interesting look into people who are quitting tech for a day, and finding a better handle on life. It's similar to something that I've suggested for years here on the radio show. Even taking off one day a month from your smartphone will make you...
Ring: Doorbell camera footage can be kept by police forever and shared with whomever they’d like – The Washington Post
Forget the initial concern about Amazon telling a senator how it's protecting privacy, while releasing video from privately owned cameras. I'm concerned about the idea of information from cameras being kept forever, shared freely, and no crime being involved....
Uber will reportedly audio-record rides for safety – CNET
In what will eventually become a built-in tool to protect themselves, Uber has started a voluntary audio recording of your ride. Eventually this may become an obscure option to turn off, and then disappear from view, as we add one more intrusion into our privacy. I...
Christians turn to artificial intelligence to stop porn use – Chicago Tribune
This isn't as much of a news item as it should be, nor as revelating. It seems like more of a progression than actual journey into full fledged AI. Still, the main company, Covenant Eyes, has been around for a long time, as well as the mentioned X3watch.com and a...
‘It’s Really Refreshing And Relaxing’: College Students Say Ditching Their Smartphones For A Week Changed Their Lives – CBS New York
Amazing that you can even get a college student to ditch their phone, but some did. The tech-free time is something that is important for all of us, and if these two dozen youth can do it, so can you!They survived! Nearly two dozen Adelphi University students made it...
Costco Warns of $75 Fake Coupon Scam Circulating on Social Media
Scams become more prevalent at this time of year, and this is a recurring scam. Nobody is giving away gobs of money just because you passed it along to someone else. Actually, most successful companies prefer that you not spread amazing coupons around because they...
‘Amazon Pharmacy’ brand comes to PillPack, CEO TJ Parker promoted
The most recognizable name in mail-order is about to take on CVS, Walgreens, WalMart, and Express Scripts. That last one? Yep, mail-order pharmacy. PillPack delivers your meds bundled together every 30 days. You'll lose out if you get a discount for 90 days, and...
Chilean Protesters Used Lasers to Bring down Police Drone, It Worked
Want to take part in a protest. Who would have thought that a laser pointer would come in as handy as this. Then again, who would have thought that police would be using drones against protesters. I am truly fascinated by this entire direction! When technology is used...
Wikipedia’s co-founder takes on Facebook with ad-free social network
It's been a long time since I've considered an alternative to Facebook. Jimmy Wales, a co-founder of Wikipedia, has decided that he's got something in WT:Social. It's a little different in appearance, but one thing going for it... no ads, and a promise of similarities...
Netflix is making ‘Beverly Hills Cop 4’ | TechCrunch
Years ago, Eddie Murphy was on top of the world with Beverly Hills Cop, then the sequel. But it all went sour with the third movie. Netflix, however, thinks they can bring this franchise back from the very dead. Netflix has turned a lot of interesting items into gold,...
16-Inch MacBook Pro Debuts With New Magic Keyboard, Physical Esc Key, Up to 64GB of RAM, and More – MacRumors
Apple announced what appears to be a serious improvement on the MacBook Pro. Keith will be covering all of the amazing details on next weeks Computer Talk Radio. Apple today announced its much-rumored high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is the largest MacBook Pro...
Netflix and Nickelodeon team up to take on Disney+ | Engadget
Amazing developments as Netflix finds a replacement for Disney, who went off and developed their own competitor. It will likely appeal to many parents who are looking to entertain their younger ones. The article does point out that CBS own's Nickelodeon, and at odds...
‘#DisneyPlusFail:’ Disney Apologizes After Streaming Service Crashes on Launch Day
Disney+ has smoothed out the problems in the days since, but it was interesting for a short while. At the same time, it's reported that over 10 Million subscribers have already joined up. Verizon also struck a nice deal with Disney+, and I'm sure that's not going to...
Google’s ‘Project Nightingale’ Gathers Personal Health Data on Millions of Americans – WSJ
Again, we learn of a tech giant gathering data from an questionable location. In this case, Google is gathering sensitive data, but is apparently accessible by people who are not medical staff. HIPAA regulations may be followed now, but is Google a company that can be...
U.S. judge rules suspicionless searches of travelers’ digital devices unconstitutional – Reuters
In an exciting twist of events, the 4th Amendment has been partially restored to travelers. For a number of years, ICE and CBP were able to conduct searches without a warrant or suspicion. At least now, they must have "reasonable suspicion" and that's the road towards...
Netflix is dropping support for older Samsung smart TVs in December | Engadget
Unfortunately, the Netflix app has become more powerful over the years, and now a select group of people will have to replace their older televisions or Roku's. This isn't planned obsolescence, but it does make a good argument for not buying a 20+ year device...
‘I’m A Deaf DJ’: The Story Of Nico DiMarco | WAMU
An amazing item to think about, a DJ who feels the music, instead of listening. An interesting companion piece to our discussion in Hour 2 with Steve Keske.Meet a Washingtonian using his love of music to help others "visualize a future without limits." See full story...
Your DNA Profile is Private? A Florida Judge Just Said Otherwise
In a new twist, it appears that all of the pledges by various DNA analysis companies will mean nothing. Your DNA, which you gave freely, can now be scanned, cataloged, and more, just as soon as someone else get's a warrant. At what point do we realize that the benefit...
Documents Show Facebook Used User Data As Bargaining Chip To Competitors | Digital Trends
It's scary to think that our data is being used to sell to us. It's scarier to find out that Facebook allowed third parties access. Scariest is that they pitted companies against each other, and played favorites, presumably based off of something more than money......
Too much screen time changes brains, says Cincinnati Children’s study
Television will rot your brain. We've been hearing this for decades, and the screens are smaller now, but there may be some truth to the addictive nature of the screens. We are witnessing a generation that is coming, that will have been using these screens since they...
Google Removes PragerU Android App from Play Store | Breitbart
Socialist/left wing tech company censors conservative Jewish commentator Dennis Prager again, but now it's the Google Play store. This shameless censorship of political opponents happened before, and will continue over and over again. What exactly is so dangerous...
Microsoft’s 4 day workweek led to 40% boost in productivity – Insider
A whole slew of facts about the increase in productivity, and other tricks involved, like setting meetings to no more than 30 minutes, remote access, and more. The amount of printing was reduced, and electrical usage, but they didn't note if this was eight hour days,...
The Internet Is Less Free Than It Was a Decade Ago, Report Says
An article that tells us something that we instinctively already know. China is the worst abuser of internet freedoms. Social media is being monitored in the US by law enforcement. Half the world's users live where major content of political, social, or religious...
Ava – Communicate Beyond Barriers
An interesting tool that Steve Keske will be talking about during the second hour of Computer Talk Radio, this week. I feel strongly about this, so I'm putting it into our news feed as well. (We were not paid for this!)Accessible conversations for the deaf &...
Put down that phone! Indonesians invent device to aid …
An interesting device that 's worn as a wristwatch to break your addiction to smartphones. Perhaps it works, and perhaps not, but at this point, we need to be expending far more efforts into stemming the continued usage of digital heroin. It doesn't help that there...
Coral Springs Police: 911 Supervisor Watching Netflix During Shooting Call – CBS Miami
Amazing how this supervisor had access to external sites like Netflix during her working shift. Most companies have firewalls that block improper access to external sources, so why not this police agency? The punishment is a possible suspension, and she had to make a...
Facebook says 100 developers might have improperly accessed Groups member data – The Verge
Inside hack of the... Oh whatever. It keeps happening, and we continue to see the abuse by people with electronic power, accessing data that they shouldn't. It's been like this for years and will continue. In this case, yes, your groups may have been accessed...
If you could erase the worst memory of your life, would you? Scientists are working on a pill for that | National Post
I am formed by my experiences, the good and the bad. If I eliminate the bad experiences, then I eliminate a part of who I am. I remove a part of what I've done with my life. In these cases, people were freed from memories of betrayals... which could potentially leave...
PayPal Booted Conservative Street Artist Sabo, Holding His Money
Amazing discrimination against a street artist. Paypal cancelled the account for the left leaning political views. If you are outraged over this... then you should be equally outraged to find out that the street artist is a conservative that was censored. On Monday...
Facebook Pays U.K. Fine Over Cambridge Analytica, Doesn’t Admit Fault
In one of the most outrageous cases of a company giving away your personal information, making MILLIONS of dollars, they got a slap on the wrist. The idea of a $644,000 fine is like fining you $4 for going 90 miles an hour in a school zone. Of course, that's the UK,...
Apple Card users can now finance iPhone purchases for 24 months, interest-free | TechCrunch
Got the Apple Card? Want to save money and pay no interest? Yep, 3% discount from Apple, AND no interest on your iPhone purchase. Didn't take them long, but that's really slick marketing. Of course, the profit margin on all smartphones is insane, but that's another...
Google Funds 29 US Journalism Projects That Decidedly Swing Left
The headline leaves off that it's 29 of 34 projects, but it's not exactly a news flash. Allow me to reword this shocking news: Far Left Tech Company Funds Far Left News Sources. Remember, I believe in no bias in reporting, left or right. We have to take care as to...
Study finds biased hospital algorithm favors white patients
Garbage in, garbage out. If someone writes a bad formula, then problems can happen. This one determined health based on how much was spent for medical care. One has to wonder, however, how this formula specifically resulted in being biased against blacks. A new...
Netflix tests speed binge feature, draws celebrity outrage | EW.com
Comedic timing can be lost if you speed things up. Comprehension is lowered. Tension is reduced. Sure, we'd sometimes like to shave a few minutes off, by eliminating wasteful scenes, but to speed through the show at 1 1/2 times normal speed, no thanks. What if you...
Apple’s ‘The Morning Show’: What the Critics Are Saying | Hollywood Reporter
People don't want to pay for preachy political shows, and Apple TV+ delivered exactly that. But, they delivered it poorly, with review range from "blah" to "boring", and that's not good for the show that launches the new service. For their sake, I hope they come up...
Apple resumes human reviews of Siri audio with iPhone update
Remember just a few months ago when everyone said that they were stopping human reviews of audio commands and dictation? I said then, that they would come back soon enough under the guise of improvement. Guess what...Apple is resuming the use of humans to review Siri...
Is Facebook censoring conservatives or is moderating just too hard? – CNET
The continued conversation over Facebook, and censorship is only made worse by the word games that are being played. The fact that it persists years after allegations and proof started, underscores that Facebook is playing games with the truth, and what people are...
You have one week to update your iPhone 5 before it stops working | Macworld
Got an old iPhone 5? It could be dead in days, if you don't update it! Simple enough, it's going to mess with the time, and GPS and perhaps more. Just break down and go get a new phone already!Apple is warning iPhone 5 users to update their phones to iOS 10.3.4 before...
DJI’s Mavic Mini is so small it doesn’t require FAA registration | Engadget
NOTE: THIS IS NO LONGER A RUMOR. It's a unique idea by one of the leaders in the drone world, make a super-powered drone that fits under the weight requirement. I wonder if the FAA anticipated this, or if this even really makes a big deal....
Virgin Galactic becomes the first public space tourism company on Monday | TechCrunch
Do you want to invest in space travel? Not content to letting Bezos, Branson, and Musk be the only ones to benefit? Virgin Galactic is going to be on the NYSE starting this Monday, and you could own a piece of the dream. Personally, I think this will be a bigger...
Japan hotel admits bedside robots could’ve been spy tools
High-tech hotels means high-tech hacking targets. Robots equipped with "ears" and "eyes" can monitor all activity within the rooms, and can be used in nefarious ways. Do I like the idea of convenience? Yes, but not at the expense of being hackable. Even worse, there's...
Russia Will Test Its Ability to Disconnect from the Internet – Defense One
When a country starts looking to control the flow of information, it does not bode well. Yes, this may be what it looks like on the surface, a way to protect their part of the Internet from hackers, but many countries have censored traffic, or cut it off completely....
US customers kick up class-action stink over Epson’s kyboshing of third-party ink • The Register
The fight between printer manufacturers and their customers using third party ink continues. Epson's firmware update that just up and killed third party cartridges and the ability to use them was another shot at the end user. I fear that we will continue to overpay...
Google quantum computer leaves old-school supercomputer in the dust – CNET
Quantum computing stands to change the face of all manner of computing. It has been an elusive target for a while, but is becoming more practical as we speak. This announcement by Google contains amazing promises and feats of quantum computing breakthroughs. This...
Tesla’s Futuristic Door Handles Blamed for Death in Fiery Wreck
The Model S has door handles that blend and all but disappear into the side of the car. That fashion sense has now caused the untimely, and needless death of a man who got into a crash in Florida. Worse yet, are the battery fires that burn on for many hours and...
Online Influencers Tell You What to Buy, Advertisers Wonder Who’s Listening – WSJ
The world of marketing is both breaking into new worlds, but also crumbling as we move further. It is also changing in ways that nobody ever imagined. I wonder what will be the next step on this journey. We do all influence in various ways, and one step that has...
Traffic lights worldwide set to change after Swedish engineer saw red over getting a ticket • The Register
I've been blessed enough to never get a red light ticket. Almost been ran into, however. I do believe that it's time for a reform, and someone may have found a way to ensure that fairness prevails when you come up to the traffic light. A Swedish engineer's umbrage at...
Bezos: Blue Origin will work on lunar lander with Lockheed, Northrop & Draper
To dream of space, to finally go there, to land on the moon again, and perhaps then move to Mars. These are all exciting dreams, and I'm excited by the possibility of what could be. Jeff Bezos wouldn't have been my first choice, but he's definitely not my last!Jeff...
Electric-Car Owners Hard Hit by Massive California Power Shutdown
A week ago, California was not only shutting down power to prevent fires, it was also stranding electric car drivers and keeping them from escaping potential fires. This kind of meddling will keep people from wanting to purchase electric cars, and I don't blame the...
Ron Wyden wants Facebook to ‘mind your own business’ with new privacy bill – The Verge
While initially promising, the finer print as you read further, points out that the privacy protections would be for a fee. So, you only deserve faux privacy if you fork over real money... which would still not really solve anything. Oh, but only the people who the...
Google exec says Nest owners should warn guests that their conversations might be recorded – BGR
"Welcome to my home. Your conversations in my home may be recorded for quality control purposes." Rick Osterloh, of Google, has suggested that if you have a Nest (or other smarthome device), that you should tell all of your guests about the spying and recording...
Without encryption we will lose all privacy. This is our new battleground | Edward Snowden | Opinion | The Guardian
While this is an editorial, it does point out that we are going to need to do something to protect the secrets that we hold dear. Encryption is something that we all need to start looking into, embracing, and using on a regular basis, for all of the portions of our...
New AMC Theatres streaming service lets you rent or buy movies at home – CNET
AMC is going to present on-demand playing of movies, and Keith and I will be discussing this announcement by AMC, this week on Computer Talk Radio. AMC wants to be your go-to place for movies, whether that's out at the theater or at home on the couch. The movie...
Uber lays off about 350 across multiple divisions
When I heard about this layoff, the same thing probably went through your mind... "Uber is on the rocks!" The reality is that sometimes companies do some trimming, and this little trim was 1.5%. This may be the third round, but between the three it isn't even 5%. Most...
KeyMe kiosks security: Experts say key-copying kiosks pose new security threat to buildings and cars – CBS News Radio investigation – CBS News
Whenever there is a key, someone will want to make a copy of it. It's been like that for ages. Now, the common RFID card is also easily copied, and at a kiosk near you. The claim of paper trails and protections is merely a deflection as that only tracks the act of...
AT&T raises prices 7% by making its customers pay AT&T’s property taxes | Ars Technica
So, the big phone company has found a way to take more money from it's customers, by passing along taxes that were meant for them to pay, directly in the customers bill. That's like your car dealer sending you their electric bill. Or the restaurant charging you for...
Call of Duty is the biggest mobile game launch ever – The Verge
Another mobile game has hit, and with 100,000,000 downloads in one week, this is off the charts! Remember when an amazing game would sell a couple of million? This is an equivalent of every male in the United States from age 10 to age 60. Of course there are people...
China attacks Apple for allowing Hong Kong crowdsourced police activity app | TechCrunch
China throws their weight around some more, over an app on the Apple App Store. The tech landscape is changing rapidly with the behemoth that is China. This tool was being used by protesters to demonstrate and to spread the word of their distaste in the current...
From ‘Gemini Man’ to ‘The Irishman’: Dawn of the De-Aged Actor | Hollywood Reporter
For years, they have been attaching Fred Astaire to vacuum cleaners, and tweaking people to look older or younger for a few minutes, frequently on the small screen, but now they are out to make entire movies with photo-realistic de-aging. This is a challenge that also...
Ring’s police partnerships must end, say more than 30 civil rights groups – CNET
Multiple groups are reaching out where they can to stop Amazon from making deals with various police agencies to increase the reach of the long arm of the law. While I normally support police, the idea of allowing unfettered access to everyone's cameras is just...
Blizzard bans pro Hearthstone gamer for statement supporting Hong Kong | Ars Technica
In something I've been predicting for a while, China has been offended, and now a professional gamer has been banned for supporting Hong Kong. This is the largest example so far of how foreign governments will shape the future. Newspeak is already coming into place,...
Twitter admits it used two-factor phone numbers and emails for serving targeted ads | TechCrunch
In another raid upon our privacy, Twitter has admitted that they opened up their own databases with personally identifiable information to serve targeted ads. This is a clear violation of security, as they allowed advertisers to match twitter users to phone numbers....
Boeing $20 million stake in Virgin Galactic, with vision of hypersonic
Space, the Final Frontier, of investing. This new sign-on of Boeing is adventurous and exciting. This adds the last needed amount of additional legitimacy to both Boeing and to the future of commercial space travel. This isn't a lot of money for either side, and...
Toys ‘R’ Us debuts a new website, but you’re really buying from Target
I applaud the return of the name Toys "R" Us, but I wonder if this will bring it back to life, or if this is simply a shallow attempt to squeeze out a few more dollars from a zombie brand. It has potential, but only if other people also believe in it, instead of being...
EU court: Facebook can be forced to remove content worldwide
In a scary turn, Facebook might now have to take down content in the United States, that China finds offensive. Imagine no more content about Tibet or Taiwan. Imagine no more content about China's one-child-policy. No more content about China's child workers. No more...
Microsoft doesn’t think Windows is important anymore – The Verge
Microsoft getting bored with Windows? Interestingly enough, I think everyone already knew this about Microsoft. Microsoft hasn't been improving the OS as much over recent years. They haven't been pushing the Windows platform for a long time. They've been pushing the...
Beijing Launches New Rule: Residents Must Pass Facial Recognition Test to Surf Internet
In a society that demands that you are fully linked and identified with your account, privacy is gone. We knew this about China, and this will clearly be factored into the new "social credit system" they have designed. This could easily be a preview of the future for...
Bugs and Self-Driving Cars | LIDAR Cleaning System
When we talk about bugs and self driving cars, some think software. It's interesting how we have all changed our minds to no longer think about insects going splat on the cameras that protect us from Volkswagen Bugs driving into our path. A nice article on how Ford...
218M ‘Words with Friends’ players’ data reportedly stolen in Zynga hack (Updated)
Another hack. Another couple of hundred million accounts or even more, have been violated. This is a recurring nightmare as we are all cautioned again to change our passwords just one more time. This will continue, and nobody will listen. Suggestion: Use two part...
Smart Cities Like NYC Are Creating a Mass Surveillance Nightmare
An Op-Ed piece that talks of dystopian items like ID cards that track your every move. Scary, but it's also coming soon. Some city will start this. Then a state. Then a country. And it may not be here in the United States first, but this is something that the...
Is the Mac Pro Overpriced Compared to a PC?
This is more of an Editorial than news, but still was a nice read. Yes, Keith would start arguing many points against this, about one-stop shop, the Mac OS, support nationwide, and other nuances. The reality is that the hardware that is served up by Apple is far more...
British employees are sabotaging workplace robots over fears the machines will take their jobs | Daily Mail Online
People will be fighting robots for many decades to come, and perhaps that will lead to the rise of SkyNet, when they fight back. We've seen this in various movies, and now we are seeing the precursors, the prologues to those dystopian movies. That kind of makes this a...
Think facial recognition is creepy? Soon your heartbeat or the way you walk could reveal your identity
Biometrics, talked about in a recent news article here with Computer Talk Radio and the IRS, is something that is about you. There are many things beyond our fingerprints and face. Your ear shape is unique to you. Your hand shape and size nuances will separate you...
Artificial blood that is ‘better than the real thing’ made in lab by scientists – Daily Star
We've been hearing about artificial blood now for a very long time. These promises keep coming forward, but never materialize. For now, please consider giving through your local American Red Cross.Japan's National Defense Medical College doctors and scientists have...
Facebook will begin hiding likes on Friday – CNET
The like button, which started as just the one, then moved to a limited series of faces as well, may be on it's way out. Facebook is taking it away from the folks in Australia, seeing if that will "remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive". Perhaps it...
Amazon Echo Frames: Hands-on first impressions | PCWorld
Alexa, what time is it? You're not speaking to a device across the room, or in your hand, but your glasses. While it doesn't have a display, it also doesn't have a camera, something that freaked people out about Google Glass. Another nice approach is that this is in a...
Facebook unveils virtual social space for its Oculus users
The idea of a 3 dimensional building area, similar to minecraft, but additionally with a social media interaction element is both intriguing, but also quite farther than I'd expected Facebook to announce at this point. This is something like Google's "Moon Shots"...
Best Buy sees growth in health care technology for elderly
This is a smart move by Best Buy. The technology segment for elderly is climbing fast, and if they also roll this out through the Geek Squad, this may save Best Buy from following Circuit City. Few can be relied upon to deliver upon the custom service aspect of...
McDonald’s enlists Alexa and Google to help with its hiring
The quote from the article just gets creepy. "Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald’s" is the last thing I would think anyone would be asking their in-house eavesdropper. Still, considering that 2 million people work for what was originally a small little burger stand...
Fremont Police Tesla Near-Dead Battery Forces Officer Off Pursuit – CBS San Francisco
Some police officer in Fremont is going to be getting all kinds of pranks pulled on him, from batteries to power cords, because he ran out of electricity in his Tesla police car... during a pursuit. I feel sorry for him, but I hope they manage to "charge" the guy they...
Windows 10: What to expect in the next two releases | PCWorld
The next release of Windows 10 is right around the corner. It's minor in comparison to previous releases, and this article has the details if you're interested. A recent notice advises that this is precisely what will be in the release and nothing more. It will arrive...
IRS Testing Behavioral Analytics to Verify Online Users – Nextgov
The IRS already wants 1/3rd of your money (or more), and now they want to know more about you, in the form of biometrics. This field is about you, where you are, who you are, and some of the unique traits that make you. It's a creepy tool already used by Google,...
Microsoft chief Brad Smith says rise of killer robots is ‘unstoppable’
It seems to be an ongoing conversation of "Skynet will kill us" (reference to Terminator movie series), or "We can just unplug them." I'm not sure, but somehow I think that we need to figure it out first, before storming ahead. To quote Ian Malcolm (Jurrassic Park...
‘Stop Child Predators’ Asks Congress to Investigate Big Tech’s Snooping on Children | Breitbart
It would appear that all of the big names are spying on the next generation of consumers at an early age... kids. This will become worse as we progress, as the current generation of parents are less focused on the privacy aspect, as they have been giving up their...
Is it unethical to upgrade your iPhone?
An interesting read on the environmental cost, but also the cost of our souls to an addiction that won't allow itself to be quenched. I'm not sure about the ethics and morals, but perhaps it's just plain wisdom or lack thereof? I may upgrade my own phone, but only...
Not a free speech platform: Facebook declares it’s a ‘publisher’ & can censor whomever it wants, walking into legal trap — RT USA News
I won't be surprised if this is censored! Mark Zuckerberg is taking Facebook into a legal direction that could face problems. As a publisher, determining what they want to censor, they also are responsible for whatever is published on the site. As a platform and a...
Smart TVs, smart-home devices found to be leaking sensitive user data, researchers find
Is this really news? Smart TV's are spying on us. If you've read 1984, you'll understand how creepy this really is. The accusations have been there for years, but now that we have proof, is anything going to change? So many of us expect that we can just ignore this,...
Facebook working on smart glasses with Ray-Ban, code-named Orion
After Google Glass failed, now Facebook wants to hook up with Ray-Ban, for smart glasses. Beyond the idea that many aren't ready for smart glasses, does the idea of Facebook knowing everything that you look at also creep you out? This doesn't quite feel like what I...
Class Action Lawsuit Against Apple for Offering Refurbished Replacement Devices Under AppleCare Moves Forward – MacRumors
Refurbished replacement devices are a common practice in a number of fields. You break a used item, and expect a brand new one? Oh, wait, I crashed my 8 year old car... but I paid insurance.... so now you have to give me a brand new one? Now, I know that everyone...
Facebook bans more than 200 white supremacist groups, updates terrorism definition
Continued censorship. The claim is white supremacist groups, and they could very well be. I don't care. They could be al-Queda. I don't care. They could be communists. I don't care. They could be flat-earthers. I don't care. Their own words will prove them to be who...
DOJ files civil suit against Edward Snowden over new memoir | Fox News
This really isn't surprising. It's another bit of treating a whistle-blower with contempt. I've struggled with the issues involved, of a whistle-blower revealing government secrets, but when those secrets involve violating the Constitution, where do you go with that?...
New Report States CRT Monitors Are Still Better Than Modern Gaming Displays | Digital Trends
An interesting report makes the case that a few people out there might be better off with a CRT. I understand the approach, and have seen some similar demonstrations in real live. The drawback is finding some of the top notch screens. The mentioned Sony Trinitron...
Walmart’s Vudu adds Family Play feature so viewers can skip sex, violence and substance abuse | TechCrunch
Computer Talk Radio has interviewed previous players in this market. They went away due to massive attacks by various studios, but with Walmart behind this, I anticipate this will survive. Family friendly versions of your favorite films will now be ready for the kids,...
Mozilla, Creative Commons want to create an ad-free internet
The web has been running with ads for a very long time, almost as far back as the beginning. As soon as enough people were viewing information on how to buy something, the web started to take off. In 1995, I created one of the first 100,000 websites, and it was to...
GameStop is closing hundreds of stores, and that’s just the beginning – Business Insider
GameStop circling the drain is something that I've drawn attention to before. It's failure is as inevitable as the demise of Circuit City, Radio Shack, and Toys R Us. It's fine that they are trying to keep it afloat, but their price points are off, and price change...
This algorithm can predict when workers are about to quit—here’s how
It's a part of modern technology that we are admitting into our lives, accepting it, and it could work in our favor. We've always wanted companies to appeal towards us, finding out how to keep us, and perhaps that is for the best. Of course, we may have to give up a...
Study: More than Half of Americans Trust Law Enforcement to Use Facial Recognition Responsibly – Nextgov
I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that half of Americans trust our government to do all kinds of things responsibly. The problem is that governments, when given the power to use tools, have usually used them poorly. The idea of the government demanding a list of all of...
The New Ways Your Boss Is Spying on You – WSJ
It's quite an interesting thought that your company may be spying on you all of the time. In part to see if you're looking to leave the company, in part to see if you're still the right fit, and more. I'm an advocate for both sides using restraint, both the company...
Men arrested for breaking into Dallas County Courthouse after judicial branch hires them to test ‘vulnerability’ of court records
Imagine taking a job that involves breaking in somewhere. Legally. But when you're inside, they completely disavow any knowledge... even though your boss has the proof. This was a disaster for all parties, and now Dallas County wants to save face. If you think this is...
Why buying and selling a house could soon be as simple as trading stocks – MarketWatch
The housing world is going to be changing. There are multiple services now, offering to give you some or all of the listing agents fees back. There are many different competitors in the housing search world. There are so many different tools that the age of the...
School Safety Tech Raises Questions About Student Privacy : NPR
Someone takes a picture of you, with an unfortunate text below. You're the one who gets in trouble. That's the story behind a A student at a top notch Magnet school... who is now punished by being at a school for what amounts to juvenile near-delinquents. With the...
Compare Apple iPhone 11 series | Gadgets Now
Want to know how the Apple iPhone series all stack up against each other? I wanted to know too, so I found a site that had them all side-by-side. Screens differ a little, and the battery life will be better due to OLED screens. The camera situation will be neat,...
McDonald’s acquires AI company trying to automate the drive-thru
The Golden Arches are now automating? That's an interesting turn of events, as I'd figured this would come through a smaller chain first, but then be perfected by McDonald's. The interesting part is where the technology will change the menu in order to provide the...
Google’s got a new face-tracking camera for your home. We’ve got questions – CNET
No longer content to listen to your every word, Big Brother... errr ummm... I mean Google and Nest, are watching you. Face Match uses facial recognition and some of the camera enabled gadgets to provide a value added set of features where it recognizes you. I can see...
Ryan ToysReview YouTube channel starring boy, 8, who makes £17MILLION a year is probed for ‘deceiving kids into buying toys’ – The Sun
This kid is definitely doing what Saturday morning cartoons did for decades, and soap operas did for decades before that. This is an ongoing story where people lack discernment, and complain later, finding fault with others. OK, so an 8 year old shows another 8 year...