In my search for purpose and direction I am slowly coming to the conclusion that there are way too many tech news sites out here and that TCF is another drop in the ocean. Either I find a new direction and pivot or go in a totally different direction altogether. I will take the next 90 days thinking this through and hopefully will report back to you here what I have resolved,especially if I decide to fold up tent.
Unlock a cellphone, Go to jail!
Device manufacturers and cellular service providers are jumping for joy. Starting today users face a fine or even jail time if they unlock their cellphones.
It’s now illegal to unlock your cellphone. Users who want to use their smartphone they bought from one of the big carrier can no longer unlock their phone with software that allowing them to switch cellular networks and use the same phone with other carriers.
The change in the law does provids a “grandfather clause” for those that unlocked their phone prior to today, but those who choose to unlock it from now on must be aware that that it’s illegal and could face hefty fines and possibly jail time if you unlock a phone (for commercial purposes).
83-year-old Congressional Librarian James Hadley Billington, assumed responsible for reinterpreting the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). He has decided that unlocking phones violates the law intended to fight digital piracy.
This is yet another example of government enforced anti-competitive monopoly behavior and policies. Probably the product of big money lobbying and a demostration of the power of corporations to influence innovation and the law.
LinkedIn has let users know that it will shutter LinkedIn Answers on January 31st, 2013.
LinkedIn Answers a Q&A service was intro’ed in 2007. How it worked was that users could post a question to their network for answers thatwere then ranked.
LinkedIn Answers was another useful though underutilized service that is now meeting the dreaded fate of those features that fail to hit and are thus tossed into the deadpool.
The message LinkedIn sent to its users read, “We will be focusing our efforts on the development of new and more engaging ways to share and discuss professional topics across LinkedIn.”
Within LinkedIn there may be lesser alternatives and the option to externally use Quora is still remails although it is not as integrated into LinkedIn.
The Publisher of The Coolness Factor has been professionally approached and inspired to create a technology news byline titled Urban Technology Review intended for reprinting in major market newspapers aimed primarily at english and Spanish speaking Urban communities domestic and worldwide we will also show up in several Nationally distributed print magazines as well as online.
UTR’s first cities will be in California, namely San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, San Jose, San Pablo.
The first UTR articles were to become available launch day August 26, 2012 but the project has proven to be alot more intense and involving than I first imagined.
PROJECT UPDATE: Despite the hiccups I am still working on UTR. a few fits and starts that have delayed my overall progress on Urban Technology Review but regardless I am moving forward. Sometimes it is the choices and changes that can stimey or deter progress. Sometimes the technolgy chooses the exact wrong time to peter out, fail to function, or emerge as the best solution. Success is plowing through all that and arriving at your destination without blowing a gasket or totally flipping out. The last time I ventured out there on the limb it brought me a stroke that it has taken me over four years to recover from. Pressure and stress are killers!.
Talk about “hand in the cookie jar”! Google, the company that warns against gaming the system has been caught doing just that. In this case after launch of Google+ Events last wednesday the new social invite feature was used yo spam millions of users of folks with large followings. Upset users have begun to revolt bringing a quick response from Google includong a promise to quickly fix the problem.
This is yet another example of the effect of inadequate testing or a compamies inability to anticipate how social engineers will play a new vulnerable system. Often when the horses are out of the stable it is too late to reel them back in.
The virtual ink wasn’t even dry on my post about the current epidemic of breaches when here comes another. This time LastFM is the target and users need to be aware.
I am usually paranoid but it seems I have cause. I am thinking we are just at the tip of the problem. Has something changed that makes this easier for hackers to blunder or has things always been this vulnerable and fragile and open to exploitation? Whatever the case I fear greater bad news when we hear the stories of how these things are used, Identity theft may just be a first step to a bigger issue.
Sidenote: I did receive a timely email from the LastFM team in a valiant attempt to explain and address the situation and put the horses back in the stable:
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience around changing your password; Last.fm takes your privacy very seriously. We’ll be posting updates in our forums and via ourTwitter account as we get to the bottom of this.
A copy of this message is online athttp://www.last.fm/passwordsecurity.
We strongly recommend that your new Last.fm password is different to the password you use on other services.”
Well, take a deep breath, relax and sit back and lets see who’s next so far everyday it is someone else, and the beat goes on.
Everyday its another major breach of passwords. It always seems to be sites and services holding our most critical and sensitive information. This time those lonely folks looking to get that dating hookup need be aware that someone else may be hooking up their passwords or worse.
This bleak and dire situation has zoomed way past the point of being ridiculous to being just plain silly. It leads me to wonder if there is really any online service out here that we can actually trust to remain secure enough to protect us and safeguard our information and passwords. Here then surely is something they can spend those many millions of dollars they are making on. Hey Social Media companies, “Invest in security or risk losing our confidence”.
Hackers are testing your will, dedication and dilgence and you are being found lacking.
Are we in the wild west, are we caught in a jackpot?
Everyday we hear of a new major paasword leak or security breach exposing our most cherished passwords as well as our personal data.
This time Sophos has reported that the redhot social media service LinkedIn was the target along with 6.5 million of their over 150 million users.
The perpetrators in this instance have identified as “Internet hackers”. The company is suggesting users chage their passwords immediately or as soon as possible. But, the horses are already out of the stable. If you use thesame password on other sites change those too anddon’t do that again.
LinkedIn has yet to officially comment on this breach chosing only to mention it in a Twitter feed.
Well Oracle’s Larry Ellison will probably go to bed with a smile dreaming of new worlds to conquer now that his company’s aquistion of Sun and the resulting ownership of Java seems to have paid off. and in effect moves Oracle higher up the emerging mobile platform food chain at least on the Android side of things. This other shoe falling explains the previous settlement offer Google made to Oracle a while back which was promptly refused thus leading to this round of contentious litigation. So where to from here? Google stocks are already starting to react to this news. My question is what else has been built on the back of Java that will come under Oracle’s thumb?
Addendum: Turns out its actually a partial verdict or victory with “fair use” issues still to be completely defined, considered and decided. = No billion dollars for you.
More to Come…
Over the past month or so I have been deep in the process of moving my residence and business to a different city though not so very far away (Just across the Bay).
As I am somewhat disabled and in recovery from stroke it has been a true trial and definately much harder than I remember when I was much more capable. But I didn’t let any of that stop me!
Thanks to kind friends and loving family I have had help and inspiration throughout the process. As it nears competion I can once again begin to take some time to work on The Coolness Factor. Thanks also go to you my faithful readers for hanging in here with me.
So where are we? Well now that we are well past the excitement of CES and Macworld 2012 there is so much to cover and discuss. Let me roll up my sleeves and get busy!
Some users seem to be seeing problems in upgrading to the latest version of Apple’s iOS.
Some users are reporting issues with downloading the new version of the iOS software. Some are getting a “3200 error”, including a message stating that an “internal error” has occurred, and the upgrade process was canceled.
Other users see related problems after successfully downloading the update, iTunes brings an error message as the file was extracted and is downloading slowly.
Again, this is another warning sign to would-be first-day upgraders to be patient and tread carefully before diving in. This was the lesson I learned by moving to OS X Lion on the first day and experiencing over 250 crashes and freezes that I had to do a hard restart from. This is getting to be a statement for better testing prior to release.
On the issue of iOS 5 below are some direct links you can use to make it happen hopefully successfully.
Hold Alt (Windows) /Option (Mac) and click the “restore” button in the iTunes iOS device summary screen, then point to the file matching your device. This will wipe your iOS device back to factory settings, so be sure to back up your device in iTunes first.
Apple Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 Update
Finally after waiting patiently for Apple to update Lion 10.7.1 and hopefully being able to see a possible end or resolution to issues that have caused me well over 250 system crashes and freezes my problem I can only hope and pray that my problem goes away.
The update installation process took soom time and I eventually had to dump stuff to make room for the update.
Because of the resolution I made after moving up to Lion, not dive right in ever again, I am a seriously hesitent to immediately move all of my Moble.Me stuff up to iCloud, at least not before putting my head to the ground in order to monitor and feel out how it goes for the majority of Mac Lion Users, and I also need to do diligent research and read up on all the tips and advisories regarding making the move to update everything.
I hope that it is stable and brings improvements from what for me was a disaster with 10.7.1.
Check back here periodically to see how it goes with me, especialy if you have experienced similar unaddressed OS X Lion issues. Please also leave comments to let me know how you are faring with it also.
10/12 Addendum: I was just about to write a post of how I have gone over an hour without a crash, then guess what happened? Boom! it happened again, but this time it was different. I was able to “Force Quit” the running applications and processes and get right back to work.
10/13 Addendum: I’m 20 hours in and after doing the OS X update there have been a few hiccups and so far I have suffered (2) hard freezes/crashes. ”Oh well, what the hell?”
10/14 Addendum: Well, after almost four days I have concluded that for me Lion is a bit more stable but not quite right yet. I have experienced freezes while using the Dock, Surfing the web, and simply copying or entering text or switching applications so I still don’t see a logical pattern or a possible trigger. So I am left to a dread and fear that as before it could happen at anytime but more likely in the middle of mission critical work.
What Now?
Well, so damn much for hoping for the best.
Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
I am deeply saddened by the shocking news of the passing of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs today.
Steve Jobs was 56 years old, and was born in San Francisco. He suffered a tough seven year battle against pancreatic cancer.
There is no doubt Mr. Jobs was THE man of his generation having displayed tremendous innovation, genius, creativity and business leadership across decades. Steve underwent a liver transplant in April 2009 and returned to work for a year and a half before his health forced him to take more time.
If anyone could be considered a legend in his own time it was definitely Steve Jobs and we are all better for his having been here with us.
My deepest condolenses to everyone at Apple, Pixar and throughout the computing world.
He will be sorely missed!
9/18/11 – Still no reason found, but killing off some plugins seems to have brought back some of the functionality of the site, although I have lost my slot and plans for launching it at TechDisrupt SF. I have delayed the launch to December and hope to splash at CES Las Vegas and MacWorld SF.
Again if this has caused any disruption or confusion please bear with me as I work my way through this. Thank you.
My OS X Lion problems seem to be one element that might have triggered persistent problems that adversely affected my website and subsequently managed to delay and derail the momentum I had leading up to the end of August and my Official site launch at TechDisrupt SF.
My deepest apologies to you my readers and I hope to make up for it in the intensity of my ongoing research and upcoming posts once the problem is resolved.
OSX Lion 10.7.1
After I hastily, and it seems now unwisely, installed Lion on the very first day of availability I have had over 35 separate system freezes and crashes that have profoundly interrupted my productivity and caused me to rant and rave, and cuss and fuss at Apple (the company I have been rather fond of). 35 hard restarts later, I am concerned that recent success and focus may have changed Apple. Now with the first official upgrade to OS X 10.7.1 hope it will fully will restore my faith and productivity.
Before I pass judgement on the changes I will temporarily conclude this post and go do some research by spending some time figuring out what has changed and if my problem remains.
After three weeks of frustrations and over 35 crashes I am a little more hopeful in the fture of Apple’s Lion after the first upgrade.
I have been able to get a few posts done without annoying unexplainable crashes putting a halt to my work.
I am really not absolutely certain whether the problems myself and others experienced are completely fixed but so far (fingers crossed) something is obviously working better. I only wish that whatever it was that went bad had been caught prior to the release. Maybe this means that the public needs to be more of an integral part of the Beta product testing cycle prior to any major release.
It also undoubtably means that as serious professional users we should consider hesitating and thinking before mindlessly committing our mission critical work to the possible vulnerability of new unproven releases.
When asked why do they rob banks some wiseass crook said “cause that’s where the money is”, so now that it’s revealed that modern-day Hacker types are busy targeting the smartphones of unwary victims. We do not need to ask why. it is simple, because ”that’s where the action is, and where our personal data lives”.
Security researchers are steadily uncovering new strains of software aimed at smartphones that more often than not run Google’s Android OS but the problem is not exclusive to Android. These malicious applications do a wide range of strange things we are victimized by. They can log details about incoming and outgoing phone calls, some can even record those calls. Researchers recently discovered a security hole in Apple.’s iPhones, which subsequently prompted the German government to warn Apple about their concerns about the threat.
Leading security experts worldwide are saying that the frequency and maliciousness of attacks on smartphones are growing at an alarming rate and that attackers are becoming increasingly smarter and more adept at developing new techniques and exploiting target victims.
The bad guys are even developing business models around this “opportunity”. None of this is new. Evil-doers have for decades infected personal computers with malicious software and malware, . Now, they are redirecting their nefarious activities to our smartphones and related mobile devices such as the popular and newer tablet form factor.
As more adults in society across all cultural and economic sectors now own mobile phones and organize and center our digital lives on one device, thus become the major attraction to criminals and exploiters.
As smartphones are getting ever more intelligent becoming digital wallets, photo albums, credit cards, email lockboxes and info repositories the holes and vulnerabilities are open up and create new angles for attacks and abuse.
Some of the worst programs being reported with increasing frequency causes a victim’s phone to rack up unwanted service charges, record calls, intercept text messages, revealing passwords and dump emails, photos and other private content and information directly onto criminals’ servers.
Strong convincinf evidence of this all-out hacker invasion is quickly emerging. What is clear at this point is that all of the mobile platforms are affected, however, Android devices are vulnerable and are getting the most attention at this early stage. All smartphone
Users should use caution and pay attention to what you download and what or who you expose yourself to.
OS X Lion
Apple is billing OS X LION as “the most advanced desktop operating system” Mac OS X Lion is now available in the Mac App Store. Snow Leopard users can upgrade to the newest cat-named release for $29.99.
Apple has also decided to officially drop the Mac OS X Lion name and just call it OS X Lion.
OS X Lion delivers more than 250 new features and according to some has taken the best parts from iOS and married them it to the best of OS X.
Before you eagerly dive right in, go through the installation process and review tips and available guides to preparing your Mac for Lion.
Apple also states that it is “built on a rock-solid UNIX foundation, OS X is engineered to take full advantage of the technologies in every new Mac. And to deliver the most intuitive and integrated computer experience.”
FEATURES:
View Mission Control
Swipe up on the trackpad to get a bird’s-eye view of everything running on your Mac.
Switch between open apps
Swipe three fingers to move from one full-screen app to another.
Two-finger scroll
Slide two fingers up or down the trackpad to scroll through documents, websites, and more.
Tap to zoom
Double-tap the trackpad with two fingers to magnify a web page or PDF.
Pinch to zoom
Zoom in and out of photos and web pages by moving your thumb and finger in a pinch gesture.
Swipe to navigate
Flip through web pages, documents, and more like thumbing pages in a book.
Built-in Apps
OS X comes in a single version that includes a collection of Apple-designed applications. Not only do they let you surf the web, make video calls and have text chats, manage your contacts, and accomplish other day-to-day tasks, they also work together to make you more productive — and let you have more fun.
Finder Enhancements
The Finder gives you easy access to all the files on your system. It lets you find, organize, and access practically everything on your Mac — including applications, files, folders, discs, and shared computers on your network. You can sort files by kind, application, date modified, date added, or size. But with so many files on your computer, finding a specific one can be a challenge. Not on a Mac. Features like Spotlight and Quick Look make locating the file you’re looking for effortless — even if you don’t know the filename. Say you’re searching for a document, and the only thing you recall about it is the phrase “surrealist painters.” Open Spotlight, start typing “surrealist painters,” and your Mac generates a list of files that contain those words. And with Quick Look, you don’t need to open an application to verify that you’ve found the right file — view a full-screen preview by hitting the space bar. Want to share a file with someone nearby? Just drag and drop to send it to the person wirelessly with AirDrop.
Auto Saving
Say goodbye to the worry and the hassle of manually saving your work. Auto Save automatically saves your work, while you work, without you having to do a thing. Versions creates a new version of a document each time you open it and every hour while you’re working. It saves only the differences between successive versions, so the impact on your disk drive is minimal. Just open Versions to see the current document next to a cascade of previous versions. You can copy and paste between versions or revert to an earlier version. And when you share a document, you share only the most recent copy.
Full-screen Apps
full-screen apps that use every inch of your Mac display. You can have multiple full-screen apps open at once — along with multiple apps in windows. And it’s easy to switch between full-screen and desktop views. Mission Control gives you a bird’s-eye view of all your windows and full-screen apps, and allows you to instantly navigate among them.
The upgrade is not without its issues. Mine have been reapeated freezes that caused me to have to cold restart my computer. I think these are related to Autosaves but I am not sure. As more users chime in I am learning of additional issues.
Please do your homework prior to upgrading or be prepared for a few “surprizes” and interuptions to your productivity.
Warning: If you still have some Power PC Applications installed that you use, you will not be able to continue to use them once you upgrade to OS X Lion.