Let's Talk Tech
Get your tech week started off right!
An asteroid flies REALLY close to our planet! RoboCaller fined $120 million! Google will pressure manufacturers to offer faster security patches on Android. Michigan is looking to create a public broadband infrastructure.
We also try to unravel the situation involving President Trump, ZTE, and a $500 MILLION dollar loan which will benefit Trump buildings in Indonesia.
Download this week’s podcast – SGGQA 040 (RSS subscription links below)
Get your tech week started off right!
NVIDIA kills the GPP amid backlash and bad press, but still doesn’t disclose what the program included. Nokia is selling Withings health hardware back to Withings. I share my reactions to LG G7 reactions. Facebook matching algorithms might be helping extremists and terrorists find each other. Cambridge Analytica is re-branding as Emerdata. Tesla Motors is looking to cull contractors, but is rapidly improving battery manufacturing.
There’s a HUGE vote for Net Neutrality heating up May 9th, here’s the recent news on the federal front, state initiatives in Connecticut, New York, and California. Plus we take a look at some of the lies ISPs use to push anti-competition legislation in city and state governments.
Download this week’s podcast – SGGQA 039 (RSS subscription links below)
Get your tech week started off right!
Google loses “Right to Forget” case in the UK. Facebook extensively tracks non-users through cookies. Pentagon issues advisory on Russian trolls increasing activity. Sony unveils XPERIA XZ2 Premium. Will Sprint and T-Mobile FINALLY tie the knot?
Download this week’s podcast – SGGQA 035 (RSS subscription links below)
Stories this week:
Continue reading “#SGGQA 035: Google vs the Right to Forget, Russian Bots on the Rise, Samsung’s Notch, Facebook Tracks Non-Users”
Snapchat returns to chronological view. China ranks citizens on a public social media score. Homeland Security looks to create a journalist data base, and apparently using Facebook raises your cortisol and stress levels.
Download this week’s podcast – SGGQA 034
Stories this week:
Snapchat revives chronological feed https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/08/s…
China ranks citizens with “social credit” system http://www.businessinsider.com/china-…
Homeland Security to compile list of journalists and bloggers https://biglawbusiness.com/homeland-s…
Shell Oil predicted climate change dangers in 1980’s https://www.independent.co.uk/news/bu…
Ajit Pai’s ties to Sinclair to be investigated by FCC http://fortune.com/2018/02/18/ajit-pa…
Anti-Net Neutrality Congress Woman Marsha Blackburn falling behind in Senate race polls https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/ar…
Using Facebook raises your cortisol (stress) levels https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1…
Taking a quick look at an awesome Doctor Who VR TARDIS, asking some creepy questions about Facebook scraping your data, and the Orwellian present of Sinclair Media and local news. Happy day after Easter!
Download this week’s podcast – SGGQA 033
Stories this week:
TARDIS VR simulator! https://youtu.be/WaBLT_osVE8
Zuckerberg in 2006 talking about not selling user data https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/97…
Sinclair Media’s Orwellian mission statement to local news https://www.reddit.com/r/television/c…
Dr. Alison Grimes interview, smartphones and hearing loss https://somegadgetguy.com/2018/03/27/s…
As a Youtube content producer, I depend on ads and affiliate links to continue producing content. A single camera review will often take three or four days to produce for example. I stick with Youtube because they share revenue from ad sales and have a decent system in place to stop people who steal me videos and re-distribute them.
Facebook is claiming incredible video view growth, but these numbers are rigged pretty bad. They count a view after three seconds, even when the video is muted, and viewer engagement past 20 seconds is pitiful. They do not offer a revenue share, and have very poor tools for protecting copyright.
Basically uploading a video to Facebook only improves Facebook and a creator’s standing on Facebook for more likes. I can’t pay rent or buy food with “internet points”.
A new trend in stealing popular Youtube videos is rearing its head, emboldened by the fact that Facebook is fantastically passive in replying to copyright issues.
Following the digital extortion Facebook engages in with page posts, blocking your content from a majority of the people who like your page until you pay Facebook, these types of shenanigans are vile.
Youtube producer In A NutShell has published a fantastic infographic animated video detailing Facebook’s failure to defend content producers. If you care about smaller producers continuing to distribute high quality content, this video makes for an interesting educational watch.
We’re all a little on edge about what our phones can do, how they store our information, and how other people might be able to access things like our location. It’s easy to get a little freaked out by technology you don’t understand.
Case in point, Nick Browne posted this video on Facebook, as he was concerned about something strange attached to the battery of his Samsung phone. (Language in video might be a bit NSFW)
Remember, every time you shoot video in portrait, God kills an orphan girl’s kitten…
That is a strange looking antenna to be found on a battery, but what Nick has torn off here is his NFC antenna. That’s the radio you can use for things like “tap and share” or “tap and pay”. It’s kind of odd that Samsung builds it into the battery, but it likely discourages folks from buying third party batteries that don’t include the antenna as it’ll disable the NFC function on their phones.
And let’s be honest here, while Nick seems to have some issues with race relations, if someone really wants to hack your phone, and steal your photos, they certainly don’t need to install an antenna on your battery to do it.
It does look a little strange, but we can learn from Nick here not to freak out and start tearing pieces off of our gadgets if they’re things we don’t understand. Thankfully for Nick, to restore NFC on his Samsung, all he needs to do is buy a new battery, and NOT tear off the label again…
I WIN!!!
Ok. So I was never really concerned with privacy issues or permissions on the standalone messenger app Facebook forced users to install. The app’s notification settings and geo-location controls bothered me. Also the design, including the messenger icon in the Facebook app, which showed notifications, but then forcing a second app, was another nitpicky reason for me to fight it.
Since the switch, I’ve been replying to instant messages through my browser. Clumsy, but I could stick to my “first world problem” principles.
Well it seems that Facebook might be reversing course on the two app solution. On the newest update (version 21.0.0.23.12) if you clear out your data or reinstall the app, the messenger “Nag Screen” has changed back. You can now bypass that screen, and IM through the main FB app again. It’s unclear why Facebook might have made this 180, or if this is a permanent change.
VICTORY! How sweet it is…