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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 16 Issue 09
Volume 16, Issue 09 Atari Online News, Etc. February 28, 2014
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2014
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Fred Horvat
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A-ONE #1609 02/28/14
~ Senator: Ban Bitcoin! ~ People Are Talking! ~ RSA Conference 2014!
~ Facebook Email Is Gone! ~ Google Glass Driver Ban ~ Xbox One Twitch!
~ Titanfall Beta Launched! ~ Macs Are Hack Vulnerable ~ Win 8.1 When XP Ends!
~ Anti-Google Glass Attack ~ Google Kills Flip Switch ~ Adobe Backs ConnectED
-* Bitcoin Exchange Site Offline *-
-* Nintendo Wins 3DS Infringement Case *-
-* Snowden Update: Yahoo Webcam Images Stored *-
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->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
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Due to time constraints, there won't be any commentary in this week's
issue - enjoy!
Until next time...
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->In This Week's Gaming Section - Xbox One Twitch Streaming!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Titanfall Beta Aims for Smooth Launch!
Nintendo Wins 3DS Infringement Case!
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->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
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Xbox One Twitch Streaming: All The Details
As you may have heard earlier, Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One
will get Twitch gameplay streaming on March 11, just in time for
Titanfall. We have more details on how this highly anticipated addition
will work.
First, the Xbox One's Kinect will play a role in streaming on Twitch. By
calling out "Xbox, Broadcast," the system will immediately begin
streaming, and calling out "Stop Broadcast" will end it. Kinect will
also allow picture-in-picture video feeds and audio commentary through
its microphones and cameras.
Streaming works from any source, even the PS4, so you're able to enjoy
content from anything that connects to Twitch. You'll also be able to
archive gameplay and access any archived Twitch content from the console.
Outside of streaming, you'll be able to chat with other streamers and
even join in on their games. Chat streams are fully available, a full 10
lines are displayed, and commenting even supports emotes and badges. You
can even join broadcaster parties.
Finally, you'll be able to check in on friends' broadcast status in the
Xbox One friends app. Notifications are available to let you know when a
favorite stream starts.
Titanfall Beta Aims for Smooth Launch Avoiding EAs Previous Problems
Lets break it. These are the words said to Respawn head Vince Zampella
by programmer Jon Slothy Shiring, ready to push servers to their
limits. Over Valentines Day weekend and into the following Wednesday,
Titanfall launched a public beta on both the Xbox One and PC. Initially
being a closed beta requiring a code, these three words inspired the
team at Respawn to swing wide the doors and let all Xbox owners in to
see the game. The move was nothing short of encouraging, especially
coming off of the seven-and-a-half hour server issue that kept many
people from playing on Valentines Day.
Titanfall is being published by Electronic Arts, a company that has not
made a good reputation for itself this past year. The problems started
first with the launch of SimCity, which became a textbook example of bad
PR and even worse launch preparedness. Months later, Battlefield 4 would
encounter heavy server and stability issues across all platforms,
leading people to accuse EA of pushing out unfinished software in an
attempt to grab gamers from Call of Duty. The title is still undergoing
heavy maintenance, even grinding DLC production to a screeching halt in
an attempt to focus on playability issues. With such a lackluster 2013
fresh in the minds of gamers, there has been heavy skepticism about the
reliability of Titanfall come launch.
And who can blame them? As an early adopter of both titles, I myself was
extremely worried about the state of Titanfall on release. I experienced
the silent stripping away of servers on Battlefield 3, which gutted the
game and requested that players join custom matches. I was among those
who got roped into the microtransactions that have been imposed onto a
multitude of EA titles, including Mass Effect 3 and Dead Space 3. For
two years in a row, they have stripped away consumer confidence and been
voted Worst Company in America. How can we trust them, and how can we
come to expect something better this spring?
Leave that to Respawn Entertainment. Its the Lets break it attitude
that should give gamers the most confidence come March 11th.
Nintendo Wins 3DS Infringement Case
After a year-and-a-half in the court system, Nintendo announced today that
it won a patent infringement case at the International Trade Commission
brought forth by Technology Properties Limited LLC, Phoenix Digital
Solutions LLC and Patriot Scientific Corp.
In July 2012, the three patent-licensing companies filed a complaint
against Nintendo for infringing upon their high-performance, low-cost
microprocessor patents allegedy used in the company's handheld systems.
But the trade commission found that Nintendo didn't infringe on any of the
patents with its 3DS and DSi systems.
"We are very pleased with the commissions determination, which confirmed
the judges finding that Nintendos products do not infringe the asserted
patent, said Richard Medway, vice president and deputy general counsel
at Nintendo of America. Nintendos track record demonstrates that we
vigorously defend patent lawsuits, including cases in the ITC, when we
believe we have not infringed another partys patent."
Last month, IGN reported on how Nintendo must forfeit a percentage of 3DS
sales to Tomita Technologies due to a lawsuit regarding the 3D
stereoscopic display technology. Nintendo pays 1.82 percent of the
handheld system's wholesale price to Tomita.
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A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
RSA Conference 2014: A Call To Arms, After A Dismal Year for Cyber Security
While thousands of tech companies and organizations, big and small, and
many more concerned citizens got out and protested mass internet
surveillance earlier this month, one senior VP at a security firm told
attendees at this week's RSA Conference on cyber security that they aren't
mad enough.
In what could be seen as a "call to arms" address to the cyber security
community, VP and general manager of Juniper Systems business security
division Nawaf Bitar told the cyber security community assembled at the
annual RSA Conference on Tuesday that they weren't doing enough.
"Our privacy is being invaded, our IP is being stolen, the public trust is
at an all-time low, and the attack on our information is outrageous," said
Bitar during his keynote address at the RSA Conference 2014 in San
Francisco, CA, according to Information Week. "But you know what? I don't
think we give a damn. I'm fed up with talking about outrage."
Bitar pointed out that much of the "outrage" being expressed by the cyber
security community (and modern society in general) over recent
revelations of mass surveillance and other growing threats to everyday
cyber security is rather feeble, especially compared to historical acts
of protest like the Tiananmen Square protests and Tibetan monks
protesting war with suicide by fire. Instead, he called the current
engagement against surveillance and privacy threats "first world
outrage."
"'Liking' a cause on Facebook is not outrage. Retweeting a link is not
outrage. Posting a bad review is not outrage," intoned Bitar, according
to IW's report, before taking aim at cyber security officials who
boycotted the RSA Conference 2014 after revelations broke that the major
security company accepted money from the National Security Agency to
deliberately weaken encryption standards: "Not showing up at a conference
is not outrage."
Last year was probably the worst on record for cyber security and the
community of experts charged with maintaining it. Starting in the summer
of 2013, revelations leaked by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden led to a
veritable avalanche of revelations about the U.S. government's deep and
wide compromising of cyber security, nationwide and around the world.
Add to that the numerous high-profile hacking and data theft cases that
cropped up in 2013, continuing cyber threats from foreign nations like
Iran and China, topped by the end-of-year credit card breach at Target
stores - which left over 100 million customers vulnerable to theft and
fraud - and you end up with something of a moral crisis for the cyber
security community.
"You in this room have to do better," said Bitar on Tuesday. "We're
complicit -standing by and watching a crime."
Bitar continued, "We should be truly outraged, not first-world outraged.
The time for apathy is over. We cannot go on the offensive and hack back,
but we can no longer remain passive. It's time for a new type of offense
- a type of active defense that disrupts the economics of hacking and
challenges convention. It's time for all of us to turn the tables on the
attackers."
In his speech, Bitar didn't provide many details on how the cyber
security community could approach an "active defense," other than
pointing out that many ideas in cyber security are now outdated and
urging radical innovation in the industry, which drew some skepticism
from the crowd.
But he did make an emphatic point about what's at stake, displaying an
image of a mushroom cloud in his presentation, according to PC Mag, and
saying, "It's time for all of us to turn the tables on the attackers...
Or we can wait for the next world war to begin in Silicon Valley."
Website of Bitcoin Exchange Mt. Gox Offline
The website of major bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox is offline Tuesday amid
reports it suffered a debilitating theft, a new setback for efforts to
gain legitimacy for the virtual currency.
The URL of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox was returning a blank page. The
disappearance of the site follows the resignation Sunday of Mt. Gox CEO
Mark Karpeles from the board of the Bitcoin Foundation, a group seeking
legitimacy for the currency.
At the Tokyo office tower housing Mt. Gox, bitcoin trader Kolin Burgess
said he had picketed the building since Feb. 14 after flying in from
London, hoping to get back $320,000 he has tied up in bitcoins with
Mt Gox.
"I may have lost all of my money," said Burgess, next to placards asking
if Mt. Gox is bankrupt. "It hasn't shaken my trust in Bitcoin, but it has
shaken my trust in bitcoin exchanges."
A "crisis strategy" report shared widely online that purports to be an
internal Mt. Gox document says more than 740,000 bitcoins are missing
from the exchange, which froze withdrawals earlier this month. It says
the theft went unnoticed for several years and turned on disguised
withdrawals.
A theft of that magnitude would equate to losses of $350 million at
current bitcoin prices, but in practice such a figure is highly uncertain
because of Bitcoin's extreme fluctuations in value and its lack of broad
acceptance as an alternative to money.
The cloud hanging over Mt. Gox is a possibly fatal blow to Bitcoin, which
was started in 2009 as a currency free from government controls.
Supporters have said Bitcoin's cryptography makes it immune to theft or
counterfeiting.
On bitcoin exchanges, the currency's value has fallen to about $470 from
$550 in the past few hours.
Several bitcoin exchanges and related organizations released a joint
statement that said they are working to "re-establish the trust
squandered" by the failings of Mt. Gox.
The bitcoin operators said funds under their control are held securely.
Mt. Gox should not be considered a reflection of the value of Bitcoin or
the digital currency industry, they said.
A second man protesting outside Mt. Gox's office in Tokyo said he was in
arbitrage, which is a type of trading, but would only gave his first name,
Aaron.
A security officer said no one from Mt. Gox was in the building. Tibbane,
an Internet company that Karpeles is CEO of, still has its named listed on
the building's directory.
"I have no idea" where they are, said Burgess. "I'm both annoyed and
worried"
Bitcoin had been inching toward broader acceptance despite wild swings in
value in the past year. For most of the currency's history, each digital
coin had been worth less than $10.
New bitcoins are "mined" or generated by computers. They get harder to
generate all the time, which means the inflow of fresh bitcoins keeps
falling.
There are about 12.4 million bitcoins in circulation today, according to
Blockchain, a public registry of bitcoin transactions. The maximum number
of bitcoins that can be generated is 21 million and by 2032, 99 percent of
those will have been created.
Senator Calls For Total Ban of 'Dangerous' Bitcoin
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, has written to federal regulators urging them to
totally ban Bitcoin, the "cryptocurrency" that has so excited the
financial and tech world over the last year. Manchin calls Bitcoin
"dangerous," "disruptive" and "highly unstable."
Addressed to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and several other regulators, the
letter paints Bitcoin as volatile and unregulated, a criminal currency
already denounced by other major governments.
"The clear ends of Bitcoin for either transacting in illegal goods and
services or speculative gambling make me weary of its use," Manchin, who
sits on the Senate Banking Committee, concludes. "I urge the regulators
to work together, act quickly, and prohibit this dangerous currency from
harming hard-working Americans."
Sen. Manchin's objection certainly comes at a time of major turmoil in
the virtual currency's history: The largest Bitcoin exchange (at which
coins can be bought, sold, and traded), Mt. Gox, collapsed earlier this
week after months of problems. Federal prosecutors are already looking
into it and have reportedly issued subpoenas to Mt. Gox and others.
And the volatility of the currency is indisputable: Bitcoins went from
being worth $20 each to over $1200 over the course of a year, before
settling on their present value at around $500.
Silk Road, the most commonly cited marketplace for buying illegal goods
with Bitcoins, also recently went under while at the same time, major
e-commerce sites like Tiger Direct and Overstock.com have begun accepting
Bitcoin and are doing quite a bit of business with it.
Snowden Update: British, American Spies 'Stored Millions of Yahoo Webcam Images'
Britains communications spy agency GCHQ and the US National Security
Agency (NSA) intercepted and stored images from webcams used by millions
of Yahoo users, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.
GCHQ files leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden reportedly
revealed how the Optic Nerve program collected still images of webcam
chats regardless of whether individual users were suspects or not.
In one six-month period in 2008, the British spy agency collected webcam
imagery from more than 1.8 million Yahoo user accounts around the world,
the Guardian said.
Yahoo, which was apparently chosen because its webcam system was known to
be used by GCHQ targets, expressed outrage at the reported surveillance.
"We were not aware of nor would we condone this reported activity," a
spokeswoman for the US technology firm told AFP in an email statement.
"This report, if true, represents a whole new level of violation of our
users privacy that is completely unacceptable. We are committed to
preserving our users trust and security and continue our efforts to
expand encryption across all of our services."
Leaked GCHQ documents from 2008 to 2010 explicitly refer to the
surveillance program, although the Guardian said later information
suggests it was still active in 2012.
The data was used for experiments in automated facial recognition, as
well as to monitor existing GCHQ targets and discover new ones, the
British paper said.
The program reportedly saved one image every five minutes from a webcam
users feed, partly to comply with human rights legislation and partly to
cut down the sheer amount of data being collected.
GCHQ analysts were able to search the metadata, such as location and
length of webcam chat, and they could view the actual images where the
username was similar to a surveillance target.
The data collected, which was available to NSA analysts through routine
information sharing, contained a significant amount of sexual content, the
newspaper added.
It cited one document as saying: It would appear that a surprising number
of people use webcam conversations to show intimate parts of their body to
the other person.
In a statement to the Guardian, GCHQ said all of its work was carried out
in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that
our activities are authorized, necessary and proportionate.
Mac Computers Are Vulnerable to Hacking; Fix Will Be Released Very Soon
Apple said Monday it was developing a security fix for its OS X computer
operating system after a patch released for its iPhones and iPads to
thwart hacker attacks.
The California tech giant released its security update for the iOS 7
mobile operating system Friday, saying that an attacker with a
privileged network position may capture or modify data in a browsing
session.
Security experts pointed out over the weekend that the same problem could
affect people using Mac desktop or notebook computers.
An Apple spokesman told AFP, when asked about the Mac OS vulnerability,
We are aware of this issue and already have a software fix that will be
released very soon.
Security researcher Graham Cluley said it was really important that you
update your iPhones and iPads as quickly as possible.
Cluley said Apples iOS update fixed a critical vulnerability that could
allow hackers to intercept what should have been secure communications
between your iPhone and SSL-protected websites. That means, potentially,
online attackers could grab your user ID or passwords as you attempted to
log into popular websites.
The first news of the flaw came from the security firm CrowdStrike in a
blog post Friday.
While Apple is working on a fix for the Mac OS, some experts say users of
the computers should exercise caution.
In the meantime, be careful where you browse with your OS Xbased
machines, said Rick Wanner at the SANS Internet Storm Center.
Paul Ducklin at the British security firm Sophos said Apple is being more
open than in the past on security.
The good news is that Apple has broken its usual code of silence, he
said in a blog post Monday.
Sadly, (Apple) didnt define very soon, but you should watch for this
patch and apply it as soon as you can.
At Apple, A Flaw, A Fix and Fears of A Damaged Brand Add to ...
For 18 months, some of Apple Inc.s most popular products contained a
glaring security flaw one that had the potential to make its users
vulnerable to hackers and scam artists.
The flaw has led to an outcry from numerous security experts, forced
developers to rush out a software fix for iPhones, iPads and Mac personal
computers, and caused the worlds largest technology company much
embarrassment. But will it cause a noticeable hit to the bottom line? Not
likely.
Samsung didn't deliver on the rumored 2K screen or a high-end metal body.
But given the firm's market position and financials, the incremental
improvements of the Galaxy S5 make a lot of sense. Jon Gordon reports.
Late last week, amid an outcry from several security experts, Apple issued
a security patch for its mobile devices, designed to fix an error that has
come to be known as the Goto fail bug. This week, it released a similar
patch for its Mac computers.
The glaring error can be traced back to a single line of faulty computer
code. The code has to do with two network protocols: the Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL) and the Transport Layer Security (TLS).
In simple terms, the protocols dictate the process by which the users
computer checks to see whether the websites the user is visiting really
are what they claim to be.
For example, a high-security website, such as that of a bank, may use a
secure certificate to establish that it really is the banks site and
not, say, a fake site created by an opportunistic hacker.
Because of the error in the code, certain Apple hardware and software
essentially failed to perform that check properly meaning that, in
certain cases, a third party could access the supposedly secure
information flowing from the user to that site.
In reality, the likelihood of that happening, even with Apples security
flaw, is exceedingly low. The malicious user exploiting the vulnerability
would need to have access to the wireless network that the victim uses to
get online. (As such, the flaw is perhaps most dangerous for users who
spend a lot of time on easily accessible networks, such as the free WiFi
offered by some coffee shops, for example.)
But what alarmed many security analysts and Apple customers are the
circumstances surrounding the security lapse. For one thing, the error
has the potential to affect virtually any software that uses the SSL and
TLS protocols to connect to the Internet. The problem also affects a range
of Apple devices, from iPhones to iPads to Mac computers. Most concerning,
the vulnerability has existed, unfixed, for a year and a half.
Its difficult to overstate the seriousness of this issue, wrote
security expert Aldo Cortesi, who reconfigured a popular network tool to
exploit the Apple error, as a means of showing how relatively easy it
would be for a malicious actor to do the same.
For years, Apple computers were seen as a safe haven from the myriad
viruses that plagued Windows-based machines. Indeed, many Mac computer
owners bragged about the technologys relative lack of malware,
bug-filled code and the so-called blue screen of death that all too
often struck Windows machines.
But Apples new security lapse about which the company has said very
little, beyond issuing the software fixes comes at a time when
companies such as Target and information security firm RSA have had to
deal with the fallout from massive security and privacy breaches.
And yet, perhaps because of the highly technical nature of such breaches,
or perhaps because many users simply dont care enough about them,
Apples error shows little sign of affecting the companys business in
any significant long-term way.
Apple shares are down slightly since news of the security flaw exploded
dropping about 5 per cent over five days. But the only way that Apple
will suffer lasting damage is if this security flaw shows real evidence
of user harm, or if it proves to be the first of many such problems,
said Neil Bearse of the Queens University School of Business.
How much do ordinary people like you and I understand the ins and outs
of SSL? Not very much, Mr. Bearse said. Without any knowledge of
people getting hacked, theres little damage for Apple long term.
Mark Zuckerberg Says WhatsApp Worth More Than $19 Billion
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said WhatsApp Inc.,
which his social-media company agreed to buy last week, was worth more
than $19 billion.
The mobile-messaging startup was a great fit for us, Zuckerberg said at
the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday. Already almost
half-a-billion people love using WhatsApp for messaging and its the most
engaging app weve ever seen exist on mobile by far.
The cash-and-stock acquisition would be the biggest by Facebook, the
worlds largest social network, and the most expensive for an Internet
company in more than a decade. The deal gives WhatsApp roughly the same
valuation as Gap Inc. and more than half the market value of
microblogging service Twitter Inc.
Zuckerberg, who also bought photo-sharing service Instagram for about
$700 million in 2012, has been adding applications such as messaging and
news to court smartphone and tablet users.
The WhatsApp deal will help Facebook play a more important role in
getting more people connected, Zuckerberg said.
Mountain View, California-based WhatsApp, which is popular in Europe,
lets users send messages through its service on mobile devices based on
different operating systems including Apple Inc.s iOS, Google Inc.s
Android, Microsoft Corp.s Windows Phone and BlackBerry Ltd.s software.
Unlike traditional text messages, which consumers pay for through their
mobile-phone plans, WhatsApp is free for the first year, and costs 99
cents a year after that. It also competes with Tencent Holdings Ltd.s
WeChat in China, KakaoTalk in Korea and Line in Japan, as well as
Facebooks own application, Facebook Messenger.
While Zuckerberg declined to comment when asked whether he would make a
bid for Snapchat, he said that after a large deal such as WhatsApp,
youre probably done for a while.
While WhatsApp had low revenues, it would be worth more because of its
strategic value, huge business potential to double its users and its fit
with Facebook.
Zuckerberg also said hes seeking three to five phone companies as
partners in an effort to connect billions of people to the Internet that
dont yet have access.
Carriers joining the initiative would roll out networks and provide data
service for free to people who cant afford it, he said. That would
provide services including social networks, messaging, food and weather
information that could eventually bring in revenue for carriers and
Internet companies.
I want to show that this model works, thats why were looking for
partners who are serious about this, he said. The undertaking will
probably be loss-making for years. If we do something thats good for
the world, well eventually come up with a way to make money from it.
Last August, Facebook said its forming Internet.org, a group with other
technology companies to expand access to the Internet for the 5 billion
people who have yet to get online. The group includes partnerships with
mobile-device makers Samsung Electronics Co. and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V), and
chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) The group, which follows Facebooks own
efforts to expand Internet access in emerging markets, intends to
develop projects and mobilize industry and governments to enable more
people to move online.
Zuckerberg said concerns about data security and government intervention
should not affect growth of the Internet.org initiative.
The governments have a responsibility to protect folks and also to be
transparent about what they are doing, he said. I think they were way
over the line in not being transparent enough.
Anti-Google Glass Attack in San Francisco Highlights Tension Over Wearables
San Francisco social media consultant Sarah Slocum says she was attacked
this weekend for using Google Glass in a local bar. On her Facebook
profile, Slocum said she was verbally and physically assaulted by bar
patrons who jeered at her for using Glass and, she alleges, snatched the
device off of her face. Slocum also said that she was robbed after
leaving her purse in the bar as she pursued her alleged attackers.
She has posted a video of part of the incident to YouTube, though it
doesnt show the all the details of the alleged attack.
Another video, shared with San Francisco television station KRON4, shows
one of the alleged attackers telling Slocum that people like her are
destroying the city of San Francisco a comment that ties this
incident into a growing backlash against tech companies such as Google,
Twitter and others in the city.
San Francisco Police Department Officer Albie Esparza confirmed that a
woman reported being involved in an altercation over Google Glass after
they believed she was recording them without their consent in a bar
Saturday at 1:45 a.m. He said that no suspects are in custody.
Wearable technology is moving people into a brave new world with new
rules about how to use evermore ubiquitous gadgets. The path to
acceptance, however, is not a smooth one. Googles head-mounted Glass
computer, for example, faces a long road ahead to convince the general
public that smart glasses will eventually be as accepted as camera-phones
and earbuds. The device has many of the same functions as a smartphone,
but lets users read e-mail, see notifications, get directions and take
calls via a screen on their faces rather than on their smartphones.
The San Francisco incident follows a handful high-profile reports of
negative, sometimes violent reactions that Google Glass users have
reported as the new technology causes rifts with restaurant owners, law
enforcement officials and movie theater owners.
From a legal standpoint, those fights have largely come out in Googles
favor. A San Diego court dismissed a case against a woman pulled over for
using Glass last month. But more cases could be on their way, as a handful
of states have also discussed legislation to ban Glass behind the wheel
amid worries that having a small screen hovering in users peripheral
vision will pose a danger on the roads.
Education has been the main tool in Googles arsenal as it faces questions
about the implications Glass has for privacy, distracted driving, piracy
and a general unease among some folks who see a person walking around with
a head-mounted computer.
The firm, which has already taken the tech for demonstrations on Capitol
Hill, has also been touring the country and showing Glass to mayors,
state legislators and the general public in order to let people know more
about the benefits it sees in the technology.
Google has also placed considerable weight on its beta testers which it
calls Explorers to act as ambassadors for the technology. Last week,
Google released a list of dos and donts for Explorers to give them basic
etiquette and safety tips on using the device and to remind them to be
respectful when facing Glass doubters.
New technology raises new concerns which is why educating Explorers and
those around them is a top priority for the Glass team, Google said in a
statement. The point of the Explorer program is to get Glass in the hands
of people from all walks of life and see how they use it out in the world.
Our Explorers provide us with continuous feedback and on the whole, they
act as positive ambassadors for Glass on a daily basis. While Glass is
currently in the hands of this small group, we find that when people try
it for themselves they realize Glass connects people more with the world
around them than distracts them from it.
Joseph White, a Rockville-based consultant and Explorer, said that hes
only faced one negative reaction to his use of Glass since he started
using it in December and it was not nearly as confrontational as
Slocums alleged encounter.
The closest experience that I have had to [Slocums] is someone coming up
to me at an Organizing for America event .?.?. and asking me What are you
recording right now?? he said. White, who is in his 60s, said that while
hes had some conversations with people about the privacy implications of
Glass, those same people have also asked to try on the device and have
their picture taken with him.
I have never been asked to take them off, he said. And I have been in
restaurants, some bars just out in public at different functions.
Google Glass Ban for Drivers Wise Approach
Drivers should drive.
Yet, given all the distractions of life including constant access to
information, entertainment and more on high-tech devices driving a
vehicle has become, well, a secondary thought to some. Driving is a
bother.
It limits the time people can email, text and talk to each other.
State legislatures, including Washingtons, have made it illegal to drive
while texting or talking with a cellphone held to the ear. Nevertheless,
distracted driving continues to be a serious and deadly problem.
And it could get a lot worse.
Google has come out with glasses that allow wearers to access and view
the Internet and take photos with literally a blink of an eye. Google
Glass has the potential to garner billions in profit.
Google is pitching its eyewear device hard, hoping to market the glasses
specifically for driving. It is working with carmakers to integrate the
technology with their vehicles.
Google, of course, argues that Google Glass will help drivers avoid road
hazards and would be less distracting than smartphones when used
properly.
Thats difficult to believe. Smartphones arent always used properly, so
why would anyone believe glasses that project email in front of your eyes
would be used properly? Do we really want people watching movies or cat
videos in control of a 4,000-pound car going 70 mph?
Given death or permanent injury are likely outcomes for misusing high-tech
devices while driving, it is essential steps are taken to limit the use of
Google Glass for now.
Wisely, six state have banned or are considering banning Google Glass for
drivers. Washington and Oregon should jump on board.
These ban bills could limit the marketability of Google Glass, said
Richard Bennett, a visiting scholar at the Washington-based American
Enterprise Institute who coinvented Wi-Fi. Driving is certainly one of
the premier applications for Glass.
And these ban bills could, more importantly, also limit disaster.
Advances in technology move faster far faster than laws. Cellphones
and smartphones were already in use when it became obvious that
multi-tasking while driving was dangerous. Laws were put in place to limit
the behavior, but many foolishly cling to the practice (convincing
themselves that their texting while driving skills are better than others.
Getting ahead of Google Glass (and the similar products that are sure to
follow) is a sign society is starting to accept the need to put human
safety ahead of advances in technology.
Netflix May Need To Pay AT&T, Verizon for Faster Speeds
Netflix Inc, which agreed to pay Comcast Corp for faster video delivery,
may have to make similar arrangements with other broadband providers to
make sure its customers get trouble-free access its streaming movies and
TV shows.
Verizon Communications' chief executive said on Monday he expects Netflix
will pay the telecom company for faster speeds after Netflix customers
complained about slow connections to stream TV shows and movies with
Verizon's FiOS service.
AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said in a statement on Monday that "we're in
discussions with Netflix to establish a more direct connection between our
networks, similar to agreements we have with others, so that AT&T
broadband customers who use Netflix can enjoy an even better video
experience."
Talks with telecom companies that provide broadband Internet access gained
momentum after Sunday, when Netflix agreed to pay Comcast Corp for faster
speeds.
Evercore Partners analyst Alan Gould said the agreement with Comcast
removed uncertainty and likely involved small payments since Netflix
agreed voluntarily to the arrangement.
"This is probably a template for the deal that will get done with other
broadband providers," said Gould, who has an "overweight" rating on
Netflix shares. "We are assuming the payments are not going to materially
change the business model."
Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said on CNBC, where he discussed Verizon's
talks with Netflix, that the two companies have been in negotiations for
a year.
These deals hinge on whether Netflix can set up direct access to Verizon,
known as an "interconnect agreement," rather than go through a third
party. Verizon provides millions of U.S. customers with its FiOS
broadband service and Netflix speeds have slowed on that network in
recent months, leading to complaints.
Many providers including Cox, Cablevision and Google Fiber directly
connect to the Netflix network through a service the streaming company
developed called Open Connect. Those providers have not seen their
speeds deteriorate in recent months.
But others, including AT&T and Verizon, have opted not to use Open
Connect.
Shares of Cogent Communications, one of the companies that took care of
the Internet traffic exchange between the Comcast and Netflix networks,
fell 7 percent on Monday as investors worried that these deals would take
away Cogent's business.
Cogent's chief executive Dave Schaeffer played down the effect of the
Comcast-Netflix agreement on its business and reaffirmed the company's
annual revenue forecast.
"It doesn't mean that revenue goes away from Cogent. It just means that
some of the growth in revenue may not occur through us," he said.
McAdam, the Verizon CEO, spoke out in favor of telecom companies signing
deals with Netflix.
"It shows you don't necessarily need a lot of regulation in a dynamic
market here. Doing these commercial deals will get good investment and
good returns for both parties," McAdam said.
Asked about discussions with Verizon or other providers, Netflix
spokesman Joris Evers said "we talk to all major ISPs all the time to
make sure Netflix users get the best possible experience."
Google Makes Good on Threat, Flips 'Kill Switch' on Some Chrome Add-ons
Google upgraded Chrome to version 33, fulfilling its promise to block more
add-ons in the Windows browser and quashing 28 bugs.
The promotion of the new tools and features to Chrome's "Stable" channel,
one of three that the Mountain View, Calif. company maintains, had been
trumpeted previously, and baked into rougher builds.
Top on the change list was the posting of a "No trespassing" sign: Only
extensions or add-ons that originate from the Chrome Web Store, Google's
official distribution channel, can be installed. The new policy currently
affects only users of the Windows version of Chrome 33.
Chrome 33 also automatically throws a "kill switch" on extensions that had
been installed previously from sources other than the Chrome Web Store.
Google called this a "hard-disable," or one that prevents the user from
re-enabling the add-on. Some exceptions applied.
Google first promised that in November, when Erik Kay, director of Chrome
engineering, cited "our continuing security efforts" for the change, and
stated, "We believe this change will help those whose browser has been
compromised by unwanted extensions."
Google has been tightening the screws on third-party add-ons since July
2012, when it first required that add-ons move to the Chrome Web Store.
In other subsequent steps, it blocked sneaky add-on installation.
Those stricter policies had driven some purveyors of adware to try an
end-around by buying the rights to established add-ons already in the
Chrome Web Store, then modifying them to bombard users with
advertisements.
Starting with Chrome 33 on Windows, Google is closing the remaining
loopholes: Extensions that had been installed locally or by businesses
internally must be published to the Chrome Web Store. Businesses can hide
their extensions on the store from the public at large - or continue to
use group policies to offer the add-ons to their workforce from their
own servers - and developers will still be able to initiate "in-line"
installs from their website, assuming the add-on is also in the Chrome
Web Store.
Only add-ons that were installed via such enterprise policies or by
developers from their websites or software can avoid the automatic "hard
disable" that Google mandated.
By forcing add-on developers to publish their work in the Store, Google
moved another step closer to a closed market, the kind popularized by
Apple's mobile app ecosystem, where it can more easily vet the extensions
and then yank them if necessary.
On the Mac version of Chrome 32, add-ons that had been installed from
sources other than the Chrome Web Store - such as 1Password's extension,
which was installed on one staffer's Mac by that password management
software - were not disabled but were instead marked with "Not from Chrome
Web Store."
Chrome 33 also debuted notifications for Google Now, the company's digital
Siri-like assistant, within the browser on Windows and Apple's OS X. Those
notifications stem from the Android and iOS Google Now apps.
Along with the feature promotions, Google patched 28 vulnerabilities in
the browser, including five rated "high," the company's
second-most-serious threat ranking. Three of the vulnerabilities were
classified as "use-after-free" issues, a type of memory bug that in-house
and external researchers have become adept at rooting out, largely by
using Google's own AddressSanitizer fuzzing tool.
Seven outside researchers were paid a total of $13,500 in bounties for
reporting six of the 28 flaws. So far this year, Google has paid out more
than $21,000 in bug bounties.
Chrome 33 also included the most-up-to-date version of Adobe's Flash
Player - Google's browser uses an integrated edition of Flash and so
updates it automatically - that was released earlier today after reports
surfaced that hackers were exploiting a critical vulnerability.
People who haven't tried Google's desktop browser can download Chrome 33
for Windows, OS X and Linux from Google's website. Current users can let
the automatic updater download and install the new version.
Windows 8.1 Update Said To Arrive When XP Ends
Mark your calendars. Early April promises Windows updates as well as the
end of support for Windows XP.
April 8 is the day support for XP ends. Though it may be cold comfort for
XP users, it may also be the day that Microsoft updates Windows 8.1.
Early April is shaping up to be a watershed of sorts for Windows users.
At the same time that support for Windows XP is ending, the Windows 8.1
update is arriving to the general public, according to Neowin, citing a
tweet from Supersite for Windows.
That date was also suggested earlier this month.
And April 8 is also the day for Microsoft's "Patch Tuesday," when it
releases updates and fixes for a variety of Windows products.
But getting back to the Windows 8.1 update. A week before April 8, on
April 2, MSDN users may be able to get the update, according to the same
report.
Microsoft Vice President Joe Belfiore said at Mobile World Congress this
week that the company wants to "make things better" for users without
touchscreens.
Those changes may include new right-clickable context-sensitive menus, the
ability to pin Metro apps to the Desktop task bar, and adding dedicated
search and power buttons to the Start screen, as described earlier this
month by ZDNet.
Meanwhile, the countdown for the end of support for XP continues. "There
will be no more security updates or technical support for the Windows XP
operating system," as Microsoft has made amply clear.
Want To Unsubscribe from A Mailing List in Gmail? Look Up, Not Down
If you interface with Gmail through a browser, Google just flipped the
switch on a slick new feature so slick, in fact, that itll make you
wonder why its not ubiquitous in email-dom.
When a promotional email graces your inbox if you have a few sitting in
your Trash folder, you can follow along train your eyes on the email
header, just to the right of the senders designation. Youre looking for
the word Unsubscribe. If you can find an email that looks like this,
that words just what it sounds like: an easy-peasy, one-click link that
fires off an automated email to the sender requesting they remove you
from further sendings. No fuss, no muss.
gmail-unsubscribe
The idea is to make it simpler to remove yourself from unwanted
promotional lists, to be able to opt out without having to sort through
the fine print at an emails footer or wallow through some companys
proprietary (and on occasion prohibitive) removal mechanics. The features
been around for some time in Gmail, but only for a minority of users.
Google just turned it on for everyone.
Mind you, its not a panacea. Its not clear, for instance, that an
automated message from Gmail to a promotional sender is going to do the
trick, since it circumvents the senders own automated removal process.
Its also not clear how Gmail differentiates between wanted and unwanted
emails (or promotional versus non-promotional). The Unsubscribe option
appeared in some of the promotional emails I flipped through this morning,
but not others.
I wondered if it might be a simple text scrape a process whereby
Googles checking for the word unsubscribe (tied to a link) somewhere in
the email but Ive isolated several instances of promotional emails that
contain the word but dont manifest Googles new Unsubscribe option that
sink that theory.
Its also not designed to combat spam, say someone trying to send you your
million dollar prize winnings. Those emails will continue to show up in
your Spam folder; as always, your best bets to simply zap them (never
reply to spam).
In the future, wouldnt it be nice if this were intrinsic to all forms of
communication? Im talking about a standard opt-out button every marketer
has to comply with, thats as mandatory as the hang-up switch for a voice
call, and as omnipresent as the power button on an electronic device.
Remember Your Facebook Email Address? Its Gone
Did you know you have a Facebook email address? Neither does anyone else.
And thats why yesterday Facebook announced that it was retiring its
public email system, which has been in existence since November 2010.
Users logging into Facebook will soon see (or have already received) the
following message at the top of their screens.
Facebook offers further explanation:
Whats changing with @facebook.com email addresses?
Currently, messages sent to your @facebook.com email address are delivered
to your Facebook Messages.
However, were updating the way @facebook.com email addresses work, so
that soon any email messages that are sent to your @facebook.com email
address will no longer go to your Facebook Messages. Instead, these emails
will be forwarded to the primary email on your Facebook account. Learn how
to add or update your primary email.
As a part of this change, any current Facebook conversations that include
an email address will become read-only. This means that youll still be
able to view the conversation, but youll no longer be able to reply to
it from your Facebook Messages. To continue the conversation, you can
always message people through their Facebook accounts.
A Facebook spokesperson told tech news site Re/Code that the social
network ditched its flagging email service because it wanted to focus on
improving our mobile messaging experience. There is no mention of
Facebooks recent $19 billion acquisition of uber texting service
WhatsApp, but feel free to draw your own conclusions.
Any messages sent to your existing @facebook.com address will be
automatically forwarded to the email address you gave Facebook when you
signed up including messages from strangers that Facebook designated as
other, which often include a fair amount of spam.
According to a Facebook spokesperson, Facebook will continue to run all
emails through its spam filters before forwarding them. Senders will not
be able to see your primary email address (unless, of course, you reply
to them).
Dont like it? You will be able turn off forwarding, though instructions
on how to do that have yet to be made public. According to a Facebook
spokesperson, the changes should roll out in early to mid-March. At that
point, youll be able to disable forwarding.
At press time Facebooks user base had yet to throw its customary tantrum
over changes to the service. Even they dont seem to care.
Adobe Backs ConnectED Initiative, Sends Free Software to Schools
Microsoft, Apple, Sprint and Verizon have already shelled out millions to
help the president bring high-speed broadband to schools and amp up the
role technology plays in education. Now Adobe's on the bandwagon too, and
it's bringing along gobs of software and educational resources for kids
and teachers. Students at some 15,000 US schools get access to Photoshop
Elements and Premiere Elements, while the staff gets tools from Adobe's
Education Exchange, electronic signature software and presentation tech
for distance learning. The company's total commitment weighs in at over
$300 million, but it's not hard to see what it gets out of the deal.
Looking past the potential for a hefty tax writeoff, the company said
its plans are in line with the Common Core State Standards Initiative's
emphasis on media production and criticism. In other words, Adobe wants
to help foster creative skills in youngsters. Getting a new generation
of media-savvy kids interested in its production tools is just icing on
the cake.
Research Shows that 87% of Americans Now Regularly Uses the Internet
You should be aware that the World Wide Web is turning 25 years old on
March 12. One may wonder what have changed in a quarter of a century?
This led Pew Research Center to conduct a survey that would show how far
the Web has come through the years.
It could be considered as a tribute to the World Wide Web. The release
of the findings of the survey indicates how the Internet has figured in
into American culture and society. It found that overwhelmingly, up to
87% of adult US citizens now regularly use the Internet. Interestingly,
most of those also assert that the online media has created a positive
impact on their lives and on society overall.
That would be great news two and a half decades following the release of
the first ever Web browser called Mosaic by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Today,
there are various online browsers available to the public.
The poll was conducted in January and had 1,006 adult respondents. Up to
90% of those respondents personally think that the Internet has truly
become a good and useful tool for them. Out of those respondents, up to
75% think that the online media have helped improve the society.
About 53% of the poll respondents think that it would be very hard for
them to give up the World Wide Web now or in the future. Around 40% of
the respondents assert that the Internet is an absolute necessity in
their lives.
According to Pew Research, the Web has become instrumental in turning
the online media from a mere data-transfer system into a mass-adopted
technology. From specialists, it is now used not just by academics but
also by hundreds of millions of ordinary people from all over the
world.
According to the companys analysts, the Internet today is close to its
saturation point, or 100% usage, especially in households that are
generating at least $75,000 of income (99%), young adults aged 18 years
to 29 years (97%), and college degree holders (97%). Interestingly, up
to 68% of American adults now connect to the online media using their
mobile devices like tablet PCs and smartphones.
It can be noted that Pew has been tracking online usage since 1995. Back
then, just about 14% of Americans were using the World Wide Web.
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