Summary of this week:

• LinkedIn becomes the phishing platform of choice—beware
• Google releases three experimental photo apps
• President calls for NASA to do its job
• The $5,000 iMac Pro is now on the market
• Microsoft finally  includes SSH in Windows

Monday December 11, 2017

This post tells truckers not to worry as robots replace their jobs, but doesn't actually say what these folks will do in the future.

Read it aloud, concentrate, remember. Basic but infrequently practices.

Should we say "please" and "thank you" when talking to our computers? Polite people do because that is how polite people speak. Others? Well, they end up in the news being called out 20 years later for being jerks.

Microsoft has its own internal AI training program for engineers and scientists in an effort to fill a skills gap. The gap must not be that important as my phone still isn't ringing.

LinkedIn becomes the platform-of-choice for phishing attacks.

Apple has a new cult of personality; Jony Ive walks in the room and everyone performs better. Perhaps if they could imagine that he was in the room...

Ordering those Christmas gifts from the Amazon sweat shop? Yes, it is a sweat shop

.....

Tuesday December 12, 2017

A look back at the creation of the Agile Manifesto where a group of guys got credit for everything that everyone before them had already done. And too bad, but most of today's "agile" practitioners are kidding themselves and those who pay them.

Tech celebrities send Congress a petition asking to stop the latest definition of net neutrality. Rich people telling other rich people what is best for the rest of us.

Google releases three experimental, we are all beta testers, photography apps.

History repeats itself: middle managers are about to be replaced by software. We've heard this before and we'll hear it again, but probably won't ever see it. Big Middle Management is a powerful lobby.

Stuff (myths) computer programmers believe about computer programming.

Now that he no longer profits from Facebook, former Facebook exec tells how Facebook is ripping us apart. It is all about the money.

NFL games to soon be streaming to all mobile devices regardless of carrier.

The ISPs give money to Congress critters (shocking, I know). Who got how much $$$.

Our President wants NASA to put Americans back on the moon. Folly or a brilliant idea that will boost a lot of things in America? I lean towards the latter

..... Email me at d.phillips@computer.org

Wednesday December 13, 2017

It seems that the practice of law is not all that complicated as software and computers are moving in and taking jobs in the field. Watch for lawyers to pass laws prohibiting it. It is one profession that has the power to deny anyone else from entering.

The $5,000 iMac Pro will be available tomorrow. Lots of power and stuff.

The early reviewers love the new iMac Pro.

Facebook blasts former Facebook exec who blasted Facebook. Denigrates him as out of touch and all that stuff folks say about old folks.

Google opens an AI research office in China. They are looking overseas for talent as they claim they can't find enough persons in the US. Again, my phone isn't ringing.

Blue Origin is back to successfully launching and landing rockets.

A rider on the Defense Appropriations bill puts into law that Americans must register their drones with the FAA.

Shuttle has a new PC that is still pretty small yet is quite powerful and generates a lot of heat.

Colorful shows a new GPU card. The star is the cooling system. Soon you will need A/C repairmen to come to your house to install these.

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Thursday December 14, 2017

The Internet economy in SouthEast Asia is growing faster than everyone expected.

Microsoft makes their Azure Bot Service and Cognitive Language Understanding service available to almost all developers now.

The fussing continues about the current FCC, net neutrality, comments, and the like. The end has been determined; these delays only waste taxpayers' money.

European News agencies want money from American tech companies for their content. Guess how this will end in European courts?

Grad school is saved (not). The grad school "tax" disappears from income tax reform. Delving into details like this indicates that their is far too much tinkering in progress. The result is obvious.

Samsung updates its slim portable computers with better battery life.

LG does much the same with its slim computers.

Robots are shoo-ing away the homeless in, of all places, San Francisco. Hypocrisy reigns.

Finally, Microsoft ships SSH in Windows. One day they may make Windows into a real computer.

A test in China demonstrates how good their network of cameras and facial recognition software is at rounding up the usual suspects.

After much gnashing of teeth, Patreon revokes its bad plan for new fees.

The iPhone X finally passes the iPhone 8 in the market.

A new world record for return on investment: the Russians spent $1 on an ad viewed by only 200 persons, and that ad swayed the Brexit vote all by itself (not).

..... Email me at d.phillips@computer.org

Friday December 15, 2017

No Internet viewing today.

..... Email me at d.phillips@computer.org  Go to Day Book Home and pointer to previous weeks

Saturday December 16, 2017

Reduced Internet viewing today, but a little time on the net.

Revealing the culture of top tech companies in their job descriptions. They aren't hiding much.

All the fussing over the FCC definition of net neutrality shows a large misunderstanding how the Federal government works.

Has the RSS reader simply become overcome by Twitter and others? I still use Feedly and wish Google had not dropped. Reader.

Good Facebook-ing or bad? Sometimes I wonder about the questions we wonder about.

It is done. AoL Instant Messenger is officially gone.

Lawsuits resurrect old studies about cell phones (remember when we used to call them that?), radiation, and health.

..... Email me at d.phillips@computer.org Go to Day Book Home and pointer to previous weeks

Sunday December 17, 2017

The Trump definition of net neutrality replaces the Obama one. Yes, they both say they are defining the same thing. And once again we show that if you just declare something instead of passing a law, the next fellow can simply un-declare it.

Here is the Gaming Station from PowerColor. Put your full-size graphics card monster in this, and then attach it to your slim portable computer. Play video!

The New York Times exemplifies how the old media chastises the new media for misbehaving. It appears that the old media has no mirrors and no memory.

A look at the Eve V portable computer. It goes back to the simple idea that the user cares about the screen and the keyboard. I/O is still what matters.

Diet soda is the current cause of all that is bad (hype, fake news). Well, the studies etc. don't support the hype.

This would be a big change: Microsoft may allow Python as a "language" inside Excel.

Our current FCC's net neutrality will allows ISPs to treat different traffic differently. We don't want this until we consider it thoroughly, then we want it. If you don't want this, consider it more.

How the Chinese government uses facial recognition to round up the usual suspects. If you have visited China recently, you too are in the database.

A different take on gifts for writers. I like this one.

Is it writer's block or "I just don't feel like doing anything."

Forget the resolutions, as a writer, asks these two questions instead.

The benefit of those, sometimes nagging, grammar tools.

Some simple ideas for Christmas.

Thoughts on the significance of telling your own story.

Good things that writers can do for others this season and the rest of the year as well.

Yet another example of a group of writers working together for the good of each of them.

..... Email me at d.phillips@computer.org

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