Summary of this week:

Senate passes immigration bill with everything the tech industry wanted
Ed Snowden seeks asylum in Ecuador
Tech companies associated with the NSA worried about trust and customers
The Miami Heat win the NBA title
The Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup
Google updates Earth and Maps with lots of new imagery

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday

Monday June 24, 2013

Wimbledon begins this week - already playing this morning.
One of the women players will wear Google Glass while playing. That is interesting, and it raises the question of cheating. Tennis players are not to be coached during a match - sounds odd but that is tennis. Coaches could send the player text notes during the match - cheating. The player could see replays of line calls knowing when to challenge - cheating. And on it goes. So how will sports respond to wearable computers?

Major changes rumored at Microsoft before July 1st, a.k.a., this week.

For an Administration that was promised to be open and transparent, the White House sure is working hard to keep everything under wraps.

Ed Snowden is now seeking asylum in Ecuador. It seems that the government of the U.S. and the government of Hong Kong don't like one another much.

Never wanting to move quickly, the FAA says whoa, it could be months before allowing subjects to use electronic devices during takeoff and landing.

Facebook is trying to create a mobile news service.

An in-depth look at the new MacBook Air with 13" display.

India is also a source of international hacking. Why not? They have educated people there.

An article about a company that is building small, low-cost imaging satellites. The future is different.

The Internet of Things is well illustrated by this "ant-sized" computer. It really is the size of an ant.

Here is the "no duh" story of the day: the tech companies named with the NSA are worried about customers no longer trusting them. When the government hides information (declare it all SECRET) for the citizens, it harms trust. Without trust, you can just go home because nothing else matters. This is the great tragedy of the IRS and NSA scandals. Citizens no longer trust this administration. It is all over until the next election. That is a tragedy for the nation.

Studies show that asking clever little questions when interviewing jobs applicants have no bearing on actual job performance. Again, no duh!

HP tries to put everything into one device: a 21" touchsreen tablet that runs Android. I hope this works in the marketplace. We need crazy ideas and variety.

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Tuesday June 25, 2013

A look across the lineup of portable computers from Apple with what to buy for what application.

Using a $50 computer to find personal information on the web. It is that inexpensive to hack into things that people thought were secure. And still, some people believe that it will be okay to put all your health records on the Internet. I don't understand.

The wristwatch computer wars begin with the Sony SmartWatch 2. Now we wait for Apple, Google, and everyone else.

Some of the new MacBook Air computers are having WiFi problems, so much so that Apple is replacing machines and sending the failed units back to California for analysis.

Build your own 8-bit computer with 16 cores. Why not? It is a hobby.

I like this one: the best known brands from each state. Louisiana is of course Tabasco, but Virginia's is America On Line? Are you kidding about that?

The world will be safe again this summer: Hostess Twinkies are returning to stores on July 15th.

ownCloud is a company that allows you to store your data locally and access it globally. The NSA is not involved.

It must be annoying to be President and learn that the Constitution requires Congress to make the laws. Hence, our current President will just declare climate change and how the U.S. industry will do what he wants.

Google releases a major upgrade to Google Groups.

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Wednesday June 26, 2013

Apple updates iTunes U for education.

A look at OS X Mavericks from someone who has an advance copy.

A new Google reports shows the rates of malware in the world: #1 is India.

Google passes Apple in one measure of value.

The Apple online store is finally open in Russia.

For those of us who don't live in Silicon Valley, here is a name: Brit Morin - she is the Martha Stewart of the valley.

The PC is dead. So is the word processor and spreadsheet? Has the "world gone mobile" killed off the applications that we have worked with for the last 30 years?

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Thursday June 27, 2013

The NSA story takes odd twists and turns. The FTC thinks that citizens should see the data that private companies collect on them. On the other hand, if the NSA is holding data that is unclassified, and it seems to be doing so, that information should be available via the Freedom of Information Act. Hmmm. Strange twists and turns indeed.

And one of the "secret" court judges wants to reveal a little more information to the public.

Digg adds an RSS reader to its iOS as the Google Reader demise approaches.

Move photos from your smartphone to your computer using this USB Bridge. Where has this little device been?

Google removes the clouds from earth with new imagery data and software on Earth and Maps.

One of the bits of news from Ed Snowden is that he told reporters in Hong Kong to put their cell phones in the refrigerator. The fridge would block the RF waves to their phones and prevent NSA and others from using the cell phones to listen to what was being discussed. This goes to show that Snowden was an IT guy, not an RF guy as most home refrigerators don't have the RF shielding needed to block RF signals.

Interesting piece about how gay marriage is good and bad for the church.

Windows 8 now has a mini-pad to compete with Apple and Android.

A survey shows that younger people have different attitudes about their smartphone use than older people.

Medical technology advances: micro-robots guided through the eye using magnetic controllers. And why do health care costs rise? Simple.

A look at running Android, a mobile OS, on desktop computers (definitely not mobile).

Black Hat Conference talks will show how unsecure home automation systems are. Is everyone ready for national electronic helath records?

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Friday June 28, 2013

Speculating about the future of television and televisors.

The U.S. military is blocking access to the UK's Guardian after NSA leaks. Control what they read and control their minds, or something like that?

Google is suing the IRS over $83.5Million in tax refunds.

The U.S. military will spend $23Billion (that's a B) in the next 4 years on cyber this and that. It will be good to be a defense contractor if you can land a piece of that pie.

Jimmy Wales - the creator of Wikipedia - profiled here. He is not rich.

The Senate passes an immigration bill that has just about everything the tech industry wanted. Too bad if you are a U.S. citizen about to earn a degree in computing. Your salary just dropped. Now we see if the House of Representatives goes along.

Time Warner Cable installs 1,000 free WiFi hotspots in Manhanttan. That is not Manhattan, Kansas but the New York one. This is really nice, but does nothing for me.

According to a study (yet another famous line), 20% of employees are actively disengaged at work, i.e., they sabotoge everything and everyone else.

Google is working on a mobile, Android game console.

Richard Stallman on the cloud and back doors in software.

Foxconn now has 20,000 robots at work in a country with the world's largest literate, low-cost labor force.

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Saturday June 29, 2013

Excellent legal points here about quiting your job and starting your own company - read what you signed when you were hired.

Thoughts on the growing intelligence industry from some former insiders.

Excellent design - this coat is also a sleeping bag. Excellent project.

Two days to go before Reader vanishes - state of the practice for now as far as replacements.

Google adds better MS Word and Excel editing to the Chrome OS.

Tips on starting an online journal. This is not a blog, but a journal that happens to be typed instead of written and stored online. I recommend paper journals to everyone, and that is one of the rare practices that I recommend to everyone.

Saving money and cutting expenses. Yes, some of these tips are "extreme" but they work.

HP wins a part of a BIG Navy contract, and that means thousands won't lose their jobs. I know a few of those guys personally and I am happy for them.

Apple partners with TSMC for its chips. Apple is trying to move away from Samsung. More on the story.

Yahoo is stopping a dozen of its products.

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Sunday June 30, 2013

The NSA leaks are not over, they keep dripping out.

An interesting site to write short short stories (300 words or less) - TypeTrigger.com.

The current trend is to like cities. Silicon Valley is not a city. Hence, its reign in tech may end.

Explaining that Google does not have a monopoly on search - not even close.

Finding the essense of the plot for a novel.

Good tips on writing a lot of content.

Some thoughts on story telling.

The 90/20 rule - work 90 minutes, rest 20 minutes, repeat.

More on writing in coffee shops and other slightly noisy places.

Shifting the focus from what you write about to how you write about it.

Tips for new freelancers - some of these will keep you sane.

Some blogs make money (mine certainly doesn't).

The deadliest addiction for a writer: having reasons why you cannot succeed as a writer.

Excellent writing advice from Ray Bradbury. Boil it down to two things: write a lot and read a lot.

“You may be surprised to find how quickly daily routine and the demands of 'just getting by' absorb your waking hours.” - Bill Watterson. A guide for the freelancer. Work!

The Pomodoro Technique for writing. Set a physical, ticking timer and write for 25 minutes. Stop and repeat. As with all techniques, try it. If it works, keep; otherwise forget it.

Lessons learned from writing for writing mills. Watch the clock (there are a lot of ways to do that).

If you don't feel stupid half the time, you probably aren't trying hard enough - Colin Wright.

Writing groups can be very good for writers - here are some tips to working in one.

Some tips on removing distractions from your day.

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