Dwayne Phillips ' Day Book

Items I happen to view each day. Science, Techonology, Management, Culture, and of course Writing

This is my day book for this week. I have modeled this after science fiction and computer writer Jerry Pournelle's view, or as he calls it, his Day Book. I encourage you to see Jerry Pournelle's site and subscribe to his services.

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This week: December June 9-15, 2014

Summary of this week:

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

Monday June 9, 2014

The concept of a digital shoebox to help those who suffer from dementia.

Yet another "computer beats the Turing Test" story that is mostly fluff.

A look at the electrical- and electronic-waste economy in China.

Excellent graphic on job recovery and non-recovery in the US.

The CIA, yes that CIA, now has a Twitter account and Facebook page.

This man invented the world's most hated font: comic sans.

Apple to map the inside of big buildings. This could be a great thing, but it could easily be misused by terrorists and those who like to misuse things.

More mathematicians encouraging colleagues to not work for the NSA. Two things: (1) there was a scene in the movie "Good Will Hunting about this, and (2) okay, so you pay all the unemployment benefits of those guys who are unemployed.

The big companies in the Internet are cooperating less with our government. Such is the backlash when some persons working for the government abuse others. It is a tragic story that is too-often repeated.

A conversation with Linus Torvalds.

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Tuesday June 10, 2014

More airports in the US are going to free WiFi service. It is long past due.

Uber claims creating 20,000 jobs per month, and that its drivers earn triple what cab drivers earn. I don't doubt their salary numbers. What causes me to wonder is why the taxi companies are so inefficient. Perhaps they are over regulated.

A little-known part of iOS 8 will make it much harder to track your location.

The terrifying use of extravagant military hardware by local police departments in America—awful.

Sony announces the Playstation TV: a $100 competitor to Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

The Internet tech scene is Los Angeles is growing. Still, high taxes, high cost of living, and all that.

More detail on why the Turing Test was not passed. There are days when I really wonder about journalists and what they have done to their profession.

Google shows Docker: software that will enable Cloud Computing applications for just about anyone.

Apple video shows the look and feel of OS X Yosemite.

Digital drop boxes and encryption are being defeated by government "administrative subpoena," which requires almost no suspicion of crime. Consitution? What Constitution?

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Wednesday June 11, 2014

Feedly is having problems this morning, at least for me.

Microsoft is storing customer emails outside the US, but the US government wants to read them. The battle between our tech companies and our government is growing with the tech companies on the side of the majority of our citizens. When did our government-employed citizens detach themselves from the rest of the citizens?

A look at Samsung's Chromebook.

A court allows Google and universities to scan all the books in their libraries. Authors don't like this; historians mostly like it.

Google buys a satellite-building company.

Amazon to offer connections to local services later this year. Hire a plumber or carpenter or lawn maintenance.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 is released.

Firefox 30 is released.

A California judge rules that teacher tenure is unconstitutional. This could be the biggest news of the year as it would turn upside down the education system in America.

SwiftKey for Android is now free.

This pen scans a color, then writes in that color.

How to survive an Internet outage.

Honeywell introduces a thermostat to compete with Nest.

Google is building a database to help with autism research.

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Thursday June 12, 2014

Feedly was down yesterday due to some attacks. It is still down this morning, at least I can't access it.

HP is inching towards a memristor-based computer. They are still years away, but the potential is a game changer.

Starbucks is now installing wireless charging stations in its locations. It will take a while, so keep your charger with you for now.

Here is some video showing the iOS 8 split-screen mode.

Google introduces "Google My Business." This service is another attempt by Google to help businesses promote themselves. Perhaps this one will work. Please note, not all of Google's project succeed. Google has tried things like this one before.

Netflix continues to argue with Verizon over "fast lanes" and such.

Facebook will soon allow us to see and alter the information they have on us. This information prompts the ads we see and is based on our activities. This could be interesting.

Some predictions for the next five years of technology. Take them or leave them. I am intrigued by the idea of services on demand at the last second. Want to speak to a doctor at 2AM US time? Why not? Doctors in India are wide awake at that time.

Need a new camera? Look at Panasonic's new model with 4K video recording.

A US appeals court rules that tracking your cell phone location requires a warrant. This is not decided. The Supreme Court will eventually hear a case like this and test the Fourth Amendment.

Uber is disrupting Europe. This looks like a case of success leading to ultimate failure as Uber will probably be outlawed one day.

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Friday June 13, 2014

Feedly.com is up and down and mostly down.

Samsung shows their new tablets that will be available next month.

Coming soon: Google Fit to collect all your health data. I have my doubts about all these fitness devices and services. People just aren't that interested in know these things.

P.F. Chang had a big data loss this week with customers' credit card numbers stolen.

Our Federal government is telling local Police to be quiet about how cell phones and surveillance work.

A look at Apple's Swift programming language.

Ars Technica and NPR spend a week in surveillance to see what data we commonly leak.

Studies show that patent trolls really do hurt the economy.

The name Snowden is banned at the NSA. This is a sign of silliness and defeat—ban words. That will ensure no one thinks of them (not). Terrible waste of tax dollars and an insult to the adults who still work in government.

Will Focus Fusion be the answer to the energy quest?

Coming soon to a highway near you: the blimp in a box. Around-the-clock watching you speed and giving you tickets.

The new SlingBox is coming.

Adults return to summer camp without their cell phones and other mobile devices.

The PC isn't dead yet as there has been strong demand for PCs in business.

Those Starbucks wireless charging stations won't work for most devices.

One person's experience of being replaced by an H-1B visa holder.

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Saturday June 14, 2014

Feedly appears to be back today.

Google has a Glass ad for Father's Day. I like it. The ad shows something you can do with Glass but can't do with an iPhone (unless you strap your iPhone to your head).

Watching the World Cup on your iPhone or iPad.

Apple, like many others, will soon be encrypting emails.

When you are a public person, be ready for humor and ridicule in t-shirts.

A twist on the "get off my lawn" line.

A Federal judge has ordered a secret Federal judge to turn over documents that are not secret. If you are also confused, we are not alone.

About that technology pioneer: Starbucks.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, et al have been blocked in Iraq.

ooops, AT&T had a data loss of lots of social security numbers.

How Elite Daily was built by three young people with relatively little money.

An Instagram campaign to shame travellers who have "too much" carry-on luggage.

Good old-fashioned crime on Facebook.

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Sunday June 15, 2014

Amazon has had several people die in its warehouses recently, so our government is investigating.

The reign of the introverts. A recent study shows that extroverts are not well suited for long, confined space exploration.

Bic pen is creating a typeface designed by the handwritten characters of anyone on earth who wants to contribute.

Other tech companies join Microsoft in refusing to give the US government data that is not stored in the US.

Microsoft, and the rest of North America, has run out of IPv4 addresses.

Fans of the Los Angeles Kings down a police drone with a jacket or something.

Tips for writing an essay.

A few steps one writer took to become a writer. Hint, reading and writing were key.

Why one freelance writer starts renting co-working space.

Don't compare yourself to other writers and other people in general.

Is writing therapy? I don't know, but I often feel better after writing.

Learning your language always helps writers.

What to be a freelance writer? Don't start in these places.

Twitter mistakes of writers.

Do you want to be more creative? Create.

Writing through the duress of everyday life.

To be a writer, one thing you must to is learn to live with the constant fear of rejection.

An analysis of makes better short stories.

Some of the virtues and challenges of writing with a pencil and paper.

Some ways to cut the garbage in writing and write simple, brief, and clear.

Some things that some successful writers practice.

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