Summary of this week:

Intel focusing on processors for data centers
Apple stock at all-time high
Disney cuts ties with PewDiePie
India puts 104 satellites in orbit on one launch vehicle
Zuckerburg tries to rewrite Facebook's mission
Zuckerburg goes to churches to find Facebook's future
In 20 years, where does the human add value?

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

Monday February 13, 2017

Instant data tethering for Android Pixel and Nexus phones. Don't get stuck at a restaurant with 1MegaBitPerSecond Wifi like me.

Censorship is alive and well in Africa as governments turn off the Internet when they want.

In America today, if you are smart and educated, you hate Trump. That is assumed by the smart and educated. Hence, Silicon Valley tech talent organizes to help anyone who is against Trump.

Intel concentrates on making processors for data centers. PCs, well, they still make something for them.

Some educated thoughts on the H-1B visa. This is rare.

More on the H-1B visa and abuses by American companies.

This is just plain dumb. Customs and Border Patrol demand a JPL employee unlock a JPL-owned phone.

Verizon brings back the unlimited really unlimited data plans.

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Tuesday February 14, 2017

The price of Apple stock hits an all-time high.

Here comes Apple the entertainment company with its Carpool Karaoke.

Qualcomm announces new 802.11ax standard chips. Here comes better, faster WiFi.

A recent study shows, H-1B visas do take away American jobs and lower overall wages.

How Amazon Web Services came to dominate the cloud—they invented the demand and the supply.

The top ten tech companies that pay the most: the list is surprising.

Automation and the loss of jobs: this time all the horse wranglers won't get jobs building cars.

Let's move to Dubai, where they try new things. Coming this summer are one-person, autonomous, flying taxis.

This is the most important story on the Internet today: Disney cuts ties with PewDiePie. I don't understand the story, but it is the leading story on all the usual sites.

Amazon Chime: a video chat, web meeting service that is tied to AWS.

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Wednesday February 15, 2017

Google releases Cloud Spanner to everyone. It is a cloud-based relational database Google has used internally for years.

Microsoft President calls for a "Digital Geneva Conventeion" so governments will behave and not digitally nuke or gas one another.

Lookout Mac users: the Russians are now hacking us with sophisticated tools.

Amazon hauled in $6.4billion from various subscription services last year. Nice money if you can get it.

"Planet of the Apps" A new reality show from Apple that everyone hates (with a passion).

The National Geographic Society tries to build an excellent television network.

Turn the volume down on your devices: Facebook will now autoplay videos with the sound on.

Jaguar and Shell team to allow the fortunate to pay for the gas while in the car. I guess there is some utility to this. I don't know as I have to stand outside my car to pump the gas. Perhaps there are special gas stations for special car owners.

India puts 104 satellites into orbit on one rocket.

Forget all our troubles: Starbucks is adding ice cream to the menu. Now if only the airlines would...

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Thursday February 16, 2017

Jerry Weinberg, as usual, gives an excellent answer to a common question, "Should I learn C++ or Python?" The answer is, "Both, at the same time. Do every assignment in both languages and explain the similarities and differences." Again, excelent, brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?

IBM and The Weather Company have created a method of notifying smartphones of local weather events.

Probably coming soon: make and receive phone calls through your home speaker (Home or Echo).

Caavo made have made THE living room appliance that connects all the devices, remotes, voice commands, etc.

Strong rumors about the next iPhone: no home button. Use the space for more screen.

Microsoft has a virtual world simulator that helps train drones. It is now open source.

Facebook steps into the job listing market. Help wanted ads everywhere. Do those jobs actually exist?

How about the Apple cyber cafe? Another loser idea that Apple didn't use. They did the retail store instead.

Blackberry, once the chosen device of that former President, is officially at 0% of the marketplace.

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Friday February 17, 2017

Google releases Tensor Flow 1.0. Better, faster, cheaper, and all that.

The Google Assistant on Google Home now lets us order stuff from Google. This catches up to Amazon. Wow, it is so easy to buy stuff these days. I guess that is good in some instances.

The drama ends; the drama begins. Samsung's VP is arrested in South Korea.

Zuckerburg writes a long letter explaining how Facebook will connect people who do good instead of not do good, or something like that.

Apple will finally open a manufacuring plant in India and make lower-cost iPhones for that market.

A little company named Gamalon has advanced machine learning—far less data needed. Big breakthrough.

Members of the European Parliament voted to regulate AI and robots. This could be interesting.

Linus Torvalds echoes Edison: get the work done and forget that innovation hype.

No longer a silly joke: by the end of this decade (if all goes well), NASA may be able to put a person in space.

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Saturday February 18, 2017

FYI: your personal Facebook videos can be broadcast by others (like CBS, NBC, ABC) at no pay to you.

Bill Gates tosses out an idea that is new to me: if a robot takes your job, the robot should pay income tax. I find some merit in this.

In 20 years, where does the human add value? Good question. This is one of those questions that if I knew the answer, I wouldn't tell anyone unless they paid me millions $$$.

Mark Cuban makes the case for liberal arts instead of STEM.

Government in Huntsville, AL are competing with companies for broadband service. This is not competition as the governments don't need to make a profit. If someone feels that Comcast, or whomever, is providing lousy service, start your own company and beat them. I don't like the use of taxpayer dollars to compete with a private company.

GM partners with Lyft to have self-driving Bolts on the street in 2018. Not available to private car owners.

Zuckerburg's new Facebook manifesto and its relation to Christianity and churches.

Excellent post about an ancient electromagnetic disturbance and how that would disrupt our lives if it happened today.

Causation or coincidence? Waves of immigrants align with drops in crime.

This must be important as it is all over the Internet: Next year, YouTube will drop the 30-second ad that we can't skip.

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Sunday February 19, 2017

"If we care enough, the opposite of more is better."—Seth Godin

The week of unlimited data plans and resuming competition.

The Facebook manifesto and what is left of the "mainstream media." Facebook didn't do it, it just finished it. Of all things, talk radio on the AM dial and the wide availability of inexpensive computing did it. The new printing press overcame the old one.

Microsoft brings out Office support for the MacBook touch bar.

The data dress. The computer geeks delve into personalized fashion. This could become interesting.

The latest Apple iPad Pro ad campaign. It is better than a computer or something like that.

Some figures about Amazon that may help writers.

Negative thoughts abound. Here are some ideas about bringing positive thoughts. Some are surprisingly religous and good.

Young (whatever age that is), trying to start as a writer (whatever that means)? Some tips to begin.

Love this infographic about eliminating words from our writing.

This has a trite title, but good content. Double your writing or something, but again, good content.

Good stuff: British vs American English.

Why do I write fiction. These are excellent answers. One is, "I need my imaginary friends."

Why write short stories? Here are some good reasons. A big one: you write it in a short time. It is finished. You post or publish it. You can point to something and say, "I wrote that."

This once consumed me: what is a short story? 3,000 words. That's the answer except when it isn't. Just write the story and let it be as long as it is.

A writer has a Facebook group for writing 12 short stories in 12 months. A worthy exercise.

How to write more by writing less—give yourself time away from the keyboard so your mind can write.

Fiction writers: walk a mile in your characters' shoes. Literally (don't do anything illegal).

I find this to be excellent advice: stop trying to make sense of rejection.

Twitter is still alive and useful for writers.

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