This story is in the news everywhere this week. Apple will scan iPhones and the iCloud for photos of child abuse. Their intentions are good, "Let's find bad things happening and stop them." It will be difficult to find anyone against child abuse. Who, however, decides "good" and "bad" the next time? There is nothing new in this discussion, just better technology. Oh, and what will be the rate of false positives?

Amazon delays their return to the office until 2022.

Seth Godin has an excellent post on "the office," its beginning, and its end. Yes, we need social activities, but the office doesn't have to be the place. This is a huge opportunity for churches.

The "ultra wealthy" are leaving the US to avoid Biden tax increases.

Look what is in the Infrastructure Bill: track driving for taxation. Privacy? Bill of Rights? Huh?

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Saturday 7 August 2021

I like this idea: semi-autonomous robots controlled by disabled humans. Jobs.

Free speech and Facebook

Facebook is blocking some persons (sometimes a lot of persons). "What happened to free speech?" Well, Facebook is a company, not a government. Facebook provides accounts and pages and such at no cost. If a company doesn't want to give me a free service, it doesn't have to. Americans enjoy a free press and a freedom to say what we wish (there is the limit of yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre).

There are some well-informed and highly educated persons who hold that having an account on Facebook et al is the same as having my own little newspaper. And our Constitution says the government cannot interfere with my right to have my own little newspaper. Facebook has become so big, that it has come into the realm of guaranteed free speech. Some disagree with that. The US Supreme Court has yet to hear a case involving this question.

For the time being, Facebook blocks things. Facebook uses software to do so. The software used has its "holes," i.e., there are ways to run around their software. Some make it an avocation to play around and find the holes and tell everyone how to run around Facebook's blockers. Say what you wish. Be clever. And realize that just because I am "right" does not mean that anyone else will agree with me or listen to me or like me.

More discussion on Apple's child safety software; there is good and bad in it all.

In the prolonged year of the virus, Americans have sent a record amount of money to the Wildlife Restoration Fund via purchases of firearms and ammunition.

A recent study shows that death rates from Alzheimer's disease are particularly high in the rural United States. Rural living can bring loneliness, and that is not good for damaged brains. My mother fell into this predicament.

Real news that isn't news: The "right sounding" name helps bring customers. If you don't believe this, ask Joanne Rowling.

Strong rumors that the Google Pixel 5A smartphone will be available this month. $450 is an encouraging prices.

A judge overturns a prior judge's ruling in Apple's favor. Apple avoids a $300million payment.

Beating face recognition isn't that difficult. This post points to the "master face" concept. Just as a master key opens all doors in a building, a master face passes as just about anyone and tricks security systems into letting you in.

We note research into recycling the rare earth materials found in old disk drives. There is promise here.

More discussion on how the current "infrastructure" bill has wandered off into computer programming, cryptography, blockchain, and other things that are inappropriate for such a bill.

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Sunday 8 August 2021

SpaceX has put the Starship on top of a booster. It stands 400 feet tall. That sets some type of record. Orbital flight in a few weeks.

In Sweden, LIFVS operates small, unstaffed grocery stores in rural areas. They use high, high tech to operate. They could have used the honor system.

It is just one small experiment with just one small company, but paying higher salaries made everyone happier and better.

The releases of the iPhone 13 is being slowed by manufacturers and shippers who cannot hire enough persons.

Now consider the Apple story with the one preceding it. "Cannot hire enough persons for the wages offered." Simple solution?

When did a difference of opinion among professionals become "misinformation?"

Here is a good explanation of how the motion picture works. Not as expected, but somehow, our brains make it work.

I am a little off on my timing of putting things in this Daybook this summer. Hence, a longer-than-usual list of writing entries today.

Concepts of practice as applied to writing. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it can improve things.

Editing written work is usually necessary and often makes the written piece worse, not better.

The concept of working with your book instead of working on it.

How do you find or make the time to write? You must exchange it for something else that requires time. Sorry. There are choices. Maybe writing at this time is not possible.

I like this post about finding your topic not your voice. I have always struggled with the concept of "finding your voice." I couldn't figure out how I was writing in someone else's voice. I guess that is an issue with many writers.

This post has a good discussion of the "reverse outline." I use that technique often, especially when editing another person's writing.

"Writing has the power to restore, not only within your life but the lives of others as well."

Here comes my secret: I pull up a paper and write down 10 article ideas while having breakfast.

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Email me at d.phillips@computer.org
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