Indicators of where technology is going

And that change--big and fast change--is overtaking some big, powerful companies in the computer industry.

There were these four headlines Friday in The New York Times.

First, this one:

Dell Buys Time to Seek Support for Sale to Its Founder

It seems owner, founder Michael Dell of the formerly huge and important Dell Computer has been trying to buy back and take back over his computer making company, in an effort to save it. With our turn away from desktop computers, world wide, the company has been in serious trouble lately.

Next there's this:

Chip Maker, Posting a Loss, Seeks to Enter Game Market

Same thing here only the company is Advanced Micro Devices but the problems are the same--fewer desktops and laptops being sold.

Weak PC Market Catches Up to Microsoft

What were some of the biggest, most powerful and seemingly forever-formidable companies in the computer business--this time, Microsoft--are simply not immune to the turn to tablets, "devices" and cell phones. It's a huge turn.

Finally, there's this one:

Google Results Show Struggle With Mobile

In this case, it seems big and, again, powerful Google, who knows just how to use information and advertising from desktops and laptops just can't translate that same power into income for itself on the cursed little cell phones.

What's it all mean, besides the obvious, besides the fact that the entire computer industry is very much changing, and rather quickly, to those same, smaller cell phones and tablets?

It seems to mean that not only is there big change on the horizon but that that very same change seems to be coming at us at ever faster rates.  More and more big change at faster and faster rates.

It's tough to keep up with it all.

If you have or get a good idea, you'd better be on it fast, ladies and gentlemen.

A cousin makes an excellent point about upcoming technology

 

You have likely heard of Google's developing technology, their glasses, that are computer-equipped and -enabled.

 

As bad as American's have proven to be already, what with our cell phones and the car accidents we have wherein people have been hurt and, of course, worse yet, killed, my cousin makes the following observation yesterday on Facebook post on my page:

 

"Prepare to die in a horrible head-on crash."

 

Seriously. Can you imagine?

 

Some idiot will buy a pair of these things and feel sure he (for it will most surely be a male) can "absolutely, positively drive with these things."

 

Watch for it.

 

Congress should move immediately to simply and quickly outlaw the operation of automobiles with these things, before anyone gets remotely close to having this happen.

 

Instead, what will happen is our legislators and laws will wait, do nothing and be behind time on this. Consequently, people will be hurt, people will be killed first.

 

And then and only then will anyone in government think to react.

 

Facepalm.

 

Link:

 

6 New Google Glass Demos Worth a Watch - Mashable



Google and Kansas City: Soon to be love-hate relationship?

Sure, Google's coming to town and we fought to get them and it's supposed to bring ultra-fast data transmission to and for us but as The Star reported Sunday (and is still online now, see link below), they were fined for some of the data collection an engineer of theirs captured but just what he captured was far more revealing--and worse:

"A rogue engineer, not identified publicly by Google, wrote software aimed at tapping into transmissions known as captured payload data. That included passwords, addresses, phone numbers, medical records, emails and search history from consumers who had not sealed their private Wi-Fi networks behind some form of password protection or encryption."

A couple notes: First, they were only fined a paltry $25,000. For a firm as big and powerful--and rich--as Google, that's chicken feed. Much worse is getting caught and having this information become public.

Second is the fact that it makes me wonder if this engineer was really, in fact, "rogue." He did this of his own volition and not at the direction of his boss and the company? Right. I'm skeptical, at least.

"Google said it never intended to pile up that sort of information. Rather, Google has said it was simply logging the whereabouts of the nation’s sundry wireless Internet access locations."

Yeah, well, maybe. We'll see, huh?

More from the Star's article: "Asked Sunday about the nature of data that might be collected by its Internet service in Kansas City, a Google spokeswoman said in an email: 'We have nothing specific to announce right now about Google Fiber, but we build transparency, choice and security into our products because we believe that’s what matters to our users.'”

Right. "I love you" and "The check's in the mail", too, while we're at it.

"The FCC report, released Saturday with only names redacted, says the rogue engineer told a senior manager and one other engineer that the code he’d written was collecting the personal information."

The computer engineer wrote the program to collect the personal information for his own amusement and entertainment?

That seems suspect, at least.

Anyway, welcome to town, Google. Thanks for selecting us. We appreciate it greatly, we really do.

It reminds me of Tina Turner's song. So here, from the Kansas City metropolitan area to Google:


Link: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/29/3583087/fcc-report-describes-private-data.html

A problem with Google

I hate how, by hook or by crook, Google wants to make sure that somehow, some way, with all the sites and services they have to offer, they're going to find some way--some way--to get all our phone numbers. It really chaps my hide. Bloodsuckers.

I'm so old...

...I remember the original YouTube page. I remember when YouTube didn't have an advertisement at the bottom of each video. Heck, I remember when Google didn't own YouTube. THAT old.

Kansas City, we better get reading

It seems Amazon recently ranked “the 20 Most Well-Read Cities in America.”

Guess what major midwest city isn't on it?

You guessed--us.  Kansas City.

But guess what other major, midwestern, Missouri city is?

If you guessed St. Louis, you'd be right.

And nothing in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas or even Illinois.  Interesting.

The list:

1. Cambridge, Massachusetts
 2. Alexandria, Virginia
 3. Berkeley, California
 4. Ann Arbor, Michigan
 5. Boulder, Colorado
 6. Miami, Florida
 7. Salt Lake City, Utah
 8. Gainesville, Florida
 9. Seattle, Washington
 10. Arlington, Virginia
11. Knoxville, Tennessee
12. Orlando, Florida
13. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
14. Washington, D.C.
15. Bellevue, Washington
16. Columbia, South Carolina
17. St. Louis, Missouri
18. Cincinnati, Ohio
19. Portland, Oregon
20. Atlanta, Georgia

Excuse me, I have to go get my book.

There's another article on it here, too: Beyond Black Friday

Enjoy your holiday weekend, y'all.

Why Google's offer is great for Kansas City

Google Really Cares About Web Speed -- Why You Should Also

The book--and the bookstore--vs. "readers"

I have to say, I'm all about technology.

I'm on Facebook, as any of my friends will tell you (oh, boy, am I ever) and I LOVE iPads and iPhones and iPods.  (I had an old "Shuffle" but it broke.  I want an iPad so badly it nearly hurts).

But I was killing some time this week and went into one of the remaining dinosaurs of our world, anymore.

I went into a private, small, local and locally-owned bookstore.

To be specific, I went into Rainy Day Books in Fairway.  (It's not far from my daughter's house).

Wow.

Just wandering the aisles, looking at all the different books, the sizes, the colors, the textures, the stories, everything, it occurred to me that this is what a computer or e-book "reader" doesn't give or deliver.

Sure, you can still hold your Kindle or whatever but the book?  And the bookstore?

This is where I remain a luddite.  Or druid, or something.

Give me that "old time religion" of the book, with all its texture and maybe even clumsiness.

But it's richness and depth, too.

Arizona's new slogan

Arizona: Come for the racism. Stay for the Fascism.