STEMs toy ideas

Amazon’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math gift toy ‘category’ might be of interest to a few of you. If you are, click here https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_acss_gb_cg_HTLLPCGB_4a1?node=10054374011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=events-center-c-5&pf_rd_r=48YWSPTNSV9Z93E6PXZQ&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_p=ed09b6ac-6ff0-406f-863f-4a53593203e2&pf_rd_i=HTL_desktop

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

News worth knowing

(AKA “Tuesday Tidbits” a day early)

A few items worthy of your time/attention.

* Samsung Admits Its Smart TV Is Spying On You

“Is Your Smart TV Spying On You? You just need to make sure you don’t hold any private conversations in front of the internet-connected TV. IS SMART TV GETTING TOO SMART? Smart TVs are connected to the Internet, and they are capable of collecting and transmitting our data. Samsung’s Smart TV uses voice recognition technology to enable voice commands, but its privacy policy defined by …” Read more…

* Anthem Data Breach — 6 Things You Need To Know

“The Nation’s second largest Health insurer company, Anthem, alerted its customers on Wednesday that hackers had stolen the personal information of over 80 Millions of its customers, making it the largest data breach and double the number of payment cards affected by Target data breach occurred in 2013. The stolen personal information includes residential addresses, birthdays, medical …”Read more…

2. BEWARE!! E-MAIL SCAMS TARGETING ANTHEM CUSTOMERS

As soon as the story broke, cyber criminals started exploiting the latest Anthem data breach in an attempt to persuade people to sign up for bogus credit protection services and provide personal information about themselves.

* Carmakers fail to protect against security attacks

“Carmakers are cramming cars full of wireless technology, but failing to protect those features against the possibility that hackers could take control of vehicles or steal personal data, a US study has found.” Read more..

* Adware Android Apps Found in Google Play With Millions of Downloads

“Security researchers have once again found Google Play Store offering malicious apps that are infecting millions of Android users with adware.” Read more..

Just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it? (Keep in mind, I could post another dozen depressing day’s headlines, but why overwhelm?)

Today’s quote: “Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others…By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.” ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Finally! A few items of interest.

After a dry spell, I found some attention-worthy items.

* Hell no, we won’t pay: How technology transformed our perception of value

“What does this culture and technology of anti-spendism mean for the future consumption and valuation of goods and services?” Read more..

That (above) is the main “should read”. Here are a few others that might also interest you.

* Aereo ruled illegal by Supreme Court; must pay copyright fees

“The future of Internet TV was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. And it didn’t go in cordcutters’ favor.” Read more..

[ Surprised? ]

* Hackonomics: Cybercrime’s cost to business

“How much does getting hacked actually cost a business? Looking closely at the cyber black market’s cost factors is worrying, but offers insight into keeping crime’s cost low.” Read more..

[ Sure. For as long as the cost is low enough.. we can ignore it! ]

This will depress you (but you better know it): HackingTeam tool makes use of mobile malware targeting all major platforms

“Researchers have uncovered troubling details about a mobile surveillance service provided by HackingTeam, an Italian seller of monitoring software.” Read more..

[ Sorry for putting TWO ‘must reads’ in one article.. ]

Related: iOS Safer Than Android? Maybe Not

“Common wisdom holds that iOS is inherently secure and Android is inherently vulnerable. But a new study by Marble Security found that Android and iOS devices pose equal security challenges.” Read more..

Sometimes I think (and then other times, I’m quite certain) the lunatics are running the asylum.

Today’s quote: “Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence.” ~ Napoleon

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Brain-reading Devices

A highly recommended ‘food for thought’ article for you today..

* Think Internet Data Mining Goes Too Far? Then You Won’t Like This

“These days, you can hop on the Internet and buy yourself a consumer-grade brain scanning device for just a few hundred dollars. Technically, they’re called brain computer interfaces, or BCIs. As these devices develop, researchers are thinking a few steps ahead — they’re worried about how to keep marketers from scanning our brains.” Read more..

[ Share that one with your friends/family..]

Sorta related: Yesterday, while watching an educational seminar posted to YouTube, I experienced for the first time YouTube’s “InVideo” ’embedded’ ads – ads that actually interrupt the video, and you have to wait/watch for 5 seconds before you can click on “skip ad” – which was made worse by incessant ‘ghost overlay’ (semi-transparent) ads which I had to keep closing.

Almost exactly 5 years ago I wrote Good-bye YouTube. Enjoy Your Ads., and I guess it’s finally come to fruit. I am muttering expletives like the proverbial Chief Bosons Mate, here folks. Has advertising gotten SO invasive/pervasive that I must cut out all forms of media (besides books)? Seems to me we have reached that point. (I’d like to paraphrase Shakespeare here: “And the second thing we do is..”)

If anyone knows of an ad blocker (or other trick) that can strip those out, please let me know. (Yes, I looked at this one.)
Update: Found an easy one. I added ||2mdn.net^ as a custom filter to my AdBlock Plus extension. Yay!

Today’s quotable quote: “Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need.” ~ Will Rogers

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

Changes coming to an Internet near you!

folks, I only have time to day for a quick ‘reading reco’ (that I think you’ll fersher wanna see).

* Thanks to Tom Wheeler, the end of the open Internet is nigh

“The very fate of a free society rests on enshrining the open Internet — and the FCC chairman seems determined to do the opposite.” Read more..

[ um… one question: do we really have a ‘free society (by what definition?)’? Another might be, is that what the Powers That Be want for us? ]

Related (and reco’d): Two-timing Netflix will speed the downfall — and rebirth — of a free Internet

“Netflix’s deals with Comcast and Verizon are terrible in the short run, but bring us closer to Net neutrality’s moment of truth” Read more..

[ and no. It ain’t just Netflix. The (other) ISP’s and “content providers” are busy screwing things up as well. ]

Yippee yahoo.

(And BTW, I have already had 8 telemarketer calls this morning.. not one for something I would possibly want. So.. I’ll think on today’s quotable quote. Or.. Plan B, disconnect my Internet when I disconnect my phone. Going “off the grid” is sounding better each week, sad to say.) (Read the articles.)

Today’s quote: “I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.” ~ Martha Washington

Copyright 2007-2014 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
And please, never forget – one person can make a difference.
Find a way to make someone’s day today.
(Best advice I ever heard? Don’t sweat the small stuff.)

A Priceless Secret

No telling how much this trick’d be worth…

And I thought my Tech How To’s were valuable…

Outlook.com doesn’t show the excla’s (!) in red.. but they’re still red flags.

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

---

All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Now There’s No Reason To Get Google’s Glasses..

If you were eager to get the new computer-in-your-eyeglasses… this news item may be of interest.

Google Bans Porn Apps on Glass

“A Seattle-based company looking to distribute a porn app for Glass apparently inspired Google to change its policies regarding adult content.” Read more..

Darnit. I was kind of looking forward to hearing stories about the new antidote for Mandatory Meetings (and Cubicle Time Freeze). But.. if you have WiFi, there’s always Redtube…

… this is starting to get creepy …

More Good News Department: China Snatches US Veterans’ Data

“In one of the nastiest — not to mention large scale and long-term — hacking exploits yet to be reported, it appears that the Chinese army has been rummaging through the data of those who have served in the US Armed Forces.” Read more..

Blah blah blah, right? (Somebody’s gotta be laughing at us..)

Today’s quote: “The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.