Tag: Net Neutrality

Personal Technology Stories You Might Have Missed January 12 – 23, 2015

Linda Reimer

Article 1: Presidential Speeches That Include References To Technological Innovation: The first recommend article is from the Washington Post and it takes a look back at past presidential speeches that mention “modern” technology as an innovative tool. The list includes a few lines from John Quincy Adams on the subject of the growing of railroad technology, moves on to note Andrew Jackson mentioning the innovative power of stream, Lincoln offering words on the subject of the first global communications technology – the telegraph and goes all the way forward to 2015 when President Obama mentioned Instagram in his 2015 State of the Union Address – history and technology mixed together – cool!

Here’s the link to the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/21/the-first-mentions-of-technological-innovations-in-state-of-the-union-messages-catalogued/

Bump, Philip. (21 January, 2015). The first mentions of technological innovations in State of the Union messages, catalogued. The Washington Post. Online. Accessed January 22, 2015.

Article 2: Technology Has Not Made Life More Stressful: Article 2discusses how many people think that the modern technology has made life more stressful, when in fact many people find the new communications technologies to be stress relievers as they allow people to more easily connect with family and friends.

Here’s the link to the article

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/16/upshot/technology-has-made-life-different-but-not-necessarily-more-stressful.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Miller, Claire Cain. (15 January, 2015). Technology Has Made Life Different, but Not Necessarily More Stressful. The New York Times. Online. Accessed January 15, 2015.

Article 3: New Features of iOS 8: This article is for iPhone & iPad users who’d like to know more about the new features of Apple’s latest mobile software upgrade – iOS 8. The new features include the ability to ask Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, questions hands free while your device is plugged in as it might be while you’re in a car, the ability to use third party keyboards and the option to ask Siri to identify a song that is playing. The article comes with a video review found at the following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/technology/personaltech/tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-apple-ios-8.html

Wood, Molly. (14 January, 2015). Getting the Most Out of Apple iOS 8. The New York Times. Online. Accessed January 15, 2015.

Article 4: Fitness Trackers: This “article” is actually a funny video review of some of the most popular fitness trackers by the always fun Wall Street Journal Tech columnist Joanna Stern:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/review-best-fitness-trackers-to-get-you-up-off-the-couch-1418760813?mod=ST2

Stern, Joanna. (16 December, 2014). Review: Best Fitness Trackers to Get You Up Off The Couch. The Wall Street Journal. Online. Accessed January 13, 2015.

Article 5: The Basic Gist of The Term The Internet of Things:  If you’ve heard the term “The Internet of Things” and wondered what exactly that means – then this article is for you! Re/Code tech columnist Bonnie Cha offers an accessible explanation of just what that term means and how the technology is advancing in that integrated direction.

Here’s the link to the article:

http://recode.net/2015/01/15/a-beginners-guide-to-understanding-the-internet-of-things/

Cha, Bonnie. (15 January, 2015). A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Internet of Things. re/code. Online. Accessed January 15, 2015.

Article 6: Google Translate Update: Google Translate has recently had an update and this link is to a video that shows how you can now have a conversation with someone speaking another language by using the software:

http://www.cnet.com/videos/hold-conversations-using-google-translate/

How To Video: Hold conversations using Google Translate. CNET. Online. Accessed January 22, 2015.

Article 7: Windows 10 Is Coming In 2015! (And the Start Menu will return!): This BBC article offers some basic info on the new Windows 10 operating system that Microsoft will be unrolling later this year:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30924022

Kelion, Leo. (21 January, 2015). Windows 10 to get ‘holographic’ headset and Cortana. BBC. Online. Accessed January 22, 2015.

Article 8: Windows 10 Holographic Headset: Windows 10 is being unveiled later this year along with a cool new holo headset that allows you to

http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7867593/microsoft-announces-windows-holographic

Savov, Vlad. (21 January, 2015). Microsoft announces Windows Holographic with HoloLens headset. The Verge. Online. Accessed January 21, 2015.

Article 9: Microsoft Founder Bill Gates Will Be Guest Editor On The Verge Site In February:  Bill Gates will offer guest editorials on the tech site The Verge in February focusing on how technology will make the world a better place in the next 15 years:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/22/7870497/bill-gates-interview-future-verge-guest-editor

Patel, Nilay. (22 January, 2015). Bill Gates is guest-editing The Verge in February: Technology will build a better, safer, healthier world by 2030. The Verge. Online. Accessed January 22, 2015.

Article 10: HBO Standalone Web Service Coming In 2015: Sometime this year HBO will be rolling out a paid standalone subscription service so you won’t need a cable

http://recode.net/2015/01/22/will-hbo-on-the-web-pull-the-plug-on-pay-tv-survey-says-yep/

Kafka, Peter. (22 January, 2015). Will HBO on the Web Pull the Plug on Pay TV? Survey Says: Yep! re/code. Online. Accessed January 22, 2015.

Article 11: Amazon – Good For Readers or Not?  This “article” consists of a short article from NPR and a podcast of 50 minutes on the subject of whether or not Amazon’s e-book practices are good for readers. Essentially, the podcast offers a debate on the subject; on the pro side author Jon Konrath & Matthew Yglesias executive editor of vox.com, a digital news company, and on the con side Franklin Foer the former editor of The New Republic and author and lawyer Scott Turow.

Here’s the link:

http://www.npr.org/2015/01/22/378889431/debate-is-amazon-the-readers-friend

Debate Is Amazon The Reader’s Friend? NPR. Online. Accessed January 22, 2015.

Article 12: The Battle For Net Neutrality Goes On: And this last article is an NPR offering on the subject of just what will happen later this year when the FCC rules on Net Neutrality & how congress will influence this new rules.

Here’s the link:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2015/01/21/378844286/critics-say-republican-net-neutrality-plan-strips-fcc-s-power

Rose, Joel. (21 January, 2015). The Battle Over Open-Internet Rules Shifts To Congress. NPR. Online. Accessed January 21, 2015.

And remember if you need assistance in learning how to use a new e-reader, tablet, computer or smartphone, or a new piece of software you can go to the library and get assistance for free!

Our Digital Literacy Services staff are happy to assist you in learning how to use hardware and software so contact us for a free one-on-one session today!

Give us call: 607-936-3713 or send an email to us at the following email address: DIGLIT@STLS.ORG

Tech Stories You Might Have Missed December 15 – 19 & December 22 – 26, 2014

Linda Reimer

Since most people are super busy at this time of year — here is a list of interesting tech articles you might have missed for last week and this week – in other words covering the two weeks of December 15 – 19 and December 22 – 26.

Have a great holiday season!

Linda, SSCL

And don’t forget although the library is closed on 12/24 & 12/25 — we are open our regular hours on Friday 12/26 (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.) and Saturday 12/27 — so while you’re out and about on Friday & Saturday drop by the library and pick up some books or DVDs!

Or, access digital content (e-books, digital audiobooks, streaming videos and music) through the OverDrive Media Console and Freegal Music apps found in your app store!

And here are the tech articles you might have missed!

Article 1: This first article discusses what a great level playing field for life is created by access to the Internet, and, correspondingly how this theoretical equality is actually unequal in practice due to a variety of issues including Net Neutrality and censorship issues – it is an interesting article!

Here’s the link:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30432487

Net is ‘less free and more unequal’, says web founder. (11 December, 2014). BBC. Online. Accessed December 17, 2014.

 

Article 2: Star Trek turbo lifts coming our way!

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/12/star-trek-turbolifts-will-be-reality-in.html

Wang, Brian. (14 Decenber, 2014). Star Trek Turbolifts will be reality in 2016 with multidirectional elevator . nextBIGFuture. Online. Accessed December 17, 2014.

 

Article 3: Article 3 is a New York Times article that focuses on how the job market is changing due to the advancing technology and how advanced education is going to increasingly be a necessity for people as smart machines & robots do more and more tasks that have in the past been done manually by humans – here’s the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/upshot/as-robots-grow-smarter-american-workers-struggle-to-keep-up.html?ref=technology&_r=0&abt=0002&abg=1

Miller, Claire Cain. (15 December, 2014). As Robots Grow Smarter, American Workers Struggle to Keep Up. The New York Times. Online. Accessed December 16, 2014.

 

Article 4: And article 4 is another article on Amazon and how the company has changed the way it sells items over the last 15 years. It is an interesting article for those interested in how technology is changing society and also for those interested in business trends — here’s the link:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/the-price-of-books-at-jeff-bezoss-lemonade-shop/?ref=technology

Streitfeld, David. (14 December, 2014.) Jeff Bezos’ Lemonade Stand. The New York Times. Online. Accessed December 16, 2014.

 

Article 5: I found article 5 on a blog called “Coding Horror” which I had never heard of before! However, I think the article is cool because it does offer a “history” of e-ink, as in the e-ink technology of e-readers. And I put the word “history” in quotes because the first commercially successful e-reader, the first generation Kindle, only came out in 2007 – so from a long-term historical perspective that is short period of history!

Here’s the link to the article:

http://blog.codinghorror.com/the-evolution-of-eink/

Atwood, Jeff. (15 December, 2014). The Evolution of eInk. Coding Horror: programming and human factors. Online. Accessed December 17, 2014.

 

Article(s) 6: And you may have heard in the news in the past week that Apple won its long iPod antitrust law suite earlier this month – and here are links to two articles on the subject. The NPR article is short and the Bloomberg article offers more in-depth info on the subject:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/16/371217261/apple-wins-1b-ipod-antitrust-lawsuit

Calamur, Krishnadev. (16 December, 2014). Apple Wins $1B iPod Antitrust Lawsuit. NPR. Online. Accessed December 17, 2014.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-16/apple-prevails-at-1-billion-trial-over-digital-music.html

Gullo, Karen., & Burnson, Robert. (16 December, 2014). Apple Deafeauts $1 Billion iPod Antiturst Suite in Three hours. Bloomberg. Online. Accessed December 23, 2014.

Article 7: Article 7 focuses on a new cutting edge trend – being able to see a doctor via a video chat from wherever you are! Katherine Boehret of the re/code site offers a neat review of the technology:

http://recode.net/2014/12/17/a-doc-in-your-pocket-doctor-on-demand-gets-smarter/

Boehret, Katherine. (17 December, 2014.) A Soc in Your Pocket: Doctor on Demand Gets Smarter. re/code. Online. Accessed December 18, 2014.

Article 8: And believe it or not as successful as Amazon is they are not quite as unstoppable as their public images might suggest – NY Times tech columnist Farhad Manjoo offered and interesting look at the reason why this past week – here’s the link to his article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/technology/personaltech/amazon-not-as-unstoppable-as-it-may-appear.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Manjoo, Farhad. (17 December, 2014). Amazon Not as Unstoppable as It Might Appear. New York Times. Online. Accessed November 18, 2014.

 

Article 9: Article 9 is on a current item of local interest – how Corning is developing new glass – here the link to a Technology Review article on the subject:

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/533076/chemical-sensing-displays-and-other-surprising-uses-of-glass/

Bullis, Kevin. (17 December, 2014).Chemical-Sensing Displays and Other Surprising Uses of Glass: An inside look at Corning’s labs suggests what’s next for the inventor of Gorilla Glass. MIT Technical Review. Online. Accessed December 22, 2014.

 

Article 10: And another article on the ongoing subject of government surveillance of Internet users and just what can be done about it:

http://recode.net/2014/12/18/protecting-the-internet-from-government-control/

Upton, Fred., Waxman, Harry. Royce, Ed. et al. (18 December, 2014). Protecting the Internet From Government Control. Re/code. Online. Accessed December 19, 2014.

 

Article 11: And on the subject of self-driving cards – Google just unveiled a fully functional self driving car prototype which can be legally driven in California – here’s the link:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2474069,00.asp

Moscaritolo, Angela. (22 December, 2014). Google Unveils Fully Functional Self-Driving Car Prototype. PC Magazine. Online.

 

Article 12: And here’s a link to a Time’s article on just what really happened with that JP Morgan data breach earlier this year:

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/entry-point-of-jpmorgan-data-breach-is-identified/?ref=technology&_r=0

Goldstein, Matthew., Perloth, Nicole. & Corkery, Michael. (22 December, 2014). Entry Point of JPMorgan Data Breach Is Identified. The New York Times. Online. Accessed December 23, 2014.

 

Article 13: Article 13 is a quick and neat read for those who love both history and technology as it discusses how our looking to the future when discussing technology was really a though process developed during the Victorian Era – here’s the link:

http://aeon.co/magazine/society/how-the-victorians-imagined-and-invented-the-future/

Morus, Iwan Rhys. (10 December, 2014). aeon. Online. Accessed December 23, 2014.

 

Article 14: And the final article for this two week period is actually my favorite! This Venture Beat article discusses how the rapidly advancing technology is, and will continue to, transform the way we live and both cause certain manual jobs to disappear while fostering the creation of new jobs in newly emerging fields – here’s the link:

http://venturebeat.com/2014/12/22/our-future-of-unlimited-wealth-and-joblessness/

Wadhwa, Vivek. (22 December, 2014). Our future of unlimited wealth — and joblessness. Venture Beat. Online. Accessed December 23, 2014.

Tactile Touchscreens, Why Net Neutrality Is Important! & What Is iCloud Anyway?

Linda Reimer

Tactile Touchscreens: I came across a cool article today on the Tactus touch-screen technology which will allow the smooth surface of a tablet to transform into a tactile keyboard ideal for the viewing impaired to use!

The article is from The Business Insider website, is titled This Insane Technology That Makes Buttons Appear On A Flat Smartphone Screen Is Pretty Close To Magic, and features some neat photos of the raised keyboard:

http://www.businessinsider.com/tactus-technology-tactile-touchscreen-2014-1

Why Net Neutrality Is Important!: You’ve probably heard a bit about a U.S. Circuit Court decision which invalidates the Federal Communications “Net Neutrality’ decision from 2010. And you may well be wondering what is Net Neutrality and what is the big deal is anyway?

The cliff notes answer is that the FCC’s Net Neutrality guidelines are intended to make sure that Internet Service Providers treat all Internet service equally. In other words Internet Service Providers don’t slow down an Internet connection because it goes to a service that in some way rivals its service. For example, say Comcast or Time Warner Cable provided slower than normal service for Netflix and Netflix subscribers unless all parties that obtained Internet service through those ISPs paid a higher fee per month or even per streaming video. Imagine having to pay a $2.00 fee to watch a YouTube video or be stuck with a broadband connection that rivals dial up! Well okay, that is a little bit of an exaggeration but you get my point!

I came across two articles today that discuss the basics of what Net Neutrality means and the reasons why it is important that we have Net Neutrality today. The first article is from CNN and is titled “’Pay to play’ on the Web?: Net neutrality explained” – here’s the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/15/tech/web/net-neutrality-explained/

And the second link is to a WIRED article written by American Library Association President Barbara Stripling, titled “Why Net Neutrality’s Demise Hurts the Poor Most,” which offers a really solid explanation of why Net Neutrally is super important:

http://www.wired.com/opinion/2014/01/killing-net-neutrality-means-killing-economic-equality-access/

What Is iCloud Anyway? I’m running out of day here! However, I wanted to share one last article – which is by Katherine Boehret, the former All Things D tech reviewer/editor who now is a part of the new re/code tech news and reviews site. It seems that over the holidays Ms. Boehret was cornered by a number of friends and family member who own Apple devices and didn’t quite understand what iCloud is and/or how it works – so she provides a simply explanation in her article!

The article is humorously titled “Seeing Through the Haze of iCloud” and can be found via the following link:

http://recode.net/2014/01/03/seeing-through-the-haze-of-icloud/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Boehret, Katherine. (3 January, 2014). Seeing Through the Haze of iCloud. re/code.Online. Accessed January 16, 2014, http://recode.net/2014/01/03/seeing-through-the-haze-of-icloud/

D’Onfro, Jillian. (9 January, 2014). This Insane Technology That Makes Buttons Appear On A Flat Smartphone Screen Is Pretty Close To Magic, http://www.businessinsider.com/tactus-technology-tactile-touchscreen-2014-1#ixzz2qbT3FlTs

Gross, Doug. (15 January, 2014). ‘Pay to play’ on the Web?: Net neutrality explained. CNN. Online. Accessed January 16, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/15/tech/web/net-neutrality-explained/