Paul McNamara
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It’s ‘It,’ as in the movie, not IT, as in ‘eye-tee’
I have read a dozen or more Stephen King books over the years, but ‘It’ – the one upon which an upcoming movie is based and named -- is not among them. So I could relate right away to this observation posted to the section of Reddit devoted to sysadmins:“I keep seeing posts and advertisements for the movie IT. Every time, I think of it as I-T and have to reread it. … Is it just me?”No, it’s not just you. And, speaking at least for myself, this isn’t the first time I’ve been momentarily confused by an uppercase IT. My mind reads that as “an acronym for information technology,” not “the creepy clown from a Stephen King novel,” or any other meaning more commonly attached to the word it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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It’s ‘It,’ as in the movie, not IT, as in ‘eye-tee’
I have read a dozen or more Stephen King books over the years, but ‘It’ – the one upon which an upcoming movie is based and named -- is not among them. So I could relate right away to this observation posted to the section of Reddit devoted to sysadmins:“I keep seeing posts and advertisements for the movie IT. Every time, I think of it as I-T and have to reread it. … Is it just me?”No, it’s not just you. And, speaking at least for myself, this isn’t the first time I’ve been momentarily confused by an uppercase IT. My mind reads that as “an acronym for information technology,” not “the creepy clown from a Stephen King novel,” or any other meaning more commonly attached to the word it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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‘Find My iPhone’ foils pickpocket who swiped 100 devices: police
You might think that a pickpocket skilled enough to steal 100 cellphones, pictured above, would also be savvy enough to know that at least the iPhones in that haul carry a means to foil his caper.Then again, you might be giving the crook too much credit.From a story on the website of a Boston television station: A New York man was arrested at the Coachella music festival in Southern California after he was found with more than 100 stolen cellphones, according to Indio police.During the concert festival on Friday, several people noticed their phones were missing and immediately activated the "Find My Phone" feature on their mobile devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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‘Find My iPhone’ foils pickpocket who swiped 100 devices: police
You might think that a pickpocket skilled enough to steal 100 cellphones, pictured above, would also be savvy enough to know that at least the iPhones in that haul carry a means to foil his caper.Then again, you might be giving the crook too much credit.From a story on the website of a Boston television station: A New York man was arrested at the Coachella music festival in Southern California after he was found with more than 100 stolen cellphones, according to Indio police.During the concert festival on Friday, several people noticed their phones were missing and immediately activated the "Find My Phone" feature on their mobile devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Cyber-sleuth boots 15 cheaters from today’s Boston Marathon
Here in Hopkinton, Mass., this morning, 15 fewer runners – cheaters, actually -- are gathering for the start of the Boston Marathon than would have otherwise, thanks to the cyber-sleuthing efforts of an Ohio business analyst.Derek Murphy has made it his business to purge marathoning and, in particular, the Boston competition, of those who by hook, crook – or writing a check – seek to run as official entrants without having done the training to produce a legitimate qualifying time.From a story posted Saturday in Runner’s World.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Cyber-sleuth boots 15 cheaters from today’s Boston Marathon
Here in Hopkinton, Mass., this morning, 15 fewer runners – cheaters, actually -- are gathering for the start of the Boston Marathon than would have otherwise, thanks to the cyber-sleuthing efforts of an Ohio business analyst.Derek Murphy has made it his business to purge marathoning and, in particular, the Boston competition, of those who by hook, crook – or writing a check – seek to run as official entrants without having done the training to produce a legitimate qualifying time.From a story posted Saturday in Runner’s World.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Online privacy meets abortion debate
The attorney general of Massachusetts has taken the abstraction of online privacy and brought it into crystal clear focus by barring a Boston advertising agency from targeting anti-abortion ads at the cellphones of women the moment they arrive at reproductive health facilities.From a story in the Boston Globe: “You Have Choices,” one message said. Others offered “Pregnancy Help,’’ and assured recipients, “You’re Not Alone,” according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who on Tuesday announced a legal action that alleged the ads illegally used consumer health data.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Star pitcher willing to join IT team
It’s a standard line of inquiry by sportswriters that until now has always generated answers straight out of the Crash Davis school of interview banalities.Question: “How do you feel about the way you’re being used?”Answer: “I’ll do anything to help the team; anything the (manager/coach) wants.”For emphasis you may hear the athlete express a willingness to carry equipment or staff a concession stand or the like.Then we have Sports Illustrated asking Cleveland Indians All-Star relief pitcher Andrew Miller about last year’s postseason, which saw manager Terry Francona not only calling upon Miller in virtually every game but often for multiple innings, a workload considered barbaric by today’s standards. Miller doesn’t see himself being used quite so often during this just-begun 162-game regular season, but adds:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Star pitcher willing to join IT team
It’s a standard line of inquiry by sportswriters that until now has always generated answers straight out of the Crash Davis school of interview banalities.Question: “How do you feel about the way you’re being used?”Answer: “I’ll do anything to help the team; anything the (manager/coach) wants.”For emphasis you may hear the athlete express a willingness to carry equipment or staff a concession stand or the like.Then we have Sports Illustrated asking Cleveland Indians All-Star relief pitcher Andrew Miller about last year’s postseason, which saw manager Terry Francona not only calling upon Miller in virtually every game but often for multiple innings, a workload considered barbaric by today’s standards. Miller doesn’t see himself being used quite so often during this just-begun 162-game regular season, but adds:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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White House to issue commemorative solar eclipse safety glasses
The White House announced Friday that come this summer it will be issuing commemorative safety glasses in anticipation of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, an extraordinarily rare event that will cast a rolling 60-mile wide swath of daytime darkness from Oregon cross-country to South Carolina.Emphasizing the danger of viewing a solar eclipse without protective eyewear (NASA explains), these safety glasses will come emblazoned with the slogan, “Make America Safe Again,” the choice of which need not be explained.The glasses will cost $9.95, with “100% of the proceeds going to charity,” according to a White House press release that included a photo of President Trump modeling a pair (above).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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White House to issue commemorative solar eclipse safety glasses
The White House announced Friday that come this summer it will be issuing commemorative safety glasses in anticipation of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, an extraordinarily rare event that will cast a rolling 60-mile wide swath of daytime darkness from Oregon cross-country to South Carolina.Emphasizing the danger of viewing a solar eclipse without protective eyewear (NASA explains), these safety glasses will come emblazoned with the slogan, “Make America Safe Again,” the choice of which need not be explained.The glasses will cost $9.95, with “100% of the proceeds going to charity,” according to a White House press release that included a photo of President Trump modeling a pair (above).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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White House to issue commemorative solar eclipse safety glasses
The White House announced Friday that come this summer it will be issuing commemorative safety glasses in anticipation of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, an extraordinarily rare event that will cast a rolling 60-mile wide swath of daytime darkness from Oregon cross-country to South Carolina.Emphasizing the danger of viewing a solar eclipse without protective eyewear (NASA explains), these safety glasses will come emblazoned with the slogan, “Make America Safe Again,” the choice of which need not be explained.The glasses will cost $9.95, with “100% of the proceeds going to charity,” according to a White House press release that included a photo of President Trump modeling a pair (above).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Tech giants join effort to save legal services for the poor from Trump budget ax
The biggest names in technology are among 185 companies urging Congress to ignore a line item in the Trump Administration’s proposed budget that would entirely defund the Legal Services Corporation, a non-profit organization that has provided civil legal assistance to the poor since 1974.The letter to Congress reads: The undersigned 185 leaders of corporate legal departments across the country write to urge you to support the preservation of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and provide funding at a level of $450 million for FY 2018, which would be consistent with the appropriation received in FY2010, adjusted for inflation. As the cornerstone of equal justice in America, LSC creates a level playing field for the many lower and moderate- income families who cannot afford a lawyer. By upholding the fundamental American promise of liberty and justice for all, the minimal investment in LSC generates a significant positive return for business and for the health of individuals and communities across the nation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Tech giants join effort to save legal services for the poor from Trump budget ax
The biggest names in technology are among 185 companies urging Congress to ignore a line item in the Trump Administration’s proposed budget that would entirely defund the Legal Services Corporation, a non-profit organization that has provided civil legal assistance to the poor since 1974.The letter to Congress reads: The undersigned 185 leaders of corporate legal departments across the country write to urge you to support the preservation of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and provide funding at a level of $450 million for FY 2018, which would be consistent with the appropriation received in FY2010, adjusted for inflation. As the cornerstone of equal justice in America, LSC creates a level playing field for the many lower and moderate- income families who cannot afford a lawyer. By upholding the fundamental American promise of liberty and justice for all, the minimal investment in LSC generates a significant positive return for business and for the health of individuals and communities across the nation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Tech giants join effort to save legal services for the poor from Trump budget ax
The biggest names in technology are among 185 companies urging Congress to ignore a line item in the Trump Administration’s proposed budget that would entirely defund the Legal Services Corporation, a non-profit organization that has provided civil legal assistance to the poor since 1974.The letter to Congress reads: The undersigned 185 leaders of corporate legal departments across the country write to urge you to support the preservation of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and provide funding at a level of $450 million for FY 2018, which would be consistent with the appropriation received in FY2010, adjusted for inflation. As the cornerstone of equal justice in America, LSC creates a level playing field for the many lower and moderate- income families who cannot afford a lawyer. By upholding the fundamental American promise of liberty and justice for all, the minimal investment in LSC generates a significant positive return for business and for the health of individuals and communities across the nation.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Americans value online privacy but voters do not care when it counts
The rush by Republicans in Congress to kill still-pending Obama-era rules that would put curbs on the ability of ISPs to collect and sell our personal Internet usage data has been met with howls of protest from privacy advocates and citizens.And the outrage is no wonder, as the idea of our browsing habits and histories being hawked to the highest bidder is an affront to any understanding of personal privacy rights.It’s also an affront to public opinion, as a Pew Research Center Survey last year shows: 93% of adults say that being in control of who can get information about them is important; 74% feel this is “very important,” while 19% say it is “somewhat important.” 90% say that controlling what information is collected about them is important—65% think it is “very important” and 25% say it is “somewhat important.” Despite such overwhelming public sentiment, Republican majorities in both the House and Senate have voted in recent days to scuttle the privacy protections authorized last October by the Federal Communications Commission, protections that were scheduled to take effect later this year. That FCC measure passed on a 3-2 party-line vote, with then-Chairman Tom Wheeler and two Continue reading
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Americans value online privacy but voters do not care when it counts
The rush by Republicans in Congress to kill still-pending Obama-era rules that would put curbs on the ability of ISPs to collect and sell our personal Internet usage data has been met with howls of protest from privacy advocates and citizens.And the outrage is no wonder, as the idea of our browsing habits and histories being hawked to the highest bidder is an affront to any understanding of personal privacy rights.It’s also an affront to public opinion, as a Pew Research Center Survey last year shows: 93% of adults say that being in control of who can get information about them is important; 74% feel this is “very important,” while 19% say it is “somewhat important.” 90% say that controlling what information is collected about them is important—65% think it is “very important” and 25% say it is “somewhat important.” Despite such overwhelming public sentiment, Republican majorities in both the House and Senate have voted in recent days to scuttle the privacy protections authorized last October by the Federal Communications Commission, protections that were scheduled to take effect later this year. That FCC measure passed on a 3-2 party-line vote, with then-Chairman Tom Wheeler and two Continue reading
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Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner did not just delete his tweets, says Wayback Machine
Yesterday’s post about the relative tweeting habits of President Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner has inadvertently gotten swept up in a widely reported yet apparently false allegation that Kushner has recently deleted all his tweets, allegedly out of concern over what they might reveal relative to Russian interference in November’s election.And while I am loath to defend anyone on Team Trump, the alleged mass deletion of tweets did not happen, at least according to the indispensable Internet Archive Wayback Machine, which has screen captures of Kushner’s Twitter page dating back to 2014. Those screen captures show that Kushner only tweeted three times – in 2011 and about innocuous matters. And while those tweets are indeed no longer visible on Kushner’s verified Twitter account, they haven’t been documented there since March 5, 2014.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner tweets nothing like Trump
Actually, he tweets nothing.President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, plays a key role in the administration and is featured in a pair of big news headlines just today – his leading a special task force featuring tech industry luminaries, and his pending testimony before a Senate committee investigating Russian meddling in November’s election.Kushner’s father-in-law would be tweeting up a storm on such a busy day.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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FedEx offering $5 and all you have to do is, gulp, reinstall or reactivate Flash
From time to time – very infrequently, to be more precise – I will ignore my better judgment and reenable Flash in Chrome so that I can watch a particularly enticing cat video or whatever.I would do this more often, however, if more companies followed the lead of FedEx and offered me $5 just for doing so. Really, look: FedEx OK, it’s $5 off a purchase of $30 or more, but still seems like a good deal … unless you forget to deactivate Flash when you’re done.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here