Category Archives: Technology

Google Gives Back Privacy

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Google (Mashable)

Google
(Mashable)

Google gives back privacy to students.

Google claims they have stopped scanning students’ emails following a lawsuit filed by California students last year. The legal battle began this March and came to a speedy conclusion. After claiming that Google violated federal and state privacy laws, which was tied to FERPA, they have lost the battle. Google rep claims that,

“…the company scans and indexes emails from all Apps for Education users. The company uses the data for potential advertising, among other purposes.”

In addition to the FERPA argument many advocacy groups point out is, “that even if Gmail users agree to Google’s terms, that doesn’t mean that non-subscribers who email with them do.” These arguments and general fuss has resulted in Google ending their data mining. It will be interested to see if they take this to a higher court or if the civil class action lawsuit have any monetary payouts. If so Mashable claims that, “If successful, that could lead to a payment to millions of Gmail users.” 

What do you think about Google’s data mining policy for those under 18? How do you feel about your email being used for data mining? Do you think that your privacy is at risk?

Read more on the initial lawsuit here

Crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop empowers female entrepreneurs

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Empowering female business owners to start, build and expand their business, the rewards-based crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop is designed by women for women. The site allows women entrepreneurs in need of modest startup capital to develop online campaigns.

Crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop empowers female entrepreneurs.

Crowd-funding platform MoolaHoop empowers female entrepreneurs.

Founders of the dallas-based site, Brenda Bazan and Nancy, created an online platform enabling women to leverage the “power of the crowd” in order to grow their business and achieve financial success.
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What Exactly are Memes?

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Memes have take the internet by storm through many popular blogs.

Meme pronounced as “meem” takes on an idea or behavior that spreads from person to person in a culture and usually takes the form of an image, website, hashtag, or video. Internet memes have become popular since the beginning of the internet and entertain people around the world. Probably one of the best memes was the “rick roll” which featured Rick Astley singing “Never gonna give you up.” The music video is used as a bait and switch to lure Youtube viewers as they watch a video they think is related to the subject they are looking for. They are then re-directed to the popular music video and confused about the “rick rolling.”

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The Rise of Arab Spring

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The occurrence of Arab Spring on December 18, 2010 sparked a new revolution in Tunisia along with other countries.

It began with the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi in protest of the injustices of the police. Retaliation occurred against the corrupt power. The main target was the corruption of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. This movement represented more than a political revolution but also a social media revolution that inspired others to stand up for theirrights.

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OnDot CardControl App Helps Secure Credit Cards

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OnDot CardControl AppEveryone has lost his or her credit card at some point, and whether it was left at a restaurant or on the subway, the first step is to cancel it. Now disabling lost credit cards is as easy as pressing a button. The OnDot has a introduced a mobile application called CardControl. According to the company website, the OnDot CardControl app allows users to control credit card preferences on their cell phones.

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Streaming Music Hits Its High

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Digital Music Hits A High

Digital Music Hits A High

No longer do you see people listening to their Walkman’s when running down the street. That’s because the days of buying CD’s is long gone. Today, there are millions of songs available to download for free online. Streaming music has taken over due to its continuous inflow of new tracks and the fact that you pay nothing to add it to your most current playlist. Digital music is dominating the music business, from professional musicians to radio broadcasters. Continue reading →

Employers use social media to answer the questions they can’t ask.

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Don’t want to answer that? Looks like your Facebook page just answered it for you. Some job interviewers use social media to answer questions they shouldn’t ask.

Job interviewers use social media to answer questions they shouldn't be asking.

Job interviewers use social media to answer questions they shouldn’t be asking.

During the interview process there are certain question that aren’t allowed to be asked, but job interviewers have discovered a digital loophole to avoid breaking the law. Digging up dirt on their job candidates, employers use social media to find answers to personal questions they aren’t supposed to inquire about.

Students fresh out of college are experiencing this phenomenon—after going on a job interview their interviewers will request to be their “friend” or become on of their followers. Putting students and job candidates in between a rock and a hard place, they fear not accepting the request or the follow might put them at a disadvantage for getting the job.

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Epilepsy patch: New wearable technology for Epilepsy sufferers

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A debilitating and often deadly disease, Epilepsy causes 50,000 deaths in the United States every year. With wearable technology on the rise, new medical patches, like an epilepsy patch, can be worn on the skin or like a watch and monitors and interprets data to find seizure triggers and disperse medication.

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Stay Safe with the Alcohoot Smartphone Breathalyzer

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Alcohoot Smartphone BreathalyzerIt seems everyone has had at least one regrettable night out on the town. But what if you could prevent that pesky morning after while staying safe? The Alcohoot smartphone breathalyzer allows users to test their BAC on-the-go and boasts “police-grade accuracy.” The Alcohoot is small enough to fit in a purse or pocket and weighs just 50 grams. It looks like this little device can prevent a lot of trouble.  Continue reading →

A Watering Hole Attack: Living with Online Security Threats

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A look into the recent Target hacking, a “watering hole attack,” and how today online security must be overly cautious.

The New York Times recently released an article discussing the recent developments

A step by step look at how a watering hole attack occurs

in online security threats and hacking. The article detailed a story that seems almost fictional because it seems as though it couldn’t be possible. Unable to breach the computer network at a big oil

company, hackers infected with malware the online menu of a Chinese restaurant that was popular with employees. When the workers browsed the menu, they inadvertently downloaded code that gave the attackers a foothold in the business’s vast computer network.

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Tech Stocks Flop

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The Nasdaq Composite Index showed its biggest one-day fall in nearly 2 and a half years: Tech Stocks Flop

The Nasdaq Composite index notched its largest one-day slide in nearly 2 and half years as investors resumed selling risky biotechnology and other technology stocks. What this means? It is now time for the Tech Stocks Flop.

Picture of Nasdaq Falling- Tech Stock Flop

Picture of Nasdaq Falling- Tech Stock Flop

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Robots Do It Better: Technology Replacing Humans

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Bill Gates claims that software animation could lead to technology replacing humans and robots stealing your job.

According to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, robots do it better. The infamous computer programmer claims that advancing software automation could lead to technology replacing humans in the work force meaning that robots could steal your job.

Business Insider reports that Gates spoke at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, DC last week speaking about how governments and businesses need to prepare for a future where lots of jobs will be done by software and robots, resulting in mass unemployment.

“Yes, robots really are about to take your jobs,” Gates said. “Software substitution, whether it’s for drivers or waiters or nurses… it’s progressing. Technology over time will reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of skill set… 20 years from now, labor demand for lots of skill sets will be substantially lower. I don’t think people have that in their mental model.”
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See-Through Texting

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In the era of texting, more and more users are developing the habit of multitasking.

Texting and walking has become such a common sight to see at college campuses, malls, and other public places. In recent years, the Internet has been circulating with videos of texters walking into objects in public due to their failure to walk and text at the same time. Three years ago, video of a women falling into a water fountain while texting became an overnight sensation. As shown in the video she seems clueless of her surroundings and engrossed in her texting conversation.

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Smart Appliances on the Rise

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Could Smart Appliances Revolutionize Our Households? 

Remember the Disney movie Smart House, where a teen wins a fully automated dream house?  Well, that smart house might become a reality.  The smart technology used in your phone or tablet has made its way to household appliances.  The rise of dishwashers, refrigerators, washers, dryers, and other appliances with smart technology capabilities will soon be apparent. Continue reading →