Big Data Boom, FCC To Send the US to Third World Status?

Poorer Countries Stand to Miss Out on the Big Data Boom | MIT Technology Review:
"Ranking countries by their “networked readiness” reveals a major geopolitical digital divide. The economic benefits of big data are no longer just hype—but many developing economies are set to miss out on them, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. [see above] Data sets are “a new form of asset class,” which, with the right analysis, can be translated into economic wealth, say the authors of the 13th Global Information Technology Report. But many countries in the world lack the technological infrastructure, social environment, or both, needed to capitalize on them...."

Views under the Palm | johnmpoole.com: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Still "Doesn't Get It": Tom, nobody wants your stinkin' proposal for internet "fast lanes" -- Obama should have never appointed a lobbyist as FCC Chairman--he's clueless, tone-deaf, or deeply compromised by the special interests he once represented....“Tom Wheeler still doesn’t get it. People aren’t flooding his phone lines and filling his in-box because they’re confused about his proposal,” Free Press CEO Craig Aaron said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “They understand all too well that his plan would create a pay-to-prioritize Internet with fast lanes for the few.” ... The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is blasting an email to their membership today (nearly 1 million people) reviving a 2007 campaign forum in which the president promised to make sure his FCC backs net neutrality.Wheeler’s proposal undermines Obama’s promise, PCCC argues. Full video and petition pitch here: http://bit.ly/R1JD5Q"

Microsoft makes one-time exception, patches IE on Windows XP
Computerworld
Computerworld - Microsoft today shipped an emergency update for Internet Explorer to close a hole that hackers had already been exploiting.

Apple, Facebook, others defy authorities, notify users of secret data demands
Washington Post
Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google all are updating their policies to expand routine notification of ... Yahoo announced similar changes in July.

Apple, Google, and the Hubris of Silicon Valley's Hiring Conspiracy
Businessweek
The $324 million Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe agreed to pay works out to about 0.4 ...Facebook was not named as a defendant in the case.

Google aims for purity with Android Silver
Computerworld
But recent reports from unnamed sources indicate Google is working to ... Nexus has for years been Google's hedge against fragmentation of pure ... assistance, another possibility, is similar to something Amazon is doing with its ... The Apple-ization of the Enterprise: Understanding IT's New World Read ...

Google same-day shoppers order candy, baby food and climbing gear
San Jose Mercury News
Seven months after Mountain View-based Google publicly unveiled its ... On Thursday,Amazon announced same-day delivery service in San ...

Microsoft plucks Kiwi startup from the cloud
New Zealand Herald
One of New Zealand's fastest-growing software startups has been scooped up by technology giant Microsoft. Wellington cloud-computing firm ...

Google Unveils Standalone Mobile Office Apps
Top Tech News
Google has taken a step forward in its mobile competition with Microsoft. ... just a few weeks after Microsoft released its Office suite for Apple's iPad.

Microsoft picks Miami for 1st US innovation center
seattlepi.com
MIAMI (AP) — Microsoft is opening a state-of-the-art training facility in Miami, its first within the United States, the company announced Friday. The tech ...

Home Button Launcher Customizes the Google Now Launch Gesture - Lifehacker
By Eric Ravenscraft
If you're satisfied with the eleven million other ways to get to Google Now, Home Button Launcher can redirect that gesture to something more useful.
Lifehacker

Curiosity Rover Is Hard at Work in Latest Interactive Mars Panorama
Wired
Caked in red silt, NASA's Curiosity rover looks like it's been trekking through a Martian dust storm in this latest interactive panorama. But nothing can tarnish the joy of seeing this incredible machine hard at work on another planet. The dust-covered robot is ...

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FCC Proposal to Destroy Net Neutrality

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler (appointed by Barack Obama) obviously cares nothing about the public interest, net neutrality, an open internet or internet freedom. He is only serving his masters in the communications industry (ISPs) and and their lobbyists! This is the worst public policy to come out of Washington DC in years!

FCC proposal would destroy net neutrality | The Verge: "....The goal of net neutrality rules is to prevent service providers from discriminating between different content, allowing all types of data and all companies' data to be treated equally. While it appears that outright blocking of individual services won't be allowed, the Journal reports that some forms of discrimination will be allowed, though that will apparently not include slowing down websites. Nonetheless, allowing some websites to pay for preferentially treatment would inherently favor larger, more successful companies. A MAJOR CHANGE TO THE MEANING OF "OPEN INTERNET" The actual draft of the proposed rules has not yet been released, but the FCC did release a framework of the rules back in February. These proposed changes, however, are a large departure from the original Open Internet rules as well as what was shown earlier this year...."

F.C.C., in ‘Net Neutrality’ Turnaround, Plans to Allow Fast Lane - NYTimes.com:  " . . . The proposed rules are a complete turnaround for the F.C.C. on the subject of so-called net neutrality, the principle that Internet users should have equal ability to see any content they choose, and that no content providers should be discriminated against in providing their offerings to consumers....The new proposals, drafted by the F.C.C.'s chairman, Tom Wheeler, and his staff, will be circulated to the other four commissioners beginning Thursday, an F.C.C. spokeswoman said. The details can be amended by consensus in order to attract support from a majority of the commissioners. The commission will then vote on a final proposal at its May 15 meeting."

Samsung Galaxy Series Riding High on Overall User Engagement, but lukewarm Response to its Content and App Strategy.: "...Bonny Joy, Chief, Consumer Telemetry Platforms, said:  “Clearly, Galaxy Sx series have succeeded in creating more engagement by growing the overall pie, but its own content and media strategy is faring low at the moment. Galaxy S5 is a step-upgrade from the Galaxy S4, but as far as content and media is concerned, little has changed to draw consumer attention to its latest launch.”..."

Megaupload seeks return of millions in frozen Hong Kong assets ( - Legal - Security ): "...The company's assets were frozen by Hong Kong at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice around January 2012 after its operators, including founder Kim Dotcom, were indicted by U.S. prosecutors for allegedly profiting from large-scale copyright infringement. On Wednesday, the High Court ordered Hong Kong's Department of Justice to respond to Megaupload's filing by June 4...."

Amazon's Prime Pantry service lets you ship 45 pounds of groceries for a $6 fee
By Sarah Silbert
Amazon's dead-set on killing off the grocery store, with a same-day delivery service and even a Dash gadget for restocking items around the house.
Engadget RSS Feed

Why Apple Can't Quit Steve Jobs
ABC News
Despite Steve Jobs' advice to never think about what he would do, the ghost of the visionary founder still rules at Apple two and a half years after his ...

Microsoft Earnings: 6 Questions
InformationWeek
Microsoft has been on fire lately, but new CEO Satya Nadella will face ... has turned a skeptical eye this year toward Apple, Netflix, Google, Amazon, ...

Facebook Profit Tripled in First Quarter
New York Times
For the last two years, Facebook has been growing like a beanstalk in mobile advertising, gaining ground against Google, its chief rival. Credit Luong ...

Amazon snares classic shows in deal with HBO
Boston Globe
Starting May 21, Amazon Prime members — who pay $99 a year for ... other content to televisions, competing with the likes of Apple Inc. and Roku.

Microsoft's Bing goes ad-free for all US schools
Computerworld
Although Microsoft used the pilot launch last year to take shots at rival Google -- part of its then-running "Scroogled" attack ad campaign -- the ...

Google Street View Offers Time Travel
InformationWeek
Google Maps Street View gained a new feature on Wednesday: a way to travel through time. Street View has always offered time travel of a sort: Its ...

Google, Facebook and other tech companies race to develop artificial intelligence
San Jose Mercury News
Facebook, Google and other leading tech companies are jockeying to hire ... each works differently, Tempo is vying with Siri, Google Now and Microsoft's new Cortana. ... But there are signs Apple is working feverishly to improve it.

Google, SunPower unwrap solar-power deal
MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Google Inc. on Wednesday said it has teamed up with SunPower Corp. for a big push to make solar power more ...

Heartbleed: why did a computer bug have a name and a logo?
The Guardian
The Heartbleed flaw is being fixed more quickly because of the decision to give the bug a memorable name and a cute logo, according to the firm that first identified it. The flaw was caused by a simple coding error which resulted in passwords and security ...

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