The MacValley blog
Welcome to the MacValley blog, your first stop for all the latest MacValley news and views.
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The MacValley blog Editor: Tom Briant
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Sunday, June 9, 2013
Stop Freaking Out about the NSA's PRISM program (H/T to Arnold Woodworth)
Stop Freaking Out About the NSA
The government’s phone surveillance isn’t Orwellian. It’s limited and supervised.
Is government surveillance worth worrying about? Sure. But even broad surveillance, per se, isn’t outrageous. What’s important is that the surveillance be warranted by real threats, appropriately limited, and supervised by competing branches of government. In this case, those standards have been met.
Damage Control Time: National Intelligence Releases PRISM "Facts"
The Unknown Patriot Who Exposed the Government's Verizon Spy Program
In praise of whistle-blowers whose risky disclosures of official wrongdoing make the nation stronger rather than weaker
Some leaks are pernicious -- but certainly not this one.
Meet Edward Snowden, the NSA Whistleblower
Simple math shows why the NSA’s Facebook spying is a fool’s errand
analysts might be confronted with 100,000 false positives for every real terrorist.
http://qz.com/92207/simple-math-shows-why-the-nsas-facebook-spying-is-a-fools-errand/
What We Don't Know About Spying on Citizens: Scarier Than What We Know
The NSA's surveillance of cell-phone calls show how badly we need to protect the whistle-blowers who provide transparency and accountability.
Remember in 2003, when Congress defunded the decidedly creepy Total Information Awareness program? It didn't die; it just changed names and split into many smaller programs.
We know that corporations are doing an enormous amount of spying on behalf of the government: all parts.
We know all of this not because the government is honest and forthcoming, but mostly through three backchannels.
our government regularly classifies things not because they need to be secret, but because their release would be embarrassing.
Knowing how the government spies on us is important. Not only because so much of it is illegal -- or, to be as charitable as possible, based on novel interpretations of the law -- but because we have a right to know. Democracy requires an informed citizenry in order to function properly.
whistle-blowing is vital, even more broadly than in government spying. It's necessary for good government, and to protect us from abuse of power.
Whistle-blowing is the moral response to immoral activity by those in power.
NSA data-mining digs into networks beyond Verizon
The National Security Agency's monitoring of Americans includes customer records from the three major phone networks as well as emails and Web searches, and the agency also has cataloged credit-card transactions, said people familiar with the agency's activities.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nsa-data-mining-digs-into-networks-beyond-verizon-2013-06-07
Zuckerberg, Page use similar language to deny Facebook, Google participate in PRISM
AW comment: I believe Zukerberg's claim that the NSA and FBI never demanded data from Facebook. Why?
They didn't have to demand anything. Remember those few times in the past when changes
were made to Facebook and all privacy settings were automatically turned off?
You don't think the NSA missed out on those opportunities, do you?
Government Phone Surveillance for Dummies
Both Apple AND Android are winning (H/T to Arnold Woodworth for these articles)
Apple and Android are BOTH Winning the Smart Phone Competition
http://virtualpants.com/post/51196037154/android-is-winning-apple-is-winning
The whole mobile phone market is converting to smart. Apple is taking the high end and Android is taking the rest.
Samsung and Apple between them make almost all the profit in the mobile handset industry.
"winning" means different things for Apple, Samsung or Google.
http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2013/5/23/on-market-share
Look at slide number 11 of this slide-show (titled "Dominance of Apple and Samsung"). It's a real eye opener.
Experts warn that the end of net neutrality would mean that deep-pocketed content providers could squeeze others out.
Net neutrality is being eroded on several fronts.
Despite the threats to net neutrality, the fact that any FCC regulations exists at all will limit how far ISPs and carriers will push the matter, says Tim Wu, the Columbia Law School professor who coined the term "net neutrality" 10 years ago.
Why It Matters:
The continued openness of the Internet depends in part on ensuring that Internet businesses treat all traffic in roughly the same way.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515031/all-data-packets-are-equal-some-more-than-others/
I do think it is a good idea to put like 0.5% (that is 1/2 of 1%) of your portfolio into bitcoins, because if they end up becoming a de facto currency in the digital economy, you'll make 100x your money on them. If not, you lose 0.5% of your portfolio on them.
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/28/save-your-portfolio-from-the-currency-wars/
Get in on the wearable computing bubble
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/29/get-in-on-the-wearable-computing-bubble/
Stop Freaking Out over the NSA PRISM program
Federal judge in SF rules Google has to comply with secret, no-warrant demands for user data
A National Security Letter, or NSL, is a type of electronic data gathering tool used by the FBI that doesn't require a warrant.
A U.S. District Court judge has reportedly rejected a request by Google to have 19 National Security Letters (NSL) used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to obtain user data without warrants either modified or thrown out.
CNET reported Friday that Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco turned down Google's request after two leading FBI officials delivered classified affidavits attesting to the letters' importance.
she also said that Google brought up only broad arguments about the legality of the NSLs, and didn't address issues specific to the 19 letters in the case. The judge's ruling potentially gives Google another chance to counter the FBI's requests at a later date, according to the report.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak opposes Apple tax policy
he thinks recent criticism of the tech major's policies to avoid some taxes was "extremely warranted".
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-co-founder-opposes-apple-tax-policy-report-2013-05-31
7 Heroes of Technology
http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/05/01/7-heroes-technology/
World: We Have Lost the First Webpage.
Professor: Oh, I Have a Copy of It Right Here.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is partnering with leading lawyers to bust a key patent being used to threaten podcasters.
A couple of months ago we wrote that podcasting was under threat from a patent troll. At that time, a patent troll named Personal Audio LLC had sued three podcasters and sent demand letters to a number of others. We’ve written often in the past about how patent trolls are a drain on innovation, and this latest troll is no exception. Since many podcasters barely make a profit, or simply do it for love, a shakedown from a patent troll threatens to shut down their program.
It is not easy to fight patent trolls, but with your help, we can defeat this patent and save podcasting.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/05/help-save-podcasting
Apple goes on trial over e-book price-fixing
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-goes-on-trial-over-e-book-price-fixing-2013-06-03
http://qz.com/90380/eddy-cue-and-steve-jobs-calling-publishers-idiots/
80% of Samsung’s microchip revenue comes from arch-nemesis Apple
http://qz.com/90226/80-of-samsungs-microchip-revenue-comes-from-arch-nemesis-apple/
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Networking a modern Mac and a PC
So you want to network a PC and a Mac. Here’s how to go about doing it.
Go here to My First Mac for instructions (I used to write for this site, but not this article)
Go here to About dot com for instructions for networking Windows 8 to OS X 10.8
- Tom Briant
- Editor, MacValley Blog
The Very Basics of getting files from Dad's old computer to his new Mac (or Windows or Linux box)
With Father’s Day and graduations coming up, you might consider the Dad or grad a new Mac computer! As a Mac partisan, I would say that is an excellent idea.
Of course, the problem arises: How does data from the Dad or grad’s old computer get onto the new Mac (or Windows or Linux box)? This depends on the age of the old computer and the condition it’s in.
If the computer runs well and comes with an Ethernet port or USB ports, then you can just network the old computer with the new computer through the Ethernet ports or hook up an external USB hard drive to the USB ports to copy the data. (See next article for how to network a PC to a Mac to exchange files).
If the computer runs well, but lacks Ethernet or USB ports; it’s a well-maintained, but definitely antique computer! If the floppy disk is a 3.5”, just copy the data onto floppy disks. You then need to purchase a USB floppy drive and plug that into the new Mac. You can get them at Frys Electronics,
Amazon, Newegg, or at floppydisk.com. They cost about $25.00.
If your lovable old computer has only 5.25” floppy drives, you have a problem. You cannot buy a USB 5.25” floppy drive. I’m sure floppydisk.com would sell them if they had ‘em. They do offer a service to transfer old 5.25” floppies and ZIP drive disks to a flash drive. This is expensive and you may want to go to the next option.
The final option is to remove the hard drive from the computer and hook it up to a USB to hard drive adaptor. YouTube has several videos on this subject. I recommend this one by Mr. Fix-It. He explains the difference between a SATA drive connectors and an IDE drive connectors.
Where can you get these adaptors? You can get them at Frys Electronics, where you’ll find them in the same area as the hard drives. You can get them at Amazon.com and geeks.com. Mr. Fix-it recommends geeks.com. Other on-line computer retailers have them, too.
So, those are your options for getting data from a really old, pre-USB, pre-Ethernet computer.
One final tip. If you have to open up an old computer, it will contain an AMAZING amount of dust. So don’t open it in the same room as the new white carpet. Take it outside and bring a can of compressed air.
Tom Briant
Editor, MacValley Blog
More Articles from Arnold Woodworth
Apple and Android are BOTH Winning the Smart Phone Competition
http://virtualpants.com/post/51196037154/android-is-winning-apple-is-winning
The whole mobile phone market is converting to smart. Apple is taking the high end and Android is taking the rest.
Samsung and Apple between them make almost all the profit in the mobile handset industry.
"winning" means different things for Apple, Samsung or Google.
http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2013/5/23/on-market-share
Look at slide number 11 of this slide-show (titled "Dominance of Apple and Samsung"). It's a real eye opener.
Experts warn that the end of net neutrality would mean that deep-pocketed content providers could squeeze others out.
Net neutrality is being eroded on several fronts.
Despite the threats to net neutrality, the fact that any FCC regulations exists at all will limit how far ISPs and carriers will push the matter, says Tim Wu, the Columbia Law School professor who coined the term "net neutrality" 10 years ago.
Why It Matters:
The continued openness of the Internet depends in part on ensuring that Internet businesses treat all traffic in roughly the same way.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515031/all-data-packets-are-equal-some-more-than-others/
I do think it is a good idea to put like 0.5% (that is 1/2 of 1%) of your portfolio into bitcoins, because if they end up becoming a de facto currency in the digital economy, you'll make 100x your money on them. If not, you lose 0.5% of your portfolio on them.
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/28/save-your-portfolio-from-the-currency-wars/
Get in on the wearable computing bubble
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/29/get-in-on-the-wearable-computing-bubble/
Saturday, June 1, 2013
What to expect at Apple's WorldWide Developer's Conference
Jim Dalrymple of The Loop does not expect Apple to introduce a new iPhone or iPad at next week’s WorldWide Developer’s Conference. He says that the iPhone and iPad are “flagship products” that Apple devotes whole events to.
But he does expect new Macintosh hardware, hopefully using Intel’s new “Haswell” line of processors. They would fit in nicely into Tim Cook’s keynote speech.
We’ll also get a look-hopefully-at the new look of iOS since Sir Jony Ive took over software development.
For me, I’m looking forward to news about OS X 10.9. Rumor has it that Apple will include tabs and other features that you can get with shareware and freeware plugins to the current Finder.
I’ll continue to use Pathfinder as my Finder replacement. Apple, just buy Pathfinder for $1 billion or so. Make it easy on yourself.
Tom Briant
Editor, MacValley Blog
