Tag Archives: California

PTJ 341: Tick Tock

July 21, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

How long until a hacked social-media platform causes real damage in the world? Are TikTok’s days in the US numbered? Is time running out for political ads on Facebook? Is anybody watching Quibi? El Kaiser and JD have questions — and opinions. Also, what local stores and restaurants are still open as the COVID-19 pandemic eases up or crashes down around the country? Just dial up PTJ 341 to find out answers to at least some of these questions!

Stories in This Week’s News Segment

An update on our security incident (Twitter)
Hackers Tell the Story of the Twitter Attack From the Inside (The New York Times)
EBay Nears Deal to Sell Classified-Ad Unit to Adevinta (The Wall Street Journal)
Spotify Fans Can Better Connect to Creators With New Video Podcasts (Spotify)
Apple commits to be 100 percent carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030 (Apple)
TikTok: Amazon says email asking staff to remove app ‘sent in error’ (BBC)
TikTok Users Respond to Potential Ban (The New York Times)
DNC and RNC warn campaigns about using TikTok (CNNPolitics)
House votes to ban TikTok on federal devices (Politico)
Under fire from Washington, TikTok touts U.S. job growth (Axios)
Facebook Considers Banning Political Ads Before US 2020 Election (Bloomberg)
Facebook’s Civil Rights Meeting Didn’t Go Well (The New York Times)
SiriusXM Is Buying Stitcher in Deal Worth Up to $325 Million (Variety)
Apple allocates more than $400 million to combat California housing crisis (Apple)
Is Anyone Watching Quibi? (Vulture)
Quibi App Free Trial to Paying Customer Conversions Very Low (Vulture)
The Data-Driven Tech Engine at the Heart of Hollywood’s Content Factories (The Wall Street Journal)
Top Ubisoft Executives Out Amid Allegations Of Company-Wide Misconduct (Kotaku)
Mozilla suspends Firefox Send service while it addresses malware abuse (ZDNet)
Linux team approves new terminology, bans terms like ‘blacklist’ and ‘slave’ (ZDNet)

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint

COVID-19 Google Maps updates

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 318: Honk If You Love ‘Untitled Goose Game’

October 6, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As crisp autumn breezes swirl through New York City at last, El Kaiser and J.D. get back to business, pondering new studies on social media’s effect on news and mental health, Apple’s bugfest of an iOS 13 release and a recent addictive video game about a horrible little goose loose in a quiet English village. El Kaiser also shares his observations on some recently acquired gear. Pour yourself a cup of hot cider and settle in for PTJ 318!

Americans Are Wary of the Role Social Media Sites Play in Delivering the News (Pew Research Center)
College students who go off Facebook for a week consume less news and report being less depressed (Nieman Journalism Lab)
With Facebook’s Coming News Tab, Only Some Will Get Paid (Wall Street Journal)
What Is Facebook Dating For? (The Atlantic)
TiVo Debuts the Edge DVR and TiVo+, Its Own Live Streaming Service (Digital Trends)
Instagram makes its ‘Restrict’ anti-bullying tool available to everyone (Engadget)
Tesla’s Smart Summon feature is already causing chaos in parking lots across America (The Verge)
U.S. online privacy rules unlikely this year, hurting big tech (Reuters)
Apple iOS 13 Is Full Of Bugs, Reports Warn (Forbes)
Apple Releases iOS 13.1.2 and iPadOS 13.1.2 with Fixes for Camera, iCloud Backup, HomePod Shortcut, and Flashlight Bugs (MacRumors)
iOS 13: Security and privacy settings you need to tweak and check (ZDNet)
How a horrible goose topped the gaming chart (BBC News)
Samsung Galaxy Note
Samsung Galaxy Watch

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 290: Foibles & Fables

October 19, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Facebook’s public-relations department probably had another busy week, with all sorts of walkbacks and investigations concerning the company’s products and practices. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss some of the major events, as well as changes to the way Twitter enforces its rules and the State of New York investigating the net neutrality comments wars. J.D. also offers a look at the SmartNews app — which as its name implies — tries to gather online news in an intelligent way. Set your nav computer for Episode 290!

Links to Stories Discussed on This Episode

It turns out that Facebook could in fact use data collected from its Portal in-home video device to target you with ads (Recode)
Facebook Portal privacy walkback: company admits will collect data for ad-serving (9to5Mac)
Advertisers Allege Facebook Failed to Disclose Key Metric Error for More Than a Year (The Wall Street Journal)
In Virginia House Race, Anonymous Attack Ads Pop Up on Facebook (The New York Times)
Facebook Finds Hack Was Done by Spammers, Not Foreign State (The Wall Street Journal)
Enabling further research of information operations on Twitter (Twitter blog)
More clarity on reported Tweets and enforcement (Twitter blog)
Hello, Wear OS by Google™. Spotify Here. (Spotify)
How an Unlikely Family History Website Transformed Cold Case Investigations (The New York Times)
After backlash, Verizon giving 3 months’ free service to Florida counties hit hardest by Hurricane Michael (9to5Mac)
New York Attorney General Expands Inquiry Into Net Neutrality Comments (The New York Times)
Chrome’s turning 10, here’s what’s new (Google blog)

App Spotlight

This free news app lets you read stories from more than 300 trusted sites — even when you don’t have an Internet connection (Business Insider)
SmartNews app reaches 10 million monthly users as it counters fake news (VentureBeat)
About SmartNews
SmartNews for Android
SmartNews for iOS

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 288: Hot New Suits for Fall

October 6, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

It’s not just the leaves starting to waft through the air here in North America — plenty of lawsuits are swirling as well. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss some of the bigger ones, including legal action aimed at California’s new net neutrality rules and Facebook’s latest woes. And for those who aren’t fans of the new Gmail web design, J.D. has some tips for making the interface feel more familiar. Click on through to PTJ 288!

Links to Stories Discussed on This Week’s Show

The Trump administration is suing California to quash its new net neutrality law (The Washington Post)
Facebook’s Massive Security Breach: Everything We Know (WIRED)
Facebook Faces Potential $1.63 Billion Fine in Europe Over Data Breach (The Wall Street Journal)
Content Moderator Sues Facebook, Says Job Gave Her PTSD (Motherboard)
Facebook’s recent ‘bear hug’ of Instagram frustrated its independent founders (Recode)
Instagram Founders Resign Over Differences With Facebook (New York)
SEC settles charges with Tesla’s Elon Musk, will remain as CEO (CNBC)
LinkNYC’s 5 million users make 500,000 phone calls each month i
Use of internet, social media, digital devices plateaus in US (Pew Research Center)
Amazon And Snapchat Form A Powerful Partnership (Forbes)
Google Chief Agrees to Testify to Congress (The New York Times)
Google Names New Privacy Chief, Offers Framework for Regulation (Bloomberg)
Google Privacy Framework Document (Google)
Introducing Google Discover: Discover new information and inspiration with Search, no query required (Google blog)
Safari’s “Siri Suggested” Search Results Highlighted Conspiracy Sites And Fake News (BuzzFeed News)
Microsoft reveals huge Windows 10 news ahead of major update (Express)
Windows 10 October 2018 Update: The 7 best new features (CNET)
Windows 10 October 2018 Update may be released on October 2 (Neowin)
Microsoft Whiteboard launches on iOS, hits the web in preview (Windows Central)
Mouse and Keyboard Support for Xbox One Developers (Xbox Wire)
Yes, Lakers Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Is Writing For “Veronica Mars” (LAist)
“Doctor Who” Returns Oct. 7, 2018 (BBC)

The New Gmail Is Here to Stay

Learn what’s new in Gmail (Gmail Help)
5 ways the new Gmail can help you get more done (Google Keyword blog)
Gmail Support Page
See Gmail in standard or basic HTML version (Gmail Help)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 279: The Long Arm of the Law

July 9, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

In that quiet time of the year between developer conferences and the back-to-school sales, product announcements are scarce — but the hazy, lazy days of summer are no vacation for the legal world! As El Kaiser and J.D. discover on this week’s episode, court rulings and decisions by lawmakers dominated the news this week, with a few bug revivals thrown in for good measure. J.D. also explores the new Windows 10 Timeline feature in Microsoft’s latest operating-system update, so beat the heat and find a cool place to settle in with Episode 279!

Links to News Stories on This Week’s Episode

EU lawmakers vote against tough line on copyright reform (Reuters)
Kim Dotcom loses latest appeal against US extradition (BBC News)
Yelp can’t be forced to take down libelous reviews, court rules (The Verge)
Why California Privacy Law Promises Chaos by 2020 (eWeek)
Third-party developers could have been reading your Gmail messages – here’s what to do about it (London Evening Standard)
Ensuring your security and privacy within Gmail (Google Blog)
New Facebook privacy mishap: A software bug that ‘unblocked’ people (Recode)
Letting People Know About a Blocking Bug (Facebook Newsroom)
Facebook’s Political Rule Blocks Ads for Bush’s Beans, Singers Named Clinton (Bloomberg)
Facebook Ads Offer Peek at Looming Supreme Court Fight (The New York Times)
Ugandans Aren’t Happy With New Tax for Using Social Media (Time)
Akamai Releases Summer 2018 State of the Internet Security Report (Akamai)
This password-stealing malware just added a new way to infect your PC (ZDNet)
Tech-support scammers revive bug that sends Chrome users into a panic (Ars Technica)
Samsung Note 9 Premium Smartphone to Debut on Aug. 9 (eWeek)
Amazon Takes a Page From Toys ‘R’ Us With a Holiday Catalog (Bloomberg)
An Archive of Radio Shack Catalogs

Windows 10 Timeline

Introducing Windows Timeline (Windows channel on YouTube)
Get help with timeline (Microsoft)
How to Use Timeline With Windows 10 (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 277: Magic to Do

June 23, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

It’s been a week of heavy legal news, deals and global affairs — almost enough to make you want to escape to a fantasy realm to take a break over a pint of butterbeer. El Kaiser and J.D. sort through the stories of the week before moving on to a discussion of how the Harry Potter franchise is keeping active far beyond the original seven books. PTJ 277 awaits behind that Play button — Alohomora!

Links to Stories on This Week’s Show

Opinion analysis: Court expands states’ ability to require internet retailers to collect sales tax (SCOTUSblog)
Go deeper: How the online sales tax ruling will affect consumers (Axios)
Sorry, Comcast: Fox and Disney sign new merger deal, rejecting Comcast bid (Ars Technica)
FTC Announces Hearings On Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century (Federal Trade Commission)
The White House looks to coordinate online privacy plan (Axios)
Europe takes another step towards copyright pre-filters for user generated content (TechCrunch)
California Net Neutrality Bill Was ‘Hijacked,’ Lawmaker Says (Wired)
California lawmakers gut net neutrality bill (CNET)
Welcome to IGTV (Instagram)
Introducing Subscription Groups for Admins (Facebook Newsroom)
Meet Microsoft News: A new way to stay informed across the Web, Windows 10, iOS and Android (Windows Experience blog)
Trump reportedly told Apple’s Tim Cook that iPhones will be spared from China tariffs (CNBC)
In China Trade War, Apple Worries It Will Be Collateral Damage (The New York Times)
Why Apple’s AirPower Wireless Charger Is Taking So Long to Make (Bloomberg)
Apple Plans to Stream Children’s Shows From Sesame Workshop (The New York Times)
AMC Theatres’ $20 monthly subscription plan rivals MoviePass (CNN Money)
Xbox steps back on console VR plans (BBC News)
Call For Code® (IBM Developer)
Listen up: Google Podcasts is now on Android (Google Keyword blog)

Harry Potter in the Digital World

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Require a password or authentication for purchases (Google Play Help)
Use Restrictions to prevent purchasing on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (Apple Support)
Harry Potter: A History of Magic (Google Arts & Culture)
Harry Potter in Your Pocket (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 276: Game On!

June 18, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

A judge cleared the way for AT&T and Time Warner to merge, Apple plans to reinforce its iPhone security, Microsoft made a bunch of announcements — but hey, here comes the annual E3 event to bring in the fun. El Kaiser and J.D. sort through it all before a discussion about the VPNFilter malware — you know, that one the FBI was warning about the other week — and how to protect your router from it. Spin up PTJ 276 to hear it all!

DOJ Won’t Seek to Halt AT&T-Time Warner Merger Pending Any Appeal (Variety)
AT&T Closes Acquisition of Time Warner (The New York Times)
Net neutrality died today as FCC’s vote to repeal rules goes into effect (PC Gamer)
Comcast, AT&T, Verizon say they have no paid prioritization plans (Ars Technica)
SB-822 Communications: broadband Internet access service (California Legislative Information)
Apple to Close iPhone Security Hole That Police Use to Crack Devices (The New York Times)
Microsoft’s next-gen gaming plan: A new Xbox, and streaming for everyone else (Ars Technica)
Power and simplicity—updates to the Office 365 user experience (Microsoft 365 Blog)
Microsoft opens Office 2019 for Mac business preview (Engadget)
Over 100 UK tech leaders back new call for a people’s vote on Brexit (TechCrunch)
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2018 (Reuters Institute)
See What’s Happening! (Twitter blog)
Exclusive: Microsoft takes aim at Amazon with push for checkout-free retail (Reuters)
John Boyega calls out Star Wars fans after harassment controversy (Polygon)
PC Gaming Show E3 2018: Everything and the kitchen sink (Ars Technica)
Announcing 2018-2019 Fortnite Competitive Season (Epic Games)
‘Skyrim: Very Special Edition’ with Alexa is not a joke, game arrives on Amazon Echo (Business Insider)
“Skyrim” for Amazon Alexa (Amazon)
“Skyrim: A Very Special Edition” (YouTube)

Reset Your Router

Your Wi-Fi Security Is Probably Weak. Here’s How to Fix That. (The New York Times)
VPNFilter exploits endpoints, targets new devices (Cisco Talos)
Justice Department Announces Actions to Disrupt Advanced Persistent Threat 28 Botnet of Infected Routers and Network Storage Devices (US Department of Justice)
Foreign Cyber Actors Target Home And Office Routers And Networked Devices Worldwide (FBI Public Service Announcement)
VPNFilter Destructive Malware (US-CERT)
Cisco Talos VPN Filter malware findings (UK National Cyber Security Centre)
VPNFilter router malware is a lot worse than everyone thought (The Register)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 274: Golden State

June 6, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Even without the NBA finals in the mix, it’s been a busy time out in California with a fierce net-neutrality bill passing a hurdle in the state senate and Mary Meeker’s mega-slideshow on Internet trends. El Kaiser and J.D. surf through the week’s tech news before stopping to ponder life without Twitter — if only just for a little while. Punch up Episode 274 and have a listen!

California Senate defies AT&T, votes for strict net neutrality rules (Ars Technica)
Microsoft leapfrogs Google’s Alphabet, while becoming the 3rd best tech company to-date (On MSFT)
Bring the Stadium Experience Home: Oculus Venues Now Available on Oculus Go and Gear VR (Oculus)
Google Will Try to Tackle Latest iPhones With Pixel Phone Upgrades (Bloomberg)
Former Snap Employee Questions Company’s Culture and Diversity (Cheddar)
Mobile Direct Traffic Eclipses Facebook (Chartbeat Blog)
HIDDEN COBRA – Joanap Backdoor Trojan and Brambul Server Message Block Worm (US-CERT)
International Hacker-For-Hire Who Conspired With and Aided Russian FSB Officers Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison (OPA | Department of Justice)
Foreign Cyber Actors Target Home And Office Routers And Networked Devices Worldwide (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
FBI Urges Internet Users to Reboot Home Routers (NBC New York)
Court upholds federal Kaspersky ban, dismisses lawsuits (Fedscoop)
Facebook to be banned in Papua New Guinea for a month (BBC News)
Shutting down Facebook in PNG is a reality (Post Courier)
Mary Meeker’s 2018 internet trends report: All the slides, plus analysis (Recode)

Downshifting Twitter

How to Defeat a Twitter Addiction (WikiHow)
How to deactivate your account (Twitter Help)
Clean Out a Crowded Twitter Feed With ManageFlitter (Lifehacker)
“I quit social media for a month — and it was the best choice I’ve ever made” (Business Insider)

Episode Links, Podcast, Tech Term

PTJ 271: Hand of F8

May 7, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Fresh off the latest Facebook user-abuse apology media tour and visit with the U.S. Congress, Mark Zuckerberg made a slew of announcements at this week’s F8 Developers Conference in California, which El Kaiser and J.D. discuss on this week’s episode — along with other news from the tech realm. Episode 271 also sports a quick look at the big geek movies headed into theaters this summer and an explanation of “malvertising.” Spin up this latest installment of Pop Tech Jam to hear it all!

Links to Stories Discussed on This Week’s Show

Cambridge Analytica: Facebook data-harvest firm to shut (BBC News)
Facebook will let users opt out of its browsing history collection (Recode)
F8 2018: Sharing to Stories, AR Camera Effects, Oculus Go and More Highlights from Day 1 (Facebook Newsroom)
F8 2018: Open AI Frameworks, New AR/VR Advancements, and Other Highlights from Day 2 (Facebook Newsroom)
Facebook Fires Employee Who Allegedly Used Data Access to Stalk Women (Motherboard)
Facebook Agrees to Civil-Rights Audit (New York magazine)
Instagram Unveils a Bully Filter (The New York Times)
Facebook Has Begun To Rank News Organizations By Trust, Zuckerberg Says (BuzzFeed)
How to get the Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Windows Experience Blog)
A look at what the Windows 10 April 2018 update brings (Ars Technica)
Everything You Can Do in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update That You Couldn’t Before (Gizmodo)
Stay composed: here’s a quick rundown of the new Gmail (Google blog)
Google Wunderkind Is Building a Secret Social-Gaming Startup (Bloomberg)
Hulu passes 20 million subscribers, will finally offer offline viewing (TechCrunch)
Spotify stock plunges after reporting earnings for the first time (CNBC)
What the T-Mobile and Sprint merger means for you (The Washington Post)
California net neutrality bill that AT&T hates is coming to New York, too (Ars Technica)
Amazon Launches Own Pet Product Brand, Wag; Starts With Food (Bloomberg)
The 41 Must-See Movies of 2018 (Den of Geek)

Tech Term

Malvertising (Center for Internet Security)
Malvertising: Attack of the Ads (AVG)
Why Malvertising Is Cybercriminals’ Latest Sweet Spot (Wired)
You Don’t Want the Malware Prize (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 270: On the Hook

May 3, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

California fires a shot across the bow of the FCC’s net neutrality repeal, Amazon’s Alexa has a new do-it-yourself project for users and even aquariums aren’t safe on the Internet of Things. El Kaiser and J.D. sort through the technology news of the past 10 days before discussing a great vacation destination for aviation and NASA nerds: The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virgina, home to the National Air & Space Museum’s big collection of airplanes and spacecraft. Jump into it all here in Episode 270 of Pop Tech Jam!

Links to Stories Mentioned On This Week’s Show