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  Geebo 10:03 am on July 21, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Artem Vaulin, Backpage ( 69 ), Carl Ferrer ( 15 ), Human trafficking ( 100 ), KAT, Kickass Torrents, piracy ( 4 )   

  US seizure of top piracy site shows government’s misguided priorities 

  

  Yesterday, in a joint effort between Homeland Security, Facebook, Apple and the Polish Government, among others, 30-year-old Ukrainian citizen Artem Vaulin was arrested in Poland and is awaiting extradition to the United States. With that kind of concerted effort behind it you would think that he must be some kind of terrorist, or drug lord, or some huge figurehead in international organized crime. He’s none of those actually, but what he is believed to be is the owner of a website that allows its users to obtain pirated works such as movies, music and TV shows. Vaulin is believed to be, by US authorities, the owner of a site called Kickass Torrents (KAT). KAT doesn’t actually host any of the pirated works. What they do host are what’s known as torrent files. These are files that allow the users of KAT to collectively share the pirated works between each other. I realize that’s largely arguing semantics, but it dispels a myth that these pirate sites host the actual pirated works.

  So why does any of this matter? Even though no statement has been made to the effect, one could easily surmise that this massive operation on the part of the US Government came from pressure from the entertainment industry, which Homeland Security estimates that they’re losing $1 billion a year because of KAT. In a sense, it seems like the government is bowing to pressure from people who make things like trashy reality shows.

  Now I know the ‘Why don’t you go after the real criminals’ argument is a specious one, because you would want your law enforcement to pursue all criminals, but couldn’t the government’s resources and manpower be better used? For example, take Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer. Mr. Ferrer was called to testify before Congress about Backpage’s role in the sex trafficking of women and children in our country. Instead, Mr, Ferrer left for the Netherlands ‘on business’. Since that time not only has Congress held him in contempt but he and Backpage are being sued by Congress. Why is there no contingent of government and corporate forces uniting to bring Mr. Ferrer before Congress? It’s simple really. The victims of sex trafficking have no lobbying group behind them. There’s no money to be made by politicians for trying to stop the flood of human trafficking that Backpage allegedly facilitates. On the other hand the entertainment industry has very deep pockets for our friends in Washington.

  So sorry to all the victims of Backpage, it seems you can’t afford justice.
   

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  Geebo 10:02 am on July 20, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: jewelry ( 2 ), San Diego ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,656 ), wedding rings ( 2 )   

  Avoid this wedding ring scam 

  

  For whatever reason, let’s say that you’re selling a wedding/engagement ring online. Police in San Diego are reporting a scam in their area that involves the online sale of these rings.

  In what has become the norm with these types of scams it’s actually a new twist on an old scam but it’s still designed to separate you from your money or your possessions. In this scam while you’re selling the ring online you’ll be contacted by someone who claims to be in the military and is being sent overseas very soon. Before they ship out they want to propose to their significant other. The seller will then receive a fake e-mail from PayPal saying that they’ve received the money. Some less than careful sellers may then ship the item without realizing they never received the money.

  Anytime that a buyer is claiming that they need to purchase an item with an extreme sense of urgency like that, it should immediately send up a red flag that it may be a scam. For the best results when using online classifieds is to always try to only do business locally, in person in a safe area and with cash only.

   
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  Geebo 10:06 am on July 19, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook ( 182 ), opera, Qihoo 360, yahoo ( 13 )   

  Times change, even for internet mainstays 

  

  We’re about to tell the story of two internet pioneers and how their fortunes have changed. One you may not have heard of but one you definitely have.

  Our first story is about the formerly Norwegian based web browser known as Opera. You may have never used Opera as a browser but it’s been around since 1995 and has been an innovator in the browser space since then. Think about some of the breakthroughs in browser features over the past decade and a half, chances are that it was a feature on Opera first. Do you remember when tabs on browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer first became a killer feature? Opera did it first among many other innovations such as including an encrypted VPN service built into the browser. While Opera didn’t have the largest market share, it did have one of the most loyal userbases on the internet. Now, more than likely, that userbase will begin to evaporate since the Opera name and browser assets have been bought by a Chinese consortium called Qihoo 360. Opera had a reputation as being one of the more secure web browsers, but now with the browser being owned by a Chinese company one has to wonder how much influence the normally invasive Chinese government will have when it comes to the security aspects of the browser. Former Opera devotees may want to try the Vivaldi browser as it’s been made by former Opera developers.

  Our second story comes from an internet behemoth that most of us would be hard pressed to remember a time without it. Yahoo has been around since 1994 and was Google before Google was. It not only offered one of the internet’s first reliable search engines and free web mail, but also provided news and game portals along with many of its chat services. Yahoo was unrivaled in popularity for many years until an upstart of a company called Google started eating its lunch. Google did a lot of what Yahoo did but much, much better. How many of us couldn’t wait to jump ship to GMail from Yahoo Mail once the GMail invites started going out? Yahoo then started emulating Google by acquiring more properties to add to their portfolio. The names read like a Who’s Who of internet history in Geocities, Delicious, Flickr and Tumblr. By most accounts Yahoo has failed to capitalize on most of those properties, and even shuttered poor Geocities. While Yahoo does have some successful properties, like their sports and finance divisions, the company has been hemorrhaging money for years. Even Yahoo has seen the writing on the wall. What was once the most visited website in the world is now a husk of its former self and is offering itself, either whole or piecemeal to several financial suitors including Verizon, who already owns AOL, and AT&T.

  The moral of this story is, it doesn’t matter how ubiquitous or how enduring an internet property can be, like the empires of yore they can always fall. In a not too distant future we could all be reminiscing about how we all used to be on Facebook before it was replaced by an even better service, or how many people used to use that ‘other’ online classifieds before it collapsed under the weight of its own criminal element.

  As the saying goes, the only thing constant is change, and while it may not happen overnight it will happen. Just ask MySpace.

   
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  Geebo 10:10 am on July 18, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Dani Mathers, Detroit ( 4 ), live streaming ( 2 ), Los Angeles ( 5 ), Periscope ( 2 ), Snapchat ( 13 ), Stephen Drake Edwards   

  Does live streaming bring out the worst in us? 

  

  Live streaming has proven to be invaluable within the past few years when it comes to not only news but criminal investigations and social movements. Unfortunately, it’s also been used to commit disparaging acts as well.

  In Los Angeles, Playboy model Dani Mathers allegedly sent out a Snapchat of an undressed woman at her gym while making disparaging remarks about the woman’s body. Backlash from that incident not only led to Ms. Mathers being banned from the entire chain of gyms and the loss of her radio job but she’s also being investigated by the LAPD for illegal distribution of the Snapchat.

  Even more disturbing, 20-year-old Stephen Drake Edwards has been arrested in Detroit for allegedly brandishing a gun towards a man while hurling homophobic slurs at him. Edwards streamed the entire event on Periscope. He is even said to have done a second live stream on Periscope where he fielded questions about the incident. While he did receive backlash from the LGBT community he also had a number of supporters and therein lies the problem.

  There have even been more heinous crimes and activities that have been live streamed that have received positive feedback while they were taking place. The internet has always allowed distasteful groups and individuals to organize and communicate but live streaming now allows them to disseminate their messages and activities in real-time. However, live streaming is just a tool and like any tool can be abused for the wrong purposes. It seems these acts are more of a reflection of some of the more intolerant and ignorant subsections of our society.
   
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  Geebo 10:03 am on July 15, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: games ( 3 ), NES Classic Edition ( 2 ), Nintendo ( 3 ), video games ( 3 )   

  Off Topic Friday: Nintendo to release new ‘old’ console 

  

  Nintendo made headlines for the second time this week cashing in on nostalgia once again. The Japanese game company has announced that they are releasing a mini version of its classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) from the 1980s. The newly announced NES Classic Edition not only fits in the palm of your hand but it comes pre-loaded with 30 games from the classic 8-bit era. Some of the titles include all three Super Mario Bros. games, the original Final Fantasy, and Zelda I and II. The best part is there are no cartridges to blow in to get them to work.

  If you were a gamer from back in the day this could be a great opportunity to show gamers of today that there is a beautiful simplicity in these 8-bit classics that kept us engaged for a generation.

  The console is set to be released in November of this year.

  The must have holiday toys are already gone | Greg's Corner is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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  Geebo 2:01 pm on July 14, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: know your rights, Police ( 12 )   

  Help protect yourself during a police stop 

  

  Police in the United States have a tireless and thankless job. While most of them will go through their entire careers without having any issues, as we have seen recently, some are not up to the task and innocent lives have been tragically lost in the process. Although not all situations can ever be predicted and no solution is perfect there are steps that can be taken to help protect yourself and your rights.

  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) not only has apps that can be used to record police stops they also have a plethora of information regarding your rights when it comes to being stopped by police. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) also has information regarding your rights when it comes to recording police activity.

  While apps like Facebook Live and Periscope have been used recently to record police another good idea might be to have a dash cam installed in your car. Most models can record audio as well as video and some models can swivel between the external view and internal view.

  As I said before, most police do their job without incident however, the ones that either willfully or ignorantly abuse their authority need to be put on notice that they can be monitored by citizens while they’re on duty.
   
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  Geebo 10:00 am on July 13, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: donating blood, healthcare ( 45 ), Red Cross, summer ( 2 )   

  Red Cross facing severe summer shortage 

  

  A great many of us will donate blood to the American Red Cross after a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy or a crime of great tragedy like the Orlando massacre. Instead of waiting for an event like that to occur before donating we should be donating now. Right now the American Red Cross is facing a severe shortage of blood donations. Most of the shortage is due to it being summer here in America and with schools out and families on vacations not many people are thinking about blood donation nor are many blood drives being organized.

  If you think about it, summertime is great time to donate blood. Summertime always has the potential to bring about the most widespread natural disasters in our country, like hurricanes. Rising temperatures can also lead to massive brush and forest fires and heavy rains have already brought major flooding to the country. Sadly, our country is also susceptible to tragedies like those that happened recently on Orlando and Dallas. While I’m sure the Red Cross is grateful for the donations received in the wake of events like this, wouldn’t it be better if they had enough blood on hand before these events take place?

  Please visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/ today ro find a donation site near you.

   
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  Geebo 11:42 am on July 12, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: apps ( 15 ), Exchange Initiative, Human trafficking ( 100 ), mobile phones ( 8 ), TraffickCam   

  New app let’s you help fight human trafficking 

  

  Many times when human traffickers advertise their victims online, they often use pictures taken in the hotel rooms of where they’re being sold out of. Law enforcement can sometimes use those pictures to locate where the victims of trafficking are being held captive. Now, a smart phone app aims to help law enforcement by creating a database of pictures from hotels all over the country.

  The app, called TraffickCam, was designed by anti-human trafficking group, the Exchange Initiative. Users can download the app and when they stay in any hotel they can take pictures of the room and add them to the ever-increasing database of pictures. The more pictures there are the more chances law enforcement has of rescuing a woman or child from being sold into sexual slavery.

  With apps like Snapchat and Instagram we’re already taking scores of pictures of our surroundings everyday. With TraffickCam you can take just a few more pictures that have the potential to rescue someone from a life of violence and sexual servitude. However, an even bigger boon towards this end would be if the hotel and motel industries themselves would get involved instead of often turning a blind eye to what goes on behind their doors.

   
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  Geebo 9:56 am on July 11, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: apps ( 15 ), games ( 3 ), mobile phones ( 8 ), Pokemon Go   

  What exactly is Pokemon Go and is it safe? 

  

  In case you haven’t heard, the new must have app among mobile users is Pokemon Go. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a mobile game for both iOS and Android that is based on the wildly popular Pokemon video games made by Nintendo. In the original games, the player travels around the confines of the game capturing the fantastical creatures known as Pokemon. One of the great features of the games was that you could play and trade with your friends.

  Pokemon Go is what’s known as an augmented reality game. That means that it overlays elements of the game into the real world through the screen of your mobile phone. The game puts you into the role of a Pokemon trainer and allows you to catch virtual Pokemon in the real world. The game was designed to not only get players to get up and move around but it also has a social aspect that allows other players to meet in real life.

  Even though the game is incredibly popular and fun to play, that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been drawbacks. The first thing to consider is that the game keeps its players looking down into their cell phones. If a player is not aware of their surroundings it could lead to injuries and in fact it has. Any game ultimately leads to cheating and in the case of Pokemon Go it has led at least one man to use a drone in order to try to locate rare Pokemon without putting in the footwork. Some people have even used Pokemon Go to allegedly rob players when they show up to areas where Pokemon are said to be.

  However, having said all of that Pokemon Go can be a fun and safe time for both adults and kids and even parents and their children as long as you use common sense.
   
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  Geebo 11:33 am on July 8, 2016 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Jeff Wysaski, Los Angeles ( 5 ), Obvious Plant, prank ( 2 ), Zoo ( 2 )   

  Off Topic Friday: Jokester posts funny fake facts at L.A. Zoo 

  

  Recently, at the zoo in Los Angeles, California, someone posted fake but funny placards around the zoo that contained phony facts about the zoo’s animals. All of the silly signs were in good nature as they contained such goofy ‘facts’ like “If you give a tiny If you give a tiny trombone to 76 ducklings, they will lead the most adorable parade you’ve ever seen.”

  The signs were all part of comedian Jeff Wysaski’s Obvious Plant project. All the different signs that Mr. Wysaski left at the zoo can be seen here.

  Not to sound like a Pollyanna about things, but we need more jokes like this and less mean-spirited pranks like ‘swatting’ and similar trolling.