Checkin’ The Balance
See what happens when the government gets involved in something?
Customers of New York City-based Citibank have lost access to much of their account information because of a computer outage.
Many of the troubled bank’s clients haven’t been able to retrieve account details online or by telephone since Tuesday afternoon. Others can access only parts of their account profiles.
Citibank telephone representatives say they don’t know what caused the outage but technicians are working to fix it. They’ve been telling customers to call back after Wednesday morning.
I’m sure they’ll launch an official in-depth investigation including Senate hearings to get to the bottom of it.
Sphere: Related ContentT-Mobile Isn’t Happy With Starbucks
Honestly? I am surprised it took T-Mobile this long to file the lawsuit.
T-Mobile USA is suing Starbucks, saying the coffee shop chain secretly colluded with AT&T to offer free WiFi Internet access in its cafes despite an exclusive agreement with T-Mobile.
In the lawsuit, filed late on Thursday in New York state court, T-Mobile alleges that AT&T and Starbucks Corp are not living up to an agreement the three companies reached over how Starbucks should transfer from its T-Mobile partnership to a new partnership with AT&T announced earlier this year.
T-Mobile is seeking unspecified damages against Starbucks for breach of its contract and unfair competition.
Source: Reuters.
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Sphere: Related ContentYahoo Is Good At Spurning
It seems Yahoo is doing an awesome job turning away business opportunities.
Yahoo Inc executives dismissed a search-advertising deal with Google due to antitrust concerns, one day before Microsoft Corp made its takeover offer earlier this year, according to court documents made public on Monday.
The position came to light in a complaint filed by attorneys representing two Michigan pension funds in a shareholder lawsuit that aims to revoke Yahoo takeover defenses and press the company to renew merger talks with Microsoft.
“We are focused on long-term value creation rather than short-term gains,” said a Yahoo document prepared for Yahoo executives ahead of an “all hands” internal meeting on January 30 — the day before Microsoft made its merger offer.
Bracing for employee questions over whether Yahoo should outsource its search-ad sales to Google, executives were prepared to argue that any short-term gains would derail Yahoo’s long-term push to become a “must buy” for advertisers.
Pardon me, but that’s going to be a mighty “long-term” push. I don’t forsee Yahoo ever becoming a “must buy” for advertisers, then again, I also thought Yahoo would be part of Microsoft by now too.
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Sphere: Related ContentGoogle, Plaxo & Facebook And Your Data
Some may think this is great news, others not so much. Me? I am still on the fence.
While it makes sense to let people take their data with them, is the data entered by other people something that others should be allowed to take with them, in every case, in all platforms, at any time?
Yes, I know, you can get people’s names, birthdates, email address, hobbies, and whatever else, and put it in some application or social networking site manually. That’s great. But that’s not my point. The point I am trying to make is where do we draw the line? Which information should be shared? How much information do you really need from me to import into all of your other applications?
I guess those people who don’t want all of their personal data out there for the world to take with them will just have to refrain from using social networking sites. But that defeats the whole point of social networking, doesn’t it? Oh sure, on the outside it sounds great. Everyone can take their data with them, but exactly what part of your name, address, phone number, email, hobbies, eye color, height, weight, driving habits, shopping habits, and bathroom schedule, makes your data “their” data? I know, I exaggerated a little bit, but you get the point.
After publishing an invitation to Facebook to join the DataPortability Working Group January 4, we never thought that Facebook would accept it. Today changes everything you’ve ever thought about social-networking data and lock-in before, because today Facebook, Google and Plaxo have joined the DataPortability Workgroup.
Google and Plaxo joining are a positive, however given that both have previously joined together for platforms such as OpenSocial it’s not that significant, but Facebook is another matter. On January 4 Michael sort of defended Facebook’s stance against Plaxo pulling data from Facebook on the grounds that “Facebook also has a very good reason for protecting email addresses - user privacy.” Today, by joining the DataPortability Working Group Facebook is embracing open standards and open access, and that is a huge fundamental change from its previous stance on being locked in to closed standards.
Many years ago, I was on Q-Link. I loved Q-link. I had a ton of friends on there too. None of them knew where I lived, they didn’t know my phone number, my address, my birthday, my hobbies, my hair color, or even my real name. We still had a great time, and life was good at 300 baud.
After Q-Link, I moved on to the local BBS scene. Because of the local meet ups, people knew my name, they knew what I looked like, what city I lived in, my hair color and a bit more I am sure. But they knew this information because I chose to share it with them. I chose to make that information available for them. They didn’t learn any of it, without me knowing they were getting it (ie, by showing up at the meet ups).
Next came IRC. I only met a couple of people on IRC, my wife being one of them. We’ve been married 10 and a half years now. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Very few people on IRC knew my real name, and none of them, except my future wife, knew my phone number, my address, my birthday, my hobbies, my hair color, or anything else. Again, only those people I trusted could have the information, and only those I wanted to do so could learn anything about me.
The online world is evolving, there is no doubt about that, but I should have the choice whether I want certain information available for others to see, and whether that information should be available to be grabbed with the click of a mouse. I am all for open standards and much that comes with it, but I for one, should be the one that decides what information is made public (and sharable) in any application or social network that I am a part of, and I should know about this BEFORE I sign up.
I know, many people don’t read the terms of service when they sign up at different websites, but it should be made plainly clear to them what is going to happen with their data.
Someone may live in a small town, and not want their information shared because it would be too easy for people to arrive in that small town and show up at their door. Others might live in a big city and worry about the same thing.
The point is, not everyone is going to use this social information with good intentions. That’s just a fact.
Me, I really don’t care, because the only information available to people about me, is information that is already readily available through various places, because I don’t use most if not all of the social networking sites for this very reason.
However, I would still like to know that I have a choice when it comes to what part of MY data is going to be open for sharing to a point where it becomes YOUR data.
Crossposted at: Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff & The Alligator Pit
Sphere: Related ContentBroadcom Wins Again
For anyone watching the industry, this really isn’t any surprise. A jury awarded Broadcom millions of dollars in May of 2007. It was only common sense that current and future sales of the chips would be halted.
A federal judge has ordered wireless giant Qualcomm to stop selling data chips that infringe on patents belonging to its smaller rival Broadcom.
U.S. District Judge James Selna issued the ruling Monday, the latest in a series of legal victories Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) scored over Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM, Fortune 500) in 2007 related to rights to technology for cell phones. The three patented chips use WCDMA technology, a small but fast-growing part of the wireless market used mostly in American T-Mobile and AT&T (T, Fortune 500) phones.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more about this case, and more like it, in the months to come, but for now, it seems Broadcom has been doing quite well in their battle against Qualcomm.
Sphere: Related ContentSymantec To Buy Vontu
When it comes to security, I’m not so sure I want the “big consolidated company” looking after my small-business interests. Bigger does not necessarily mean better.
Security software giant Symantec is preparing to announce an acquisition of Vontu, one the largest remaining independent providers of data leakage prevention software, which is used to control the flow of sensitive information across corporate networks.
Multiple industry sources have confirmed to InfoWorld that Symantec will soon announce a buyout of Vontu, perhaps as early as next week, which will significantly further the trend of consolidation that has played-out in the red-hot DLP (data leakage prevention) space over the last year.
The deal also gives Symantec a foothold in the burgeoning DLP segment, also referred by some as the ILP (information leakage prevention) space.
What happens when everyone has consolidated and you still can’t get something to work properly? How will we get the big ol’ consolidated companies to listen to us when we want change?
New Version Of Stuffr!
I have released the newest version of Stuffr.
Sphere: Related ContentStuffr, a desktop blogging client for Windows, has a streamlined design that works in conjuction with multiple weblog platforms.
With customizable toolbars, syntax highlighting, and smart prompts, Stuffr offers you all of the tools needed for speedy and convenient posting.
Stuffr allows you to save drafts or publish entries to your blog in real time, but it also offers the choice of saving the post locally for further review and editing.
Stuffr currently supports Movable Type and Wordpress blogs, as well as Tumblr TumbleLogs.
Stuffr’s features include:
Blogging (Movable Type & WordPress):
- Post drafts and publish posts
- Save drafts locally
- Editing posts and drafts
- Multiple blog accounts
- Multiple categories
- Add Categories (WP 2.2+ Only)
- Trackbacks
- Post date modification
- Add files, images, links and web videos (from YouTube, Vimeo, College Humor, and MetaCafe)
- HTML syntax highlighting
- Technorati tags
- Pinging multiple update services
- Four customizable tag buttons
- It’s 100% free, with no ads or spyware!
TumbleLogs (Tumblr):
- Post Text Entries
- Add Photos
- Cite Quotations
- Link to your favorite sites
- Paste an online chat conversation
- Embed Video
Version 0.9.3 includes the following bug fix:
- Uploading files was not using the file upload path correctly and Stuffr was not saving the file upload location.
For more information on changes included in each version of Stuffr, check the history.txt file that accompanies the file.
Stuffr, with it’s intuitive design, does what a blogging client should, and it does it quickly and efficiently.
So when you have a lot on your mind, take your thoughts and Stuff ‘em!
This Is A Test Post
I am writing a new blogging client that works with multiple blogging platforms.
If you are reading this, it means everything is working, thus far.
EMI Changing Course?
While EMI denies they have scrapped DRM altogether, they have not manufactured any new disks with DRM for months. It’s about time someone started waking up.
Sphere: Related ContentEMI Group Plc said on Monday it was reviewing its use of the controversial content protection technology used on CDs, known as digital rights management (DRM), but has not scrapped it altogether.
Music companies launched DRM in a bid to curb piracy but the software means that the discs are incompatible with the iPod, the market-leading digital music player made by Apple Computer Inc.
Critics also argue that the system has not worked as consumers could be driven to illegal sites to download music to the popular iPod instead.
A spokeswoman for EMI said it had not manufactured any new disks with DRM, which restricts consumers from making copies of songs and films they have purchased legally, for the last few months.
Microsoft Brings Software To Ford Cars
Ford Motor Co. unveiled on Saturday a new entertainment and communication system running on software from Microsoft Corp. that aims to bring the connectivity of a computer to the car.
The “Sync” system allows drivers to make hands-free phone calls, listen to music on digital media players, including Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod, and have cell phone text messages read aloud.
Ford and Microsoft announced Sync on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
What happens when it crashes? No, not the car, the “entertainment and communication system”? If it does crash, do you have to pull over and turn off the car, wait a few moments, and start it again? Can you imagine the calls to Onstar when this hits the market?
OnStar call center: “Onstar, what’s your emergency?”
You: “My car just crashed and all I have now is a blue Ford of death!”
[Long pause]
You: “Hello? Hello?”
I can hardly wait to see how you apply patches and bug fixes.