Thursday, February 27, 2014

The NSA May be Literally Watching You

The verbal threats of Osama Bin Laden after 9/11 keep haunting my memory. His stated goal was to destroy the United States…and while just crashing airplanes into the twin towers and the Pentagon wouldn’t do that, the reactions of our government since then are a credible threat to what once was a great country. Osama’s goals are being carried out by our own government!

Since those horrible days, the US has spent billions, if not trillions, on invading two middle eastern countries and threatening other countries...and we accomplished very little. We are horribly in debt and our economy is threatened.  But one of the most egregious threat to our freedom is the nearly complete loss of privacy because our own government spying on its own citizens.

The NSA reading our e-mails and listening to our phone calls has been well documented here and other places. But now there is a new intrusion…the NSA has been using our own webcams on our own computers to spy on us. Don’t believe me? Read our first story.

Somehow I just can’t get angry as I used to. My emotions about the future of America are spent. I am helpless to stop any of this nonsense. My only hope is I will be long gone from this earth when the collapse comes. But, till the grim reaper come a knockin’, I continue to document these technological privacy threats here in this blog. It’s all I can do. Sorry to sound so negative, but, like you, I am helpless as I watch our wonderful nation being destroyed from within.- JCR

 

News and Opinions

The NSA may not be listening to your private phone calls, but it has been watching your private parts

The U.K. and U.S. government's ability to tap into webcams — and directly into your living rooms and offices — shows the biggest and most blatant lack of respect for people's privacy by Western governments in living memory.

Turmoil at Microsoft; implications for Windows users

Microsoft in general and the Windows group in particular have gone through enormous changes within the past year. All the key Windows 8 players are out. Most of us can only speculate on the reasons for the massive turnover, but one point remains clear: under new management, Windows is in for changes.

Ford to ditch Microsoft Sync technology, sources say

Ford, struggling with in-car technology flaws, will base the next-generation Sync system on BlackBerry’s QNX and no longer use Microsoft’s Windows, according to people briefed on the matter.

Facebook email killed off because people don't use it

Users won't miss any messages that are sent to their Facebook email, as Facebook will forward them to their primary email address.

Apple files appeal in e-book antitrust case

Apple calls judge's ruling that it conspired with publishers to fix e-book prices "a radical departure from modern antitrust law and policy."

 
Computer Tips and Tricks

Google+ Updated To v4.3 With Photo Editing

Google+ now supports non-destructive photo editing across multiple devices, so if you start an edit on one device, you can tweak it again or start over using another. And if you don't like what you see, you can still revert back to the original image at any time.

Cloud storage: It's not just about the files

Talk about the cloud and watch some folks' eyes glaze over. They don't want to think about where their files are stored. Ask them if their photos are safe and it's a different story.

SSD vs. HDD: What's the Difference?

A hard drive is a hard drive, right? Not exactly. We lay out the differences between SSD and HDD storage to help you figure out which type is the best choice.

Do operating systems matter anymore?

Today consumers happily switch from their Android phones to their iPads to their Windows 8 notebooks throughout the day without missing a beat.

How to Rip a DVD to Your Computer

Say you have a movie on DVD, but you want to watch it on your phone, tablet, somewhere else. You can "rip" that DVD—or turn it into a movie file on your computer—to play it wherever you want. Here's how to do it.

 

Mobile Computing

9 Superb Free Apps that you Simply Must Install on your Android Device

The title says it all. These apps will only work on devices with Android 4.x

iOS 6 Users Left In The Lurch After Security Flaw Discovered

While Apple fixed the major security flaw in iOS7, that won't help you if you are one of those people who haven't updated from iOS 6 to iOS 7. According to reports from the company, that's about 15% of all Apple mobile devices.

Women prefer Apple, gentlemen prefer Samsung

In a study looking at which mobile brands are preferred by the sexes in America, the results are perhaps predictable. However, a ray of hope for Microsoft/Nokia is that almost 25 percent of people expressed no preference.

House passes bill to let you unlock your phone, but there’s a catch

A long awaited bill that would confirm consumers have the right to unlock their mobile devices has finally arrived — but with new language that appears to limit certain types of unlocking.

Microsoft sends out mixed messages about Nokia Lumia brand

Microsoft has discussed the survival of the Nokia and Lumia brand names after it completes its Nokia acquisition. Sounds like it will keep the Lumia name for 10 years, but Nokia name may go sooner

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