Wise Guys on WHO Radio
Please note: These show notes may be in various stages of completion -- ranging from brainstormed notes through to well-polished monologues. Please excuse anything that may seem rough around the edges, as it may only be a first draft of a thought and not be fully representative of what was said on the air.
In the news this week
Microsoft and Facebook are teaming up to build an undersea cable between Virginia and Spain to transmit Internet content at 160 terabits per second -- a pretty wide thoroughfare for data. Microsoft is investing because it's investing full-tilt in the cloud computing market. Construction is to begin this August with completion by October 2017.
Lenovo has trouble integrating Motorola
Lenovo bought the phone-maker from Google in 2014 and that was after it collapsed in value by about 75% under Google's control.
Mobile data consumption is skyrocketing
It's inevitable that data usage will increase -- unless some very significant changes are made to the way that content is delivered, and there's little chance of that happening anytime soon, at least not at the same pace as new usage escalates.
Microsoft is getting really aggressive about pushing Windows 10 upgrades
Better to make the upgrade when you've set aside a couple of hours to manage it than to wait for it to be thrust upon you
Security update
There is a special place in Digital Hell for people who put these scams on the Internet. pic.twitter.com/HO39GyGhLv
— WHO Radio Wise Guys (@wiseguyslive) May 28, 2016
Street-smart social media
Just don't accept Facebook friend requests unless you're sure
Scam after scam after scam keeps popping up, and it's all because people are too loose with their "friend" requests
What it really means when couples over-share on Facebook
They may very well be enjoying one another's company, but they also may be trying too hard to obtain their self-esteem from the approval of people outside the relationship looking in
Gadget of the week
Pebble returns to Kickstarter roots
Launching three products at once: Pebble Core (a cellular-enabled super-compact computer aimed at runners who don't want to carry their phones and at developers who want something tiny to hack), Pebble 2 (a $99 next-generation black-and-white smartwatch), and Pebble Time 2 (with a big color display for $169).
Dispatches from the flying-car future
It's practically everyone's favorite tech rumor, and Morgan Stanley now boards the train, arguing that Apple's recent investment in a ride-sharing company in China is indicative of a serious focus on transportation.
Brian's Big Picture
As robots do more, who's responsible when they do something wrong?
In the long run, it's important to do a couple of things. First, government can do well simply to draw a line somewhere -- a clear line -- so that the market can respond by allocating the costs of the damage done by wayward robots. Cutting the check isn't the same as paying the price, so it doesn't matter quite so much whom the law saddles with liability. What matters is establishing the rule itself so that the costs can be allocated efficiently by the marketplace. (Think of real-estate agent fees: The seller "pays" the agent, but the cost comes from the sale price, which is ultimately paid by the buyer. The agent's commission comes partially out of both the seller's and buyer's pockets, even if only one of them technically cuts the check.) What's also important is that the benefits of automation (which tend to be diffuse, or spread out across lots of people who each benefit a little bit) don't get overwhelmed by the concentrated costs (like those of the people who might be injured by faulty robotic systems). In other words, we have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, even if there end up being terrible, high-profile stories of people injured or killed by malfunctions. The aggregate gain to society will still be enormous, even if some people pay a very high price. That may very well indicate that a case ought to be made for a national insurance pool for such errors -- otherwise, the cost of private insurance may be prohibitive if the potential costs of liability appear to be unlimited.
Politics of technology
Internet trolls on the Chinese government payroll
It's a real thing. A real and awful thing.
Iowa tech this week
West Des Moines Police to target distracted driving
They plan an all-summer effort to crack down on "speeding, failure to obey traffic control devices, improper use of lanes, texting while driving and failure to utilize seat belts"
MidAmerican Energy tests a new ultra-tall wind turbine
Taller turbines may give them a better chance to capture stronger, more sustained winds at higher altitudes
Money and technology
French authorities raid Google offices over taxes
The perils of international business
Listen again on-demand
- Podcast of this episode - segment 1 (Lawmaking and artificial intelligence)
- Podcast of this episode - segment 2 (A listener call from a ransomware victim)
- Podcast of this episode - segment 3 (Crooked websites)
- Podcast of this episode - segment 4 (Trolls and spoofers)