Before recycling or selling your aging laptop or cellphone, you might want to consider smashing it to bits instead. That's especially true for older Windows XP laptops and netbooks, or Android smartphones because they can be a gold mine to identity thieves, says McAfee identity theft expert Robert Siciliano. "I would beat the thing to death."
Richard Posner, the judge presiding over Apple and Motorola’s IP battle in the United States, runs a staid courtroom and has little patience for legal high jinks between the parties.
Earlier this year, Judge Posner upbraided Motorola for what he described as the company’s “ridiculous” approach to claim construction. Now Apple’s become the focus of his ire. Responding to a motion Apple filed to block Motorola’s deposition of one of its expert witnesses, the second such motion the company had filed in a matter of days, Judge Posner verbally spanked the company’s legal team. “I deny the second half of Apple’s motion (seeking prohibition of the deposition) as frivolous and the first half (seeking substitution) as untimely,” Judge Posner wrote in an April 26 order. “I’ve had my fill of frivolous filings by Apple. The next such motion, and I shall forbid it to file any motions without first moving for leave to file.”
A coalition of public interest groups told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that government agencies should never be allowed to shutdown cellphone service, even in emergencies.
The groups said the harm of blacking out cell service would outweigh any benefits. "Deliberately interrupting wireless service, in nearly all cases, will mean disrupting the communications of every person in the affected area. Unlike the disconnection of a wireline connection, which can target an individual telephone facility, wireless interruption will necessarily prohibit the communications of completely innocent parties — precisely those parties closest to the site where the emergency is located or anticipated," they wrote. The comments, which were signed by Public Knowledge, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Benton Foundation and others, were filed as part of the FCC's review of whether and under what circumstances the government should be allowed to cutoff cell service.
The head of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) accused the head of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) of discouraging television stations from participating in planned auctions of airwaves. In a letter, Gary Shapiro, president of the CEA, urged NAB President Gordon Smith to "reconsider" his pessimistic comments about the spectrum auctions, which Congress authorized as part of legislation to extend a payroll tax cut earlier this year.
The Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on a Petition for Waiver (petition) filed on April 25, 2012 by the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom).
In its petition, USTelecom requests that the Commission temporarily waive several rules established in the recent Lifeline Reform Order. Specifically, USTelecom seeks a temporary waiver from the obligation to obtain a signed customer certification and a notice of customer eligibility from certain states prior to seeking reimbursement (sections 54.407(d), 54.410(b)(2), 54.410(c)(2)). USTelecom requests that the waiver apply to ETCs in those states which make initial determinations of customer eligibility and are unable to modify their procedures in time for the ETCs to comply with sections 54.407(d), 54.410(b)(2) and 54.410 by June 1, 2012.3 USTelecom requests that the waiver last until a state is able to provide ETCs with the required notices of eligibility and customer certifications. Interested parties may file comments on or before May 15, 2012. Because at least some of the rules from which USTelecom seeks waiver will go into effect June 1, 2012 the Bureau adopts an expedited comment period for this proceeding.
[WC Docket Nos. 12-23, 11-42, 03-109; CC Docket No. 96-45]
The New York City Department of Education published its first set of guidelines for the use of social media, underscoring the importance for teachers and staff to keep a clear distinction between the use of their personal and professional accounts.
"In an increasingly digital world, we seek to provide our students with the opportunities that multi-media learning can provide—which is why we should allow and encourage the appropriate and accepted use of these powerful resources," schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said. Mainly, teachers are expected to use common sense: inappropriate offline behavior would also be inappropriate online. However, teachers are being told that their interactions with students on professional social networking services will be monitored and that there is "no expectation of privacy," and that administrators and officials should have access to the professional accounts.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wants the Federal Communications Commission to revoke News Corporation's broadcast license after a British parliamentary panel ruled that CEO James Murdoch is not fit to lead his global media empire. "Under U.S. law, broadcast frequencies may be used only by people of good 'character,' who will serve 'the public interest,' and speak with 'candor,'" the group wrote in a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "Significant character deficiencies may warrant disqualification from holding a license."
Two working papers from educational technology stakeholder groups advocate for mobile learning and its ability to expand educational opportunities to students of all circumstances.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in collaboration with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), released “Turning on Mobile Learning in North America” and “Mobile Learning for Teachers in North America: Exploring the Potential of Mobile Technologies to Support Teachers and Improve Practice.” The papers are part of UNESCO’s larger Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning, which scans the globe to provide concrete examples of how mobile technologies, thanks largely to their ubiquity and affordability, can respond to unique educational challenges, supplement and enrich formal schooling, and make learning everywhere more accessible, equitable and personalized. The papers were co-authored by Jennifer Fritschi and Mary Ann Wolf for UNESCO and CoSN.
Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch says that the company plans to embed NFC (near field communication) chips into Nooks. Users could take their Nook into a Barnes & Noble store and wave it near a print book to get info on it or buy it. That could help someone gain quick information on their Nook about a book, making it easy to go from browsing to buying. Consumers could also choose to just buy a printed book in the store with the additional information gleaned from the Nook. The model would help ensure that showrooming leads to sales through Barnes & Noble, whether users ultimately purchase a print or e-book, instead of sending them online and possibly Amazon.
[Commentary] Now that we are fully into general election campaign mode, how will each candidate use social media to enhance their campaigns and to win the hearts and minds of the electorate?
If history is a guide, then Barack Obama should have the advantage over Mitt Romney in terms of social media. Four years ago, the Washington Post named Obama the "King of Social Media." It would be safe to say that Obama has established a "social media presidency" with his proactive engagements on Twitter and Facebook that same attempt to connect simultaneously on personal and political levels. And what about the Republicans? That's hard to say, but social media data associated with the accounts of the candidates and their electoral campaigns may offer some insight.
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