Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » juillet 9, 2013

BetaNews.Com (15 non lus)

How I inspired rapper Jay-Z to go Twitter-crazy

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 11:09pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

When I tweeted to legendary rapper Jay-Z on July 7th, I never expected to spark the Twitter insanity that was to follow. The tweet was simple enough -- I wrote the following: "@S_C_ Why do I care that you wear Tom Ford? I wear Hanes pocket t-shirts...should I write a song about it?". I was responding to the song "Tom Ford" in which Jay-Z boasts about wearing the fashion designer's expensive clothes. This song is from Jay-Z's new album, "Magna Carta Holy Grail".

I'm a Jay-Z fan but the song caused me to have a moment of clarity. I began to wonder why he was rapping about a trendy clothes designer and more importantly -- why was I listening to it? I am by no means a wealthy person and generally wear plain pocket t-shirts -- I was not relating to Jay-Z on this song. I happened to be at my computer and on Twitter, so I googled Jay-Z's Twitter handle and sent the tweet -- playfully mocking the rapper's bragging. I never expected him to read it or respond to it. And so, I went to bed expecting nothing. How wrong I was.

The next day, my Nokia Lumia 928 alerted me to some Twitter activity. To my shock, Jay-Z had responded to my tweet, saying "YES. *my laugh". I wasn't aware at the time but this was monumental -- it turns out, Jay-Z is a very stingy Twitter user who rarely uses the service and has never tweeted to a fan before. I was the first fan in the history of Twitter to receive a tweet from the famous rapper. This is cool on its own -- to be a very minor part of hip-hop history is a dream come true. However, the story does not stop there.

Apparently, my tweet inspired the rapper -- he continued to tweet fans for hours. His fast and furious tweeting to fans even became a major news story -- CNN, Huffington Post, AllHipHop, and many other sources reported on it. The media coverage is very beneficial for the rapper as his new album officially comes out today -- a great way to get free publicity which is likely the motivation for his many tweets. While the album is officially released today, Samsung Android users had the ability to download it early on July 4th, through an exclusive app.

While I am usually a fan of Jay-Z, I am not fond of his new album. "Magna Carta Holy Grail" is soulless and uninspired -- his worst album ever. However, I am fond of his use of technology to promote his music and connect with fans. His exclusive app for Samsung users and his July 8th tweet marathon are great ways to show how the music industry can still prosper by embracing technology. Unfortunately, the quality of the music doesn't equal the level of the rapper's self promotion.

Image Credit: s_bukley/Shutterstock
Microsoft rolls out updates for Windows 8.1 Preview

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 10:08pm CEST par Wayne Williams
It's Patch Tuesday, which means a new raft of updates for Microsoft's operating systems and software, including seven security patches for Windows 8. For the first time, Microsoft's patch collection also includes updates for Windows 8.1 Preview, the OS refresh the software giant debuted a couple of weeks ago.

If you're running Windows 8.1, you can grab the new updates, dated 9 July, via Windows Update.

I am running Windows 8.1 Preview x64 and so was offered the following updates:
- KB2863147: No notification about the expiration date of Windows 8.1 Preview.
- KB2865946: Smart card PIN disclosure after an automatic restart for Windows Update in Windows 8.1 Preview.
- KB2866512: Internet Explorer 11 Preview freezes or crashes while loading a webpage that contains widgets.
- KB2866518: Can't view OWA inbox in Internet Explorer 11 Preview.
- KB2866537: Windows Store app instability after an app update in Windows 8.1 Preview.
There was also a definition update for Windows Defender and a security update for Internet Explorer Flash Player.

As part of Patch Tuesday, Microsoft additionally released a firmware update for Surface RT, which addresses "system performance and reliability".

Adhesive Bandage Photo Credit: Kae Deezign/Shutterstock
Fedora 19 -- Schrodinger's Cat seeks Linux purr-fection

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 10:05pm CEST par Brian Fagioli
Fedora Linux is not the most popular Linux distribution -- its popularity is currently ranked number five on distrowatch.com (Linux Mint is number one). However, as the distribution of choice by Linux founder Linus Torvalds, the Linux community takes notice when a new version is released. On July 2, 2013, version 19 of the operating system -- dubbed Schrödinger's Cat -- was released.

Fedora is my go-to distro for many reasons. Most notably, it is very stable while at the same time being relatively bleeding edge. Kernel updates are constant and up to date while packages are kept fresh and modern. I consider myself a Gnome 3 fan and enthusiast. Fedora is the best operating system for the Gnome 3 community -- the Gnome 3 experience is pure and untouched.

The first thing I did was download and burn the Gnome ISO to DVD. There are other desktop environments or "spins" as Fedora calls them such as KDE, XFCE, and LXDE but again, Gnome is my preference. With the disk in the tray, I rebooted my computer and booted from the DVD. I was installing the operating system to the sda1 partition of my SSD (Windows 8.1 Preview is on sda2). Fedora uses an installer called Anaconda which appears unchanged from version 18. This is unfortunate as it was one of the biggest gripes many users (including myself) had with the operating system. The Ubuntu installer for instance is far easier to use and understand.

When trying to install over (replace) the existing Linux Mint 15 installation using Anaconda, the "Reclaim Space" option was confusing, something I also found troubling in version 18. It is disappointing that Fedora did not address this and make it more user-friendly. Ultimately, I was successful and installed Fedora 19 to sda1 after a few failed attempts. I added my login credentials during the installation and was ready to go.

My computer is a self-built desktop with the following specs:
- Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (overclocked to 4.2GHz)
- 16GB G-Skill RAM
- ASUS P8Z77-V LE motherboard
- Asus GTX 460 TOP 768MB graphics card
Upon reboot, I was presented with a Grub menu to select which operating system I wanted to run -- Fedora 19 or Windows 8.1. I chose Fedora which booted extremely fast. Once logged in, I was presented with a Gnome tutorial video. While the video is appreciated, it is unnecessary for most Fedora users. This particular distro tends to cater to advanced users and not beginners -- the true beneficiary of such a video.

Once I closed the clip, I was presented with the Gnome 3 (3.8) desktop -- pure heaven. The overall performance felt snappy and worked as expected. There was plenty of quality software preinstalled. Some notable examples include:
- Firefox -- for web surfing
- Empathy -- for instant messaging
- Rhythmbox -- for music playback
- Libreoffice -- for office work
- Shotwell -- photo management
Unfortunately, it is what isn’t installed that is the problem. By design, Fedora ships without Adobe Flash, Java and MP3 codecs. Fedora should be applauded by Linux purists for offering purely free software. However, the fact that a user can’t do something as simple as play an MP3 natively prevents it from being a viable consumer operating system. The out-of-the-box experience matters and is essential to reaching the goal of Linux being successful on the desktop.

While non-free software is not included in Fedora 19 natively, users can add additional repositories and install non-free software manually. However, for advanced users this can be tedious and for beginners it can be scary. In my case, even as an advanced user, I opted for a utility called Fedora-Utils to add all my desired software packages. With just a few clicks, I added codecs, fonts, Adobe Flash, Oracle Java, Google Chrome and Steam. With all of these things added, Fedora became properly usable and a great experience.

Overall, Fedora 19 is not a big change from Fedora 18 but that is fine -- Fedora 18 was and is great. The stability and package availability in version 19 is top notch. Unfortunately, the confusing Anaconda installer and lack of pre-installed codecs prevents this from being a mainstream OS. Fedora 19 is a great operating system which I highly recommend to my fellow Linux enthusiasts. However, for the average non-technical Linux desktop user, I cannot recommend Fedora -- please try the great Linux Mint instead.

Fedora 19 can be downloaded here.

Photo Credit: S.Castelli/Shutterstock
Microsoft compares Internet Explorer to things not being what they seem

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 8:58pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Summer is vacation time in the northern hemisphere and grabbing consumer attention can be difficult at times, but comparing your tech product to misconceptions is certainly one of the more unusual ways to get noticed. Microsoft decided to go there today with a new music video as a part of the continuing "Browser You Loved To Hate" campaign.

The latest installment sees Microsoft team up with musician Laura Gibson to produce a new music video, titled "Things Aren't Always What They Seem".

The overriding theme to this video is that Internet Explorer 10 is not the sucky web browser you hear about. The tune is catchy and the images clever. Perhaps the most timely part of the video is the mention of Twinkies -- the famous American snack cake from Hostess which is set to make a return to US store shelves next week. Microsoft's Rebecca Wolff points out that "it turns out Twinkies don't really last forever (apparently only 45 days on the shelf) and if you haven't met the new IE yet, it probably isn't the same browser you remember".

It is a clever little video that is well made and deserves a bit of attention, if purely for creativity.

Unlike the Scroogled campaign, Microsoft seems to have this one nailed down, though actually convincing diehard Firefox and Chrome users to switch now could be a tall order.
Xara Designer Pro X9 adds even more publishing power

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 6:31pm CEST par Mike Williams

Xara Group has announced the release of Xara Designer Pro X9 ($299), the latest edition of its all-in-one photo editing, web design, illustration and desktop publishing tool. It’s a significant upgrade, too, with worthwhile new features everywhere you look.

The Photo Editor now includes an easy-to-use Background Erase tool, for instance, which helps you quickly cut a complex object out of a photo (a person, say), ready for placing elsewhere. The Healing tool seamlessly removes unwanted defects or objects from your photos, while the program’s effects options have been extended with eleven new Photo FX Plug-ins.

Web design additions include Google Web Fonts integration, Retina screen compatibility and Google Analytics support. There’s improved HTML5 and CSS3 compatibility, background handling, object recoloring, navbar management and publishing. New widgets include Google+ and AdSense tools, as well as a handy table option, which allows your pages to include sortable tables based on CSV files.

Text and DTP-related improvements start with Word DOCX file import/ export filters (they’re currently flagged as only beta versions, but worked fine for us in a brief initial test).

Elsewhere, word processor-style content entry means that as text flows off the bottom of one page, it flows into a new page, now automatically created with the same layout.

New right-click menu options make it easier to create flowing text areas (including across multiple columns), insert page numbers, page and column breaks, and more.

There’s also an optimized 64-bit version, apparently, although exactly how it’s been optimized isn’t entirely clear. And of course you get plenty of new content, including web and print themes, backgrounds, logo designs and more.

Put it all together and Xara Designer Pro X9 ($299) remains a powerhouse publishing tool. Trial versions are available now.
From HERE to there, Nokia updates its navigation apps, adds live tile ETA for destinations

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 5:50pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Finnish maker Nokia announced, on Tuesday, that its HERE Drive, Drive+ and Transit Windows Phone 8 apps will receive an update later this week, which adds new navigation tools and improves the user interface.

HERE Drive and Drive+ get the most noteworthy enhancements, with the latest versions introducing an overview of traffic conditions in surrounding user areas and My Commute, a new feature which allows folks to view the estimated time of arrival to a set destination on the adjacent live tile.

Nokia says that My Commute provides the "best route and the expected arrival time", by monitoring the user's route, informing of any upcoming delays and suggesting alternative paths. The feature can manage multiple commutes and is offered in 26 countries (Nokia doesn't mention which at the moment).

The latest HERE Drive and Drive+ update also refreshes the user interface to make it "more intuitive", with a similar treatment being applied to HERE Transit. According to Nokia, the third app's UI looks more similar to that of Windows Phone 8.

The latest versions of HERE Drive, Drive+ and Transit will not be restricted to Nokia's Lumia lineup, instead the offerings will be available to "everyone with a Windows Phone 8 smartphone". And, depending on the location, users may be required to pay to use the aforementioned apps.
Jelly Bean defeats Gingerbread, becomes most popular Android distribution

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 4:01pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Jelly Bean is currently the most popular Android distribution, finally surpassing long-time ruler Gingerbread, based on the number of devices visiting Google Play during the 14 days ending July 8.

Jelly Bean (the first and second iteration) accounts for 37.9 percent (32.3 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively) of all Android devices, besting Gingerbread's 34.1 percent distribution level. The latest sweet in the family also outpaced its predecessor, Ice Cream Sandwich, which currently ranks as the third most popular version with 23.3 percent share.

The tablet-only Honeycomb is on its way out of the Android distribution charts, as Google requires any entry to have at least a 0.1 percent level ("Any versions with less than 0.1 percent distribution are not shown"), which Android 3.2 barely managed to reach. It's fair to assume that this condition will not be met in upcoming months.

Combined, Froyo, Eclair and Donut, the oldest sweets in the charts, account for 4.6 percent (3.1 percent, 1.4 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively) distribution level. Donut is likely to drop even further, similar to Honeycomb, and be removed from the charts.

Jelly Bean's current position -- as the most popular Android distribution -- is partly influenced by Google's decision to alter the method of collecting data for its green droid charts, but also by software upgrades from previous versions as well as sales of new devices (like the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S4 to name a few) that run Jelly Bean.
Twitter refreshes iOS and Mac apps, adds support for synchronizing Direct Messages

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 3:41pm CEST par Nick Peers

Twitter has updated both its iOS and Mac apps with the release of Twitter 5.8 for iPhone and iPad, and Twitter 2.3 for Mac. Both apps now correctly synchronize the read status of Direct Messages, which means when a DM is read on one platform, it will automatically be marked as read on others too, including TweetDeck 3.0.5 for Windows and Twitter 4.0.2 for Android.

Both updates also come with the promise of minor improvements and tweaks too, such as making it easier to join conversations via the iPhone app and richer search results that alert the user to new tweets matching their search terms.

The major improvements in Twitter 5.8 include making it easier for iPhone users to join existing conversations by way of a new reply composer that appears when in the Tweet details view. Users can now also find new accounts to follow more easily thanks to a New People button that appears in the navigation bar.

The promise of richer search results, which includes the aforementioned alert that flags up new tweets for previous queries, also gives users better account results, providing biographies and a social context for each result.

The iOS update is rounded off with the addition of a More button, allowing users to report unwanted tweets.

Twitter 2.3 for Mac comes with better notifications, alerting users to new followers, when their tweets have been favorited or retweeted, and notifying them when they’ve been added to a list in their @Connect timeline. Users can also now update their notification settings so interactions are displayed in real time.

Twitter 5.8 for iPhone and iPad and Twitter 2.3 for Mac, plus TweetDeck 3.0.5 for Windows and Twitter 4.0.2 for Android, are all available as free downloads.
Will Google Glass turn us all into government spies?

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 1:48pm CEST par Wayne Williams

On 4 July, the founder of PRserve, Chris Barrett videoed an arrest that followed a fist fight on the Jersey Shore boardwalk.

We live in a world where such actions are routinely recorded on smartphones and uploaded to YouTube, but what makes Chris’s video unusual is he used Google Glass to film it.

As Barrett pointed out in an interview he gave to VentureBeat, "I think if I had a bigger camera there, the kid would probably have punched me. But I was able to capture the action with Glass and I didn’t have to hold up a cell phone and press record".

In other words, because most people haven’t even yet heard of Google’s wearable computer, let alone seen one in the real world, Barrett was able to record the action without anyone knowing they were being filmed.

I live in the UK, which is the most watched country in the world. There are cameras everywhere you go -- whether you’re out on the street, in a shop, or riding public transport, someone, somewhere is watching you.

At the moment, the vast majority of those cameras are fixed, but if Google Glass takes off the way the web giant hopes it will, suddenly there’s the potential for a whole mobile army of users recording your activity, without you knowing about it.

The vast majority of people already carry a video camera everywhere, in the form of a smartphone. But Google Glass is different. It’s primed and ready to record at a moment’s notice. No fumbling about trying to get your phone out and firing up the camera.

And pretty much anyone can wear and use Glass -- police officers, lifecasters, perverts.

Privacy campaigners like the London-based Stop the Cyborgs want limits placed on when and where the device can be used, and privacy issues have been raised by US Congress. Google for its part says use of Google Glass will be governed by the terms of the Google Privacy Policy and no changes to that are planned for the device.

At Google I/O this year we saw how easily video can be live streamed to a Google+ Hangout, and this lead to a friend of mine asking an interesting question. If government agencies do indeed have "direct" access to your data from Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo and Facebook, what’s stopping them from having direct access to all the footage streamed by Glass wearers worldwide?

In other words, what’s stopping the government from transforming anyone wearing Glass (or a similar product from Apple or Microsoft) into a mobile CCTV camera?

Stop the Cyborgs describes the possibilities thusly: "Imagine 10 percent of the population doing this all the time, walking in and out of buildings and homes. Imagine all this data being time stamped and geotagged, flowing to a large database in the cloud. A omniscient eye; a real time streetview extending into homes and businesses; society as a glass prism".

Does that possibility worry you, or do you think it’s all conspiracy theory nonsense? Have you long since given up worrying about privacy? Leave your comments below.

Image credit: Stop the Cyborgs
More power and flexibility from 1&1's Dynamic Cloud Server

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 12:58pm CEST par Ian Barker

Leading web host company 1&1 Internet has launched a new cloud server package that delivers user configurable resources to bring greater efficiency to business users.

The adjustable resources -- processor cores, RAM and hard disk space -- are configurable upwards and downwards by the user at any time. This offers the capacity for a very high performance resource at a low cost. The pricing model is clearly set out with costs per hour for each core and gigabyte of RAM and disk space. Changes become active within five minutes and there's no minimum contract term involved.

There's also a FLEX feature that allows memory and CPU requirements to be suspended whilst the data is retained on hard disk. This is ideal for businesses that do seasonal work or have peaks in demand.

Robert Hoffmann, CEO Hosting, 1&1 Internet Ltd, says, "The latest generation Dynamic Cloud Server offers a number of distinct differentiators that can result in a transformation of efficiencies. The user enjoys the best of both worlds -- dedicated highly reliable resources as well as completely dynamic scalability. An innovative 'sleep mode' can provide a unique freedom to leverage high performance for specific, shorter periods -- a powerful benefit for many user groups at an unbeatable price".

Servers are offered in Linux and Windows versions and it's possible for users to switch at any point if they wish. 1&1's data center provides multiple redundant cores and storage to ensure maximum reliability. For more information on package costs and availability visit www.1and1.co.uk.
Automatically update multiple flash drives with CopyToFlash

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 12:58pm CEST par Mike Williams

Windows utilities developer Foolish IT has released the first version of CopyToFlash, a compact and portable tool which aims to simplify the process of copying content to multiple flash drives.

Launch the program and it first you to specify the folder containing whatever files you’d like to copy, and where you’d like them to go on the destination drive.

Click the "Start Monitoring" button and the CopyToFlash Drive Monitor window appears, waiting for you to connect a USB drive.

As soon as you do, the program automatically copies the files to the drive, telling you to unplug it when this is complete. And all you now have to do is remove one drive, plug in the next, and repeat the process until the job is done.

It doesn’t exactly take a long time to copy files across using Explorer, of course. If you only need to update two or three USB keys then there’s little point launching a separate application.

And there’s also a slightly odd interface issue here. If you’ve finished copying then you might not unreasonably think you can click the Close button on the CopyToFlash Drive Monitor window, but actually you have to click "Stop Monitoring", instead -- the Drive Monitor can’t be manually closed at all. (The window does contain a message saying it can’t be clicked, but if that’s the case then its Close button should probably be removed.)

This is a fairly trivial detail, of course; you’ll figure out how to use the program in seconds; and if you do ever need to bulk copy content to flash drives then CopyToFlash’s zero-click approach should make the process much quicker and easier.
Watch Steve Ballmer’s day one keynote at the Worldwide Partner Conference 2013

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 12:26pm CEST par Wayne Williams

Yesterday Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer provided the opening remarks at the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC 2013) day one keynote, taking the opportunity to hype Windows 8.1 and sell the benefits of Windows Phone.

He started the half hour keynote by thanking the 15,000 attendees in the room for their support and for taking care of Microsoft’s customers, before getting on to the subject of the company’s divisive operating system.

"Windows 8 was nothing short of the most remarkable re-platforming of Windows, basically, since 1995", Ballmer said. "And we’ve gotten a lot of feedback on Windows 8. I think we did a heck of a good job on Windows 8 and we’re going to spend a lot of today also talking about Windows 8.1. Because we listened and we learned, and as good as Windows 8 is, I just encourage you to really take a look at the Windows 8.1 demo. It really speaks to the feedback we’ve gotten, it builds on the exciting new user interface, the abrasive new platform, the new programming model, but we’ve also digested the feedback that we’ve gotten, from people on how it works in the enterprise, what we need for serious desktop users, and I think you’ll be incredibly impressed by the work on Windows 8.1".

It’s always interesting to watch Steve Ballmer bullishly promoting Microsoft and you can catch up on his keynote in its entirety below.
Edward Snowden is trying to be Daniel Ellsberg on Twitter

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 11:48am CEST par Robert X. Cringely
What are the differences between Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower, and Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers back in 1971?

Not much, really, but the distinctions that do exist are key:
1. Ellsberg, a true product of the establishment he was undermining, had the New York Times and the Washington Post simultaneously releasing in its entirety all that he had to share, while Snowden is dribbling his news through The Guardian and the Post, with neither paper taking much of a legal or ethical stand behind him, much less printing verbatim thousands of pages of classified material as happened with the Ellsberg case in the early 70s. If Snowden is the Ellsberg of this century, he’s Ellsberg on Twitter.
2. Ellsberg stayed to face his accusers and Snowden ran -- his trips to Hong Kong, Moscow, and who-knows-where taking over from the leaks, themselves, as the news story. His running is rationalized by saying it needs to happen in order to keep releasing information, but why not -- like Ellsberg -- just dump it all at once?
3. Ellsberg released actual news, while so far Snowden has simply confirmed stories long in circulation. A pure espionage conviction would be difficult at this point, the news is so thin.
Clearly Daniel Ellsberg was a lot classier in his day than Edward Snowden is today. And that’s a big part of the problem, both with this story and the current intelligence fiasco that Snowden describes: too many cowboys.

9/11, as I wrote at the time, opened the national checkbook to over-react and over-spend on intelligence. As a result what we as a nation are doing is recording every piece of data we can get. We say we are doing so to detect and prevent terrorist acts but more properly our agencies expect to use the data for post-event analysis -- going back and figuring out what happened just as law enforcement did after the Boston Marathon blasts.

The biggest problem with these programs (there are many) is that we inevitably play fast-and-loose with the data, which is exactly one of the tidbits dropped by Edward Snowden. Feds and fed contractors are every day looking at things like their own lovers and celebrities they know they aren’t supposed to check on, but what the heck? And the FISA Court? It can’t take action against something it knows nothing about.

When I started working on this column my idea was to look at Snowden from a Human Resources perspective. If government and contractor HR were better, for example, Snowden would never have been hired or he would have been better indoctrinated and never squealed. Snowden is an HR nightmare.

But having talked to a couple really good HR people, I think the Snowden problem goes far beyond better filtering and training to an underlying paradox that I’m sure bedevils every administration, each one suffering more than the one before it as technology further infiltrates our lives.

Nothing is as it seems, you see, so every innocent (and that’s where we all begin) is inevitably disappointed and then corrupted by the realities of public service.

President Obama campaigned in 2008 as an outsider who was going to change things but quickly became an insider who didn’t change all that much, presumably because he came to see the nuances and shades of gray where on the campaign trail things had seemed so black and white. But when that shift happened from black-and-white to gray, someone forgot to send a memo to the Edward Snowdens, who were expected to just follow orders and comply. But this is a generation that doesn’t like to follow orders and comply.

Sitting as he did on the periphery of empire, Snowden and his concerns were not only ignored, they were unknown, and for an intelligence agency to not even know it had an employee ready to blow is especially damning.

So what happens now? The story devolves into soap opera as Snowden seeks refuge as in a Faulkner novel. Maybe he releases a further bombshell or two, maybe he doesn’t. But the circumstances strongly suggest that we’ll see more Edward Snowdens in the future, because little or nothing seems to be happening to fix the underlying problems.

Those problems, in addition to there being too many cowboys, are that all the incentives in place only make things worse, not better. Snowden was a contractor, for example. Why not a government employee? Because government salary limits didn’t allowed hiring six-figure GED’s like Snowden. So do we bring it all in-house? Impossible for this same reason unless we redefine being a public servant to something more like the Greek model where government employees made significantly more money than their private sector equivalents.

How well would that go over right now with Congress?

We could give all the work to the military. The NSA, after all, is a military organization. That would be adding even more cowboys and dubious on Constitutional grounds, too.

The most likely answer here is that nothing will really happen, nothing will change, which means we’ll have more Edward Snowdens down the road and more nasty revelations about our government. And I take some solace in this, because such dysfunctional behavior acts as a check and balance on our government’s paranoia and over-ambition until that pendulum begins to shift in the other direction.

No matter what happens with Edward Snowden or what further information he reveals, there is far more yet to come.

Reprinted with permission
Microsoft should release Windows 8.1 RTM on August 1

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 4:08am CEST par Brian Fagioli

Today, at the Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft announces what many suspected -- Windows 8.1 RTM is coming in August. However, what we didn't know before the announcement is that it is to be released in late August. Unfortunately, "Late August" is just too…late. Microsoft has squandered a golden marketing opportunity -- to release Windows 8.1 RTM on August 1. You see, in the United States, dates are represented by "mm/dd" format. August 1 is represented as 8/1.

To release Windows 8.1 on "8/1" would have been genius with unlimited marketing potential. However, Microsoft failing to capitalize on opportunity is nothing new lately. After all, Windows 8.1 is designed to right the perceived wrongs of Windows 8. Not to mention, the Xbox One launch has been especially fraught with wrong turns -- the console's reputation has suffered a hit from bad publicity.

Of course, even if Microsoft had announced an August one release, it wouldn't have made it into consumers' hands (or on their computers) that day anyway. The term RTM or Release To Manufacturing means just that -- the code is released to computer manufacturers to start testing and prepping their machines for the upgrade. Microsoft would not start pushing it to users until later in the year. However, the RTM ISO files, like pre-builds, sometimes find their way online to the delight of many Windows loyalists.

Windows 8 users (including myself) have had the opportunity to test the Windows 8.1 preview since June 26. In my testing, I have found it to be nothing short of rock solid and chock full of tweaks and additional features. These extras will only further push the operating system to its full potential. I am anxiously awaiting Windows 8.1 RTM -- are you? Tell me in the comments.

Image Credit: Ryan Jorgensen - Jorgo/Shutterstock
Google gives you the opportunity to ride Tour de France

Publié: juillet 9, 2013, 2:21am CEST par Alan Buckingham

Three weeks and two thousand miles on a bicycle is something few of us could even fathom, especially over the steep peaks of the famed Pyrenees and Alps. The race may be a week into its trip around the roads of the French nation, but it is not too late to pull on your gear, take a deep breath and see what it is like to wrest this year's title away from potential winner Chris Froome before the famed race reaches its conclusion on hallowed Champs-Elysées.

Now Google unveils your opportunity to ride along over the mountain passes and down the narrow streets where sprint finishes are frequently decided and carnage is never far off.

"The Tour de France is using a variety of Google products to help you experience the race like never before, including a YouTube channel, a Google+ page and an Android app where you can keep up with this 100th edition. We’ve also used Google Maps and Street View to create a new interactive experience that lets you feel what it’s like to pedal alongside the greats" says Google's Raphaël Goumain, Consumer Marketing Director.

All of this can be accessed and explored from the Google Your Tour page. The rest is up to you, so grab your Pinnarello, dig out your helmet and hit the beautiful roads of France for a leisurely ride around the country.