China: Wi-Fi monitoring system in Beijing cafes and bars

China: Wi-Fi monitoring system in Beijing cafes and bars

According to Mingpao Daily, Beijing Police has issued a notice to all the cafes and bars which provide Wi-Fi access to their customers to install a RMB20,000 monitoring system. Upon installation, users have to register their ID in the counter before logging in the Wi-Fi network.
The notice was issued by the Beijing police around end of June, 2011 to cafe, bookstore, and bar which provide free Wi-Fi access to their customers. If they reject, they will no longer be allowed to provide free Wi-Fi service.

The system is called “non profit network security auditing system”, the installation fee varies from RMB 2 - 40,000 dollars. The system can monitor 100 customers at the same time and their browsing record would be kept in the system for 60 days. The “notice” states that for those which reject to install the system, they would be subject to a RMB15,000 fine. The police can also suspend their business license.

It is believed that the system would be adopted in other cities upon testing in Beijing. The Beijing East City District police told reporters that the system is to help the police to crack down criminal offense. However, Internet users find the monitoring system a violation of user privacy.

Words of Caution at New York Post

News Corp.'s legal department on Friday issued a notice to New York Post staff asking them to save any information related to phone hacking and bribery of government officials, as the company faces ongoing scrutiny in a reporting-tactics scandal stemming from its News of the World U.K. tabloid.

New York Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan told staff in a memo the measure was being taken in light of allegations of phone hacking and bribing of government officials by the News of the World, which News Corp. closed this month, "not because any recipient has done anything improper or unlawful."

The notice comes after a government official said last week the U.S. Justice Department was preparing subpoenas as part of early-stage investigations into the allegations related to foreign bribery and the hacking of voicemail of Sept. 11 victims.. MORE

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Colombia: RIP Joe Arroyo

Colombia: RIP Joe Arroyo

Written by Lully Posada for Global Vioices · Translated by Silvia Viñas · Americas

Colombian salsa singer Álvaro José Arroyo González, better known as Joe Arroyo, passed away on July 26 in Barranquilla. On Twitter, blogs and websites his fans reacted to the news remembering his life and his songs.read »

Languages: Tweeting in Chichewa in Southern Africa

The Indigenous Tweets project recently interviewed Edmond Kachale, a software developer based in Malawi, who has been active in promoting th... More »

Pisgah Crater volcanic activity: DutchSinse vs. USGS and the rumble in the desert

the-end-time.blogspot.com

I mentioned yesterday about the fight for truth in the secular world. I'd stated that the people know there is stuff going on, but the people who have access to the data or are otherwise in official capacities speak to the opposite of what we see and know. Or they deny completely what...

TechCrunch

Possible Atrix 4G Successor Caught On Camera With 8MP 1080p Shooter In Tow - Here’s a mystery for you: Images of a Motorola Android handset have surfaced on Chinese blogs, and it looks incredibly similar to the Atrix 4G.

Michelle talks bin Laden raid...

...'it's not good, but it's good'



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#delete If you see this link Anywhere : DO NOT CLICK ON IT "Charlie Sheen Dead in His Room - Exclusive Video"

A new lease on life for the old facebook virus! It uses your Facebook account to perpetuate itself and potentially install malware onto your hard drive... and now some versions are able to insert a small file onto your smartphone! It is difficult to locate and hasn't caused any trouble anyone knows of --- yet!

Message to the Minds

Here's a comment I left on the Blazing Minds blog:

Karen, I tweeted a warning out about this yesterday, and when I saw the headline for your article I was glad you jumped on it - until I read your article.

You are usually very savvy about internet stuff - this Charlie Sheen is Dead thing dates back to May, although the newest threat attached to it involves smartphone technology.

Your readers should know that if see any of this "Charlie Sheen is Dead' stuff on twitter, facebook or anyplace else, they need to AVOID it like the plague - because it IS the plague!

Click on one of the CSID links with an iPhone and PRESTO you have a VIRUS on your iPhone or Android! You won't be able to find it, and so far it hasn't done anything...

If you are on Facebook and click through CSID, you will need to check your news feed and make sure you aren't spamming the message to your friends. If you are, you need to remove the item from your wall by clicking the small "x" in the top right hand corner of the post.

Be sure to join the Facecrooks page on Facebook to stay updated on current security issues.

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I'm a huge fan of AudioNow - the service serves me very well on my HiPhone: not only can the phone receive over-the-air FM radio broadcasts (no need to download an app or spend $ on bandwidth), but I can dial and listen to, for example, Michael Savage (321-549-0002) on nights when the local outlet decides to run a sports event.

Twelve new broadcasters have partnered with AudioNow to provide mobile streaming to any mobile device for their specialized content in the U.S. The newest broadcasters to announce mobile distribution agreements with AudioNow are Radio RCH 2000, based in Flordia City, FL, La Voix du Vrai Bonheur of RDH Ministries out of West Orange, New Jersey, Radio Ambiance Spirituelle also from West Orange, New Jersey, Haiti Philadelphia, based in Philadelphia, PA, Radio Optimum Inter from Brooklyn, New York, Radio Performance FM out of Immokalee, FL, Voix de la Prophetie out of Riviera Beach, FL, Psalm 27 based in Miami, FL, Okwahuman from Norcross, GA, Voice of Gedeh out of Darby, PA, Trinity Radio USA out of Columbia, MD, and Radio Omega SCA based out of Brooklyn, New York.

Radio RCH 2000, listen live at 712.432.3267;
La Voix du Vrai Bonheur, listen live at 712.432.3268;
Radio Ambiance Spirituelle, listen live at 712.432.3269;
Haiti Philadelphia, listen live at 712.432.2328;
Radio Optimum Inter, listen live at 712.432.2329;
Radio Performance FM, listen live at 712.432.2331;
Voix de la Prophetie, listen live at 712.432.2334;
Psalm 27, listen live at 712.432.2336;
Okwahuman, listen live at 712.432.2335;
Voice Gedeh, listen live at 712.432.2337;
Trinity Radio USA, listen live at 712.432.2338;
Radio Omega SCA, listen live at 712.432.2339.

“Listeners can now access their favorite content on any mobile device which we have seen builds tremendous loyalty for broadcasters,” says Jen Friesen, AudioNow’s Director of Public Affairs. “The AudioNow service is particularly well-suited for mobile listeners that rely on standard mobile phones and can’t access their content through standard radio or streaming devices.”

AudioNowTM is the leading provider of mobile phone radio distribution in North America. It uses proprietary, “HD” voice architecture, and patent-pending “single-stream” technology that allows any fixed or mobile phone to access live and pre-recorded audio programming without any downloads across all mobile platforms while lowering bandwidth costs for broadcasters.

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Passing by "Page One" of the weekend Times union (I know it's Tuesday... I'm playing 'catch-up'!) for some truly remarkable headlines that feature stories that REALLY impact our culture!

HACKERS FIND NEW TARGET IN ANDROID no doubt will concern those using the 'droid smartphone. It boils down to the subheadline "Open design of Google's operating system makes smartphones vulnerable." MAJOR WARNING BELLS HERE! Last thing anybody wants these days is to have their personal telephone compromised or screwed up by a virus. This could become for Google what viruses have meant to Windows users. My advice: get a smartphone with any other OS until you can be 100% damn sure your phone can't get infected!

THIS ELECTRICITY HOG LIVES IN A LITTLE BOX Makes me happy because I abhor cable TV, with the crappy picture and sporadic service that can simultaneously disable your TV, internet and home phone in one single line failure! Turns out that your cable box drains more power tha your refrigerator - 446 kilowatt hours a year - that's 12% more than the ref here at the apartment in NYC!

Particularly of interest to Capital Region peeps:

This isn't really a "headline" - just a half-page ad in the Sunday paper: "Hey Capital District Chopper Shoppers, Celebrate a NEW way to save! We now DOUBLE manufacturer's coupons with a face value of up to 99 cents... EVERY DAY"

My advice: gather up your coupons and shop at PC on a "coupon only" basis. (Make sure you wouldn't save more by using the coupon UNdoubled someplace else!) Most of their stuff is priced way over Hannaford and Walmart. Hannaford totally wins when it comes to meat. A steak at PC runs you around $7 - the same cut at Hfd I just paid $2.41!

Here's a genuine headline:

JENNINGS: FIRST IN LINE TO WED GAYS If you really want hold politcial office, you have to be "one with the people." Check out Jerry Jenning's career as Mayor of the city of Albany. Time after time, facts prove he has "the pulse of the people" beating through his brain!

Last but not least, the following tale actually made Page One of the "Capital Region" section of Sunday's times Union: "Visa denials keep son from dad in U.S." ::: As much as the newspaper might like to make this a human interest story, perhaps Carlos Galvan would have been much better off taking the Jose Antonio Vargas route!




Tags: Virus Google Android, Hannaford, time-warner cable, smartphone virus, DVR, Hack Android



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Lately there's been a plethora of reports, studies and polls about the interwebs: blogging, social networking, smartphones, etc. etc. etc.

With Wi-Fi usage swelling, thestreet.com's Olivia Oran writes that smartphones and tablets are "officially"(???) replacing computers as the primary way for consumers to access the Internet, with users turning more toward WiFi as an alternative to 3G networks.

Oran's source is a new report released by "cloud" networking provider Meraki [Meraki (may-rah-kee) is a Greek word that means doing something with soul, creativity, or love. It’s when you put something of yourself into what you’re doing.]

Don't be distracted by the fancy-shmancy name: Meraki is based in San Francisco, California, and is a privately held company backed in part by Google and Sequoia Capital.

Download Meraki's corporate fact sheet (PDF) or company and product overview presentation (PDF) for more information.

According to the stats, Apple's(AAPL) iOS and Google's(GOOG) Android comprised 58% of devices tapping WiFi networks in 2011, compared to 33% one year ago. Microsoft's(MSFT) Windows and Mac's OS X WiFi traffic, meanwhile, declined from 63% to 36%. (Note: Android could possibly slip and fall in the aftermath of Sunday's news headline "Hackers find new target in Android." Having suffered through a variety of Windows viruses and trojans, NO ONE IN HIS OR HER RIGHT MIND would want a smartphone that had issues with intrusions. NO ONE!)

Here's the snappy "Infographic" to support the findings:

Heavy data users will likely start limiting their use of expensive 3G and (eventually) 4G data packages offered by carriers like Verizon(VZ) and AT&T(T), who are scrapping their unlimited data plans in favor of tiered pricing models.

Verizon's new tiered data plan, effective July 7, will reportedly charge users $30 per month for 2GB of data, $50 for 5GB of data or $80 for 10GB. Users will pay $10 for each gigabyte if they exceed their monthly limit.

AT&T has a similar model, charging $25 for 2 GB of data or $15 for a 200 MB plan, and an extra $10 for each extra gigabyte.

The price of WiFi, in turn, is included through the purchase of bundled cable packages that include digital TV and voice. WiFi networks can also be accessed for free in many public places like parks, coffee shops and stores.

Since Wi-Fi networks are available at many public places (even my local laundromat has one open), it makes sense for users to bring their smartphones there, as using laptops would be a cumbersome process. It's not that the number of laptops accessing the Wi-Fi networks is not growing, it's just that the number of smartphones is growing at a faster rate.

"Once people get on metered data plans, they'll be checking their balance a lot to make sure they're using WiFi for large rich media downloads," said Gerry Purdy, principal analyst with MobileTrax. "Rather than downloading a 10MB attachment on the street, they'll wait until they get home or to a Starbucks(SBUX) or a McDonalds(MCD) where they have WiFi available."

Lucky me (I guess) - I'm grandfathered in on Virgin Mobile's Broadband2go UNLIMITED $40 a month data plan! The interetsing thing about it is that my lappy "sees" the VM USB module as a "modem" - which I guess you could argue it is, because it does have a telephone number assigned to it... Hmmmm...

Twifitweets

vrhinesmith: RT @theplaymob: In Africa, the most downloaded thing on mobile on Smartphones are games - exceeding social networking (via UN) #g4c2011

MoreVisibility: Smartphones and tablets expected to outsell computers this year! #mobile

Top 10 Mobile Internet Trends (Feb 2011) slideshare.net

slashgear: Blog Post: May non-computer web traffic numbers show Android dominates US smartphones and iPad wins in tablets May non-computer web traffic numbers show Android dominates US smartphones and iPad wins in tablets - SlashGear slashgear.com

And, while this is happening, Digital Chicken Littles are screaming "THE WEB IS SHRINKING!"

Really? *YaWn* click the "infographic" for more...







Tags: Google Android, Apple wi-fi



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ALL DADS ::: Hope you're having a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

World's First Coins With QR Codes Will Start Circulating in the Netherlands Wednesday: Technology marches on!

Beware, smartphone users, beware of sexting your ex!

BarackObama Barack Obama

Meet Alex: a father of four who's spending his summer learning how to be a community organizer. Watch the video: OFA.BO/Ve7ftJ

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. K-pop group JQT heads to the USA to record while serving as models for The Skin Shop! Hover and click on the pic!

For all the talk of Internet freedom, little of it takes into account the bleaker reality of inhabiting Chinese cyberspace. Influential tech blogger William Long addresses this with a post criticizing the destructive bent to China's hacker communities, which then brought on a multi-front attack against Long. read »

blogadera : How are translations considered when it comes to copyright?

I just heard a Spanish language cover song of popular American hit and I started thinking? Are all translations of a song or any creative work like a blog post covered under copyright? How is this handled?

ALL DADS ::: Hope you're having a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

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Cuba: Twitter Users Will Meet for the First Time

Meet the Wordpress slayer!

Writer Kit Eaton with FastCompany says that ”Tumblr’s meteoric rise proves there’s a desire for simple, elegant, short-form-content blogs that are heavy on imagery.”

TechCrunch

AOL Makes Fun Of Yahoo. And It’s Actually Hilarious. - This is amazing. Friday Yahoo launched Android music app that happened to have the exact same name as the Android music app launched by AOL four mon...

Cuba: Twitter Users Will Meet for the First Time

Written for Global Voices by Elaine Díaz · Translated by Marianna Breytman · Americas

The first meeting of Cuban Twitter users was announced by @leunamrguez (Leunam Rodríguez), for July 1st starting at 4pm on central 23rd street and 12 La Habana. The event has had a tremendous welcome in and outside of Cuba. read »

chinaSMACK

OPPO Mobile: Leonardo DiCaprio “Find Me” Advertising Campaign - Leonardo DiCaprio has been in a number of blockbuster films, but now he is the star of a commercial for a Chinese phone manufacturer!

E Day: Discovering Celebrities' Favorite Words

Written for Global Voices by Juliana Rincón Parra · Americas, Western Europe

What do singer Shakira, actor Gael Garcia Bernal, chef Ferran Adria and writer Mario Vargas Llosa have in common? They are all part of the group of 30 celebrities who have shared through video their favorite word in Spanish as part of the celebrations for E Day by the Cervantes Institute.read »

The Technium

The Clock in the Mountain - *A work crane at the Clock site in western Texas.* There is a Clock ringing deep inside a mountain. It is a huge Clock, hundreds of feet...

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Philippines: Netizens follow Telecom merger deal issue

Latest BUZZZ ::: the always controversial Lady Gaga is rumoured to appear as closing act at Europride next Saturday (June 11th). There has been no official announcement, but artistic director of the facebook page EuroPride hints that the rumours may possibly be true. The official word is expected soon via press release by Gaga's record label.

(Translated from Italian news articles:) Lady Gaga has always been sensitive to issues of LGBT rights and has declared herself bisexual.Involved for some time to abolish the "Do not Ask Do not Tell" and the American campaign against homophobic bullying in schools, according to the website gay.it "must not remain indifferent when the Organising Committee explained the recent rejection of the law against homophobia and homophobic tones have done this last election campaign. A more expended for the presence of the pop star most Popular right now would be the Organizing Committee EuroPride, and even the National Arcigay ambiasciata American in Rome, which had a role in negotiating anything but minor. "

HOT97 The Real HOT 97

Remember- follow @HOT97SUMMERJAM for a play by play of everything going down at #HOT97SUMMERJAM!

Philippines: Netizens follow Telecom merger deal issue

Written for Global Voices by Karlo Mikhail Mongaya · East Asia

Netizens in the Philippines are closely following the developments of a merger deal between two of the country’s largest telecommunications companies. Some are worried that the merger would be bad for consumers. Here's the gist: The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) announced last March that it has bought off the Digital Telecommunications with P74.1 billion (US$1.7 billion).

If approved by government regulators, there would be two mobile carriers in the country left with PLDT’s Smart, Talk N’Text, Red Mobile and Digitel’s Sun controlling 70 percent of the market and Globe Telecom and TM controlling the remaining 30 percent. read »

A blog action day set June 8th to demonstrate the concern of Filipino bloggers about the destruction of Philippine marine resources. Coral reefs twice the size of Manila were destroyed by smugglers.

Featured Blogger: Sabrina Sultana - Blogging With Her Heart

Written for Global Voices by Bijoy · South Asia

Sabrina Sultana blogs from Bangladesh and she is one of the millions of bloggers in this world who express themselves using internet. But Sabrina is not like others; she blogs with her heart. She speaks for those who are deprived of their rights to lead a normal life. She expresses concern about the rights for the disabled and raises her voice for those who may not express their pains to the world. Sabrina also writes about her own feelings with simple but magical words. read »

VIRAL: 1,500 FACEBOOKers Crash Girl's 'Sweet Sixteen' B'day Party...

Argentina: Bloggers Discuss Inflation

Written for Global Voices by Fanny Rahmouni · Americas

Americans would be wise to study up on what these bloggers have to say, because inflation is rearing its ugly little head here in the states! Inflation has long been a subject of controversy in Argentina, and as such is a recurring topic for discussion among bloggers. As an important political issue, it is expected to be one of the main themes debated during the presidential race next October. read »

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