"Computer Error"?

Taken from:

http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/thrifty-says-offer-free-rental-car-was-mistake-6C10361929

Seemingly Thrifty Car Rental sent out a massive email to customers indicating they were getting a free day of car rental!!!  Hurray!!!

BUT ... it was a mistake.  They only wanted to send the note to their BEST customers.

So, a 'computer mistake'?  Not really.  Somebody (a human) had to select the data to use (SQL query most likely) - and they screwed up!!!

It reminds me of when I worked at Citibank's credit card division.  A letter was prepared to go out to best customer, who paid on time, great credit scores, etc. Unfortunately the letters were printed, envelops and addresses prepared for the opposite end of the spectrum - the deadbeats, bad credit, late payments, poor credit history.  In that case, it was caught just before the letters went out the door.

In my biased view, Thrifty could have saved face a little (instead of ticking people off) by saying - "Hey, we made a mistake, but ... we are willing to stand up for it.  If you rent three consecutive days from us, we will give you a free day!!! "  It might be a way to keep customers from thinking - first OMG I got a free day - second - boy Thrifty is messed up - third I won't be renting from them anymore!!!

Blocking communication

Taken from:
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/saudi-arabia-plans-block-whatsapp-within-weeks-report-6C10339650

In the west, very few things on the Internet are blocked.  But, in Saudi Arabia that seemingly is different.  The article tells how the government Communication and Information Technology Commission have blocked Viper and are looking to block WhatsApp and Skype.  The offense?  Seemingly, they all allow for free communication - and seemingly that alarms the three telecom companies in Saudi Arabia (who would lose revenue).

The article notes:

Mobile penetration was 188 percent by the end of 2012, CITC data shows. Saudi Arabia now has 15.8 million Internet subscribers and the average user watches three times as many online videos per day as counterparts in the United States, according to YouTube.

and

The kingdom appears to be making a greater push for more control over cyberspace as Internet and smart phone usage soars, in part due to strict laws that limit opportunities for people to mix in person 

So, in the western world, the telecom companies have become part of the smartphone business - and who cares if A&T or Verizon get as much in long distance charges - because they are making good money on smartphone contracts.

The article also mentioned that many workers in Saudi Arabia are not Saudis - and they are texting, emailing, and Skyping for free with family and friends back home (and not using the local telecom services!!!) 

Privacy versus Need to Know

Taken from:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9239911/Privacy_tradeoffs_are_inevitable_to_keep_nation_safe_Obama_says

The article says:

Computerworld - President Barack Obama today forcefully defended the government's data collection activities, calling them vital to protecting the nation against terrorist attacks.

"It is important to recognize that you can't have 100% security and also then have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience," Obama said. "We are going to have to make some choices as a society. What I can say is that, when evaluating the programs, they make a difference in our capacity to anticipate and prevent terrorist activity."

Obama's remarks are his first public comments since The Guardian on Wednesday disclosed how the NSA was collecting phone data records of all domestic and international calls made by every single Verizon customer since at least April under a secret court order. Since then, there have been at least two other reports, one by The Washington Post and the other by the Wall Street Journal, that have exposed similar large-scale data collection operations by the FBI and the NSA.

There is an old statement (that is no-longer true) - on the Internet, no one knows you are a dog.



That is no longer true - with cookies, identification of internet service providers, and much more, there is little privacy.  Even if you go go "incognito" (Google Chrome); "Private Browsing" (Firefox) or similar, you are known.

As I have traveled this summer, I find ads (frequently even the same ads) adjusted for my location.  "If you drive in <state>, you need to be aware of this new law".

I am not going to try it, but I would anticipate if I search for how to make a device that could cause a large conflagration (in other words), that I would be on somebody's list!!! 

Your IT department won't exist in five years!!!!

Taken from:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9239815/IT_departments_won_t_exist_in_five_years

What an interesting article and approach (especially for bigger businesses - with huge IT departments).  

[...]they are not sure how to address a growing generation gap between young and veteran workers, each of whom are comfortable with different technologies.

"Interns coming in for the summer are asked if they're familiar with Google Apps. They say, 'Of course we are,'" said Nathan McBride, vice president of IT & chief cloud architect at AMAG Pharmaceuticals. "Then we have other employees coming in who worked for other companies who say, 'I need Outlook.' We have to say we don't use that anymore."

McBride said 75 Fortune 100 companies now use Google Apps along with most Ivy League schools, meaning that the next generation of workers won't be users of Microsoft Exchange or Office.

In five years, McBride said, companies will have to ensure they're matching their enabling technology to the demographic of that time.

Kathleen Schaub, vice president of research firm IDC's CMO Advisory Practice, said many corporate IT organizations now report to the head of the business unit it's assigned to."

The article suggests that some functions (maybe legacy systems and systems analysis and design and back end mainframe processing) will be lead by the older generation, but the new tablet / smartphone / apps will be done by the new generation.

While I am definitely in the older generation, being a professor does keep me current with the new technologies.  I might be able to bridge the generation gap!!!

Charge your phone in 20 seconds???

Taken from:

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52114158#52114158

Interesting!!!  Does your phone die and then you have to take an hour to charge it?  This young lady has ideas for 20 second charging - and more.  While the article didn't tell us how, it did indicate that there are still many 'game changing' ideas around us!!!