Email domains working to fight spam emails

Internet-wide efforts to fight email spam are working

According to Google's security blog, email authentication standards have been in development for quite some time, and are finally becoming widespread as an attempt to stop phishing and email impersonations.

Email domains are starting to accept these "email authentication standards" in order to keep spam and phishing emails, which seemingly come from legitimate sources, from reaching users' inboxes. It's not just the big domains, either; Gmail is encouraging private domains to adopt these standards as well in order to keep users' inboxes safe from spam and phishing.

Gmail users are probably well aware of how well spam filters work within their inboxes; I personally have very rarely, if at all, received spam emails in my inbox; emails are filtered to my junk mail very well. Now that other  domains are working to stop these emails, as well, inboxes will be staying much more clean.

Spammers are going to have to work a lot harder to get to email inboxes, now...

Google to help avoid social media burnout

Google patents robot help for social media burnout

Are you spending too much time updating your social media pages? Google's new robot may be able to help you manage your social media time more effectively.

According to BBC News, Google has plans to create a program that will "learn how you react" on social media and put out automated messages, statuses, comments, and more.

The software would react the way that it expects the user to react. Essentially, it would take the human interaction out of social networking.

One one hand, I could see how this program could be beneficial to people. But, as I feel about most new technologies, I feel that this just adds to our constant connectedness. If you don't have time to be on social media, why not just stay off of social media? Having a robot create your messages is really just unnecessary.

In the article, Professor Shaun Lawson is quoted as asking, "Are we really so concerned with posting messages to every friend or follower that we feel compelled to have to automate that process?"

Social media is a way to stay social. It's a way to stay in contact with people. If we use this software, aren't we missing the point of social media -- to be social?

What are Bitcoins?

What Tech :: What Are Bitcoins?

I was recently told about Bitcoins, and admittedly, even after reading the above article, I'm still a bit confused by it all. While it's not something I'd personally get involved with, I do think it's an incredible technological idea.

"In simple terms Bitcoin is to paper money what email is to paper mail; basically Bitcoin is cash for the internet."

Okay, sounds simple enough.

"It’s a form of currency that exists only in digital form and the underlying software is drawn from the world of cryptography and IT security."

Uh... okay...

"Bitcoins are created by setting a computer to solve complex math problems. This is referred to as 'mining.' Every time a problem is solved a Bitcoin is released and it’s release is recorded to the Blockchain network. As more Bitcoin are created the problems automatically become more difficult to solve."

This is getting complicated.

But even though Bitcoins is a complicated concept, the implications are quite interesting. It's an expensive little hobby; as the article explains, the average household computer couldn't do the 'mining' without using a ridiculous amount of electricity. This calls for specialized equipment, which is where the expenses really start to add up.

What's really interesting about Bitcoins is that once they run out (there will be approximately 21 million), that's it. That's the end. They can't just decide to print more. Now, of course other organizations are coming up with similar but different Bitcoins, but they are still limited. As of right now, one Bitcoin is equal to about $770.00. And Bitcoins are starting to be accepted by online retailers.

Though Bitcoin is about 4 years old, the concept is just now getting a lot of recogition because the US Senate had a hearing about it. A pretty positive hearing. Going forward, I'm sure more people will get involed with Bitcoins. But for now, the above article is a great way to learn all you need to know.

Google Glass Sunshade

Creepy Google Glass pics without anyone knowing? Yes, you can.

I feel like, every time I read about Google Glass, I'm reading an article that highlights the privacy issues that come with the technology.

One of the primary privacy concerns associated with Google Glass is the ability to take pictures of people without them realizing it. Apparently, if you see someone wearing Google Glass, you can tell if the Glass is "on" because of a light on the side of the product. If the light is on, the Glass is on. This is all well and good, but if someone wants to take creepy pictures or videos, they're going to find a way to cover up that light. I'm still pretty uncomfortable with the product, but whatever.

Now, however, another concern is coming up. Google Glass Sunshade is a product that makes it easier to see the Google Glass graphics when wearing the technology in sunlight. Sure, it makes the graphics easier to see for the user, but the Sunshade also apparently blocks the little indicator light that tells you when the Glass is in use.

Again, if people want to find a way to take pictures or videos without people knowing, they will.

The inventor of Google Glass Sunshade, Chris Barrett, mentioned in the article linked above that he "did not create the Sunshade to be sneaky. The 3D printed Sunshade does make Glass less noticeable. Less people ask me what I'm wearing when they can't see the prism light up."

Um. So less people know that you're wearing them? And that's not sneaky?

I don't know, I just don't really feel comfortable with the Google Glass technology; and I feel less comfortable with this Sunshade thing. If I were to ever use the technology, I'd make it a point to let people know that I'm using it. I wouldn't want to hide the indicator light. Maybe that's just me, but I'm thinking this Google Glass Sunshade will need to undergo some modifications before it meets privacy laws.

3D Printed Gun Actually Works

Uh-oh, this 3D-printed metal handgun actually works

3D printing is an incredible technology. While I've only so far seen it used to print parts for model airplanes, the capabilities of a 3D printer are actually incredible.

But there's something that's leaving me a bit uneasy: these 3D printers can print guns. And apparently, according to the C-Net article above, these guns can fire rounds. The first gun printed was made of plastic and did not work as well as anticipated. But the gun featured in the article above is metal. And it works.

When 3D guns were first being printed, most metal detectors did not pick them up because they were made of plastic. This new working 3D printed gun is metal, which makes it a bit easier to detect, but still problematic. Luckily, the technology is not currently widely available thanks to it's high price tag, but as 3D printing becomes more accessible, more problems will likely arise. The article also explains that these guns can be printed fairly anonymously.  Does anyone else see the issue?

The main focus here is supposed to be to show that 3D printers can print metal products, not just plastic. The technology is really cool, I'll admit. I'm just nervous about its implications for the future. Especially since most of what's being reported about the technology is that guns are being printed. I'm interested in where 3D printing technology will go in the future; what other amazing things will we be able to print? Right now the technology is still fairly new, so we have a lot to learn about its capabilities. But I'm hoping that, as the technology becomes more widely available, it will be used for more good than bad.

Glassing and Driving

Woman cited for Glassing and driving 'pretty sure' she'll fight ticket

With new technology comes new responsibilities.

It's hard for laws to keep up with all of the new technology that's constantly emerging. With the creating of Google Glass, eyewear that projects different technologies right in front of the users' eyes, different legal issues emerged; for example, the glasses can take first person photos of whatever the user is seeing, prompting a look at privacy issues.

But now, a different legal issue has come up: the issue of "Glassing and driving." Cecilia Abadie of California was recently pulled over for speeding, but issued a second citation for wearing her Google Glass eyewear while driving. Because the glasses project information right in front of the users eyes, technically using Google Glass while driving counts as "distracted driving." Abadie insists that the eyewear was not active while she was driving, but the officer cited it as "distracted driving" anyway. There is really no way for an officer to know for sure whether or not Google Glass is active while the user is driving.

The law can't keep up with emerging technology. The above article speculates that Google Glass actually enhances driver safety because drivers aren't using their cell phones, but the way I see it, having images projected in front of your eyes qualifies as distracting.

There is talk about banning "Glassing and Driving," but so far nothing has really been done. It's all too new. As Google Glass becomes more widespread, other issues will surely emerge. But even as laws are put into place, another technology will come out that brings up similar issues. It's inevitable.

As the author of the above article suggests, "Perhaps we should just ban all new technology for five years, so that the lawyers can decide how to deal with it all."

Coming to a store near you: 'Do Not Track'

Real-world 'Do Not Track' coming to retail stores

When you're shopping online, often times you're being tracked so that ads relevant to the stores where you shop will pop up on other sites you use. Kind of creepy, right? Well, what if that's also happening to you when you shop in real life?

According to the above article, multiple retail locations have been testing new technology that uses your cell phone to track you as you shop. This technology can tell what aisle you're in, what you're looking at, and even how long you spent looking at certain products.

Senator Charles Schumer is incredibly unsettled by this technology. He is currently working to implement rules that state that stores utilizing this technology must display signs explaining the tracking and offering people the right to opt-out. As it stands now, though, majority of people are not informed of this technology -- and it is in use as we speak.

I do majority of my grocery shopping at Stop and Shop. The store implemented a cool technology that allows consumers to scan their grocery items as they shop, then scan a barcode at the register and have their entire grocery order come up. This eliminates long checkout lines and makes for a faster shopping experience overall. Another part of the technology, though, is it tracks you as you move across the store and sends coupons to the scanner when you're in front of certain products. This seems to be where this tracking technology involving cell phones is heading; but somehow it seems less invasive when the coupons are going to a product directly linked to the store.

Consumer privacy is being seriously violated with this technology. Hopefully the rules go into effect soon, because if not, I'm not going to feel comfortable Christmas shopping this year...

Google Hangouts for iOS

Google Hangouts for iOS dials up free calls for US, Canada

Google Hangouts are a great way to connect with people without being face-to-face. Now, iOS has picked up on this market and created a Google Hangouts app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch which will allow users to make outgoing calls and receive incoming calls to a Google Voice number, free of charge.

This app will really make a difference in the world of internet calling programs. While users will have to pay for calls outside of the US and Canada, calls within those locations will not use cell phone minutes (it will, however, use data, but on WiFi should be fine).

Like Skype, the Google Hangouts app will allow users to have meetings or talk in a digital "face-to-face" format. In the corporate world, for people who use iPads or other iOS devices at work, this app could be a way to hold group meetings without actually getting together.

This is another app that will really help the corporate world. Meetings will be made easier for Google users -- and they won't have to pay for the minutes.

Twitter Parrot

Twitter's Latest Experiement Parrots Breaking News

My mom gets CNN Breaking News Alerts to her phone via text message. Often, it's incredibly helpful, especially when we were going through Hurricane Sandy last year. In the world of constant connection, breaking news can come from all kinds of sources: CNN News Alerts through text or email, Facebook and Twitter updates from news outlets, and much more.

But Twitter is experimenting with a new way to get breaking news to its users: an account called @EventParrot. Followers of the @EventParrot account will receive a direct message (not a Tweet) when breaking news is released. The direct message will summarize the story and link users to the Twitter page of whichever news outlet the story came from.

In order to receive the breaking news as a text, the user can configure their account to alert them via text message when they receive the Twitter direct message. Easy enough. I also think it's neat that it will seemingly compile news stories from all news outlets across the world; the picture in the initial post about it shows direct messages featuring stories from CNN and BBC. Now, instead of subscribing to many news outlets, you can follow @EventParrot and have stories from all over the world sent right to your phone.

While it's still in the initial phases of use, I'm sure @EventParrot will become a very useful source for getting the news of the world. I'm not the kind of person who subscribes to news updates, but for those of you who are, check out @EventParrot and see what it's all about.

[EDIT]: I was actually thinking that this same kind of system could be used in other ways. For example, a company could create a private Twitter account and direct message employees who utilize the system with updates, news, and alerts relevant to the company. We'll see what happens!

IFTTT

Automate All the Things: How to Get Started with IFTTT.

You know when you read an article about something and you think, "wow, I never knew I needed this until now"? That's how I'm feeling about a program called IFTTT - If This Then That. 

IFTTT seems a little complicated at first, and I'll admit, I had to read their "Learn More" page before I could actually figure out what this program does, but it's actually pretty cool. The article explains that the program stitches together programs that would normally never interact; for example, Foursquare and Google Calendar.

The program starts with a channel. IFTTT has 71 channels that include social networking sites like Facebook and Flickr, along with email and iOS programs. The next part, "this," describes what's called a trigger. The IFTTT "Learn More" gives the example of being tagged in a photo on Facebook as a trigger. "That" defines the action that then occurs. So, for example, if you check in on Foursquare, then the check in is added to Google Calendar.

It's kind of confusing, and I think it would take some practice to figure it all out, but for productive people, this is a way of making your apps work together. You can make Twitter send anything tagged #FB to Facebook. You can make certain tagged photos in Instagram go to your email. The possibilities are vast.

For the workplace, this app would be great for all sorts of things; automatically putting events into the calendar, sending meeting remiders via email, etc. With the amount of apps this program supports, IFTTT is a great way to manage all sorts of things.

Are we too connected?

Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch - CNET Reviews

I've been hearing about the Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch for a little while now, and, like the reviewer, I have many questions. However, my questions stem from a different place: is this device just proving our society's need for constant connection?

In a nutshell, the Smartwatch connects with your phone to play music, work with apps, track your exercise, make phone calls, and take pictures. Supposedly, the benefit of this watch is that the user is not reaching for his or her phone every five minutes; they can do what they need to do through the watch. But I personally can't see the difference between reaching for a phone and checking a smart functioning watch every five minutes -- essentially, you're connected with or without the watch.

I don't want you to think that I can't see the potential benefits of the watch; for example, if the user is exercising or doing something hands-on, the watch is a great way to still be able to talk on the phone without having to hold the phone itself. For a workplace setting, I can see the same kind of benefit; you don't need to put your phone on the desk to take a phone call. Also, because of the basic nature of the watch, the reviewer explains that it "cuts through" to the most basic features of the phone. I don't have a Samsung phone, so I don't know what features get in the way of the basics, but being able to utilize just a few functions is another benefit of the watch.

The reviewer wrote, "Whether buying another gadget is the answer to reducing your dependence on an earlier gadget is a philosophical question for another time, but the Galaxy Gear has the potential to cut down on the amount your mobile shouts for your attention." Yes, the watch will cut down how much a user reaches for his or her phone, but it won't actually cut down the amount of phone use -- it will redirect that attention to the watch. 

My initial question was, are we too connected? Is this watch just giving us another way to be connected? It seems like it. The only way to really cut down on phone usage is to step away from the phone. In an organizational setting, a person's mobile phone should not be used except for workplace reasons. Having this watch does not change that; in fact, it makes it easier to just use the basic features of the phone. But the watch has other features, too, that are not necessarily workplace-appropriate. The way I see it, this watch, though it has benefits, really just adds to the ways in which we as a society are constantly connected.

Google makes Quickoffice mobile app free for everyone

During my undergraduate career, I dragged my Dell laptop to and from classes, work, and library study sessions. As a result, my laptop is pretty banged up. For being three years old, it's in decent shape, but when I graduated, I received an iPad from my mom as a gift. I've been primarily using my iPad for all the work I do.

I have always used Google Drive on my iPad when I needed to typeset for work or type up an assignment for school. As much as I like it, I have always found Microsoft Word more efficient for typing up long assignments. I had no idea that a product like Quickoffice existed, but I'm so happy I found it.

Quickoffice is a product from Google that allows you to "view and edit Microsoft Office files," according to the article. Up until very recently, the app was only available for free for Google Apps and Business users. The app cost $14.99 for people outside of that network. Now, however, Google is offering the app for free. Users across the board now have the option to work on their Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents wherever they are. The product also works with Google Drive. I downloaded the app, and when I logged in with my Gmail account, it pulled up all of my existing Google Drive documents! You still have to use the Google Drive app to edit those documents, but you can view them.

This app is wonderful for all kinds of people; it's great for students who don't want to drag around a flash drive or laptop or email everything to themselves, and it's great for businesses that use Microsoft products for their work. It's also an efficient product because it's effectively its own backup system. I always worry about the stability of my laptop, but by putting my important papers and documents into Quickoffice/Google Drive, I am able to rest assured that my work will be safe.

So far, I'm quite impressed with the app. I'm excited to know that I can use it to work on my papers throughout the semester, especially when I'm on the go. The one thing I'm hoping, though, is that Google combines Google Drive and Quickoffice; as of right now, the Quickoffice app can only open Google Drive apps, not edit them, and vice versa. But for the moment, this app is incredibly efficent and helpful.

Introduction

Hey there, readers! My name is Caitlin. I am currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public and Organizational Relations at Montclair State University. For my New Media Applications class, our professor asked us to keep a weekly blog that reflects different news-worthy technologies that are constantly emerging. Technology is an important aspect of our society, and I am looking forward to relating the newest advances in technology to what I'm studying.