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Education Google Reading Smartphone Tablet Technology

Latest Read: The Cyber Effect

The Cyber Effect: A Pioneering Cyberpsychologist Explains How Human Behavior Changes Online by Mary Aiken. Her 2016 book addresses not only the dark side of the internet, but human behaviors changed as a result of a new online addiction: smartphones and tablets. A key element throughout the book addresses the addiction of adults/parents to their own devices and how this has changed basic family structures.

The Cyber Effect by Mary Aiken

Above all, do we want the internet to allow an eight year old child to purchase a bottle of vodka? Mary makes a strong argument regarding how the impact of internet access and online behavior impacts children. To this end, internet addiction begins earlier in life, around eight years of age after exposure beginning at two years of age.

The Cyber Effect also outlines without proper parental controls (consent is another issue) children often find themselves in very vulnerable online chats, group meetings and even gaming clubs. They are curious about many things in life. Google search is presenting rather shocking images and videos to young children.

There are larger issues to address. There is no version of Google Chrome for children. No chance to block search results for drugs, violence, pornography or other adult topics for children under 13.

Again, children are curious about a lot of issues and talk at school about those same subjects. However, at school CIPA guidelines restrict access to those search results above. But many children were connected to home computers during the pandemic, on weekends and over summer.

In addition, the number of children under 13 using fake IDs to gain access to Twitter and Facebook is concerning. Documented throughout the book reveals how predators lurk on social media to snare children. This is a must read book for parents of young children.

Meanwhile, Mary shares configuring a default home computer to protect children is sorely needed. The Slender Man trial in Waukesha Wisconsin is suitably discussed by Mary. 

There is no better example why parents should not permit their children to keep their computer in their bedroom behind a closed/locked door. However there is little to protect children, and others including adults are easily duped online. Large technology companies reap millions in profit from sharing personal information.

At the same time children are engaging schoolmates and surfing the internet for a variety of reasons, some positive, but many negative. This calls into question why is this permitted in the first place?

Internet content is basically created by adults for adults. This remains a problem. And yet, anyone can have a fake ID and get full access to a favorite fetish.

Overall, the social impact of online behavior as outlined is maybe the most amazing change in human society. Worse yet, there is nothing addressing accountability on the internet.

However Mary does not seem very technically savvy. Seriously, this book could do without hints on how to make a favorable dating photograph:

• Wear a dark color.
• Post a head-to-waist shot.
• Make sure the jawline has a shadow
• Don’t obstruct the eyes (no sunglasses).
• Don’t be overtly sexy.
• Smile and show your teeth.
Page 371

Above all, these suggestions undermines the impact of her work. Let the shallow end of the pool (as Mary suggests many times in the book) give pop culture advice.

Categories
Cyberinfrastructure Education Ransomware Smartphone Technology

Mobile ransomware in healthcare

After WannaCry mobile ransomware is infecting hospital-issued mobile phones and tablets.

mobile ransomwareMobile ransomware attacks in 2017 built upon the sharp increase from earlier years. This is simply malware that steals sensitive data or locks your smartphone permanently.

This is exactly like the WannaCry ransomware attacks that occurred in 2017.
Those same criminals will demand bitcoin payments before unlocking your device.

These mobile ransomware attacks on hospital-issued mobile devices carry risks of exposing PHI data. This is especially important if a hospital workforce employee is accessing PHI data on a personal device that is not secure.

Today healthcare needs Mobile Device Management (MDM) more than ever. Respectable MDM services install a “secure container” on a mobile device that ensures hospital data downloaded to a mobile device is stored in a secure, encrypted directory on the device. This can even prevent the user from copying the data from the container.

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Design Education Smartphone

Kill the phonebook please

Change will not happen. Is it hard to believe six years ago I posted a note on this blog about receiving yet another worthless phonebook.
at&t phonebookI asked not to receive a phonebook yet the 2015 tree killing arrived this week. Yet again I just tossed it into a recycling bin…unwrapped.

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Cloud Cyberinfrastructure Design Education Google Innovation Network Reading Smartphone Tablet Technology

Latest read: Google Analytics Integrations

Dan Waisberg has written an excellent book Google Analytics Integrations that is well tested for Google’s Analytics Platform. He has been a long time respected contributor to the Analytics marketplace. In this book he adds an expert voice one of the strongest today about all things analytics.
Google Analytics IntegrationsGoogle Analytics Integrations reveals code, methods and best practices to streamline any existing metrics reporting to bringing together multiple enterprise services into a single data reporting and visualization engine running Google Analytics.

For users and teams seeking to gain executive support for their GA service Google Analytics Integrations will help build your needed message to unite metrics reporting across your organization to ensure accurate end-to-end reporting. By also including the ability to pull metrics from email a la DirectTarget and the much needed understanding of how to understand web metrics for social media, the overviews here will help solidify a solid measurement campaign moving forward.

Categories
Globalization Innovation Reading Smartphone Tablet

Latest Read: Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution

Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution is a remarkable book about the explosive relationship between Apple and Google as smartphones and tablets came to dominate the PC marketplace. This is a historical view of the final battle of Steve Job’s life and the work by Google to win over the digital battlefield from both Apple and Microsoft.

How Apple and Google went to war and started a revolutionDogfight is a smashing success in revealing how human technology companies really are today and the enormous demands they place upon their employees. They create the tools for our digital lifestyles and the means in which it drives new business models (and society) on a global scale. Its truly magnificent.

Since Dogfight is centered around the last days of Steve Jobs many readers may be intrigued to learn how he was personally making Apple vulnerable to Google’s Android by placing so much trust in Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Schmidt. Interesting lessons for us all.

The most interesting aspect for me was understanding the complex relationship between Google and Apple when Microsoft was in charge of the PC market. Clearly Microsoft missed the smartphone and tablet market and now may be forever a forgone player in that space. Even industry leaders are acknowledging that in the mobile space there are only two OS platforms to consider: iOS and Android. Amazing how Microsoft lost its way.