Posts Tagged ‘twitter’

Online presence of hate, terrorist groups up 20%

// March 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Hate groups have always been a presence on the Internet, but their presence is growing quicker lately thanks to social networking sites. According to a report from the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), groups that promote violence, terrorism, homophobia, antisemitism, and other forms of intolerance grew by 20 percent in the last year alone. The report is part of the Center’s annual look at the spread of hate groups online, which noted that there are now more than 11,500 social networks, websites, forums, and blogs that focus on spreading intolerance, recruiting new members, and instructing people on how to hurt others. “The numbers are probably, at the end of the day, multiples of that,” the SWC’s associate dean Abraham Cooper said in a news conference Monday. “That should be taken as a low ball figure.” Read the comments on this post

National Broadband Plan arrives, quoting Shakespeare

// March 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

When the federal government spends more than a year developing a 300+ page report on national broadband policy, perhaps the last thing one expects to find in it is a quote from Shakespeare’s Henry IV . As two rebels plot their assault on the English king, the Welsh leader Owen Glendower brags that he can “call spirits from the vasty deep.” The English Hotspur retorts, “Why, so can I, or so can any man; but will they come when you do call for them?” Anyone can talk a good game about conjuring broadband policy from the vasty deep of the FCC—but can those people actually implement their visions? The National Broadband Plan , released today, drops this bit of Shakespeare on readers at the bottom of page 11 to make a simple point: this Plan is about the art of the possible. Perhaps a better quote from Henry IV might be from the lips of the famous comic figure Falstaff: “The better part of valor is discretion.” Read the comments on this post

Death and social media: what happens to your life online?

// March 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Losing a friend or family member is painful enough, but imagine the extra, unnecessary jabs when that friend’s social networking profile continues to pop up in searches. Or say your friend was particularly wise or witty when posting online, but when you went back to reference something later, the entire record was gone without a trace. Today, many of us keep our profiles, blog posts, and musings entirely online, leaving family, friends, and service providers stuck trying to figure out what to do with a deceased user’s digital bits. I have a personal interest in this topic, as I’m of a generation that largely grew up with the Internet while our parents largely remain uninvolved ( mine are surprisingly Internet literate, but most of my friends’ parents aren’t). An Ars reader and close friend of mine passed away in early 2008, and all of his online musings remain in limbo to this day—his MySpace profile is still active as if he was still around, confusing old high school friends, yet his blog has mysteriously disappeared and no one will be able to get it back.  This prompted us to start looking into various sites’ policies on deceased user accounts and what you can do about them—whether you want to preserve them, delete them, or otherwise. Read the comments on this post

Brazilian hooker-john hookups used for network analysis

// March 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Modern communication networks, such as cell phone systems and the Internet, have provided researchers with the opportunity to study human associations and movement on a much greater scale than previously possible. Almost all of the papers that describe this sort of network analysis notes that it could have real world applications, since existing and emerging disease threats can spread through social and transit networks. A paper that will be released later this week by PNAS , however, skips the whole “this may be a useful model” aspect, and goes straight to a network in which diseases actually do spread: prostitutes and their clients. Although organized prostitution is apparently illegal in Brazil, there are no laws against receiving payment for sex, making it possible for sex workers to freelance. Like everything else these days, that trade has found its way onto the Internet, and some enterprising Brazilians created an ad-supported public forum for individuals on both sides of the transaction. The forum is heavily moderated to keep it strictly on-topic: sellers (aka prostitutes) can advertise their business, and those that partake can rate the experience, as well as provide some information about the precise services rendered (the focus was strictly on heterosexual prostitution in this system). Read the comments on this post

Wearable computing expert now Apple "prototype scientist"

// March 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Apple has hired an expert in “human-computer interaction for mobile applications” to complement its research and development in mobile computing, according to a new report from Computerworld . Richard DeVaul, known for his work in the field of “wearable computing,” is Apple’s newest senior prototype scientist. DeVaul originally studied architecture, anthropology, and physics at Texas A&M before working on a masters degree in visualization science. Before finishing his masters thesis on “novel dynamics constraints approximation algorithm for computer animation applications,” DeVaul left Texas A&M to pursue an MD and later PhD degree in Media Arts and Sciences at MIT. While at MIT, he also worked as a research scientist at MIT’s famous Media Lab. DeVaul’s PhD dissertation revolved around a project called ” Memory Glasses ,” which were designed to provide the wearer with context-sensitve cues to assist in memory recall. Much of the research focused on determining how to determine context, including using GPS location and accelerometer data—something that Apple’s mobile devices can already provide. Research into how to present recall clues also showed that subtle, even subliminal information could prove useful in assisting memory—the same kind of subtle clues and interactions that are evident throughout the iPhone OS. After DeVaul finished his PhD, he spent the last six years working as the CTO and president of AWare Technologies , which he also co-founded. AWare originally focused on mobile monitoring technologies for athletic and military applications, as well as motion analysis for Olympic teams. The company later focused on adapting its technology to fitness tracking applications, including developing the StepTrak Lite activity tracking iPhone app. AWare’s FitAWare system is similar in some respects to a system that Apple recently applied to patent that generates workouts that users can use to compete with each other as a sort of game. Apple has also teamed up with Nike in the past on the Nike+ run-tracking system as well as a system to track exercise on certain gym equipment , both of which interface with iPods and some iPhones. As Apple’s senior prototype scientist, DeVaul reports directly to SVP of industrial design Jonathan Ive, ostensibly developing and building prototypes of mobile—and likely wearable—computing devices. Reportedly only seven people besides Ive and CEO Steve Jobs will even know what he is cooking up inside Apple’s research labs. DeVaul will likely explore ways to make computing devices that are ever more mobile and constantly accessible, a job that fits Apple’s direction as a mobile devices company . Read the comments on this post

Microsoft begins rolling out redesigned MSN homepage

// March 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Microsoft today began rolling out its new MSN homepage , but not everyone will be getting it at once: the update will trickle out over the next few weeks to the site’s 100 million US customers. The software giant is touting the new version as “its most significant homepage redesign in over a decade.” It comes with a new MSN butterfly logo (which complements the Bing logo), a larger Bing search box and tighter integration with the search engine, local information from a new feature dubbed MSN Local Edition, as well as the addition of three social network streams: the Windows Live “What’s New” feed of course, Facebook, and Twitter. The above was previewed in November , but Microsoft says the redesign includes more than 30 updates that are based on 70,000 pieces of customer feedback. These new features include TrendWatch, which highlights the day’s top trends and movers on Twitter, Hyper-local Tweets, which uses Bing to highlight tweets from your location (available on the new Local Edition), and My Cities, which allows you save up to three cities to keep up with your friends or family across the entire country in your MSN Local Edition. Microsoft says it has seen double-digit increases in Bing search queries coming from the new homepage thanks to changes that make the decision engine more prominent. As for the MSN Local module on the homepage, the software giant says it is driving over 50 percent more traffic to the MSN Local Edition and that the main module on the new homepage also received over 50 percent more clicks than the original homepage. Microsoft made improvements to these sections based on the data it was seeing. For example, the company says the social networking additions were welcomed with open arms, so it has made sure the default social network tab is the one that the user frequents the most. The real test, not only for the servers but for the designers, will come in the next few weeks as the majority of users start to see the new version. As we’ve said before, we think the new look is much cleaner than the old version, but—as Facebook knows all too well—users aren’t always happy with huge revamps of major websites. Read the comments on this post

Scammers use Twitter, Facebook for $150k bridal show scam

// March 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Scammers took advantage of brides-to-be and exhibitors last week when they set up a Twitter account to promote a nonexistent bridal show. The scammers had set up the Twitter account as if they were representing The Boston 411 , a legit community info site for Bostonites, and promoted preregistration for the bogus show to both attendees and exhibitors. Needless to say, the Twitter account, the site, and the bridal show were all scams, and police are on the hunt for those behind the charade. According to the Boston Globe , police began their investigation into the scam last week but held a press conference Monday to alert victims of the scam. Some 5,000 people paid for $15 tickets to the show, while 200 businesses shelled out $350 to $4,000 in hopes of exhibiting. Because the show was promoted to be taking place between March 5 through 7 (next weekend), police wanted to give victims the chance to cancel any travel plans they might have made. The Twitter account in question has been promoting the show since September of 2009 and has somehow gotten 185 followers, despite the fact that nothing but that has been tweeted in the history of the account. Still, word of the show apparently reached far and wide, with interested parties getting out their wallets for nothing more than a (no longer available) Facebook page and a PayPal account. According to the Globe , scammers also managed to pull in at least one radio producer who had created ads for the show in exchange for a discounted booth rental. On the one hand, it’s hard to say what victims should have done differently to avoid this kind of scam. The promotion looked like it came through legitimate channels and it’s not uncommon for bridal shows to sell preregistration tickets at a discount. A hundred people see it on Twitter, register, tell their friends, and boom. On the other hand, looking at that Twitter timeline sets off our spam radar.  If you or anyone you know has any information on what happened, the Boston police would like to hear from you at victims.bpd@cityofboston.gov . Read the comments on this post

US military surrenders to social media, changes policy

// March 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Members of the US Military will now have limited access to certain social media sites thanks to a new policy (PDF) from the Department of Defense. The DoD finally released its updated policy late last week, which will also apply to parts of the military that have banned social media use from their own networks. Commanders will still have the ability to cut down on the use of Twitter or Facebook if they feel the need to protect against malicious activity and preserve bandwidth. According to the memorandum, members of military departments and all authorized users of the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET) can now use the publicly accessible capabilities of various social networking and user-generated content sites, instant messaging, forums, and e-mail. This includes YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and others. Access to porn, gambling, or hate crime sites will remain restricted, however, and commanders can cut down on social media use if they feel the need to “preserve operations security.” In August of 2009, the US Marine Corps issued a policy of its own that banned the use of social media on the Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) due to malware concerns and “information exposure” to adversaries. It wasn’t much of a surprise, either: security exploits are sprinkled throughout social networking sites, not to mention that fact that people just plain share too much. If IT admins are uneasy about the totally careless behavior of workers on social networking sites, the Marines undoubtedly had that much and more to worry about. Of course, NIPRNET is separate from MCEN, but the Army’s Chief of Public Affairs advisor Lindy Kyzer told the New York Times that the new policy will indeed override the Marine Corps’ current ban, as well as the Army’s older ban on YouTube . All military units will need to open up access to social media sites, and any bans that take place must be temporary. “DoD is moving away from the silly notion of having ‘blacklisted’ social media sites and saying, ‘We’re not going to lay down the hammer and tell you where you can and cannot go, we’re going to mitigate risk as it comes,’” she said. Read the comments on this post

Tweets come to Yahoo search results and portals

// February 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // Tech News

Yahoo has begun to integrate Twitter posts into its search results, following in the footsteps of Google and Microsoft. The company began rolling out the first of a handful of Twitter-integrated features Wednesday, with most of the other offerings coming later this year. Eventually, Yahoo users will not only be able to see tweets in search results, they’ll also see them on other Yahoo properties for specific topics and be able to use Yahoo portals to send tweets as well. Yahoo says that the Twitter partnership will “transform Yahoo! into a highly customizable social experience that lets people bring together and unify their activity from their many social experiences across the Web.” The entire public stream from Twitter will be accessible through Yahoo, with Yahoo filtering it to show the most relevant results through search, Sports, Finance, Entertainment, and other areas of the site. Though the announcement doesn’t specifically mention it, the Associated Press says Yahoo is paying Twitter for access to the data, just like Microsoft and Google. On top of the public tweet integration, Yahoo users will also be able to send tweets from various Yahoo portals, including Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Sports. The idea here is clearly to keep users on Yahoo’s site and interacting with Yahoo-specific elements while still allowing them to participate in the chitter-chatter going on elsewhere. This part of the partnership has yet to be implemented, and Yahoo did not give a time frame for when to expect it. We here at Ars are curious as to whether search results in tweets are something users actually  want , though. Some of us find their presence in our Google results to be annoying while others simply ignore them. What’s your take?

BigMapple, other NYC apps load up on location data online

// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Tech News

One of the big trends of 2009 has been the mass proliferation of location-based services. They can be for functional reasons (see Everyblock ), or for fun and meeting people (see Loopt ). Thanks to the addition of geotagged content from major services like Flickr and Twitter, however, developers have been able to take their offerings to a new level by integrating what people are doing around town without forcing them to switch to yet another new service. Thanks to the NYC BigApps competition, a number of new offerings have popped up in New York. The goal of the competition was to challenge developers to put together services using publicly available information that would be useful to citizens, with prizes that total up to $20,000. Public voting for the contest is now open (NYC BigApps opened to developers two months ago), and there are plenty of apps to check out , ranging from local library finders to maps of bike racks and parking facilities.

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