Snowden

Edward Snowden released himself from the brethren of political comprise and scaled a vigorous fight against the privacy of the citizens of the United States and the compromise of international targets.  A common theory is the government is awarded a great obligation to protect its citizen's rights.  Although there are many that doubt the integrity of Snowden, there is a sense of animalistic freedom that prevails by way of fear and prejudice.  Most citizens don't want to feel like they have no privacy but those same citizens don't mind if international privacy is purged for our protection.  The US is a county stuck between a rock and a hard place when determining if Snowden did, in fact, act as a traitor or a hero.    

The rights of citizens of the United States is appropriated by the Constitution.  Therefore if the NSA or CIA  is listening and watching without consent, then it is quite simply a betrayal of our trust and tramples the very rights this country was founded upon.

Snowden worked in IT Security for the CIA.  When he began his quest to acquire as much disturbing, confidential information as possible.  The end count was staggering: 15,000 Australian files, 58,000 British files, 1.7 million US intelligence files

Rand Paul to sue Obama administration over NSA - Lawsuit against Obama and director of NSA, His attempt is to stop the record tapping of the "Mass Associational Tracking Program".

What is the basis of the suit - violation of the 4th amendment of the constitution - watched everyone without recourse.

This conflict has presented a difficult position for information sharing businesses.  Is anyone's activity private?  It seems that no matter where information is routed or stored it will never be impenetrable.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden

http://gazette.com/nsas-monitoring-is-a-violation-of-fourth-amendment-rights/article/1512936

http://www.infowars.com/nsas-monitoring-is-a-violation-of-fourth-amendment-rights/

https://www.eff.org/

http://rt.com/op-edge/nsa-violate-constitution-mcgovern-047/

Google's Offshore Data Centres Won't Be Out Of The NSA's Reach, Nor The US Government's

HIPAA / FERPA - An institution of patient privacy

World Wide Jungle of Amazon

Amazon  
Jungle or Jingle?

Jeff Bezos looks to the future

Amazon's goal is to become the most customer-centric operation in the world.  Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, has created one of the most powerful distribution network in the world.  Amazon has innovated a concise process that brings products direct to consumers, cheaper, faster, and more efficient than the competition.  While we watch the companies stock price rise and product distribution increase, Amazon is now answering a difficult question to its stock holders, "Where are the profits?"  Bezos believes, "If you build it, they will come".  Therefore the profits are built into a seven year time line.  Products available through Amazon are fiercely price competitive.  The consumers are flocking to the site and buying into the Bezo's plan.

This is why Amazon will soar in the smartphone market   BY TERO KUITTINEN ON DEC 17, 2013

According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners quoted in the article clipped above, spending habits are more important than profit margins.  The Kindle Fire, as shared in the study, is selling at a zero profit margin or even below because the consumers with the tablet spend close to $449 more annually with the Kindle in hand.  Many are anticipating Amazon's Kindle making its way into the smartphone market and potentially bullying out the competition as Amazon will be at the finger tips of the consumer at any given time.

Can Amazon Survive? Aug 30, 2000

"The stock is up 21% year to date" (Trainer, Forbes,10/29/2013)

Amazon Has Staggering Growth Expectations Priced Into The Stock    BY David Trainer, Contributor 10/29/2013

They have a healthy amount of products available to the consumer which include: Books, movies-downloadable and pay per view, electronics, home and garden, toys, clothing, etc.  Amazon is attempting to take control of the digital marketplace as compared to Walmart taking control of the (real estate) retail market.  The finite difference between Walmart and Amazon is overhead.  Walmart has to employ, pay, insure, and is taxed more than Amazon because the distribution centers drop the product at the door step of the consumer instead of forcing the consumer to come to them.

From memory, when Amazon began it was a basically a book and CD online store.  That is how most people remember this soon-to-be giant entering the market place and creating a digital space for CD's downloadable books, and hard book sales.  It wasn't long before retail giants with real estate began to close their doors because the digital space was the new way to read. Thus, the giant emerged.  With innovative shipping concepts and expediting delivering methods that bring the product to the consumer potentially even before they order it, the competitors are baffled with how to continue to be competitive.  The real question to ask is, what's next Amazon?

“ The most fertile soil does not necessarily produce the most abundant harvest. It is the use we make of our faculties which renders them valuable. ”

— Thomas W. Higginson

Can I put my Bluetooth under my pillow for a fairy?

I think that I am getting out of hand when it comes to technology. Is there a limitation that we, as a community, should hold ourselves accoubtable.  I love to plug things in and make them work: connect, ring, buzz, integrate, etc...  I just didn't realize, as I continue to collect these pairing peripherals, am I now overloaded with connectivity.

As soon as I think I am done, I see something else that fits in my pocket, delivers a technical climax, or integrates my desire and my technology as a single, whole being.

So here's the layout and, of course, there are a few devices missing because my son has my Acer Tablet and my new LG2 phone took the picture. I just purchased the Planatronics Bluetooth headset yesterday because of the new law in Illinois requiring handsfree use while operating a motor vehicle.  Pebble is there along with a Kindle Fire Tablet.  The Kindle came with AT&T; when I subscribed they gave it to me as a gift.  That is a nice thought as I don't have to consider the monetary outflow with that piece of technology.  Pebble was a Christmas gift from my lovely wife.  I suppose that is the right time to splurge.  The IPhone was delivered today as I use that one for work.  The laptop is one of four in the house as the boys are learning to work with data processing programs.

As I see technology continue to bloom into a all-to-connected world, I am falling suspect to the division of real life and a connected life.  I often think that maybe I should keep all the stuff in a shed and when I want to work on a project, I go out to the shed.  When I want to spend time with my family, I leave it in the shed so that my connectivity doesn't interfere with my "real" life, or is there a difference?

Pebbles and Rocks

I bought a Pebble Watch and now I really feel well connected through my watch to the world.  Well not necessarily interactive but the vibration tells me when the world wants to connect with me.

I have to wonder where this technology will go.  Kim, a local futurist, shared with me that there will be a medical use for this technology.  Imagine real-time updates of internal activity of the heart.  Where will technology go as we sit idle the whole world changes before our eyes.

There he is, Mr. Gordon!  He is here to help us contribute to society and develop a useful skill set to make it in this ever-changing world of communications!  Although, as soon as we leave class, all that we just learned is obsolete!!