Supreme Court Decision Cloudy At Best

Last week the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that will decide if Aereo is allowed to continue operation in a dozen or so communities throughout the United States, including the Cincinnati area.  The fledgling internet based service allows subscribers to watch live local broadcast TV channels on a variety of digital devices like smart phones, tablets and lap tops, and yes, even TVs. It also offers a cloud-based DVR, allowing the subscriber to record programs for later streaming.

As the oral arguments and comments played out in the court room, it became apparent that the ruling might have far reaching and revolutionary implications, not only for how we receive television, but for the future of the multi-billion dollar cloud computing industry.

The issue being adjudicated is whether Aereo should be required to pay TV stations for the right to retransmit their programs.  Traditional cable and satellite services pay billions of dollars each year to local stations.  Aereo counters that they are not a cable system but rather just an agent of each subscriber providing an antenna and virtual DVR for a monthly fee. They note that individuals may watch and record in their home any program transmitted on public airwaves with no fee.  They insist that Aereo is just making this easier.

Much better legal minds will need to ascertain if Aereo is cleverly exploiting a loophole in the copyright laws or standing up for the little guy.  A review of the discussion during the court’s hearing shows that the Justices were quick to realize that their ruling could have great impact on other cloud-based services.

For several years we have all heard about the “cloud” and how it is revolutionizing the way we use our digital devices. Simply put the cloud services make use of large centrally located computer storage arrays and servers to provide to subscribers many services that once resided on our individual computers.  Because most of these cloud services allow subscribers to store and remotely access most any file or program for certain they are storing and playing out movies, music, pictures that are copyright protected.  The amount of illegal content stored on Dropbox or Google Cloud most likely is much greater than Aereo and a ruling against Aereo might well have a stifling effect on these cloud services.

We will need to all stay tuned to see if our highest court in the land can come up with a King Solomon ruling.  The Court is expected to rule in late June.

Some Bright Ideas

Modern technology has brought us some awesome products, devices and services.  Many of them have made our lives better and some much brighter.  Recently new technology has exploded in the home lighting market.  The trip to the store to purchase a replacement light bulb has become as complicated and confusing as purchasing a computer or smart phone.  There are countless types and styles of home lighting and corresponding documentation, some of which is at best misleading.  So what is the best choice?

Currently there are four basic options for most home lighting needs. They are: incandescent lights, standard fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lights (CFL) and those that use light emitting diodes. (LED) The LED technology is the one that is getting the most current attention and you might think that it is the best option for all applications.  This may not be true.

Before choosing which type of lamp to use you need to think about where it will be installed.  For example, if you have a crawl space or attic into which you enter once or twice a year, it makes no sense to use an expensive energy saving LED or CFL to light the space.  It would take 100 years to recoup the cost. 

Some people report a less than good experience with CFL bulbs.  While most manufactures have been able to soften the light output making them give off a warmer glow then earlier designs, users report that the life of the bulbs is much shorter than advertised.  CFLs work best when they are turned on and left on.  

Applications like an often used bathroom where the light is turned on and off many times a day is not a good application for a CFL.  The repeated on and off cycles will significantly shorten the life span of the CFL lamp.

Another less than optimum application for a CFL is in any place that is very cold.  In a cold environment like an unheated garage if the temperature falls below freezing the light will take a long time to come up to full brightness.  In extremely cold, i.e. below zero environments, the bulb may never reach full intensity.

Most likely the future of lighting will be LED technology.  The energy efficiency and life cycles are measured in decades and not hours like incandescent bulbs.  Right now the unit cost is still high but is coming down quickly.  LED lamps come in all configurations and like CFLs they can be color corrected to mimic the soft glow of the traditional light bulb.  They can also be dimmed. Because they put off almost no heat, there are additional savings on air conditioning in spaces where they are used.

For applications where the light is used often like kitchens, family rooms and home offices, the LED is a good choice.  There is great debate about how efficient they really are but most agree they will save more energy and last many more years than any of the other options. I don’t suggest running out and replacing all your lights with LEDs but next time that lamp in the living room needs a new bulb, try a LED.  If you repeat this when other lights fail, slowly, over time, you will have installed enough lights to make a big difference in your energy bill.

Some Online Security Tips

Computer security and privacy have been dominating the headlines.  The most recent announcement in the media deals with a major security vulnerability named Heartbleed. This bug affects a popular encryption technology designed to protect your sensitive data on the Internet, like usernames, passwords and emails.  Unlike some bugs and viruses, there really is no protection that you can install on your computer to address Heartbleed since it exploits a programming error in the encryption software and as such requires the software developers to fix the problem. 

There are however things that you should do to assure your security and privacy whenever you go online.  I have written often about the need to be vigilant about security.  This might be a good time to reiterate some of those tips.

When you purchase a Wi-Fi router, smart phone or other device that require a password be sure to change the default password.  Many devices come out of the box with a standard password already installed.  The problem is that often these passwords are known by most every hacker on the internet.  So failure to change it leaves you open and exposed.

Speaking of passwords, don’t use obvious names and dates.  Your birthday, your kid’s name, your street address do not provide much protection.  A password with a numerals and both upper and lower case text along with some punctuation marks are best.  The password should not make a real word or phrase.

Many of us are wedded to our smartphone and tablet and use them for all types of online activity and take advantage of the proliferation of free Wi-Fi hot spots.  From McDonalds to Speedway, from interstate rest stops to public parks, it seems we can most always find a free Wi-Fi connection.  While reading a newspaper or checking the weather are fine, you should not use these public Wi-Fi spots to access online banking sites or other sites that contain important and private data.

If you use online banking many institutions will allow you to be notified when any transaction that you did not initiate gets processed.  So when a deposit or debit is made to your account, you will get an email alerting you to the activity.  This service often requires you to activate it on your account.  Be sure yours is activated.

This last tip might be an example of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped.  More and more merchants offer affinity cards allowing discounts and other perks to card holders.  When you visit the store you swipe the card.   Over and above the discount you receive you also have provided the store with a trove of purchasing information.  Some stores sell this information to third parties.   Also more and more often you are asked for your telephone number when checking out as well as the offer to email you a receipt.  Again giving out little bits of information over time can provide a very accurate profile for those miscreants looking to steal your identity and money.

Increasingly we will do more on line and as we do there will be better protections developed like voice, retina and or finger print recognition. Until these are common place, be careful out there.

It is OK not to use email but....

Perhaps one of the most revolutionary byproducts of the digital age is that it has changed forever the way we communicate.  Spoken and written communication, whether between people in the same house or separated by oceans, has been made easy, inexpensive and available to most everyone. A recent study showed an increasing number of senior citizens are embracing these technologies.  This should not be a surprise since today’s seniors were yesterday’s workforce.  If you used these tools when working 9-5 why would you not continue to use them in your private life? 

Email, voice mail and all stripes of other new ways to communicate are not embraced by everyone regardless of age.  There is nothing wrong with choosing to stay off the internet.  Unfortunately some might feel pressured to do otherwise.  This can cause some real issues.  I know that in my circle of acquaintances there are some who have eschewed email and other digital services.  The problem does not come because of this decision, it comes because they do not communicate this decision to others.

At one time having an email address or Facebook presence was seen as a sign that you were “hip” and “with it.”  Those who did not use these services may have felt out of place when asked for their email address.  So the answer for some was to get an email account. 

When you give someone your email address it is the same as giving them your snail mail address.  Most of us would not think of going for weeks without looking in our US mail box. Some however go for longer periods of time without looking in their email inbox.  So messages, invitations, questions and other messages go unanswered.  This can cause ill feelings, concern and just plain frustration.

The answer is very simple.  If you don’t plan to look at your incoming email on a regular basis don’t tell people that you have email.  Just tell them that you don’t use it and give them you phone number or regular mail address.

There is a similar issue with Voice Mail.  Most mobile and home services allow you to disable the Voice Mail.  If you don’t plan to check it regularly turn it off.  People can just call back or perhaps put a stamp on a letter and send the message in a more traditional manner.  Who knows, perhaps they will stop over for a visit.