Freedom on the Back Berner(s-Lee)

Freedom on the Back Berner(s-Lee)
Number	2189
Broadcast Date	March 12, 2014
Episode Length	33:17
Hosts	Tom Merritt
Guests	Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson joins me to wish the World Wide Web a happy anniversary of being presented in a paper! Is the spirit of the 1990s still alive on the Web, or did we kill it?

Guest

• Scott Johnson
  • Frogpants Studios Network
  • Nerdtacular

Headlines

• Revelation of an US NSA operation called Turbine

CNET reports on The Intercept’s revelation of a US NSA operation called Turbine. It’s an automated system designed to hack millions of computers by using the tried and true tactics of all purveyors of malware like spam, hijacked web pages and good old fashioned man in the middle attacks. The malware would then hijack webcams and microphones, log browsing and keystrokes, you know, the usual. Hi Bob! As always, the NSA was only targeting bad guys, so when they directed Turbine at sysAdmins of foreign telcos, it was only because they needed to as a means to an end, because that made it easier to target a “government official that happens to be using the network some admin takes care of.”

• Tim Berners-Lee thought the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his proposal for the Web was a good opportunity to fire people up about taking back their rights to privacy and keeping the Internet open

Well, for some odd reason, Tim Berners-Lee thought the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his proposal for the Web was a good opportunity to fire people up about taking back their rights to privacy and keeping the Internet open. At least that’s what he told BBC Breakfast. Which is a TV show, not a plate of eggs, beans and fried tomatoes. Berners-Lee seems to think all this targeted surveillance somehow will scare you into joining his WebWeWant.org movement to pass an Internet bill of rights. We assume you will get excited for a day about this and then go right back to your normal state of apathy and excitement about Doge. At least the NSA believes that’s what you’ll do.

• really popular online thing launched yesterday

A really popular online thing launched yesterday and everybody tried to use it at once, and even though the big company behind it expected a lot of users the servers still had problems, and everybody got mad, and then eventually it got fixed and now everybody is blogging about it. This time it was Titanfall.

• Razer’s got a new Blade
• Apple Store to reduce its 30-day return period for iPhones to the same 14-day return period offered by US mobile phone carriers, starting March 13th
• Alibaba will spend HKD $6.24 billion (about USD $804 million) for a 60% stake in ChinaVision Media Group

Alibaba will spend HKD $6.24 billion (about USD $804 million) for a 60% stake in ChinaVision Media Group, producer of fine TV shows and films. ChinaVision is the distributor of films like “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demon.”

• Yahoo and Yelp have launched their search partnership in the US
• The European Parliament passes the EU’s first data protection overhaul since 1995

News From You

• Google buying Green Throttle

Ars Technica report on Google buying Green Throttle. Pando Daily broke the story. Green Throttle Gaming makes gaming controllers for Android. The company mysteriously shut down in November, and now everyone seems to think they know why. Green Throttle’s big product advantage was the ability to connect up to four controllers to one smartphone or tablet. Please add your own wild speculation about Google Game Consoles here.

Submitted by the_corley

• FunnyorDie.com is now the number one source of referrals to the US healthcare.gov site

Washington Post article mentioning that FunnyorDie.com is now the number one source of referrals to the US healthcare.gov site. Or so White House health care spokesperson Tara McGuinness said on Twitter. The President appeared on Zach Galifanakis’ ‘Between Two Ferns’ show to promote the site. Of the 5.9 million views on the video more than 19,000 viewers continued on to healthcare.gov. That’s 3/10th of a percent!

Submitted by habichuelacondulce

• Meghan Neal’s Motherboard article on a way to vinylize your digital music

Gizmodo report on Meghan Neal’s Motherboard article on a way to vinylize your digital music. German engineer Souri Automaten designed the first incarnation of the device almost 30 years ago. A record lathe with a diamond stylus cuts the master. The machine costs $4,000 but the look on your loved ones face when you give them a mix-LP will be priceless.

Submitted by draconos

Discussion

• On the 25th anniversary of the web, let’s keep it free and open
• An online Magna Carta: Berners-Lee calls for bill of rights for web
• 25 years after inventing the web, Tim Berners-Lee invites users to help draft global “bill of rights”
• Web We Want
• Information Management: A Proposal
• Tim Berners-Lee's proposal

Pick of the Day

• medium.com/

Oh boy oh boy, Jennie loves Medium. It’s a gorgeous online writing site that lifts online writing out of the ‘Blogger’ era. (It helps that Medium was created by Ev Williams and team, who…well… you know.) The site has rich photo options, and a beautifully designed, simple to use interface. It’s a site that makes you want to write and share that writing with others. Medium is still a work in progress–it’s not always clear should happens with a post after its published, other than tweeting it out and submitting it to a Medium collection, but its been fascinating and satisfying to watch the Medium universe expand. Free.

Links

• This episode on dailytechnewsshow.com
• patreon.com/acedtect
• subreddit

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Freedom on the Back Berner(s-Lee)

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