Reality Bytes - Technology: A Personal Selection

Spot You One: Spotify vs. Pandora

2011-09-23T14:24:00.000-04:00

One recent evening, a colleague sent me the following email: Sitting at desk at office finishing up a few things, playing my U2 Pandora station, enjoying Radiohead’s “High And Dry”! Pandora is a"free" Internet music service. It allows you to create "channels" by selecting one or more artists of your choice. These artists can be popular, rock, rap, folk, classical, jazz; you name it. Even

Baidu-Bing!

2011-07-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

The Marketplace Tech Report had an interesting story (click here)on Wednesday, July 6 about Microsoft's deal to provide Bing searches to China's biggest search engine, Baidu. Here is what is interesting: The second line of the web post makes one thing very clear: "That arrangement means going along with the Chinese government's censorship policies."If this all sounds a bit familiar, it is

Supreme Court Protects Violence - - - In Video Games

2011-06-27T16:50:00.002-04:00

The Supreme Court has struck down a California law that barred the sale of violent video games to minors as an unconstitutional infringement on free speech. Justice Scalia writing for the majority said: “Like the protected books, plays and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideas — and even social messages — through many familiar literary devices (such as characters, dialogue,

Mini-Byte: Cyber-Afterlife?

2011-06-07T12:23:00.000-04:00

Professor Gerry Beyer posted an interesting item this morning about a cyber-afterlife on his blog, Wills, Trusts & Estate Prof Blog. It involved a Twitter user who posted the following: If I die, I want you to use this password to get into my account and tweet “So this is what it’s like being a ghost”. To see Prof. Beyer's full post and the link to the original story at use this LINK.

On and Off the Cloud

2011-06-07T09:15:00.000-04:00

On the heels of my last column about cloud computing, there is plenty of confirmation that the cloud is here and that some clouds may be dark and stormy. Platform Wars A couple of days ago, Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google discussed the "Platform Wars" at D9, the annual All Things Digital conference. Schmidt referred to four dominant players who have used their distinctive platforms

Where Are We Going? (Part II): Clouds

2011-05-18T09:00:00.028-04:00

I've looked at clouds from both sides now, From up and down, and still somehow It's cloud illusions I recall. I really don't know clouds at all. Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now In Part I of this series, I explored the idea that the desktop computer (whether PC or Mac) is becoming less important as we increasing are turning to other devices, such as smartphones, netbooks,

The New York Times Wants You To Pay (Sort Of)

2011-05-16T13:15:00.001-04:00

If you read articles from The New York Times online, you may have established an account with the Times in order to get greater access to the material posted online. Until now, The New York Times online has been more or less free. If you have established an account, you should have received a copy of the following email in March from the NYT, letting you know that this is about to change:

Update: Microsoft and iPhones

2011-03-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

Dead Money Readers in the MSBA Estate & Trust Law Section Newsletter just saw it in print a month or so ago, but in October I wrote a column in the online blog version of Realtity Bytes entitled Where Are We Going? (Part I): The PC is Dead! (Or Is It?) [Click Online Link Here]. In part, the article took Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to task for lack of vision and lackluster leadership in

There's No App for Confession

2011-02-10T14:15:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering, The Catholic Church does not sanction an new app for confession. On February 9, 2001,The New York Times' Laurie Goodstein reported in App Can't Replace Confession, Vatican Says that: the Vatican has turn thumbs down on "Confession: a Roman Catholic App." Goodstein further reports that the application is being sold on iTunes and was developed by American

The iPhones are Coming, The iPhones are Coming (to Verizon)!!

2011-01-13T16:55:00.000-05:00

This is old "news" even to the online readers of this column, but the deal is done. Apple and Verizon have come to terms and the iPhone will be available on the Verizon network, starting February 10. See David Pogue's piece in the New York Times yesterday, which highlights two immediate differences in the operation of the iPhone on Verizon vs. ATT (no surfing the internet while calling and no

Mini-Byte: The Social Science Research Network

2010-12-17T09:01:00.000-05:00

For those interested in finding academic papers on estate planning topics (or a wide variety of other topics), a fine resource is the Social Science Research Network ("SSRN"). Here is a year-end post that I received from Gregg Gordon, the President of SSRN, which gives you some background: SSRN's 16th year was "sweet". The eLibrary (http://ssrn.com/search) has delivered over 41.3 million

Sixth Circuit on Warrantless Searches of Email

2010-12-16T14:47:00.000-05:00

The federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that emails are protected under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution from warrantless searches. The case is U.S. v. Steven Warshak. Here is a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Mini-Byte: Another Pogue Crusade?

2010-12-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

As recently reported here , New York Times Technology writer David Pogue was part of a successul crusade against Verizon for predatory billing practices. Verizon was billing customers for accidental connections that did not involve any air time. That campaign ultimately resulted in Verizon paying $92 million in refunds. A reader has given Pogue a suggestion for another campaign: roll-over

Mini-Byte: Favorite Tech Reports

2010-12-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

I have mentioned in other columns additional, probably better sources for information about technology. I thought that I would you a short list of these sources, as there has been at least one change of name recently, The many of the names below are hyperlinks in the online version of this column, so you can click on them and go to the websites: Marketplace Tech Report - This is a five minute

Building Better Passwords

2010-10-12T14:10:00.001-04:00

One of the weakest links in computer security may be the passwords that we use. We all struggle with how to keep track of the various passwords and PINs that we need to navigate in the computer age. I am as guilty as many, many others. So, let's all take a moment and try to learn something from Mozilla, the non-profit that make the FireFox browser, which has page entitled "Choosing More Secure

Where Are We Going? (Part I): The PC is Dead! (Or Is It?)

2010-10-08T09:49:00.002-04:00

All Things Digital ("ATD") is a rather good website for commentary on technology and the business of technology. It features two Wall Street Journal standouts, Walt Mossberg, who authors the WSJ Personal Technology column/blog, and Kara Swisher, who does the same for BoomTown. A few years back, ATD decided to host a conference about, well ... all things digital. In early June, this year's

David Beats A Goliath

2010-10-05T10:02:00.001-04:00

New York Times Technology writer David Pogue has written for some time about the abuses of the giant telecommunications companies. I have mentioned this in a prior Reality Byte's post. Now comes "Verizon Comes Clean", in which David reports on Verizon's admission that it has been collecting millions of dollars from $1.99 charges it assessed on users who inadvertently connected to the Internet

Xmarks Shuts Down

2010-09-30T10:22:00.001-04:00

A quick post to let you know that Xmarks, a popular browser bookmark synchronization application that I have recommend here in the past, is going dark. Full details on how a successful program is going out of existence can be found at Xmarks online blog. The official announcement and alternatives can be found online at as well.

Stay Out of the Cookie Jar

2010-07-31T18:12:00.001-04:00

The Wall Street Journal has an interactive report on line about tracking cookies. Visits to the 50 top websites will result in an average of 64 trackers being installed on your computer. These trackers, commonly called "cookies", are little spies that send personal information about your computer activity back to the websites that embedded them in your computer. This personal information is

Post-Mortem Internet Privacy

2010-05-27T09:53:00.001-04:00

Gerry Beyer reports today in his Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog blog: Internet Privacy: Something Else to Worry About Post-MortemChristos Catsouras was not allowed to see his 18-year-old daughter’s body after she swerved his Porsche to her death on Halloween 2006. Three weeks later, pictures that the California Highway Patrol took at the accident site were posted on hundreds of

Downloading a $18,000 VerizonWireless Bill

2010-04-30T14:59:00.006-04:00

The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog reported today on the shock bestowed on Bob St. Germain, who recently discovered that renewing his wireless phone service contract with Verizon set him up for a $18,000 bill. Unbeknownst to St. Germain, the two-year promotional period allowing free downloads had expired, and Verizon was now charging for downloaded kilobytes. But St. Germain’s son, Bryan, a

Where Do You Practice Law?

2010-04-30T10:02:00.001-04:00

Stuart Levine reports in his Maryland Business Law Developments blog on a noteworthy new decision by the U.S. District Court for Maryland Court In the Matter of the Application of Cedar P. Carlton for Renewal of Membership in the Bar that involves telecommuting in the practice of law. The case involved the application of Local Rule 701.1(a): in order for an attorney to be qualified for

Supreme Court to Hear Constitutional Arguments Over Violent Video Game Law

2010-04-27T09:11:00.000-04:00

As reported in the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog and elsewhere, the U.S. Supreme Court announced on April 26, 2010 that it will review the constitutional free speech challenge to a California law that blocks the sale of violent video games to minors. The WSJ Law Blog reported: California’s law, originally slated to go into effect in 2006, would have prohibited the sale or rental of violent

Supremely Clueless?

2010-04-20T09:22:00.003-04:00

April 20, 2010 The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog ran a story yesterday on the seemingly clueless questions asked by some of our Supreme Court Justices during the oral arguments in City of Ontario v. Quon. Broadly stated, in Quon the Court is being asked to determine whether there is a constitutional right of privacy that protects text communications when the text messaging is done on devices

I've Just Seen a Face(book)

2010-02-28T19:50:00.011-05:00

Facebook is one of the biggest social media phenomena of the early 21st century. Launched out of a dorm room at Harvard on February 4, 2004 by founder Mark Zuckerberg and some classmates, it started out as an Internet directory for college kids and has mushroomed into a destination where seemingly everyone wants (or feels they have) to be. Zuckerberg's original idea was to replicate on the

UPDATE: Philip Agre Found

2010-01-30T19:55:00.001-05:00

A while back I passed along a report by Andy Craven on National Public Radio on the disappearance of Internet pioneer Philip Agre. Now NPR reports that the police have located Agre: The UCLA police department has updated their missing person bulletin for Agre with the following news: "Philip Agre was located by LA County Sheriff's Department on January 16, 2010 and is in good health and is self

Connected in the Jury Box

2009-12-22T08:14:00.002-05:00

There appears to be a growing problem with the interface between technology and the jury box. In Maryland alone, we have two high profile situations that illustrate the problem. The Daily Record has reported both of these incidents. Both the Baltimore Sun and the ABA Journal have picked up the story. The Court of Appeals recently threw out a first-degree felony murder conviction because a

Is Phil Agre Out There?

2009-11-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Andy Carvin, a technology blogger now working for National Public Radio reports in All Tech Considered on The Mysterious Disappearance of Phil Agre. Agre was an information studies professor at U.C.L.A. that Carvin describes as a "well-known Internet researcher and online publishing pioneer with fans all over the world." Despite this notoriety, Agre was reclusive and seems to have disappeared

Quick Byte: Online Wills

2009-11-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

Professor Gerry Beyer reports today in his Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog on a Wall Street Journal article by Jane Hodges about online wills, Before It's Too Late: A Test of Online Wills, WSJ, Nov. 12, 2009. The Journal article reviews various online will preparation software, using a hypothetical married couple to test the products. Beyer notes that the article has already been roundly

Dying in the Digital Age

2009-11-13T13:41:00.001-05:00

I may not be the first to call your attention to this, but I have written before about the issues associated with our cyberspace identities when we die. Increasingly, we have multifaceted virtual identities through our computers and the Internet. We have passwords for accessing everything from bank accounts, to email accounts, to Facebook pages, to Twitter, and everything in between and beyond.

Can the Internet Help Solve a Baseball Mystery?: October and Rare Film of Babe Ruth

2009-10-11T19:23:00.008-04:00

October 11, 2009. On this Sunday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox lost to the Los Angeles Angels, and were swept out of the American League Divisional series in three games. In 1928, the World Series was already over, the New York Yankees having swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games, clinching the series on October 9 with a 7-3 win in St. Louis. Babe Ruth hit three home runs for the Yankees

Mini-Byte: Reputation and the Internet

2009-10-09T09:06:00.000-04:00

October 9, 2009. This morning's email brought advance notice of an article that will appear in the upcoming issue of Warren, Gorham & Lamont's Estate Planning Journal, entitled "Protecting a Family's Good Name in the Internet Age", by Patricia M. Soldano and Michelle Jordan. I recommend reading the article in full. Here is the opening summary: Today, bad publicity on the Internet can quickly

Mini-Byte: Is Your Cellphone Company "Green"?

2009-10-06T09:15:00.000-04:00

On October 5, The New York Times Blog Green, Inc. ran a report entitled "How Green Is Your Mobile Phone Company?". Citing a study by ABI Research, Green, Inc. reported that AT&T Wireless was the best, with Nextel not far behind, and Verizon trailing in third. Computer and telecommunication businesses are only reported to be responsible for 2% to 3% of greenhouse gases, with mobile phone

Cellphone Users Unite!

2009-09-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

While some of us wait for the day when we can get on iPhone on our network of choice, others are taking the cellphone providers to task for their monopolistic practices designed to suck money out the pockets of users. A leading crusader in the regard is David Pogue, whose Pogue's Posts appear in The New York Times. Pogue was recently interviewed on American Public Media's Future Tense, where he

Microsoft: Looking Backward?

2009-07-31T13:29:00.001-04:00

Jon Gordon ran an interview on the July 14, 2009 edition of American Public Media's Future Tense entitled "A conversation with Microsoft chief strategist Craig Mundie". Mundie is the Chief Researcher and Strategist at Microsoft. He was commenting on the Microsoft's upcoming Office 2010 and Google's Chrome OS. In listening to the interview, however, I was amazed that, if you translated out the

Google Books III - Too BIG?

2009-07-24T10:35:00.002-04:00

On July 24, 2009, The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog reported on judicial review of the proposed copyright settlement between Google and book publishers. As previously reported here, Google embarked on a massive project to digitize every book ever written and was sued by publishers for copyright infringement. The two sides reached a proposed settlement agreement last year. Having sent Bernard

Bada Bing, Bada Boom

2009-07-09T09:49:00.002-04:00

There is a lot of hype out right now about Bing, Microsoft's new search (or if you prefer, decision) engine. I have tested Bing a couple of times, and it is not bad. It is different in some ways from Google, but I am still unconvinced that it is "better" than Google. One of the claims that Microsoft is making in its expensive advertising campaign to promote Bing is that it actually produces

MSBA on Twitter

2009-06-03T08:15:00.000-04:00

As reported in the June 2009 MSBA Bar Brief Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss? March 31, 2009