Cellphones, tablets and other wireless devices that have been reported lost or stolen can no longer be activated — and therefore used — on most wireless networks in Canada, following the launch of a new national “blacklist” of such devices Monday.
Read the full story: Stolen phones blacklist launches in Canada | Technology & Science | CBC News.
It is now 30 years since I launched the campaign for freedom in computing, that is, for software to be free or “libre” (we use that word to emphasize that we’re talking about freedom, not price). Some proprietary programs, such as Photoshop, are very expensive; others, such as Flash Player, are available gratis — either way, they subject their users to someone else’s power.
Much has changed since the beginning of the free software movement: Most people in advanced countries now own computers — sometimes called “phones” — and use the internet with them. Non-free software still makes the users surrender control over their computing to someone else, but now there is another way to lose it: Service as a Software Substitute, or SaaSS, which means letting someone else’s server do your own computing activities.
Both non-free software and SaaSS can spy on the user, shackle the user, and even attack the user. Malware is common in services and proprietary software products because the users don’t have control over them. That’s the fundamental issue: while non-free software and SaaSS are controlled by some other entity (typically a corporation or a state), free software is controlled by its users.
Why does this control matter? Because freedom means having control over your own life.
If you use a program to carry out activities in your life, your freedom depends on your having control over the program. You deserve to have control over the programs you use, and all the more so when you use them for something important in your life.
Read the full story: Why Free Software Is More Important Now Than Ever Before | Richard Stallman | Wired.com
Each year, reports on employee dissatisfaction show workplace issues cause workers to feel stressed and undervalued. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, employee dissatisfaction is often related to employer issues. 43% cite lack of opportunities for growth and advancement. 43% say a heavy workload leads to stress. 40% point to unrealistic job expectations. 39% bemoan long hours.
Creating a more social workplace may be the solution. Opportunities for teamwork and collaboration can help employees stop seeing themselves as individual task-doers and start seeing themselves as valuable team members, leading to a boost in employee morale and, ultimately, motivation and productivity.
Here are seven tips for eliminating employee dissatisfaction and creating a more social workplace:
1. Provide Workplace Perks
2. Offer Opportunities to Collaborate
3. Create Online Communities
4. Allow Growth From Within
5. Recognize Everyone, Not Just Star Players
6. Focus on Outplacement Services
7. Keep in Touch With Worker Needs
Read the full story: 7 Tips for Creating a Social Workplace | Mashable.
There are certain problems we all deal with every day, but don’t know why. Why do I need to keep resetting my router? Do I have a virus? What happens when a site I use gets “hacked?” Whether you’re the tech-savvy friend that’s always answering these questions or the friend doing the asking, here are the answers to the most common conundrums.
10. How Do I Keep My Laptop’s Battery In Good Health?
9. What do Viruses, Trojans, and Other Malware Actually Do?
8. What’s Wrong with Using Public Wi-Fi?
7. Do I Really Need to “Eject” USB Drives?
6. How Can I Tell if an Email Is Spam?
5. Why Are Cables So Gosh Darn Expensive?
4. What Happens When a Site I Use Gets “Hacked?”
3. Why Do I Need to Keep Resetting My Router?
2. Will I Get Caught If I Download a Movie on BitTorrent?
1. Do I Really Need to Care About My Privacy Online?
Read: 10 Common Tech Questions (and Their High Tech Explanations) | LifeHacker
Apple has applied to create a patent for a system allowing authors to sign e-books.
Read: Apple applies for iBook autograph patent | The Bookseller.
Opinion piece.
In light of both author and reviewer behavior, GoodReads specifically has changed their Wild Wild West style of moderating their site and implemented some new standards. Our question is what does this mean for readers?
Read: GoodReads Tells Reviewers to Play Nice (Or Else!) – IndieReader
Other takes:
As GoodReads grows up, it can’t please everyone. Should it try? | GigaOM
Is GoodReads’ new policy really censorship? | Washington Post
The new engine, called Hummingbird, is the first change to Google’s core algorithm since the launch of Caffeine in 2010. Hummingbird, said Amit Singhal, Google senior vice president and one of its earliest employees, affects 90 percent of searches with Google worldwide.
Singhal was careful to note that while page ranking and indexing are bound together in a search engine, Caffeine focused more on the ranking side of the algorithm. Hummingbird is more about indexing.
Read: Google Search now powered by a Hummingbird | Internet & Media – CNET News.
Google has added a new comparison tool to its search results that allows you to compare two things with a simple search query.
The new search option is super easy to use. Just type the two things you want to compare and let Google do it’s thing. Currently, searches work for nutrition info, celestial objects, and a few other things.
Read: Google’s Comparison Tool Compares Two Things Quickly | LifeHacker.
infophile 