Computer America

For more about me, see: https://ralphbond.wixsite.com/aboutmeToday I'm available to provide spot project support in PR, podcast production, and general marketing communications. My 10 years of service to Autodesk introduced me to the world of Architecture, Engineering and Construction [AEC] technology. I'm always open to project work in that field.

Computer And Technology NewsTopics:E3 cancelled: World’s biggest gaming event axed because of coronavirus, reports say | The IndependentApple is shutting down all of its stores in Italy indefinitely due to the coronavirus – The VergeYouTube will allow some creators to monetize coronavirus videos | EngadgetCalifornia ends opposition to T-Mobile and Sprint merger | EngadgetEU plans to introduce sweeping ‘right to repair’ legislation for electronics | EngadgetUK to levy additional tax on big tech companies beginning April 1st | EngadgetElon Musk: Starlink latency will be good enough for competitive gaming | Ars TechnicaHow Riot Games’ new team plans to curb trolling before it begins | EngadgetGet your first look at a real Pixel 4a prototype | Ars TechnicaNASA’s future monster rocket is once again over budget and behind schedule – The VergeFor more interviews, reviews, news, radio, podcasts, video, and more, check out ComputerAmerica.com!

IntroductionBefore we get started, you should really follow my YouTube channel, my personal Websites, and if you are curious, my Flipboard magazines where you can follow the things that catch my attention.Subscribe to Marcel’s YouTube channel where you can view the latest editions of the Cooking With Linux show.https://www.youtube.com/user/freethinkeratlarge/ You might also want to support Marcel’s video habits on Patreon.https://patreon.com/marcelgagne “Cooking With Linux” on Flipboard https://flipboard.com/@wftl/cooking-with-linux-oun4gv1ly My own site is http://marcelgagne.com where I talk about whatever comes into my head, including Linux and Open Source software. If you just want the Linux and Open Source stuff, head over to http://cookingwithlinux.com .Today’s WineToday, we travel to Spain for our feature wine. It’s a 2018 Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc by Toro Bravo, of La Mancha, Spain. The Verdejo accounts for 70% of the grapes with the remaining 30% going to the Sauvignon Blanc grapes. This is a lovely crisp, straw colored white, with pear overtones coupled with a lemony zest. There’s also a hint of mustard that follows in behind, giving this wine a great deal more character than you’d expect in a $7 bottle of wine (Canadian prices). Honestly, there’s no way a wine this cheap should taste so good, but it does. Enjoy!News. Rumors. Conspiracy TheoriesThe EU has officially adopted Signal for its instant messaging because “privacy”https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/24/21150918/european-commission-signal-encrypted-messaging Open Source sustainability called into questionhttps://www.techrepublic.com/article/new-study-throws-the-open-source-sustainability-debate-into-question/Latest episode of TIC TEK TOE drops at #011https://tic-tek-toe.com/2020/02/14/not-that-virus-restaurants-stupid-government-oversight-star-trek-picard-bad-science-and-alcohol/ Today’s Featured TopicLinux, Open Source, and Civil DisobedienceI’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about the Open Source community and its willingness to flout local and international laws, sometimes for very good reasons. For example, think back, if you can, to “libdvdcss,” a library that allowed Linux users to play encrypted DVDs on their computers, even though that could bring a felony charge in the United States. Consider that users had movies on DVD that they bought and paid for, and they wanted to play them on a DVD player they had bought and paid for, using a computer they had bought a paid for. Despite following all the rules and legally paying for every hardware piece along the chain, Linux users were barred because the code necessary to allow that to play their legal content was barred to them.So they broke the encryption, thereby breaking the law, the infamous Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. The whole thing was obviously unfair, at least to those of us in the Linux community, so it seemed like a good reason to ignore the law. This law, remember, carried a felony charge.Open Source VR WorldsI’ve been spending a lot of time in VR lately, mostly playing games like “Drop Dead: Dual Strike” and “Sairento VR”, but I’ve also been exploring virtual worlds like AltspaceVR and VRChat. It’s in this search that I found out about Mozilla HUBS, a completely open source VR (social) platform.https://hubs.mozilla.comDistribution FocusI’m always on the lookout for something really new and this month, I have a real winner. It’s called eXternOS and it’s create by a guy named, Anesu Chiodze. The idea is frankly new and very fresh. It’s powered by NW.js for it’s desktop.You can find, and download, your copy here:https://externos.ioOther StuffBonus content!We never have time for bonus content!Until next time . . . A votre santé! Bon appétit!— Marcel Gagné

First Segment: Andrew Skafel, CEO, Edgewater Wireless.Edgewater Wireless is revolutionizing Wi-Fi infrastructure with our patented (over 20 and counting) MCSR™ technology and Next Generation Access Points. MCSR™ is the difference, delivering up to 50x greater throughput vs traditional Wi-Fi and dramatically lowering network infrastructure investment.Edgewater Wireless commercializes leading edge wireless technologies for the service provider market. With a rich patent portfolio and some of the world’s most talented engineers, Edgewater Wireless is developing what service providers and your customers have long been asking for — vastly improved Wi-Fi network performance across a variety of industries and challenging environments with unparalleled performance, high flexibility and unsurpassed security.Topics:INVESTOR PRESENTATION – Edgewater WirelessEdgewater Investor presentationGerman state bans Office 365 in schools, citing privacy concerns – The VergeNew $3 ‘robot lawyer’ can automatically sue data brokers for not deleting your personal info | FortuneDuckDuckGo Made a List of Jerks Tracking You OnlineDoNotPay – The World’s First Robot LawyerScientists break Google’s quantum algorithmResearchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw | EngadgetFor full show notes, check out ComputerAmerica.com!

WORX, Tom Duncan, Executive Board Chair.WORX employees easily find themselves motivated to innovate — it’s a message our President and CEO Tom Duncan has stood behind his entire career.Tom has brought over a decade’s worth of international business experience and leadership to help create a tightknit team that’s efficient, collaborative and known for innovation and excellence.Tom’s mantra: “Our company is winning not only because of our knowledge but because of our passion. It’s easy to work hard when you love what you’re doing. And I absolutely love what I’m doing.”Topics:Landroid M 20V Cordless Robotic Lawn Mower – WR140 | WORXWORX Landroid Robotic Lawn Mower – YouTubeLandroid Boundary Wire Kit – WA0184 | WORXLandroid Choose LandroidPlague Inc. removed from Chinese app stores amid outbreak · TechNodeFirst Amendment doesn’t apply on YouTube; judges reject PragerU lawsuit | Ars TechnicaFor full show notes, check out ComputerAmerica.com!

Swann Security. Jeremy Stewart, VP of Global MarketingSwann has always been a leader. From humble beginnings in the basement of David Swann’s family home in Melbourne, Australia the business now has offices in the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Hong Kong and China and a presence in over 40 countries on 6 continents. Swann pioneered the category of Do-it-Yourself security and is proud of the work it has done to make local communities safer. Today, Swann is part of the Infinova Group, providing the business with enhanced manufacturing capabilities, cutting-edge research and development of security and networking solutions, and access to an expanded international network.Topics:Spotlight Outdoor Security Camera USAWireless Home Security Systems | Swann Security USAInnovation Award Honorees – CES 2020Hackers Can Clone Millions of Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia Keys | WIREDEx-Waymo engineer Levandowski ordered to pay Google $179 million | EngadgetFor full show notes, check out ComputerAmerica.com!

Nathan Evans, Managing Editor, Popzara.Throughout Popzara you’ll find views on gaming, movies, technology, cultural icons and so much more. Reviews and previews, in-depth analyses, opinion pieces, conversations, and a regularly updated Podcast help keep things interesting and always entertaining. Our diverse editorial staff is committed to bringing this cornucopia of editorial goodness in fair-minded and positive ways, with minimal snark. A little bit of everything for the discriminating reader and curious listener is what you’ll find at Popzara.Topics:Xbox, Epic, and Unity are the latest to cancel GDC plansCoronavirus concerns prompt cancellation of Facebook F8 developer conference – CNETFirst Amendment doesn’t apply on YouTube; judges reject PragerU lawsuit | Ars TechnicaFor full show notes, check out ComputerAmerica.com!

Mike Cermak, Techguy.org, CorrespondentUber, Lyft issue coronavirus warnings, but some drivers feel left in the lurch – CNETUber temporarily shutters 240 accounts in Mexico because of coronavirus – CNETAmazon removes 1 million products for misleading claims, price gouging amid coronavirus outbreak – ABC NewsClean phone, happy phone: Get a UV sanitizer for $60 or less – CNETSETI@home Search for Alien Life Project Shuts Down After 21 YearsDid Apple throttle your iPhone? Settlement will give you a whopping $25 | Ars TechnicaTesla customer lawsuit claims company throttled battery range | AutoblogThe PlayStation 2 turns 20 and our readers have feelings | EngadgetFor full show notes, check out ComputerAmerica.com!

Both Segments: Scott Schober, Cyber Security Expert, AuthorScott N. Schober is the President and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS), a forty-six-year-old New Jersey-based privately held company and leading provider of advanced, world-class wireless test and security solutions. Schober also invented BVS’s cell phone detection tools, used to enforce a “no cell phone policy” in prisons and secure government facilities. Scott is a highly sought-after subject expert on the topic of cybersecurity.Topics:“Hacked Again” Softcover Book by Scott SchoberMedia Tweets by Scott Schober (@ScottBVS) / TwitterSecurity Awareness Training | KnowBe4USA 2020 – Cybersecurity Conference | RSA Conference | RSA ConferenceIT Security News & Blog | The State of Security | TripwireWhat Is PIPEDA? And How Does It Protect You and Your Privacy?Robert Herjavec: Phish Takes A $400K Bite Out Of Shark Barbara Corcoran’s CompanyDoD Agency Suffers Data Breach, Potentially Compromising SSNs | Military.comManipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth: Theresa Payton: 9781538133507: Amazon.com: BooksSkim Scan (Official Music Video) for instant card skimmer detection – YouTubeFor full show notes, check out ComputerAmerica.com!

First Segment: Melissa Andresko, Chief Brand Ambassador for Lutron, Caseta.Lutron designs and manufactures automated light and shade controls for homes and commercial applications. Our story began with the control of electric light in the late 1950s, in a makeshift lab in New York City. There, Joel Spira a young physicist fascinated by the aesthetic manipulation of light, took over the spare bedroom in the apartment that he shared with his wife, Ruth, and set out to invent a solid-state device that would enable people to vary the intensity of the lights in their homes. The result? The world’s first solid state dimmer-and the birth of the lighting control industry.Since then, Lutron has been busy innovating. We hold over 2,700 worldwide patents and were the first company to create a system of dimmer and motorized window shades for controlling both electric light and daylight.Topics:Caséta by Lutron | Smart Home Switches, Lighting Controls & DimmersSerena Shades Smart Home System – Remote Control Shades | Lutron CasetaGeneva Motor Show canceled over coronavirus fears | EngadgetBMW Concept i4 previews 523-horsepower Tesla Model 3 rivalMicrosoft won’t be at GDC because of coronavirus | EngadgetVivo’s new concept phone comes with a ‘gimbal camera’ | EngadgetThe latest Timex smartwatch has 25-day battery life | EngadgetThe Raspberry Pi 4 gets a RAM upgrade: The 2GB version is now $35 | Ars TechnicaOnlyFans says it wasn’t hacked after hundreds of performers’ videos leak online – The VergeHorror story subreddit goes dark to protest Youtubers ripping off writers – The VergeSenate unanimously approves bill to ban purchase of Huawei equipment with federal funds | TheHillFor full show notes, check out ComputerAmerica.com!