In This Episode: Google dumped its “Don’t Be Evil” promise years ago, but can a new idea to “decentralize the web” work, and keep its promise forever? The Facebook breach affects more than your Facebook account. Tim Berners-Lee’s Inrupt project. And game streaming?
This Week’s Hosts
- Randy Cassingham, founder of This is True.
- Leo Notenboom, “Chief Question Answerer” at tech education site Ask Leo!
- Gary Rosenzweig host and producer of MacMost, and mobile game developer at Clever Media.
- Kevin Savetz, web site publisher and Computer Historian at Atari Podcast.
- Longer Bios on the Hosts page.
Show Notes
- Note that next week’s episode will be delayed a day …for a good reason! 🙂
- In the warmup, this week Randy relaunched his own podcast, Uncommon Sense. Kevin launched a new site with ready-to-go rejection letters, just finished Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, and started the sobering Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath. Leo went camping with his dogs (and wife!) and took pictures. And Gary read John Scalzi’s Head On (Lock In #2), and binge-watched “Maniac” on Netflix.
- There was one hell of a Breach this Week! Randy discussed the Facebook hack, and what it means for your security at sites other than Facebook. There’s lots of coverage of this one, and by the way, the EU is threatening to fine Facebook $1.63 billion for the resulting GDPR violation.
- In a quick followup to the discussion in Episode 39, Kevin notes that the Apple 1 computer sold at auction for $375,000. Both Kevin and Randy claim to be more accurate about their predicted price, but if you listen to the end of Episode 39, you’ll know Randy was closer per “Price is Right” rules!
- Randy talked a little about Inrupt — a new idea by Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of the Web) to decentralize and democratize the web, taking power from big companies like Facebook and Google.
- Leo talked about the Netherlands’ proposal to ban the use of cell phones …for those riding bicycles.
- Gary noticed a new gaming initiative from Google called Project Stream — games played on a remote server with appropriate graphics power, but the controls and screen are at your house. Kevin thinks that makes archiving the past harder.
There was a lot of conversation about texting and biking, with no acknowledgement that it’s illegal in many US states too. Most states define vehicles on the road in such a way that bicycles are included in that definition. Therefore laws against using your cellphone in a vehicle on a public road, apply with equal force to using your phone on a bicycle.