Flake-Gate

Posted on February 11, 2014 by bvanrysdam

The 2014 Winter Olympics are in full swing and already we’ve seen fantastic finishes, thrilling upsets and stories of perseverance and determination. Unfortunately, most of the social media world’s attention was focused on “Flake-gate”; the unfortunate malfunction which occurred during the opening ceremonies.

Some of the posts are goofy, others are mean spirited. There were even “reports” which claimed that the man responsible for the 2014 Winter Olympic ring failing to open at the Sochi Opening Ceremony had been found dead (and you know they can’t put anything on the internet that isn’t true).

Before we go off and laugh too hard, I would urge Houstonians to remember another notorious malfunction that took place, and ended up dominating a different sporting event. I speak of course about the infamous wardrobe malfunction that took place at Reliant Stadium during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. We all remember the event, but who remembers the game?

Many NFL fans and sports writers widely considered Super Bowl XXXVIII one of the better, if not the best Super Bowl. Sports Illustrated football guru and writer Peter King hailed it as the “Greatest Super Bowl of all time.” The game went back and forth in thrilling fashion and was finally decided on New England kicker Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard field goal with four seconds left, yet it was Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s performance that people talked about afterwards.

So what will we remember from the 2014 Winter Olympics? The amazing stories of accomplishments, or a technical mishap? I think I’ll remember how, once again, a world can come together with different countries and cultures, compete with great sportsmanship and respect, and remind us that it is possible, if only for a few weeks, to believe that we more alike than we are different.

Net Neutrality Dealt Blow (Again)

Posted on January 15, 2014 by bvanrysdam

Your Internet experience could be very different after the most recent ruling on the issue of net neutrality. As CultureMap Houston reported back in 2010, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against the Federal Communications Commission’s attempt to keep the flow of information on an equal access basis. The Federal Communications Commission had attempted to impose penalties based on Net neutrality principles and not regulations.

After that ruling the Federal Communications Commission went back and drew up regulations to address this issue, but those have also been shot down by the same court. They determined that companies that provide broadband services are not required to offer equal access to Internet content.

The ruling was based on a 2005 US Supreme Court decision that broadband services are not to be classified as telecommunications services and its infrastructure is not considered a public right of way.

So what does this mean to the average person? For one, this opens the door for broadband companies like Verizon, AT&T and others to charge access fees to Internet content providers like Google, Netflix and even CultureMap. They could also offer priority access through their networks, ensuring companies that provide streaming services don’t buffer when network congestion is like traffic on the west loop during rush hour.

All this will create additional expenses to those companies which will no doubt be passed along to you, the consumer. And it also opens the door to broadband providers blocking sites that refuse to pay the fees. Without regulation, you could wind up not being able to access sites because they don’t have an agreement with your Internet provider. (Much like the on-going fight over carriage fees between CSN Houston and cable providers.)

So do we rely on the government to create new laws to address Net Neutrality, or do we let the free market play out and let the chips fall where they may?

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler said in a statement that the commission “will consider all available options, including those for appeal, to ensure that these networks on which the Internet depends continue to provide a free and open platform for innovation and expression.” But, much like Don Quixote, the chairman may be tilting at windmills.

The Most Dangerous Person on the Internet

Posted on September 10, 2012 by bvanrysdam

Do Not Click This Photo!

Who is the most dangerous person on the Internet? Turns out it is Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione Granger in the wildly successful Harry Potter series. Now Watson is not some kind of nerdy super hacker like Lisbeth Salander writing codes to destroy your computer’s hard drive and hence your entire life. No, Watson is actually the bait to lure unsuspecting victims to sites that will launch really nasty viruses and/or steal your identity.

The tech security company McAfee is reporting that Watson tops on the list of famous names that cyber criminals use to lure online searchers. Watson is not the only celebrity unfortunate enough to be used to entice people to click into cyber hell. Last year’s list was topped by Heidi Klum (As Heidi likes to say, one day you’re in, the next day you’re out…Auf Wiedersehen).

Men take note; female celebrities are more likely to be utilized by cyber criminals. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was the only male in the top 20. As a public service from CultureMap.com, other risky celebrities to search online are Jessica Biel, Selena Gomez, Halle Berry, Megan Fox, Shakira, Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, and Sofia Vergara.

McAfee advises you to be wary about the sites you visit online to get your daily dose of celebrity scandal. Your best bet is to stick to well-known sites from established organizations like www.culturemap.com. Even so, you still need to practice safe surfing as online charlatans may try to fool you with a genuine-looking URL address that will be sure to lead you into eternal internet damnation.

Electric Owl

Posted on July 21, 2012 by bvanrysdam

Here’s a photo I recently took of a barn owl. I added some filters in Photoshop to the image and came up with this. I call it Electric Owl.

You can double click the image to see a larger version.

Maybe There is Hope for Us

Posted on June 26, 2012 by bvanrysdam

Something amazing recently took place on the Internet. It won’t bring us world peace, or end famine, but it could help restore our faith in mankind just a little bit.

The story begins with an unlucky tourist. Anyone who lives to travel knows how important taking pictures are. You want to capture all the sights from places that you’ve always dreamed of visiting, creating a special collection of wonderful memories. So imagine how it would feel to travel in Europe, take over 2,800 pictures and then lose your camera. That moment of realizing all the photos are gone would feel like being sucker-punched.

That’s exactly what happened to one unlucky traveler who visited Amsterdam, but this story has a happy ending. You see, the camera was found by a good hearted soul who realized the camera held a clue as to its owner, but how to find him?

After looking at some of the photos, it became apparent the camera’s owner liked to have his picture taken (a valuable lesson for those who hate having their picture taken). Still, there are millions of visitors to Amsterdam so what can one person do?

Jan van Cappellen, who found the camera on a train, said he felt like a detective. After realizing he had a picture of the owner, van Cappellen emailed several hostels, and other tourist sites including the Iamsterdam page on Facebook. The photo was posted on Monday and by Tuesday, the owner, Reggie Downing from Canada, was recognized and found still traveling in Europe.

Now, in the grand scheme of things, it might not seem like much, but it’s those little victories that make it feel like we still have a chance.

Was it Something I Said?

Posted on June 23, 2012 by bvanrysdam

So here’s the scenario. A media company broadcasts something the Federal Communications Commission deems indecent. The FCC decides to revise its’ policy in response to the broadcast and then fines the media company for it after the fact. Make sense?

The U.S. Supreme Court didn’t think so. In a rare unanimous ruling, the high court threw out the fines and sanctions issued by the FCC. The court concluded that the broadcasters could not have known in advance, the broadcasts would later be deemed indecent and subject to fines. In other words, they said it wasn’t fair to change the rules in the middle of the game.

The indecent broadcasts included a brief display of nudity on ABC’s “NYPD Blue” and several obscenities uttered by Cher and Bono during different awards shows. In case you’re having trouble remembering; The “NYPD Blue” episode “Nude Awakening” aired on February 25, 2003. Yes, the wheels of justice do turn very slowly.

What the court did not do is free “over the air” broadcasters from the regulations that other media outlets (Cable, The Internet, etc.) are free from. While that argument may be compelling, the government still controls the airwaves and can dictate different rules, even if many viewers don’t realize they are switching back and forth between a cable channel and a broadcast channel. It appears that, for now, broadcast outlets (television and radio) will still have to adhere to the current policy.

In case you were wondering, the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction was not part of this ruling. That case is currently making its way through the judicial process. The government has appealed a lower court’s ruling that threw out the fine in that case.

In regards to the case just wrapped up by the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy said “it is unnecessary for the court to address the constitutionality of the current policy” which means we might get to relive the Super Bowl half-time show from Reliant Stadium all over again. Anybody want to place on bet on how that ruling will come out?

Now granted, the faster technology moves, the harder it is for laws and regulations to keep up. Social standards can also change, causing even more confusion as to what is, and what is not acceptable. Still, it seems like we just wasted a bunch of money. In the last month, the Government has lost its case against John Edwards, Roger Clemens and now this. With a record like that, they very well might end up replacing the Astros for last place.

Where’s the Service?

Posted on April 20, 2012 by bvanrysdam

I’m thinking President Obama isn’t sleeping well lately. It’s not the economy, or the war in Afghanistan, or even Mitt Romney that has him worried; it’s his Secret Service (or lack thereof) that has to be keeping him up at night.

First, there was the prostitution scandal. Agents were in Columbia preparing for the President’s trip when they decided to stiff (insert rim shot here) a working lady on her fee. Now there is Secret Service Agent David Chaney acting like a pre-pubescent teenager posting photos of him allegedly guarding Sara Palin with the comment “I was really checking her out, if you know what I mean?”

Who out there thinks it’s a good idea for a Secret Service Agent to have a Facebook page, and then post pictures from work? Seems like that’s a no-brainer, so how does someone like David Chaney rack up nearly two decades working for what has to be the most scrutinized government agency.

The Secret Service is responsible for protecting the President, but who’s responsible for adding simple common sense to the Secret Service?

Before & After

Posted on April 5, 2012 by bvanrysdam

Had a lot of fun with “Snoop-Dog” today. He had a make-over done and so we posted before and after photos for everyone to check out. We had over 66 like and 10 comments in the 1st hour of it being posted on the Houston SPCA Facebook Wall. You can see more of my posts for them by clicking here.

It’s the End of the World as We Know It…I Feel Fine

Posted on March 6, 2012 by bvanrysdam

Much ado has been made about the year 2012 and the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world. While Doom’s Day prophecies are as common as failed weddings from the Bachelorette, they are largely ignored by most sane people.

Remember Minister Harold Camping? He went out on limb, not just once, but twice (I think there was a rounding error on his 1^st prediction) urging us to empty our 401k’s and get ready for the big end. Sadly for him, he was proven wrong on both occasions.

Other near-famous unsuccessful prophecies include…

Haley’s Comet 1910…Stories abounded about a horrific gas cloud called Cyanogen that trailed the infamous comet (which incidentally was not named for the early rock ‘n roll star, but for some astronomer). Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and years later we eventually were able to “Rock Around the Clock”.

Heaven’s Gate 1997…It’s obvious that Comets play a big role in determining the end of the world. The Heaven’s Gate cult believed that an alien spacecraft was following the comet Hale-Bopp. Sadly, the members of the cult put their money where their mouth was and committed suicide fearing it was their only chance to survive before the Earth was “recycled”.

Y2K…Many feared computers would fail to understand the change from 1999 to 2000 causing massive blackouts, nuclear weapons launching and toilets to stop working. Thankfully, we were able to still flush in the new millennium.

I personally never held much stock in these predications until I learned that Snookie’s due date is December 21, 2012; the exact same date as predicted by the Mayans. Now I always considered “Jersey Shore” to be some kind of preview as to what the end of the world would look like, but I ask you; what are the odds?

You may think I’m being foolish, but I for one plan on cashing in my IRA and heading to Belize to party with the Mayans. If the world is going to end, I want to be with the folks who got it right.

It’s Pinsanity!

Posted on February 22, 2012 by bvanrysdam

Forget “Linsanity”. “Pinsanity” has officially taken over the internet. I speak, of course, about the latest social media craze; www.pinterest.com. It seems everyone these days is surfing the internet and pinning photos of clothes, cute pets, recipes and just about anything else you can imagine to their digital bulletin boards. www.pinterest.com has become one of the top 10 social networking sites, but now cold water is being thrown in its face with accusations of copyright infringement.

You see, most of the photos being pinned belongs to someone else, which could violate the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). The site’s Terms of Service are clear, but some industry leaders suggest that 98% of the materials being posted are in direct violation of those terms. What’s a website to do? www.pinterest.com does have a way for someone to report unlicensed use of material, but appears to do very little in policing the site itself.

To help deflect some of the criticism, www.pinterest.com is now providing websites with code that will block people from being able to pin material. They also limit pin captions to 500-characters to stop people from stealing blog posts. www.pinterest.com has another advantage in that the posts can drive traffic back to the original source and are letting publishers embed a “Pin It” button directly on their website, which is a virtual permission slip for people to share content.

Still, not everyone is happy and one wonders if www.pinterest.com will fall of the way of other sites like Napster.