Why I unplugged my home landline phone

Every form of electronic communications has been ruined by marketers and scammers.
People today can’t find peace from frequent phone calls, texts and emails from businesses and individuals trying to sell you something or worse, scam you. They interrupt your day, waste your time and annoy you.
This week, I unplugged my home landline phone because of non-stop spam calls.
I looked into blocking the callers from my service, Verizon, but the callers use too many different numbers, probably through spoofing.
Unfortunately the callers are still leaving hang-up voicemails on my service. The voicemails last a couple of seconds before the disconnect. And I have to manually delete them.
My wireless service, AT&T, and my Apple iPhone do a better job of blocking or silencing suspicious unknown callers. But I still get quite a few spam or phishing texts though.
And don’t get me started about email. My two personal email accounts have been clogged with junk email. I have to devote a lot of time to clearing them out occasionally.

Photo: AT&T-branded two-line corded speakerphone. (VTech)

Birds of Northern Virginia as seen by my bird feeder

For Christmas 2023, I received as a gift a Birdfy bird feeder, which has a motion-activated camera that can be accessed wirelessly from my smartphone. I’ve been having fun observing the different types of birds that show up at my home here in Fairfax County, Virginia.
I’m not going to do a full-on review but I’m generally satisfied with the product. However, I have a few gripes.
For one, I wish the photos were higher resolution. The camera takes both color photos and short videos with audio. It also takes black-and-white nighttime images. The product designers likely opted for lower-resolution photos to save on data storage space.
Secondly, the photo download process is pretty cumbersome.
Also, the product itself doesn’t automatically identify birds that visit the feeder. You have to pay for a service for that. But the Apple iPhone Photos app does a pretty good job of identifying the birds.
The birds that frequent my Birdfy feeder the most are northern cardinals and possibly five types of sparrows.
Other visitors include the blue jay, black-capped chickadee, Carolina wren, tufted titmouse and dark-eyed junco.
Less frequent visitors have included the brown-headed cowbird, gray catbird, mourning dove and white-breasted nuthatch.
I’ll publish some photos in follow-up posts.

Wall Street cliche alert: supercycle

Wall Street analysts lately have been chirping a lot about “supercycles,” or extended periods of growth for companies or industry sectors. It’s become a cliche.
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty on Friday said Apple will be riding a supercycle next year thanks to its highly anticipated iPhone 8 handset. Analysts with Canaccord Genuity, Cowen, and Credit Suisse also have referenced an iPhone 8 supercycle.
This fall, other analysts have been talking about supercycles in fiber optic networking and cybersecurity software.
I’ve seen other articles refer to supercycles in commodities and financing.
I know that economists coined the term supercycle long ago, but we really shouldn’t use the term now unless we’re discussing some awesome new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Apple Maps still suck

More than 2 years have passed since the debut of Apple Maps made Apple the laughingstock of the tech industry.
I have tried to use Google Maps whenever possible since then. But last week I accidentally used Apple Maps and paid the price. The wrong directions it gave made me about 15 minutes late for an appointment.
To get to my appointment I clicked on the address sent to me via email on my iPhone 5S. Because Apple Maps is the default on iPhone, it launched the application and showed what it thought was the address on a digital map.
Instead of a corporate headquarters in Lincolnshire, Ill., it directed me to an address in a residential neighborhood a few miles away.
It was a great reminder to stick with the experts when it comes to online maps: Google.

Photo: Incorrect map from Apple Maps

Apple iOS has become like Windows Vista

Remember Microsoft’s Windows Vista? PC users hated that computer operating system in part because it kept interrupting them with annoying alerts and prompts.
Apple’s iPhone operating system lately has become like Windows Vista with all its damn alerts and prompts. Turn on your iPhone and the iOS software flashes alerts about needing to buy iCloud storage space or to reconfirm your email or iTunes password. It’s really annoying.
I don’t know why my iPhone 5S keeps asking me to type in my passwords. It should remember those after I type them in once. Maybe each iOS version install wipes out the passwords. It shouldn’t, but that’s my best guess.
Here are a few of the many iOS messages I’ve gotten on my phone recently.

Not Enough Storage.
This alert comes with a handy button to buy some iCloud storage. Thanks, but no thanks.

iPhone Not Backed Up.
I know, I know. I’ve been meaning to do that.

iCloud Backup: This iPhone hasn’t been backed up in 3 weeks.
Probably because I don’t have enough iCloud storage.

Cannot connect to iTunes Store.
Why not? I’ve got Wi-Fi and cellular data service.

Location Accuracy: Turning on Wi-Fi will improve location accuracy.
It will also drain my battery when I’m out and about. So, no.

Photo Stream cannot be accessed.
Why the hell not?

Sign in to iMessage.

Sign in to iCloud.

Sign in to iTunes Store.

Software Update.
Here we go again.

Artificial intelligence programs in pop culture

Microsoft on Wednesday announced a voice-response personal assistant program for its Windows Phones. The software gets its name and voice from the artificial intelligence character Cortana from the “Halo” video game series.
That got me thinking about all the cool virtual personal assistant characters in movies, TV shows and elsewhere.
What follows is a list of some prominent ones that come to mind.

Cortana 

Cortana is an artificially intelligent character in the “Halo” video game series. She appears as a sexy blue hologram and aids hero Master Chief in his quest to destroy alien enemies.
Voice actress Jen Taylor performs the character for the video games and Microsoft’s Cortana software program.

Samantha 

Samantha is a talking operating system with artificial intelligence from the science-fiction movie “Her” (2013). Voiced by actress Scarlett Johansson, Samantha is designed to adapt and evolve. The main character in the film ends up forming a romantic bond with Samantha.

Siri 

Apple fueled the current interest in voice-controlled personal assistants with its Siri software, introduced in October 2011 as a feature of the iPhone 4S.
The original voice of Siri was American voice-over artist Susan Bennett.
BuzzFeed saw similarities between Siri and Samantha and quizzed Siri about whether they were one in the same. It posted Siri’s humorous responses in a Jan. 5 article. App Advice also wrote about the interaction.

HAL 9000 

The murderous HAL 9000 computer in the sci-fi movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) was among the first pop culture depictions of AI.
HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is a sentient computer that controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with the ship’s astronaut crew. HAL is visually represented as a red video camera eye located on equipment panels throughout the ship.
HAL 9000 was voiced by Canadian actor and narrator Douglas Rain.

Mother 

Another evil spaceship computer was depicted in the sci-fi horror film “Alien” (1979). MU-TH-UR 6000, known by the crew as “Mother,” is the artificial intelligence of the cargo ship Nostromo. Helen Horton was the voice of Mother.

KITT 

A more helpful AI program was KITT from the television series “Knight Rider” (1982-86). KITT is a computer with artificial intelligence that controls a nearly indestructible car and assists crime fighter Michael Knight, played by David Hasselhoff.
KITT, short for Knight Industries Two Thousand, was voiced by actor William Daniels.

Edgar

Edgar is an artificially intelligent home computer program in the movie “Electric Dreams” (1984). Edgar, voiced by actor Bud Cort, falls in love with his owner’s neighbor, played by Virginia Madsen.

The Doctor 

The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram Mark I (or EMH for short), was a character from the television series “Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001). He was played by actor Robert Picardo.

JARVIS 

JARVIS is the artificially intelligent computer that assists billionaire inventor Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in the Marvel movies. JARVIS, voiced in the movies by Paul Bethany, runs the computer systems in Stark’s home and his Iron Man armors.
 

Apple predicted to come out with camera, TV, iOS PC in 2013

Some analysts try to figure out what new products Apple is developing based on reports from component suppliers and other sources. Others just talk out of their asses.
Here’s a second batch of tech industry predictions from around the Web, this time dealing with Apple. Whether these predictions are born of insider knowledge or complete bullshit, I can only guess.

2013 tech predictions, part two:

1. Apple launches iOS-based PC

Apple will come out with a hybrid tablet-notebook PC running its iOS mobile operating system, says Tim Bajarin, tech industry analyst and president of Creative Strategies, writing on Tech.pinions.
“Imagine a sleekly designed hybrid that perhaps has the design lines of the MacBook Air but the iPad screen detaches from its ultra-thin keyboard. For lack of a better term, I call it the Macbook AirPad or iPadAir,” Bajarin said.
Bajarin admits that he’s “going out on a limb” with that prediction. But if Google Android and Microsoft Windows tablet-laptop combos catch on, Apple could be forced to enter the market, he says.
Berenberg Capital Markets technology hardware analyst Adnaan Ahmad also thinks Apple will launch a “MacBook Air with iOS functionality.”

2. Apple debuts iOS-based camera

Apple’s next big move into consumer electronics could be in digital imaging.
Howard Lindzon, co-founder and CEO of Stocktwits, believes Apple will come out with a state-of-the-art camera running iOS software.
“Photos are still the big thing for chronicling life and so I expect more fireworks in the photo and camera space,” he said.
Lindzon doubts Apple will make a television because there is not enough margin or money in that business in 2013.

3. Apple comes out with a smart TV or improved set-top box

Some analysts are doubling-down on bets for Apple’s long-rumored iTV smart television.
Berenberg’s Ahmad thinks an Apple smart TV will debut in the second half of the year. It will be differentiated through a combination of hardware, software and services, he says.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has predicted an Apple television for years. He thinks it will launch in November, cost $1,500 to $2,000, and come in screen sizes of 42- to 55-inches.
Perhaps hedging his bets, Munster also is predicting Apple will update its Apple TV set-top box to accept apps from developers in March.
Cnet Editor Josh Lowensohn wasn’t willing to stick his neck out for an Apple television, but did say a revamped set-top box is in the wings.
“While a full-fledged TV set is a possibility, expect Apple to roll out a smarter set-top box with better ways to view TV programming and control basic TV functions – two things Apple’s current models can’t do,” Lowensohn said. He called it “Apple TV, take four.”

4. Apple switches on streaming music service

Munster thinks Apple will reveal an “iTunes radio product” in March.
Lowensohn agrees that an Apple subscription online music service is on the way. He dubbed it “iRadio.” It would take on companies like Pandora, Spotify and Rdio.

5. Modest upgrades to iPhone and iPad lines

March could bring a refreshed iPad Mini with a Retina display, Munster says.
September could see a “modest upgrade” to the iPhone 5 called the iPhone 5S, he says. And the next generation full-size iPad tablets will get a redesign to look more like the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, Munster predicts.
But Berenberg’s Ahmad made a bolder prediction. He thinks Apple will come out with a “mini” iPhone in mid-2013.

Photo: Apple’s retail store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Victoria’s Secret lingerie models like smartphones, social media

When Victoria’s Secret taped its annual fashion show earlier this month in New York City, I had the chance to interview some of the models about their use of social media.

Chanel Iman

U.S. model Chanel Iman, 20, is hooked on Twitter. She uses the microblogging service “all the time every day” to express herself, she says.
“I love Twitter,” she said. “I use Twitter just to get out my thoughts and opinions on my life … I really do it for my fans. But sometimes I’ll go through all my different tweets that I have tweeted and it’s like memory. It’s almost like a journal. It’s documenting my life and the different points that intrigue me.”
Iman has nearly 103,000 followers on Twitter.
Iman has avoided joining Facebook. Twitter satisfies her urge to share and it’s so darn simple to use, she says. “It’s easy, just a few words and a picture and you’re done.”
Iman also uses Tumblr, which has become a hot platform of late.
“Social media is a big part of our generation and how we connect,” Iman said. “I think it’s a great way to connect with people. I use it every day.”
On the go, Iman uses a touch-screen smartphone from Vertu, a maker of luxury mobile phones based in Church Crookham, England. Vertu is a unit of Finnish cell phone giant Nokia.

Behati Prinsloo

Behati Prinsloo, 22, of Namibia uses social media more for keeping in touch with friends than building her personal brand and interacting with fans.
“I’m not a really self-promotional person,” she said. “Facebook I use more to keep in contact with my friends back home because I’m so far away … I try to keep it for friends and people I know.”
She started using Twitter at the suggestion of Victoria’s Secret officials.
“At first, it was really weird,” Prinsloo said. “I was like – what do I say? ‘Hey, I’m walking down the street going to work.’ But you can use it for good. I hate on Twitter when people just say, ‘Hey, have a great day.’ I mean, use it good. Don’t fill up space on my BlackBerry. Give me something. I think it’s a great thing. If you use it right. It can be an advantage.”
Research In Motion’s BlackBerry is her smartphone of choice because she likes the physical keyboard. Prinsloo says she’s more comfortable with hard buttons than touch-screens.
Prinsloo also has a Tumblr page, which she uses to post personal photos.

Liu Wen

Liu Wen, 23, of China has used a Twitter-like service in her home country called Weibo for about three years. Weibo is hugely popular in China and owned by online media company Sina.
She says she only started using Facebook a week before the Nov. 9 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show taping. “We can’t really use Facebook in China,” she said.
She is using Facebook to connect with her friends and fellow models in the East and West. Like Prinsloo, Liu isn’t much interested in using social media for self-promotion at this point.
As for mobile devices, she has both an Apple iPhone and a RIM BlackBerry.

Photos from the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Return of the pocket watch

Many people today don’t wear wristwatches. When they want to know the time, they just check their cell phones.
Without realizing it, they’ve brought back the pocket watch.
I’m one of those people who don’t wear a watch. I did up until three months ago when my watch broke. I just haven’t gotten around to getting a new one.
In the meantime, I’ve gotten used to my modern-day pocket watch, an Apple iPhone 4.
Everything old is new again.

Photos: Time and date displayed on my iPhone 4 (top); a pocket watch from Orient Japan as featured on aBlogtoRead.com.

10 fun Tumblr blogs

Tumblr is hot.
The upstart blogging platform is easy to use and ideal for posting photos, videos and short messages. Tumblr combines the simplicity of microblogging service Twitter with the visual appeal of a photo or video hosting website.
Lately I’ve noticed quite a few Tumblr blogs spotlighted in The Huffington Post’s regular feature “7 Sites You Should Be Wasting Time On Right Now.” It’s become a new hotspot for Internet memes.
The following are 10 fun and interesting Tumblr blogs, some of which have been featured in HuffPo’s “7 Sites” and TheNextWeb.com’s Tumblr Tuesday.

Hot Chicks of Occupy Wall Street

Hot Chicks of Occupy Wall Street features photos of attractive women protesting at the Occupy Wall Street rally in New York City. (See sample photos above.) Salon.com recently wrote about this controversial blog.

Shit That Siri Says

Shit That Siri Says shows screenshots of funny responses from Siri, the speech-recognition personal assistant app on Apple’s iPhone 4S.

[sic] Humor

[Sic] Humor spotlights examples of bad writing found by a professional book reader.

CAPTCHArt

CAPTCHArt turns nonsense Captcha security words turned into funny cartoons. TheNextWeb.com recently wrote about the website.

New Condoms

New Condoms features Photoshopped images of condom wrappers sporting well-known brands and logos.

Letterheady

Letterheady displays interesting and notable letterhead designs.

Scandybars

Scandybars shows photos of the insides of candy bars from around the world.

Presidential Pickup Lines

Presidential Pickup Lines runs photos of U.S. presidents with humorous pickup lines they could have used.

Reasoning with Vampires

Reasoning with Vampires savagely critiques the poor writing and grammar of author Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series of books.

Replaceface

On Replaceface, a digital artist replaces the heads of Russian generals in famous paintings with modern celebrities. This sample features Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

New logo for Tech-media-tainment

After nearly two-and-a-half years, Tech-media-tainment is finally getting a logo.
Since the start I’ve used the generic text header provided by Google’s Blogger platform. But I recently decided the website could use some sprucing up.
So I hired some high-priced consultants and an expensive graphic design firm, right? Of course not. I came up with the art myself.
Well, you get what you pay for.
My challenge was coming up with art that captured the themes of my blog: things like technology, entertainment and popular culture.
I eventually decided to alter a photo of the Chicago skyline (my hometown) to make it look like it was made of colorful Lego blocks. I used an Apple iPhone app called Lego Photo by the Lego Group.
Like artist Shepard Fairey and his Barack Obama “Hope” poster, I took someone else’s online photo and made it my own through art. I believe it’s a fair use application. At least my source material isn’t as recognizable as the AP photo Fairey used.
The typeface I used in the header is Comic Sans MS, a popular font with a lot of detractors. (See WSJ article and Wikipedia article.) But it was the one that worked best with the Lego background and the themes of my blog.
Sorry, font snobs.

March 24, 2011, update: I've just posted logo 2.0 for Tech-media-tainment. The first one had too much yellow and was giving me a headache. I'm all about trial and error.

Photos: Alternate Lego-style picture of the Chicago skyline (top) and what Tech-media-tainment used to look like.