Redbox Instant is history
Forbes reported that Redbox Instant by Verizon shut down this past week after about a year and a half of operation. The service, majority owned by Verizon, couldn’t successfully compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Redbox Instant charged $8 a month after a free one-month trial for unlimited streaming of its movie and TV show selections plus four free rentals per month from Redbox’s ubiquitous kiosks.…
Google releases ‘Software Removal Tool’ to banish harmful plug-ins from Chrome
Lifehacker reports on Google’s new Software Removal Tool, which Google says will scan Chrome for harmful software and remove it. While not a substitute for good security software, Google’s SRT could prove helpful as another line of defense against malware.
In its six years of existence, Chrome has seized between 20 to 45 percent of browser market share, depending on who you ask, trampling Mozilla Firefox in its wake.…
Facebook TOS allow tracking of other Web sites users visit
A Wall Street Journal analysis of the fine print of Facebook’s Terms of Service indicates that the social media behemoth permits itself to track users’ Web activity. By monitoring the other Web sites that you visit, Facebook can more accurately pinpoint which advertising would interest you.
Facebook tracks your Web browsing activity using a cookie, or small text file stored on your computer’s hard drive.…
FTC issues new order shipping rules
Under new FTC rules which take effect December 8, Internet retailers must ship your merchandise within a “reasonable timeframe” or within 30 days if they can’t give you a date. If they can’t meet that target, they must get your permission for additional time or provide an immediate refund.
An Engadget article about the rule change suggests holiday shoppers can breathe a bit easier with the rule change and mentions the “scores of gift givers whose packages arrived late last year.” With the new vendor requirements taking effect in early December and merchants still having 30 days to fulfill your order, the best strategy seems to be not waiting until the last minute to complete your shopping.…
Data brokers selling your personal health information, some of which isn’t accurate
An article in @BloombergNews reports on the firms that collect our private health data and sell it to marketers. Lists include those who have problems with pain, depression, cancer, diabetes and many other medical conditions.
The collectors of consumer health data will sell it to almost anyone, with no concern to individual privacy.…
Another major retailer possibly hit by credit card number thieves
Home Depot admitted that hackers may have infiltrated their network and stolen customers’ credit card numbers. Their Web site announcement says that “unusual activity” alerted the company to a potential problem, and they are “working with our banking partners and law enforcement to investigate.”
Home Depot assures customers that if indeed a breach occurred, “you will not be responsible for any possible fraudulent charges.…
RIP Google Authorship
Of interest to bloggers and other Web content writers, Search Engine Roundtable reported the official demise of Google Authorship. The company dropped author images from its search results awhile back, and this past week, dropped Authorship altogether, saying that it hadn’t proved as useful to their customers as they’d hoped. However, Author Rank remains, according to Search Engine Land.…
Netflix confirms deal with Time WarnerWith its new Time Warner deal inked, Netflix now has agreements with all the major high-speed Internet providers for faster and better streaming. Netflix had previously made deals with Verizon, AT&T and Comcast to ensure smooth viewing experiences for their customers.
All the while, Netflix has lamented that Internet service providers now charge both the customer receiving Internet service and the content provider on the other end.…
Face palm of the week
Phil Plait (@BadAstronomer) reports that the U.K.’s Telegraph ran an article claiming that an asteroid will hit the Earth a few centuries down the road in 2880. While the prospect of an asteroid smacking into our planet makes for a sensational, attention grabbing headline, Plait lays out a detailed description of why the article’s assertion rings false.…
Here are a few cool news stories you may have missed from the past week.
Good to know
A @GuardianTech article argues that artificial intelligence will not turn into a Frankenstein’s monster or take over the world like The Terminator’s Skynet.
The prospect certainly makes for bestselling books and blockbuster Hollywood movies. However, writer Alan Winfield says that too many things need to happen in order for computers and robots to destroy most of humanity, take over the world and usher in a horrifying dystopian future.…