I wonder if Homeland Security checks to see if this was an attack on US infrastructure? Shouldn't they at least insist the airline explain exactly what happened? (and not accept, “We don't know.”)

United Airlines Passengers Stranded By Computer Outage

From reader Peter McDermott comes word of a computer outage with effects to dwarf those of the one that stranded thousands of US Airways passengers last week. This time, it's United Airlines' systems that are out of commission and unable to handle passenger reservations, leaving passengers stranded all over the U.S. According to Peter, experiencing the resultant delays first-hand at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., United planes are being sent on — along with their passengers' luggage — to the cities from which they're to leave tomorrow morning, in anticipation of the computer system being fixed in the interim.

[From the Sun-Times article:

The airline said Saturday that the problem had been fixed, blaming it on “a network connectivity issue.”

[From the NBC Chicago article:

At Los Angeles International Airport, United Airlines operations said there was a "nationwide computer malfunction."

… An NBC News producer at LAX reported that passengers were unable to check in unless they'd printed out their boarding pass prior to traveling to the airport.

Think about the implications...

Surveillant Society

One aspect of the Egyptian uprising (among the others, most ongoing) that was overpowered by the wild acclamation of social media is something that has been quietly but powerfully changing societal norms over the last decade. It is simply the inclusion, on almost every mobile phone sold, of a digital camera. When 90% of the active population can, at any time, record an event they are witness to, and transmit it to the rest of the world instantly, many rules begin to change.

“We have the technology, therefore we must use it!” (Fancier than “We can, so we must”)

http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=23470

The media loved the Lower Merion “webcamgate” case but ignores PC Rental Agent case?

June 17, 2011 by Dissent

I continue to be surprised at how little coverage I’m seeing in mainstream media about a case involving software that can and allegedly has take(n) remote screenshots of customers in their homes without their knowledge.

I’ve posted a few blog entries on the potential class action lawsuit against Aaron’s Inc, Aspen Way Enterprises (a franchisee), and DesignerWare LLC. But read Lisa Thompson’s coverage of what a former franchisee employee told the court last month:

A former sales manager at an Aaron’s store owned by a franchisee in the state of Washington told the judge that in her experience, the detective mode of the software, PC Rental Agent, was used not only in cases of “stolen” merchandise.

Some managers stored data that was collected secretly from customers’ computers, said Chastity Hittinger.

She said she had seen screen shots of customer’s bank accounts and Macy’s bills and a photo that captured a woman sitting at her computer smoking a marijuana water pipe.

When asked what the managers did with the data, she said, “They would just sit around and joke about it.”

Hittinger said she worked at a franchisee-owned Aaron’s in Moses Lake, Wash., between September 2009 and March 2010 and then sporadically until May 11, when she left on good terms.

Stay on it, Ms. Thompson, please. Stores have a right to reasonable security, but it sounds like people have no idea that they may be viewed in their homes. And I’ll bet dollars to donuts that customers do not wade through rental agreements to find any clause in there that may actually notify them of this – assuming for now that there even is such a clause.

This could be amusing...

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/2-simple-ways-send-audio-tweets-twitter/

2 Really Simple Ways To Send Audio Tweets To Twitter

Getting ready for my Intro to IT class...

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/microsoft-helps-the-army-avoid-death-by-powerpoint/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

Microsoft Helps Army Avoid ‘Death by PowerPoint’

… PowerPoint is already ubiquitous within the Army — to the chagrin of many an officer. Karle’s mission is much harder: stopping the Army from using it stupidly.

… In December, Karle launched a blog called, simply enough, Modern Presenter, that synthesized his experience giving endless presentations for Microsoft with the feedback he got from Burke and Doctrine Man.

(Related)

http://matadornetwork.com/radar/what-happens-internet-60-seconds-pic/

What happens on the Internet in 60 seconds (Infographic)