Another infographic “explaining: the Internet of Things.

http://postscapes.com/what-exactly-is-the-internet-of-things-infographic

What Exactly Is The "Internet of Things"?

A graphic primer behind the term & technologies

“Hey, would you guys like a free, if somewhat dated, helicopter for free or would you like to spend a few million on a new one?”

http://www.bespacific.com/defense-department-military-equipment-distributed-free-states-around-country/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=defense-department-military-equipment-distributed-free-states-around-country

Defense Department military equipment distributed free to states around the country

by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Aug 16, 2014

New York Times – “Most U.S. counties have received at least some military equipment through a free Pentagon surplus program.”

• See also Tools of War in Counties Across the U.S. – “State and local police departments, like the one in Ferguson, Mo., get some of their military-style equipment through a free Defense Department program created in the early 1990s. Below are some examples of equipment obtained by agencies in a selection of counties.”

Automating lawyers.

LegalSifter

https://legalsifter.com/

– everybody has to sign a contract in their lives, but how fair is the contract? Not everyone takes the time to read before signing, and those who do read it may not fully understand it. That’s where LegalSifter comes in. If you upload the contract, the language will be analyzed for any possible red flags. It claims to give you feedback in 30 seconds.

Is this the future or a fluke?

Tennessee Legislature Adds Employee Privacy Protections to “Internet Accounts”

Joshua Sudbury of FordHarrison writes:

Accessing information about employees and applicants via their social media accounts just got a bit more complicated in Tennessee. This past legislative session, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the “Employee Online Privacy Act of 2014″ aimed at protecting employees and applicants from being forced by an employer to turn over access to their social media accounts. The Act makes Tennessee part of a growing number of states enacting similar legislation. Although the Act, which takes effect January 1, 2015, can be seen as a win for employee privacy, it is not an absolute bar to employers using social media as a tool to monitor their employees’ and applicants’ actions. The law still leaves several permissible purposes for which employers may utilize social media in the employment context.

Read more on JDSupra.

Same question. Do they have it right?

Idaho Board of Education votes to protect student data

Idaho Statesman staff report:

The Idaho State Board of Education has approved a policy aimed at protecting public school students’ personal information and data.

The policy, which covers public and charter schools, governs collecting, using and sharing student information.

Read more on Idaho Statesman.

[Details follow Bob]

An interesting article on Kim Dotcom. Is he crazy smart or smart and crazy? (Can you extradite a member of parliament?)

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/17/kim-dotcom-megaupload-new-zealand-interview

Kim Dotcom: from playboy entrepreneur to political firebrand

He was the flamboyant founder of the popular Megaupload site. But when the US got New Zealand police to arrest him on charges of internet piracy, Kim Dotcom began a remarkable fightback

Something to share with my Criminal Justice students?

Cell Phone Guide For US Protesters, Updated 2014 Edition

From EFF:

With major protests in the news again, we decided it’s time to update our cell phone guide for protestors. A lot has changed since we last published this report in 2011, for better and for worse. On the one hand, we’ve learned more about the massive volume of law enforcement requests for cell phone—ranging from location information to actual content—and widespread use of dedicated cell phone surveillance technologies. On the other hand, strong Supreme Court opinions have eliminated any ambiguity about the unconstitutionality of warrantless searches of phones incident to arrest, and a growing national consensus says location data, too, is private.

Protesters want to be able to communicate, to document the protests, and to share photos and video with the world. So they’ll be carrying phones, and they’ll face a complex set of considerations about the privacy of the data those phones hold. We hope this guide can help answer some questions about how to best protect that data, and what rights protesters have in the face of police demands.

Read the guide on EFF.

We're phasing our Designers, but we'll keep turning out Developers. Infographic

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/rather-web-developer-designer/

Would You Rather Be A Web Developer Or Designer?

In the world of building websites, there are two main groups of professionals: web designers and web developers. Do you need one or the other, or both? Not every web developer has the creativity to come up with eye-popping designs, and not every web designer have the development skills to execute their ideas. What do developers and designers do, exactly. What sets them apart? How do you decide if you want to be a designer or developer?

http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/designer-vs-developer.jpg?4f52ee

For my students who are too dumb to take their own picture? Android

Smart Selfie

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aidedesk.smartselfie

– is a voice-guided photo taking app that uses facial recognition to guide you in how to move or rotate your camera to take the perfect selfie with your back camera. Once your camera is in position, Smart Selfie takes the photo automatically. There is no need to press any buttons, touch the screen, whistle, or give voice commands.