Jobs my students should look at?

http://www.securityweek.com/corporate-iot-implementation-struggling-survey-finds

Corporate IoT Implementation Struggling, Survey Finds

Remaining competitive is the primary motivation for implementing a corporate 'internet of things' (IoT) strategy; but 90% of those doing so admit the implementation is struggling. Security is the primary concern, holding back 59% of organizations with a current IoT project.

Security is followed by the cost of implementation (46%); competing priorities (37%); an intimidatingly complex IT infrastructure (35%); and funding (32%). The figures come from a survey (PDF) published this week by Vanson Bourne, commissioned by the Wi-SUN Alliance, which questioned 350 IT decision makers from firms in the U.S., UK, Sweden and Denmark that are already investing in at least one IoT project.

Banned technology is not like banned books, is it?

http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/05/technology/smart-bag-limits/index.html

Most U.S. airlines set to limit use of 'smart bags'

"Smart bags, also known as smart luggage, have become more popular over the last few months, and they are expected to be a popular gift this holiday season," said American Airlines. "However, smart bags contain lithium battery power banks, which pose a risk when they are placed in the cargo hold of an aircraft."

The bags generally have USB ports where customers can recharge their phones and other devices. They might also have GPS to track the bag's location in case it gets lost, electronic locks and a weight scale to prevent overpacking. Some even a motor to propel the bags so that they can double as a scooter or just follow their owner around the airport.

Airlines are worried that the batteries could cause a fire in the cargo hold that would go undetected. [Nonsense. The fire would be detected immediately, but suppression is not always possible. Bob]

Perhaps those VW executives should not plan on a vacation in the US?

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2017/12/06/vw-dieselgate-executive-sentenced/108374880/

VW exec gets maximum sentence, fine for Dieselgate role

… Oliver Schmidt, 48, was sentenced to 7 years in prison and fined $400,000 in federal court here for his role in the automaker’s diesel emissions cheating scandal. The German national had pleaded guilty in August to two charges in Volkswagen’s scheme to rig nearly 600,000 diesel cars to evade U.S. pollution standards.

“This crime ... attacks and destroys the very foundation of our economic system: That is trust,” U.S. District Judge Sean Cox said Wednesday in sentencing Schmidt. “Senior management at Volkswagen has not been held accountable.”

I wonder if anyone can keep all this law, regulation, conflicting legal precedent, and political nonsense organized enough to predict an outcome. I gave up long ago. Was Pai betting on this, ignorant of it, or aware but indifferent?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/12/06/the-fccs-net-neutrality-plan-may-have-even-bigger-ramifications-in-light-of-this-obscure-court-case/?utm_term=.758d934de396

The FCC’s net neutrality plan may have even bigger ramifications in light of this obscure court case

The plan by the Federal Communications Commission to eliminate its net neutrality rules next week is expected to hand a major victory to Internet service providers. But any day now, a federal court is expected to weigh in on a case that could dramatically expand the scope of that deregulation — potentially giving the industry an even bigger win and leaving the government less prepared to handle net neutrality complaints in the future, consumer groups say.

The case involves AT&T and one of the nation's top consumer protection agencies, the Federal Trade Commission. At stake is the FTC's ability to prosecute companies that act in unfair or deceptive ways.

The litigation is significant as the FCC prepares to transfer more responsibility to the FTC for handling net neutrality complaints.

… The FTC has the power to sue misbehaving companies that mislead or lie to the public. But that power comes with an exception: It doesn't extend to a special class of businesses that are known as “common carriers.”

… Thus far, the common carrier exemption has applied to a specific slice of the economy. But the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, FTC v. AT&T Mobility, could vastly expand the number of companies that qualify for the exemption. In an earlier decision in the lawsuit, a federal judge effectively said that any company that runs a telecom subsidiary is considered a common carrier.

… A company that provides Internet access, such as AT&T, could seek an exemption from FTC net neutrality enforcement by pointing to its voice business and claiming common carrier status under the ruling. At the same time, the ruling could limit AT&T's net neutrality liability under the FCC, because the repeal of the net neutrality rules would mean the FCC would no longer recognize AT&T's broadband business as one that can be regulated like a telecommunications carrier.

In that scenario, neither the FCC nor the FTC would offer consumers robust protections from potential net neutrality abuses, consumer groups say.

One problem with statements like this is that some people will believe them. If public statements reflected the actual policy of North Korea, we would have no choice but to attack.

http://time.com/5053580/north-korea-nuclear-war-inevitable/?xid=gonewsedit&google_editors_picks=true

North Korea Says Nuclear War on the Peninsula Is Inevitable and an 'Established Fact'

A cautionary tale, worth reading.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-12-07/how-rodrigo-duterte-turned-facebook-into-a-weapon-with-a-little-help-from-facebook?utm_source=google&utm_medium=bd&cmpId=google&google_editors_picks=true

How Rodrigo Duterte Turned Facebook Into a Weapon—With a Little Help From Facebook