Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

News Of The Day 12/2/2011

And this is our last day of "regular" news. We're going to be moving towards a different format:

• No more daily roundups. Instead the individual members (and those of you regular readers that contribute articles) will focus on posting news - and analysis - as it happens and as they deem necessary. This will be more erratic, but let's face it, the news is erratic anyway.
• More specialized. We're going to encourage people to post on their specialties.  That means we want YOU to join us!
• All the time. No more news bound to one day - we're going to try and do it as it happens.

And now - the news! In kind of the above format (but still a roundup)

Economics/Geekonomics:
Massachusetts engages in a lawsuit against the big banks over foreclosure and loan violations. This also includes nightmare-shell-org MERS. This might well shatter any settlements out there, and the assessment of Yves Smith sounds like it's pretty tight. However . . .

GMAC said they won't do mortgage lending in Massachusetts and is encouraging other banks to follow. Of course with things like Move Your Money this could backfire. San Jose moves a lot of money out of big banks, there's a move afoot in Portland for similar activities, so bullying like this could backfire big time (especially if it produces a state-by-state cascade).

Geek Law:
HTC and Samsung get hit by a lawsuit over the recent tracking software scandal. Congress, in the form of Al Franken, is already on this mess, so it has a chance to go big and get quite scandalous - and it doesn't help that Carrier IQ seems to have lousy PR. Not sure where this one is going to go, but it seems a lot of companies are worried, so their actions may have impact (or throw napalm on the fire).

Mobile:
Did you notice verizon building a bandwidth empire? Probably not. Well, they are. This could mean plenty of expanded opportunities, as well as additional regulatory and competitive attention. Of course based on the above little tracking incident, I'm betting on more regulatory attention - depending on the political situation.

Tablets:
The Asus Transformer prime is looking sweet though the software doesn't seem to keep up with it. I'm impressed with what I've seen, and based on my past experienced with Asus, this machine has me tempted (and the last time I shelled out that much money was for an HD TV). Based on this and a LOT of other reviews it's sounding like the Transformer Prime is competitive with the iPad . . . except with software. Then again, that's a good niche for your career, isn't it?

The Kindle Fire basically is second only to the iPad at least in the short term. Again "short term" - so lets see what the results are. It's going to promote Amazon, sure, but it could promote non-iPad tablets in general (like, say . . . the Transformers Prime). I understand it's app store is kind of fussy though.

Video Games:
Zynga's IPO is December 16th. I figure by about mid-January the drop of stock price will occur. We've seen this with Groupon (despite a rebound), Zynga's got problems, and the market is too short-term focused. I can't see how this will work out in the long-term (short-term of course some people will make out like bandits). I'm concerned enough about Zynga I'd put them on the "do not work for" list as is, but think a pump-and-collapse of stocks could make them even less desirable. Also, watch what happens to their stocks as it could kill IPO enthusiasm.

- Steven Savage

News Of The Day 12/1/2011

A new month, but plenty of news!  Plus some format experimentations!

Economics/Geekonomics:

A Chase banker describes the Predatory Lending that went on.  Normally I'd be concerned this'd get missed, but as people are more aware of the problem it may increase awareness.  His statements pretty much confirm what most people knew - the system was corrupt, predatory, profit-driven, and had nothing to do with anything but filtering money upward.  Hopefully his story will get more people to come forward about these issues - and as we move into election season, we may see more play about them.  Have I mentioned working at the big banks is probably a bad idea?

Law (Geek Law?):

The Senate is apparently the place really bad bills go, including one that may (or may not) gut the 6th Amendment.  It is probably going to be vetoed by the Predisdent anyway, and it's a legal mess, but it's one to be aware of considering the recent spate of bad policy (SOPA/PROTECT-IP being prominent right now).  I'm almost surprised there's not more uproar over this, but then again that'd go into our pathetic reality-show politics.  I'm thinking any of us with a law/geek law interest need to pay attention here - along with everyone else.

Mobile:

AT&T may shed half the customers it'd get if the T-mobile deal ever goes through, just to keep the dea going.  Apparnelty they want that bandwidth/infrastructure bad and will do anything to get it (considering how they're constantly lambasted, it makes sense).  AT&T is clearly feeling the heat from the competition, and this move might be bad for current T-Mobile/AT&T employees as they shed and reorg.  It may also change things in the mobile market as services (hopefully) improve.

Publishing:

What an incredibly mixed bag of news for Barnes and Noble.  Nook is doing better, they had a loss, but not as bad as expected.  B&N seems to have the strength to endure its hardships - and has something of a strategy - but it's also clear they have problems.  I'm still positive on them for employment - and want to see what they do with their business plans since they'll challenge amazon and may just push the envelope.  But right now, not exactly that great (and no, I don't expect this will lull competitors into a false sense of security).

Video:

Kill your cable?  How about drop your television?  For the first time ever, according to Neilsen, television ownership declined even if time watching is up.  This is getting a lot of attention but the increase in descrease (or whatever) is kind of small, so I don't think we can predict any trend yet (I want to see how this goes over the next 2 years).  This story may get a lot of play and a lot of hysteria, so here it is for the sake of rationality.

Video Games:

OK let's put it simple - Skyrim development tools are going to come out for the PC.  It will be available through Steam and have mod management.  You can also damn well bet that this is something to watch because it's a very public case of mod support for a massive hit (that apparently has a rough map of the entire continent of the setting which suggests planned mod-friendliness).  This is something everyone in gaming has to observe to see what happens, how it's supported, how it's abused, and how it plays on success.

- Steven Savage

 

 

News of the Day, November 30, 2011

Xbox sales speed up while the Web slows down, and is Office for iPad in your future? And now, the news!

Tablets

Microsoft Preparing Office for iPad?: There's no official word from Microsoft yet, but rumors are circulating that a version of their flagship product (well, other than Windows itself) will arrive on Apple's tablet next year. This will go a long way toward legitimizing the tablet as a legitimate business tool, not just something to have fun with - so be ready for big changes if it happens. Meanwhile, for a look at how the traditional version of Office is trying to hold off Google Docs for the love of small businesses, look here.

Computer Security/Web Technology

Apple Issues Patch for Flashback Trojan: Infections of OSX are rare, but they do happen, and in this case, it happened in the form of a Trojan masquerading as a Flash update. Common sense is at work here - don't install any Flash update unless it comes from Adobe itself. (Given Apple's issues with Flash in the past, we're finding it rather ironic that this is the form that the malware takes). Security for Apple may be a more viable career path than you realize.

Are We Building a Fatter, Slower Web?: The average page download size has jumped 25%  since this time last year — 626 kB per page to 784 kB. The main culprit: JavaScript. So here's the challenge - figure out a way to get these bloated sites to slim down and load faster without sacrificing image quality. In an era when more and more browsing is done via mobile devices - both tablets and smartphones - this is increasingly important, and slimmer, faster Web sites will be increasingly welcome.

Film

New Star Trek Film Gets Release Date: The film will open on May 17, 2013 - although it doesn't have an official title yet. (We do know, however, that the composer for the first film is coming back for this one). Given how the original film rejuvenated the franchise, you can expect this one to be another hit - and perhaps revive Trek as a TV show as well.

Video Games

Square Enix Ramping Up for New RPG Project: Dragon Quest developer Ryutaro Ichimura is heading it up, and the concept artwork tends to suggest a game that's closer to Elder Scrolls than Final Fantasy (meaning that super-hit Skyrim seems to be having a very wide influence). It also seems they're aiming it at the post-PS3/Xbox 360 generation of consoles - which seems to be where the industry as a whole will be aiming pretty soon.

Xbox 360 Enjoys Best Sales Week Ever: Fueled by the Kinect, over 960,000 consoles were sold in the United States alone last week, making it the console's biggest one ever - and meaning there's going to be an awful lot of people looking for Xbox games in the year ahead.

Publishing/E-Publishing

Canada's Largest Newspaper Publisher Lays Off 400: It's not just on the American side of the border that publishers are struggling: Quebecor Inc. is eliminating 400 jobs from its Sun Media division, which publishes newspapers across the country. No word yet on which departments are being hit, but rounds of layoffs anywhere in publishing are never a good thing.

Rolling Stone, US Weekly Coming to iPad: Wenner Media, which publishes the two titles, is the latest to take the plunge onto the electronic frontier (apparently, publisher Jann Wenner did a complete about-face on the subject, since he previously said that E-publishing was "crazy"). The publications are expected to make their debuts on Apple's device early next year, with Rolling Stone initially offering an electronic version of its special Beatles issue.

Anime/Manga

Amerimanga Title To Resume Next Year: Jen Lee Quick's Off*Beat was among the American manga titles that suddenly found itself without a publisher when Tokyopop folded. Quick said that the title would be completed next year, though she didn't say whether it would be through self-publishing or if she had made a deal with another traditional publisher. The fate of Tokyopop's international titles have been up in the air - one (King City) was revived by Image Comics, though other artists have still been left hanging. And here's an important lesson - when you sign that publishing contract, make sure you have a Plan B if your publisher goes under, even if it's self-publishing. With the state of flux that the industry is in nowadays, any kind of safety net is smart.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What can be done to prevent the Web from getting slow and bloated? - Bonnie

News of the Day, November 29, 2011

Sega goes Hollywood, tablets of all types are selling like crazy, and cosplayers come together for a cause. And now, the news!

Tablets

Best Buy Sells Out of PlayBooks: The price cut in time for Black Friday seems to have done the trick, as BlackBerry's tablets flew out of stores. They say they're going to get more in "the near future." The lesson here - a Kindle Fire-like price tag will overcome objections to a new and untested OS. (You might want to start putting out those PlayBook apps now).

eBay Sold Four iPads a Minute on Cyber Monday: Reports of the demise of the Tablet That Started It All at the hands of the Kindle Fire are greatly exaggerated, as the auction site reported that iPads sold at as fast a clip as ever during the unofficial kickoff of the online shopping season.

Amazon Won't Release Specific Kindle Sales Numbers: They say only that this Black Friday was their best ever, but they're refusing to release the specific numbers on how the Kindle sold - including the much-ballyhooed Kindle Fire. (This is Amazon's standard operating practice, of course, so it's nothing unusual that just popped up in the wake of the Fire). They have said, however, that sales of the Kindle increased four times over last year.

Video Games

Zynga Employees Ready to Bail After IPO?: The New York Times is carrying reports from several disgruntled former employees who are saying that the company has tough working conditions (although some currentl employees are disputing them). Now, the key words here may very well be "disgruntled former," but we've heard this kind of thing about Zynga before - you may want to steer clear of them, at least for awhile.

Web Technology

Feds Seize Web Domains of Counterfeiters: As part of a Cyber Monday crackdown, the government seized 150 domains of web sites that were selling counterfeit merchandise. Two takeaways from this: Cyber detective is most definitely one of the up and coming tech careers, and if you have an E-commerce site, be very careful that the merchandise you carry is the real deal - if it's not, you could find yourself in a big pile of trouble.

Film

Sega Co-Founds Hollywood Production Company: In conjunction with Japanese company Hakuhodo, the video game giant has launched Stories, a production company that will work with North American writers and directors to adapt Japanese entertainment properties for Western audiences. They've already optioned an unnamed Japanese television show and a new story from the author of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. We're wondering if this is coming about as a result of all the negative press surrounding the Akira remake - if the ultimate result is job opportunities for people who are well-versed in Japanese culture, we're all for it.

Media

Online Video Revenues Triple in 2011: Despite the recent struggles of Netflix, we are not surprised by these figures at all - nor the prediction that revenue could reach $7 billion by 2015. The growth of tablets, including the Amazon Prime-equipped Kindle Fire, is only going to mean that this will grow even more in the near future.

AdWeek Names Best Commercials of 2011: Car ads led the way, including Eminem's Chrysler ad focusing on the pride of Detroit, and the Volkswagon commercial with a kid in a Darth Vader costume trying to move things with the Force. The key to successful marketing, it seems, is out-of-the-box thinking and putting unusual spins on common concepts - and, as in the case of the Vader ad, a touch of geekiness doesn't hurt.

Fox Rides Geeky Programming to Big Ratings Numbers: They're one of two major networks that increased audience this summer, with a menu of old geek favorites like Glee and House, plus newcomer The New Girl, which marketed its heroine as "Simply Adorkable." (Their sci-fi series, Terra Nova, isn't doing all that hot, though). And say what you will about Simpsons and Family Guy, but Fox is still the only major North American network running animated programming pitched at adults in prime time. Okay, mainstream fare like X-Factor and the World Series was a big part of this as well - but you can't deny that the geekier programming was a big factor.

Cosplay

Cosplayers Create Charity Calendar: International costmers have come together to launch a 2012 calendar to raise money for victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Several comic artists have also contributed works to the effort. Buying this calendar not only gives money to a good cause, it also gives support to some of your fellow progeeks, so check it out!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: In the wake of the Fire and the PlayBook price cut, can a non-Apple tablet have any hope of success if it debuts at higher-than-Fire price points? - Bonnie

News Of The Day 11/28/2011

Black Friday News, dark news about the bank bailout, and a cloud over Zynga.  Not your most pleasant day . . . but things may look up for Hulu!

News Of The Day: Economics/Geekonomics:
Sure Black Friday had some good numbers - but look what it took to get them. Something to consider as this Black Friday did see a lot of odd hours, extended deals, and more - and those cost money/profits. So take any numbers you see with a few grains of salt - and keep following this to see what the results are.

The details on the bank bailouts are coming to light. It's not pleasant - and wasn't always public or even explained to elected officials. This is a huge list so take your time reading it. There's a lot of nasty bits here which may affect a lot of public opinion/political actions if the public pays attention.

Technology:
A self-taught computer geek asks how to get a job at Slashdot. Plenty to chew over here for you geeks and computer types who have taken a similar route.

Video:
Hulu Plus May Expand to Germany. This of course helps them take on Netflix in a way - and Germany provides them a relatively unique ground to work in. If Hulu makes it it may breathe life into the ambitious, but erratic, venture, and change competition on streaming video.

Video Games:
There's worry ove Zynga's future and it's not exactly surprising. Internal culture problem, acquisition failures, and a flat release. Of course this is even more important with an IPO coming up - and with the luster off of some current IPOs (Hint: Groupon), it may not help them at IPO time.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:Is the bloom off of Zynga's rose?

- Steven Savage

News of the Day, Nov. 22, 2011

Facebook might be launching a phone of their own, the cause of E-book library lending takes a hit, and Google jumps on the drop-the-device-price bandwagon. And now, the news!

Smartphones

Facebook Enters The Phone Wars: They are reportedly working on a phone in cooperation with HTC that has true social media integration and will probably run a customized version of Android - much like the Kindle Fire. Facebook has clashed with Apple in the past over iPhone/iPad apps - hence, the desire to take them head-on. Consider this one a big "wait and see," because having a big name in tech/social media doesn't necessarily translate into success in the increasingly overcrowded Android market (PSP phone, I'm looking at you).

McAfee Calls Android a Malware Magnet: Mobile security incidents are hitting an all-time high this year, the anti-virus company says, and Android is largely to blame. If you're using the OS on any device at all - phone, tablet, Kindle Fire - make sure you use protection software, and be very, very careful about what you download.

Social Media

Stop Internet Piracy Act Has Huge Online Backlash: The act, which is designed to curb foreign policy but would cripple the Internet as we know it, is being officially protested by AOL, eBay, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Mozilla, Twitter, Yahoo and Zynga - and also protested by a huge grassroots movement, which may be turning the tide of the bill in Congress. (President Obama has already said he'd veto it, but it could then go back to Congress for a second vote). For more on the act: How SOPA Would Affect You.

Paid Content Put Up for Sale: The site, which covers "the business of digital media," and parent company ContentNext Media have been put up for sale by Guardian Media - they expect to get $15 million to $20 million for the property. Steer clear of Paid Content until the dust settles on this one.

Netbooks/Tablets

Google Cuts Chromebook Prices, But Will Users Finally Bite?: Their cloud-based netbooks seemed like a sure thing . . . until the tabletpalooza. Now, they're slashing prices to get them into consumer hands, but they're still up against not only tablets, but the fact that the Chromebook is useless without a stable and constant Wifi connection - which are still hard to come by in many areas. This points out two things - seemingly good ideas become obsolete in today's tech landscape faster than ever before, and universal Wifi services are something that is sorely needed.

Publishing/E-Publishing

Penguin Books Pulls E-Book Library Lending: They're saying that the move is "due to security concerns" - in other words, they're afraid that the loaned E-books will be pirated. This attitude is nothing new in the industry - Macmillan and Simon & Schuster do not allow E-book lending, and Hachette pulled its E-books from library distributon last year - though they are reconsidering that decision. Here is a challenge for people in E-publishing - find a middle ground that will allow these books to be loaned, but still keep them secure. E-book distribution is cruicial to the survival of the traditional library in today's increasingly electronic publishing world - and yet, those piracy concerns are very real.

Media

Has Netflix Overextended Itself?: They agreed to sell $400 million in stock and covertible bonds in an effort to raise a stockpile of cash - most definitely not a good sign for them. They've "committed billions of dollars to new streaming deals over the next few years,"and yet, they "finished the third quarter with just $366 million in cash and short-term investments, however, and with $200 million in long-term debt." And here's another lesson in the contemporary tech world - how quickly a company can go from "Send them a resume, now!" to "Steer clear." It's important to read up on the most recent news of a company before applying - especially one that, until now, seemed like the surest bet out there.

Anime/Manga

New DragonBall Coming . . . Sort Of: DragonBall Episode of Bardock is a prequel about Goku's father that already had a manga and a TV special, and is now getting a three-part anime. This series is to male anime fans what Sailor Moon is to female ones - the title that they can point to as the one that launched their interest in all things Japanese. You can expect this new release to revive interest in the original - again. (Hopefully, though, not to the point of attracting American movie companies. If the Japanese couldn't make a decent movie out of DragonBall, it most definitely stands to logic that Hollywood couldn't.)

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Does the Chromebook still have a shot, even with the price cut? - Bonnie

News of the Day, November 21, 2011

People want Kindle Fires! People want more digital magazines! People want more edgy cable TV programming! We hope you want our news, people!

Tablets

Kindle Fire The Most Desired Tablet After iPad: The very fact that this is being considered a full-blown tablet, not a reader, by the marketplace is saying a lot. If you want one, grab it when the grabbing is good, because they very well might be in short supply after Black Friday - even though the Kindle family is, so far, missing from the site's Black Friday deals.

PlayBook Price Drop for Holidays: The struggling Research in Motion is dropping its equally struggling tablet down to Kindle Fire levels. Not sure if this is the second coming of the HP Fire Sale, but it very well may get some PlayBooks off the shelf (especially to customers who can't find the Fire for Christmas), so designing software for it may not be a bad idea right now.

Consumer Electronics

Consumer Electronics Had a Disappointing Year: Despite the tabletpalooza and ongoing smartphone boom, the consumer electronics industry in general grew only 1.5% this year. The dual causes: The economy, and the growth of all-in-one devices like smartphones and tablets, which make the purchase of separate cameras, MP3 players and, yes, even pocket calculators obsolete. (Which definitely does not bode well for future handheld gaming devices).

Computer Technology

Microsoft and Google Veteran Creates '21st Century Linux': Mark Lucovsky has created Cloud Foundry, which allows software developers to build Web applications, upload them and scale them to more and more users as time goes by - without having to worry about the competing infrastructure that runs beneath them. Oh, and the code is open-source - hence the comparison to Linux. Web and software developers should most definitely pay attention to this - Lucovsky is a name in the tech industry (he's best known for inciting Steve Ballmer to throw a chair-flinging temper tantrum when he told him he was departing for Google) and the fact that it's open-source will make it tempting to many designers. (Remember, kids, the open-source Linux ultimately resulted in Android, which powers all those Kindle Fires that are about to disappear from the shelves).

Publishing/E-Publishing

Readers Demand More iPad Mags: Publishers have been cautious about jumping fully into the cyberwaters, but a new survey of people who've sampled electronic publishing for the iPad shows that an astonishing two-thirds of them want to spend more time reading digital publications in the coming year. If you've got a good idea for a digital publication, there has never been a better time to launch it, when demand is high and enthusiasm from the majors is meh.

The Atlantic's Digital Ad Revenue Surpasses Its Print Counterpart: The Atlantic Monthly seems like it's been around forever, and in a way, it has - the publication, which was co-founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson, recently marked its 154th anniversary. However, they've gone very, very modern, with its digital version now officially more successful than traditional print, at least as far as ad dollars are concerned. (See what we said above about this being a very good time to get into digital publishing).

Telelvision

Showtime Orders Two More Seasons of Dexter: Remember how we said last week that NBC's Hannibal series sounds like they have Dexter envy? Showtime apparently recognizes the value of their serial-killer-next-door property, as they've put out an offer for more of the bloody mayhem. Seems that cable is definitely the place to bring your edgier ideas nowadays - so you can sit back and watch the traditional networks try to jump on your bandwagon. (Meanwhile, another cable phenomenon, Game of Thrones, has cast Edward Dogliani as the Lord of Bones).

Film

New Twilight Film Barely Misses Record for the Franchise: Yes, I know a lot of you are gagging at the very mention of Sparklepires, but think of this: The success of Twilight might make Hollywood more open to the idea of making film series out of book series with strong cult followings. They already have Hunger Games coming up, and others may follow. (Meanwhile, the other big film news to come along this week is that the Happy Feet sequel performed far below expectations. Maybe the dual trends of 3-D for family films and computer animation from companies that are not Pixar are finally petering out - any hiring boom at 3-D animation films may be going bust quickly).

QUESTON OF THE DAY: What types of publications are most likely to have success as electronic versions? - Bonnie

Survey Sunday: News You Can Use

Hey all, it's another Survey Sunday, and we're asking you ways we can do/improve our news coverage:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XYCWQGM

- Steven Savage

News Of The Day 11/18/2011

RIM gets weirder, Minecraft is out, and . . . well Nerd dating shows. Let's get to the news!

Economics/Geekonomics:
How many mortgages are underwater in your state. Helfpul, depressing, interactive graphic. Wow, is Nevada screwed . . .

Sign of the times? Anonymous job search site Please Poach Me. Not sure what to think, but interesting.

Culture:
TLC orders a nerd dating reality show. I got nothing.

News:
Some fascinating thoughts on media, the press, and what news is in the internet age.

RIM:
OK, I admit it. I'm confused. three banks have upgraded RIM's outlook. Playbook sales are high thanks to deep discounts.

Video Games:
Minecraft has gone gold. I'll wait here while you get it.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: So, fine, what IS going to happen to RIM?

- Steven Savage

News of the Day, November 17, 2011

Sony is out to Kill Your Cable, Android malware is out to kill your phone, and journalists want to kill the Stop Online Piracy Act. Hey, don't kill us - we just bring you the news!

Media

Sony Considering Net-Based Rival to Cable: Kill Your Cable is getting a boost from within the media industry, it seems. Sony is the latest tech giant to announce that they might be developing a system that would be a rival to traditional cable television - only this one would be delivered over the Internet, not over more conventional satellite-and-wire channels. (Of course, considering how many people use their cable companies as their high-speed Internet providers, it's questionable whether the whole "Kill Your Cable" movement truly hurts the cable companies - it's more like "Give your cable company a slightly different job.") Given that it's Sony, they just might pull it off - and the question now is if Apple is going to be joining this fray next.

Tablets

A Guide to the Tablet Landscape: Yes, there's a lot more than the iPad and the Fire out there, and the landscape is about to get very crowded in the near future. The pricing, as you can see, is still all over the place - don't expect any model priced over the $300 mark that doesn't have a lower-case "i" in its name to last very long.

Computer Technology

HP Enters The Super-Thin Laptop Fray: Undaunted by their bad experience in the tablet market, they've now joined the ranks of PC makers turning out ultra-slim "Ultrabooks." The Folio clocks in at under $1,000 ($899, to be precise) and offers a 128GB solid-state drive and an Intel Core i5 C. Look for a parade of these laptops to hit stores very quickly - and this may be the boost HP needs to regain its footing.

Qualcomm Sees Snapdragon-Powered PCs Coming Next Year: Snapdragon is a chip made by Qualcomm that combines an application processor with a cellular radio, and they're usually found in mobile devices. However, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said he sees the devices as being at the centerpiece of Windows 8-powered PCs that would bring a tablet-like experience to a PC environment. (The catch: Snapdragon machines wouldn't be backwards-compatible with earlier versions of Windows software). If this goes through, it will definitely signal a massive change in PC environments - stay tuned if you're a software designer.

Mozilla Tackles Memory Leaks in Firefox Add-Ons: Add-ons are one of the biggest attractions of Firefox (how many LJ users use the program just because of LJ Login?), but they can also be very troublesome in the erratic way they behave. The Mozilla Mothership has launched an initiative to bring this under control - pay attention if you plan to design add-onls yourself.

Smartphones

Android Leads the Way in Mobile Malware: Android malware is up an astonishing 472%  since this past July, according to Juniper Networks. Most of the apps are spyware, while a good chunk of the rest are SMS Trojans, which send SMS messages to premium-rate phone numbers. The bottom line: If you're using an Android phone or tablet, take the same precautions you would with a Windows PC: be extremely careful what you download, and use a security program.

E-Publishing/Publishing

Book Country Launches Self-Publishing Platform: This is an online writing community sponsored by Penguin Books. It's a combination of self-publisher and social network - writers can not only upload their works for publication, but they can also get feedback, help and advice from other writers. Since self-publishing has now gained respectability in the industry, hopefully Penguin will have more success with this than Harlequin's initial problem-plagued attempt at self-publishing. For people planning to self-publish for the first time, this might be worth looking into.

How the Stop Online Piracy Act Could Affect Journalists: This is a bill currently being heard by Congress which, according to the New York Times, "would empower the attorney general to create a blacklist of sites to be blocked by Internet service providers, search engines, payment providers and advertising networks, all without a court hearing or a trial. [SOPA] goes further, allowing private companies to sue service providers for even briefly and unknowingly hosting content that infringes on copyright." If the law goes through, the implications could be massive - articles could be censored if they contain links to sources considered questionable copyright-wise (like a YouTube video). This issue is worth looking into for everyone in the geekonomy, but especially those in the media and publishing fields.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Will the Stop Online Piracy Act get through, or will public backlash kill it? - Bonnie