Wise Guys on WHO Radio - May 2, 2015
The WHO Radio Wise Guys airs on WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa on 1040 AM or streaming online at WHORadio.com. The show airs from 1 to 2 pm Central Time on Saturday afternoons. A podcast of show highlights is also available. Leave comments and questions on the Wise Guys Facebook page or e-mail them to wiseguys@whoradio.com.
In the news this week
Twitter's earnings slipped into the news early
And the news wasn't good, causing the stock to drop by about a quarter. The company lost $162 million in the first quarter and doesn't seem to expect profits this year.
Microsoft announces much at its conference for developers
At "Build", the company announced that the upcoming Windows 10 will be built to handle apps originally programmed to work in Android and the Apple iOS with minimal conversion required -- basically, the company is saying it's no longer worth the fight to expect programmers to start with Windows in mind from scratch, so why not just assimilate the competition? The new operating system will also be designed so that a phone or tablet running Windows 10 could more or less serve as a portable computer with the capacity to plug into a large display and keyboard -- it will automatically adjust to the display you're using. And their new Internet browser will be called "Microsoft Edge", rather than the code name "Spartan" under which it was developed.
Customers play tricks on self-service kiosks at McDonalds
One diner in Chicagoland came up with a $25, 4-lb. burger by adding everything he could to his order. The bigger story -- the arrival of self-service at fast-food restaurants in America -- should not go without notice. It ought to reduce errors and either allow restaurants to run with fewer staff members or put their existing staff levels to better use providing a higher level of customer service.
CNN reporter leaves to go to work at Snapchat
Peter Hamby will be hired as "Head of News" in an effort to bring credibility to a feature intended to make Snapchat a little more like a broadcast and a little less focused on one-to-one exchanges. "Discover" is a new piece of Snapchat, introduced late in January, that features video and some written content from CNN, ESPN, Food Network, National Geographic, and other media partners.
Google's new mobile phone service piggybacks on WiFi
When away from a wireless computer network, "Project Fi" switches over to Sprint or T-Mobile, which means much of Iowa is in weak service territory. But for those who want $20-a-month cell phone service plus a pay-as-you-go data plan (and who don't mind having to use a Nexus 6 to get it, Google may be offering an option. Generally, it looks a lot like an electric car: If you're the right kind of user in a particular place where the infrastructure is ready for it, then it may be a suitable choice -- but not really for most people.
Russian hackers got access to emails from the President
The security breach revealed last year is now reported to have included Presidential emails. The bad guys don't have to penetrate the highly-secure system that protects the President's personal messages in order to get through to the messages of his associates, which gives them access to the same information without the effort. You're only as secure as the person receiving your messages. We should want Presidents who understand and use technology, but we also need to know the limits of our own policies to protect us.
NTSB says CTA train crashed at O'Hare because operator was sleep-deprived
33 people were injured in the March 2014 incident. The report says subways should have black boxes like airplanes and should have systems to automatically take over in case the human being at the controls is incapacitated or screws up. Cheap? No way -- costs would probably break into the tens of millions, just for Chicago. But technology ought to be helping us to live safer lives and taking stupid decisions (and mistakes) out of the hands of people who could hurt others.