Happy Holidays!

Net neutrality: The FCC voted to end it. What that means for you!

Last Thursday the Federal Communications Commission voted to roll back net neutrality regulations passed by the agency two years ago. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions.  Click the link at the end for more questions and answers. 

Q: What is net neutrality?

A: Net neutrality, or open Internet, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should give consumers access to all legal content and applications on an equal basis, without favoring some sources or blocking others. It prohibits ISPs from charging content providers for speedier delivery of their content on "fast lanes" and deliberately slowing the content from content providers that may compete with ISPs.

Q: What were the net neutrality rules before? Why should I care?

A: In February 2015, the FCC, then chaired by Democrat Tom Wheeler, passed regulations giving the agency the ability to protect the principles of net neutrality. In the 3-2 vote, Democratic commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel voted yes, along with Wheeler, who was appointed by President Obama, while then-commissioner Pai and commissioner Michael O'Rielly, both Republicans, voted no. The regulations aimed to ensure that all the Internet content you want to access — be it streaming video, audio or other material — would be treated equally by ISPs. Another goal: to give start-ups and entrepreneurs access to broadband networks without undue influence from the ISPs.


For more questions and answers click the link below to bring you to the USA TODAY article by: Mike Snider, Roger Yu and Emily BrownPublished 3:43 p.m. ET April 26, 2017 | Updated 7:46 p.m. ET Dec. 14, 2017

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/04/26/what-net-neutrality-and-what-would-its-reversal-mean/100930220/

What is this Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a new currency that was created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Transactions are made with no middle men – meaning, no banks! Bitcoin can be used to book hotels on Expedia, shop for furniture on Overstock and buy Xbox games. But much of the hype is about getting rich by trading it. The price of bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017.  

- To read the rest of the article By: Tal Yellin, Dominic Aratari, Jose Pagliery / CNNMoney and find out more about Bitcoin click the link below.
http://money.cnn.com/infographic/technology/what-is-bitcoin/

Impressive Series Of 360° Interactive Videos Of “New Seven Wonders” and more!

The New York Times has just published a series of 360° interactive videos on "The New Seven Wonders."  It is included in the New York Times 360° interactive video series called, The Daily 360. Click the link below to check The New Seven Wonders and more!  There are 360° interactive videos on the cutting, placing, and lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, a ride on a New York City Ferry and more. Enjoy!


https://www.nytimes.com/video/the-daily-360

Spam Is Back!

For a while, spam — unsolicited bulk messages sent for commercial or fraudulent purposes — seemed to be fading away. The 2003 CAN-SPAM Act mandated unsubscribe links in email marketing campaigns and criminalized attempts to hide the sender’s identity, while sophisticated filters on what were then cutting-edge email providers like Gmail buried unwanted messages in out-of-sight spam folders. In 2004, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told a crowd at the World Economic Forum that “two years from now, spam will be solved.” In 2011, cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs noted that increasingly tech savvy law enforcement efforts were shutting down major spam operators — including SpamIt.com, alleged to be a major hub in a Russian digital criminal organization that was responsible for an estimated fifth of the world’s spam. These efforts meant that the proportion of all emails that are spam has slowly fallen to a low of about 50 percent in recent years, according to Symantec research.

But it’s 2017, and spam has clawed itself back from the grave. It shows up on social media and dating sites as bots hoping to lure you into downloading malware or clicking an affiliate link. It creeps onto your phone as text messages and robocalls that ring you five times a day about luxury cruises and fictitious tax bills. 

Click this link to read more of this article by Jon Christian 11/20/2017 

Extensions vs Web Apps vs Add-ons

The Google ecosystem provides a wide range of powerful programs to help you do pretty much anything you need. This includes browsing the web, typing a document, creating a slideshow, sending email, collecting data, and so much more.

However, even with all the features in their tools, Google knows they can’t do everything. There is probably some task you wish you could do, but can’t.

To help address this, Google allows third parties to create tools to extend the functions and features of Chrome, Docs, Sheet, Forms, and more. These tools come in three forms:

• Chrome Extensions
• Chrome Web Apps
• Add-ons for Docs, Sheets, and Forms

* To read more from from Control Alt Achieve: Transforming Education with Technology - by Eric Curts. Click the link below!

http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/06/extensions-webapps-addons.html

DocHub - Online PDF Editor

DocHub is a Google App that can be added to your account through the Google App Store. With DocHub you can Create, edit, fill PDF forms, annotate documents, whiteout text, append pages, merge files, add fields and more. DocHub fully supports all native PDF fields, including linked fields. Users are given an intuitive experience which seamlessly bridges the gap between PDFs and the browser. The Field Manager puts you in control to modify existing fields, or create new fields for check boxes, signatures, initials and more!

* For more information go to: https://dochub.com

    * To install go to the Google Web Store and search for DocHub