IT In The D – Episode 57: Comcast’s Internet Essentials, Think Like a Magician, Pink Slip Party and More

IT in the D, Episode 57…what a fun episode.

Great guests in-studio talking about Comcast’s “Internet Essentials” program that helps low-income families get high speed access and even a computer at an insanely low cost, how thinking like a magician can help you in your career, and of course all of the news and information that’s caught our eye over the past couple of weeks since we didn’t have a show on Labor Day.

So let’s dive on in…

09082014Naturally we talked about the massive leak of celebrity photos that happened, especially the parts of the story that the media just isn’t getting into for some reason.

The Home Depot hack, a meteor nearly missing the Earth, hands-free cars coming, Google refunding people for their kid’s in-app purchases and a ton more.

essentials-logoIn our second segment, Fred Eaton, Senior Manager for Government and Regulatory Affairs for Comcast, joined us to talk about their Internet Essentials program.  Some details:

  • www.InternetEssentials.com
  • 1-855-8-INTERNET 1-855-846-8376
  • Open to families of children on free or reduced cost lunch programs
  • Also open to families of home-schooled children
  • 6mb internet
  • Cost is normally $9.95 per month, but its free for six months if you sign up by 9/20
  • Computers can be purchased for $150

There’s a whole bunch more information out at http://www.internetessentials.com/ or, again, you can call them at 1-855-8-INTERNET 1-855-846-8376

10681672_10204873865068829_1448914619_nFor our third segment, we were joined by Michael Mode.  Mike does a lot of things – he’s an entrepreneur who launched NapkinRose.com, he’s a magician who has worked with David Copperfield, and he’s also a speaker.

His talks include how to think like a magician, and how that can apply to your career.  He also talks through his background, and what led him to this point in life.  His early fascination with magic, working his way up through the ranks, his various endeavors along the way and much more.

Great topics, great lessons to be learned here.

In our fourth and final segment, we doubled back on some of the earlier topics, chatted with Mike a bit more.

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Topics we got into tonight…or at least planned to:
The Fappening
It’s not iCloud’s fault, idiots.

Reddit is a hypocritical piece of crap for shutting down Fappening threads, but leaving /photoplunder/ up and running

The guy behind the Reddit threads…is upset that his private information has gotten out and wants his privacy back.  Queue Alannis Morissette…  http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/8/6121039/reddit-user-celeb-leaks-privacy

Respiratory virus: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/unidentified-respiratory-virus-hit-kids-country/story?id=25334106

The Home Depot hack http://www.cnbc.com/id/101964168

Really?  We’re doing anti-ISIS videos now?  https://www.youtube.com/user/ThinkAgainTurnAway

Court rules Yelp can tamper with reviews if it wants to: http://www.yelp.com/topic/detroit-court-rules-yelp-can-tamper-with-reviews-if-it-wants

“hands free” Cadillac in two years.  What can go wrong?  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-07/gm-to-introduce-hands-free-driving-in-cadillac-model.html

You didn’t know how to turn Autoplay off?  http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/protect/2014/09/facebook-app-user-beware-big-bills-as-videos-automatically-play

That big meteor missed us yesterday, but a smaller one cranked into Nicaragua: http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/09/07/meteorite-smashes-into-nicaraguan-capital
(it’s worth noting this is the 2nd time something like this has happened – last year, when everyone was watching a big asteroid on a near-pass, that’s when that one in Russia snuck passed everyone and exploded over Chelyabinsk and injured a whole bunch of people)

The FAA is sending C&D notices to drone operators: http://www.governmentattic.org/12docs/FAA-UASwarnings_2012-2013.pdf

IT hiring slumped big time: http://www.infoworld.com/t/it-jobs/it-jobs-take-summer-swan-dive-249885

NYPD to start wearing body cameras: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/nyregion/new-york-police-officers-to-begin-wearing-body-cameras-in-pilot-program.html?_r=0

Twitpic is shutting down over trademark dispute with Twitter: http://blog.twitpic.com/2014/09/twitpic-is-shutting-down/

Google refunding $19 million to parents whose kids made unauthorized in-app purchases: http://www.cnet.com/news/google-to-pay-19m-settlement-in-ftc-in-app-purchase-suit/

FCC Chairman says switching ISPs is too hard to do for most people http://motherboard.vice.com/read/switching-internet-providers-is-too-damn-hard-the-fcc-chairman-says

Wakie, getting woken up by strangers: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/09/08/would-you-let-a-stranger-wake-you-up-theres-an-app-for-that/

 

As always, a hat tip out to our show sponsor, Logicalis.  They’ve been around our events for a while now, but they’ve stepped up huge to become a sponsor of our efforts, and so expect to hear us talk about them and give them a ton of love in the coming weeks.

Logicalis_Logo

Logicalis is an international IT solutions and managed services provider with expertise in communications and collaboration, data center and cloud services. Employing nearly 3,700 people worldwide with more than 20 offices in the US including two in Metro Detroit.

You can read all about them out at http://www.us.logicalis.com/

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