The Dark Side Of Online Fame
Less than two weeks after posting the video that would make him famous, and less than one week after appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Josh Holz experienced the latest milestone in the viral-fame cycle: The 15-year-old was hacked on Twitter. His account, joshholzz — the original site of the Damn Daniel meme — began tweeting out racist memes on Feb. 27. At some point after that, screenshots show, someone changed the account’s...
Commentary: Companies Have a Role in Stopping Bad Behavior on the Internet
Somewhere in most employee handbooks are rules about online behavior. Those rules don’t seem to be working too well. For proof, look no further than the comments people leave under YouTube videos or blog posts or in back-and-forth snipes under news stories. Look at the hateful replies and invective hurled about on Twitter and Facebook. Internet trolling is ubiquitous in part because it comes with few consequences. You walk up to a...
Report: Wing on Google’s Drone Failed, Caused Crash
A massive drone Google was testing as part of a project to provide Internet service with unmanned aircraft instead of satellites crashed after it encountered an updraft and one of its wings failed, U.S. accident investigators have concluded. The Solara 50 had just lifted off from a remote, desert landing strip in New Mexico on May 1 when it began experiencing control problems, according to a report by the National Transportation...
Forget Power Grid: Worry About Toasters
Hijacking “smart” toasters and refrigerators and hacking corporate ventilation systems are among the new threats envisioned by cybersecurity experts as an increasing array of items are connected to the Internet. The Internet of Things, a movement that seeks to control everything from factory equipment to traffic lights and household appliances through the Web, creates vast opportunities for improved efficiency and convenience. But...
Streaming TV Costs a Lot Less Than Cable, but Choosing a Service Has Proven Frustrating
Like millions of other consumers, Evan Hartstein was fed up with pay TV. The 40-year-old father of two was paying nearly $250 a month for a bundle of phone, high-speed Internet and hundreds of cable channels that he and his family barely watched. So Hartstein and his wife recently ditched their standard cable TV subscription and instead signed up for Sling TV, Netflix and a few other streaming services. Their monthly bill was cut in...
