Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC

July 23, 2014 6:20 pm Google in fight to stop global removal of sensitive links By Murad Ahmed, European Technology Correspondent Google is braced for a showdown with European privacy watchdogs over demands the continent’s “right to be forgotten” online is extended across the world, with sensitive links stripped from all global versions of the search engine. Executives from Google and Microsoft will meet representatives from Europe’s data protection groups in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the implementation of the dramatic ruling in May by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The court gave citizens the right to ask internet search engines to remove embarrassing or sensitive results for queries that include their name. People with knowledge of the matter said the watchdogs intend to raise a number of issues, arguing the US company’s response to the ECJ ruling has been inadequate. Among the calls from the group of 28 national privacy watchdogs is the removal of link...

Smartphone Apps Claim To Repel Mosquitoes July 23, 2014 10:47 PM NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - You’ve seen the clip on fans, bug repellent bracelets, and candles.  The latest in gadgets claiming to help fight off mosquitoes, are apps for the smart phone. There are several apps available for download in both the iPhone and Android app stores. One app, called the Anti Mosquito Sonic Repeller, emits a high frequency sound, which the makers claim mosquitoes will avoid.  The description says by keeping the app close, mosquitos will stay away.  The makers say it is not 100% effective, but will ease the pain of the biting pests. “I would like to know if it works.  I would use it,” said Dee Brown. Brown has four children, and uses bug spray before they play outdoors.  But because sensitive skin runs in the family, she says it can be difficult to find an effective and safe product. “I would do my research first to see how safe it is, and if that’s...

DOGS PROVE JEALOUSY ISN'T ISOLATED TO HUMAN BEHAVIOR UPI  7/23/2014 9:46:46 PM SAN DIEGO, July 23 (UPI) -- A new study of dog behavior showed that jealousy isn't a trait unique to humans. Dogs vying for the attention of their owners showcase behaviors that suggest jealousy is a strong motivating factor. Scientists at the University of California at San Diego confirmed their hypothesis by studying a number of dogs and analyzing the way each reacted when their owners displayed affection toward inanimate objects. When owners were visibly loving and affectionate toward a dog-like stuffed animal (that barked, whined and wagged a mechanized tail), the majority of real dogs showed aggression toward their perceived rivals. When owners were similarly demonstrative toward a more obviously inanimate object -- a bucket or pail, in this instance -- only a handful of dogs seemed to pay any mind. In the study, published this week in the journal PLOS ONE, lead author and S...

New leaked Windows 9 screenshots show an operating system PC users can love By   Preston Gralla July 22, 2014 11:15 AM EDT i Two new leaked Windows 9 screenshots show good news for users of traditional PCs -- it looks as if the operating system will actually be useful for them, and not just for those with touch-based devices. I've got screenshots and details. The site myce got its hands on two new screenshots purportedly from Windows Threshold , the code name for the next version of Windows. There's no guarantee that these are real, although a number of Web sites,   including the Verge,   report they are authentic. myce reports that these new screenshots were from build 9795, compiled on July 13, and from the team responsible for interface design and windowed apps. You'll note that the screenshots are labeled as Windows 8, but that's nothing more than a placeholder. One of them shows the new Start menu, and it still looks much like the one that Micro...

Working together: 3 new team collaboration tools Flow, Glip and Slingshot try to enhance the ability of teams to converse and collaborate using a variety of tools. David Strom July 23, 2014   (Computerworld) The concept of how we collaborate is changing. Better tools are being developed that help workgroups put together documents, quickly schedule meetings and chat with each other. When business first started operating online, collaboration was largely done via Internet-connected email, where messages could be sent in minutes. But these days, an overloaded inbox can be the enemy of quick collaboration. Then, starting in the '90s, instant messaging via AIM, Skype, Yahoo and others became a quicker alternative to sending emails. But it still wasn't a complete collaboration package. Today's collaboration environment includes tools for text chats, bulletin boards, video conferencing, screen sharing and scheduling meetings. There are dozens of workgroup collaborat...

7/22/2014 @ 1:23PM Apple Granted Patent For 'iTime' Smartwatch Design Apple has never publicly acknowledged that it’s working on a smartwatch, although it’s widely expected that an “iWatch” could be introduced as soon as this September. On Tuesday, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted a Patent to Apple for a smartwatch concept referred to as ‘iTime’ in the documents, lifting the veil of secrecy on the company’s wrist-based ambitions at least a little bit. Plenty of patents are granted for products that never make it to market, and the application for this particular one was originally filed almost exactly three years ago, but it shows that this is a product category that Apple has been considering for some time now. Because the patent application dates back to a time before the world even knew the iPhone 4S and Siri, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that it centers largely around a “smart wristband” sort of concept in which the actual watch b...

Tesla's Model 3 Will Be Its Best-Selling Car--Despite Musk's Failure To Work Sex Into Name The all-electric Tesla Model S sedan. Tesla-watchers and first-adopters alike last week were agog with news that by 2017 the electric automaker will make a new electric sedan named the Model 3. The Model 3 will actually be Tesla’s fourth-ever model line (that’s if you count the tiny Roadster and the forthcoming Model X SUV) but the company considers the 3 its third-generation vehicle because the S and X are built on the same platform. Which brings up an interesting point of note: Founder Elon Musk had cleverly wanted to name this car the E, so that the acrostic of his models could spell S-E-X. Ford, alas, didn’t take to Musk’s style of humor and, according to him, threatened to sue Tesla over naming rights. Apparently Ford thought the name was too close to its naming scheme for the admittedly important-to-automotive-history Model A and Model T. “Ford tried to kill...