Wondering what's the CIA doing on Amazon's Cloud? It will be interesting to get more facts. David Passell sends this link to get informed.
Cloud: Pro & Con
Here's a risk that Jim Hamm describes, "Storing 'stuff' in the Cloud has its advantages, but also a real risk, too. Take a read on this article where Google just shut an individual off from his Cloud storage. He hadn't done anything wrong to violate any of Google's policies, but someone or something at Google thought he had."
(Scroll down and consider the logic of those 95 comments already posted on that site.)
"Trying to contact someone at Google to find out why this happened is a lost cause. Fortunately, this guy had friends that worked at Google and they ultimately were able to help him. But thee and me? I think we'd be out of luck if Google shoved us off the Cloud.
"Which brings me to Gmail. For quite some time I've used Google's web-based Gmail for all my email storage. i no longer download anything to my computers or iPad -- I do everything online. What if Google suddenly shut me off from my Gmail account? All of my emails -- both read and unread -- are stored there, not on my computer. Not a pleasant thought to contemplate. I'd survive, but what a pain.
Here's Jim's conclusion, "I would never store anything of value in the Cloud. I much prefer an external hard drive for my extra storage. Could something like this happen with a Microsoft or Apple Cloud storage? I'd guess it's possible. Just something for you to think about when you use the Cloud."
Legal to Post or Not?
If you received the April issue of CostCo Connection magazine in the mail today you’ve seen “The Copyright Quandry” and the sidebar, “Copyright Myths.” Both give very important legal info about posting photos, copying from a book, magazine, or movie. These are facts that our kids and grandkids need to know. Watch for the online copy of April or see if that's the magazine on the rack as you go out the door.
The March issue is http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201303#pg1 On page 13 it has an interesting article on the “cloud.”
LOTS of Info on Cloud Computing
Got a minute? Take a look at this Cloud Computing info. The Tech Visualizer is both a fascinating and overwhelming way to latch on to LOTS of info. The screen slowly scrolls automatically to the side. Click on the Twitter box or video arrow on a picture box to open that site and see and hear a demo.
Security Concerns
Keep up with the latest information on computer security problems. The recent Black Hat conference underscores how vital computer security is, and how much Apple is at risk. Jim Hamm found two articles from InfoWorld that we need to read. This one and this other one.
Here's the parts Jim wants to emphasize, "The author—who, interestingly, is a full-time principal security analyst at Microsoft— observes the following: 'So when I'm asked if Microsoft or Apple's security is better than the other, it's not a question even worth answering. Overall, computer security is pretty bad. Nearly any company can be hacked, with just a little research and know-how.'"
And here's Jim's emphasis: "OS X or Windows—it doesn't matter—one should just use common sense and caution on the internet. As for 'Cloud' computing or storage, I personally would never store anything of a personal or critical nature on a server somewhere. I prefer to have my 'offsite' storage on an external hard drive that I can store where I want."
With all the new devices, iPhone, iPad, etc. along with our personal computers the personal information floating around, available for any hacker is astounding. Thanks, Jim, for sharing your viewpoint.
Free . . . You Just Have To . . .
There's that word "free" and so we pay attention when David Passell suggests we look at this article from ZDNet. One sentence in the article says: "All you have to do is donate 150 GB of your unused disk space on your computer." That gets you 100 GB of Cloud Storage for free.
David comments, "Here is a link to a story that I don't think I would touch, especially after reading some of the comments. Reminds me of the people who drive 50 miles to save 10 cents a gallon on gas. If I want more storage I will roll my own."
Listen to the Music
Ah, time for a break from the really serious stuff. How about some music? Where do you keep yours? Jim Hamm suggests we store music on an external hard drive. He says he's not a big fan of cloud storage or of streaming music from the cloud. There's a lot of useful info and links in this article about Amazon's Cloud Drive and Cloud Player.
Cloud Computing Commentary
Recently, emails from both Ginger Carlson and Jim Hamm mention this article. Its commentary is food for thought on various subjects, but also discusses Cloud computing.