Security and Privacy
How to Protect Yourself from Apps that Make Wi-Fi Hacking Simple
How America’s Top Tech Companies Created the Surveillance State – NationalJournal.com
Why NSA Surveillance Will Be More Damaging Than You Think – James Fallows – The Atlantic
“If European cloud customers cannot trust the United States government or their assurances, then maybe they won’t trust US cloud providers either. That is my guess. And if I am right then there are multi-billion euro consequences for American companies.
If I were an American cloud provider, I would be quite frustrated with my government right now. I do not have an agenda here: I am committed to open markets, to liberal values, and the opportunities of new digital innovations. Yet even I am thinking twice about whether there is such a thing as a level playing field when it comes to the cloud.”
Edward Snowden’s not the story. The fate of the internet is | Technology | The Observer
Businesses will move away from US and UK providers.
“consider what Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission, had to say on the matter recently. “If businesses or governments think they might be spied on,” she said, “they will have less reason to trust the cloud, and it will be cloud providers who ultimately miss out. Why would you pay someone else to hold your commercial or other secrets, if you suspect or know they are being shared against your wishes? Front or back door – it doesn’t matter – any smart person doesn’t want the information shared at all. Customers will act rationally and providers will miss out on a great opportunity.””
They Know Much More Than You Think by James Bamford | The New York Review of Books
NASA’s move to the cloud left major security gaps, report finds | The Verge
Activists storm office of Congressman who voted for NSA spying | The Verge
Technology
Even Nokia thinks there’s a Windows Phone app gap of sorts — Tech News and Analysis
Nokia Lumia and Windows Phone 8 – Should I Switch?
Here is the pro Nokia/Windows mobile case. From a strategic perspective, I think it was a major error for Nokia to make themselves dependent on a single closed vendor. At least with Android, they can update buggy software themselves. Here Microsoft has complete control.
Google Nexus 7 Review & Rating | PCMag.com
ATandT’s latest home broadband service isn’t DSL or fiber. It’s LTE — Tech News and Analysis
T-Mobile’s “Unprecedented Deal” offers hottest smartphones for $0 down
Keeping it simple: Chromecast, Google TV, and the zen of a $35 dongle | The Verge
Android tablets vs iPad – the numbers say it all
I see this as a big problem for Apple:
“Strategy Analytics’ latest research shows a significant increase in Android tablet shipments, while iOS continues to decline. iOS tablets account for 28.3% of Q2′s (2013) shipments, which is a significant drop from last year’s 47.2% marketshare in the same quarter.
Meanwhile, Android has gone up to 67% from last year’s 51.4%.”
Did Android 4.3 save my Nexus 7? | The Verge Forums
Tech Earnings
Amazon’s Q2 Disappoints, Sales Up 22 Percent To $15.7B, Net Loss Of $7M | TechCrunch
Amazon reports loss on revenues of $15.7B; highlights Kindle success — Tech News and Analysis
Sprint posts wider quarterly loss on steep costs | Reuters
Fed
“Summers played a major role in creating the imbalances that fostered the housing bubble. He doesn’t deserve to be Fed chair”
2007 FOMC transcripts: a few more excerpts | FT Alphaville
The Mishkin quotes are the most blinkered here.
FRB: FOMC: Transcripts and Other Historical Materials, 2007
Yellen was a lot more on the money than some of the others about the bubble. It helps that her district was hit hard.
The subtle, sexist whispering campaign against Janet Yellen
This piece from last week by Ezra Klein gets at a lot of the problem with the anti-Yellen crowd. This whole political shuffle to not have Yellen is interesting to watch.
“Bernanke’s performance drives home the core problem with criticisms of Yellen: The qualities she supposedly lacks don’t necessarily have much to do with running the Federal Reserve. “
The Bungled Coronation of Larry Summers | Robert Kuttner
The argument here is that Summers was introduced as a Bernanke replacement because people are angling to get Yellen away from the Fed chair because she would be too tough on banks.
Choosing the Next Fed Leader – NYTimes.com
“Despite a campaign from allies both inside and outside the White House, the recent drive to install Lawrence Summers as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve seems to be faltering — and with good reason: He is not the best person for the job”
Some good points here. Remember though that there is the experience qualification and the policy congruence. Yellen should win on both counts with Obama, which is why the Summers thing is strange. From a policy perspective, I understand why Yellen is dovish but I believe she is out of paradigm because QE and zero rates are effectively supply side solutions in a demand-starved world. Monetary ease is not the solution, it is the problem that got us here.
Elsewhere
Saks Deal Is About Land as Much as Luxury – WSJ.com
Junk Bond Fever Building as High Grade Trails: Credit Markets – Bloomberg
Six Unconventional, Scientific Ways to Be Happier
Woman awarded over $18million in dispute over credit report errors with Equifax | Mail Online
Sober Look: Key factor driving corporate profit margins
BBC News – Japan’s industrial output and household spending fall
These data are not good. It is one month but the household spending data were well below expectations.
Thailand bans Bitcoin | beyondbrics
Savers hammered as long-term interest rates hit nine-year low – Telegraph
“average interest paid on time deposits and saving accounts such as one year bonds had slumped from 2.06 per cent to 1.85 per cent in the past month.”
Europe’s banks turn to capital raising to meet Basel III – FT.com
Home Prices in U.S. Increased by Most Since 2006 in May – Bloomberg
This is some serious house price inflation. It has underpinned the US economy. It is not clear whether we are just seeing reversion to the mean or something different.
BBC News – Problems of poverty in Germany
European stall finally hits Swedish economy – The Local
Investment down 2.7%, exports down 3.2%
Obama to propose ‘grand bargain’ on corporate tax rate, infrastructure | Reuters
The president is always ready to appease the other side. This is yet another example of him trying to reach a grand bargain that will never happen.
Twitter / edwardnh: creation of DC’s Memorial Bridge across Potomac, opened 1932
This is a perfect example of infrastructure building in my own backyard. We have a much better infrastructure in the US now but we know from recent examples of bridge and road failure. This is what was built during the Great Depression.
Spain close to emerging from recession but risks remain – Independent.ie
This is what I have been saying. Let’s remember that a recession is only a period of diminishing economic growth. It means a shrinking base. Recovery doesn’t mean good times are here again. It just means that the base has stopped shrinking (at least temporarily).
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