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[fjstechrants]

California has jumped ahead of other states with passage of a bill that would allow for an electronic license plate program — at least as a pilot to start. But some worry about the privacy issues the system, which could change messages on a car’s plate, could have. While still awaiting the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown (D), if it moves forward, the bill would allow for the pilot program to involve 0.5 percent of registered cars in the state and would be completed no later than the beginning of 2017. According to The Sacramento Bee, the plates would be like a digital 12-by-6-inch computer screen. Generally, the plates would have only the license plate number, but the technology could also display Amber Alerts or facilitate toll payments as well. “What fun it will be to see Ferraris with the word ‘STOLEN’ — or Priuses with the word ‘TASTELESS,’” Chris Matyszczyk for CNET joked. Then he continued, “Actually, I’m not sure that last one will be an option. Even so, the sheer instancy and convenience will fascinate many.”

[fjstechrants]

Robots with feelings???

Recommendations: Robot love gone too far

What happens when we program a robot to emulate human emotions? Researchers at Toshiba’s Akimu Robotic Research Institute programmed Kenji, a 3rd generation humanoid to do this and called the experiment a success after the robot started to hug a certain stuffed toy and look for it when it wasn’t around. Unfortunately, Kenji started to show the same affection towards interns around it, and even refused to let one of them out of his sight one evening. The scientists concluded that Kenji’s love for the doll, or any human it encounters is not rational or genuine. They may have to deactivate him after a while. 

To read more about this story click here. 

Visit the Mind Museum and meet our informative robots. Buy your tickets at www.themindmuseum.org.

[fjstechrants]

What is SOPA and why does it matter to you?!

The Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA is all over the tech news lately.  At first, the mere title of it gives confidence of something positive and probably needed.  It sounds like our government is there to protect us doesn’t it?

I don’t think so…

SOPA and its slightly watered-down Senate counterpart, the PROTECT IP Act, has the potential to change the Internet as we know it today, and not in a good way.  Its language is very vague and states power will be in the hands of the entertainment industry to decide on censorship of web sites.  This has to be the worst proposed Internet law in American legislative history.  If you don’t act now and let your senators know you are against it, on Tuesday, January 24th this bill will pass. 

If allowed, this bill can lead shutdowns of  sites you use everyday for censorship, like Twitter, Tumblr, Blogspot and Facebook.  

How Does SOPA Work, and Why Should I Care?

The idea behind SOPA was well founded and attempts to put an end to online piracy.  The issue with this bill is not in its founding idea – which is basically there to protect the entertainment industry from the thousands of dollars they claim to lose every year to piracy by consumers downloading illegals music and movies.  The issues stems from the fact this bill will empower the entertainment industry to block full domain names of websites that are “capable” or encourage copyright infringement.  Even if you posted a copyrighted picture of Justin Beiber on your Facebook page, that can be reason enough to close down Facebook?!!  Its this generalization of words that is the most troublesome part of the bill.

Let’s say FJS Radio has an article that could be interpreted by the powers that be, to be piracy-friendly, FJS Radio will be BANNED and BLOCKED until further notice.  Oddly enough what it can not block is the IP addresses of website.  All websites have an IP address the translates to the domain name you are looking for , which is how you find fjsradio.com for instance.  Most popular pirate downloading site are domain agnostic, so this bill does didly-squat to cease these sites from functioning.  That’s right a bill meant to do one thing, but instead performs another… gee this sounds familiar.

Of course any website can appeal this decision,  as long as they do it within five days.  In legal speak this is NOT a lot of time.  Even with major capital like Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter, it would be difficult for them to appeal within that time frame.  Imagine the smaller site with little to no profit.  

Here's what Stephen Colbert has to say about SOPA:

The Colbert Report

Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

What Can I do about SOPA?

SOPA is on a fast track to pass if we don't do something about it now.  I urge you to read the bill and make your own decision, then fight to get this bill squashed now.  

Click Here for the American Censorship Organization

Companies supporting SOPA as of today (some are rescuing their support like GoDaddy.com)

1.      1-800 Contacts, Inc.

2.            1-800-PetMeds

3.            2b1 Inc

4.            3M Company

5.            ABRO Industries, Inc.

6.            Acushnet Company

7.            adidas America

8.            Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)

9.            Allen Russell Photography

10.        Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

11.         Alliance of Visual Artists (AVA)

12.         Altria Client Services

13.         American Apparel and Footwear Association

14.         American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)

15.         American Board of Internal Medicine

16.         American Federation of Musicians

17.        American Gramaphone LLC

18.         American Made Alliance

19.         American Mental Health Counselors Association

20.        American Photographic Artists

21.         American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)

22.        American Society of Media Photographers

23.        American Society of Picture Professionals

24.        American Watch Association

25.        Anatoly Pronin Photography

26.        Andrea Rugg Photography

27.        Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Initiative (ACAPI)

28.        Applied DNA Sciences

29.        Art Holeman Photography

30.        Association of American Publishers (AAP)

31.         Association of Equipment Manufacturers

32.        Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)

33.        Association of Test Publishers

34.        AstraZeneca plc

35.        Australian Medical Council

36.        Autodesk, Inc.

37.        Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association

38.        Baker & Taylor Ent.

39.        Bay State Psychological Associates

40.        Beachbody, LLC

41.         Beam Global Spirits & Wine

42.        Blue Sky Studios, Inc.

43.        Bose Corporation

44.        Braasch Biotech LLC

45.        Brian Stevenson Photography

46.        Brigid Collins Family Support Center

47.        Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)

48.        Burberry

49.        C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.

50.        Callaway Golf Company

51.         Cascade Designs Incorporated

52.        Caterpillar Inc.

53.        Caveon, LLC

54.        CBS Corporation

55.        Cengage Learning

56.        Center for Credentialing & Education

57.        Center Stage Photography

58.        CFA Institute

59.        Chanel USA

60.        Christopher Semmes Photography

61.         Church Music Publishers Association

62.        CMH Images

63.        Coach

64.        Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP)

65.        Columbia Sportswear Company

66.        Comcast Corporation

67.        Commercial Photo Design

68.        Commercial Photographers International

69.        Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System

70.       Consumer Healthcare Products Association

71.        Copyright Alliance

72.        Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)

73.        Coty Inc.

74.        Council of Fashion Designers of America

75.        Country Music Association

76.        CropLife America

77.       Cross-Entertainment LLC

78.        CSA Group

79.        CVS Caremark

80.        D’Addario & Company, Inc.

81.         Dan Sherwood Photography

82.        Danita Delimont Stock Photography

83.        Dayco Products, LLC

84.        Deluxe Entertainment Services Group

85.        Dennyfoto

86.        Derek DiLuzio Photography

87.        DeVaul Photography

88.        Direct Selling Association (DSA)

89.        Directional Insight

90.        Distefano Enterprises Inc.

91.         Doriguzzi Photographic Artistry

92.        Dolby Laboratories, Inc.

93.        Dolce & Gabbana USA, INC.

94.        Dollar General Corporation

95.        Don Grall Photography

96.        Dunford Architectural Photography

97.        Eagle Rock Entertainment

98.        Ed McDonald Photography

99.        Educational & Industrial Testing Service

100.    Electronic Arts, Inc.

101.     Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA)

102.    Eli Lilly and Company

103.    Englebert Photography

104.    Entertainment Software Association (ESA)

105.    ERAI, Inc.

106.    Eric Meola Studio Inc

107.    Evidence Photographers International Council

108.    Ex Officio

109.    Exxel Outdoors

110.     FAME Publishing Co., LLC.

111.      FAME Recording Studios

112.     Far Bank Enterprises

113.     Fashion Business Incorporated

114.     Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy

115.     Fender Musical Instrument Company

116.     Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA)

117.     Ford Motor Company

118.     Fortune Brands, Inc.

119.     Fred J. Lord Photography

120.    GAR Associates

121.     Gelderland Productions, L.L.C.

122.     Gemvision Corporation

123.     Gibson Guitar Corp.

124.     GlaxoSmithKline

125.     Gospel Music Association

126.     Governors America Corp.

127.    Graduate Management Admission Council

128.     Graphic Artists Guild

129.     Greeting Card Association (GCA)

130.    Greg Nikas Photography

131.     Guru Denim

132.     H.S. Marketing & Design, Inc.

133.     Harley-Davidson Motor Company

134.     HarperCollins Publishers

135.     Harry Fox Agency

136.     Hastings Entertainment, Inc.

137.    ICM Distributing Company, Inc.

138.     IDS Publishing

139.     IEC Electronics corp.

140.    Images Plus

141.     Imaging Supplies Coalition (ISC)

142.     Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA)

143.     INgrooves

144.     Innate-gear

145.     International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)

146.     International Trademark Association (INTA)

147.    IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries

148.     Ira Montgomery Photography

149.     J.S. Grove Photography

150.    James Drug Inc.

151.     Jaynes Gallery

152.     JCPage Photography

153.     Jean Poland Photography

154.     Jeff Stevensen Photography

155.     John Fulton Photography

156.     John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

157.    Johnson & Johnson

158.     Juicy Couture, Inc

159.     Julien McRoberts Photography

160.    K&R Photographics

161.     kate spade

162.     Kekepana International Services

163.     Kenneth Garrett, photographer for National Geographic

164.     Killing Jar Productions LLC

165.     Lacoste USA

166.     Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.

167.    Lexmark International, Inc.

168.     Light Perspectives

169.     Linda Olsen Photography

170.    Little Dog Records

171.     Liz Claiborne, Inc

172.    L’Oréal USA

173.    Lucky Brand Jeans

174.    LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton

175.    Macmillan

176.    Major League Baseball

177.    Marcia Andberg Associates LLC

178.    Mark Niederman Photography

179.    Marmot

180.    Marona Photography

181.     McLain Photography Inc

182.     Merck & Co., Inc.

183.     Messy Face Designs, Inc.

184.     Michael Stern Photography

185.     MicroRam Electronics, Inc.

186.     Minter Works of Art

187.    Mira Images

188.     Monster Cable Products, Inc.

189.     Moose’s Photos

190.    Morningstar Films LLC

191.     Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA)

192.     MotionMasters

193.     Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association

194.     MPA – The Association of Magazine Media

195.     Mr. Theodor Feibel (sole proprietor)

196.     Music Managers Forum-U.S.

197.    Nashville Songwriters Association International

198.     Natalie Neckyfarow Actor/Dancer/Singer

199.     National Association of Broadcasters

200.   National Association of Manufacturers

201.    National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM)

202.    National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)

203.    National Basketball Association (NBA)

204.    National Board for Certified Counselors

205.    National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation

206.    National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)

207.   National Football League (NFL)

208.    National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)

209.    National Retail Federation (NRF)

210.    NBCUniversal

211.     Nervous Tattoo Inc., dba Ed Hardy

212.     New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

213.     New Era Cap Co Inc

214.     New Levels Ent. Co. LLC

215.     News Corporation

216.     Next Decade Entertainment, Inc.

217.    NHL Enterprises, L.P.

218.     Nicholas Petrucci, Artist, LLC

219.     Nike, Inc.

220.    Nintendo of America Inc.

221.     Nissle Fine Art Photography

222.    North Dakota Pharmacists Association

223.    North Dakota Pharmacy Service Corporation

224.    Oakley, Inc.

225.    One Voice Recordings

226.    OpSec Security, Inc.

227.    Outdoor Industry Association

228.    Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI)

229.    Outdoor Research, Inc

230.    Pacific Component Xchange, Inc.

231.     Party Killer Films LLC

232.    Pearson Clinical Assessment

233.    Peavey Electronics Corporation

234.    Perry Ellis International

235.    Personal Care Products Council

236.    Peter C. Brandt, Architectural and Fine Art Photography

237.    Peter Hawkins Photography, Inc.

238.    Petzl America

239.    Pfizer Inc.

240.    PGA of America

241.     Philip Morris International

242.    Photojournalist Dave Bartruff

243.    Picture Archive Council of America (PACA)

244.    Pigfactory Music

245.    PING

246.    PNW Images

247.    Premier League

248.    Production Music Association (PMA)

249.    Professional Photographers of America

250.    Quality Float Works, Inc.

251.     Raging Waters Music

252.    Ralph Lauren Corporation

253.    Ramsay Corporation

254.    Rebel Photo

255.    Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

256.    Red4 Music/Doogs Rock Inc

257.    Red Wing Shoe Company

258.    Reebok International Ltd.

259.    Reed Elsevier Inc.

260.    Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)

261.     Revlon

262.    Richard Flutie Photography

263.    Rite Aid

264.    Robin Davis Photography, Inc.

265.    Rodger Scott Craig, a member of Liverpool Express, The Merseybeats, Fortune, Harlan

266.    Cage, 101 South, and Mtunz Media

267.    Roger Smith Photography Services

268.    Rolex Watch USA Inc.

269.    Romance Writers of America (RWA)

270.   Rosetta Stone Inc.

271.    Saddle Creek

272.    Sage Studios LLC

273.    Sam D’Amico Photography

274.    Schneider Electric

275.    Sean McGinty Photography

276.    Secret Sea Visions (Photography)

277.   SESAC, Inc.

278.    SG Industries, Inc.

279.    Shure Incorporated

280.    SIGMA Assessment Systems

281.     Six Degrees Records

282.    Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council

283.    SMC Entertainment

284.    SMT Corp.

285.    SoBe Entertainment

286.    Society of Sport & Event Photographers

287.    Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)

288.    Sony Electronics Inc.

289.    Sony Music Entertainment

290.    Sony Pictures Entertainment

291.     Soul Appeal Records and Music

292.    SoundExchange

293.    Southern Gothic LLC

294.    Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)

295.    SPI (The Plastics Industry Trade Association)

296.    Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association

297.    Sports Rights Owners Coalition

298.    Spring Fever Productions LLC

299.    Spyder Active Sports, Inc

300.   Stenbakken Photography

301.    Stephen Dantzig Photography

302.    Stock Artist Alliance

303.    Stuart Weitzman Holdings, LLC

304.    Student Photographic Society

305.    Studio 404

306.    SunRise Solar Inc.

307.   Taylor Glenn Photographs

308.    Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc.

309.    Tednologies, Inc.

310.    The Cambridge Don

311.     The Collegiate Licensing Company/IMG College

312.     The Donath Group, Inc.

313.     The Dow Chemical Company

314.     The Estee Lauder Companies

315.     The McGraw-Hill Companies

316.     The Music People! Inc.

317.    The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

318.     The Recording Academy (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences)

319.     The Timberland Company

320.    The Walt Disney Company

321.     Tiffany & Co.

322.    Time Warner Inc.

323.    Tony Bullard Photography

324.    Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.

325.    TRA Global

326.    Tricoast Worldwide

327.    Trio Productions, Inc. / Songscape Music,

328.    Twist & Shout, Inc.

329.    U.S. Chamber of Commerce

330.    Ultimate Fighting Championship

331.     Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

332.    Universal Music Group

333.    Uniweld Products Inc.

334.    VF Corporation

335.    Viacom

336.    Vibram USA, Inc

337.    Virtual Chip Exchange USA, Inc.

338.    Voltage Pictures, LLC

339.    W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.

340.    Walcott Studio, LLC

341.     Wal-Mart

342.    Warner Music Group

343.    Wendy Kaveney Photography

344.    Western Psychological Services

345.    Westmorland Images, LLC

346.    Wild & Associates, Inc.

347.    Wild Eye Photos LLC

348.    William Sutton Photography

349.    Willis Music

350.    WindLegends Ink LLC

351.     Winestem Company

352.    Winslow Research Institute

353.    Wolfe Video

354.    Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

355.    Woolrich, Inc.

356.    World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

357.    Xerox Corporation

358.    Zippo Manufacturing Company

359.  Zumba Fitness, LLC

* This Article is written by  'Sattlite' Erick for FJS Media News Group

[fjstechrants]

Former PayPal President Scott Thompson has been named the new CEO of Yahoo

Former PayPal President Scott Thompson has been named the new CEO of Yahoo, the company announced today.  Things at Yahoo have not been going so well lately and decisions have been flying left and right in 2011.  Long standing CEO Carol Bartz was ousted  in September after the board members decided she wasn’t making things move forward at Yahoo fast enough…. Or at all.  Yahoo CFO Tim Morse has been acting as interim CEO since September and working with the executive team looking for a replacement.

When Scott Thompson first landed the position of President at PayPal, he pushed the company from an electronic payments startup to an industry leader.  He will have much to work on and fast if he will save Yahoo from being divided.  Hiring Thompson in itself could signify Yahoo might not be ready to split off Yahoo and sell it in pieces.   Yahoo indicated it was interested in selling off its Asian assets last week, back to their majority owners in a transaction valued around $17 billion.  Spike up the stock much?

Here is Yahoo’s official announcement :

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company, today announced the appointment of Scott Thompson as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 9, 2012 , at which time Tim Morse will resume his role as Chief Financial Officer. Thompson has also been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors, effective January 9, 2012.

Thompson served most recently as President of PayPal, a division of eBay, where he continued his established track record of growing businesses by driving customer engagement built on strong technology platforms. Under his leadership, PayPal solidified its lead as the global online payment service, expanding its user base from 50 million to more than 104 million active users in 190 countries worldwide, increasing the number of merchant partners to more than 8 million globally, and growing revenues from $1.8 billion to $4+ billion in 2011.

"Scott brings to Yahoo! a proven record of building on a solid foundation of existing assets and resources to reignite innovation and drive growth, precisely the formula we need at Yahoo!," said Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Yahoo! Board. "His deep understanding of online businesses combined with his team building and operational capabilities will restore the energy, focus, and momentum necessary to grow the core business and deliver increased value for our shareholders. The search committee and the entire Board concluded that he is the right leader to return the core business to a path of robust growth and industry-leading innovation."

"Yahoo! is an industry icon and I am very excited about the prospect of working with one of the great teams in the online world to deliver Yahoo!'s next era of success," Mr. Thompson said. "Yahoo! has a rich history and a solid foundation to build on, and its continued user engagement is one of the many reasons for my enthusiasm. With the ultimate goal of delivering the value our shareholders expect, my immediate focus will be on getting to know the entire team and hearing more from all Yahoo!s, working closely with the engineers and product teams, and diving deeply into our products and services to learn more about what our more than 700 million users find most engaging and useful. I will also be working directly with our region leaders and sales teams globally to get a clearer understanding of the needs of our advertisers and publishers. Clearly, speed is important but we will attack both the opportunity ahead and the competitive challenges with an appropriate balance of urgency and thoughtfulness. I cannot wait to get started."

"Scott's primary focus will be on the core business, and as CEO and director, he will work closely with the Board as we continue the strategic review process to identify the best approaches for the Company and its shareholders. As part of this process, Yahoo! is considering a wide range of opportunities for the Company's business, as well as specific investments or dispositions of assets," added Bostock.

"We are all grateful to Tim Morse for leading the company with a steady hand during the last several months. His deep understanding of the Company and his positive approach kept the company on course and we will continue to benefit from his exceptional capabilities as he returns to his Chief Financial Officer role," Bostock concluded.

Scott Thompson Biographical Information

Scott Thompson has a record of deep industry experience, having most recently served as President of PayPal with overall responsibility for establishing that company as the leading global online payment service. He previously served as PayPal's Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Prior to PayPal, Mr. Thompson was Executive Vice President of technology solutions at Inovant, a subsidiary of Visa formed to oversee global technology for the organization. Thompson was also Chief Information Officer of Barclays Global Investors, where he implemented a new strategic technology platform and global infrastructure. In addition, he worked with Coopers and Lybrand, delivering information technology solutions to leading financial services clients.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Yahoo! will host a conference call to discuss today's announcement at 10 a.m. Eastern Time today. A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed through the Company's Investor Relations website at http://investor.yahoo.net/. The dial-in number for the live conference call is (877) 218-7860. Participants calling from outside the United States may dial (857) 244-7400. The passcode 60719359# is required to access the call. In addition, an archive of the webcast can be accessed through the same link. An audio replay of the call will be available for one week following the conference call by calling (888) 286-8010 or (617) 801-6888, passcode: 53109628

'Satellite' Erick

[fjstechrants]

My Tech Wishlist for 2012

2011 has just rolled away making room for 2012.  What new technology headlines will be hyped, poked and tweeted?  I missed my prediction blog post for 2011, so instead I give you my “wish list” for 2012.  

In no particular order:

1.  While I highly doubt Apple would really produce an Apple “TV” as in replacing your existing Plasma or LED,LCD TV - Things could get heated if they did release a 3D TV that did NOT require 3D glasses.  *see http://www.fastcompany.com/1706347/apple-wins-patent-for-sci-fi-like-glasses-free-3d-tv

2.  Apple to finally upgrade Apple TV (hockey Puck) to iOS 5 with access to the App Store - Man this would really open that market up!

3.  Free Wi-Fi everywhere!  Ok, its already free at Starbucks but I would love to see a local government push to provide free wifi access to small towns.  Maybe a tax credit to local businesses that provide free wifi…

4.  Windows 8 phone to increase in popularity and foster innovation between all the smartphone makers (Apple, Google and Microsoft) - I love my iPhone and have no plans on replacing (except with an iPhone 5).  I believe in competition and while the Android phone has been pushing Apple to make a better phone, eventually it will slow down because Android users to NOT pay for their apps.  Apple users do and so will Microsoft users IF they ever get their phone in gear. 

5.  End stupid patent wars - 2011 has made a mess of Intellectual Property lawsuits and in the end, they will costs millions per lawsuit only result in cross licensing and product delays.

6.  New iPad 3 in February with features that are not even thought of in the rumor mill.  People do not want tablets, they want iPads and I want a new one, my original iPad is starting to be a little heavy  :)  

7.  This isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but I do wish Apple would commit to business back end servers instead of running away from it.  I enjoy working with OS X and while I have many years of Windows experiences, I rather as a consultant work with OS X.  It has a lot of potential if they just embraced it more!

8.  Smartphone batteries that last longer! they are ll guilty of it - it would be nice if they didn’t require a recharge - say a week of normal use?  I think that would make plenty of people happy.

9. Better communication between my devices (iOS, Xbox, Mac, Apple TV, Kindle).  Yes, they all are different companies, but they all share usually the same consumer, I’d love to watch my Amazon Prime movies on my iPad or stream my music on my iPhone to my Xbox - Can’t we all get along?

10.  Lastly, how about a nice CTO position for yours truly?  I have the background, knowledge and the experience!  Hey, since we are wishing right?

There you have it, my wish list for 2012 - technology speaking of course.  I wish everyone an awesome 2012 and comment back if you wish to add anything to this list.

Also take a look at the Internet Wishlist when you can or maybe even post something my tweeting and including the #theiwl in your tweet - http://theinternetwishlist.com/

'Satellite Erick'

#wishlist