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A Round Up of 2012... And some seminal trending photos...


Oh what a year it’s been ladies and gentlemen, and of course in the world of web one week adds up to a lifetime, so what were the seminal moments of 2012. Just for a bit of nostalgia, here are Cybergirl’s top five moments (with a few seminal ‘trending’ FB images thrown in for posterity):

1.    Tax avoidance – yes 2012 was the year that Goliath companies such as Google, Starbucks and Amazon finally got called to account over their corporate (read tax avoidant behavior) – what was the result, tentative boycotting of Starbucks and their resolution to pay 20 million pounds worth of corportation tax over the next two years, well aren’t they admirable. Next time Cybergirl goes for a large Americano – there’ll be soe negotiating at the till let me tell you. On the plus side, is the tide finally turning? Has the subject that Cybergirl has been banging on about since this blog first started four months ago finally caught the public imagination enough to warrant winder scale boycotting?
2.    The launch of the IPhone 5, it came, it saw, it conquered with 5 million sales and counting, and then well everyone realized that it was almost identical to the iPhone 4S – surprise surprise (ditto for the IPad mini).
3.    Hoaxes dominated Facebook, if Cybergirl had ten pounds for every time a copyright statement/human rights infringement/ridiculous legal terminology was posted, reposted and then went onto insight general hysteria across the world’s largest social networking site, well Cybergirl would be a very rich woman indeed.
4.    The Kindle Fire hit the shops! Yes at last there was a viable contendor to the Apple Monopoly (see point 2.) By October the device was said to be ‘the best selling product on the company’s website.’ Which can’t be said for the IPad Mini.
5.    Gangham Fever spread like wildfire across the world… Yes if you had a beady eye on what it takes to constitute a viral hit – well just rethink that, multiply it by 100 and add a dance akin to a horseback rider swaggering into a western bar.
6.    And last but certainly not least the tragedy that was Apple Maps. In the 24 hours since Google Maps was released for the IPhone it was downloaded 10 million times – a statistic that surely speaks for itself.

So there they are; our top five web related news stories of 2012. What lessons can be learnt from these archane and yet often completely revelatory stories? 1) Fame is a heady mix of electro beats, canny marketing and strange dancing – yes it’s all about luck at the end of the day. 2) no matter how badly Apple behave people will still buy their products (sad but true) and finally 3) if it’s a written in a status update the majority of people will believe it – use this at your peril…

Now for those images - my favourite of 2012:











Till next year ladies and gentlemen. Merry Christmas from all at The GWG...

Copyright Hoaxes down at Facebook... And the Google/Apple War Rages On...


So Cybergirl logs onto the FB this week (as per usual) and what does she find? A slew of the following posts…

In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).
For commercial use of the above, my written consent is needed at all times!
(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws.) By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook's direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).

Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updates...

Everyone is manically posting and reposting – but what is this scaremongering all about? Is it really possible for third parties and FB itself to use all of our personal information, our images, our data since FB birth - are we seriously at risk? Prayed on by a dark, three headed monster intent on consuming our digital presence and reproducing it in the form of publicity fodder for all manner of nefarious publications? (Cue scary music) – well it turned out there was no need to panic – the –‘copyright’ doctrine was a well thought out hoax that took the majority of Fb users hook, line and sinker and offered some sweet, green ‘I told you so’ moment to the ones who managed to work it out ahead of time.

Cybergirl particularly enjoyed the following post from a fellow FB user:

In response to new blah blah blah I blah my blah blah blah in occurrence from blah notwithstanding blah blah blah blah blah tremendous self importance blah. Blah blah blah blah Roswell blah. Blah blah blah. Blah copyright blah blah blah I AM IMPORTANT AND BEAUTIFUL blah. Blah. Blah! Blah? Blah blah blah too much blah spare blah time blah blah they will come for our blah children. Blah.Officially blah only to refer to blah within the confines of blah and private. Blah blah. Secret blah blah insecurity blah image. BLAH!

So what is the moral of the story? Generally, anything that is filled with legal jargon, related to Facebook and its infringement of human/copy ‘rights’ and allows the reader merely by posting, a lifetime protection from the aforementioned risk – is generally too good to be true. Anything, and I mean anything you post on FB – treat it as officially in the public domain… Because in all but name – it is. See a friend who recently vied for a job at Google and won – what did he post? The slightly uncryptic ‘Larry said yes’ – the young man in question also had something to say about Apple which readers of this blog might enjoy:

‘Bad Apple’ - accompanied by the following photo…



Cue the following comment from the user’s friend:

"Yes...good time to be a Google analyst rather than Apple one huh??"

Hmmm, my sentiments exactly.

And just to finish - here's another image Cybergirl particularly enjoyed...


And just for posterity - here's another...



Tax Avoidance, Soho House and the Death of ITunes?




So for those of you following this blog – Cybergirl has been banging on week in, week out about the shady tax shenanigans of high profile brands such as Google, Facebook and Apple to name but a few – brand who clearly believe that tax avoidance is akin to filing a dodgy taxi receipt on expenses or waiving the service in a restaurant. ‘Tax avoidance is legal’ is the catchphrase du jour, from politicians and brands alike.

But I ask you, is it legal for the millions of ordinary citizens who file self assessment forms every year come January 31st? How would Apple feel if their employees started filing expenses to the tune of £200 million? Or if their customers started paying £2 instead of the £270 for an IPad Mini?

Margaret Hodge, Labour chairman of the public accounts committee said, ‘We’re not accusing you of being illegal, we’re accusing you of being immoral,’ – why not? Why on earth is this kind of corporate behavior not illegal? Why when British citizens are expected to adhere to the authority of HMRC, are companies that rake in millions in profits exempt? Google has admitted structuring its affairs to reduce liability, well if it’s good enough for them – it’s good enough for us. That wad of blank taxi receipts Cybergirl found abandoned in the back of a black cab recently – they’ll be filed imminently – it’s ‘legal’ don’t you know...

On another note Cybergirl spent the weekend at a very exclusive private members club/hotel in the heart of the Somerset countryside, this uber exclusive hang out (and preserve of the rich and famous) is well known for banning mobile phones within its hallowed walls, but now seems to have taken the ethos one step further with a cyberwall that blocks all Facebook chatter. No matter how hard Cybergirl tried, no status updates, photos or location services would penetrate the barrier imposed on this very private garden of Eden. Top marks for privacy to the Soho House Empire...

Thirdly – (yes two points are never quite enough) Spotify – is it the death of ITunes? How on earth did Apple think they could get away with ‘leasing’ material to the millions of people dependent on ITunes software when Spotify; previously the underdog, were offering an almost identical service – the only difference being that with ITunes (and for an exorbitant price) the music is leased for life... Hmmmm - Leased for life or leased by the month – sorry what’s the difference?

Finally (yes this is the week of gripes) what on earth is wrong with Apple’s Mail? The search facility is terrible... Cybergirl can never ever find the requisite email without logging on via Google or another mail client. Googlers have got the hang of searching email – how can Apple be so far behind? Here’s an idea – how about Google lease the technology to Apple? Then all the dominoes would be neatly lined up in a row – now there’s something to think about. Right, rant over.

Ramped up Roaming, Google inaccuracies and famine at Facebook...



Number One on the agenda ladies and gentlemen is roaming charges – Grrrrr. So this was the week that 02 announced it would ramp up international calling (and ergo data) charges outside of Europe. Seethe; as if we weren’t charged enough!!

Here’s the announcement on the O2 website

During the summer the European Commission stepped in to protect consumers by capping roaming charges within the EU – in effect slashing charges levied by phone companies by up to 75 percent. But as the announcement by O2 highlights, there are no controls on roaming charges levied outside of Europe!

O2 will more than double the amount its customers will be have to pay to send and receive calls and text messages from countries such in North America, Asia and Africa.

The following is a statement from Tomas Mendoza, Managing Director of Tep Wireless.

“O2 is doing this simply because it can. The roaming market is now regulated within European mobile operators – but there is no cross-continental regulation or body with jurisdiction. It’s the ‘wild west’ where phone operators can charge what they want.”

Another example of Dollar Voting ladies and gentlemen – just walk away or find yourself the weakest link in the scourge of the 2400% profit margin. Now that can’t be good for web lovers worldwide. Shame on you O2.

HALLOWEEN!

Last night was the night that Cyber girl decided to go to the cinema ladies and gentlemen. Yes with Halloween on the agenda, it was time for a short sharp, shocking burst of Paranormal Activity Four! Off we went (the date and I), confident in the fact that the film (at Fulham Broadway in case you were wondering) was at 9pm. Luckily no diet coke or extortionately expensive popcorn had been bought, because SHOCK HORROR (and extended drumroll) – Google was wrong! Yes the world’s greatest search engine had made a mistake! Now this may have been a freak accident, but it did rather dampen my spirits – not to mention ‘the date’ – why? The next showing wasn’t till 11pm! In the words of Dave, our trusty popcorn technician ‘Nahhh, don’t look at Google – only site that’s accurate is Odeon’s Own’ – there it is, we couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

Now for note two – Cybergirl has noticed a trend of late in the domain of the face and the book. Yes people may not be logging off in their droves (the accounts are still well and truly active) – but there’s a serious drought sweeping its way across that dry blue landscape. No one’s updating – and if they are it’s few and far between. Is it age? Is it boredom? (Cybergirl has hit her thirties now – double shock horror...) and the photos? Where have they all gone!? The last time Cybergirl updated a photo it was well over seven months ago? Why – Privacy. Yes I know there are filters – I know I can loop in just ‘close friends’ but who has the time to upload a photo anyway? Two minutes and thirteen seconds to upload five photos, then there’s the tagging, the labeling and the posting. All of a sudden it just all seems too much hassle. Still incredibly useful for, hmmm finding flatmates, posting a question, and errr keeping track of your address book, but seriously is FB going the way of (drumroll) A Small World? Enough said.

Number Three! Sparrow. Now for those of you using this mail app – it needs no explanation, for those of you in the dark, well it was a wondrous improvement on the decaying workhorse that is/was Apple Mail. It was all glittery, all shiny, simplicity itself... But then it went and got bought by Google (eat the competition perchance?) and resigned itself to the fact that there will quite liably be no more updates. But then again Cybergirl had fallen out of love with Sparrow since it went and started saving Cybergirl’s emails and NOT SENDING THEM. Only for them to pop out three days later causing untold havoc and confused rumblings from a number of work colleagues and aquaintances. ‘But I thought you said....’ ‘Sorry you want this now?’ – you get the picture. Alternatives to Sparrow include: Postbox (Windows and OSX – great value), Mailplane (ooh quite good actually), Emailganizer (design isn’t brilliant, but there are tons of brilliant features), Mailmate (free trial – natch) and Mailpilot (reimagine email)... Choose your poison and check your prices – not all replacement apps are free. But ahh what a relief there’s an alternative to Mail.

October 2012.
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