Another Porn App Gets Booted From Apple’s App Store
July 3rd, 2009
MySpace Cyberbullying Conviction Reversed, for Now
On Thursday, a federal judge threw out the conviction of Lori Drew for her part in a MySpace ruse that ended with a 13-year-old girl committing suicide. Drew was convicted in November, but appealed her case.The indictment alleged that Drew, along with others, registered as a member of MySpace under the name Josh Evans. Drew and her co-conspirators then used the Josh Evans account to contact Megan and began what the girl believed was an online romance with a 16-year-old boy.
After approximately four weeks of flirtations between Evans and Megan, Drew and her co-conspirators broke off the relationship. Within an hour, Megan hanged herself in her room. She died the next day.
U.S. District Judge George Wu acquitted Drew of misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization. The ruling is tentative until the judge puts it in writing and pointed to another case where a judge changed his mind after his initial ruling, signaling that the case is not final. Prosecutors are seeking a three-year prison sentence and a $300,000 fine.
Click here to read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.
Add comment July 3rd, 2009
Q & A with analyst Jack McCabe
Consultant Jack McCabe is an unofficial spokesman for South Florida’s real estate market. His firm, McCabe Research & Consulting, is a nationally recognized leader in real estate research, analysis and consulting. His client list is a who’s who for real estate, but that doesn’t mean the industry always likes what he has to say. McCabe is one of the relative few willing to predict an extended recovery period for the South Florida market.
The Real Deal caught up with McCabe to talk about who’s to blame for the crisis, the effectiveness of the Obama administration’s housing assistance programs, the next wave of foreclosures, and his predictions for a real estate recovery.
Some people blame the “flippers” for the real estate crisis in Miami. How much truth is in that?
The flippers added to the problem. The number of taxi drivers with real estate licenses is amazing. Many real estate flippers never did their homework because they thought it was a quick way to make money. They didn’t care what they had to do to get financing because they planned to flip it for a huge profit in the short-term and move on. It reminds me of “The Honeymooners’” Ralph Kramden with his get-rich-quick schemes. The flippers rode the crest of the wave until it crashed. The smart investors saw this coming and waited.
Click here to read the rest of my story on The Real Deal.
Add comment July 2nd, 2009
Global slowdown hits Miami market
Miami is an international city, and some of its real estate troubles come from woes beyond its borders.
Industrial vacancy is expected to rise and rents fall in Miami-Dade County this year, according to the Midyear 2009 National Industrial Report by Marcus & Millichap. The firm predicts a drop in international trade will decrease the space needs of importers and exporters.
South Florida’s international trade numbers reflect its connection to the global recession, particularly the lagging performance of Latin America. The Miami Customs District saw international trade fall 12.8 percent — more than $3.6 billion — in the first four months of the year, according to WorldCity, a Coral Gables-based media company that analyzes trade statistics.
“Latin America lagged behind in terms of a demand for products,” said Greg Zeifman, an associate in the Miami office of Marcus & Millichap. “We’re not seeing as much on the docks as we did six months ago. That trickles down to a decreased need for warehousing.”
Click here to read the rest of my story on The Real Deal.
Add comment July 2nd, 2009
Cisco’s WebEx Changes Aimed at Microsoft’s Market
Cisco Systems on Tuesday discussed its Web-based software strategy at a press conference that outlined new features and functions for its WebEx conferencing service. By adding more software, including voice integration, into WebEx, Cisco is moving into Microsoft’s territory.Microsoft is both a Cisco partner and a rival in the Web-conferencing space. Recent Cisco acquisitions suggest the company is going to become more aggressive about competing with Microsoft in cloud-based services that make up its unified 
communications suite.
Cisco hinted at the ability for business users to create documents and share them through the WebEx platform. That would be a direct threat to Microsoft Office, which generated $60 billion last year. Cisco also said it plans to introduce a telepresence product for homes in coming years. But the WebEx changes are the key focus for Cisco’s services business.
Click here to read the rest of my story on Sci-Tech Today.
Add comment July 2nd, 2009
Bing Boosts Microsoft’s Search Share
Microsoft’s new “decision engine” is still on the rise after its first month online. Bing increased Microsoft’s share of the U.S. search market by one percent in June, according to Web analytics firm StatCounter.Microsoft held 8.23 percent of the search market in June. That puts Microsoft just slightly behind Yahoo with 11.04 percent.
Google still dominates the U.S. search market, but Bing appears to be making an impact on the search giant. Microsoft is spending $80 million to $100 million to market Bing. In April, before Bing was launched, Google had 79.07 percent of the search market. In June, that slipped slightly to 78.48 percent. Microsoft’s U.S. market share was 7.21 percent in April.
“At first sight, a one percent increase in market share does not appear to be a huge return on the investment Microsoft has made in Bing, but the underlying trend appears positive,” said Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter. “Steady if not spectacular might be the best way to describe performance to date.”
Click here to read the rest of my story in Sci-Tech Today.
Add comment July 2nd, 2009
Celebrity Deaths Drive Spam, with Jackson Pervasive
With recent celebrity deaths, spammers are shifting strategies in hopes of cashing in on the misfortunes of others. Although several celebrities have passed away in the last few weeks, pop star Michael Jackson’s death is driving the greatest spam volume.Less than eight hours after Jackson’s untimely death, Sophos began to intercept spam campaigns using the singer’s name. Sophos also discovered cybercriminals taking advantage of 1970s TV icon Farrah Fawcett’s death to spread fake antivirus software.
Click here to read the rest of my story on Sci-Tech Today.
Add comment July 2nd, 2009
