The Internet - The first Worldwide Tool of Unification ("The End of History")

" ... Now I give you something that few think about: What do you think the Internet is all about, historically? Citizens of all the countries on Earth can talk to one another without electronic borders. The young people of those nations can all see each other, talk to each other, and express opinions. No matter what the country does to suppress it, they're doing it anyway. They are putting together a network of consciousness, of oneness, a multicultural consciousness. It's here to stay. It's part of the new energy. The young people know it and are leading the way.... "

" ... I gave you a prophecy more than 10 years ago. I told you there would come a day when everyone could talk to everyone and, therefore, there could be no conspiracy. For conspiracy depends on separation and secrecy - something hiding in the dark that only a few know about. Seen the news lately? What is happening? Could it be that there is a new paradigm happening that seems to go against history?... " Read More …. "The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)

"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…5 - Integrity That May Surprise…

Have you seen innovation and invention in the past decade that required thinking out of the box of an old reality? Indeed, you have. I can't tell you what's coming, because you haven't thought of it yet! But the potentials of it are looming large. Let me give you an example, Let us say that 20 years ago, you predicted that there would be something called the Internet on a device you don't really have yet using technology that you can't imagine. You will have full libraries, buildings filled with books, in your hand - a worldwide encyclopedia of everything knowable, with the ability to look it up instantly! Not only that, but that look-up service isn't going to cost a penny! You can call friends and see them on a video screen, and it won't cost a penny! No matter how long you use this service and to what depth you use it, the service itself will be free.

Now, anyone listening to you back then would perhaps have said, "Even if we can believe the technological part, which we think is impossible, everything costs something. There has to be a charge for it! Otherwise, how would they stay in business?" The answer is this: With new invention comes new paradigms of business. You don't know what you don't know, so don't decide in advance what you think is coming based on an old energy world. ..."
(Subjects: Who/What is Kryon ?, Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" Managed Business, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)


German anti-hate speech group counters Facebook trolls

German anti-hate speech group counters Facebook trolls
Logo No Hate Speech Movement

Bundestag passes law to fine social media companies for not deleting hate speech

Honouring computing’s 1843 visionary, Lady Ada Lovelace. (Design of doodle by Kevin Laughlin)

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Thumbs down: 640,000 Dutch desert Facebook within a year

DutchNews, January 28, 2019

Photo: Depositphotos.com 

The number of people in the Netherlands using Facebook had fallen by 640,000 at the beginning of January 2019, compared with a year ago. 

But other social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram and LinkedIn all grew in popularity, as did YouTube, according to the latest National Social Media Research report. Some 7,000 people over the age of 15 took part in the survey. 

WhatsApp has the most users in the Netherlands – some 11.9 million people now use the instant messaging service, up 3% on a year ago. But the biggest percentage rise was booked by Instagram – up 20% to 4.9 million. 

Of the 640,000 people who have abandoned Facebook, 200,000 have actually given up their accounts. The rest have simply stopped posting. 

The most common reasons given were a lack of trust in the platform, fake news and Facebook’s new privacy policy, research group Newcom said.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Trudeau sacks Canadian envoy to China after Huawei controversy

Yahoo – AFP, 26 January 2019



John McCallum had been making headlines in recent days for his comments regarding the Meng Wanzhou, Chinese giant Huawei's chief financial officer who was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 and is facing extradition to the United States

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said he had sought and accepted the resignation of Ottawa's ambassador to China, days after the diplomat sparked controversy with criticism of the US extradition request for a top Huawei executive.

"Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's Ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement that did not explain why the decision had been taken.

McCallum has been making headlines in recent days over comments regarding Meng Wanzhou, Chinese giant Huawei's chief financial officer who was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 and is facing extradition to the United States.

Accused of fraud linked to violations of American sanctions on Iran, she is out on bail, but her arrest has sparked an escalating diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and Beijing.

McCallum briefed lawmakers Tuesday on the plight of two Canadians detained in China and a third placed on death row in what are widely seen as retaliatory moves by Beijing.

After the briefing he told Chinese-language media in Markham, Ontario that he believed the US extradition request was seriously flawed.

He cited political comments on the case by US President Donald Trump, the "extraterritorial aspect" of Meng's case and the fact that Canada did not sign on to the Iran sanctions that Washington wants her extradited for.

McCallum's remarks were immediately panned by opposition parties and others for seeming to undercut the strict hands-off approach to judicial matters touted by the Canadian government.

The following day he issued a statement saying that he "misspoke," and "regrets" that his comments "have created confusion."

But on Friday, McCallum told The Vancouver Star that it would be "great for Canada" if the US dropped its extradition request.

"From Canada's point of view, if (the US) drops the extradition request, that would be great for Canada," he told the newspaper at a charity function.

"We have to make sure that if the US does such a deal, it also includes the release of our two people. And the US is highly aware of that," he said.

Trudeau's statement hailed McCallum's almost two decades of public service, which it said he carried out "honorably and with distinction."

McCallum previously held a number of cabinet posts, including defense minister, minister of veteran affairs and immigration minister.

The statement added that, effective immediately, McCallum's deputy Jim Nickel would represent Canada in Beijing as its charge d'affaires.

Friday, January 25, 2019

'The new oil': Dublin strikes it rich as Europe's data hub

Yahoo – AFP, Joseph STENSON, January 24, 2019

The centres provide 24/7/365 access to the massive data, processing power and
storage that digital services around Europe require (AFP Photo/PAUL FAITH)

Dublin (AFP) - A new industrial revolution is under way on the outskirts of Dublin.

Fortunes are being made in clusters of anonymous warehouses housing vast data centres.

"Data is the new oil, definitely," said Brian Roe, commercial director of Servecentric, a data centre company.

Roe is a new breed of prospector, presiding over one node in a network of 48 data centres in Ireland.

Put simply, these powerhouse developments provide 24/7/365 access to the massive data, processing power and storage that digital services around Europe require.

"People are saying, 'Well everything is going to come from the cloud'," Roe said.

"Well where's the cloud? The cloud is data centres."

"People are saying, 'Well everything is going to come from the cloud'," Roe said.
"Well where's the cloud? The cloud is data centres" (AFP Photo/PAUL FAITH)

A fortune in the making

According to industry lobby group Host in Ireland, the country has become the unlikely engine room for everything from video streaming to phone apps and social media.

Government incentives, a skilled workforce and high connectivity to Europe and America are helping attract data centre construction investment which is expected to reach nine billion euros ($10 billion) by 2021.

The sector employs 5,700 people in full-time equivalent roles including 1,800 as data centre operators, according to a report produced for Ireland's investment agency.

Nestled in an industrial estate next to a motorway, Servecentric is a "co-location" site shared by multiple businesses, dwarfed by the exclusive "hyperscale" establishments of Google, Amazon and Facebook.

In the lobby, visitors are asked to present ID to a security guard. Fingerprint scanners abound and 160 CCTV cameras record footage stored for three months.

One client requires six levels of security, including airport-style checks and private guards in their portion of the centre.

Nestled in an industrial estate next to a motorway outside Dublin, Servecentric is a
"co-location" site shared by multiple businesses, dwarfed by the exclusive "hyperscale"
establishments of Google, Amazon and Facebook (AFP Photo/PAUL FAITH)

Roe, touring the facility in a crisp suit, declines to say who, but says they are a "household name".

The secrecy is in service of the library-like rows of cabinets decked with blinking servers plugged with neatly bundled wires. All are locked away like safe deposit boxes.

The space whirrs with the constant air conditioning required to prevent overheating -- evidence of voracious power consumption which, for some, is causing concern.

State-owned power provider Eirgrid says data centres "can require the same amount of energy as a large town" and could account for 31 percent of Ireland's total energy demand by 2027.

In May, Apple pulled out of a 875 million euro ($1 billion) data centre development on Ireland's west coast after objectors claimed it could eventually increase the demand on the grid by up to eight percent.

With Ireland set to miss its 2020 and 2030 climate change targets, according to the country's environmental watchdog, industry is keen to play down energy concerns.

Facebook has made a PR push at its new 200 million euro ($230 million) centre in Clonee near Dublin, assuring locals it is 100 percent powered by renewables.

Secrecy and security

There are also concerns that the opacity and transnational nature of the data business could end up with Ireland harbouring or supporting unethical or illegal practices of the type seen in last year's Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) -- which provides cloud services for hire -- is a particular concern for Paul O' Neill, a researcher at Dublin City University.

Library-like rows of cabinets are decked with blinking 
servers plugged with neatly bundled wires. All are l ocked 
away like safe deposit boxes (AFP Photo/PAUL FAITH)

"The ethical implications of hosting AWS data centres in Ireland are potentially vast," he said.

AWS, which plans to expand its Dublin operations, sells controversial facial recognition technology to US police.

"These corporations are or have been involved in many of the dominant controversies and debates of our contemporary networked era including privacy, data breaches and surveillance," O'Neill said.

Data centres do have at least some local support.

When Apple pulled out of plans for the west coast Athenry development -- predicted to bring 150 jobs to the remote area -- campaign group "Athenry for Apple" mourned it as "an absolute hammer blow to the locality".

But plans for a million square foot (93,000 square metre) data centre, currently at the early stages in the nearby west coast town of Ennis, have sparked local concerns.

"Data centres use massive amounts of energy, which is all well and good if the energy is sustainable and secure," said Theresa O'Donohoe, who represents the community in planning matters.

"Surely if a data centre is the technology of the future we should be powering it sustainably, as is required to address climate change?"

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

‘Sony to shift European operations from Britain to the Netherlands’

DutchNews, January 21, 2019

Photo: DutchNews.nl

Sony is planning to merge its European business into its Dutch arm to soften the impact of a no-deal Brexit, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper said on Monday. 

The unit will be responsible for the Tokyo giant’s electronics business in Europe and the deal will be completed on March 29 2019, the paper says. It bases its claims on merger documents. 

According to the Dutch chamber of trade documents, Sony Europe BV was established in May last year and the merger documents with Sony Europe Limited were deposited with the chamber in November. The company’s statutory base is Hoofddorp, near Schiphol airport. 

Earlier, Japan’s Panasonic said it is moving its headquarters from London to the Netherlands. Big Japanese bank Mitsubishi UFG has also decided to make Amsterdam its new European base for investment banking.

Friday, January 18, 2019

Amazon sets conference on robotics, artificial intelligence

Yahoo – AFP, January 17, 2019

Amazon will host a June conference on robotics and artificial intelligence, showcasing
some of the technology used for its Alexa digital assistant (AFP Photo/Rob Lever)

New York (AFP) - Amazon announced plans Thursday to hold a conference open to the public on robotics, space and artificial intelligence, as well as to discuss future applications of emerging technologies.

The re:MARS conference in Las Vegas will include "visionary talks, interactive workshops, technical deep dives, roundtables, hands-on demos, and more," an Amazon statement said.

The conference called Machine learning, Automation, Robotics and Space on June 4-7 grew out of a private, invite-only event hosted by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in recent years.

"We're at the beginning of a golden age of AI," Bezos said in the statement.

"Recent advancements have already led to invention that previously lived in the realm of science fiction -- and we've only scratched the surface of what's possible."

He said the event would bring together "leaders and builders from diverse areas to share learnings and spark new ideas for future innovation."

Amazon said the conference would showcase how it is using advanced technologies for its range of services from online shopping to music and video.

"Machine learning and artificial intelligence are behind almost everything we do at Amazon," according to the company statement.

"Some of this work is highly visible, such as autonomous Prime Air delivery drones, eliminating checkout lines at Amazon Go and making everyday life more convenient for customers with Alexa.

"But much of what we do with AI and ML happens beneath the surface -- from the speed in which we deliver packages, to the broad selection and low prices we're able to offer customers, to automatic extraction of characters and places from books and videos."

Attendees will meet Amazon technology engineers and see the Blue Origin rocket capsule developed by the private space firm owned by Bezos.

Speakers will include researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Harvard Berkman Center.

Thursday, January 10, 2019

The Netherlands tapped El Chapo phones for FBI ‘due to relaxed privacy laws’

DutchNews, January 9, 2019

Photo: Depositphotos.com 

The Netherlands tapped the phones of Mexican drugs baron ‘El Chapo’ for several months on behalf of the US, because Dutch privacy laws were not as strict as those in America or Canada, the Volkskrant reported on Wednesday. 

El Chapo, real name Joaquin Guzman, is currently on trial in the US. The Dutch listening-in programme took place from April 2011 to January 2012, an FBI agent told his trial on Tuesday. The Volkskrant says the operation lasted for 18 months. 

The wire-tapping operation was enabled by an FBI informant who had set up a Blackberry network for El Chapo’s organisation. The FBI server used to store all communications traffic made via the network was first placed in Canada but had to be moved because of tough privacy laws, the Volkskrant said. 

The US was not an option because the ‘operation might be noticed’ and the US has relatively tough rules on tapping servers, sources told the paper. 

‘Because the US and the Netherlands work closely together and the Netherlands is relaxed about requests for tapping, the FBI placed the server in a data centre operated by Leaseweb, just outside Haarlem,’ the Volkskrant said. 

The Netherlands did not know the full extent of the importance of the operation nor that El Chapo was the main target until 2013. 

Sing song

The FBI agent told Guzman’s trial on Tuesday that the 61-year-old was easily identifiable by his voice which had a ‘kind of a sing-songy nature to it’ and a ‘nasally undertone.’ 

The agent told the trial, which started in November, that the FBI tapped into more than 800 calls on the Blackberry encrypted system. 

Guzman is on trial for his role as leader of the Sinaloa drugs cartel and was extradited to the US two years ago. 

Close relationship 

The Volkskrant’s sources say the Netherlands and the US continue to work closely together in crime investigations. Some 125 requests for help from US officials are currently open, the sources said. These requests range from tapping computer servers to providing people’s Whatsapp history. All requests have to be checked to make sure they are legal with the public prosecution department, the paper said.

Related Article:

Friday, January 4, 2019

Apple's bombshell raises trillion-dollar question

Yahoo – AFP, Rob Lever, January 3, 2019

Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that iPhone sales in the past quarter would
be disappointing, amid weakness in China and other emeging markets (AFP Photo/
NOAH BERGER)

Washington (AFP) - Apple's bombshell news -- a sharply weaker revenue outlook and lower iPhone sales -- has raised questions over the future of the California giant, which until recently had been seen as the undisputed innovation leader in the tech sector.

Apple's rare admission on Wednesday cited steeper-than-expected "economic deceleration" in China and emerging markets and noted that trade frictions between Washington and Beijing were taking a toll on its smartphone sales.

But the news raised questions on whether Apple -- the first to reach a $1 trillion valuation and until recently the world's most valuable company -- is seeing a bump in the road or is starting to slide back from its leadership position.

Some analysts point to Apple's dependence on iPhone sales to drive revenue and profits, even as it tries to diversify its product base and add services such as music and digital payments.

"The iPhone has been supporting the company for than a decade," said Roger Kay, analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.

Apple said iPhone sales in China would be lower than forecast due to steeper 
than expected "economic deleration" (AFP Photo/Greg Baker)

"The world isn't coming to an end for Apple but it's a major inflection point. Up to now, Apple has defied gravity by growing faster than any other company in the market, but mathematically it was impossible to beat the market forever."

Apple shares skidded nearly nine percent in morning trade Thursday, and have lost more than 30 percent the company's valuation hit $1 trillion last year.

Kay said the trillion-dollar valuation was "irrational" and based on growth projections Apple is unlikely to achieve without a new catalyst.

Apple, which has been growing in China even though it lacks a dominant position, is pressured by tariffs and other trade issues, further inflamed by the arrest of China-based Huawei's chief financial officer in Canada at the behest of the United States.

Huawei has overtaken Apple as the third largest global smartphone maker despite limited presence in the United States.

Apple has sought to diversify its revenue base with new products like its smartwatch 
and a range of services but still relies heavily on the iPhone (AFP Photo/
JUSTIN SULLIVAN)

'At a crossroads'

The update suggested a disappointing figure for iPhone sales, the key driver of revenue and profit for the California tech giant.

Apple said that it expects weak iPhone sales in other emerging markets, driving down revenue despite some positive signs in developed markets and in its other products and services.

The company slashed its revenue guidance for the first fiscal quarter of 2019, ended December 29, to $84 billion -- sharply lower than analyst forecasts averaging $91 billion.

"Apple stock is now at a crossroads," said a research note Thursday from Gene Munster and Will Thompson of the investment firm Loup Ventures.

"Some investors will consider the stock broken.. but we've followed the company long enough to know there is cyclicality in the market's relationship with Apple."

Munster and Thompson said it would take "a new product category," or large acquisition to allow Apple to regain its momentum.

Apple's troubles in China come with the Chinese smartphone maker Huawei 
targeted in the United States over security issues (AFP Photo/WANG ZHAO)

Tactical errors?

Some analysts said Apple erred in boosting the price of its new iPhones to well over $1,000 in a global smartphone market that is largely saturated and facing tougher competition.

"I think the main villain is the very high prices that Apple is charging for its new iPhones," said Richard Windsor, a technology analyst who writes the Radio Free Mobile blog.

"This is not a catastrophe nor is it a sign that Apple is losing its grip on the smartphone market but merely a misjudgement by Apple with regard to how much money people will pay for an iPhone."

Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said Apple may be unable to deliver the double-digit growth than many on Wall Street have been expecting given the current smartphone market.

"The company is growing its services and 'other' categories, just not enough to drive overall revenue growth," Moorhead said.

"I am not concerned for the company, but it's likely investors will not see the company value it was at until it can see a likely path to double-digit revenue growth."

Related Article:


"... Then there was Steve Jobs. He was a wild card. What he did had little to do with technology, for that would have happened anyway soon enough. Instead, it had to do with the paradigm of the business of music on Earth. He freed it, and the paradigm of how music is obtained and heard will never be the same. However, Steve Jobs did basically one thing for all of you, and then he died. Do you see any kind of connecting of the dots to some of the inventors who come and give you the one thing, then leave? If he had lived, would there be more? Yes, but you’re not ready for it. Consciousness has to support what happens. ..."

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

China's top court to handle intellectual property appeals

Yahoo – AFP, December 30, 2018

China is mulling a series of steps to strengthen protections against
IP theft (AFP Photo/CHANDAN KHANNA)

China's top court will rule on intellectual property cases for the first time from January 1, the government said, elevating the handling of an issue that has become a key complaint in the trade war with the US.

Washington and Beijing are currently in talks to resolve a bruising trade spat that has spooked markets worldwide. The two sides imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of goods this year, before agreeing to a 90-day truce on December 1.

The United States, along with the European Union, has long complained about lax enforcement of intellectual property rights in China. Forced technology transfers have been another major bone of contention for foreign companies operating in China.

Deputy Chief Justice Luo Dongchuan said Saturday that from the start of 2019 the Supreme Court would begin handling appeals on intellectual property rights cases, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Such cases were previously handled by provincial-level high courts.

The move will "help prevent inconsistency of legal application and improve the quality and efficiency of trials," Luo said.

China is mulling a series of steps to strengthen protections against IP theft. IP includes intangible creations like patents, trademarks and copyrights.

The country's patent law is being amended to increase the compensation amount by up to five times.

Another draft law presented at a recent meeting of China's legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, allows victims of intellectual property theft to sue for damages.

China's legislature also announced it is looking at a new law governing foreign investment that would prevent the forced transfer of technology and give foreign firms the same privileges as Chinese companies.

Chinese courts heard a total of 213,480 IP cases in 2017 -- 40 percent more than in 2016 and double the number heard in 2013, Xinhua reported.