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Here are two recently true stories involving human and technology and it not ending well for a human.

First story has to do with 2 people...a son and a father with two different first names and both of them have cable tv from the same provider. The employees plug in the payment received data in the wrong account where the son for a period of time is being credited with his father's payments until the father begins getting bills in amounts that are double the usual.

The father calls the cable company and they spot the error and it is quickly fixed for the father. However, the cable company's computer system that generates the billing statements does not provide the son who has been incorrectly being credited with his monthly bill for two months. The son being a busy guy only recognizes he never got a bill for one month and figures he will pay next month when the current bill comes in. It does not work that way. By the time the next month rolls around, the son's cable has been turned off by the the cable company's computer system. In addition, his account has been hammered with late fees and rehook-up fees. A bill that was suppose to be a little over $200 is now nearly $600 and if he wants his tv back on, he is to pay that amount. The son paid that and now his tv only works half of the time. Now that the son understands what is going on...he is in the process of getting things straightened out. He has been on the phone for hours and all of the cable company's employees are not sure how to fix the problem yet. Who knows how it will all end...but nearly a week without tv and possibly out about $350.

Second story. A huge online company allows people to sell on their venue. Everything that happens on their site is part of a computer system. In this case, a recent seller was penalized an increase in seller fees of 40% that could lead to expenses for the seller raising over $10,000 per year. This selling venue allows returns to be freely done and unquestioned. In many cases, the seller that would get a refund would relist the item exactly as previously described and as pictured...nothing changed. The new buyer would leave a positive feedback and very pleased with the purchase. However, the selling venue's computer system only weighs in on the fact the item was returned for a refund. When the seller contacts the venue and asks the question...who is right here...the first buyer returning it for a refund and blaming it on the seller for them returning it....or the second buyer who buys it exactly as it was sold the first time around and is very satisfied with their purchase. No real answer becomes of that question. Because...there is nothing they can do, the computer system recognizes what is was designed to do. The seller is left with an increased expense of $10,000.

A friend once said....sometimes you can be the dolphin that gets caught in the tuna net.

...lets hope as we become more and more technology dependent and driven...not too many dolphins get caught in the net.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – AI has the potential to both benefit and harm the U.S. in unknown and unimagined ways but Congress has hardly any experts on the rapidly developing technology, lawmakers told Fox News.

"AI is going to help us in many ways. It can also kill us," Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat said. "As a recovering computer science major, my understanding of AI on a scale of one to 10 is about a five. There's a lot I don't know."

Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis said: "We've got a long way to go before we have any sense of its true capabilities and understanding what people like Elon Musk see as its capabilities going forward. I put my knowledge on a scale of one to 10 at about a 1.5."

Musk and more than 1,000 others called for an immediate pause on "giant AI experiments" last month, warning the rapidly developing sector may pose security threats. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman disagreed, saying pausing development is not an optimal way to address the issue.

AI "has the potential of civilizational destruction," Musk told Fox News' Tucker Carlson this week. He said if the industry is left unregulated, the consequences could be dangerous.

"I don't think Congress is prepared intellectually and resource-wise" to regulate AI, Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat, told Fox News. "There's no doubt that AI is going to be highly consequential."

"I don't want to say the Congress knows nothing," Takano continued. "Staff has been going to briefings on AI."

Read more:

The US and UK are placing either restrictions or bans on 'Huawei's' development of 5G phone coverage in those countries. Are those actions to ultimately protect their network security or will the impact be far greater for the UK with the erosion of further trade development with China?

Crime doesn't pay or so they say... If you don't get caught it probably does pay and that's why so many scammers are making careers out of cheating people. As we deal less with cash & checks and more with debit & credit cards the chances of getting scammed become greater.

I was coming back from a project in downtown Miami and stopped for gas. I paid at the pump with my business debit card and bought lunch & a drink with my personal debit card. The attendant had a smile on her face as I swiped the card and entered my PIN. It did seem odd why she was smiling. Two days later my bank phoned as I was overdrawn and they wanted to verify some recent purchases. $7 at a convenience store, $25 at a fried chicken restaurant and nearly $2,000 at a grocery store. the $7 was me and the other 2 were fraud. My comment was who can buy $2,000 in groceries without drawing suspicion? Both purchases were in the downtown neighborhood.

Chip cards have reduced the amount of ATM or POS fraud, but not all businesses use them. Typically, a thief will install an overlay to the existing card skimmer that reads cards before the real card reader. There is a 2nd add on device with a tiny camera recording keypads to see what the user types for the PIN. The thieves return to retrieve their equipment and use the data to steal money from the people who used the ATM's while the devices were installed.

The video attached shows surveillance how quickly someone can install a credit card skimmer.

Internet Making Us Crazy?

Life inside the bubble of a virtual reality world

YOUR LIFE IS A COMPUTER SIMULATION

I read a story today that people who charge their cellphones in public places are at a high risk of being hacked... especially if the charging cord or charging adapter isn't theirs.

Hackers have found a way to manufacture iPhone charging cords with microchips embedded in the USB connector. They look like normal cords, but If you plug your phone to charge from one of these cables it can compromise the security of your phone and allow someone to hack into your phone.

One version gets into your phone while it appears to be harmlessly charging the phone. then via Wi-Fi signal a hacker nearby can capture your password, unlock your phone, change the password and steal sensitive information from your phone. All within a few minutes.

Another version uploads an app that essentially does the same thing via your data signal hacked to anywhere in the world.

Rule one. Don't buy charging cables from unreliable sources like a booth at a flea market or convenience store. Typically, they are low quality that you should avoid, but it's an easy way the hacker cables make it into the marketplace.

Rule two. Don't borrow a charge cable at the airport or coffee shop, use only the cable and power supply supplied with the phone.

If you must charge on the go, use your own wireless charger or a 'Power Bank' portable battery charging system.

Perfect Woman