December 12, 2024 • 47 mins
🚨 Tech Wars, Scams, and Smart Solutions: A Week of Headlines You Can't Miss 🚨
This week's episode of The JMOR Tech Talk Show is packed with everything you need to know about the latest tech news, innovations, and the ongoing battles shaping our digital future. From TikTok's looming sale mandate to Apple's rivalry with Qualcomm, the drama never stops! Dive into the newest tech trends, the latest updates on AI, cyber security, and more. Don’t miss out on these headline stories that are shaking up the tech world. 🎧
Tune in now and get the full scoop! 🔊
🌍 US Appeals Court Backs TikTok Sale Mandate 🏛️ 📱 Apple Aims to Rival Qualcomm with Modem Rollout 🍏 💰 Verizon Raises Fees 💸 🚁 Amazon Tests Delivery Drones in Italy 🇮🇹 🖥️ System Outage Disrupts Vehicle Licensing in Washington 🌐 ❄️ Redmond's Snowplow Gets Geeky Makeover 🛠️ 📑 Microsoft Urges FTC to Investigate Info Leak 🔍 🚫 Instagram Blocks Third-Party App Developers 📱 🛑 Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over Slow Deliveries ⚖️ ❤️ Tim Cook Envisions Apple Saving Lives 🩺 🏛️ Google Sues CFPB Over Payment Supervision ⚖️ 🔥 Thermal Batteries May Replace Lithium-Ion 🔋 🩸 Michigan Democrats Push for Reproductive Health Data Protection 💼 🚨 Fox News Loses Bid for Smartmatic Records 📉
#TechTalks #AIInnovation #CyberSecurity #FutureTech #TechNews #NewiPhone #SmartHomes #AITrends #PodcastLife #TechUpdates #Innovation #TechBuzz #DigitalFuture
🎙️ Check out The JMOR Tech Talk Show on Podbean and visit believemeachieve.com for unique content!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Hi everyone, I'm John C. Morley, the host of
The JMOR Tech Talk Show and Inspirations for
Your Life.
(00:58):
Well hey guys, welcome, it is John Seymour
here, serial entrepreneur, and you are tuned into
The JMOR Tech Talk Show.
It is Friday, December 13th, 2024.
Can't believe we have just two more weeks
left in December and the month is basically
over.
Forget about December being over, we've got basically
(01:22):
one to three weeks from this past Wednesday
and we'll be in 2025.
Check that out.
All right, why don't you go grab yourself
something delicious and yummy, whether it's something healthy,
whether it's something sweet, whether it's water, whether
it's a cup of tea like I've got
(01:43):
my nice hot cup of decaf tea here.
Absolutely delicious and warm and hot.
So go ahead and grab that, we'll get
started.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are on series number
three, in case you didn't know that.
Yeah, we're on series number three and tonight's
(02:04):
show is having the title Tech Turmoil Innovation,
the headline shaping our future, series three, show
number 51.
Tech wars, scams, and smart solutions, a week
of headlines you just can't afford to miss.
This week's episode of The JMOR Tech Talk
(02:24):
Show is going to be packed with everything
you need to know about the latest tech
news, innovations and ongoing battles shaping our digital
future.
From TikTok's looming sale mandate to Apple's rivalry
with Qualcomm, the drama never stops.
Dive into the newest tech trends, the latest
updates on AI, cybersecurity, and more.
(02:44):
So don't miss out on these headlines.
Grab that cup of coffee, grab that snack
or beverage, and come and join me for
the headline stories that are going to be
shaking up the world.
All right.
Well, the first one we're going to kick
off with is the U.S. appeals court
regarding TikTok.
Yes, the U.S. appeals court backs TikTok's
(03:08):
sale mandate.
A U.S. appeals court upheld a law
requiring TikTok's Chinese buyer, ByteDance, to sell the
company to an American buyer by January 19,
2025, or face a nationwide ban.
The ruling aims to protect U.S. national
security and citizens' data from potential misuse by
(03:29):
foreign adversaries.
TikTok criticized the decision as a censorship based
on flawed information and plans to appeal to
the Supreme Court.
With over 170 million American users, TikTok's future
is now, yes, in the U.S., hinging
on compliance or a legal victory.
(03:49):
The case has drawn political attention, including newly
elected President Donald Trump's vow to address the
issue.
But what's really going to happen, ladies and
gentlemen, is TikTok, I mean, is TikTok going
to close in the U.S.? It's one
step closer to being banned, ladies and gentlemen,
(04:12):
one step.
And TikTok has lost its challenge to a
law that will force the company to sell
its prized social media asset or face a
ban in the United States that will go
through on the date of January 19, 2025.
I think right after that date is when
it's going to happen because they can't be
(04:33):
open on the 20th.
Yeah, on the 20th, they can't be open.
So, of course, they're all mad and upset,
but we know that the Chinese doesn't always
do things that's, let's just say, above board.
So I don't know.
I mean, I know I have some followers
on TikTok.
If they shut TikTok down tomorrow, life would
(04:57):
still go on and I'd still have plenty
of followers on other channels.
But TikTok's a very interesting creature.
They don't allow you to post certain things,
not whether they're good or bad.
They don't like any controversy.
So that's a big problem, ladies and gentlemen.
And another news story that I think you'd
(05:18):
like to hear about is Apple eyes the
three year modem rollout to rival Qualcomm.
Yes, Apple plans to introduce its long awaited
cellular modem chip starting next year, aiming to
phase out Qualcomm components by 2027, according to
Bloomberg, this is.
These modems will debut in the iPhone SE
(05:40):
and gradually advance across Apple's product line.
The shift follows Apple's one billion acquisition of
Intel modem units in 2019, an ongoing set
of efforts to develop in-house technology.
Qualcomm, which has a supply agreement with Apple
until 2026, anticipates revenue impacts and is diversifying
(06:02):
into laptops and AI data centers.
Apple has also partnered with Broadcom for 5G
components, which may challenge other suppliers like Skyworks
and Cuorvo.
So we'll have to wait and see what's
going to happen with this.
But, you know, we've got other things happening,
like Donald Trump is going to be imposing
(06:24):
the 40% tariff from anything that comes
outside of the United States.
And the reason he's doing this is he's
hoping that it will motivate people to make
things in the United States because 40%
is a pretty high tariff.
And that's going to have to be passed
on to distributors and also to, you know,
(06:46):
businesses and end users that are purchasing all
types of products, whether we're talking about laptops,
whether we're talking about certain clothing, that's going
to really hike up the price.
So we're going to have to just wait
and see what's going to happen there, ladies
and gentlemen.
And ladies and gentlemen, Verizon will raise their
(07:07):
fees again.
Yes, they will.
Verizon will raise its fees again.
Verizon is increasing its monthly administrative and, quote
unquote, telco recovery charge by 20 cents per
line starting December 18th.
That's happening soon.
Raising the fee to $3.50 for voice
lines and $1.60 for data lines.
(07:29):
The small hike follows a larger increase in
recent years and continues the trend of separating
fees from base rates, potentially to obscure overall
price hikes.
Critics argue this practice allows wireless carriers to
pad profits, as Verizon reported $3.4 billion
in net income in Q3 2024, a decline
(07:52):
from the $4.9 billion the previous year.
Verizon's home Internet services are not affected by
these price increases at the current time.
So the question you're probably asking.
Do people care that Verizon is raising their
(08:13):
bill for wireless carriers, do people care?
Some people care, some people are annoyed about
the principle, but I think most people feel
that it's something that they don't really want
to worry too much about.
But it is annoying some, but it's not
(08:35):
causing, you know, like an anarchy or anything
like that.
And, you know, they're doing it because of
a mandate.
Basically, their prices are getting raised.
So just passing that on.
But I don't know.
We're going to have to see what happens,
right, between them and also the United States
Postal Service raising raising fees.
(09:01):
You know, this is a pretty big thing.
And so, you know, the U.S. Postal
Service says they're staying competitive.
They say they offer great values.
And you might be saying, gee, when are
postage rates going up?
(09:21):
Well, they are supposed to be changing very
soon.
The USPS raises the stamp price, right?
They're saying now five times through 2027.
So, you know, the thing about it is
(09:44):
that the July 20, 25th hike, they're outlining
a plan for a twice yearly increase.
It wasn't enough that they're increasing it once.
I remember when they didn't increase it at
all.
January and July for both 2026 and 2027.
So the July 2024 five cent increase for
(10:08):
the five first class stamp tied to the
record for the biggest hike ever and followed
a two cent increase in January.
Before that, postage prices rose in July 2023,
January 2023 and July 2022.
Between 1970s and 2000, rates increased three to
(10:29):
four times a decade.
So the question really is, are they doing
anything with this price increase?
Is it just going to pad somebody's retirement
account 401k?
I mean, is there really a reason why?
They should raise the prices.
(10:50):
And the big picture is stamp inflation.
It's known as stampflation, quote unquote.
And it's been affecting stamp prices over the
last couple of years.
But my concern is, you know, it's probably
going to be cheaper to pick up the
phone and call someone than it's going to
be to mail.
(11:10):
Used to be cheaper to mail someone, but
now it's going to probably be cheaper to
pick up the phone and call them.
I have a concern, and that is, do
you think the USPS should be raising postage
prices so much?
(11:32):
And I would probably say the answer is
no, you don't think they should do this.
So the Canadian post offices are supposedly raising
even more than we are.
But the question is, are we getting any
more value?
(11:54):
They also say that mail delivered to some
rural areas could get slower because of the
inability to staff people and not having the
funds.
So the question I ask is, what is
the USPS doing with the extra, what's called
(12:16):
the extra stamp revenue?
And, you know, they're basically putting it toward,
they want to cut their costs.
They want to, they're planning to cut five
billion in costs.
They claim that they're running out of cash.
(12:39):
They're grappling to be able to operate.
So the question is, will the USPS ever
become a private entity and not, you know,
federally managed or run?
(13:01):
The USPS raised the price of a first
class stamp from 66 cents to 68 cents
on January 21st.
So in 2023, the mail volume fell by
42% between 2007 and 2020.
Total mail revenue during the same period fell
(13:23):
60.6 billion in 2007 to 38.7
billion in 2020, a 36% drop.
The trend is going to continue.
And I can tell you why.
Four or five years ago, we switched over
to all electronic books.
And, you know, we really don't mail anything
out anymore.
So I think that's a really big reason.
(13:45):
You know, I think if the post office
wants to be profitable, they've got to look
at other ways of getting messages across.
And that's not the post office.
Maybe they need to come up with their
own social media.
I don't know.
But I know that the mail is not
as popular as it once was for a
(14:06):
lot of things.
So we'll have to just keep the tabs
and see what's going on.
And Amazon, ladies and gentlemen, successfully tests delivery
drones in Italy.
Yeah, this is pretty cool.
Amazon has successfully completed its first drone delivery
test in Italy, marking the country's first trial
of the e-commerce giant's primary service.
(14:26):
The test took place in San Salvo, located
in central Abruzzo region on December 4th, ladies
and gentlemen, 2024, using the Amazon's MK-30
drone.
This test is part of Amazon's plans to
launch drone deliveries in Italy and Britain in
late 2024, which is what they have done.
(14:47):
The company is working with the Italian authorities
to meet regulatory requirements for services officials launch
next year.
The drones use advanced computer vision technology to
safely navigate and avoid obstacles, ensuring the safety
of people, property and other aircraft.
I still feel there is going to be,
(15:07):
and I could be wrong, there will be
a new insurance that I think homes and
businesses will have to have called drone insurance.
(15:27):
And, you know, I don't think it's going
to be a hefty bill.
I think it might be something like, you
know, it could be $18, $20, but it's
going to be something new because if something
goes wrong with that particular drone, right, it
could crash into your roof, causing thousands or
hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars
of damage, depending on what home or what
(15:48):
property it hits.
Right.
So I think that's a really serious, serious
problem.
And we're just going to have to keep
an eye on what's going on, but they're
going to test this out over there and
then they're going to try to do this
in the U.S. And not too long
ago, actually, last week, there was a system
outage that disrupted vehicle licensing in Washington.
(16:09):
A brief system outage impacted vehicle licensing offices
across Washington state.
Yes, on Thursday last week, disrupting payment processing
for about two hours, the Washington State Department
of Licensing confirmed the issue, which began before
2.30 p.m. Pacific time, stemmed from
a server problem and only affected the vehicle
(16:31):
licensing unit.
Services were fully restored by 4.28 p
.m. Pacific time.
It affected offices such as the one in
Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, and they posted signs notifying
customers of the statewide disruption.
So it's interesting.
I think the two entities that sometimes struggle
(16:53):
is the post office and the DMV.
But, you know, the DMV doesn't struggle.
I don't think they struggle because you see
everyone drives.
Right.
And so if they decided they were going
to charge ten dollars more per license, people
have to pay it or they wouldn't be
able to drive.
Right.
It's very, very simple.
All right.
And in other news, Redmond Snowplow gets a
(17:16):
geeky makeover.
How about this?
Control, salt, delete.
I didn't say all.
I said salt.
Residents of Redmond, Washington, have humorously named the
city snowplow control salt elite in a public
contest celebrating the area's tech culture and Microsoft
headquarters.
Other winning names include Scoop Dog and Snow
(17:39):
Be Gone.
Kenobi.
Over 580 participants suggested four and eighty two
names with city staff narrowing them to 14
finalists for voting.
The names will be displayed on plows and
Redmond plans to launch a live plow tracking
map this winter.
The city uses liquid calcium deicer to prevent
(17:59):
ice and various mixtures for effective snow removal,
showcasing a blend of tech savvy wit and
practical community planning.
Yes.
Pretty cool name.
Control, salt, delete.
I actually think that's pretty cool.
And diving back in, ladies and gentlemen, to
Microsoft.
Yes.
So Microsoft urges the FTC, the Federal Trade
(18:21):
Commission, to address the alleged info leak amid
the antitrust probe.
Microsoft has asked the FTC, the Federal Trade
Commission, to investigate an alleged leak of confidential
information regarding an antitrust investigation into the company.
Microsoft's deputy general counsel, Rima Alidi, sent an
(18:41):
email to the FTC inspector general, claiming the
company learned about the information requests through a
Bloomberg article.
Despite not receiving a formal legal document, Alidi
urged the FTC to examine whether its management
improperly leaked information, violating agency's ethics rules.
The investigation reportedly involves various aspects of Microsoft's
(19:02):
business, including cloud computing and AI partnerships.
This comes amid a broader concern, which is
over increasing unauthorized disclosures at the FTC, the
Federal Trade Commission.
And ladies and gentlemen, our friends at Meta
with their company Instagram.
(19:23):
Well, they're blocking third party app developers.
Meta's recent changes to its developer tools have
impacted third party consumer apps that previously integrated
with Instagram, such as Tinder, Hinge and the
journaling app Day One.
These apps relied on the Instagram basic display
(19:45):
API, which Meta discontinued on December 4th, 2024,
not too long ago.
As a result, Day One can no longer
import Instagram content into its journals and other
services like Discord and Spotlight have also been
affected.
The new Instagram API now only works for
business accounts, rendering personal account integrations unavailable.
(20:07):
This change disrupts features that many users, including
Day One's premium subscribers, had relied on.
So the question is, what's going to happen?
I think people are going to have to
adapt or the developers are going to have
to come up with a new way.
Otherwise, well, they're not going to be able
(20:28):
to integrate with Instagram.
Never realized there were so many people that
integrated with Instagram, not just in the social
world.
And Amazon is up at bat again.
Amazon faces a lawsuit, ladies and gentlemen, it
faces a lawsuit over slow deliveries to low
income areas.
(20:49):
Amazon is facing a lawsuit from the District
of Columbia's attorney general accusing the company of
secretly halting its fastest delivery service for two
low income zip codes, 2009 and 2020, while
continually charging nearly 50,000 Prime members the
full subscription price.
(21:10):
Amazon reportedly switched from using its own branded
trucks to third party services like EPS and
the USPS, which, of course, resulted in slower
deliveries.
The lawsuit alleges Amazon violated consumer protection laws
by failing to disclose the change to customers
who experienced significant delays compared to other D
(21:32):
.C. residents.
Amazon claims the change was due to safety
concerns for its drivers.
But the attorney general argues that the company
must provide the service that it has promised.
Ooh, I would not want to be Amazon.
Tim Cook from Apple, well, he aims to
(21:53):
save your life.
Tim Cook recently outlined his vision for Apple's
future, focusing on the company's growing role in
health technology and its potential to improve lives
through innovation.
As Apple explores its AI capabilities with initiatives
like Apple Intelligence, Cook emphasized that privacy will
remain a central pillar of the company's approach,
(22:18):
with many AI features designed to function directly
on user devices such as the ones relying
on the cloud.
So that's a big change for them that
they're going to be doing things locally.
The Apple Watch's lifesaving health monitoring features reflect
this commitment to health.
Cook also touched on the fact that Apple's
(22:39):
collaboration with deep AI will be to enhance
user experiences while ensuring that AI advancements prioritize
safety and ethical standards.
Looking ahead, Cook sees Apple becoming a major
player in the health sector, pushing boundaries in
technology while safeguarding privacy.
So I think it's interesting, you know, where
(23:01):
Apple's going.
Apple wants to be.
Apple wants to be in the health care
space, and it's something that I didn't envision
for them, but it's where they want to
go.
And, you know, they're building this whole ecosystem
(23:22):
of products to be bold in the health
care space.
And so, you know, beyond just the watch
and the applications ecosystem, Apple pushes forward with
health care.
You know, they are working with Vision Pro,
the augmented virtual reality device that can be
(23:46):
used, you know, by companies.
And it was recently released.
The goal behind the Vision Pro is to
seamlessly blend digital content with a user's physical
space.
So Apple is making some strides.
I think a lot of people don't understand
(24:12):
where they're going, and I think even the
AI world, a lot of people don't understand
what it means.
That's the issue.
I think if people were able to really
get a clue of what's happening, I think
(24:35):
they would approach it differently.
They would approach it much, much differently.
And ladies and gentlemen, Google sues the CFPB,
that is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, because
they have placed the Google Payment Corp under
(24:57):
federal supervision due to concerns over its fraud
prevention and error resolution processes related to Google
Pay.
Complaints from consumers highlighted issues with fraud investigations
and inadequate explanations of outcomes, which Google disputes
in a lawsuit aimed at blocking the oversight.
(25:17):
Google argues that this is a federal intervention
is excessive, and particularly as the peer-to
-peer payment service has already been discontinued.
While the CFPB supervision does not imply wrongdoing,
the company is challenging the decision in court.
So if you've been noticing or been following
Google lately, Google's been getting in a lot
(25:38):
of trouble, right?
You know, everyone thinks that Google can do
no wrong because they have so much money.
But what we're starting to learn with a
lot of these big tech companies is they're
being brought down.
And when they start making a problem or
when they have an issue, everything is brought
down to size.
And I think that's a big issue.
(25:59):
They're having to really be careful about what
they're doing.
And I think if we can take a
look at that and be mindful, then hopefully
we will be able to move forward in
the right way.
And I think, you know, what the CFPB
(26:24):
is doing is not wrong.
I mean, let's face it, ladies and gentlemen.
Google has not actually had an innocent record.
Not to go into all the different things,
but I mean, they have had issues.
And so now that Google is going to
(26:44):
sue them, you know, it's it's crazy.
I quote what they said here.
This is a clear case of government overreach
involving Google pay peer to peer payments, which
never raised risks and is no longer providing
the United States.
And we're challenging it in court.
Close quote.
This was Google spokesperson Jose Castienda.
(27:10):
So I think a lot of people don't
realize that Google's not the best search engine
anymore.
I mean, they did a lot of wrong
things.
Not to get into that on this show,
but we've talked about this before.
(27:30):
Right.
And so it's interesting.
But the reason that the CFPB is getting
involved so that, you know, is because they've
gotten many consumer complaints.
So, you know, playing devil's advocate here.
Right.
If Google wants to challenge this, my issue
(27:51):
would be why are there so many consumer
complaints against Google about their payment processing?
If they were really innocent, right, then those
wouldn't exist.
It was one or two fine.
But I think that is a big problem.
And so I know that they just try
(28:16):
to sneak things under the wire.
I mean, that's that's what they do.
They try to sneak things under the wire.
And when they sneak things under the wire,
they believe that that no one's going to
really know.
But the truth of the matter is, Google
has done so many things to, let's say,
be dishonest.
And I'm not going to get into every
piece.
(28:37):
I think most people don't understand.
OK.
And people don't get the one thing, and
(28:58):
that is the fact that, you know, Google
has done some wrong stuff.
OK.
And so, you know, they haven't really come
clean on this stuff.
They have not.
And because they have not come clean on
it, then it's going to be an issue.
(29:21):
And how do we know how can we
even how can we even trust these people,
how how can we trust them?
(29:52):
I think if people realize that, you know,
being to the top of Google or being
at the top of TikTok, it might seem
like what you want.
But the end of the day, it may
not be.
It may not be.
So another interesting story is batteries.
(30:14):
Well, why are thermal batteries in our world
now may be replaced seeing lithium ion for
energy storage?
So why?
Well, thermal batteries, which store excess electricity as
heat in materials like bricks or graphite, are
gaining attention as potential alternatives to lithium ion
(30:35):
batteries for energy storage.
Companies like Rondo Energy and Antora Energy are
at the forefront of this innovation, using heat
storage systems to power industries such as steel
and cement.
By 2027, Rondo aims to produce enough thermal
batteries to cut 12 million tons of CO2
(30:56):
emissions annually.
Despite challenges in scaling production and market adoptions,
thermal batteries could play a key role in
decarbonizing industrial manufacturing and enabling renewable energy storage.
That's pretty big, right?
I think people, again, need to be educated
(31:21):
about things, OK?
And so this is a huge, huge concern.
Now, I'm not sure where Rondo is out
of, where their location is, but I can
tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, if they
are not in the United States, they're going
(31:42):
to get hit with a 40 percent surcharge.
And it looks like they're probably, I said,
this 75 million pound project, they're in Europe.
So it doesn't matter what they save us.
We've got to be producing things in our
own country.
Now, that's not to be selfish.
(32:02):
That's because we need to put the jobs
back into the United States.
There's nothing wrong with buying something once in
a while overseas, but we just got too
out of hand with buying everything.
And Amazon is the worst culprit for it.
I mean, they just bring all this stuff
in so dirt cheap and half the stuff
(32:25):
breaks two to three days or a week
or six months.
I had a client of mine that I
talked to the day and they bought one
of these devices that you sit on the
counter and it basically supposed to do your
pasta for you and shred it.
So she bought this unit.
And after six months, it stopped working.
(32:46):
I bought a cookie press, you know, the
cookie press guns.
Well, every two years I have to buy
a new one.
So about two years ago, I bought one
from Italy.
It was supposed to look a really top
end professional press guy.
It was all manual, solid stainless steel.
And I had the gun for about a
(33:08):
year and a half, two years.
And it broke.
So I.
I called them up, had a number in
Italy, got somebody who spoke English and I
explained to them and he goes, oh, Senor,
he goes, it has a lifetime limited lifetime
(33:28):
warranties.
Excuse me.
Limited lifetime, limited lifetime warranty.
Well, what do you mean limited lifetime?
It's limited lifetime.
But I tell you what we do for
you, sir.
We give you 20 percent off.
The new ones are 150.
We'll give you 20 percent off on any
of the new ones.
And you just pay that and you pay
shipping.
(33:49):
So, you know, if you take one hundred
fifty dollars, ladies, gentlemen, and you take off
20 percent.
That's one hundred twenty plus it's 1850 for
shipping now with Mr. Trump's new requirement, you
add 40 percent on that.
It's going to cost one ninety three ninety.
(34:12):
I hope this is going to make you
think about buying things overseas.
We really need to be buying things in
the United States and making things in the
United States.
Michigan Democrats safeguard reproductive health data ahead of
the GOP control.
Michigan Democrats are pushing for new legislation to
protect reproductive health data, particularly from menstrual cycle
(34:35):
tracking apps before Republicans take control of the
state house in twenty twenty five.
The bill is backed by Democratic Governor Gretchen
Whitmer and seeks to safeguard this data from
being misused, especially in the wake of concerns
about privacy after the Roe versus Wade reversal.
(34:56):
So pretty interesting there, right?
The legislation would require explicit consent for sharing
reproductive health data and would regulate the use
of geofencing, which targets consumers based on location,
while some Republicans oppose the bill, arguing it
limits free speech.
Democrats are racing against time to pass these
(35:17):
measures before the upcoming shift in political power.
So this is very interesting.
And, you know, when we hear, you know,
the Supreme Court overturns the Roe versus Wade
issue, which basically reversed the right to abortion,
(35:40):
which was reversed basically on June 24th, they
overturned it.
The decision, most of which was leaked in
the early May, meant that the abortion rights
will be rolled back in nearly half of
the states immediately, with more restrictions likely to
follow.
For practical purposes, abortion will not be available
(36:02):
in large swaths of the country.
The decision may well mean, too, that the
court itself, as well as the abortion question,
will become a focal point in the upcoming
elections in the future.
And I think, you know, what they're doing
here with preserving your data and stuff like
(36:23):
that, but we shouldn't be selling data like
that, you know, and a lot of people
are doing that.
I got to tell you, one of my
big pet peeves is the people that go
on LinkedIn.
And I'm very close to changing my email
to like my personal email, not my corporate
one, because so many people scrape that email.
And that's a big problem.
(36:45):
Well, ladies and gentlemen, Fox News loses the
bid for Smartmatic records in the Philippines bribery
case.
Fox News lost its attempt to obtain records
from Smartmatic related to a bribery case involving
the company's co-founder, Roger Pilate, accused of
(37:06):
bribing a Philippine election official.
The case linked to Smartmatic's effort to secure
business in the Philippines is unrelated to the
company's defamation lawsuit against Fox, and Smartmatic is
suing Fox for $2.7 billion, claiming its
reputation was damaged by false election fraud reports
aired by Fox News in 2020.
(37:28):
Judge David Cohen ruled that the bribery case
was irrelevant to the defamation suit, denying Fox's
request for documents.
So, you know, everything's about money and political
power, unfortunately.
And until an example is set, everyone thinks
(37:51):
they can just do this.
I'm waiting for a huge fine to be
hit for people to use these applications to
just scan.
Now, I'm not saying to use it out
of the blue, but some of these people,
you know, they just go and they grab
information.
There was a guy today who, I use
Nomo Robo on my phones, and it had
(38:15):
black the call.
Then he emails me right after.
And I knew he got the information from
LinkedIn, I just knew it.
And so I emailed back, told him how,
you know, this is really illegal.
And then I called him and I let
(38:37):
him know that this is unethical.
And, you know, just to go, let's say,
scraping a profile and then just emailing me,
I mean, that was just like so below
the belt.
And he was very nice.
(38:57):
He was like, OK, I got it.
OK, thank you.
Yep, you're right.
And he knew what he was doing was
wrong.
He knew it.
There's some people that, you know, are real
terrible.
But this person like like I could tell
he cared about what was going on.
And so that's a cool thing.
(39:22):
So we'll have to just see what's happening.
I think a lot of people don't know
what's been going on with this, but I
can tell you right now, like what's happened
with Fox and all these other news things.
(39:43):
I submitted an article.
Many of you don't know that I'm a
member of the international press now, eight years.
And my stories are not always about, you
know, I don't want things to lead just
because they bleed.
I want them to lead because they have
true merit.
(40:09):
I think some people don't understand that when
something leads and bleeds, that's just one way.
Right.
But it also means that there's a lot
of unethical things happening.
And that the stories are being manipulated as
(40:31):
propaganda.
And it's not truth.
It's not truth.
Everyone's always trying to figure a way around
something, if they could pay more money, if
they could do a favor for somebody.
They're always trying to figure some way out
of something.
I think that's a big, big problem.
(40:53):
Like a really, really big problem.
One that I believe most people don't quite
understand.
And it's the whole concept of being ethical,
right?
Being ethical.
That's what it's about.
(41:21):
I think it's important to understand that when
people do something for the wrong reasons, it
causes issues.
It may not right away, but it can
(41:42):
have very devastating effects.
I mean, let's look at this whole thing,
what's going on right now with the country
buying from all these other foreign places, right?
This didn't happen overnight.
This happened over time because people in our
country were too lazy to build and design
(42:05):
what they want.
What did they do?
They went to other countries because those people
said, you know what?
America's too lazy to do what they need.
So, we're going to build it for them
and we're going to make a profit.
Oh, and we're not going to build it
with the highest quality.
We're going to build it so it lasts
just a few years.
(42:25):
So, we're going to make things that look
really beautiful on the outside.
But when you take them apart and look
at the engineering, you're probably going to want
to regurgitate.
I could not believe when I took apart
a surge protector that was supposed to be
totally UL raid and everything.
And it was.
When I took it apart just to see
what it's like, the wire grade was crap
(42:48):
inside.
And they were passing this off as an
approved UL appliance.
I'm like, are they nuts?
So, the standards in Europe are supposedly higher
than ours.
But I got to tell you something.
In these foreign countries, they have different standards,
right?
I mean, do they have a UL listing
(43:09):
in China?
It's different.
It's absolutely, absolutely different.
UL certification is different.
They have a standard for lithium batteries.
They have a standard for generally used snap
(43:31):
switches.
General requirements for battery-powered appliances.
Standard for vehicle battery adapters.
Standard for robots and robotic equipment.
Standard for LED sign and sign retrofit kits.
Are there different types of UL certifications?
Yes.
UL can apply to either a product or
a manufacturer.
So, UL verifies that a manufacturer can produce
(43:52):
a product according to a UL standard.
UL follows up with the supplier from time
to time, but doesn't test each SKU or
batch.
However, sourcing a UL-listed supplier is the
best option for startups and small-scale importers.
UL recognition applies to machines and other more
complex products or components.
(44:14):
A UL-recognized supplier can put the UL
mark on their parts.
UL classification certifies that a certain product is
compliant with UL standards.
Is UL listing or certification mandatory when importing,
let's say, from Asia?
No, compliance with UL standards is not mandatory
in the sense that you are not required
by law to follow them.
When it comes to importing electronics to the
(44:35):
United States, it's up to the importer to
ensure that the product is safe.
One way to achieve that is by following
a certain standard, be it one developed by
UL or another organization.
That being said, UL is the de facto
set of mandatory electronic safety standards in the
United States.
For example, Amazon.com requires all sellers of
(44:58):
hoverboards to submit UL-compliance documents for lithium
batteries or face permanent suspension.
It's the same thing when it comes to
retailers.
They will not even consider your product unless
it's UL-certified or at least listed.
At the end of the day, you need
to be sure that your product is safe,
so why not just go with UL-listed
suppliers?
It's going to be more money, but you
(45:18):
don't want to play.
It's kind of like playing with ink that's
not really the manufacturer's ink, right?
The viscosity is different.
Let's say the components that make up the
ink are different, and they might even wind
up jamming up your printer.
So how do I know if a supplier
can produce UL-certified products?
(45:40):
The good thing is that many manufacturers, now
they're saying in China, are relatively familiar with
the standards, and quite a few in Shenzhen
are UL-listed.
In fact, they tend to either refer to
European Union directives, low-voltage directives, or ROHS
or UL standards.
While many electronics can technically comply with UL
(46:00):
standards, given that they receive the PCB drawings,
writing diagrams, and a bill of materials, BOM,
you should only consider suppliers that have manufactured
UL-compliant products.
The best way to do it is by
asking them to provide a UL certificate or
test report that you later verify directly with
UL.
How long does it take to get a
UL product certified or listed?
(46:22):
About six months.
How much does it cost to get a
product UL certified?
$5,000 to $15,000, okay?
So I know that producing things in the
United States costs more money.
I get it.
But it's going to be a lot better
to do that, ladies and gentlemen, than to
try to buy things overseas from China and
(46:44):
now get hit with that 40% fee.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am John C.
Moore, a serial entrepreneur.
It's been a privilege, pleasure, and honor to
be with you here on the JMoore Tech
Talk Show.
I do want to take this opportunity to
wish you happy, healthy holidays.
Of course, I'll see you before the holidays,
but I do want to invite you to
visit BelieveMeAchieve.com for more of my amazing,
inspiring creations, and I'll catch you guys real
soon, all right?
(47:04):
Take care, everyone.
Bye.
Hi everyone, I'm John C. Morley, the host of
The JMOR Tech Talk Show and Inspirations for
Your Life.
(00:58):
Well hey guys, welcome, it is John Seymour
here, serial entrepreneur, and you are tuned into
The JMOR Tech Talk Show.
It is Friday, December 13th, 2024.
Can't believe we have just two more weeks
left in December and the month is basically
over.
Forget about December being over, we've got basically
(01:22):
one to three weeks from this past Wednesday
and we'll be in 2025.
Check that out.
All right, why don't you go grab yourself
something delicious and yummy, whether it's something healthy,
whether it's something sweet, whether it's water, whether
it's a cup of tea like I've got
(01:43):
my nice hot cup of decaf tea here.
Absolutely delicious and warm and hot.
So go ahead and grab that, we'll get
started.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are on series number
three, in case you didn't know that.
Yeah, we're on series number three and tonight's
(02:04):
show is having the title Tech Turmoil Innovation,
the headline shaping our future, series three, show
number 51.
Tech wars, scams, and smart solutions, a week
of headlines you just can't afford to miss.
This week's episode of The JMOR Tech Talk
(02:24):
Show is going to be packed with everything
you need to know about the latest tech
news, innovations and ongoing battles shaping our digital
future.
From TikTok's looming sale mandate to Apple's rivalry
with Qualcomm, the drama never stops.
Dive into the newest tech trends, the latest
updates on AI, cybersecurity, and more.
(02:44):
So don't miss out on these headlines.
Grab that cup of coffee, grab that snack
or beverage, and come and join me for
the headline stories that are going to be
shaking up the world.
All right.
Well, the first one we're going to kick
off with is the U.S. appeals court
regarding TikTok.
Yes, the U.S. appeals court backs TikTok's
(03:08):
sale mandate.
A U.S. appeals court upheld a law
requiring TikTok's Chinese buyer, ByteDance, to sell the
company to an American buyer by January 19,
2025, or face a nationwide ban.
The ruling aims to protect U.S. national
security and citizens' data from potential misuse by
(03:29):
foreign adversaries.
TikTok criticized the decision as a censorship based
on flawed information and plans to appeal to
the Supreme Court.
With over 170 million American users, TikTok's future
is now, yes, in the U.S., hinging
on compliance or a legal victory.
(03:49):
The case has drawn political attention, including newly
elected President Donald Trump's vow to address the
issue.
But what's really going to happen, ladies and
gentlemen, is TikTok, I mean, is TikTok going
to close in the U.S.? It's one
step closer to being banned, ladies and gentlemen,
(04:12):
one step.
And TikTok has lost its challenge to a
law that will force the company to sell
its prized social media asset or face a
ban in the United States that will go
through on the date of January 19, 2025.
I think right after that date is when
it's going to happen because they can't be
(04:33):
open on the 20th.
Yeah, on the 20th, they can't be open.
So, of course, they're all mad and upset,
but we know that the Chinese doesn't always
do things that's, let's just say, above board.
So I don't know.
I mean, I know I have some followers
on TikTok.
If they shut TikTok down tomorrow, life would
(04:57):
still go on and I'd still have plenty
of followers on other channels.
But TikTok's a very interesting creature.
They don't allow you to post certain things,
not whether they're good or bad.
They don't like any controversy.
So that's a big problem, ladies and gentlemen.
And another news story that I think you'd
(05:18):
like to hear about is Apple eyes the
three year modem rollout to rival Qualcomm.
Yes, Apple plans to introduce its long awaited
cellular modem chip starting next year, aiming to
phase out Qualcomm components by 2027, according to
Bloomberg, this is.
These modems will debut in the iPhone SE
(05:40):
and gradually advance across Apple's product line.
The shift follows Apple's one billion acquisition of
Intel modem units in 2019, an ongoing set
of efforts to develop in-house technology.
Qualcomm, which has a supply agreement with Apple
until 2026, anticipates revenue impacts and is diversifying
(06:02):
into laptops and AI data centers.
Apple has also partnered with Broadcom for 5G
components, which may challenge other suppliers like Skyworks
and Cuorvo.
So we'll have to wait and see what's
going to happen with this.
But, you know, we've got other things happening,
like Donald Trump is going to be imposing
(06:24):
the 40% tariff from anything that comes
outside of the United States.
And the reason he's doing this is he's
hoping that it will motivate people to make
things in the United States because 40%
is a pretty high tariff.
And that's going to have to be passed
on to distributors and also to, you know,
(06:46):
businesses and end users that are purchasing all
types of products, whether we're talking about laptops,
whether we're talking about certain clothing, that's going
to really hike up the price.
So we're going to have to just wait
and see what's going to happen there, ladies
and gentlemen.
And ladies and gentlemen, Verizon will raise their
(07:07):
fees again.
Yes, they will.
Verizon will raise its fees again.
Verizon is increasing its monthly administrative and, quote
unquote, telco recovery charge by 20 cents per
line starting December 18th.
That's happening soon.
Raising the fee to $3.50 for voice
lines and $1.60 for data lines.
(07:29):
The small hike follows a larger increase in
recent years and continues the trend of separating
fees from base rates, potentially to obscure overall
price hikes.
Critics argue this practice allows wireless carriers to
pad profits, as Verizon reported $3.4 billion
in net income in Q3 2024, a decline
(07:52):
from the $4.9 billion the previous year.
Verizon's home Internet services are not affected by
these price increases at the current time.
So the question you're probably asking.
Do people care that Verizon is raising their
(08:13):
bill for wireless carriers, do people care?
Some people care, some people are annoyed about
the principle, but I think most people feel
that it's something that they don't really want
to worry too much about.
But it is annoying some, but it's not
(08:35):
causing, you know, like an anarchy or anything
like that.
And, you know, they're doing it because of
a mandate.
Basically, their prices are getting raised.
So just passing that on.
But I don't know.
We're going to have to see what happens,
right, between them and also the United States
Postal Service raising raising fees.
(09:01):
You know, this is a pretty big thing.
And so, you know, the U.S. Postal
Service says they're staying competitive.
They say they offer great values.
And you might be saying, gee, when are
postage rates going up?
(09:21):
Well, they are supposed to be changing very
soon.
The USPS raises the stamp price, right?
They're saying now five times through 2027.
So, you know, the thing about it is
(09:44):
that the July 20, 25th hike, they're outlining
a plan for a twice yearly increase.
It wasn't enough that they're increasing it once.
I remember when they didn't increase it at
all.
January and July for both 2026 and 2027.
So the July 2024 five cent increase for
(10:08):
the five first class stamp tied to the
record for the biggest hike ever and followed
a two cent increase in January.
Before that, postage prices rose in July 2023,
January 2023 and July 2022.
Between 1970s and 2000, rates increased three to
(10:29):
four times a decade.
So the question really is, are they doing
anything with this price increase?
Is it just going to pad somebody's retirement
account 401k?
I mean, is there really a reason why?
They should raise the prices.
(10:50):
And the big picture is stamp inflation.
It's known as stampflation, quote unquote.
And it's been affecting stamp prices over the
last couple of years.
But my concern is, you know, it's probably
going to be cheaper to pick up the
phone and call someone than it's going to
be to mail.
(11:10):
Used to be cheaper to mail someone, but
now it's going to probably be cheaper to
pick up the phone and call them.
I have a concern, and that is, do
you think the USPS should be raising postage
prices so much?
(11:32):
And I would probably say the answer is
no, you don't think they should do this.
So the Canadian post offices are supposedly raising
even more than we are.
But the question is, are we getting any
more value?
(11:54):
They also say that mail delivered to some
rural areas could get slower because of the
inability to staff people and not having the
funds.
So the question I ask is, what is
the USPS doing with the extra, what's called
(12:16):
the extra stamp revenue?
And, you know, they're basically putting it toward,
they want to cut their costs.
They want to, they're planning to cut five
billion in costs.
They claim that they're running out of cash.
(12:39):
They're grappling to be able to operate.
So the question is, will the USPS ever
become a private entity and not, you know,
federally managed or run?
(13:01):
The USPS raised the price of a first
class stamp from 66 cents to 68 cents
on January 21st.
So in 2023, the mail volume fell by
42% between 2007 and 2020.
Total mail revenue during the same period fell
(13:23):
60.6 billion in 2007 to 38.7
billion in 2020, a 36% drop.
The trend is going to continue.
And I can tell you why.
Four or five years ago, we switched over
to all electronic books.
And, you know, we really don't mail anything
out anymore.
So I think that's a really big reason.
(13:45):
You know, I think if the post office
wants to be profitable, they've got to look
at other ways of getting messages across.
And that's not the post office.
Maybe they need to come up with their
own social media.
I don't know.
But I know that the mail is not
as popular as it once was for a
(14:06):
lot of things.
So we'll have to just keep the tabs
and see what's going on.
And Amazon, ladies and gentlemen, successfully tests delivery
drones in Italy.
Yeah, this is pretty cool.
Amazon has successfully completed its first drone delivery
test in Italy, marking the country's first trial
of the e-commerce giant's primary service.
(14:26):
The test took place in San Salvo, located
in central Abruzzo region on December 4th, ladies
and gentlemen, 2024, using the Amazon's MK-30
drone.
This test is part of Amazon's plans to
launch drone deliveries in Italy and Britain in
late 2024, which is what they have done.
(14:47):
The company is working with the Italian authorities
to meet regulatory requirements for services officials launch
next year.
The drones use advanced computer vision technology to
safely navigate and avoid obstacles, ensuring the safety
of people, property and other aircraft.
I still feel there is going to be,
(15:07):
and I could be wrong, there will be
a new insurance that I think homes and
businesses will have to have called drone insurance.
(15:27):
And, you know, I don't think it's going
to be a hefty bill.
I think it might be something like, you
know, it could be $18, $20, but it's
going to be something new because if something
goes wrong with that particular drone, right, it
could crash into your roof, causing thousands or
hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars
of damage, depending on what home or what
(15:48):
property it hits.
Right.
So I think that's a really serious, serious
problem.
And we're just going to have to keep
an eye on what's going on, but they're
going to test this out over there and
then they're going to try to do this
in the U.S. And not too long
ago, actually, last week, there was a system
outage that disrupted vehicle licensing in Washington.
(16:09):
A brief system outage impacted vehicle licensing offices
across Washington state.
Yes, on Thursday last week, disrupting payment processing
for about two hours, the Washington State Department
of Licensing confirmed the issue, which began before
2.30 p.m. Pacific time, stemmed from
a server problem and only affected the vehicle
(16:31):
licensing unit.
Services were fully restored by 4.28 p
.m. Pacific time.
It affected offices such as the one in
Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, and they posted signs notifying
customers of the statewide disruption.
So it's interesting.
I think the two entities that sometimes struggle
(16:53):
is the post office and the DMV.
But, you know, the DMV doesn't struggle.
I don't think they struggle because you see
everyone drives.
Right.
And so if they decided they were going
to charge ten dollars more per license, people
have to pay it or they wouldn't be
able to drive.
Right.
It's very, very simple.
All right.
And in other news, Redmond Snowplow gets a
(17:16):
geeky makeover.
How about this?
Control, salt, delete.
I didn't say all.
I said salt.
Residents of Redmond, Washington, have humorously named the
city snowplow control salt elite in a public
contest celebrating the area's tech culture and Microsoft
headquarters.
Other winning names include Scoop Dog and Snow
(17:39):
Be Gone.
Kenobi.
Over 580 participants suggested four and eighty two
names with city staff narrowing them to 14
finalists for voting.
The names will be displayed on plows and
Redmond plans to launch a live plow tracking
map this winter.
The city uses liquid calcium deicer to prevent
(17:59):
ice and various mixtures for effective snow removal,
showcasing a blend of tech savvy wit and
practical community planning.
Yes.
Pretty cool name.
Control, salt, delete.
I actually think that's pretty cool.
And diving back in, ladies and gentlemen, to
Microsoft.
Yes.
So Microsoft urges the FTC, the Federal Trade
(18:21):
Commission, to address the alleged info leak amid
the antitrust probe.
Microsoft has asked the FTC, the Federal Trade
Commission, to investigate an alleged leak of confidential
information regarding an antitrust investigation into the company.
Microsoft's deputy general counsel, Rima Alidi, sent an
(18:41):
email to the FTC inspector general, claiming the
company learned about the information requests through a
Bloomberg article.
Despite not receiving a formal legal document, Alidi
urged the FTC to examine whether its management
improperly leaked information, violating agency's ethics rules.
The investigation reportedly involves various aspects of Microsoft's
(19:02):
business, including cloud computing and AI partnerships.
This comes amid a broader concern, which is
over increasing unauthorized disclosures at the FTC, the
Federal Trade Commission.
And ladies and gentlemen, our friends at Meta
with their company Instagram.
(19:23):
Well, they're blocking third party app developers.
Meta's recent changes to its developer tools have
impacted third party consumer apps that previously integrated
with Instagram, such as Tinder, Hinge and the
journaling app Day One.
These apps relied on the Instagram basic display
(19:45):
API, which Meta discontinued on December 4th, 2024,
not too long ago.
As a result, Day One can no longer
import Instagram content into its journals and other
services like Discord and Spotlight have also been
affected.
The new Instagram API now only works for
business accounts, rendering personal account integrations unavailable.
(20:07):
This change disrupts features that many users, including
Day One's premium subscribers, had relied on.
So the question is, what's going to happen?
I think people are going to have to
adapt or the developers are going to have
to come up with a new way.
Otherwise, well, they're not going to be able
(20:28):
to integrate with Instagram.
Never realized there were so many people that
integrated with Instagram, not just in the social
world.
And Amazon is up at bat again.
Amazon faces a lawsuit, ladies and gentlemen, it
faces a lawsuit over slow deliveries to low
income areas.
(20:49):
Amazon is facing a lawsuit from the District
of Columbia's attorney general accusing the company of
secretly halting its fastest delivery service for two
low income zip codes, 2009 and 2020, while
continually charging nearly 50,000 Prime members the
full subscription price.
(21:10):
Amazon reportedly switched from using its own branded
trucks to third party services like EPS and
the USPS, which, of course, resulted in slower
deliveries.
The lawsuit alleges Amazon violated consumer protection laws
by failing to disclose the change to customers
who experienced significant delays compared to other D
(21:32):
.C. residents.
Amazon claims the change was due to safety
concerns for its drivers.
But the attorney general argues that the company
must provide the service that it has promised.
Ooh, I would not want to be Amazon.
Tim Cook from Apple, well, he aims to
(21:53):
save your life.
Tim Cook recently outlined his vision for Apple's
future, focusing on the company's growing role in
health technology and its potential to improve lives
through innovation.
As Apple explores its AI capabilities with initiatives
like Apple Intelligence, Cook emphasized that privacy will
remain a central pillar of the company's approach,
(22:18):
with many AI features designed to function directly
on user devices such as the ones relying
on the cloud.
So that's a big change for them that
they're going to be doing things locally.
The Apple Watch's lifesaving health monitoring features reflect
this commitment to health.
Cook also touched on the fact that Apple's
(22:39):
collaboration with deep AI will be to enhance
user experiences while ensuring that AI advancements prioritize
safety and ethical standards.
Looking ahead, Cook sees Apple becoming a major
player in the health sector, pushing boundaries in
technology while safeguarding privacy.
So I think it's interesting, you know, where
(23:01):
Apple's going.
Apple wants to be.
Apple wants to be in the health care
space, and it's something that I didn't envision
for them, but it's where they want to
go.
And, you know, they're building this whole ecosystem
(23:22):
of products to be bold in the health
care space.
And so, you know, beyond just the watch
and the applications ecosystem, Apple pushes forward with
health care.
You know, they are working with Vision Pro,
the augmented virtual reality device that can be
(23:46):
used, you know, by companies.
And it was recently released.
The goal behind the Vision Pro is to
seamlessly blend digital content with a user's physical
space.
So Apple is making some strides.
I think a lot of people don't understand
(24:12):
where they're going, and I think even the
AI world, a lot of people don't understand
what it means.
That's the issue.
I think if people were able to really
get a clue of what's happening, I think
(24:35):
they would approach it differently.
They would approach it much, much differently.
And ladies and gentlemen, Google sues the CFPB,
that is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, because
they have placed the Google Payment Corp under
(24:57):
federal supervision due to concerns over its fraud
prevention and error resolution processes related to Google
Pay.
Complaints from consumers highlighted issues with fraud investigations
and inadequate explanations of outcomes, which Google disputes
in a lawsuit aimed at blocking the oversight.
(25:17):
Google argues that this is a federal intervention
is excessive, and particularly as the peer-to
-peer payment service has already been discontinued.
While the CFPB supervision does not imply wrongdoing,
the company is challenging the decision in court.
So if you've been noticing or been following
Google lately, Google's been getting in a lot
(25:38):
of trouble, right?
You know, everyone thinks that Google can do
no wrong because they have so much money.
But what we're starting to learn with a
lot of these big tech companies is they're
being brought down.
And when they start making a problem or
when they have an issue, everything is brought
down to size.
And I think that's a big issue.
(25:59):
They're having to really be careful about what
they're doing.
And I think if we can take a
look at that and be mindful, then hopefully
we will be able to move forward in
the right way.
And I think, you know, what the CFPB
(26:24):
is doing is not wrong.
I mean, let's face it, ladies and gentlemen.
Google has not actually had an innocent record.
Not to go into all the different things,
but I mean, they have had issues.
And so now that Google is going to
(26:44):
sue them, you know, it's it's crazy.
I quote what they said here.
This is a clear case of government overreach
involving Google pay peer to peer payments, which
never raised risks and is no longer providing
the United States.
And we're challenging it in court.
Close quote.
This was Google spokesperson Jose Castienda.
(27:10):
So I think a lot of people don't
realize that Google's not the best search engine
anymore.
I mean, they did a lot of wrong
things.
Not to get into that on this show,
but we've talked about this before.
(27:30):
Right.
And so it's interesting.
But the reason that the CFPB is getting
involved so that, you know, is because they've
gotten many consumer complaints.
So, you know, playing devil's advocate here.
Right.
If Google wants to challenge this, my issue
(27:51):
would be why are there so many consumer
complaints against Google about their payment processing?
If they were really innocent, right, then those
wouldn't exist.
It was one or two fine.
But I think that is a big problem.
And so I know that they just try
(28:16):
to sneak things under the wire.
I mean, that's that's what they do.
They try to sneak things under the wire.
And when they sneak things under the wire,
they believe that that no one's going to
really know.
But the truth of the matter is, Google
has done so many things to, let's say,
be dishonest.
And I'm not going to get into every
piece.
(28:37):
I think most people don't understand.
OK.
And people don't get the one thing, and
(28:58):
that is the fact that, you know, Google
has done some wrong stuff.
OK.
And so, you know, they haven't really come
clean on this stuff.
They have not.
And because they have not come clean on
it, then it's going to be an issue.
(29:21):
And how do we know how can we
even how can we even trust these people,
how how can we trust them?
(29:52):
I think if people realize that, you know,
being to the top of Google or being
at the top of TikTok, it might seem
like what you want.
But the end of the day, it may
not be.
It may not be.
So another interesting story is batteries.
(30:14):
Well, why are thermal batteries in our world
now may be replaced seeing lithium ion for
energy storage?
So why?
Well, thermal batteries, which store excess electricity as
heat in materials like bricks or graphite, are
gaining attention as potential alternatives to lithium ion
(30:35):
batteries for energy storage.
Companies like Rondo Energy and Antora Energy are
at the forefront of this innovation, using heat
storage systems to power industries such as steel
and cement.
By 2027, Rondo aims to produce enough thermal
batteries to cut 12 million tons of CO2
(30:56):
emissions annually.
Despite challenges in scaling production and market adoptions,
thermal batteries could play a key role in
decarbonizing industrial manufacturing and enabling renewable energy storage.
That's pretty big, right?
I think people, again, need to be educated
(31:21):
about things, OK?
And so this is a huge, huge concern.
Now, I'm not sure where Rondo is out
of, where their location is, but I can
tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, if they
are not in the United States, they're going
(31:42):
to get hit with a 40 percent surcharge.
And it looks like they're probably, I said,
this 75 million pound project, they're in Europe.
So it doesn't matter what they save us.
We've got to be producing things in our
own country.
Now, that's not to be selfish.
(32:02):
That's because we need to put the jobs
back into the United States.
There's nothing wrong with buying something once in
a while overseas, but we just got too
out of hand with buying everything.
And Amazon is the worst culprit for it.
I mean, they just bring all this stuff
in so dirt cheap and half the stuff
(32:25):
breaks two to three days or a week
or six months.
I had a client of mine that I
talked to the day and they bought one
of these devices that you sit on the
counter and it basically supposed to do your
pasta for you and shred it.
So she bought this unit.
And after six months, it stopped working.
(32:46):
I bought a cookie press, you know, the
cookie press guns.
Well, every two years I have to buy
a new one.
So about two years ago, I bought one
from Italy.
It was supposed to look a really top
end professional press guy.
It was all manual, solid stainless steel.
And I had the gun for about a
(33:08):
year and a half, two years.
And it broke.
So I.
I called them up, had a number in
Italy, got somebody who spoke English and I
explained to them and he goes, oh, Senor,
he goes, it has a lifetime limited lifetime
(33:28):
warranties.
Excuse me.
Limited lifetime, limited lifetime warranty.
Well, what do you mean limited lifetime?
It's limited lifetime.
But I tell you what we do for
you, sir.
We give you 20 percent off.
The new ones are 150.
We'll give you 20 percent off on any
of the new ones.
And you just pay that and you pay
shipping.
(33:49):
So, you know, if you take one hundred
fifty dollars, ladies, gentlemen, and you take off
20 percent.
That's one hundred twenty plus it's 1850 for
shipping now with Mr. Trump's new requirement, you
add 40 percent on that.
It's going to cost one ninety three ninety.
(34:12):
I hope this is going to make you
think about buying things overseas.
We really need to be buying things in
the United States and making things in the
United States.
Michigan Democrats safeguard reproductive health data ahead of
the GOP control.
Michigan Democrats are pushing for new legislation to
protect reproductive health data, particularly from menstrual cycle
(34:35):
tracking apps before Republicans take control of the
state house in twenty twenty five.
The bill is backed by Democratic Governor Gretchen
Whitmer and seeks to safeguard this data from
being misused, especially in the wake of concerns
about privacy after the Roe versus Wade reversal.
(34:56):
So pretty interesting there, right?
The legislation would require explicit consent for sharing
reproductive health data and would regulate the use
of geofencing, which targets consumers based on location,
while some Republicans oppose the bill, arguing it
limits free speech.
Democrats are racing against time to pass these
(35:17):
measures before the upcoming shift in political power.
So this is very interesting.
And, you know, when we hear, you know,
the Supreme Court overturns the Roe versus Wade
issue, which basically reversed the right to abortion,
(35:40):
which was reversed basically on June 24th, they
overturned it.
The decision, most of which was leaked in
the early May, meant that the abortion rights
will be rolled back in nearly half of
the states immediately, with more restrictions likely to
follow.
For practical purposes, abortion will not be available
(36:02):
in large swaths of the country.
The decision may well mean, too, that the
court itself, as well as the abortion question,
will become a focal point in the upcoming
elections in the future.
And I think, you know, what they're doing
here with preserving your data and stuff like
(36:23):
that, but we shouldn't be selling data like
that, you know, and a lot of people
are doing that.
I got to tell you, one of my
big pet peeves is the people that go
on LinkedIn.
And I'm very close to changing my email
to like my personal email, not my corporate
one, because so many people scrape that email.
And that's a big problem.
(36:45):
Well, ladies and gentlemen, Fox News loses the
bid for Smartmatic records in the Philippines bribery
case.
Fox News lost its attempt to obtain records
from Smartmatic related to a bribery case involving
the company's co-founder, Roger Pilate, accused of
(37:06):
bribing a Philippine election official.
The case linked to Smartmatic's effort to secure
business in the Philippines is unrelated to the
company's defamation lawsuit against Fox, and Smartmatic is
suing Fox for $2.7 billion, claiming its
reputation was damaged by false election fraud reports
aired by Fox News in 2020.
(37:28):
Judge David Cohen ruled that the bribery case
was irrelevant to the defamation suit, denying Fox's
request for documents.
So, you know, everything's about money and political
power, unfortunately.
And until an example is set, everyone thinks
(37:51):
they can just do this.
I'm waiting for a huge fine to be
hit for people to use these applications to
just scan.
Now, I'm not saying to use it out
of the blue, but some of these people,
you know, they just go and they grab
information.
There was a guy today who, I use
Nomo Robo on my phones, and it had
(38:15):
black the call.
Then he emails me right after.
And I knew he got the information from
LinkedIn, I just knew it.
And so I emailed back, told him how,
you know, this is really illegal.
And then I called him and I let
(38:37):
him know that this is unethical.
And, you know, just to go, let's say,
scraping a profile and then just emailing me,
I mean, that was just like so below
the belt.
And he was very nice.
(38:57):
He was like, OK, I got it.
OK, thank you.
Yep, you're right.
And he knew what he was doing was
wrong.
He knew it.
There's some people that, you know, are real
terrible.
But this person like like I could tell
he cared about what was going on.
And so that's a cool thing.
(39:22):
So we'll have to just see what's happening.
I think a lot of people don't know
what's been going on with this, but I
can tell you right now, like what's happened
with Fox and all these other news things.
(39:43):
I submitted an article.
Many of you don't know that I'm a
member of the international press now, eight years.
And my stories are not always about, you
know, I don't want things to lead just
because they bleed.
I want them to lead because they have
true merit.
(40:09):
I think some people don't understand that when
something leads and bleeds, that's just one way.
Right.
But it also means that there's a lot
of unethical things happening.
And that the stories are being manipulated as
(40:31):
propaganda.
And it's not truth.
It's not truth.
Everyone's always trying to figure a way around
something, if they could pay more money, if
they could do a favor for somebody.
They're always trying to figure some way out
of something.
I think that's a big, big problem.
(40:53):
Like a really, really big problem.
One that I believe most people don't quite
understand.
And it's the whole concept of being ethical,
right?
Being ethical.
That's what it's about.
(41:21):
I think it's important to understand that when
people do something for the wrong reasons, it
causes issues.
It may not right away, but it can
(41:42):
have very devastating effects.
I mean, let's look at this whole thing,
what's going on right now with the country
buying from all these other foreign places, right?
This didn't happen overnight.
This happened over time because people in our
country were too lazy to build and design
(42:05):
what they want.
What did they do?
They went to other countries because those people
said, you know what?
America's too lazy to do what they need.
So, we're going to build it for them
and we're going to make a profit.
Oh, and we're not going to build it
with the highest quality.
We're going to build it so it lasts
just a few years.
(42:25):
So, we're going to make things that look
really beautiful on the outside.
But when you take them apart and look
at the engineering, you're probably going to want
to regurgitate.
I could not believe when I took apart
a surge protector that was supposed to be
totally UL raid and everything.
And it was.
When I took it apart just to see
what it's like, the wire grade was crap
(42:48):
inside.
And they were passing this off as an
approved UL appliance.
I'm like, are they nuts?
So, the standards in Europe are supposedly higher
than ours.
But I got to tell you something.
In these foreign countries, they have different standards,
right?
I mean, do they have a UL listing
(43:09):
in China?
It's different.
It's absolutely, absolutely different.
UL certification is different.
They have a standard for lithium batteries.
They have a standard for generally used snap
(43:31):
switches.
General requirements for battery-powered appliances.
Standard for vehicle battery adapters.
Standard for robots and robotic equipment.
Standard for LED sign and sign retrofit kits.
Are there different types of UL certifications?
Yes.
UL can apply to either a product or
a manufacturer.
So, UL verifies that a manufacturer can produce
(43:52):
a product according to a UL standard.
UL follows up with the supplier from time
to time, but doesn't test each SKU or
batch.
However, sourcing a UL-listed supplier is the
best option for startups and small-scale importers.
UL recognition applies to machines and other more
complex products or components.
(44:14):
A UL-recognized supplier can put the UL
mark on their parts.
UL classification certifies that a certain product is
compliant with UL standards.
Is UL listing or certification mandatory when importing,
let's say, from Asia?
No, compliance with UL standards is not mandatory
in the sense that you are not required
by law to follow them.
When it comes to importing electronics to the
(44:35):
United States, it's up to the importer to
ensure that the product is safe.
One way to achieve that is by following
a certain standard, be it one developed by
UL or another organization.
That being said, UL is the de facto
set of mandatory electronic safety standards in the
United States.
For example, Amazon.com requires all sellers of
(44:58):
hoverboards to submit UL-compliance documents for lithium
batteries or face permanent suspension.
It's the same thing when it comes to
retailers.
They will not even consider your product unless
it's UL-certified or at least listed.
At the end of the day, you need
to be sure that your product is safe,
so why not just go with UL-listed
suppliers?
It's going to be more money, but you
(45:18):
don't want to play.
It's kind of like playing with ink that's
not really the manufacturer's ink, right?
The viscosity is different.
Let's say the components that make up the
ink are different, and they might even wind
up jamming up your printer.
So how do I know if a supplier
can produce UL-certified products?
(45:40):
The good thing is that many manufacturers, now
they're saying in China, are relatively familiar with
the standards, and quite a few in Shenzhen
are UL-listed.
In fact, they tend to either refer to
European Union directives, low-voltage directives, or ROHS
or UL standards.
While many electronics can technically comply with UL
(46:00):
standards, given that they receive the PCB drawings,
writing diagrams, and a bill of materials, BOM,
you should only consider suppliers that have manufactured
UL-compliant products.
The best way to do it is by
asking them to provide a UL certificate or
test report that you later verify directly with
UL.
How long does it take to get a
UL product certified or listed?
(46:22):
About six months.
How much does it cost to get a
product UL certified?
$5,000 to $15,000, okay?
So I know that producing things in the
United States costs more money.
I get it.
But it's going to be a lot better
to do that, ladies and gentlemen, than to
try to buy things overseas from China and
(46:44):
now get hit with that 40% fee.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am John C.
Moore, a serial entrepreneur.
It's been a privilege, pleasure, and honor to
be with you here on the JMoore Tech
Talk Show.
I do want to take this opportunity to
wish you happy, healthy holidays.
Of course, I'll see you before the holidays,
but I do want to invite you to
visit BelieveMeAchieve.com for more of my amazing,
inspiring creations, and I'll catch you guys real
soon, all right?
(47:04):
Take care, everyone.
Bye.
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