Tech Talk

It all began simply enough.

Chelsea Isaacs, who is pursuing a journalism degree at Long Island University, was assigned to write a story on the implementation of an iPad program on campus, according to the Guardian. She naturally turned to Apple, the maker of the iPad, for an interview — as any journalist should. Sounds simple enough, right?

Any technology writer who has ever had to deal with Apple’s media relations department is likely to attest to how difficult it is can be to receive answers to even the most simple of questions from the technology giant. The same journalists are also likely to suggest that persistence can pay off.

Isaacs contacted Apple’s press office six times, according to the British publication. As her deadline approached and grew increasingly concerned, she scoured the Web for a way to contact Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive officer.

And then something extraordinary happened — he, or someone from within the company using his name, responded to her e-mail — and then another e-mail and then another e-mail. She was ultimately told: “Please leave us alone.”

When the Guardian contacted Apple about the chain of e-mails, it received no response. Tech Talk received the same.

However, the publication does report: “We’re quite confident that they come from within Apple (they come from the 17.x.x.x IP range, which is assigned to Apple)…”

You can read the e-mail chain on the Guardian website.

Tech Talk commends Chelsea on her persistence and then willingness to report Jobs’ comments.

While Chelsea did not do everything perfectly. She should have considered restating her questions in the e-mail to Mr. Jobs, for one thing. She should have also not taken his response so personally. However, what is important is that she stood her ground — which is critical for any journalist.

If this is any indication of her work ethic, she is on the road to a very successful career. It is refreshing to see a journalist — regardless of age — who is not afraid to call out an entity — regardless of size. And here’s hoping her professor gave her the A she so deserved.

One of several dozen photos posted on theCHIVE.com

Hold on to your marker board!

The young woman who became an overnight Internet sensation for seemingly quitting her job through a series of 33 simple, but clever photos — each with another detail about her resignation and supposed former employers — is an actress hired for a viral hoax.

The stunt was so successful that it even sparked a Facebook group calling for her to pose in “Playboy”.

Fittingly, the hoax was revealed through another series of messages told in photographs and posted online.

“The last 24 hours have been surreal,” the woman who identified herself as Elyse Porterfield wrote as she grinned broadly. “And this has been a HOAX … by theCHIVE.com.”

She wrote that she “had a blast, and more than anything … I hope you’ve been ENTERTAINED.”

We were.

You fooled countless bloggers, journalists and talking heads — and nobody got hurt, except for maybe a few egos.

Tech Talk commends you on distracting us from reality, if only for a few minutes, and bringing smiles to the faces of thousands.

Of course, this should also remind us all how important it is to screen information before running with it — as far too many writers failed to do. While this incident did not cause any damage or harm, similar ones could. So, please, tread carefully. Remember, it’s not about being first, it’s about being accurate — something Tech Talk strives for.

If you haven’t checked out the photos, please do so. They’re fun.

The brothers who run theCHIVE.com have fooled the press before — most notably with a story that Donald Trump left a waiter a $10,000 tip on a $82 meal, a story appeared on FOXNews.com for several hours.

Still want to read more? Check out more details from TechCrunch here.

Although the iPhone 4 may not be as good as its predecessors — and may drop more calls than phones a half decade older, at least it offers the opportunity for a good laugh. Tech Talk strongly supports laughter, and so rather than offering a lengthy narrative, today, we offer some videos originally collected by Tech Crunch at Apple’s expense:

Warning: Some of the videos may offend some folks, so viewer discretion is advised.

To read more about the iPhone 4, check out previous Tech Talk posts here. To check out more iPhone 4-related videos, please click here.

UPDATE: Apple may need a good laugh more than ever. News was just released that it’s white iPhone 4 would be delayed — yet again. Tech Talk has the scoop. Check it out here.

Google has a problem — well, many problems.

Since news broke that the search engine giant “mistakenly” collected and stored data broadcast from wireless networks in Connecticut and countries around the world, probes have been initiated to determine the extent of the data collection. On Monday, it was reported that Google may have collected “data that are normally covered by… banking and medical privacy rules.”

Throughout the entire ordeal, the technology giant has vowed to cooperate — and has insisted that it did not break any laws, an assertion it repeated in a letter to Congress.

Google has insisted that it considered the information broadcast from the personal and business networks to be public information.  Too bad its spokespeople did not read its own WiFi privacy policy.

According to its own policy, first reported by Tech Eye: “Wireless Internet access presents challenges for protecting your information from illegal data interception by third parties.”  Oops.

Collecting information from unsecured wireless networks should be illegal — regardless of intent. This episode should remind our representatives of such threats to Americans.

“Unauthorized surveillance of wireless network data is the dark side of the new Internet era — and I will fight it,” Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal said in a statement earlier this month — and he is absolutely right.

This news should remind Web surfers that they should only use secure wireless connections, including when “just” checking e-mail, or else they face becoming a victim. Learn more about wireless security here.

As Google’s own privacy policy states: “Security threats are constantly evolving, so you should regularly check to be sure that your security protection is up to date.”

Well said.

Tech Talk thanks Simon Owens, a journalist and online media strategist, for sharing the privacy policy angle. See something? Tweet us.

A popular social networking site is washing more egg off of its face.

Facebook inadvertently allowed some users’ instant messages and friend requests to become public, the Wall Street Journal reports, as a result of a bug.

Ironically, some users were able to see live chats of users’ of other users in a feature that was intended to enhance privacy.  TechCrunch posted a video demonstrating the exploit.

As a precaution, chat access was disabled for a short time, but appeared to be back by 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

Facebook has been reeling from criticism over the way it has handled users’ privacy in recent weeks, and this latest issue is sure to only fan the fire.

Social network users should be wary of this issue, and use extreme caution when communicating on sites like Facebook and Twitter. It is always best to assume that even the most private information will eventually be public.

Don't let this check-out machine's innocent look fool you.

Technology can often make our lives easier and relieve some of life’s frustrations — and sometimes it can do just the opposite.

During a recent visit to my area Stop & Shop supermarket in Southern Connecticut, I was intrigued by the store’s new automated check-out system. It was slightly different than the ones I have used previously at the store.

Rather than simply scanning a product, placing it on a belt, allowing it to pass beneath a blinking arch and repeating with my subsequent grocery purchases, this device seemingly simply allowed me to scan my product and place it in a bag before repeating.  Sounds simple?  I thought so.

Unfortunately I was wrong.

The new device, as I quickly discovered, weighs the product just scanned (which took up to an estimated 10 painstakingly awkward seconds after each product was scanned) before deciding if the product I placed in my bag is indeed the product I scanned.  In many cases, the machine decided I was trying to pull a fast one and rejected my purchases — leaving me to start the process of purchasing that particular product again.

As I attempted to complete the purchase of a bag of Milanos for the fourth or fifth time, I must have done something to offend the machine as it had enough with me and locked all future operations until an associate assisted me.

Could I have been frustrating the device as much as it was frustrating me?  Perhaps.  But come to think of it, could a device grow frustrated?  Maybe I am just a poor bagger.  After all, I never had any formal training in such operations.  These and other questions rushed through my head as I waited anxiously for the young delegate to respond and broker peace between the machine and me.

However, judging by his response, it was likely not only me.  He gave me the distinct impression that he has to help many a wary shopper attempting to use this new check-out technology. So much for this equipment saving customers and shopping associates time.

Supermarkets — as well as any institutions wishing to unroll new technology — ought to keep its primary users in mind.  It seems like common sense to me that untrained shoppers will be the primary users of automated check-out equipment, and so it would be in the stores’ best interests to make things as easy as possible for the equipment to be used.

Or maybe they should just offer Bagging 101.

The Internet is an equal opportunity disseminator.  It allows private citizens, print media, broadcasters, governments and corporations to compete to be the first to report a given item for the first time in history.

However, in the pursuit of being first, it is important to be accurate.

The University of Connecticut was very likely the first organization to post that they lost Saturday night’s PapaJohns.com bowl game.

Unfortunately, they won.  And the folks at the Huskies’ athletics site have yet to realize the error for more than an hour.

Check out these two screen captures, and pay close attention to the final scores:

Screen capture courtesy of Tim Bleasdale.

UPDATE: 6:19 p.m.: Since breaking this story, UConn has corrected the score.