controversy

Right to Repair?

Here is an article discussing a proposed law in Nebraska "that would require companies, whether they are in the tech sector or not, to make their service manuals, diagnostic tools, and parts available to consumers and repair shops—and not just select suppliers."

Right now I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing to have as a law. As a general statement, we seem to have a lot of laws. More thinking required on my part.  Is there really a "right to repair"? I guess I could argue both sides of the coin. There's propriety/intellectual/patent considerations, safety, etc. Many electronic devices today aren't built to be repaired. Just cheaper to replace them.

For more information, read the article.

Jim Hamm

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Broadband Controversy

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        We've been seeing some info and opinions on the broadband controversy.  Here's some food for thought from David Passell.  "This sounds like a good idea.   I just took action to urge Congress to pass the Community Broadband Act and stop cable companies from blocking fast and affordable Internet access.         "I think you should too, Click here.         "I don't know if AZ has such laws blocking municipal broadband. In any case cities or even neighborhoods should have full access to the bandwidth speed they are paying for.          "In this web page, Finland gave its citizens the right to a 1Mb connection.         "P.S. 1MB isn't fast, but it is adequate for email and news."

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Apple Pay and CurrentC

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        Filling us in on some important facts, Jim Hamm writes, "You are probably aware that a few major retailers are blocking the use of Apple Pay and plan, perhaps next year, to use a program called CurrentC. Here is an interesting article, from the TidBITS Newsletter, that explains both these topics very thoroughly, I think."

       Here's the big point to notice:  "One thing to notice is that CurrentC is a direct link to your bank account, which is a big no-no for me. Also, the author thinks retailers really don't like bank credit cards, for a variety of reasons, and has the following to say: "It’s no exaggeration to say that most merchants hate the credit card brands and the banks that support them.."

        Jim concludes with, "It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. Also, by next October, If I recall correctly, our magnetic-stripe credit cards are to be replaced by cards with an imbedded chip. Now, who will pay for the new cards and equipment to use them? The banks will try to push this on the retailers, who will want to push the cost on to us, the consumer."