Politician Abusing Reverse 911 System for Personal Gain

Reverse 911 systems are spreading like wildfire as town and state officials are extending their hearts and budgets to safeguard the people they protect. Unfortunately, with any new technology comes the desire to use it for personal gain. For the residents of Independence, Ohio a recent call sent many into an uproar.

The Swiftreach program, the city’s reverse 911 emergency notification system, was implemented to warn residents about any potential threats to their safety such as inclement weather, natural disasters, chemical disasters, etc. The warning system not only warns residents of impending danger, but it also provides instructions about emergency shelters, proper precautions and evacuation routes.

Have you ever faked a…

PHONECALL?

If you fake it, according to new research from the Pew Research Center, you wouldn’t be alone. In fact, according to Pew’s latest research findings, approximately 30% of all the twentysomethings you see wandering around, talking on their cell phones are actually faking it (and most likely to avoid talking to you)! That’s right, cell phones not only provide us with constant connectivity to the online world, but they also provide us with a handy-excuse-in-the-pocket for people of all ages to avoid small talk or unwanted confrontations. While the twentysomethings are the biggest perps of this social phone fakery, they aren’t the only ones — overall, 13% of us fake it, admit or not!

Smart enough for everything but a phonecall

You wake up every morning, and as sure as the existence of morning breath, technology has changed. Computers are a little faster, Facebook is a little more invasive, and smartphones are a little smarter than they were just one day ago. But in the case of smartphones, are they becoming  just a little too smart and little too less phone? According to new research, this is exactly the case. Particularly in rural areas, smartphones are just not the best at the basics; 3G phones like the iPhone can give high speed access to email and the web, but they are often below par when it comes to making a traditional phone call.

Cell phones throw political polls out of whack

It wasn’t that long ago that only the wealthy had cell phones, and the rest of us were anchored to our homes with landlines. Only now, the table has turned and it’s the common folk who own mobile phones, and the wealthy who can afford traditional landlines. With the numbered masses of cell phone citizens growing each day, it only stands to reason that political polls are not quite as accurate as they once were. Political pollsters using landlines are having no trouble reaching lots and lots of older, white women, but not necessarily so many minorities or younger voters, who are more likely to go cell phone only.

Cell phone costs soar overseas

Once upon a time, a man named Chris got on an airplane to Japan to help out with his sick grandmother.  Chris was not a rich man, but he did feel kindly toward his grandmother, so he happily plunked down the big bucks for his trip across the seas.  Up, up, in the air, away Chris flew to grandma’s house with his new iPhone 4 tucked snugly in his pocket.

Can a Text Message Spare Bachelorette Ashley Hebert from Bentley Williams?

Could seventh-season Bentley Williams really be the most heinous villain ever on ABC’s wildly popular The Bachelorette series, or is Ashley Hebert just the dumbest Bachelorette ever?  Well, after only two episodes, it’s a tough competition so far, but the evidence is mounting that both Bentley and Ashley may be deserving of these titles. Here’s how the evidence plays out…

Photo Source: ABC

Just two shows into the season and already bachelor Bentley has spun off a quotable list of crude comments about Bachelorette Ashley Hebert, who’s more sickeningly bubbly and sweet than a warm bottle of Martini & Rossi Asti Spumanti. Our favorite Bentley Williams quotes include:

Online Calling Grows Among Internet Users

So maybe Steve Ballmer didn’t make such a big mistake after all. After Microsoft’s purchase of online  telecom company Skype for $8.5 billion, Pew Research finds that online phone calls are a growing trend among consumers. In fact, according to this research, nearly one-quarter of all Internet users in the United States have made a phone call via services like Skype and Vonage.