Whatever Happened To…?

Whatever Happened To...

Whatever Happened to....?

Computers, the internet, and cell phones are such an important part of everyday life it is hard to imagine the world without them. Our computers now fit on our laps, our cell phones in our pockets, and we can seemingly pull the internet out of thin air almost anywhere. The road to get here, however, has been paved with some amazing, if not short-term, digital devices, programs, and web trends. We thought it might be fun to revisit some of these digital creations to discover what happened to them.

Mosaic - If you were browsing the internet prior to October 1994, odds are you were using a browser called Mosaic. Since Mosaic made it possible for users of Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and the Unix X Window System to all use it, it facilitated more widespread use of the internet. There were four generations of Mosaic; 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, and 3.0. Although it made a huge impact, it was on the scene for only about 4 years. The creators of Mosaic, Marc Andreessen, and Jamie Zawinski, went on to develop Netscape. Today, Mosaic.com takes visitors to a sales and marketing company. Netscape.com, interestingly enough, redirects to America Online (AOL).

Floppy Discs – Before flash drives, computer users saved and exchanged data on thin magnetic discs called floppy discs or diskettes. In the mid-70's, large 8” discs were frequently used, eventually being replaced by the 5 1/4” disc and then the 3.5 inch disc. Subsequently, zip-discs arrived on the scene, being replaced with CDs and DVDs. Now, these too, are being escorted out by digital storage and file sharing services on “the cloud”.

Myspace - There are people who make things happen and then there are those who wonder “what the heck happened?” Myspace experienced a bit of both with its meteoric rise and fall. The social media website took the internet by storm in 2003 and in 2005 was purchased by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp for over a half of a BILLION dollars. So what happened? Some say that Myspace got too greedy tried to own it all, others say News Corp was too “corporate”. Others suggest Myspace was unresponsive to the needs of its members. What really happened was Facebook. Today, MySpace continues as a music, entertainment, and culture website, a mere shadow of its former self. Today, Facebook has over 2 billion members worldwide.

GeoCities – Members were able to build websites reflecting their personality and hobbies and millions of people did just that. GeoCities started in 1994 and at one point was the third most visited website on the internet. Yahoo acquired GeoCities in 1999 and the service was discontinued in 2009.

GameBoy – When Nintendo released its GameBoy portable gaming system in 1989, it quickly sold one million units. It was pretty basic with a green monochrome screen, and Sega soon competed in the space with its more colorful Game Gear system. They were multiple incarnations of the Game Boy including Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. Over 200 million GameBoy units ultimately were sold.

FarmVille – Developed by Zynga and released on Facebook in mid-1999, it soon became the most popular game on the social media website, a spot which it held for two years. In 2010, at its peak, Farmville had almost 84 million users. After 2011, the game began losing active players. In mid-2011, it fell to 7^th place on Facebook's gaming list. By May of 2016, it was ranked 110^th in daily users. While the game has lost much of its luster it is still available and has been joined by Farmville 2.

Energy Gobbling Data Centers – Unfortunately, data centers that waste energy and pollute the planet are still a big issue in technology today. They have been referred to as “the steel mills” of the modern area. The United States Department of Energy says that data centers use 10 to 50% of the amount of energy of typical office space. Much of the energy used is not just to power the servers but in keeping the space cool to keep servers functioning properly. It is estimated that 10% of all the power used by the US Government is used powering data centers. This is a global problem that continues to this day but there are alternatives.

Choosing an Eco Web Hosting Company

Hosting websites in a traditional data center is like still checking your Myspace page, storing data on floppy discs or playing Farmville. You just shouldn't do it anymore. Not when there are "green" web hosting solutions like OrangeWebsite. We are an eco web hosting company headquartered in Iceland, considered one the safest places to host a website on the planet. Our cooler temperatures allow us to use less energy in powering our data centers. In Iceland, over 99% of the electricity is produced from renewable resources like geothermal and hydroelectric. We even encourage our employees to work from home, using less fuel by putting fewer cars on the road.

When you host with OrangeWebsite, you have access to a selection of "green" labels to place on your website, verifying you are using an environmentally friendly hosting company. This can help you appeal to a broader audience of like-minded people to use your services. Hosting with an eco web hosting company not only is the right thing to do, OrangeWebsite makes it practical. We offer a variety of hosting plans to suit an organization of all sizes and needs. We provide a 30-day money-back guarantee and offer secure web hosting. At Orangewebsite.com, you can sign up anonymously and pay via Bitcoin, cash by mail, PayPal or electronic transfer. We offer a 99.9% uptime and 24-hour technical support. Iceland offers exceptional modern Freedom of Speech legislation as well.

Don't get caught in dated technology or yesterday's thinking. If you are interested in moving forward with green web hosting, contact us at OrangeWebsite.com. We are the organic web hosting solution.

It’s Not Just Facebook. Ways You Are Giving Up Your Privacy

by Ragnar Loðbrók | Online Privacy

It has been referred to as a "breach" and misuse of private information. It has been the buzz of social media and it may have long-lasting impact, particularly in the United States. We are talking about Cambridge Analytica's use of information it retrieved from Facebook and Facebook users. This data was apparently used to target political ads to influence the American election.

Before we get too far into the weeds on the subject, it should be noted that the purpose of all political advertising is to influence voters. This should surprise no one. It should also be noted that this information was gathered within Facebook's own guidelines. If there was a breach, it was, in fact, the "breach of trust" Mark Zuckerberg referred to in the interviews he gave following the news. People trusted Facebook with their information. That being said, Zuckerberg made his fortune gathering information from users and selling his "audience" to companies wanting to target certain groups and individuals. Internet privacy is to a great degree, an illusion. We've all had that startling experience of searching for a topic or service and all of a sudden we are seeing ads for that product on our social media. Where did we think this information was coming from? We were, and are, providing this wealth of data ourselves, and doing so willingly.

The Evolution of "Mailing Lists"

In pre-internet days, magazine companies would sell their subscriber lists to companies who saw value in targeting people interested in the content of a particular magazine. Just by having your name and address, and knowing the types of magazines you subscribed to, marketers could do a surprisingly effective job of reaching target audiences for decades. As time progressed, people became a little more comfortable filling out paper surveys and polls, giving their opinions and more private information. They were often rewarded with an entry to win a prize in a drawing or by getting a free sample. Soon, digital loyalty cards began stockpiling data on consumers with the promise of saving 25 cents on a box of detergent or a package of frozen peas. The internet and social media then really opened the floodgates.

Privacy, the Internet, and Social Media

You have read every page of every term of use you have agreed to on the internet, correct? We didn't think so.

Software companies, gaming sites, social media platforms, search engines, and others have become adept at concealing their intended use of your personal data in extensive terms of use forms. Some of the very websites that have been critical of Facebook are participating in the same consumer data gathering strategies Facebook uses. While they will often say these terms of use protect consumers from misuse, it actually protects them. It demonstrates users have granted them permission to use this personal data for their own purposes.

What social media added to data gathering is the ability to connect friends and family. In the case of the Cambridge Analytica situation, not only was information gathered about users who volunteered it, but additional data was gathered from those who were connected to those users. The very platforms promising to "connect us" are connecting us with those who want to influence our product and services choices and even our political opinions. The more information gathered, the better we could be targeted and we've been freely giving it up in droves.

Smartphones, GPS, Apps, and Siri

There are those who believe that deleting their social media accounts will help protect them. While it may slow down the train, it has already left the station. Search engines know what you are looking at and the subjects of interest to you. GPS devices know where you are and can even predict where you are going. Smartphones know more about you than your spouse. Then we invite digital assistants like Siri and Alexa into our homes to gather information audibly. We do it so willingly, in the name of convenience, or to have access to discounts or "loyalty points".

Why are so many apps free? Because the value of the data being gathered far exceeds any monetary gain these companies could otherwise realize. The real eye-opener is when these activities are combined from various vendors it creates an even more complete dossier of your searches, purchasing and travel habits, and relationships. We won't even get into facial recognition and fingerprinting data that is a increasing part of our everyday activities.

Nobody is suggesting that going back to flip phones is the answer. At least not yet. But we can benefit from knowing how we are making our personal data so available. We can minimize access to our info by choosing providers who have no or little interest in acquiring personal data. You can make the move to an eco web hosting solution provider that is more interested in the providing superior customer service than gathering your information. We invite you to learn more about OrangeWebsite.com.

The Privacy Benefits of Using OrangeWebsite.com

Look, we'll be honest. We have absolutely no interest in your private information. If you are looking for anonymous web hosting, we are your provider. We make our money from building a worldwide base of website hosting customers who want a 99.9% uptime, anonymous sign-up, and no government interference. Customers appreciate our willingness to accept payment by Bitcoin, cash by mail, PayPal, and wire transfer. We are based in Iceland, an Internet-friendly country with internet and freedom of speech regulations. We also happen to have a stable government and an excellent digital infrastructure. We offer 24/7 technical support.

We view ourselves as a landlord, offering our worldwide customers rental space on our servers. We want to make sure you are comfortable and if you have an issue, we are accessible. As long as we have a valid email address to contact you and a way to receive timely payments, the rest is up to you. If you are becoming more conscious of your personal data and how providers may be using it to compromise you, choose OrangeWebsite.com. Secure. anonymous, and guaranteed.