Monday, August 13, 2012

Geek of the Week

Harold Johnson

Harold Johnson is the manager of sourcing and contracting at Sprint Nextel, where he negotiates, administers, and manages funding, contracting, subcontracting, and procurement operations for the company’s global sales of products and services. Johnson has nearly 35 years of experience in these and other areas, including telecommunications, information technology, transportation, and logistics. He has been with Sprint Nextel for 23 years..

People's Hero of the Week

Samasource

Samasource is a nonprofit organization that connects women and youth living in poverty to life-changing work via the Internet. Samasource works with in-country partners to identify and recruit those who need it most, provides them with two to four weeks of computer-based training, and allows workers to earn a living wage and gain critical job skills as they perform microwork for the organization’s clients. The organization has a goal of directly impacting 120,000 women, youth, and independents by 2016. The company has extended to nine countries, including India, Kenya, Haiti, and Pakistan, and has paid over $2 million in wages to date. In 2012, Samasource received the Secretary's Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Digital Entrepreneur of the Week

Charles Hudson

Charles Hudson is the co-founder and CEO of Bionic Panda Games, a San Francisco-based company that creates social gaming apps for Android phones. In addition to his role with Bionic Panda, Hudson is a venture partner at SoftTech VC, an early stage venture capital firm managing seed stage funds backed by a mix of institutional and private investors. Numerous studies have shown that minorities and women are severely underfunded by VCs, so it is important for successful minority entrepreneurs like Hudson to have significant roles in these companies. SoftTech invests in an average of twenty companies per year. Prior to his current roles, Hudson was vice president of business development for social game producer Serious Business. Hudson also produces technology conferences focused on the intersection of gaming and social media, including the Virtual Goods Summit and the Social Gaming Summit.

Digital Divider of the Week

iPhone Security Flaw

A French developer recently revealed on his blog an iPhone security flaw that can enable scammers to send text messages impersonating other people. Typically, users of any device can see the name and/or phone number displayed when anyone sends a text message, and there has never been a reason to doubt the authenticity of the information. The French developer, known as Pod2g, has explained that thanks to an optional set of code at the beginning of SMS text messages, scammers can manipulate a text message’s reply number, which would be difficult to spot thanks to the way the iPhone displays reply information. If the flaw is exploited, hackers could send unwitting iPhone users requests for personal information or even wire transfers, posing as trusted friends and relatives. Thankfully, now that the flaw has been publicized, users can make sure to double-check the contact information of those they text, especially when sending personal information or responding to requests for things like wire transfers. In the meantime, we hope Apple fixes the bug in its next iOS update, rumored to be released next month.

Career of the Week

Broadband Technician

Job Title:

Broadband Technician

Job Description:

Broadband technicians that work in the central office or switching hubs typically perform the most complex work, directing and routing broadband information to its destination. Instillation technicians work on-site helping customers, performing basic installations, disconnects, and service changes for residential customers’ cable, Internet, and telephone services; and performing basic troubleshooting and repair for services from tap to consumers’ electronic devices (TV, Modem, etc.).

Average Salary:

$43K to $64K per year

Where these jobs are:

Anywhere in the nation that has broadband service.

Education:

Generally a high school diploma or equivalent, but as the field becomes more competitive, a two- or four-year degree in electronics gives candidates an advantage.

Source:

Education-portal.com