Monthly Archives: June 2016

PirateCon 2016

PirateCon 2016

This weekend I’m traveling to Boston to be a guest speaker at PirateCon 2016. My topic will be The Dark Web. The keynote speaker will be Aaron James, Massachusetts Pirate Party candidate for 27th Middlesex State Representative.

PirateCon is a yearly event held by the Massachusetts Pirate Party. I attended last year to do research for my book How Peer To Peer (P2P) File Sharing Is Shaping the Internet.

The Pirate Party was founded 10 years ago in Sweden and in a short time has become an international social and political movement. Sixty countries have a Pirate Party. The Pirate Party is the leading political party in Iceland. Eight states in the United States have a Pirate Party with the largest in Massachusetts.

COUNTERFEIT AIRBAGS

http://collision.honda.com/airbagaware/breaking-bad-the-real-story-of-counterfeit-airbags#.V1lbVdQrJkg

 

The United State States auto industry loses approximately $3 billion a year to counterfeit parts. One of the most dangerous counterfeits is counterfeit airbags. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a consumer safety advisory to alert vehicle owners and repair professionals to the dangers of counterfeit air bags in 2012. The problem emerged as the result of the sale of counterfeit air bags for use as replacement parts in vehicles that had been involved in a crash. While these air bags looked nearly identical to certified, original equipment parts—including bearing the insignia and branding of major automakers — NHTSA testing showed consistent malfunctioning ranging from non-deployment of the air bag to the expulsion of metal shrapnel during deployment.

Concerned consumers should contact the car manufacturer’s call center. The full list of call centers and additional information are available at www.SaferCar.gov.

 

Counterfeit Electrical Products

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLj7JkvwJrs

Counterfeit electrical products include fuses, cables and circuit breakers, household equipment, professional work tools, as well as the spare parts used in the automotive and aviation fields. According to a global study commissioned by the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce), 80% of consumers in the developed and developing world unknowingly purchase counterfeit electrical products.

The fakes are often sub-standard and rarely comply with performance and safety specifications. Counterfeiters don’t have their products tested and verified by an approved third-party Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL)–such as: Underwriter Laboratories with its certification logo: (UL) and FM Approvals with its certification logo: (FM). In June, 2010, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized nearly two thousand desk lamps that were marked with Counterfeit UL logos.

In addition to the YouTube video, check out this brochure from the International Electrotechnical Commission, based in Switzerland

(1)IEC_Counterfeiting_brochure_LR (1)

Dee Alimi, Londoner and Poet

While I was in London, I met up with a friend and poet, Dee Alimi. I met Dee, who was born in London, when he visited the United States and was a guest on the cable TV show: “Toastmasters in the Community.” I was a guest speaker on the same show. He autographed a copy of his anthology of poems, Sleeping with the Secret Burden, and was kind enough to meet with me and show me the London sites. We walked over London Bridge and enjoyed fish & chips and made a day of it. Dee is at work on his third novel. Interestingly, he has an MBA in business but his love of the arts is his passon.

 

 

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Global Brand Protection Innovation Programme, May 26th & 27th

GBPIP_0113cI just returned from London where I attended the Global Brand Protection Innovation Programme, held May 26th and May 27th. I was invited to be a Chairman Speaker/Delegate. I gave an opening talk, introduced the panel talks, and gave a slide presentation at the close of the conference. I met many wonderful people representing a host of companies in the packaging and pharmaceutical industries. There were nearly 200 attendees, most of whom were from the European Union.