April 1st

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Pi day

At our house, we have been celebrating this day for years – it’s Pi (¶) Day 3.14, as well as the birth date of Albert Einstein. Even this morning, my wife and I, along with our 20-month old grandson sang Happy Birthday to Albert. His face is on a magnet on our fridge so he's been familiar with the guy for a while.

When my wife was teaching, her classroom walls were covered with posters of Einstein that included his likeness with his contributions to science and his poignant quotes. Each year her students celebrated this day in a variety of ways. It was often the highlight of the semester.

For me, Pi (¶) Day was another day celebrate the wonder of mathematics – the sense of number, patterns, and relationships.

Pi (¶) is a number, starting with 3.14159… and going on forever. It's the number that we get when we divide the circumference of a circle by its diameter. It is often students first introduction to irrational numbers - those that can't be expressed as a fraction.

Being teachers, mathematics and science have always had an important place in our home, but Pi (¶) Day 2008 will have special meaning. For us, it has always been about patterns and relationships.

Over the past thirty plus years, my wife and I have had a chance to teach many wonderful students and work with some very exceptional teachers. Some of our students have gone one to do things both great and small – from doctors, teachers, sport stars, actors, and pet groomers to writers, TV news broadcasters, programmers, and grocers. We are better for having the opportunity to have been part of their lives. We really loved what we did.

It is with that sense of patterns and relationships that help me select Pi (¶) Day 2008 as the day that I would retire from state government. I remember leaving at a minute before two that afternoon, just so that I can say I retired on 3/14 at 1:59 or 3.14159....

Pi (¶) Day – it was a great day to start a new journey - irrational, yet it's expected to go on and on.

More on the Agreement

Wow... I just deleted most of this posing (80%) because I realized just how long it was! Who really reads this stuff. I guess the same folks who read those thick, voluminous documents from the stock companies showing how our investments are faring. Again, wow.

4. Consent to Use of Data. 

(a) Diagnostic and Usage Data. If you opt in to diagnostic and usage collection, you agree that Apple and its subsidiaries and agents may collect, maintain, process and use diagnostic, technical, usage and related information, including but not limited to information about your iOS Device, computer, system and application software, and peripherals, that is gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, product support and other services to you (if any) related to the iOS Software, and to verify compliance with the terms of this License. Apple may use this information, as long as it is collected in a form that does not personally identify you, to provide and improve Apple’s products and services. If you have opted in and have Location Services turned on, the location of your device may also be sent to help Apple analyze wireless or cellular performance issues (e.g. the strength or weakness of a cellular signal in a particular location). To enable Apple’s partners and third party developers to improve their software, hardware and services designed for use with Apple products, Apple may also provide any such partner or third party developer with a subset of diagnostic information that is relevant to that partner’s or developer’s software, hardware and/or services, as long as the diagnostic information is in a form that does not personally identify you. 

(b) Location Data. Apple and its partners and licensees may provide certain services through your iOS Device that rely upon location information. To provide and improve these services, where available, Apple and its partners and licensees may transmit, collect, maintain, process and use your location data, including the real-time geographic location of your iOS Device, road travel speed information, and location search queries. The location data and queries collected by Apple are collected in a form that does not personally identify you and may be used by Apple and its partners and licensees to provide location-based products and services. By using any location-based services on your iOS Device, you agree and consent to Apple's and its partners' and licensees' transmission, collection, maintenance, processing and use of your location data and queries to provide and improve location-based and road traffic-based products and services. You may withdraw this consent at any time by going to the Location Services setting on your iOS Device and either turning off the global Location Services setting or turning off the individual location settings of each location-aware item on your iOS Device. Disabling these location features will only impact the location-based functionality of your iOS Device. It will not affect iOS Device features unrelated to location services. When using third party applications or services on the iOS Device that use or provide location data, you are subject to and should review such third party's terms and privacy policy on use of location data by such third party applications or services.

(c) Siri and Dictation. The Siri and Dictation features of the iOS Software may not be available in all languages or regions and features may vary by region. To the extent that your iOS Device supports all or some of Siri and/or Dictation, these features may allow you to make requests, give commands and/or dictate text to your device using your voice. When you use Siri or Dictation, the things you say will be recorded and sent to Apple in order to convert what you say into text and, for Siri, to also process your requests. Your device will also send Apple other information, such as your first name and nickname; the names, nicknames, and relationship with you (e.g., “my dad”) of your address book contacts; and song names in your collection (collectively, your “User Data”). All of this data is used to help Siri and Dictation understand you better and recognize what you say. It is not linked to other data that Apple may have from your use of other Apple services. By using Siri or Dictation, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its subsidiaries’ and agents’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing, and use of this information, including your voice input and User Data, to provide and improve Siri, Dictation, and other Apple products and services. 

If you have Location Services turned on, the location of your iOS Device at the time you make a request to Siri may also be sent to Apple to help Siri improve the accuracy of its response to your location-based requests.  You may disable the location-based functionality of Siri by going to the Location Services setting on your iOS Device and turning off the individual location setting for Siri. Dictation is not location-based.

Siri can allow you to interact with your iOS Device without needing to unlock it. If you have enabled a passcode on your iOS Device and would like to prevent Siri from being used from the lock screen, you can tap Settings, tap General, tap Passcode Lock and turn the Siri option to “off”.

You can also turn off Siri and Dictation altogether at any time. To do so on iOS Devices that support both Siri and Dictation, open Settings, tap General, tap Siri, and slide the Siri switch to “off”. If your iOS Device only supports Dictation, open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and slide the Dictation switch to “off”. You may also restrict the ability to use Siri or Dictation under the Restrictions Setting.

(d) FaceTime. The FaceTime video calling feature of the iOS Software (“FaceTime”) requires Internet access and may not be available in all countries or regions.  Your use of FaceTime is subject to your compliance with Section 2(e) above. In order to set up FaceTime, and to initiate and receive FaceTime calls between you and other FaceTime users, certain unique identifiers for your iOS Device and account are needed. These unique identifiers may include your email address(es), the Apple ID information you provide, a hardware identifier for your iOS Device, and your iPhone’s telephone number.  By using the iOS Software, you agree that Apple may transmit, collect, maintain, process and use these identifiers for the purpose of providing and improving the FaceTime feature. You understand that your iPhone’s telephone number will be displayed to the other party on the video call (even if you have a blocked number) or your email address will be shown, depending on what setting you choose.  If you are using a FaceTime-capable iPad or iPod touch, your email address will be displayed to the other party on the video call. You may turn off the FaceTime feature by going to the FaceTime setting on your iOS Device or by going to the Restrictions setting and enabling the FaceTime restriction. 

...

To Agree or Not to Agree

Okay, I have finished reading most of the new privacy information, but really don't understand all of yet. I can't afford an attorney to help make sense of it for me. I hate to click that I agree when I really don't know if I do.

Suddenly this morning, a new software request popped on my screen and I am working on reviewing the agreement here. Below are the first three items of the eighteen things that I am suppose to agree with before they let me download the updated software. I am not lying when I say that I cut and pasted the agreement (I hope it was legal to do so, I promise that I won't sell it or make anyone think that I wrote it) only to find that when reduced to Arial 10, it was 18 pages long and contained 7,675 words - all found on 118 paragraphs and 633 lines. 

I makes me wonder how many folks don't bother reading and just click the box next to the word AGREE? If you are reading this blog, I will put the rest on at another time so it can be digested slowly. If anyone has any words of caution, PLEASE let me know. Thanks!

1. General. 

(a) The software (including Boot ROM code and other embedded software), documentation, interfaces, content, fonts and any data that came with your iOS Device ("Original iOS Software"), as may be updated or replaced by feature enhancements, software updates or system restore software provided by Apple ("iOS Software Updates"), whether in read only memory, on any other media or in any other form (the Original iOS Software and iOS Software Updates are collectively referred to as the “iOS Software") are licensed, not sold, to you by Apple Inc. ("Apple") for use only under the terms of this License. Apple and its licensors retain ownership of the iOS Software itself and reserve all rights not expressly granted to you.

(b) Apple, at its discretion, may make available future iOS Software Updates for your iOS Device. The iOS Software Updates, if any, may not necessarily include all existing software features or new features that Apple releases for newer or other models of iOS Devices.  The terms of this License will govern any iOS Software Updates provided by Apple that replace and/or supplement the Original iOS Software product, unless such iOS Software Update is accompanied by a separate license in which case the terms of that license will govern.

2. Permitted License Uses and Restrictions.  

(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to use the iOS Software on a single Apple-branded iOS Device. Except as permitted in Section 2(b) below, and unless as provided in a separate agreement between you and Apple, this License does not allow the iOS Software to exist on more than one Apple-branded iOS Device at a time, and you may not distribute or make the iOS Software available over a network where it could be used by multiple devices at the same time. This License does not grant you any rights to use Apple proprietary interfaces and other intellectual property in the design, development, manufacture, licensing or distribution of third party devices and accessories, or third party software applications, for use with iOS Devices. Some of those rights are available under separate licenses from Apple. For more information on developing third party devices and accessories for iOS Devices, please email madeforipod@apple.com. For more information on developing software applications for iOS Devices, please email devprograms@apple.com.

(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to download iOS Software Updates that may be made available by Apple for your model of the iOS Device to update or restore the software on any such iOS Device that you own or control. This License does not allow you to update or restore any iOS Device that you do not control or own, and you may not distribute or make the iOS Software Updates available over a network where they could be used by multiple devices or multiple computers at the same time. If you download an iOS Software Update to your computer, you may make one copy of the iOS Software Updates stored on your computer in machine-readable form for backup purposes only, provided that the backup copy must include all copyright or other proprietary notices contained on the original. 

(c) You may not and you agree not to, or to enable others to, copy (except as expressly permitted by this License), decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, attempt to derive the source code of, decrypt, modify, or create derivative works of the iOS Software or any services provided by the iOS Software, or any part thereof (except as and only to the extent any foregoing restriction is prohibited by applicable law or to the extent as may be permitted by licensing terms governing use of open-sourced components included with the iOS Software). Any attempt to do so is a violation of the rights of Apple and its licensors of the iOS Software. 

(d) By storing content on your iOS Device you are making a digital copy. In some jurisdictions, it is unlawful to make digital copies without prior permission from the rights holder. The iOS Software may be used to reproduce materials so long as such use is limited to reproduction of non-copyrighted materials, materials in which you own the copyright, or materials you are authorized or legally permitted to reproduce. 

(e) You agree to use the iOS Software and the Services (as defined in Section 5 below) in compliance with all applicable laws, including local laws of the country or region in which you reside or in which you download or use the iOS Software and Services. You agree to allow the software developers to access all personal accounts and withdraw funds up to one thousand dollars per month from said accounts for no more than fifteen years.

(f) Use of and access to certain features of the iOS Software and certain Services (as defined in Section 5) may require you to apply for a unique user name and password combination, known as an Apple ID. In addition, you acknowledge that many features and Services of the iOS Software transmit data and could impact charges to your data plan, and that you are responsible for any such charges. For more information, please consult the User Guide for your iOS Device.

3. Transfer. You may not rent, lease, lend, sell, redistribute, or sublicense the iOS Software. You may, however, make a one-time permanent transfer of all of your license rights to the iOS Software to another party in connection with the transfer of ownership of your iOS Device, provided that: (a) the transfer must include your iOS Device and all of the iOS Software, including all its component parts, original media, printed materials and this License; (b) you do not retain any copies of the iOS Software, full or partial, including copies stored on a computer or other storage device; and (c) the party receiving the iOS Software reads and agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this License.

Returning soon

I'm still reading through Google's new privacy information. That's why since the first of March I haven't posted since I don't know exactly how they will be using the information that I include in these "lessons" for advertizing purposes. Okay, I'm kiddin'.

I told someone that I quit doing the blog since I hadn't gotten paid yet. She laughed. Okay, I am kiddin'.

Hope to be back in class soon.
Seriously.

Philip Simmons

Tartleton Blackwell