UPDATED! BlackTechLogy: Let's talk tech
An archive of all tech-related posts on "I Do See Color"
Writer’s note: The following rundown is a list of tech-related posts that have been published across Substack’s “I Do See Color” and repurposed bylines from Shamontiel in other now-defunct publications. This post will continue to be updated as “BlackTechLogy” posts are written on a monthly basis. Check for updates on the third Monday of each month!
If you’re interested in posts that focus on freelancing and the gig economy, check out “WFFH: Work Fluently From Home” too.
Is AI training becoming 'modern-day slavery'?
Publication date: December 1, 2024
"60 Minutes" interviews Nairobian employees in Kenya about the mental and physical toll on remote AI training jobs, and how they’re being underpaid.
Click here to read more.
Is every black-owned business badge honest on Amazon?
Publication date: November 13, 2024
A hair supply company made me raise an eyebrow about some e-commerce companies with a black business badge on Amazon. Do the Amazon badges expire?
Click here to read more.
White makeup artists may want to test the YouCam app for brown girl makeovers
Publication date: October 19, 2024
For brown-skinned and dark-skinned women, mobile apps like these help white makeup artists test various skin tones.
Click here to read more.
The bizarre jewelry ad that came from VP Kamala Harris presidential debate
Publication date: September 15, 2024
Tiffany's Double Pearl Hinged Earrings Sterling Silver vs Nova H1 audio earrings: When a black woman doesn't even have to take off her earrings to win the fight.
Click here to read more.
Biden's executive order gives $250K to #BlackTechFutures
Publication date: August 17, 2024
Find out more about HBCUs' roles in #BlackTechFuture, and apply for the 2025 paid internship ($6K-$12K) courtesy of the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP)
Click here to read more.
Biden bans Kaspersky, the one antivirus software I could trust
Publication date: July 2, 2024
From TikTok to Kaspersky, voters have bigger topics we need the president to handle. Banning sales of Kaspersky Lab products and antivirus software is not one.
Click here to read more.
InVideo: Another reason I have a love-hate relationship with artificial intelligence
Publication date: June 20, 2024
With a one-line request, you can create your own AI video for social media in minutes, using InVideo editing software. There's even a voice clone.
Click here to read more.
Use the Wave app for simple invoicing
Publication date: June 17, 2024
Wave app is a perfect website and mobile app for easy HOA & COA monthly assessment recordkeeping for self-managed condo associations and small businessowners.
Click here to read more.
Would you hire an artificial intelligence dating concierge?
Publication date: May 14, 2024
Would an AI dating concierge block you from your dream date like AI blocks resumes? Would it block you from Mr. Right like it does hiring managers?
Click here to read more.
Mammograms, pancakes, talk shows and tech: My first breast cancer exam
Publication date: May 4, 2024
BlackTechLogy: When getting my first mammogram, my forever "thank you" goes to Val Warner of "Windy City Live" and my mother's pancake stories.
Click here to read more.
IONOS vs Weebly/Square: Weebly wins by a landslide
Publication date: May 3, 2024
Five things IONOS offers that you are better off getting elsewhere include business email addresses and top-level domain name renewals.
Click here to read more.
Before you apply to Working Solutions, know what's missing in the contract
Publication date: May 3, 2024
One of seven concerns about applying as an independent contractor for Working Solutions: 54 hours of Turbo Tax training for $100 stipend is only $0.03 p/minute.
Click here to read more.
Ne-Yo speaks out about the flaws of AI
Publication date: April 5, 2024
R&B singers challenge mimicking musicians instead of listening to the artist. Will artificial intelligence hurt funds and livelihood of songwriters and singers?
Click here to read more.
Pixlr's AI Image Generator is a welcome relief for black web writers
Publication date: March 22, 2024
After searching Unsplash, Piqsels, Pixabay, Pexels, Boost, CreateHER Stock, Nappy, Jopwell Collection and SHOTS BY PRIIINCESSS, Pixlr AI generator was better.
Click here to read more.
Is applying for the DataAnnotation job worth it?
Publication date: February 14, 2024
Data Annotation's 45-minute artificial intelligence test was my second round at AI editing. But is the HTML/CSS coding or second test legitimate?
Click here to read more.
Freedom Case facial recognition may deter retail employees from racially profiling
Publication date: January 31, 2024
While facial recognition software and locked-up glass cases in retail stores may feel invasive, there is an upside of the added security.
Click here to read more.
Five tech hacks to build credit without stacking up credit card debt
Publication date: January 15, 2024 (Happy Birthday, MLK!)
These five tech hacks help avoid going into debt while improving your credit score, even if you prefer to use debit cards, Zelle and PayPal Business.
Click here to read more.
Artificial intelligence programmers, please spare black people the racist small talk
Publication date: December 29, 2023
A conversation in Dollar Tree perfectly encapsulates why black people are content working from home and away from white customers. Will AI technology copy this?
Click here to read more.
98% of check writing scams are reported by young people
Publication date: November 7, 2023
Black people wrote less than 30% of checks this month. Chicago Millennial who wrote two checks all year was still the victim of mail theft and check fraud.
Click here to read more.
Why your 'Contact Us' page should ditch the email address
Publication date: October 20, 2023
All websites should have a "Contact Us" CSS form, no public email address. Doing this avoids making companies vulnerable to spoofing and phishing.
Click here to read more.
Skip the astrology, do a Myers–Briggs Type Indicator test
Publication date: September 28, 2023
You'll know if you can survive the job and boss by the results of workplace personality tests like CliftonStrengths or Myers-Briggs. Astrology is pseudoscience.
Click here to read more.
Google, LaMDA and sentient behavior, politics included
Publication date: August 23, 2023
Blake Lemoine, Google engineer, was put on leave for saying LaMDA was sentient. But is artificial intelligence better at talking politics? Capitol Riots definitely.
Click here to read more.
Black students, get serious about minority scholarship applications
Publication date: September 8, 2023
With Affirmative Action outlawed, Republicans want to block black scholarships. In the summer of 2023, BlackTechLogy will highlight minority scholarships for HBCUs.
Click here to read part 1, along with part 2, part 3, part 4, and parts 5 and 6.
Is it safe to make security cameras your tech babysitters?
Publication date: September 4, 2023
For working parents post-pandemic, can indoor security cameras be safe enough babysitters for you to go back to work?
Click here to read more.
iPhone theft on the rise
Publication date: April 24, 2023
Before you discard an old phone, make it a backup. This matters if your iPhone is stolen and recovery key is changed but also for storage and sanity.
Click here to read more.
Protecting your home through technology
Publication date: March 24, 2023
From checking deeds to wire transfers to For Sale By Owner websites, here are the top five ways that homeowners should be diligent about protecting their homes.
Click here to read more.
GPT-3, digital journals: I don’t trust them
Publication date: January 20, 2023
Original publication: Substack’s “We Need to Talk”
For a techcentric journalist who loves technology and journal writing, here's why Shamontiel is opposed to GPT-3 and AI journal incentive writing.
Click here to read more.
MyOneOne alerts loved ones of police stops, danger
Publication date: January 16, 2023
Original publication: Goals TV
The unbiased passenger during a police altercation is a smartphone app that helps be an eye witness in the event of racial profiling.
Click here to read more.
When NFTs work against artists
Publication date: January 16, 2023
Original publication: Goals TV
WIPO PROOF can help to confirm the original artist if social media tries to steal the artwork.
Click here to read more.
Artificial intelligence improves, deepfake risks continue
Publication date: November 26, 2022
Who’s responsible when a shared video looks real but it’s deepfake deception — from a deepfake video linked to Pennsylvania mother Raffaela Spone to Obama.
Click here to read more.
Storytelling, podcasting get uptick in interest among BIPOC entertainers
Publication date: November 26, 2022
Original publication: Goals TV
During COVID-19 and social isolation, sitting inside has given podcast listeners more BIPOC voices, including Michelle Obama, Ava Duvernay and Desus and Mero.
Click here to read more.
Has technology improved financial literacy for black youth?
Publication date: November 24, 2022
With financial literacy podcasts, will this make young black students and listeners be more interested in stocks, bonds, investing and saving?
Click here to read more.
I miss Black Expressions Book Club
Publication date: November 14, 2022
There's nothing like strolling into black bookstores, and Black Expressions was a happy medium in predominantly white towns without black author signings.
Click here to read more.
QUIZ: Black history in tech
Publication date: October 15, 2022
Original publication: Goals TV
From hip-hop investors to science labs, computer nerds are underestimated and often handsomely compensated. Take this black history technology quiz.
Click here to read more.
QUIZ: Black athletes who joined the tech world
Publication date: October 15, 2022
Original publication: Goals TV
You may know the teams they play for and their game scores, but how much do you know about athletes who have entered the tech world? Take the 8-question quiz.
Click here to read more.
Old phone, new home surveillance system
Publication date: April 3, 2022
AlfredCamera review: Take advantage of free mobile surveillance apps to secure your home from burglars and loiterers.
Click here to read more.
Therapy apps get boost in popularity as social isolation continues
Publication date: January 21, 2022
Good mental health is important during social isolation. These mobile apps (Insight Timer, Talkspace, Better Help, Joyable, Larkr and Breathe, Think may help.
Click here to read more.
Should YouTube do away with marijuana ban in masthead?
Publication date: June 15, 2021
Google's YouTube bans election, alcohol and prescription drug ads from prominent ad space. But if marijuana helps for anxiety and menstrual cramps, why ban it?
Click here to read more.
Keep calm, Calm app paid Naomi Asaka's fines
Publication date: June 6, 2021
Four-time Grand Slam singles championship player prioritizes mental health, drops out of French Open. Although penalized, Calm app helped.
Click here to read more.
Barbershop on-demand app has been a long time coming
Publication date: May 30, 2021
The Grooming industry has a mobile device: theCut. This on-demand service lets people know where barbers are and make haircut appointments.
Click here to read more.
Police harassment: I’ll never understand the upside of CompStat
Publication date: May 28, 2021
While the goal for programs like Chicago’s CompStat and Los Angeles’ “Operation LASER" is to fight crime, it became racial profiling and draining mental health.
Click here to read more.
Amazon permanently blocks police from using Rekognition
Publication date: May 25, 2021
Facial recognition software's problematic results are both helpful and harmful, especially when white police officers are racially profiling.
Click here to read more.
Before you apply for a job, do a PimEyes facial recognition search
Publication date: May 6, 2021
Original publication: Medium
Facial recognition site brought up results I'd rather unsee, including a porn star. Know your Internet search results during a job search.
Click here to read more.
Making the most of being meme-famous
Publication date: May 5, 2021
“Disaster Girl” sells her meme for $500K, but what happened to top African-American Vines and black people behind popular GIFs and memes?
Click here to read more.
Social media photos: Understand fair use rights
Publication date: May 3, 2021
Can your social media post be shared for commercial use? It depends. While some pics are fair use rights, others violate privacy laws.
Click here to read more.
Why black people like me are still not sold on digital currency ... yet
Publication date: April 19, 2021
Music artists, actors are embracing digital currency for business. Here's why bitcoin and cryptocurrency isn't winning with black people.
Click here to read more.
What Facebook's Casual Conversation doesn't fix
Publication date: April 14, 2021
Artificial intelligence results have to stop reviewing mugshots. African-Americans and facial recognition clash, Facebook and beyond.
Click here to read more.
The loudly quiet success of Verzuz
Publication date: April 13, 2021
Original publication: Goals TV
How Verzuz saved 2020 from an entertainment drought with th help of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. Can the Triller partnership survive?
Click here to read more.
Make thousands from robocalls since Supreme Court won't block them
Publication date: April 12, 2021
Mark Zuckerberg had to be relieved knowing Noah Duguid of Montana lost his $5 million lawsuit against Facebook for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Click here to read more.
In an instant reply world, was Slack Connect onto something with no-email contact?
Publication date: April 12, 2021
Original publication: Goals TV
Creating more email addresses could resolve the spam problem as opposed to trying to police how Slack Connect and IM are used.
Click here to read more.
Cameo raises $100 million Series C funding for celebrity video messages
Publication date: March 30, 2021
Original publication: Goals TV
Social isolation leveled the playing field with celebrities. To make money during COVID-19, they sent out personalized greetings to fans via Cameo.
Click here to read more.
Killer Mike’s digital mobile bank closes $40 million of Series A funding
Publication date: March 25, 2021
Original publication: Goals TV
Rapper Killer Mike stands by his word to bank black via Greenwood. It brings back memories of Black Wall Street and financial education.
Click here to read more.
Stop releasing websites that don’t work
Publication date: April 23, 2020
Four reasons why A/B testing and QA testing jobs should never end regardless of whether artificial intelligence may be able to help with web development.
Click here to read more.
Wi-Fi and privacy: The value exchange that retailers must master
Publication date: February 14, 2020
Google Maps Timeline is watching your moves. If you’re using GPS systems or shared Wi-Fi, expect Google to be calculating your city and suburban visits,
Click here to read more.
If the technology fits, wear it
Publication date: October 7, 2019
So if Americans — women especially since they’re statistically more common apparel shoppers — know their sizes, why isn’t buying clothing online easier?
Click here to read more.
Facial recognition has a blind spot
Publication date: June 19, 2019
Original publication: Medium’s “ZORA”
There is concern regarding facial recognition in retail and the criminal justice system. African-Americans are constantly compared to mug shots.
Click here to read more.
Hacker-turned-cybersecurity-expert Gregory D. Evans on quest to make computers safe
Publication date: September 2, 2009
Original publication: Chicago Defender
African-American hacker was allegedly put on FBI's top 10 hacker list. He's since then used his cybersecurity skills to make computers safer.
Click here to read more.
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