Looking For A Job? See These Industries

Contemplating a career change? You may want to consult the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recent list of 10 industries forecasted to undergo the most wage and salary employment growth through 2018 (as deduced from National Employment Matrix data). The report states that “management, scientific, and technical consulting services” will experience the most job growth, stretching from roughly 1.01 million jobs in 2008 to 1.84 million in 2018, an 82.8% increase. Jobs in physicians’ offices rank second in forecasted job growth (772,000; 34.1%), followed by computer systems design and related services (656,000; 45.3%), other general merchandise stores (607,000; 40.7%), employment services (600,000; 19.1%), local government other than education and hospitals (487,000; 8.4%), home healthcare services (441,000; 46.1%), services for the elderly and persons with disabilities (431,000; 73.8%), nursing care facilities (394,000; 24.4%), and full-service restaurants (343,000; 7.5%).

Maine, San Francisco Mull Cell Phone Labels

If San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has his way, his city will be the country’s first to require cell phone labeling that indicates the radiation levels they emit. Newsom has endorsed a proposal that would mandate cell phone sellers to list such information for each cell phone in a font size at least as large as the phone’s price. Retailers would also have to detail exactly what the radiation levels mean to consumers. The FCC has previously stated that all cell phones legally sold in the United States are safe for consumers. “The information exists, but not at the point of sale,” Newsom says. “If we prevail, and I believe we will prevail, other cities will follow suit.” San Francisco’s environmental department was debating the legislation, which needs approval from the city’s Board of Supervisors to become law. Maine’s state legislature, meanwhile, is considering legislation that would require warning labels on cell phone packaging and devices.

Small-Screen Competition

Looking beyond all of the humongous high-def and 3D displays that dominated some of the larger exhibits at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, you could see a plethora of small-screen devices. Whatever your gadget interests—digital photo frames, mininotebooks, little digital TV sets, media players, or smartphones—there was plenty of it at CES. Google’s Nexus One, for example, made its debut. The Android-based smartphone isn’t the “iPhone killer” that prelaunch hype made it out to be (its low on-board memory, standard touchscreen, and roughly 18,000-app store pale in comparison to the iPhone’s 32GB capacity, multitouch screen, and 100,000-plus-title app store), but it trumps the iPhone in other respects (most notably, built-in turn-by-turn directions and a higher screen resolution, plus—you guessed it—tighter integration with Google’s online services). Keep an eye on Google’s phone, though. After all, as a new kid on the block, it’s a good competitor, and its name implies that a Nexus Two can’t be far behind.

“But, Officer, I’m Working”

Some Oregon officials are anticipating a new law banning talking and texting on handheld mobile devices while driving that kicked in New Year’s Day could pose some roadblocks moving forward. At issue is an exemption in the law that allows for talking while driving for those who use their motor vehicles for business purposes. Although officials say the exemption’s intent was to cover taxi drivers, delivery persons, tow truck drivers, etc., questions have arisen if other occupations, such as real estate agents, should also apply. Further, law enforcement officials expect at least some drivers cited for breaking the law will attempt to challenge exactly what constitutes business-related use. “There is a gray area,” Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings was quoted. “It doesn't clearly define what jobs fall under the exemption. Ultimately, maybe judges are going to have to clarify that.”

Nielsen Data: iPhone Most Used Mobile Device

Apple’s 3G iPhone was the mobile device of choice among U.S. users from January to October 2009, according to recent Nielsen Company data. The 3G iPhone snagged a 4% usage share, topping RIM’s BlackBerry 8300 Series’ 3.7%. RIM, however, charted the seventh and 10th slots with its 9530 (1.4% share) and 8100 series (1.2%), respectively. Motorola’s Razr V3 series ranked third (2.3%), while LG held the fourth, fifth, eighth, and ninth positions with its LG VX9100 (2.1%), Voyager (1.7%), VX9700 (1.3%), and Vu series (1.3%), respectively. Samsung’s SPH-M540 (Rant), meanwhile, ranked sixth (1.5%). Elsewhere, Google Search ranked tops among Web sites accessed most often from mobile phones from January through September 2009, followed by Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, The Weather Channel, and Facebook. Among top brands accessed during the same time period, Yahoo! topped Google, MSN/Windows Live/Bing, AOL Media Network, and The Weather Channel.

Skype Ups The Videoconferencing Ante

You’ll need an HD-quality Web cam, ample bandwidth, and a computer that’s up to snuff (complete with 1.8GHz dual processor), but it’s now possible to execute Skype (www.skype.com) video chats following the beta release of Skype 4.2. Skype says the new capability will let users bask in 720p-quality (1,280 x 720) video at 30fps. “With HD-quality Skype video calls, we can bring our users even closer to the ones they love through an even richer, more meaningful video calling experience,” stated Skype CEO Josh Silverman. “Imagine being able to see the sparkle of your grandchild’s eyes or the setting of your best friend’s engagement ring. Through the innovation of Skype’s engineers and our hardware partners, these scenarios are now possible without having to buy expensive equipment or software.”

Your Guide To Breaking Cell Phone Security

The mobile phone industry is none too happy with Karsten Nohl, a German security expert who posted an online codebook in late December2009 to crack the encryption security used in billions of cell phones. Specifically, the guide explains how to break the 21-year-old GSM encryption algorithm an estimated 80% of global mobile phones use to keep conversations private. Among U.S. carriers using GSM are AT&T and T-Mobile. At the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin, Nohl stated, “This shows that existing GSM security is inadequate” and added “we are trying to push operators to adopt better security measures for mobile phone calls.” The GSM Association isn’t buying Nohl’s logic, citing the ability for criminals to use the information for financial gain. GSM spokeswoman Claire Cranton stated, “What he is doing would be illegal in Britain and the United States. To do this while supposedly being concerned about privacy is beyond me.”

Compiled by Blaine Flamig