Geekly Update - 19 December 2012

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Instagram wants to sell your photos! Or maybe not. Responding to rumors that circulated wildly online this week, Instagram has removed language from their terms of service indicating that they might sell member photos, usernames and other data for use in paid promotions.

"No, really..." Dalton Dingus is a boy dying of a rare disease, and wants to set a world record for the most Christmas cards received. Despite the odd name, and the resemblance to the Craig Shergold urban legend, this story is true.

Apple Maps can kill you, warn authorities in Australia. At least four people have needed rescue from scorching heat after getting lost trying to find the 30,000-person town of Mildura by following Apple Maps’ incorrect directions. Police say the problems started only after Apple updated its maps.

The good news is that Google Maps is back in the Apple Store. Now that iOS users know where it is, perhaps they can learn where they are with a reasonable degree of confidence.

"Go, Dog, Go!" While Google takes the high-tech road to a human-independent car, New Zealand’s SPCA has trained dogs to pass their driver’s license test. That includes gear-shifting, steering, braking, parking, etc. Dr. Seuss would be so proud.

"Mommy, why is that man poking himself in the eye?" If Google Glasses seem too geeky for you, help is on the way. Researchers at Ghent University have built a LCD display into a contact lens. The prototype only flashes a dollar sign, but in the future contacts could become wearable computers.

RedBox and Verizon will take on Netflix early next year. RedBox Instant will launch with 5,500 Warner Bros. movies online (Netflix streams 60,000 films). Streaming-only is $6 a month; $8 includes 4 DVD rentals; $9 for Blu-Ray.

Google has no plans to develop business apps for Windows 8 or Windows Phone, the company told UK Webzine V3. “We are very careful about where we invest and will go where the users are but they are not on Windows Phone or Windows 8,” said Google Apps product manager Clay Bavor.

The Location Privacy Protection Act would require apps to get a user's consent before collecting or sharing mobile location data. Designed to protect users against stalkers who secretly install tracking apps on their victims' mobile phones, the bill was approved last week by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Keep it clean." Windows 8 Picture Password lets you log on by performing three touch gestures on a picture of your choice. But blogger Naven Jones claims he can crack a Picture Password by tracing the oily tracks left by fingertips. BTW, the same applies to ALL mobile gadgets using the "connect the dots" method to unlock the screen.