Geekly Update - 02 January 2020

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

A court has sentenced Chinese doctor He Jiankui to three years in prison, for his role in using Crispr gene-editing technology in an attempt to create genetically modified babies that are immune to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Long-story short, it probably didn't work anyway.

The editors of Popular Mechanics love the latest electronic gadgets, but they still recommend that you buy last year's model. You'll still get lots of nifty features while saving a bunch of money. I tend to take that a step or two further -- my Samsung Galaxy S7 smarpthone (circa 2016) is still getting the job done for me.

A phishing scam used text messages to empty the bank accounts of some M&T Bank customers. The bank is refunding customers who foolishly divulged their account credentials. In case you haven't been listening since 1997, your bank will never ask for your password in a text message.

If you got a great deal on a smart TV this holiday season, there might be a catch. Some popular models are recording your view habits and selling that data to advertisers. In most cases, there's a way to turn off this tracking.

Kaspersky Free Antivirus is dead. Long live Kaspersky Free Antivirus! Sort of. The company is pulling the plug on the freebie, but is replacing it with Kaspersky Security Cloud-Free. The new security tool includes a file shredder, malware troubleshooter, and also runs on Android and iOS mobile devices. (That hyphen bothers me, though. Is it "cloud-free" or "cloud-based" and free?)

A team of researchers from Google Health and Imperial College London is developing AI-based tools to improve the accuracy of breast cancer detection from mammogram scans. The technology outperformed human radiologists at detecting cancers, and reduced the number of false positives.

Despite being passed overwhelmingly by the state legistature, New York's governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill that would have legalized e-bikes and electric scooters. Cuomo claimed the bill was flawed because it did not require the use of safety helmets. Thanks, Mom. (Oh, and #TappanZeeBridgeForever)

Several skin cancer detection apps for your smartphone can help you determine if a mole or skin mark is problematic. Maybe. So please see a dermatologist before you whip out that X-Acto knife.

UltraSense Systems is perfecting TouchPoint technology, which can turn almost any surface (metal, glass, wood, ceramics or plastic) into a touchscreen. The tech works regardless of thickness and also in the presence of moisture, oils and dirt.

This just in from the Questionable Business Model Department: Popular Chinese bike rental company Mobike says they lost more than 200,000 bikes in 2019, due to theft and vandalism.

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