Geekly Update - 02 September 2020

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Elon Musk and the Neuralink gang say that their goal is merging human brains with AI, but for now they're putting brain implants in pigs.

Wired Magazine's piece "The Oysters That Knew What Time It Was" is a deep dive into chronobiology, the science of biological clocks. Researchers are discovering more about how plants and animals are in constant communication with the Earth, sun, moon, and stars.

T-Mobile is offering a "free" iPhone 11 for customers who switch from another mobile provider. But of course there's a catch. You have to trade in an eligible device, and pay for the phone up front, then T-Mobile will pay you back in billing credits each month over a 24-month period. Isn't that kind of like the death of a thousand cuts in reverse?

Many students will be forced to continue sub-standard virtual classroom instruction this fall, so parents will be looking for educational apps to fill the gaps. But adding insult to injury, Researchers from the International Digital Accountability Council examined hundreds of education apps and found they were funneling data to third-party advertisers, including student names, emails, location data and device IDs.

Hopefully, this roundup of The 9 Best Robotics Kits for Kids will help homebound students learn STEM skills. Popular Mechanics says robotics is useful for engineering, coding, programming, and even broader skills like hands-on creativity, problem solving, communication, and (socially distanced) teamwork.

Are you having trouble getting things done? Maybe Specs, the anti-procrastination smart glasses, will help boost your productivity. They use artificial intelligence to watch what you watch, and nag you when you're spending too much time with TV or social media.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently passed the $200 billion net worth milestone. That, and the fact that almost 50% of all online purchases are at Amazon.com, got me thinking about alternatives. Enter Walmart Plus, which offers groceries and pretty much anything you could find in a Walmart store. The $98/year e-commerce membership program will provide same-day and other fast shipping options.

There's concern about the many ways that law enforcement could use surveillance footage from Ring and other doorbell cameras, but that knife can cut both ways. With the ubiquity of these video cameras, some are concerned that they may tip off the bad guys by alerting them when police are approaching a house to search it.

Engage is a battery-free Game Boy, a video game console powered by a combination of solar energy and button-mashing during gameplay. That'll get kids out of their dark bedrooms for a while, at least.

Watch engineer Michael Pick build the world's smallest iMac. The video covers the entire process of designing and 3D printing a miniature iMac, about the same height as a can of Red Bull.

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