Geekly Update - 03 July 2013

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Does simply having an iPad, Kindle or other tablet make you smarter than your friends? Those who own them think so. A recent research study found that 69 percent of tablet users believe they are smarter and better informed than those around them.

“Social media is not a playground,” Texas father Jack Carter wants everyone to know. That’s because his 18 year-old son, Justin, faces 8 years in prison for a Facebook conversation about an online game in which he jokingly said he was going to shoot up a school. A woman in Canada saw it, Googled Justin’s location, and called police. “These people are serious. They really want my son to go away to jail for a sarcastic comment that he made," added Carter.

"Tossing your cookies..." Web cookies are dying as a tracking tool for marketers. The bad news is that they’ve come up with “fingerprinting,” the process of compiling a profile of your Internet device, based knowledge of the software installed on it and its hardware characteristics.

"Beam me money, Scotty!" Paypal Galactic is a new effort to “bring together leaders in the scientific community to prepare and support the future of space commerce,” according to Anuj Nayar, the senior director of communications and social media of PayPal. Is it a joke on Fox News, a space race with Bitcoin, or are those Paypal guys smoking crack?

In 1997, the NSA had “no interest in invading the personal privacy of U.S. citizens,” according to an official with the agency’s Information Warfare group. What changed? Security expert Bruce Schneier believes it was the skyline of New York City, primarily. But the comments posted after the article are just as interesting as his blog post.

Think Google Earth is cool? Try creating aerial views of the Earth with ladders, balloons and kites, like photographer George Lawrence did over 100 years ago.

The “iPhone Liberation Kit” allows iPhone users to replace the tamper-resistant pentalobe screws on their phones with Phillips head screws. Between July 1st and 5th, 1776 of the kits will be given away free; even shipping is free.

Pandora is taking criticism from Pink Floyd and other musicians who say the Internet radio pioneer is trying to cut their royalties by 85% to pad its bottom line. Musicians fail to note that Pandora pays 55% of its revenues to artists while AM/FM radio stations pay 10%. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/06/23/pink-floyd-royalties-pandora-column/2447445/

Nook is in the hole. Barnes & Noble’s Nook division’s sales have fallen 34% from a year ago. The company’s response is to outsource manufacturing and marketing of the e-reader. Company-wide, revenues are down more than 7%. Only the campus bookstore division grew. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23052445

“How many piano tuners are in Chicago?” If you’ve ever endured any of these “brainteaser” questions during a supposedly serious job interview, take heart. Google’s HR department has banned them, and that may start a trend. http://io9.com/why-google-banned-brainteasers-from-their-interview-pro-576334070

An all-electric motorcycle beat its gas-guzzling competition to win the grueling Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The high-altitude course means less oxygen for internal combustion engines, so electric cars and bikes have become more common in recent years. http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/01/lightning-electric-motorcycle-bests-gas-powered-bikes-at-pikes-pe/