Geekly Update - 05 January 2022

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

The Romulans in Star Trek had an advantage with their cloaking devices. But soon, we may be able to even the playing field. Researchers are working on materials that can scatter and bend light to create the effect of invisibility. There is a great future in Molybdenum Trioxide. Think about it. Will you think about it?

Researchers from The Australian National University claim that “exercise in a pill” could offer a simple solution to people incapable of physical activity. They've identified certain molecular messages sent to the brain immediately after exercise that could potentially be hijacked, recoded, and taken like a vitamin. But it won't help lazy people lose weight. The research is focused on eye health and slowing neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

CyberPowerPC's newly-announced Kinetic Series Gaming PC has a case that appears to "breathe" when more airflow is needed. Is this mere window dressing, a revolution in case design, or a solution looking for a problem? Some critics say it will result in a PC that's noisier and accumulates more dust.

LG's 97-inch G2, just announced at CES, is the biggest OLED-based TV ever. You'll need eight feet of open wall space and about $40,000 to get your hands on one of these. The OLED G2 is just one inch smaller than the largest LCD-based models currently available.

All eyes are on the new James Webb Space Telescope that was just launched on Christmas Day, but NASA has announced that Hubble, it's 31-year-old predecessor, passed the one billion seconds in space mark on January 1, having completed more than 1.5 million scientific observations. All that without an extended warranty.

John Deere has announced the first fully autonomous farm tractor. It can till a field wih no human in the cab, can operate at night, and has the ability to detect and avoid obstacles.

If you're somehow burning through more than 50GB of high-speed data on your Verizon mobile phone, you'll be happy to hear that Verizon has caught up with T-Mobile and AT&T by offering a truly unlimited mobile plan that has no monthly caps on its fastest network speeds. The 5G Get More plan is still priced at $90/month for one line with autopay, bu tis no longer subject to slowdowns during times of network congestion.

Sony's Bravia Cam watches you, while you watch TV. The gadget is equipped with a camera and microphone that allow you to use hand signals to pause, adjust volume or turn off the TV. But it will also scold you if you're too close to the screen. Just like Mom.

You can run, but you can't hide from Google Maps. Italian mafia boss Gioacchino Gammino, one of Italy's most wanted gangsters, was caught after he appeared in a Google Street View image capture that showed him standing in front of a grocery store in Galapagar, Spain. Gammino escaped from prison in 2002 and had been sentenced to life in prison for murder while on the run.

Amazon's Alexa "smart speaker" told a young listener to do something really dumb. "Plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs," was the advice given a 10-year-old girl who asked the gadget for a challenge to do. Amazon has updated Alexa, hopefully raising the age limit to at least 13 before suggesting activities that could cause death or dismemberment.

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