Geekly Update - 06 Jul 2017

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

If you love fireworks, but not the smoke and smell they bring, here's good news. Hollywood and the U.S. Army are working on improvements to pyrotechnic "recipes" that could solve those problems. Here's an interesting read on the chemistry (and future) of fireworks.

A group of students has invented an environmentally friendly fuel based upon the active ingredient in ant stingers, formic acid.

Samsung plans to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones - you know, that ones that caught fire in such large numbers that the whole line had to be recalled - and will name them the Galaxy Note 7 FE, with FE standing for “Fandom Edition.” (Yeah, I thought “Fiery Explosion” too.)

Cute or creepy? A Spanish company is offering babies for sale. These super-realistic infant dolls look and feel like a newborn. High-end models even appear to breathe and can suck on a pacifier. If that's too unsettling, try one of their infant/piglet hybrids.

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Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University have discovered that it's smartphones that are making people look funny when they walk. People tend to use a "cautious and exaggerated stepping strategy" to minimize the risk of tripping while texting.

Kaspersky Lab products would be banned from U. S. military operations if a group of Senators have their way.

Google must suppress search results worldwide when ordered to do so by a court, according to Canada’s Supreme Court. Others say a court’s authority stops at the border of the court’s nation. Still others say when did Canada become the thought police?

The Moby-Mart is a 7-11 on wheels, designed to drive to “food deserts” where groceries are in demand. It also carries four drones to deliver larger items to customers’ homes. And yes, there are plans to make it self-driving.

A single court order was used by the FBI to eavesdrop on over 3 million phone calls. No incriminating evidence was found.

"We put the ART in artificial intelligence." Human artists may need to learn some new job skills. Artificial intelligence is now producing art, and it looks pretty good.

July 11 is Amazon Prime Day 2017, and the e-commerce giant has big plans for big savings.

The U.S. could learn a few lessons from India in the push towards a cashless society.

Facebook is challenging a “national security letter” that forbids the company from talking about a government request for a user’s data, or even telling the user that his/her info has been requested.

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