Geekly Update - 07 November 2013
What devious new privacy-stealing trick is Facebook planning, that will make the snoops at NSA look like amateurs? Is it okay to take video games into the bath tub now? And is buying a smartwatch a dumb idea? Get answers to these burning questions, and the scoop on the latest tech news, in this edition of the Geekly Update. It's guaranteed to make you 146% smarter. Read, think and comment! |
The AskBobRankin Geekly Update
Big Brother really is watching... Facebook is developing methods to track your cursor’s movements on-screen and achieve other new heights of outrageous privacy invasion. Facebook already has a massive data analytics warehouse, which houses over 300 petabytes of information.
P. T. Barnum’s target market is San Francisco. Local TV station KPIX 5 is “reporting” speculation that a four-story barge parked in the Bay is a floating “Apple Store” for Google Glass, and citizens are eagerly swallowing it. Why shouldn’t they? Well, for one thing, Google doesn’t have a permit to park a barge in the Bay.
The New Haven Register commits old-school journalism by asking the question that no other mainstream publication dares to ask: “Smartwatches are everywhere, but who wants one?”
What happens when a fax machine calls a voice-to-text converter like Google Voice’s handy little call-to-email function? Well, it’s almost like a translation of a real live human!
"Yes, you herd me correctly." A New York woman plowed into a herd of cows that was crossing the road. The reason: She was yakking on her cell phone. Her name: Daisy Cowit. (Yes, really.)
It turns your bath water into a motion-detecting touch screen display. Yes, the AquaTop device for Microsoft Kinect really does. Now you and your rubber duckie can play tennis.
It wasn't bad enough that this Rock-Paper-Scissors robot cheated every time. Now it can cheat even faster. I expect the next version to be equipped with a hand that whacks you when you lose - every time.
The “Morris Worm,” an early self-replicating “virus” that did no harm but caused global panic, turned 25 years old on November 2, 2013. Here is how mainstream media reported that “new cyber threat.”
Is Google+ reaching critical mass? The Facebook competitor has seen a 58% increase in new accounts since May, with over 300 million active users now. Over 1.5 billion photos are uploaded per week, and there’s been a twenty-fold increase in videos uploaded. Are you ready to take a look at Google+?
The epitome of “really busy, not getting much done” is this machine whose engine turns 200 times per minute but whose gear train makes a shaft revolve once in 2.3 TRILLION years. Why? Because Arthur Ganson can, that’s why.
Your thoughts on any of these topics are welcome! Post your comment or question below...
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This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 7 Nov 2013
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 07 November 2013"
Posted by:
Heather
07 Nov 2013
Ok, I will bite. Will FB's trackers be able to track the cursor (and possibly the keypad?) when you don't have FB up as an active application but minmized?
Keep us advised and thanks for your efforts!
Posted by:
Bob Bowen
07 Nov 2013
Hi Bob, your cow story is the funniest thing I have herd in ages! Thanks for the chuckle.
I have a question though: how do you arrive at the figure "146%" (smarter)? What is your starting figure, by what figure do you divide it, and by what figure do you multiply it - and do you use a computer during the process, which, if you do, I regard as cheating.
I am burning to know, which reminds me of how engrossed I was in a game in my bath one night: so much so that I forgot to turn the hot tap off...
EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob, I shouldn't tell you this, but the 146% figure is just an AVERAGE. I collect this data by tapping into the NSA's webcam/audio/text data streams of those who are viewing the Geekly Update page. A proprietary algorithm (powered by my TI-58 calculator) analyzes that data in real time. Some readers experience smartness gains up to 300%! Of course, that implies that 4% actually get dumber, but Shhhh! :-)
Posted by:
bob D.
07 Nov 2013
hiya ask bob, you put out a great forum...
as to facebutt, their boss zuker who still
walks with a hard on, has not figured the
realities of being a big shot op a big firm
doing nothing of value.... its social scope
is worn thin, gonna go the way of santa clause
but the more important gist of yours is about google, keep in mind google is babe of two very bright guys, with world vision, and street smarts,they already realized google is big enough and thus began reaching out and instituting parallel ventures, and when they hit top then more newbies, until forever comes and all else is out of date but google keeps chugging along
also zucker gives away his site to usgovt for "free" thus this loss will cost him his facebutt which without nice big inflow of funds has to go bellyup,
whereas google is hooked at brain with usgovt thus usgovt shares any all of its stuff with google but google only shares with usgovt some of the stuff available but not asked for, and why not???
cheers..........
___________
Posted by:
Walter
07 Nov 2013
Google Barge - It's parked at Treasure Island on a pier. There are security guards on the pier and the space is leased. I'm not really aware of any permit for vessels anchoring in the bay (open water), but there could be something for large ones. There are usually a half dozen or so large container ships anchored south of the bay bridge. There is generally no fee for pleasure craft anchoring out although some specific harbors do charge or require some sort of registration. They keep trying to get that overturned in the area by Sausalito, but the hippies with their rag tag fleet of elderly floating homes just don't want to pay.
Posted by:
john
08 Nov 2013
As for the barge. Take it from me it is full of emptiness. In otherwords it is the opposite of Google which claims to be full of everything. Best regards, john.
Posted by:
Jenny
08 Nov 2013
As for Google+, I have it with my gmail account but I don't use it. I think a factor in the large increase in numbers is that youtube users are now being urged repeatedly to get a linked Google+ account.
There doesn't seem to be an option to turn the reminder off, but I always say no because they're pushing me. I don't want to link my gmail to my youtube.
Do you have any advice about this?
Posted by:
john
08 Nov 2013
Hi, Captain Bob Kirk, I bought a case of wine then tried out the sploid machine. It was over in no time. The Vid not the wine. Am I really 2.3 trill yrs older? Eh, tongue in cheek so to speak. Cheers, john
Posted by:
john
08 Nov 2013
Gee Bob D sounds with it. Or else I'm in the 4% of Bob's answer to Bob Bowen. Jeez my head is still bobbing. Cheers, john.
Posted by:
Denis
08 Nov 2013
Downloaded privazer looked like it worked ok but now I'm inundated with pop ups I use AVG paid for Firefox as browser tick in box block pop ups the still come on
Any program to block them
Posted by:
AndyB
08 Nov 2013
They switched off iGoogle this month, too, and have been nagging people to move over to G+ for over a year. As you will see, many people feel the Google brand alternatives are nowhere near as good or as convenient or as featured as iGoogle...