Geekly Update - 09 January 2013

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

"Phoney logic..." NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Apple is to blame for the 3.3% rise in New York City’s major crimes index. If only those 3,890 iPhone thefts were omitted, the crime rate would have fallen.

Intel plans to destroy the cable TV industry in 2013, according Forbes magazine. Rumor has it the chip giant will release set-top boxes that enable viewers to subscribe to individual channels and/or programs, and view any past TV show on demand.

Are you tired of being confused with that other guy who shares your name – the drug dealer or crazy frat boy? BrandYourself.com is a free reputation management tool that purportedly boosts the Google rankings of the links you want people to see when they search for your name.

In response to cases where employers demanded Facebook, Twitter or email passwords before hiring a new employee, new laws forbid employers from asking for your online login credentials in California, Michigan, and Illinois. Public schools and universities face similar bans in Maryland and Delaware. I guess they'll have to go back to the tried and true method of creating a fake profile and sending a friend request.

If you must buy a Nintendo Wii U, buy a used one and get all of the previous owner’s games for free. It seems the games are tied to specific devices, not to a user’s Nintendo Network account.

The father of Xiao Feng, 23, got so tired of his unemployed son’s constant video gaming that he hired “virtual hitmen” to ensure his son lost every game. Feng says he can quit playing anytime he wants to, but is looking for a job that suits him.

They can hear you now. All Cisco IP Phones are vulnerable to remote attacks that enable hackers to turn on microphones and cameras or order a phone to perform any of its functions, according to researchers at Columbia University.

Further proof that alcohol and social media do not mix well... A drunk driver who sideswiped another car felt it was important to post that fact on his Facebook page after returning home. One of his friends felt it equally important to report that to the police, who arrested 18-year-old Jacob Cox-Brown.

Good and bad news for Internet Explorer: IE gained 2.9% in desktop market share during 2012, reaching a total of 54.8% according to researcher Net Applications. But IE 9 & 10 garnered a miniscule 1.06% of the smartphone and tablet markets.

And this could explain why... A thief broke into Microsoft’s Mountain View, CA, campus and made off with five iPads. No Microsoft products were taken.