Geekly Update - 12 Jul 2017

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Image-hosting site Photobucket has decided to commit suicide by suddenly charging users $399/year for the privilege of linking their photos to non-Photobucket pages like Ebay, Amazon or Etsy. Users who don't pay can't even access their photos. Hmmm, this sounds a lot like ransomware...

College students say they cherish their privacy, but in a recent study most of them gave up their friends’ privacy in exchange for pizza.

In a deal that shook the entire retail industry, Amazon agreed to purchase Whole Foods for a little over $13 billion.

A tech worker has written a program that effectively does his job for him, so he spends only 10 minutes a month on the work for which he receives full pay. The ethical question he poses is, “Should I tell my employer?” (Before answering, read the next item.)

A CenturyLink employee says she was fired two days after tipping off the CEO to a Wells Fargo-like scheme to bill customers for features and services they never ordered.

Elder geeks who remember the reassuringly solid “clickety-clack” of the early IBM Model F keyboard will be pleased to know it’s making a comeback.

Researchers have developed the first mobile phone that doesn’t need a battery. The device gathers power from ambient light and radio signals.

Amazon has patented a method of storing merchandise underwater until it’s ordered, then playing a special sound that triggers inflation of a balloon to bring the item to the surface, where presumably tiny tugboats nudge it into a shipping container. (Delivery by drone deosn't seem like such a crazy idea now, does it?)

A new quadcopter drone from FlyTrex can deliver beer, or anything that weighs less than six pounds. But we’ll settle for beer.

Good: Drone maker responsibly implements “No Fly Zone” tech in its drones’ firmware to prevent interference with commercial aircraft, firefighters, etc. Bad: Customers hacking “no fly” code in ways that may make drones crash.

“SpyDealer” malware has been in the mobile wild since October, 2015, but was just recently discovered by security researchers. It steals names, addresses, contacts, and even location data from infected phones.

New Jersey is using a robotic lawnmower to cut grass along highways on slopes that are too steep for the safety of human operators. I need one of these.

Need a really wide monitor? Samsung’s new CHG90 model is 49 inches wide, curved to keep its edges in your peripheral vision, and has an aspect ratio of 32:9, and its resolution is 3840 x 1080, which translates to double full HD. Only $1,500.

If that's not big enough for you, try hooking this thing up to your desktop. The biggest 4K TV ever made is a whopping 262 inches measured diagonally. The C Seed 262 is 19 feet wide, contains 10 speakers, includes a 4K media server, and costs $539,000. Professional installation will run another $38,400.

E-books are wildly popular at libraries these days, so much so that most titles are perpetually on hold for the next reader in line. The Denver Public Library provides an in-depth look at the economics of e-book licensing and lending.

Your thoughts on these topics are welcome. Post your comment or question below...