Geekly Update - 13 August 2015
Cat videos are spreading from the Internet to the highways and byways. What can be done to stop this insidious plague? Can you fry an egg on the surface of your mobile device? And really, the bad guys are hacking your UNDERWEAR now? 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
Let's call it the UN-Safe. Brinks’ digital safes designed for retailers have "state-of-the-art security." That includes a state-of-the-art USB port on the OUTSIDE of the safe through which hackers can insert state-of-the-art malware to open the safe in 60 seconds.
AT&T has responded to the $100 million fine proposed by the FCC by claiming, apparently with a straight face, that customers were not harmed by having their data speeds throttled by 90 percent.
No brotherly love for robots. Hitchbot made it all the way across Canada and Germany, but was beaten and dismembered in Philadelphia after just two weeks of thumbing rides in the Northeast USA.
Customized, 3D-printed casts for immobilizing broken bones are lighter, more effective, let skin breathe, and tolerate water.
Fifteen percent of Americans still don’t go online, a statistic that hasn’t budged in the past several years despite all the tax dollars thrown at the problem. In other news, 15% of Americans have never had their email accounts hacked, or their privacy compromised by social networking.
St. Paul, Minneapolis is home to the annual Cat Video Festival. Mayor Chris Coleman threw out a ball of yarn to begin the fun for the 13,000 cat lovers who attended the event at a baseball stadium. (Purr-haps they don't have Internet at home?)
I see London, I see France; but hackers can see who bought Hanes underpants.
Bug or feature? Nvidia has recalled its hottest product: the low-priced Shield Tablet that can overheat and catch fire.
Facebook has finished its first “Aquila” Internet drone, a solar-powered behemoth the size of a 737 airliner that will beam Internet access to inaccessible parts of Africa.
The average American household spends $231 per year to lease set-top boxes from cable companies. Coincidentally, that’s about what it costs to buy one.
Hockey pucks for blind players are nearly here, thanks to the persistent ingenuity of some Canadian college students. You’ve always wanted to watch blind hockey, right?
AT&T has rolled out its first new offer based on its acquisition of DirecTV: a $200/month account bundling four wireless accounts that share 10 GB of data, plus HD video and digital audio recording capability for up to four TVs. Steak knives not included.
Your thoughts on these topics are welcome. Post your comment or question below...
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This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 13 Aug 2015
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 13 August 2015"
Posted by:
Don Brohm
13 Aug 2015
Re: Annual household cable box costs. Charter Cable requires a box on EVERY TV. I have 3 HD TVs. One is on an antenna getting only local broadcast channels. The 2nd TV is on a Charter HD Digital cable box, the 3rd is on a Charter cable HD DVR. The monthly lease cost for the two boxes, including fees and taxes, is $30.95 [not including the charge for cable service itself]. This box fee comes to $371.40 a year, a giant rip. Charter advertises their triple play "Spectrum" bundle for 3 X $29.95= $89.85 a month. Their ads keep the fact that this rate does not include the necessary digital boxes, and goes way up after this 12 month introductory price.
Posted by:
j
13 Aug 2015
After Tiger Woods' domestic issue, I feel like I have been watching blind golf. He must have suffered some head trauma.
Posted by:
J. Russell
13 Aug 2015
I've been beat down for the past four days with problems with my computer. I was finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel when I made serious over-sight. I had been working back and forth with Microsoft, not Windows 10 related, and was expecting a call from them. Finally the call came and I proceeded to allow remote access and clicked a little too fast. Yep, 'LogMeIn....123, and about 90 seconds later, I pulled the internet plug. Man did they get P....d! The damage was sever enough that I'll have to re-install everything, but at least I didn't loose it, and they did not get any data, but 80% of my drive was lost to me. It's True! You can't be too careful,Fool Me Once, I'm and Idiot.
Posted by:
Stan Koper
13 Aug 2015
"Fifteen percent of Americans still don’t go online, a statistic that hasn’t budged in the past several years despite all the tax dollars thrown at the problem. In other news, 15% of Americans have never had their email accounts hacked, or their privacy compromised by social networking."
Au contraire! Just because a person doesn't go online, doesn't mean they don't use their credit cards at merchants that go online! I've had my credit cards compromised at Target, Home Depot, and others, simply by using them at a physical store.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Granted, but I didn't say anything about credit cards. My point was that people who don't have email accounts don't need to worry about them being hacked. And people who don't have Internet needn't worry about posting stuff online that will be turned into a marketing dossier.
Posted by:
Stan Koper
13 Aug 2015
Re Don Brohm's comment on cable boxes--I use a SiliconDust HDHomerun Prime box to distribute my cable signal to up to 3 computers in the house. The Prime uses a cable card, which sometimes involves a fee (I have Verizon, and they charge around $5 a month for theirs).
Most laptops these days have an HDMI out, so you can send the signal to a TV. SilconDust provides an application that will show non-premium channels, but for premium channels (HBO, Starz, etc.) you'll need to stick with Windows 7, which still supports Windows Media Center.
There are similar devices offered by others. Setting the thing up isn't a simple process, but it's an option.
Posted by:
jd
14 Aug 2015
I just LOVE cats.....got any good recipes?
For you serious cat lovers out there, that is a JOKE!!!