Geekly Update - 13 February 2019
Will soon-coming 5G wireless signals fry your brain? Is there a secret microphone in your home? Why did 62 million people enjoy a picture of an egg more than the Super Bowl half-time show? And is it a good idea to call Uber if you need a getaway car for a bank robbery? Get answers in today's Geekly Update -- it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment! |
The AskBobRankin Geekly Update
Penetration testers were able to breach 92 percent of the companies they tested, gaining access to their internal networks.
There's some good news on the "deep fake" video problem. Amber Authenticate is a tool that promises to protect videos from tampering.
Artificial intelligences co-hosted the China Central Television Spring Festival Gala television broadcast, viewed by one billion people.
A simple picture of an egg garnered 52 million Instagram likes and 10 million followers. During the Super Bowl, the egg promoted mental health services.
Facebook Messenger messages can now be unsent for up to 10 minutes after they are sent.
Surprise! There's a secret microphone in your Nest Guard security hub. Google Assistant will turn it on for you...
BankOfAmer1ca.com? The Google Chrome browser will be displaying a new warning to alert users when they’re visiting a possible impostor website with an address that looks similar to a more established website.
Ubers and Goobers. Three armed teens took an Uber ride to a bank they planned to rob. The Uber driver who was summoned to be their getaway ride arrived just as the police arrested the would-be robbers.
This just in from the Tinfoil Hat Department: Conspiracy theorists warn that 5g cell phones will cook brains even faster than smart electricity meters.
A phone scammer picked the wrong victim when he called William Webster, former director of the FBI and the CIA.
Bounty hunters secretly used location data provided by major phone companies to track down bail “skippers” for five years.
Skype now enables users to blur their backgrounds so no one can see how messy your home office is.
Google Fiber will quit the Louisville, KY, market on April 15, after a spectacularly failed experiment with “shallow trench” fiber installation. Shoddy installations left wires exposed on roads.
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 Feb 2019
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 13 February 2019"
Posted by:
GWC
13 Feb 2019
Now every one is spying on me with secret microphones but then again any speaker could be a microphone and now I have to be afraid of 5G because it is going to kill me. What next? I know, the government will want to let us old farts die so they don't have to pay so much for Social Security. I think I will take a nap now with all this new knowledge I am tired.
Posted by:
Lance
13 Feb 2019
Call me a "conspiracy theorist," but the referenced 5G article was very pooly written and its tone clearly pro-5G. I've read research on 5G, which is never referred to in articles. Plus, it is my understanding that 5G was invented as a weapon and is already used as a crowd-disperser at lower levels. All I'm saying is that all this "new technology" is being foisted on folks like me all around world, and we have no choice in the matter.
Posted by:
hifi5000
13 Feb 2019
OK, I don't know about the effects of cellular phone radiation causing cancer,but I do know microwave emissions can cause eye cataracts.Radiation from microwave ovens and these new devices using 5G emissions should be suspect.
Posted by:
Sarah L
13 Feb 2019
So it takes calling someone with direct phone numbers to the FBI before a scammer can be brought to court and found guilty. I think I will keep screening my phone calls! It is enough of an annoyance to be called so often by a place offering to “clean my ducts” when I live in a building that has no ducts, relying on radiant heat. I suspect they call almost daily. As I have no #s for FBI agents to listen in, I have to reverse the ways of a lifetime and let the phone ring.
Posted by:
nick saunders
13 Feb 2019
I use mobile wireless devices like most others, yes we may have kangaroos jumping from mobile tower to mobile tower down here but nevertheless we have embraced the technology but I do believe that at some point there must be too much radiation (emf) and a health price to be paid.
Posted by:
Larry Petz
14 Feb 2019
Your newsletter is really getting over run with ads. It's getting harder and harder to read. I may just have to unsubscribe. I sure you don't care as long as you get your $$ from all you ads.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Of course I care. I'm always trying new layouts and ad providers. But so much of it (ad selection and placement on page) is automated.
Posted by:
Wild Bill
14 Feb 2019
I see frequent mention of the number of ads on the page being somewhere between aggravating and overwhelming. Might I suggest the use of a browser such as Firefox, with an adblocker or two? I use uBlock Origin, backed up with Privacy Badger, and do not find any problem reading the page. Hopefully this does not drive Bob into bankruptcy as I enjoy his material.