Geekly Update - 13 Sep 2017

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Apple curiously announced both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X on September 12th. The $999 iPhone X has no bezel on the front, and a glass back which enables wireless charging. But will it crack, like the front of so many earlier iPhone models? And will the removal of the Home button and new "swiping" interface upset users? We'll find out when Apple starts shipping it on November 3rd.

While on a trip to Indonesia in 2011, wildlife photographer David Slater left his camera unattended. A macaque monkey named Naruto found it and took a picture of himself. Slater claimed rights to the "monkey selfie" photo, but PETA sued on behalf of the animal. The case went all the way to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but was settled on Monday.

A new socially aware robot can move swiftly through crowds without bumping into people. Fine, but does it know how to avoid eye contact in elevators?

Would you pay one dollar to find out how many other people have paid $1.00? A new website bets you would.

No, Google Drive is not being discontinued, as some tech headlines have erroneously claimed. But there are some changes you might need to be aware of. See this C|Net article for the scoop on the future of Google Drive.

Shiva Ayyadurai, the only person on Earth who thinks he created e-mail (instead of Ray Tomlinson), had his libel lawsuit against Mike Masnick, founder of media site Techdirt, dismissed. Kind of an interesting story.

The latest improbable attack on your Alexa or Google Home voice-activated intelligent speaker is ultrasonic noises that are decoded into recognizable speech by the devices.

John Deere just spent $305 million on a startup machine-vision company that may help Deere reduce herbicide use on farms by 90%. The prototype looks at plants as it slowly crawls over them and delivers a precision shot of herbicide only to weeds or dying plants.

Here’s a little-known Google Image Search feature that can help you find millions of royalty-free images for brochures, logos, and other commercial applications.

Bicyclists ask why cars are not designed so that unlicensed drivers cannot drive them.

A new website helps consumers file small claims court suits against Equifax. With just the answers to a few questions, it completes the appropriate forms and lets you download them. Filing in small claims court does not disqualify claimants from class action suits, in most cases.

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