Geekly Update - 15 December 2021

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Hologram tech may soon replace video calls. Portl's life-size 3D hologram lets a person "beam down" into a remote glass portal where they can see, hear, and talk to people in the room. The portals cost about $60,000 but they can be rented for "considerably less."

IBM and Samsung say their new VTFET chips are twice as fast and use 85 percent less energy compared to existing FinFET designs. The VTFET chips could enable a mobile phone to last a week on a single charge.

This just in from the "I Can't Wait For the Cat To Knock This Thing Over" Department: LG's new “StanbyME” is a battery-powered TV perched on a stand. The 27-inch wireless TV has about 3 hours of battery life, and can be wheeled around on its height-adjustable stand.

A vulnerability has been found in Log4j, a widely-used open-source software module in corporate environments. Security experts say the flaw could enable devastating cyberattacks and millions of devices are at risk. So what else is new?

The first episode of HBO's new "Sex and the City" reboot, "And Just Like That" portrays the death of Mr. Big after working out on a Peloton. And just like that, Peloton stock price plummeted.

"Alexa, what did she get me for Christmas?" Amazon's Alexa-enabled Echo smart speakers can tell you when a package has been delivered, as well as revealing the contents. To stop the digital tattletale from ruining holiday gift surprises, you can turn off package notifications on Alexa.

The James Webb Space Telescope set to launch soon this month is equipped with an array of high-tech cameras and sensors that will shed light on some of the mysteries of our solar system. It can look far beyond the reach of the Hubble space telescope, to probe into black holes and other mysterious structures that will help scientists better understand the origins of our universe.

The popular phrase “It’s not rocket science” implies that rocket scientists are the smartest of all professions. But a study by the University College London research ethics committee has called into question whether aerospace engineers really are smarter than neurosurgeons. The result of the study is good news for the rest of us: "Both specialties might be unnecessarily placed on a pedestal."

Artificial intelligence software has used photographs of five murdered women and generated animations designed to warn others about abusive relationships. The videos portray the women telling their story with voices being provided by actresses.

And finally, we're Just Here For the Headline: "The Teeth Of Wandering Meatloaf Contain a Rare Mineral Found Only In Rocks"

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