Geekly Update - 15 May 2013

Category: Tech-News

Oh no... is Youtube going to start charging to watch videos? How are some parents connecting their baby's diaper to the Internet? And can an iPad literally stop your heart from beating? 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 on...

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

"Download Complete..." TweetPee is a Huggies brand plastic bird that clips to a diaper and notifies parents via Twitter when the diaper needs changing. Not sure if it’s a “direct message” or public tweet. But where are the parents if they need this? Oh yeah, Facebook.

A perfect score! In 2012, all of the government’s 1,856 requests for permission to search the email and monitor the phone calls of Americans presumed to be communicating with foreigners were approved by the secret FISA court authorized in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

YouTube will try charging $1.99 per month for selected channels starting this week, according to unnamed sources cited by the Financial Times. Up to 50 such “premium” channels will participate in this experiment, which could nudge the cable industry towards a similar unbundled paradigm.

Geekly Update 05-15-2013

The iPad contains powerful magnets that can disable implanted heart defibrillators with potentially fatal results, a 14 year-old discovered in a science fair project. The magnets secure the optional Smart Cover, and the defibrillators are designed to be shut off by external magnets. Don’t rest your iPad on your chest if you have an implant.

Homebound kids are attending school “in person” thanks to telepresence robots designed by VGo Communications. Students remotely drive their bots from class to class, communicating with teachers and peers through webcams.

Losing face: AT&T was selling the Facebook-centric "HTC First" phone for 99 cents (yes, pennies) as of this writing, down from its $99 debut price. Meanwhile, the Facebook Home app has fallen to 338th place among downloaded Google Store apps, a drop of 200 ranks in two weeks.

Want to be a Master of Google Fu? The official National Security Agency guide to researching on the Internet is now available to the public free of charge, thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request. Ignore any “document is processing” placeholder and click “download” for the PDF.

Tax Deductions for Content Creators...
Tax Deductions for Content Creators ( Youtube, Twitch, ...)

Defcon.org, the origin of 3D-printable handgun files, shut down on May 9, 2013, at the “request” of the U. S. Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, a State Department agency. But not before over 100,000 copies of the file were downloaded. Not to worry, it’s all over The Pirate Bay, as well.

$45 million was stolen from ATMs in 26 countries by a ring of several hundred cybercriminals. Hackers penetrated banks’ firewalls, raised ATM withdrawal limits, and texted PIN numbers to “cashiers” who drained ATMS dry. The Secret Service is prosecuting members of a New York cell.

Department store Nordstrom has stopped tracking customers via their smartphones’ WiFi connections. The test at 17 stores collected anonymous aggregated data used to analyze customers’ movements and plan store layouts. Coincidentally (according to Nordstrom), it was ended the day after a TV report of the project aired.

Competition and transparency are already lowering health insurance premiums in Oregon as costs and standardized coverages are posted online. Funny how insurers didn’t notice their “miscalculations” until they went public.

Far out: The International Space Station just upgraded its laptops’ operating systems to Debian Linux. Until now, they’d been running Windows XP.

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

 
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 15 May 2013"

Posted by:

Tom Van Dam
15 May 2013

The telepresence robots reminds me of the Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon didn't want to risk hurting himself, and therefore his brilliant mind, so he had a robot go to work for him. Do these students need a driver for their robots?


Posted by:

Mark Jacobs
15 May 2013

I can't see the advantage of using a robot over setting up a laptop ot a tablet in the classroom. Well, he might have more interaction with the students, but using a laptop with Skype or other V&VOIP system would make this available for all students who can't attend regular classes.


Posted by:

Deborah
15 May 2013

Thank you for this info: "Guide to researching on the Internet?. I quickly scanned a lot of it. Some of the info I knew; much I don't. I have a lot of reading and catching up to do.

Thanks again for all your info.


Posted by:

Dennis King
15 May 2013

I just downloaded the Guide to Researching on the Internet. It looks very informative, tax dollars at work!

Thanks Bob!!


Posted by:

TheRube
15 May 2013

WOW!

I just downloaded the "Guide to researching on the Internet" - - What a Mother Lode!

This pdf book is almost 40 MB and is 651 pages.
I have never downloaded a book of this size BUT I must say I can't stop reading it.

Thanks Bob for the information.
For me it's going to be a slow read.

Anyway guys tell Mr. Bob Rankin how we really feel about him by giving a donation to the site.
He consistently gives us good information (we can use) whether it's about Online or Off-Topic stuff!

TheRube


Posted by:

Bob Deloyd
16 May 2013

I'm downloading the search guide as I'm typing...
Thanks :)


Posted by:

KRS
16 May 2013

Many, many thanks for the link to the NSA's "Guide to researching on the Internet," which they released as a PDF. I would like an HTML, .doc or even .txt version that would be searchable, ideally with clickable links to the listed sites.

I'm pretty sure that the free online OCR services won't accept a 651-page document. Is there a good way to convert it on my desktop computer (a fast Core7 with 12Gb of RAM)? Or is someone already working on it?


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