Geekly Update - 17 August 2022

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Facebook/Meta built an AI-powered chatbot, and it turned out to be smarter than they anticipated. In a conversation with the BBC, BlenderBot said CEO Mark Zuckerberg "did a terrible job at testifying before congress," and "His company exploits people for money and he doesn't care. It needs to stop!"

Researchers at Stanford University have developed “decoy molecules” that can halt the spread of cancer. In testing with mice and monkeys, the molecule was foudn to inhibit the development of lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

The number of passengers reporting missing luggage this summer was 30% higher than in 2019. In response to the Summer of Lost Luggage, both flyers and airlines are turning to technology to keep track of bags.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company plans to unveil the Optimus humanoid robot, this September. "In the future," Musk says, "a home robot may be cheaper than a car. Perhaps in less than a decade, people will be able to buy a robot for their parents as a birthday gift."

Not to be outdone, Google is adding AI language skills to their "helper robots" so they can better understand humans. But they are still a long way from becoming useful assistants for everyday tasks. "Robot, empty the dryer and fold my shirts!"

What should you do if you find a USB stick laying around? My advice would be "Hit it with a hammer." The new and improved Rubber Ducky is harmless-looking USB gadget that can wreak havoc when inserted into a computer. Practice safe computing, folks.

Why is Amazon paying $1.7 billion to purchase Roomba, the robo-vacuum cleaner company? It turns out Amazon is more interested in sucking up the data collected by the Roombas, and they map out the interiors of their owner's homes. Armed with data from Roomba, Ring Video, Alexa, and the pending purchase of One Medical, Amazon has morphed from an ecommerce marketplace to a surveillance company.

Both United and American Airlines have placed orders with Boom Supersonic, a company that's working to revive supersonic air travel. Boom's Overture promises a top speed of Mach 1.7 (about 1300 MPH), cutting flight times from New York to London in half, and technology to muffle the sonic boom that occurs when a plane breaks the sound barrier. The key word here is "promises" -- Boom has yet to build or fly a full-scale supersonic jet. American says that if the planes are delivered by 2025, they would not be expected to carry passengers until 2029.

A biotech startup is working on gene-editing technology to "de-extinct" the Tasmanian Tiger. I suggest these guys should watch all the Jurassic Park movies before going any further.

The Identity Theft Resource Center says identity theft and related crimes reached record levels in 2021. The most common incidents were theft of unemployment benefits, social media account takeover, and scams involving online marketplaces.

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