Geekly Update - 20 October 2016
What amenities would you expect from a toilet that costs $7013? Is dishonesty the best policy when it comes to protecting against identity theft? And how long does it take for a “smart” tea kettle to boil a cup of water? Find out in today's Geekly Update -- it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. And it's *guaranteed* to make you 146% smarter. Read, think and comment! |
The AskBobRankin Geekly Update
Tired of paying the kid next door to tend your lawn, or shovel the driveway? There's a robot for that. Kobi, the fully autonomous multifunctional robot, will mow your lawn, clean up your leaves, and even remove snow from your driveway. It costs $4000, but at least it doesn't need gas or oil.
If you have that kind of cash to burn, you may also be interested in the $7000 Numi® Intelligent Comfort Height® skirted one-piece elongated dual-flush toilet from KOHLER. At that price, one would naturally expect an intuitive touch-screen remote control, heated seat and foot warmer, ambient colored lighting, and wireless Bluetooth music capability. (Insert "download" joke here.)
A data specialist spent 11 hours trying to boil a cup of water for tea using his Amazon Echo and a “smart” tea kettle. His running Twitter commentary exemplifies the saying, “Comedy is tragedy that happens to someone else.”
According to Risk Based Security, there have been almost 3000 publicly disclosed data breaches so far in 2016, exposing more than 2.2 billion records. Their advice: become a better liar. To protect yourself, they suggest that you "omit or falsify as much requested data as possible when registering with both online and offline services."
Comcast has been slapped with the biggest civil penalty ever levied by the Federal Communications Commission. Everyone’s favorite cable company owes $2.3 million for charging customers for products and services they never ordered.
A 12 year-old Spanish boy got confused about the difference between Google Adwords and Google AdSense when he tried to advertise his band. Choosing AdWords, he ran up a bill of $112,000 before he knew what was happening. Fortunately, Google forgave the debt.
A new Japanese video chat program adds virtual make-up to female telecommuters’ on-screen faces, and blurs the background behind them so bosses won’t know what they’re really up to.
"For 25 minutes at a time, I was in a dark, quiet room feeding my son. It dawned on me that I could do some catch-up work while he fed, but I needed something to help me hold a bottle and my smartphone," Tim Causa said, and thus was born the Swipe&Feed.
Having recalled over 2 million Galaxy Note 7s and even discontinued the phone, Samsung is now offering customers $100 credits if they keep their replacement Note 7s. You may recall that the recall was due to the devices exploding or bursting into flames. Are you feeling lucky? Meanwhile, all Samsung Galaxy Note 7s are banned from U.S. airlines, per the Dept. of Transportation.
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 20 Oct 2016
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Geekly Update - 20 October 2016 (Posted: 20 Oct 2016)
Source: https://askbobrankin.com/geekly_update_20_october_2016.html
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 20 October 2016"
Posted by:
Nezzar
20 Oct 2016
Bob,
Thanks for the hilarious "Are you feeling lucky?" comment regarding Samsung's offer of a $100 credit if folks will keep their Note 7 replacements. I am still laughing!!!
Posted by:
Jerry B
20 Oct 2016
Bob,
Re: "Are you feeling lucky?" - Samsung is not offering $100 if you keep your "replacement Note 7" ... it's if you keep their NON Note 7 replacement for the recalled phones. Just an incentive to stick with the Samsung brand.
But I do agree that your comment was funny.
Posted by:
Gar Suitor
20 Oct 2016
Re: Samsung Note 7 -
How did this thing ever make it through pre - production testing during development?
It seems entirely illogical to me that if the development testing was not pencil-whipped, that these defects would not have shown up. Of course, I've not heard whether it was the batteries or the charging circuitry in the phones that is responsible. Could it be that the batteries are of Chinese origin, and the 'Chinesium' in them is the problem?
Posted by:
RichF
20 Oct 2016
What a great invention. Swipe and Feed now allows parents to start ignoring their kids years earlier in their lives.
Posted by:
Chris
20 Oct 2016
Swipe and feed is the saddest thing I've ever heard of. He should be treasuring the moment, talking to the child and enjoying the close physical contact. They grow up so fast.
Posted by:
Chris
20 Oct 2016
Just read the link re Swipe & Feed. I think his excuses are pretty lame. And golly we're not allowed to criticise any more. He's just put something else into the politically incorrect basket.
Posted by:
Jim Swan
21 Oct 2016
I flew from Honolulu to Osaka last Saturday, the day after the Samsung ban went into effect -- except that in Honolulu the ban didn't seem to have been in effect at all. Nobody at Delta check-in mentioned it, no TSA handlers mentioned it, electronic devices stayed in our carry-on bags through the x-ray screening, and the Delta on-board safety announcements instructed anyone with a Note 7 to power down, not use a recharger, and to keep the phone with the carry-on baggage
Posted by:
cal67
21 Oct 2016
Regarding Swipe & Feed, if the kids are so much trouble, I can save him more time and money. Just don't have them. Why do you want them if all you can do is come up with ways to be more productive in spite of them?
Posted by:
BobD
21 Oct 2016
A note to Gar Suitor re 'Chinesium' -- thanks for that! Presumably an alloy of Crumblium and Corrodium.
Posted by:
Gerald
21 Oct 2016
Hi Bob, You asked to insert download joke. When uploading used content (downwards) whilst streaming or downloading blue-toothed uploaded tunes never fear dirty hands; this thing is completely hands-free. Up-steam pre-heated bidet will keep you system malware and virus free. Please don't let your content get backed-up.
Posted by:
Pat C.
21 Oct 2016
What if the Kobi and the Kohler toilet somehow joined forces? The mind boggles!!