Geekly Update - 22 Feb 2018

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

No, you can not identify who is stalking you on Facebook by going to your list of blocked users and searching for "following me." That’s a hoax viral message and following its instructions will give you search results that include any of the letters in "Following Me.” Not dangerous, just a silly waste of time.

It seems strange enough that there is a person whose actual job title is "Emojipedia Chief Emoji Officer." But Jeremy Burge is that man, and he's making sure that your lobster emoji has the correct number of legs.

Republic Wireless has released Relay for Kids, which I discussed in December.

Do you love to eat snow? It's safe, as long as you do it in Romania, and within 12 hours of the snowfall, according to a professor at the Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania.

Converting a university’s vast collections of microfilm, microfiche, overhead projector transparencies, and other obsolete tech to modern tech is not easy, cheap, or quickly done. See how Hillsdale College slogs through those Dewey Decimal System index cards, and the professor who clings to his overhead projector.

Apple’s Alexa-killer, the HomePod, has a disgusting habit of leaving white rings of silicone poo on wood or other hard surfaces. Apple’s tech support "geniuses" advise you to “Put the HomePod somewhere else.” Yes, perhaps on the Returns counter at the Apple store.

Here is a video explaining and demonstrating Jeff Bezos’ 10,000 Year Clock, which is designed to move its minute hand one minute forward per year. Rich people are very, very bored, I guess.

Robi, Jr., is an adorable DIY robot once you put him together. Tomotaka Takahashi, its developer, has made this - “baby bot” seems appropriate - to kick its feet, tell you stories, ask to watch TV with you, and other incredibly cute and creepy things. Stay weird, Japan!

Wired magazine has a gripping tale of how Russian hackers played Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook like a violin for two years in order to influence the USA’s last presidential election.

You don’t need to drop $50-$100 on an Amazon Echo to enjoy many of the charming, confusing, and hilarious Easter eggs that Alexa dishes randomly.

Security researchers worldwide serve the same protective function as the free press, but without the latter’s strong First Amendment defenses. Corporations tired of “embarrassing” reports like the ongoing Experian credit history database leak are threatening “lone ranger” researchers with lawsuits in an attempt to silence our heroes. We cannot let that happen.

ZDnet has a page where every new development in the ongoing circus of Intel’s Spectre and Meltdown chip firmware scandal is being updated continually. It’s either a global disgrace or the funniest show on Earth; you decide!

Uber Express Pool is coming to town, offering fares “half the price of Pool.” I once got “billed” $0.00 for an Uber ride, so I’ll be interested to see what half of that looks like.

Not that kind of chips... Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, the company that makes Doritos, believes that women "don't like to crunch too loudly in public" and secretly wish they could lick their fingers after eating the addictive chips. She hinted that the company plans to launch "snacks that are designed and packaged for women." But don't look for Lady Doritos on the shelf.

Your thoughts on this topic are welcome. I especially want to hear from ladies who lick their fingers after eating Doritos! Post your comment or question below...