Geekly Update - 24 June 2015

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Nearby WiFi signals can be converted into electricity to charge devices up to 28 feet from a WiFi access point, according to University of Washington researchers.

A Spanish woman is suing eBay, claiming that she owns the Sun but eBay won’t let her sell parcels of land on it. Incredibly, a Spanish court previously ruled her lawsuit could proceed because it has a chance of succeeding.

A related story is that of Dennis Hope, who claims to own the Moon, as well as Mercury, Mars, Venus and Pluto. Since 1980, Hope has made millions selling real estate on these extra-terrestrial bodies.

Wurstify is a humorous browser extension which modifies images on web pages you view, adding the WurstBeard™ to all faces. The creators of this "technology" boast that it results in a "drastically improved user experience."

A Florida science teacher has been suspended for using a cell phone signal jammer to eliminate distractions in his classroom, incidentally blocking cell service all over the campus. Cell jammers are prohibited by the FCC.

"You ain't nothin' but a what?" A 46 year-old woman found the biological father she never knew via Facebook. Turns out he’s an Elvis impersonator in Thailand.

A new intelligent garbage can scans what you throw into it and alerts you when it’s time to buy more Cheez Whiz. What, you think this tech is perfect?

"57 Shades of Ketchup..." Heinz Corp. has apologized for a QR code on its ketchup bottles that takes people to a p**n site.

Tesla Motors is offering a $1,000 bounty on any bugs or vulnerabilities found in its website. Still no such offer for Tesla cars. The upcoming Tesla Model 3 will be priced at about $35,000 and deliver 250 miles per charge. We’re getting there.

In another case of “bad things that could happen but probably won’t and almost certainly not to you,” security researcher Billy Rios claims that hackers could raise or lower the dosage of medications delivered by infusion pumps made by Hospira Corp.

The National Highway Transportation & Safety Administration is touting a prototype car that won’t start if it detects alcohol in the atmosphere or the hands on the steering wheel.

It’s not nice to laugh at the physically challenged. But it’s OK in the case of the walking robots who keep falling down during DARPA’s robotics challenge.

BootyFix.com is where all the bad twerking videos you thought were deleted from YouTube go. Enterprising creeps salvaged them and now charge $20/month for access to the more “interesting” footage.

The French E-kini is a smart bikini that monitors the wearer’s skin temperature and sends alerts to a smartphone when it’s time to get out of the sun. If only it warned the wearer when it’s time to don more clothes.

The heating and air conditioning systems of 19 Grand Rapids (MI) Public Schools are controlled by a 30 year-old Commodore Amiga computer. The former student who programmed it is still around when help is needed.

A bridge over an Amsterdam canal will be 3D printed in mid-air by multi-axis MX3D robots that doodle drops of metal or plastic in horizontal, vertical and diagonal planes, building supporting rails for themselves as they creep across the water. At least, that’s the plan.

A Canadian teenager was shot to death after he tracked a stolen smartphone to a residence, got into a struggle, and tried to open the door of the thieves’ getaway car.

Never again look for a lost TV remote, or miss an entire program while trying to figure out the remote’s buttons. The BBC is showcasing a brain-scanning headband that lets views change channels just by thinking about it.

“June” is a very smart countertop convection oven that figures out what you’ve put in it, how much it weighs, and how to cook it. It even has a camera so you can watch your dinner cook as you drive home.

A fake coupon offering $100 in free groceries is being passed around Facebook. Kroger Corp., the chain supposedly offering the coupon, is warning consumers that it's bogus.

If TV viewers could order cable channels ala cart, ESPN would be in a lot of trouble. The sports network barely made the top 20 list of channels surveyed watchers would pick; only 36% want ESPN at all.

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