Geekly Update - 27 April 2023 (What is reality?)

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

KrebsOnSecurity, the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission are warning about "juice jacking" -- the potential for data theft when using a public charging kiosk to juice up your smartphone. “Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers,” the FBI’s Denver office warned. “Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.” Who knew Charlie Sheen was into computers?

MIT Technology Review says "Despite its charms, AI is little more than an excellent liar." As AI language models get more sophiticated, they learn to generate text that is more fluent, convincing, and coherent. But unfortunately they are not becoming more trustworthy. "They're just betting better at sounding like they're telling the truth."

Back in 2016, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a video interview that “a Model S and Model X, at this point, can drive autonomously with greater safety than a person.” Or did he? Tesla lawyers, in a bid to keep CEO Elon Musk from testifying in a wrongful death lawsuit, are making the dubious claim that Musk's past statements about the safety of Tesla self-driving technology might be deepfakes. The judge in the case was not amused.

On a related note, Wired says: "Brace Yourself for the 2024 Deepfake Election." Technology has made it possible to create convincing (but fake) videos of public figures. It's going to get harder and harder to know what's real.

"You don’t want to fall for this..." The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about a smart TV scam. Any connected device, the article reminds us, is potentially a vector for scammers to attack. And your smart TV is just another computer connected to the Internet. BBB's Scam Tracker says scammers are using pop-ups on smart TVs to trick people into calling a phone number or visiting a website, and then get your credit card number. In some cases, the scammers have installed malware on smart TVs.

ZDNet has some tips on avoiding identity theft, and how to find out if you've been impacted the latest data breaches.

Battery-less jump starters are the latest gadget to help you out when your car won't start. Unlike portable battery jump starters that need to be charged before they can be used, the battery-less models actually work by drawing small amounts of power from your almost-dead battery, feeding that into ultracapacitors which boost the charge and then feed it back into the battery.

If you're looking for an alternative to Roku, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max streaming device is $20 off right now. The Fire TV Stick can connect your TV to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Peacock, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and others streaming services.

Did you know the iPhone 14 has satellite connectivity? You can't make a phone call in the desert, but the Satellite Rescue Feature on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models does allow you to summon help by sending a text message to via satellite, even when there is no cellular signal. The "Find My" app can also be used to share your location with emergency services via satellite.

And finally, this week's Just Here For the Headline: Meta’s avatars are getting new body shapes and improved hair. If the Metaverse doesn't have good hair, I want no part of it.

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