Geekly Update - 27 February 2013

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

"Smokin' in the Boy's Room?" Not so fast, buster... Police in several Pennsylvania school districts will soon be able to remotely access video from surveillance cameras inside the schools.

According to "secret" FBI files recently released, the FBI has been using “Stingray” devices to track suspects via cellphone data since at least 1995. Inevitably, Stingray also traps data from the phones of innocent bystanders, raising additional legal and Constitutional questions.

No honor among thieves: The Pirate Bay has threatened to sue a Finnish anti-piracy organization for pirating The Pirate Bay’s pirate ship logo. “People must understand what is right and wrong,” The Pirate Bay says.

"You May Have Already Lost!" Google is running a contest to select up to 8,000 Google Glass testers. No purchase is required to win, but winners will have to pay $1,500 plus sales tax for a pair of Google Glass spectacles.

Used games may be rejected by the next-generation Xbox, according to rumor published by gaming website Edge.com. Gamestop, a big reseller of games, says 60% of surveyed customers will balk at buying consoles that include such blocking technology.

Imagine smart clothing into which you can plug an iPod, with controls on a shirtsleeve. Now imagine it’s part of the U.S. Postal Service’s upcoming fashion line, called “Rain, Heat, and Snow.”

Internet users are tired of CAPTCHA tests of their humanity which take an average of 14 seconds to solve. Advertisers are tired of their ads being ignored. Solution: replace CAPTCHA with ad-based puzzles that take half as long to solve.

Two million Americans use cell phone signal boosters to improve reception. A recent FCC ruling demanded that users must turn off their boosters until wireless carriers give permission to use them.

The $1299 price tag of Google’s new Pixel Chromebook is a lot higher than the previous performance king, Samsung’s $550 Series-5 550. Google engineers asked themselves, “What could we do if we really wanted to design the best computer possible at the best price possible?” Just design, not sell, would be a good guess.

Your credit rating and job prospects may be affected by your social media activity. Strong LinkedIn networks are correlated to a healthy, creditworthy career. Racist remarks suggest someone is likely to lose a job.

This summer, let a robot clean your BBQ grill. Coming to retailers in June, the Grillbot is essentially a Roomba for gas or charcoal grills, priced at $70 to $100.

The New York City Police Department has created a specialized unit devoted to recovering lost or stolen Apple devices. Will Microsoft, and Google join forces to sue for discrimination?

D-I-Y geeks will love or hate Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet/PC, depending on how much they enjoy a challenge. The device earned the lowest possible repairability score in iFixit.com’s teardown.

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