Geekly Update - 27 May 2015
Do you need a dictionary to find the meaning of 'eggcorn,' 'clickbait,' or 'emoji?' Why are British buses bullish on bovine body waste? And have computers finally bested the world's best poker players? Get answers to these burning questions, and the scoop on the latest tech news, in this edition of the Geekly Update. It's guaranteed to make you 146% smarter. Read, think and comment! |
The AskBobRankin Geekly Update
Merriam Webster's Dictionary is tipping its hat to popular culture, adding 1700 new words and acronyms. Many of them were popularized by email, social media and texting. Among the new arrivals are "meme," "photobomb," and "NSFW."
"AI = All In" Claudico, the top-ranked poker-playing artificial intelligence bot, took on four professional players in a two-week Texas Hold’Em tournament. Any bets on who won?
Beware of third-party hotel reservation websites, says the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. At best, you may get stuck with booking fees and a no-refund policy. At worst, you may pay for a reservation but get no room.
Catalin Duru is a Canadian inventor who created his own hoverboard, and used it to fly over 900 feet, as high as 16-feet above the surface of a lake in Quebec.
Clever engineers in Reading, England have demonstrated that a passenger bus powered by cow poo can reach speeds of 76 mph. To be precise, the mostly brown, cow-spotted bus runs on "bovine manure-derived biomethane." An official said they did it to "get the image of bus transport away from being dirty, smelly, and slow." One out of three ain't bad.
The Apple Watch contains security features to protect your data, but nothing in it deters theft of the Watch. Resetting an Apple Watch so it can be used with another iPhone is as easy as pressing the “crown” button.
YouTube Kids is not safe for kids, several child advocate organizations claim. Despite Google’s screening, videos on making acid, nooses, and juggling knives while holding a chainsaw have made it onto the “toddler friendly” service.
Don’t you hate it when you’re eating KFC’s greasy chicken and get grease all over your keyboard? Well, KFC is now providing trays with Bluetooth keyboards built into them, so yours can stay clean.
Paypal was ordered to pay $25 million in refunds and fines by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to settle charges that Paypal signed up customers for Paypal Credit accounts without their permission.
Anyone can copy the Apple iPhone’s design, a federal appeals court ruled on May 18. Patents protect only the functionality of a product, the court noted, and rounded corners are not a function.
The Walrus Webcam is back, and in HD, too! After a decade offline, the live stream of 2-ton walruses on the beach of Alaska’s Round Island will return this year.
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This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 27 May 2015
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 27 May 2015"
Posted by:
Ted Martin
27 May 2015
The CFPB is the scourge of business. It reports to no one and makes up the rules as it goes along. They are killing small banks and the independent mortgage brokers. Also they are looking for more businesses to control. Most anything in the financial industry. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
Posted by:
Richard Bergman
29 May 2015
Your Geekly Update used to be worthwhile reading and I looked forward to doing so.
The last several months worth, you tend to highlight non geek items, more like Entertainment Tonight.
I wish that you go back to the way it used to be.