Geekly Update - 27 November 2015
After the cucumber scare (see the previous Geekly Update) it seems cats are trying to improve their online reputation. So what software product are those clever felines debugging now? Is it time to start using IBM punch cards again? And how are the Anonymous hackers fighting ISIS? 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
"U R FIRED!" After taking over as the new manager of a Florida restaurant, Brad Barrett decided to save a little time and fire 13 workers with a group text message. I wonder if he'll be accepting job applications via Twitter or Snapchat?
A UK cat discovered a bug in Linux desktop GNOME; when it stepped on a certain sequence of keys, the operating system crashed. The bug was fixed; no word if the cat was.
Domino’s Pizza now offers a “Buy Now” button; like Amazon’s, the thumb-sized device can be preprogrammed with your favorite order and payment info, sending both to your local Domino’s with one press of a button. Just keep it away from cats.
'Tis the season... remember that box of IBM punch cards you've had in the attic since 1978? It's time to put them to good use. See these images of holiday wreaths made of punch cards, and get busy!
T-mobile is offering Sprint customers $200 credits to switch. Additionally, T-mobile will pay early-termination fees and other incentives worth up to $650 to new customers who switch from any competitor.
Using terror to fight terror, Anonymous hacktivists are “rickrolling” ISIS social media accounts with jihadi-tempting posts that link to Rick Astley’s 1987 pop hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
Former TV station Web producer Matthew Keys has been convicted of helping Anonymous hack the Web servers of the Los Angeles Times in 2010. He faces 3-5 years in prison for giving login credentials to Anonymous that helped the group alter a news story on LATimes.com. The vandalism was corrected in less than an hour.
United Airlines will let passengers pay for in-flight WiFi using their frequent-flyer miles beginning in 2016. The miles needed to buy an hour of WiFi will vary depending on supply and demand. Lufthansa charges 3,500 miles or 9 euros for an hour of Internet access.
For the first time, a federal judge has imposed conditions upon law enforcement’s use of “stingray” devices that mimic cellphone towers and sweep up all nearby transmissions.
“It’s not a data breach, it’s just a clerical error,” says Georgia’s Secretary of State in response to charges that 6 million voter records sold (legally) to private parties included voters’ Social Security Numbers and other private data. Among the buyers were several political and news organizations, and the Georgia Gun Owners magazine.
Facebook is testing a new “breakup” feature that will hide posts from exes and delete the heartbroken’s name from the ex’s posts without taking the drastic step of unfriending or blocking anyone.
YouTube is offering to pay the legal fees of a handful of members fighting copyright infringement claims, and will continue to display their allegedly infringing videos in the U.S.
Your thoughts on these topics are welcome. Post your comment or question below...
This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 27 Nov 2015
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Geekly Update - 27 November 2015 (Posted: 27 Nov 2015)
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 27 November 2015"
Posted by:
sirpaul2
27 Nov 2015
And I'm thankful for 'Geekly Update'.
Posted by:
Old Man
28 Nov 2015
I wonder how Christoph got his cat to tell him the sequence for the bug.
My cat used my computer while I was out of the room, so could not see what he did.
He managed to invert my display. It took me quite a bit to get it upright again. I recently found the key sequence (requires 3 paws).
One thing he did was nearly mute the sound input - especially for Windows sounds. All the outputs are at max. However, when I click the Windows speaker and click to test it, the bar only goes about a quarter of the way up. Before my cat made the change (along with some other sound changes I was able to correct) the bar went all the way up.
I asked my cat how he did it, but he wouldn't say. Nor did he respond when I asked him to show me what he did.
Maybe Christoph has learned Cat - or his cat has learned Human...
Posted by:
Patrick
30 Nov 2015
My cats often, quite often, request my attention by parading on my keyboard which leads to unexpected results. Some are hilarious and some are dumbfounding and some need me to see if I can make that purr factory stick to the wall (NOT SERIOUS) But I think about it.
Posted by:
Kevin
30 Nov 2015
Given that the first bug found in a computer was actually a moth (see etymology section in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_bug), should we be calling features like this one "cats." Then could we all go out and "decat" YouTube?