Geekly Update - 29 May 2025

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Google's Co-Founder Says AI Works Better When You Threaten It: Google co-founder Sergey Brin has reportedly returned to the company to improve the Gemini AI, claiming that AI models perform better when threatened with physical violence. "You know it's a weird thing...", Brin says, "but all models tend to do better if you threaten them, like with physical violence." Just wait until the robot overlords hear about this.

Robots are reproducing. 3D-printed soft robots are walking straight out of the printer. Scientists in Scotland have developed a new 3D-printed soft robot made from flexible thermoplastic polyurethane that can walk immediately after being printed, using compressed air to move its legs. This innovation, created with an open-source Flex Printer, aims to advance soft robotics for various applications, including exploration and medicine. Sergey Brin should be looking over his shoulder.

A writer for ZDNet wore smart glasses with built-in hearing aids for a week, and believes they're a promising alternative. The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved certain over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, and the Nuance Audio hearing glasses offer a discreet, stylish alternative to traditional hearing aids for mild hearing loss, integrating both sight and hearing correction. While they performed well in moderately noisy environments, there was a downside. They struggled in very loud settings, and their battery life is limited to six to eight hours. The Nuance Audio's $1200 price tag might seem steep, but that's far less than the price of prescription hearing aids, which can range from $3000 to to $8000 per pair.

Eyes Wide Shut? On a related note, researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China say super-vision contact lenses let wearers see in the dark, even with their eyes closed. New contact lenses utilizing nanoparticles can enable vision in the near-infrared range and potentially restore color perception for those with color blindness by absorbing low-frequency light and emitting it in the visible spectrum without external power. While promising, further development is needed to enhance sensitivity and resolution.

Microsoft's new security tool hopefully fixes the worst part of antivirus software. Microsoft's new Smart App Control tool aims to enhance Windows' antivirus capabilities by proactively blocking suspicious applications using machine learning, thereby preventing malware before it can cause harm. This tool works in conjunction with traditional antivirus software, with Smart App Control stopping unknown threats and traditional antivirus monitoring tackling known viruses.

Physicists confirm the incredible existence of 'time mirrors'. Jim Croce wanted to save time in a bottle. Now physicists have confirmed the existence of "time mirrors" by successfully demonstrating the time-reversed reflection of electromagnetic waves using a metamaterial, a breakthrough that could revolutionize signal control in communications and computing, and lead to new flux capacitors photonic device designs. For now, the elusive dream of time travel is still just that.

Christiaan Beek, senior director of threat analytics at cybersecurity firm Rapid7, claims to have written the world's first CPU-level ransomware, that can bypass all traditional security measures, exploiting vulnerabilities in CPUs to load unauthorized microcode, allowing attackers to manipulate CPU behavior, and breaking encryption at the hardware level. Beek reassuringly notes that bad actors have been working on these exploits for a few years, so "you can bet some of them will get smart enough at some point and start creating this stuff."

Here's good news for those dreading the upgrade to Windows 11. Your Windows 10 PC isn't dead yet: This OS from Google can revive it. Google's free ChromeOS Flex can extend the life of older Windows 10 PCs and Macs by replacing their original operating systems with a fast, secure, and easy-to-manage cloud-first alternative, providing a modern computing experience similar to Chromebooks on existing hardware.

If you're like me, you prefer the medium of text when looking for advice or answers. I find that many videos take way too long to get to the point. So I love the ability to summarize Youtube videos using AI tools. This video demonstrates how different AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Cloud, and Perplexity can "watch" the video and spit out a succinct summary.

The biggest problem with solar power is that it only works when the Sun is shining. But that might be about to change. Beaming solar power from space is moving closer to reality after a Japanese test successfully demonstrated wireless energy transmission from a moving jet to ground antennae, showcasing the potential for continuous, higher-energy solar collection despite challenges like energy loss and space debris. The hope is that microwave transmission from satellites could deliver round-the-clock solar power. (Never mind concerns that orbital microwave emitters could become weapons of mass destruction.)

And finally, today's Just Here For The Headline item: Nigerian App Connects Spiritual Seekers To African Priests Online. What could possibly go wrong?

As always, I welcome your comment or question below...