Geekly Update - 30 September 2020

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

According to Poison.org, a swallowed battery can burn through a child’s esophagus in just 2 hours, causing devasting injuries and even death. So Duracell has added a child safety measure to their 2032, 2025, and 2016 size lithium coin-shaped batteries -- a bitter coating that makes them taste terrible.

AT&T is matching Verizon by allowing customers to "mix and match" which mobile phone service plan they choose for each person on a family plan. The "Unlimited Your Way" option is designed to help families save money on their phone bill (and stop them from switching to Verizon).

A blue moon will appear in the sky on Halloween night. For the first time since 1944, people all over the world will be able to see it. Despite the fact that the moon is made of green cheese, the blue moon isn't actually blue, or cheesy. It's just a term used to denote the second full moon in one month.

Cornell University scientists have created a tiny walking robot thinner than a strand of hair, with legs that can be triggered by laser light. Cornell's Professor Cohen hopes that similar robots could be injected into a human body to locate and destroy cancer cells.

Google is unveiling new hardware today. The Verge's live blog of the launch event will provide details about the Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, a new Chromecast that runs Google TV, and a Nest Audio smart speaker.

If watching movies on a 5-inch mobile screen is not your thing, check out the recently announced Samsung Premiere 4K laser projector. The $3500 LSP7T model can project a 120-inch image, even when placed directly in front of your wall or screen. The $6500 LSP9T model goes up to 130-inches, and has upgraded audio features. (Ten-foot wall not included.)

This just in from the Velcro Department: Scientists have developed a method of cheaply producing an adhesive structure capable of repeated attachment and detachment. The design was inspired by the adhesive spatula-shaped hairs found on the footpads of flies. They created the adhesive by mimicking biological processes, so the result is environmentally friendly.

Federal Trade Commission officials are warning consumers of text message phishing scams. Scammers are sending text messages about U.S. Postal Service package deliveries, but it's just another phishing attempt to trick victims into handing over personal information, or load malware on your mobile phone.

Security experts are warning about Joker malware embedded in some Android apps. Joker hides in apps that have been downloaded, and secretly subscribes users to expensive subscription services. It can also steal SMS messages and contact lists. Most of the affected apps are downloaded from sketchy third-party app stores, but Joker has also found ways to sneak into the Google Play store by making subtle changes in its code.

Some users of Acer Chromebooks, the ASUS Chromebook Flip and Galaxy Chromebooks are reporting that a ChromeOS update to the Play Store app is causing 100 percent CPU utilization, resulting in the devices getting hot, fans running at high speed and batteries draining much too quickly. Google says the issue will be patched "in an upcoming update," so keep a fire extinguisher handy until that happens.

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