My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 2/20/15 - Breaking Tech News

Rick and Sully look at the top tech news stories of the week.

A must listen:

listen to ‘The Sully Show February 20, 2015’ on audioBoom

 

 
*** Breaking news  -  Lenovo laptops shipped in the last year might have
preinstalled malware called Superfish.
Researchers have unearthed a security vulnerability in preinstalled software on some Lenovo products that breaks secure website connections and puts sensitive user data at risk.

It is worrisome that Lenovo was installing adware called Superfish.

Go into your control panel and uninstall it if you have it.

1.  Apple might be working on a car  -  the iCar?

From Reuters...

Technology giant Apple (AAPL.O) is looking beyond mobile devices to learn how to make a self-driving electric car, and is talking to experts at carmakers and automotive suppliers, a senior auto industry source familiar with the discussions said on Saturday.

The Cupertino, California-based maker of phones, computers and, soon, watches is exploring how to make an entire vehicle, not just designing automotive software or individual components, the auto industry source said.

"They don't appear to want a lot of help from carmakers," said the source, who declined to be named.
Apple is gathering advice on parts and production methods, focusing on electric and connected-car technologies, while studying the potential for automated driving, the source said.

 

2.  FAA Proposes Rules To Limit Commercial Drone Use

We've talked about this before.

Applies only to commercial use right now...

The Federal Aviation Administration, last Sunday proposed long-awaited rules on the commercial use of small drones, requiring operators to be certified, fly only during daylight and keep their aircraft in sight. The rules, though less restrictive than the current ones, appear to prohibit for now the kind of drone delivery services being explored by Amazon, Google and other companies, since the operator or assigned observers must be able to see the drone at all times without binoculars. But company officials believe the line-of-sight requirement could be relaxed in the future to accommodate delivery services.
 

3. Privacy: the 21st Century's Newest Luxury Item

There is a report today on the 21st century's newest luxury item: online privacy The Christian Science Monitor writes about the growing market for premium privacy protection tools available to tech-savvy consumers with the desire for online anonymity — and the means to pay for it.

The piece profiles new tools from companies like Abine that deliver everything from self-destructing e-mail messages to the 21st century's equivalent of Kleenex: one-off "throwaway" online identities to keep advertisers, merchants and government snoops at bay. Privacy experts, however, doubt that the new tools will tip the scales of online privacy in favor of consumers and away from governments and advertisers. "Consumers really don't have a fighting chance," says Andrea Matwyshyn of Princeton University. "Technology moves entirely too fast."

She and others see the need for both bigger fixes and the level of Internet infrastructure and law. "As a consumer protection matter, there needs to be a floor," she said. "Just as there are laws protecting renters from substandard housing, or car buyers from 'lemons,' there need to be regulations that create a buffer between consumers and companies."

4. 1950s Toy That Included Actual Uranium Ore Goes On Display At Museum

The Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab — dubbed the world's most dangerous toy — has gone on display at the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland. The toy earned the title because it includes four types of uranium ore, three sources of radiation, and a Geiger counter that enables parents to measure just how contaminated their child have become. The Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab was only available between 1951 and 1952 and was the most elaborate atomic energy educational kit ever produced. The toy was one of the most costly toys of the time, retailing at $50 — equivalent to around $400 today.
 

5.  What is the "Cloud"

* One of the most frequent questions I get from people, and they know they are using it, but they don't know what "The Cloud" is...

Cloud computing involves deploying groups of remote servers and software networks that allow centralized data storage and online access to computer services or resources.

Simply put..
The cloud, simply, refers to software and services that run on the Internet instead of your computer. Apple iCloud, Dropbox, Netflix, Amazon Cloud Drive, Flickr, Google Drive, Microsoft Office 365, Yahoo Mail -- those are all cloud services.

 

Daytona 500 this weekend... who is Rick's Pick?

Sullys Pick?

My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 2/13/15 - New NASCAR Technology

The NASCAR season is about to get underway. Daytona 500 Qualifying in this weekend. The race is next weekend... Rick and Sully look at some of the new technology in NASCAR for 2015.

listen to ‘The Sully Show February 13, 2015’ on audioBoom

1.  NASCAR will use 45 remote HD cameras to record every pit stop

This year, NASCAR will use 45 remote HD cameras to record every pit stop and automatically check for rules violations such as the pit crew entering the pit stall too early, equipment leaving the pit stall and drivers pitting outside their stalls.

The cameras will feed into a trailer in the TV compound at each track, where eight NASCAR officials will sit at workstations with two computer screens each, and double-check the penalties. If a violation is found, it will be radioed up to NASCAR race control in the timing and scoring area. Race officials will then enforce the penalty per NASCAR's rule book. The officials in the trailer will be assigned pit stops randomly.

Shawn Rogers, NASCAR's managing director of business operations, said the sanctioning body evaluated 18 proposal from 31 companies, including defense contractors and sports technology firms, before teaming up with Hawkeye Innovations as its development partner for proprietary technology.
The new system was tested over the final 11 Sprint Cup races of 2014.

 

2.   Spacers

NASCAR unveiled a variety of new rules designed to save teams money. The sanctioning body will use tapered spacers to reduce the flow of air and gasoline into the engines to cut nearly 175 horsepower down to 725. That should make engines more reliable while reducing any advantage by an engine manufacturer.

3.  Rear Spoiler

NASCAR also hopes to make the cars harder to drive by reducing the rear spoiler from eight to six inches to make it more difficult for anyone to get separation from the pack. Drivers also will be allowed to make adjustments to the set-up from inside the car and the Sprint Cup Series will use rain tires at its two road courses.

 

4.  Nationwide Series now the Xfinity Series
 

The Nationwide Series, the second-tier in NASCAR, will have a new name this year — the Xfinity Series. Xfinity is owned by Comcast, which also has NBC in its group. By coupling with a cable company, it could be easier to promote the series on network and cable outlets.
 

5.  BitPay will sponsor truck in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

BitPay will be the primary brand featured on Justin Boston’s No. 54 Toyota Tundra in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

This will be the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start for Boston with KBM, and his second career start in the series.  He will be competing for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award this season.

“I couldn’t be more excited about having this opportunity to represent the BitPay brand on and off the track,” said Boston. “BitPay is a global leader in bitcoin payment processing and they are at the forefront of shaping how we all spend money in everyday life.”

“NASCAR is watched by millions of people all over the world,” said Stephanie Wargo, VP of marketing of BitPay. “Through this exposure and working with Justin and KBM, we hope to help raise awareness about the bitcoin technology and our company’s platform.”

-  TV Coverage and Live Streaming

NBC now will broadcast the second half of the racing season, replacing TNT and ESPN. Fox will continue to carry the first half, and both networks said it would push some of their races onto their cable outlets Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network.

For the second consecutive year, "The Great American Race" is streamed live in both English and Spanish through FOX Sports GO, the critically acclaimed app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. All FOX NASCAR programming in 2015 is live streamed on FOX Sports GO. FOX Sports Deportes, the No. 1 Spanish-language sports network in the U.S., also offers live coverage of the DAYTONA 500, with NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES driver German Quiroga joining as race analyst.

My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 2/6/15 - Valentine's Day Tech

Forget the flowers, the chocolate and the Teddy Bears,  Rick and Sully look at some hot tech gifts for Valentine's Day...  Let's see what Sully likes...

Rick and Sully talk Valentine's Day...

listen to ‘The Sully Show February 4, 2015’ on audioBoom

1.  Lenovo's new line of laptops

Does your loved one suffer from a laptop that won't boot, freezes up or takes 10 minutes to lead a webpage?

Rick is trying the Lenovo Thinkpad T540p right now and loves it.

Operating system: Windows OS
screen size: 15.6 inch
hard drive capacity: 500 GB drive
graphics processor: Intel GPU
weight: 5.3 pound
processor speed: 2.5 GHz CPU
Solid and fast performing and under $700

2. BSX Basix earbuds  -  they come in a special red color for Valentine's Day at a great price - $39.99

Noise-isolation earbuds with exclusive flat tangle-free cables ideal for sports and everyday activities.

 Specs:
    Features custom-tuned 8mm drivers for superior bass and crystal clear highs
    Tough aluminum housing protects vulnerable connection points for longevity of earbuds
    Exclusive, dual flatwire cabling is lightweight, flexible and tangle-free
    Gold plated 90 degree connectors compatible with Apple, Android, Windows Phone and other media devices that accept traditional 3.5mm headphone input
    Includes 3 custom size ear tips for secure fit during any activity
    Available in black and red or white and red colors
    Includes soft sided carrying case for portability

Available at: Bostonsoundworx.com, Amazon.com

 

3.  "The Pencil" - digital bluetooth stylus from www.fiftythree.com
* Now in a special Gold edition

Pencil by FiftyThree is the most natural and expressive way to create on iPad. Advanced technology meets beautiful design to keep you in the flow, without needing to switch tools. With Surface Pressure, Erase, Blend, and adaptive Palm Rejection, Pencil puts creative possibility in your hands.
It’s the rare iPad stylus you can actually use like a pencil. One side draws, the other erases. It’s sophisticated enough to make sure your palm will never mark up your canvas or send your app going haywire. In other words, it’s just as easy to operate as the instrument it’s named after. That’s no small feat.

Each Pencil is milled from a single, solid piece of material. Graphite brushed aluminum model shown.
Also available in Walnut and Gold.  Best when used with the "Paper" app

 

4.  For the beer enthusiast

The Traveler Beer Co and Coney Island Brewing Co.

www.travelerbeer.com
www.coneyislandbeer.com

They offer products that are adorned with their unique logos for sale.
Everythng from pint glasses, to a high tech cooler, Tap handles,
 

 
5.  Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home Remote

www.logitech.com

The most powerful, intuitive Harmony remote for entertainment and home control.
The 2.4” vibrant touchscreen makes it simple to access your list of Favorite channels, swipe and tap to change channels, adjust volume, fast-forward or rewind and get vibration feedback for no-look control.
Control your TV and more with this Logitech remote
Guys love their remotes and they will cherish this one.
 


*News story..

AT&T Ranks Highest in J.D. Power 2015 Wireless Customer Care Study

AT&T ranked highest in customer service, according to the latest J.D. Power study released today. In the 2015 Wireless Customer Care Full Service StudySM, Volume 1, AT&T outscored other full-service wireless providers for the overall customer service experience.

Approximately 6,500 U.S. wireless customers participated in the study and the period ranged from July to December 2014.
Since the beginning of 2015, AT&T has introduced new services to show our thanks to existing customers, including Rollover Data™ and a change to international long distance calling that gives customers unlimited calls from the U.S. to Mexico as part of the World Connect Value package.
 
Have a great Valentine's Day!

My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 1/30/15 - Tech News of the Week

Sully and I talk about some of the hot tech topics of the week.

Enjoy:

listen to ‘The Sully Show January 30, 2015’ on audioBoom

1.  Apple has a huge quarter

Apple had another blowout quarter thanks to its new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones, which helped the company smash sales records for the holiday season. Apple said Tuesday that it sold a record 74.5 million iPhones during the three months that ended Dec. 31. The latest-model iPhones were introduced in September.

The only product where sales slowed down for Apple was the iPad.

The latest versions of the iPhone, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, launched in September 2014. Cook said that the smaller iPhone 6 was the most popular model during the quarter.

Asked by an analyst if he thinks Apple can sustain the iPhone's incredible growth in future quarters, Cook said he is "very bullish" on the device's outlook. The executive went on to say that the iPhone 6 brought on more new Apple customers than any prior iPhone launch, and even led to the most instances of Android users jumping over to iPhone compared to the last three launches.

 

2. Windows 10 is coming

Coming around April 15 - free to Windows 7 and 8 users

Following its huge Windows 10 event last Wednesday, Microsoft released a brand-new preview build to the public, versioned 9926. We were told that it'd give us Cortana, Microsoft's AI assistant, as well as a revamped Start menu and updated notifications pane. But as it turns out, that's not even close to summing up all that's new with this build. In fact, 9926 is easily the most substantial update rolled out so far in the beta program, with some UI elements and integral Windows features seeing their first overhaul in multiple generations.

 

3.  The internet comes to Cuba courtesy of a group of 20-something engineers

Some 20-something engineers in Cuba set up a "mini internet" network to serve a few 1000 people.

Internet connections remain illegal for Cuban households, but many of the country's citizens still want to tap into the power of networked information exchange. A group of tech-savvy young Cubans has set up a network comprising thousands of computers to serve as their own miniature version of the internet. They use chat rooms, play games, and connect to organize real-life activities. Cuban law enforcement seems willing to tolerate it (so far), but the network polices itself so as not to draw undue attention.

One of the engineers who helped build the network said, "We aren't anonymous because the country has to know that this type of network exists. They have to protect the country and they know that 9,000 users can be put to any purpose. We don't mess with anybody. All we want to do is play games, share healthy ideas. We don't try to influence the government or what's happening in Cuba ... We do the right thing and they let us keep at it."

Cuba's status as one of the world's least-wired countries is central to the new relationship Washington is trying to forge with Havana. As part of a new policy seeking broader engagement, the Obama administration hopes that encouraging wider U.S. technology sales to the island will widen Internet access and help increase Cubans' independence from the state and lay the groundwork for political reform.

Cuban officials say Internet access is limited largely because the U.S. trade embargo has prevented advanced U.S. technology from reaching Cuba.

 

4.  Announced this week... Google Fiber is coming to Atlanta

Google Fiber 100 is times faster than today's basic broadband speeds. Instant downloads. TV like no other

Plans run $70 and up per month

Google has announced the next group of cities set to receive gigabit fiber infrastructure. They're concentrating on cities around four metro areas: Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham. "We’ve been working closely with city leaders over the past year on a joint planning process to get their communities ready for Google Fiber—and now the really hard work begins. Our next step is to work with cities to create a detailed map of where we can put our thousands of miles of fiber, using existing infrastructure such as utility poles and underground conduit, and making sure to avoid things like gas and water lines. Then a team of surveyors and engineers will hit the streets to fill in missing details. Once we’re done designing the network (which we expect to wrap up in a few months), we’ll start construction." Google also said they're currently looking into Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and San Jose.

5.  The American App Economy Is Now "Bigger Than Hollywood"

Technology business analyst Horace Deidu found an interesting nugget while closely examining an Apple press release from earlier this year: "The iOS App Store distributed $10 billion to developers in 2014, which, Deidu points out, is just about as much as Hollywood earned off U.S. box office revenues the same year." That means the American app industry is poised to eclipse the American film industry. Additionally, Apple says its App Store has created 627,000 jobs, which Deidu contrasts with the 374,000 jobs Hollywood creates.

My Appearance on WGST's "The Sully Show" 1/23/15 - PGA Show

Rick is at the PGA Merchandise Show all this week in Orlando.

Looking at all the new golf tech and products

Rick is also staying at the Reunion Resort in Orlando, home of the Annika Academy... Annika Sorenstam's academy, where they use use high tech traning techniques and fitness technique to make batter golfers.

www.reunionresort.com
www.theannikaacademy.com

Have a listen:

listen to ‘The Sully Show January 23, 2015’ on audioBoom

1.  Virtual Green by Golf Scene

A dynamic, shifting putting green designed to revolutionize the putting experience in golf simulators. Virtual Green is a moving putting green and software that changes the landscape and contour of flat turf via thousands of pinpoints beneath the surface to mimic an actual golf green.

"As the premiere event for golf professionals, the PGA Merchandise Show is the perfect platform to debut our patented innovation. Debuting Virtual Green in front of thousands of enthusiasts is very exciting, we look forward to enhancing the future of putting in golf simulators," stated Sean Coffman of Virtual Green.
 
 
2. Robogolfpro

The RoboGolfPro develops a customized swing for each player. You can discover the swing that works best for your body and store it in RGP’s computer for future reference! The robot works so well because it relies on motor learning to train the golfer to automatically remember the correct swing form.

The robotic swing trainer has been grabbing the attention of professional golfers like Vaughn Taylor, who has found quick success from his training. He has even purchased one for his home. Scot W.R. Nei, founder of RoboGolfPro, who has partnered with Lori Heller, Heller Events, to distribute and sell the robot and events across North America and Europe, says, “Vaughn texts me all the time with comments like, ‘I had my best round ever in over 6 years' and says that his swing is better than ever!”

 
3.  Soxxy  

www.soxxy.com

The coolest non-slip sox on the planet. From stripes, spots and metallics in a variety of colors – Soxxy is changing-up this once dull category by combining high fashion with utilitarian function.
Perfect for golfers, travelers, athletes.  Keeps the blod flowing while playing and great for recovery.

 

4. Knuth's "High Heat: Driver

A new driver based on Anti-Submarine Warfare
The club is the brainchild of Dean Knuth. Why does that name sound familiar? For 16 years, he was in charge of monitoring handicaps for the United States Golf Association and was dubbed "the Pope of Slope" because he was the primary inventor of the USGA Course Rating and Slope System. Knuth, who turned 60 this year, retired from the USGA a few years ago to move to San Diego, where he ran a software company. Now he's an engineer for Northrup-Grumman, which took over the software company, and he has pursued an inventor's dream — making a better driver.

Knuth got the idea for the High Heat at a World Scientific Golf Congress at St. Andrews in the '90s when he heard a visiting professor theorize that there should be a way to significantly decrease the loss of energy from the driver to the ball. Knuth, who has a masters degree in computer systems technology, had done research on energy passing through different mediums (such as metals, air and water) while in the Navy's postgraduate school, which he attended from 1975 to 1978. His postgrad program focused on anti-submarine warfare.

He needed a tough-but-thin metal to achieve that optimal frequency, but the Chinese titanium typically used in golf clubs broke down in his design. Knuth found a Russian titanium called ET 22 that was strong enough — after he made it into sheet metal instead of forging it, used a laser to cut it and pressed it into a die at 70 tons per square inch.
 

5.  Yamaha with new golf carts with an AC charge

Just plug them in to get them charged up.

Yamaha now has golf carts with a DC charge, gas, and AC charge.

The AC charge carts have 7 horse power in them, great for climbing hills on the course