Where would life be without fascinations? Where would life be without exploring the different aspects of our world through laughter, amazement, curiosity, and that childlike glee when we see something anew for the first time? I only wish that I could somehow bring many of the different treats that arrive on my web doorstep to your attention. Of course, through the magic of the Internet, there are few constraints to this excitement.
On the last workday of the week (usually Friday), we will bring you something at 12:00 noon Pacific Time (that’s late afternoon on the East Coast, so you have something before leaving the office). It’s here to tickle your fancy, entice you to learn, entertain you, or simply explore your funny bone. It may not always be humor, but it should never be boring. It will be clean, safe for work and the family, and will be related to our core topics at Computer Talk Radio, that’s computers and technology, and occasionally just plain nerdy.
Further, like many of the other things around here, if you submit something that we use in our Friday Fascinations, I’ll also send you something from the grab box(es).
Benjamin Rockwell
Apple recalls older 15-inch MacBook Pros because the batteries could catch fire – The Verge
Something to be aware of. This is a problem, of course, that strikes many different companies, due to the nature of battery fires. We've seen this all over, but the idea that Apple is addressing something this old is amazing. Kudos! Overheating batteries are no...
Google says it’s not making any more tablets | TechCrunch
Fans will know that I am an avid Apple iPad user, and love the Apple Pencil. Still, I'm disheartened to see that Google is backing off of their tablets, in a time where we should all be moving forward. We still have tablets from Samsung and elsewhere, but a leader...
Crime fighting robot deployed | YourCentralValley.com
Crime-fighting robot? More like an intrusion on daily life, where the video cameras now have wheels and will follow you for unknown reasons. Privacy is dying on a daily basis, especially when we are desensitized to the usage of digital spys. HUNTINGTON PARK,...
Facebook moderators break their NDAs to expose desperate working conditions – The Verge
READER ADVISORY - THIS ARTICLE MAY BE HARD ON SOME READERSI'm debating if I'll cover this article, as the content is very inflammatory, freaky, and more. It's not what I would expect on a family friendly show, so I'll leave it here for you to read. This is an on-going...
Ransomware attack: Florida city pays $600,000 to hackers who seized its computer system – CBS News
Another city hit by another ransomware attack, with a pricetag of $600,000. Worse yet, is that this happened just three weeks after hackers got into their systems already, and they decided to spend $1 million to protect against this. This is something that will...
PowerPoint will listen to rehearsals to help you stop swearing and stuttering – The Verge
Having delivered a number of presentations, and also stuttering at times, this is an amazing practice feature from Microsoft! Kudos to the folks in Redmond!Microsoft is adding a new Presenter Coach option to PowerPoint to improve people’s presentations. It works in a...
Samsung asks users to please virus-scan their TVs | Ars Technica
I need to scan my what? As technology drives us further into "smart this" and "internet that", it is not surprising that there is concern out there. The authors note at the bottom, to not allow your smart TV onto your network is short sighted and ignores the fact that...
How the internet is affecting the human brain: Multitasking and relying on Google to jog memories | Daily Mail Online
I've talked about this before on the show, perhaps just the news, but it bears repeating again. We are going to find that we are changing ourselves distinctly as we move through these very early parts of what will be a long Information Age.A new review looking into...
That video of a robot getting beaten is fake, but feeling sorry for machines is no joke – The Verge
Great video, done by a great team that I've been following on the internet for ages, Corridor Digital. It does highlight some very interesting conversations that we should be having about the long term aspects of robots, and what we are doing with them, to them, and...
Target’s tech trouble clogs stores with long checkout lines
Tech can be very fickle, especially in a large environment. I wonder not only what hte problem was, but if there was a way to prevent something like this from happening. One thing that we keep forgetting about, as we move more towards cloud services, is that localized...