Geek Bytes 4/24/15
Episode 7 – Our Augmented future?
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Welcome to another episode of Geek Bytes, the weekly podcast that brings you all the Geek news you need to know. Remember to visit us at geekbytespodcast.com and to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, stitcher, and any other podcast streaming service.
I’m Ramon Mejia…….I’m Edgar Acosta
This Week in our news section we talk about modified human embryos, Google being in trouble in the EU, Screen Savers coming back, the latest movie trailers, Mass Effect 4 leaked details, and more.
In Discussions we’ll talk about robots replacing workers in the future and the summer movies we’re most looking forward to.
We Begin our show with Geek News
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Geek News
World First: Scientists Modify The Genomes Of Human Embryos
· Reported in the scientific journal Protein & Cell
· Researchers in China have modified non-viable donor embryos.
· In an attempt to eliminate genetic diseases, like cystic fibrosis, Tray-Sachs, and Huntington’s disease.
· In this case it was an attempt to alter the faulty gene responsible for a potentially fatal inherited blood disorder called Beta Thalassemia, in which sufferers don’t produce enough hemoglobin, the molecule which carries oxygen around the body.
· Results
o Of the selected 54 selected embryos they found that the faulty gene had only been removed in 28 of the embryos, and only a few of these contained the healthy replacement gene they tried to insert.
o Furthermore, the enzymes also added in numerous mutations, suggesting that the system is acting in an imprecise manner and is thus far too immature to be used to eradicate diseases at this stage.
· http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/world-first-scientists-modify-genomes-human-embryos
· http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13238-015-0153-5
Google launches its own mobile network for Nexus 6 owners
· Called Project Fi, and Google is launching an early invite program beginning today
· The service is only available for the Nexus 6 and requires a special SIM card for Project FI — it will work with both existing Nexus 6 devices and new ones.
· Google says that right now the service is only available as an "early access program," and during that program it won't work on other phones.
· For $20 a month you get all the basics (talk, text, Wi-Fi tethering, and international coverage in 120+ countries), and then it's a flat $10 per GB for cellular data while in the U.S. and abroad. 1GB is $10/month, 2GB is $20/month, 3GB is $30/month, and so on.
o Since it's hard to predict your data usage, you'll get credit for the full value of your unused data.
o Let's say you go with 3GB for $30 and only use 1.4GB one month. You'll get $16 back,
o so you only pay for what you use.
· The service will use the T-Mobile and Verizon cellular networks.
· http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/22/8467433/google-launches-mobile-service
At the end of last week the EU charged Google with anti-trust activities
· The EU’s competition commissioner accused Google of exploiting its dominance in online search to skew results in favor of its own shopping service, restricting competition and narrowing choices for consumers.
· In other words Google is being accused of putting their own products ahead of others artificially in search results. Google is even being accused of doing this to customers that pay Google for preferred search results.
· Google currently has a 90% market share in searches in the EU (over 90% of Europeans use google when doing an online search)
· Google has 10 weeks to respond to the charges in writing and currently denies the charges of breaking anti-trust rules.
· Not the first time Google has been targeted by the EU.
o Google has been under an anti-trust inquiry in the EU for the last four years
o Nov. 2014- EU parliament voted to separate search engines and commercial product services (separate ads and search engines).
o Google was forced to comply with the EU law ‘the right to forgotten’
o http://www.dw.de/eu-parliament-votes-for-break-up-of-google/a-18092163
Leo Laporte announces relaunch of Screen Savers on TWiT
· At the event celebrating 10 years of This Week in Tech, Laporte announced that the TWiT Network would relaunch the show that launched his career.
· The New Screen Savers will debut on May 2.
· Guest hosts, including original cast members Kate Botello, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, Morgan Webb, John C. Dvorak, and Martin Sargent.
· Ramon Comments:
o While not everyone remembers TechTV or Screen Savers.
o Show went away when the cable channel TechTV turned into G4 who themselves would get bought by Esquire and just stop producing content.
o For me Screen Savers was one of the first TV shows that talked seriously and competently about technology.
o It also provided a great tech education by helping people solve their tech problems.
o http://inside.twit.tv/blog/2015/4/19/the-new-screen-savers-to-launch-may-2nd.html
Chipotle announced it will begin delivery service
· Chipotle, in a partnership with the startup Postmates, will now deliver in 67 cities across the US.
· http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/23/8482663/america-sendentary-chipotle-delivery
Daredevil renewed for second season
· Entertainment weekly reported that Netflix has ordered a second season of the highly popular series Daredevil.
· The show is slated to premier in 2016 about the same time as other Marvel shows: A.K.A. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
· After all four shows debut, Marvel plans to team all its Netflix heroes for an Avengers-style series called The Defenders.
· http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/21/daredevil-renewed-season-2
Jurassic World trailer
· Opens-view of the island training facility and Starlord (Chris Pratt) facing off against a pair of velociraptors.
· Chris Pratt in a voice over explains his training philosophy to the head of the park
· During a montage of Dinosaur Park attractions, the lady in charge narrates that park attendance has ski rocketed every time they open a new attraction. Corporate felt genetic modification would up the wow factor.
· We get a full glimpse of the new dinosaur that “was designed to be bigger than the T-Rex”. And of course this new smart dinosaur escapes and wreaks havoc.
· Some new scenes reveal Chris Pratt leading a pack of velociraptors, the new dinosaur communicating and commanding other dinosaurs, and pterodactyls picking up park visitors.
· Movie releases June 12th.
· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJJrkyHas78
New Fantastic Four trailer
· Shows a new beginning for the Fantastic Four.
· Dr. Storm brings twenty something Reed Richards onto his team of scientists to research interdimensional travel.
· The trailer introduces Sue Johnny storm, and Ben Grimm. All twenty somethings.
· This team of scientists cracks interdimensional travel but on the maiden trip something goes wrong.
· We see briefly the team transforming and get a tiny glimpse at a transformed Doctor Doom.
· Opens Aug. 7th
· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rRoD28-WgU
Tommorowland trailer shows of explosive weaponry of the future
· Trailer shows an alternate universe overlaid over our own, a world of high technology.
· A girl finds a special pin that lets her temporarily see this world.
· She goes to the man that gave her the pin, George Clooney, so she can visit this world.
· However other forces seek to stop George.
· The rest of the trailer shows human like androids crashing through Clooney’s house firing weapons and Clooney activating a number of traps and devices to slice up and destroy the androids.
· Ramon Comments: I haven’t really heard too much about this film. I think it’s really being undersold and may be a sleeper hit.
· Opens May 22.
· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNzukD8pS_s
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Teaser
· No actual game footage.
· Set in far future where bio enhancement and artificial augmentation is common place.
· Hints at a sci fi/rpg aspect to the game.
o http://nerdist.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-iii-gets-a-futuristic-new-teaser/
· Compare to trailer for Dues Ex: Human Revolution (2010) trailer
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5KWLqUewc
Mass Effect 4 details leaked
· A new marketing survey for Mass Effect 4 has leaked online and claims to reveal detailed descriptions of the game's setting, story, missions, online multiplayer and more.
· The leak, originally from Reddit, shows some interesting details:
o You are a pathfinder, a combat trained but un-tested explorer leading an expedition into the Helius cluster to establish a new home for humanity.
o As you explore this sprawling series of solar systems (over 4x the size of Mass Effect 3), collecting resources and building colonies, you will encounter the savagery of untamed lands in the form of cut-throat outlaws and warring alien races.
o To survive and colonise the wild reaches of space, you will need to grow your arsenal, your ship, your crew and make strategic (and often uneasy) alliances to fight against increasingly menacing foes.
o Along the way, you will encounter the remains of a once powerful and mysterious alien race, the Remnant, whose forgotten technology holds the key to gaining power in this region of the galaxy.
· Ramon Comments:
§ Resource management and colony building
§ Massive new galaxy to explore (over 4 times the size of Mass Effect 3)
§ Have strike teams established on planets to explore and gather resources to expand.
· I liked the Nerdist News summary of the details. Jessica Chobot was the body model and voice for a character in mass Effect, reporter Diana Allers.
· https://nerdist.com/big-juicy-mass-effect-4-details-leak-for-normandy/
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China released this week
· For PC, PS4, Xbox One
· 2D platformer with some 3D view controls similar to early Prince of Persia games.
· Set in 16th-century China, the new Jiajang Emperor has purged all he feels could endanger his throne, including the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins. Shao Jun, a young member, managed to flee West to train under Ezio Auditore, and has now returned to restore the Chinese Brotherhood.
o Two more chronicle games are slated to be released as downloads set in:
§ 19th century India
§ Russia during the Red October revolution
· http://kotaku.com/the-week-in-games-for-all-the-assassins-creed-chronicl-1698839147
From the Audience-News stories submitted by the audience
For a review of the topics we covered and any of the links in show notes for this episode visit our site geekbytespodcast.com
If you have any comments or suggestions for discussion topics please e-mail us a feedback@geekbytespodcast.com
Onto our Discussion section
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Discussion
Robots taking over the world
· Highly creative professionals safe from robot replacement
o University of Oxford researchers Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne estimated in 2013 that 47% of total U.S. jobs could be automated by 2033.
o According to an advanced copy of a new report that U.K. non-profit Nesta sent to Fortune, 21% of US employment requires people to be “highly creative.” Of them, 86% (18% of the total workforce) are at low or no risk from automation.
o http://fortune.com/2015/04/22/robots-white-collar-ai/
· Humans need not apply
o History: Mechanization shifted many humans from manual labor to thinking labor
o Better technology does not necessarily lead to more time for creative work for humans
o Robot Baxter (generalist robot)- Has cameras and can learn how to do tasks by watching someone do them
o Robots already exist that can replace most common employment fields (transportation, Retail sales, Cashiers, etc)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU
Summer movie list
May June
The Avengers: Age of Ultron May 1st Spy June 5th
Pitch Perfect 2 May 15th Entourage June 5th
Mad Max: Fury Road May 15th Insidious: Chapter 3 June 5th
Tomorrowland May 22nd Jurassic World June 12th
Poltergeist May 22nd Inside Out June 19th
San Andreas May 29th TED 2 June 26th
July August
Terminator: Genisys July 1st Fantastic Four Aug. 7th
Magic Mike XXL July 1st Straight Outta Compton Aug. 14th
Minions July 10th The Man From Uncle Aug. 14th
Self/Less July 10th Hitman: Agent 47 Aug. 28th
Trainwreck July 17th
Ant-Man July 17th
Pixels July 24th
Mission: Impossible-Rouge Nation July 31st
Vacation July 31st
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/20/8419861/summer-movies-2015-upcoming-new-trailers
Recommendations
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Thanks for listening folks. Now Go Geek out about something.
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Music Credits
"Happy Bee", "Movement Proposition", "Theme for Harold (var.3) ", "Take the Lead"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/