Episode 31 – No More Poop Smell and Water on Mars
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Welcome to another episode of Geek Bytes Podcast.
I’m Ramon Mejia…….and I’m Edgar Acosta
Now every podcast we bring you the roundup of the week’s best Geek and Tech news, then we discuss that news and anything else we’re interested in that week.
If you want to support the podcast please subscribe to us on ITunes or Stitcher and leave us a good review.
In Geek News this week, we’ll talk about Water on Mars, new Google stuff to buy, how Amazon will now pay you to deliver packages, Amazon banning competitors, Self-Driving Taxis in Japan, the Kickstarter to remove poop smells, the Mass Effect theme park attraction, Back to the Future month, Game of Thrones news, Trailers of the week and more
Now let’s Begin our show with Geek News
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Geek News
NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Mars
This week NASA confirmed that there is liquid flowing water on Mars. Michael Meyer, the lead scientist on NASA’s Mars exploration program, told the Guardian. “Because of this, we suspect that it is at least possible to have a habitable environment today.”
In addition to increasing the chances creating colonies on Mars, this new discovery could point the best chance for discovering micro life on the red planet.
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-evidence-that-liquid-water-flows-on-today-s-mars
T-Mobile customers exposed in major Experian data breach
A breach at the data broker Experian has revealed names, addresses, and social security numbers for 15 million Americans, including anyone who filed a credit check with T-Mobile between September 1st, 2013 and September 16th, 2015. It's unclear how many other companies were involved in the breach, but no banking or credit card information appears to be involved. The social security numbers were being stored in encrypted form, but that encryption may have been compromised. Experian is in the process of contacting customers affected by the breach, and will offer two years of credit monitoring services to anyone affected. "We are working with Experian to take protective steps for all of these consumers as quickly as possible," T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a statement.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/1/9436061/t-mobile-credit-check-data-breach-experian
Google Announcements from Nexus Event
· THE NEXUS 6P: GOOGLE'S 'MOST PREMIUM PHONE'
The Huawei-produced Nexus 6P is 7.3mm thick, backed by a new fingerprint sensor. It now uses a USB Type-C port; Google claims it can charge the device twice as quickly as an iPhone 6 Plus.
The 6P is equipped with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a 12.3-megapixel Sony sensor on the back, which can take 4K video and slow-motion shots. Pricing will begin at $499.
· THE NEXUS 5X: AN AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE
The Nexus 5X has a 5.2-inch screen and a fractionally bigger battery, has a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, and it uses the new USB-C connection instead of the standard Micro USB. Prices start at a distinctly budget-friendly $379.
· ANDROID MARSHMALLOW COMES NEXT WEEK
The newest version of Android, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, will begin rolling out to users next week. The update aims to make notifications more consistent and search functions more intuitive, while improving battery life and giving users more fine-grained privacy controls. The most prominent feature is probably Now on Tap, which integrates Google searches and voice interaction into individual apps.
· A NEW CHROMECAST, STILL $35
The Chromecast, a little stick that lets users stream just about anything to a TV, has gotten an update. The new Chromecast 2 supports 5GHz Wi-Fi, making it significantly faster. Three different antennas, as opposed to the original Chromecast's one, are optimized for Wi-Fi streaming. Stylistically, the Chromecast looks different too: it's now a small disc with a bendable HDMI arm that allows it to hang further away from your TV than the previous Chromecast. It comes in three colors: red, yellow, and black. Like the first Chromecast, it will cost $35.
· CHROMECAST AUDIO: CAST YOUR MUSIC
Chromecast Audio is, unsurprisingly, a music-focused counterpart to the Chromecast. Instead of connecting to a TV, it plugs into your speakers using a 3.5mm audio port. Users can connect and send music to it using Google Play Music, Pandora, and the newly announced Spotify — controlling it from a phone lock screen and Android smartwatch — or they can directly mirror audio from Android or a Chrome tab. (It also looks like a cute little vinyl record.) The Chromecast Audio costs $35, just like the original Chromecast, and it's available starting today.
· THE PIXEL C: GOOGLE MAKES ITS OWN TABLET
Lastly, Google announced the Pixel C: a new 10.2-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard is equipped with an Nvidia X1 processor and 3GB of RAM. The Pixel C inductively charges the keyboard, which can be magnetically attached onto the back of the tablet when it’s not in use. It will start at $499, while the keyboard will sell for $149. Google promises the Pixel C will be available in time for the holidays.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/29/9414873/google-nexus-2015-announcement-event-recap
Amazon will now pay you to deliver packages
This week Amazon launched a new service that pays part-time drivers in exchange for delivering packages. The service, called Amazon Flex, launched Tuesday in Seattle, and will soon come to Manhattan, Chicago, and seven other US cities, according to its website.
As The Guardian reports, Amazon Flex drivers will be paid $18 to $25 an hour to deliver packages ordered with Amazon Prime Now, the company's one-hour delivery service, though the site suggests it will eventually expand to include other Amazon deliveries. To qualify, drivers must provide their own car, own an Android smartphone, and pass a background check. They can choose to work for two-, four-, or eight-hour shifts.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/29/9413787/amazon-flex-package-delivery-seattle
Amazon will ban sales of Apple TV and Google Chromecast
Third party sellers just received an email from Amazon with orders to clear out their Google Chromecast and Apple TV inventories by October 29. The more specific reason for the purge is the fact that Chromecast and Apple TV don’t support Amazon Prime Instant Video.
http://gizmodo.com/amazon-just-banned-the-sale-of-google-chromecast-and-ap-1734050473
Self-Driving Taxis testing in Japan in 2016
Japan, if you didn't know, has the world's highest population of older people, with 33 percent of its population over the age of 60. To help this aging population stay productive the country has embraced robotic assistance more quickly than much of the world including robotic self-driving vehicles.
The company Robot Taxi has announced that it'll start testing robotic taxis in 2016. A report by the Wall Street Journal reveals that the firm will begin by offering autonomous rides to 50 people in Kanagawa prefecture, just outside Tokyo. The limited trial will ferry the participants from their homes to local stores and back again, all the while with a human operator in the driving seat.
If the trials go well, the company plans to have a fully operational self-driving taxi service running by 2020.
https://youtu.be/pGEomEOPVKc - promotional video SUPER cute
http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/01/robot-taxi-japan-2016/
Odorless Kickstarter removes embarrassing poop smells
Two inventors have started a Kickstarter campaign that promises to “eliminate embarrassing #2 odor directly from the toilet bowl, creating a better bathroom experience for everyone.” And for just $89, you can be part of the early bird team that makes for happier noses all around.
According to The Odorless’ Kickstarter page, the toilet works by trapping the fungi and bacteria that add to the bad smells in an “Activated Carbon Filter.” This prevents unseemly particles from escaping through the overflow-vent pipe that is part of standard toilets, and that ultimately fills the air with that stink.
Kansas Officially Declares October As Zombie Preparedness Month
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback wants to be prepared for anything. To that end, he signed an actual proclamation this Wednesday that makes October" Zombie Preparedness Month" in his state.
The proclamation was made to promote actual preparedness, KansasCity.com. Challenges throughout the month will help people be ready for all disasters, like tornadoes and floods.
"If you're prepared for zombies, you're prepared for anything," Gov. Brownback said at the signing.
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/30/kansas-officially-declares-october-as-zombie-preparedness-month/
Mass Effect is becoming a theme park attraction in California
Star Wars isn't the only galaxy-spanning sci-fi series to be getting its own theme park experience. Video game developer BioWare announced this week that Mass Effect, its epic space opera RPG trilogy, would become the inspiration for an upcoming attraction at California's Great America Park (located near San Francisco). The theme park says the attraction will feature settings and character from the Mass Effect video games, and will mix special effects, live performances, and "4D" effects as guests "travel through awe-inspiring landscapes, face off against bigger than life adversaries and ultimately help save the day."
The attraction is due to open in 2016 — the same year that BioWare is expected to release the next game in the Mass Effect series.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/30/9421479/mass-effect-theme-park-attraction-great-america
Amazon has the Back to the Future Trilogy for the month of October
Amazon is offering the Back to the Future trilogy for free to Prime members for the whole month of October.
This year marks the 30th anniversary for Back To The Future. Super fans may recall October 21, 2015, is also the date Marty McFly heads into the future to see what can be done about his kids.
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can stream or download all the movies right now.
Or if you prefer you can see the movies on Oct. 21st in select AMC theaters
Game of Thrones movie after series ends
A new report by The Week suggests that after the HBO series Game of Thrones concludes, there are plans for a movie. According to the show's creator and writer George R.R. Martin. "There will be a movie but I will not be involved," Martin said at an HBO Emmy after-party. "I have too much to do. That is something HBO and D.B. [Weiss] and David [Benioff] are dealing with. I have two more books to finish and I still have so much to do. The pressure is on. I am such a slow writer and the fans get upset that I don't write faster."
The movie is rumored to pull stories from the entire series, possibly resurrecting famously killed characters like Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, or Ned Stark.
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/30/hbo-planning-game-of-thrones-movie-after-tv-series-ends/
Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind to Be a Movie and a TV Show
Lionsgate has won a bidding war to adapt Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicle series! And not just into a movie, or a television series but also a video game series. This deal sets up the studio to develop the multiple stories from The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear, and various novellas simultaneously and across multiple platforms.
The first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles, The Name of the Wind, was published in 2007 and the series has sold more than 10 million copies. The books are said to be only behind Game of Thrones in terms of best-sellers in modern epic fantasy.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/lionsgate-wins-rights-fantasy-book-828557
Doctor Who Spin Off Announced
The BBC just announced a Doctor Who spinoff will being filming next spring and premiere sometime next year. Entitled Class, the show is being billed as "YA series" from young adult author Patrick Ness, will be set in modern-day London. Ness's work includes A Monster Calls and the Chaos Walking trilogy.
Ness commented in a press release, "I can't wait for people to meet the heroes of Class, to meet the all-new villains and aliens, to remember that the horrors of the darkest corners of existence are just about on par with having to pass your A-Levels."
Steven Moffat, who is the show runner for Doctor Who and Sherlock, and who will executive produce the eight-episode series, "This is like growing up in modern Britain — but with monsters!"
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/1/9434469/doctor-who-spinoff-patrick-ness-steven-moffat
Trailers of the Week
Every week we bring you the best movie and TV trailer that came out this week. We begin with..
X-Files
After a massive social media campaign led by the good folks at Nerdist, Mulder and Scully are back for a six episode run of the X-files series
Back in Time
Back in Time, the story of how Back to the Future came to be and how it’s remained a fan-favorite in the decades since, is set for release on a day fans of the series will approve.
Gravitas Ventures announced that Back in Time will arrive on VOD, Blu-ray, DVD, and in select theaters on Oct. 21.
The Choice
Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name:
Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life. He holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him…and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn’t help. Despite himself, Travis can’t stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen.
April 8th, 2016.
Man Up
A romantic comedy where A single woman who's mistaken for a stranger's blind date, leads to her finding the perfect boyfriend.
Starring: Simon Pegg and Lake Bell
April 19th, 2015.
The Forest
While searching for her missing sister, a young American (played by Natalie Dormer) encounters tormented spirits in a mysterious Japanese forest. The Forest hits theaters on January 8th, 2016
That’s it for us this week.
For a review of the topics we covered and any of the links in show notes for this episode visit our site geekbytespodcast.com and click on our link to the podcasts.
For the Geek Bytes Podcast I’m Ramon Mejia and I’m Edgar Acosta. Thanks for listening everyone. 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/