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Geek Trivia: Which Animals Form The Largest Colonies?

Which Animals Form The Largest Colonies?

Ants
Flamingos
Termites
Swallows

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Geek Trivia: After Exposure To Factory Waste, French Bees Were Found Producing What?

After Exposure To Factory Waste, French Bees Were Found Producing What?

Radioactive Larvae
Square Honeycombs
Green Honey
Triangular Hives

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Google Pixelbook Go Hands-On: I Can’t Wait To Buy It

Google announced gadgets and gizmos aplenty today at its annual Made by Google event, and as cool as the Pixel 4 is, the Pixelbook Go might be my favorite gadget that we saw today. It’s a seriously impressive piece of hardware.

At first blush, it may look like just another Chromebook, but that’s not it at all. It honestly seems like the return to Google’s original concept from Chromebook, though with a more modern twist. Everything the company has learned from its past Chromebooks (and Chrome OS in general) are fully realized in the Pixelbook Go.

While it may be easy to think of the Go as a sequel to the original Pixelbook, it’s really more of a lateral movement. Since it’s not a convertible (it doesn’t flip around into tablet mode), it just is what it is—a laptop for the user who wants a laptop. It still has a touchscreen, though, which is really a must on any modern laptop, but especially one that also runs Android apps.

Speaking of the display, Google has opted for a more traditional16:9 panel for the Go’s 13.3-inch display, a departure from the 3:2 format found on the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate. That’s likely to be a hit-and-miss choice from some people, but I personally think it makes a lot of sense for something that’s supposed to be a laptop and not a tablet. That said, most of the models are running at 1920×1080, which is a bit low compared to most modern machines. In my hands-on time with the Go, however, I couldn’t tell the difference compared to the Pixelbook. If you want to make sure you get the most Pixels you possibly can, however, there will be a version with a 4K Molecular Display available.

Moving below the screen is a user favorite from the Pixelbook: the keyboard. The Go’s keyboard is largely the same as the Pixelbook, except now it’s even quieter. The trackpad is also very similar, but it’s a bit larger and features rounded edges instead of the square profile found on the Pixelbook. The Go is very much about refinements.

The Pixelbook Go's keyboard — Justin Duino

Before we get to the Go’s innards, though, I want to quickly talk about the bottom of the device: it’s kinda weird. It’s a textured/ridged bottom that definitely makes it easier to hold and carry, which is the whole point. Google told us that the number one way most laptops get broken is by being dropped, so this is there to help prevent that. And really, if you don’t like how it looks, you’ll never see it when you’re using the laptop anyway.

On the inside, the Pixelbook Go is still quite interesting, because a lot of its components mirror what’s found in Google’s Chrome OS tablet (the Pixel Ste). All models have 8th generation Intel Core processors, along with at least 8 GB of RAM (even in the base model) and a minimum of 64 GB of storage. The sweet spot seems to be the Core i5 model with 16 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, but I can also see how that would be overkill for a lot of users.

If you’re looking for the meat and potatoes for the Pixelbook Go, here it is: this is a killer Chromebook. I’ve been using the Pixelbook as my main laptop for over a year and I’ve had no reason to want to change to anything else…until now. The Go is sleeker, lighter, faster, and, dare I say it, sexier. I can’t wait to get one.

The bottom of the Pixelbook — Yeah, I’m not sure about that texture? Justin Duino

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Hands-on with the Pixel 4: Damn, Google

Google unveiled the Pixel 4 (among other things) today at a press event, and it’s the best, most powerful, forward-thinking Pixel to date. I was able to spend some time with the phone after the event, and man, it’s so good.

The Pixel 3 XL was a pretty polarizing device, mostly because of the huge and completely unnecessary notch. The good news here is that the notch is gone on the Pixel 4 and Google is making use of the bezel along the top of the device by absolutely packing it with new tech. Like, new tech—not just “new to Pixel” tech.

I’m talking, of course, about Project Soli and the Pixel 4’s new radar chip. This new chip detects motion near the phone, allowing you to do things like skip tracks or dismiss alarms by simply waving your hand over the phone. But that’s not even the real value in the radar chip—the best part is that it’s part of the Pixel 4’s Face Unlock feature that lets you unlock your phone just by looking at it.

This isn’t Google’s first attempt at letting users unlock their phones with their faces, of course—-Face Unlock has been around for a long time. But here’s the thing: it used to be, well, bad. Like, unusably bad. It could be fooled by a picture and it really wasn’t secure at all. It was a gimmick.

But Face Unlock on the Pixel 4? Nah, man. This ain’t your grandma’s face unlock (lol, does your grandma even know what face unlock is?); this is new. This is Google take on Face ID, which, let’s be honest here, is pretty badass. But I might argue that Face Unlock on the Pixel 4 is badasser. To use it is to love it, believe me.

And that’s a good thing, because the fingerprint reader is gone—no in-display jankiness, and the Pixel imprint sensor on the back is no more. I know that’s going to be a hard hit for some of you, but trust me, it’s for the best. Face Unlock is the truth.

That also makes for a cleaner overall aesthetic. The back is flat and smooth…for the most part. There is the big ol’ camera bump to house the dual rear shooters—a 12 MP main camera and 16 MP telephoto lens—but otherwise, it’s just a seamless piece of glass. The Clearly White and Oh So Orange units have a “soft touch” glass back, while the Just Black model is polished and shiny. They all look really good in person, though the contrasting color around the camera module takes some getting used to on the White and Orange models.

The Pixel 4 has a 5.7-inch 1080p panel, while the larger XL model packs a 6.3-inch 1440p display. Both are using Google’s new “Smooth Display” feature, which will push the refresh rate “up to 90 Hz.” Having used 90 Hz displays on both the OnePlus 7 Pro and 7T, I can tell you that this is something that you want, but I’m slightly bothered by the “up to 90 Hz” wording. That indicates that the display doesn’t always run at 90 Hz, but somehow intelligently manages when it bump the refresh rate and when to bring it back down.

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Geek Trivia: The First Post On Snopes.com Was About?

The First Post On Snopes.com Was About?

Charles Manson
Bill Gates
The Nigerian Scam
Cheeze Whiz

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Geek Trivia: The Most Widely Simulcast Television Show Of All Time Was An Episode Of?

The Most Widely Simulcast Television Show Of All Time Was An Episode Of?

LOST
Doctor Who
Star Trek
I Love Lucy

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Geek Trivia: 1980s Cult Classic Film Escape From New York Was Actually Filmed Primarily In?

1980s Cult Classic Film Escape From New York Was Actually Filmed Primarily In?

Vancouver
Phoenix
Boston
St. Louis

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Geek Trivia: The First Steam Engine Was Known As What?

The First Steam Engine Was Known As What?

A Watts Box
A Newcomen Dynamo
An Aeolipile
A Mill Engine

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Geek Trivia: Who Coined The Term Meme?

Who Coined The Term Meme?

Steve Wozniak
James Cameron
Ray Bradbury
Richard Dawkins

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Everything Announced at Amazon’s Fall 2019 Devices Event

Amazon Devices Event Fall 2019

Amazon made an avalanche of announcements today during the 2019 Devices Event held at its Seattle headquarters, including countless new features for Alexa and more than a dozen new hardware devices spanning from Alexa-enabled wearables to a smart convection oven.

Here’s a breakdown of everything that happened:

Tons of New Alexa Features and Capabilities

Amazon’s primary concern when discussing Alexa was to eliminate privacy concerns and this included various reminders about steps the company has already taken along with some new features and options:

Alexa will soon receive a “home mode” that users can set when they are home to disable the recording of audio or video.
If Alexa does something weird, later this year you’ll be able to ask the assistant to explain itself. “Alexa, why did you do that?”
Similarly, the assistant will support the utterance: “Alexa, tell me what you heard.”
Amazon announced a new opt-in that will enable users to have their voice recordings automatically deleted after certain lengths of time.

The company has also attempted to make Alexa sound more human, aiming for more of a natural cadence instead of the robotic voice currently used. This update launches today, while future changes will bring more “emotive and expressive” capabilities such as a newscaster voice when reading the news. At least one use case for this improved “conversational” tone is that Alexa can be integrated into hardware such as Ring doorbells, and it will essentially be able to answer your door for you.

For bi-lingual households, Alexa is gaining support for understanding multiple languages at the same time courtesy of a multi-lingual mode that includes Spanish and English, Canadian French and English, as well as Indian Hindi and English. Amazon discussed a new monetization scheme coming later this year that will allow users to purchase celebrity voices for $0.99 each. For instance, Alexa can mimic the voice of Samuel L. Jackson—swear words and all.

The voice assistant is also being outfitted with frustration detection so it can detect when you’re becoming frustrated with the device. Likewise, Amazon has put more thought into a providing a frustration-free experience. It has announced a “Certified for Humans” program that guarantees certain products are struggle-free, tinker-free and stress-free to set up and use. The company has established a “non-expert” panel to test gadgets such as smart lights and small appliances.

“Alexa Guard”—the feature that listens for broken glass—is being improved in a couple of ways. First, it’s being added to Routines. So for instance when you say “Alexa, I’m off to work,” the assistant will lock your door, turn on your outside lights and so on. Second, it’s capable of detecting human activity. Alexa will listen for sounds such as footsteps, talking etc. and then send you a text alert.

In a similar vein, two new types of “Alexa Hunches” have been announced. Alexa will have Hunches about Routines that you may want to enable based on your daily habits. If you perform a specific action regularly, Alexa will ask if you’d like to create a Routine. Additionally, the assistant will have Hunches about when things need to be replaced such as batteries for your smart locks or ink for your printer.

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Geek Trivia: In 1949, Popular Mechanics Predicted The Computers Of Today Would Weigh What?

In 1949, Popular Mechanics Predicted The Computers Of Today Would Weigh What?

15 Ounces
1.5 Tons
15 Pounds
1.5 Pounds

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Microsoft Explains How “Cloud Download” Reinstalls Windows 10

Windows 10's light desktop background

Windows 10’s 20H1 update will have a “Cloud Download” that downloads the latest Windows files from Microsoft and uses it to reinstall Windows. Now, Microsoft’s Aaron Lower has explained exactly how Cloud Download will work.

In a blog post published on Microsoft’s Windows Insider blog, Lower goes over the history of Windows 10’s built-in reset options, including recovery partitions. He explains how Windows 10’s built-in Reset feature works:

The next major improvement came with Windows 10 and “imageless” recovery. This is done by constructing a new copy of Windows from the existing installation. Because this approach doesn’t use a recovery image it saves storage space on the disk and preserves the latest security updates. The trade-off of this approach is it can take more than 45 minutes and cannot always repair Windows if the installation is in a really bad state or is too corrupted. That is where this latest cloud download option in Reset this PC can help.

Beyond taking some extra time and requiring an uncorrupted Windows installation, the standard imageless recovery feature has another problem Lower doesn’t mention: If you don’t have the latest Windows updates installed, you’ll have to install them after going through the reset process.

The new Cloud Download feature avoids these drawbacks. Now, rather than attempting to gather all the files it needs from your computer’s local storage, Windows can download the latest Windows installation files from Microsoft’s servers. You’ll get the latest files so no big updates will be required afterward. It’s just like creating a USB drive with the latest version of Windows 10 and reinstalling from that—except you don’t have to bother creating installation media.

The Cloud Download option for resetting (or reinstalling) Windows 10.

To use this feature on Windows 10’s 20H1 update—currently in development—you’ll just have to head to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click “Get Started” under Reset This PC. After you’ve chosen to either keep your files or remove everything from your PC, you can choose “Cloud Download” to download the installation files from Microsoft’s servers or “Local Reinstall” to use the local files on your system.

Lower explains exactly what happens during the reset process, too. In summary, Windows will download the files and then reboot into Windows RE, the Windows Recovery Environment. The installation process will gather the drivers from your current Windows system, ensuring your hardware will continue working. It will also “Apply OEM customizations including preinstalled Windows apps,” so don’t count on it removing all the bloatware your manufacturer installed on your PC. You may still need the Fresh Start feature for that. Check out the blog post for more details.