The Tech Ranch

Have you ever wondered how social media companies like Facebook make money? Today, the Guru of Geek Marlo Anderson and Tech Geezer Jim Walsh discuss why people should be concerned about the data found in your social media accounts.

Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple, made a big move to get away from Facebook. His biggest reason was Facebook wasn’t forthcoming in notifying users their data was being sold. Wozniak told USA Today “Users provide every detail of their life to Facebook and … Facebook makes a lot of advertising money off this. The profits are based on the user’s info, but the users get none of the profits back.”

Somewhere in the fine print of signing up for Facebook is a clause stating your personal information will be shared and sold to a third-party. If you clicked “agree” you should have known what was happening. Except no one really read the fine print. Who would have assumed the free Facebook service wasn’t actually free.

Most people don’t give a second thought about agreeing to the terms and conditions of using apps on Facebook. Why would you? It’s fun to see who you were in your past life. Unfortunatley, each time an app is used, the data of your personal profile provides app creators information about you.

People are are ignorant of the fact that there is an exchange for using the apps. App usage is all about gathering data to sell to other companies. We see this in the news today concerning politics. One could argue Facebook was the defining piece that won the election. People shouldn’t be surprised about what has happened. You are the product. If you don’t like the outcome, stop agreeing to use apps on social media.

TidBits

Alexa can now broadcast voice to every echo your house. You can call the kids to dinner. You can use Alexa to get the attention of household members in a different location in the house. No more screaming “Dinner is ready”. Sync Alexa to your smartphone to account and make phone calls. The Guru of Geek praises Alexa as the best device ever used for conferencing.

Curious Gadgets & Gizmos:

* Driverless rideshare services;

* Hyperloop test faze;

* Elon Musk and The Boring Company;

* Huddy;

* Driving glasses; and

* Glow Bowl.

Is Big Brother Watching Thru Smart Devices?

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date April 9, 2018 Episode 312

Get your smartphone ready for some note taking. The Guru of Geek Marlo Anderson visits with Rockin’ Dave Blair and Tech Geezer Jim Walsh about ways to save and make money using your smartphone. The Guru of Geek is going to help justify why he uses a cellphone. We’re not sure if he is trying to convince or listeners the benefits of paying for our data plans, but his points are valid.

In 1995 the average landline cost was about $62 per month for a home. This cost often included long distance calling, which is the main reason people began switching to cell phones. Today, the average cell phone cost is about $60 per month. However, the cost depends on the data plan you choose. The more data you need, the more the phone bill will cost. Have you ever wondered if your return on your investment has paid off?

Taking full advantage of the features on your smartphone will allow you to get the maximum value. Let’s explore common features and add value to your service to see where you stand with your current smart phones. 

Performing micro tasks using a smartphone is becoming easier as technology evolves. In the time we spend waiting for appointments, we can earn cash. The second half of The Tech Ranch offers tips on how to earn money using a smartphone.

Apps That Help You Earn Money

* Swagbucks – Lets you earn free gift cards for taking surveys, watching videos and shopping online.

* Inboxdollars – Pays you to read email, shop online and watch videos.

* MyPoints – Receive gift cards from places like Amazon, Ebay and clothing outlets by earning points made on purchases.

* Panelpayday – Earn up to $150 for taking a survey.

* Mindswarm – Get paid $50 for answering 10 minutes worth of questions using video response.

* Receipt hog – Flexible receipt scanning apps to earn coins to redeem for cash.

* Shopkick – Earn points for everyday shopping just for walking into store and scanning items. Price collection.

* Mobee – Mystery shopping that can be completed in 5 minutes or less.

* Nelson Digital voice – Earn points to convert into cash for every hour you use your smartphone.

* AppNana – Get paid to download, test and review apps.

* Foap – Let’s you sell your photographs online.

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date April 4, 2018 Episode 311

Another Data Breach

Segment 1

The date industry is a big industry. New apps are introduced every day as a means to make life easier. Each time you download a new app, the chances of giving permission to use your personal data is extremely high. Facebook is in the hot seat for allowing private data companies to use personal data from their users profiles. Is it right to blame Facebook the problem that users should be already aware of? It’s not illegal for social media platforms to allow sharing of your data. Somewhere in the fine print of the agreement you checked it says it might happen. Ethically, it’s a problem that many people have never thought about up until now. Best advise The Tech Ranch can give is to be careful, read the fine print and understand “free” does not always mean it’s a good thing!

Walk Smart

Segment 2

Peter Chamberlain, co-founder and President of Walk Smart, shares with listeners a product he developed to help senior citizens. Walk Smart is a walker designed to help the elderly track their fitness regime on a daily basis. Smart Walk not only tracks fitness of the owner, it also is an alert system that can warn of problems with the user, such as a person getting up in the middle of the night. Set up through a mobile app, Smart Walk gives a peace of mind to families and caregivers about the health family therapy of the Smart Walk users. The product is impressive and affordable. To learn more about Smart Walk and see pricing visit https://www.walksmart.io/store.html.

Tidbits

Segment 3

* April is National Month of Hope on the National Day Calendar;

* Are flying cars going to be better than Hyperloop?;

* Everquote is disrupting the car insurance industry; and

* The new MoviePass app is taking the movie theater by storm.

You might also be interested in this episode:

Is Big Brother Watching Thru Smart Devices?

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Dr. Matthew Galumbeck, MD is here to help you boost your confidence by enhancing your physical appearance through cosmetic and plastic surgery. On other article, viagra works for men with erectile dysfunction (ED) by increasing blood flow to the penis so you can get and keep an erection hard enough for sex. Learn more at www.karimhoteldelhi.com

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date March 26, 2018 Episode 310

Early 2018 statistics show there are about 6.5 million available jobs in the U.S. There are plenty of jobs available. How prepared people are to take these jobs? It doesn’t matter how well you do your current job, your services might not be needed in the near future. Now is the time to focus on gaining the knowledge about technology. Your job security depends on it.

Transportation

There hasn’t been such an upheaval in transportation since the horseless carriage. Yet, the need to transport of people and things is increasing. The transportation industry is headed for some remarkable changes with the advent of autonomous transportation. The nature of the this area will change radically. Workers nearing retirement in the next ten to twenty years probably don’t have to worry. The career possibilities a world of autonomous transportation are limited only by the imagination. Mechanics will certainly continue to be in demand. The younger generations will need to keep an eye on developing technologies to see how the changes affect the job market. For those in the middle, the question is which jobs will be going away in the transportation field.

Steam Power

You may have heard of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). Educators are now including the letter “A” in the acronym. The rise of augmented and virtual realities has sparked a interest in teaching the arts. We are already seeing a rise in virtual reality. We need to get back to teaching the arts. Young people will need those creative skills in the future. 3-D printing is where the arts will really shine. The creative requirements for developing “printable” homes, car parts, tools and other items will grow with the new demands of a high-tech economy.

Jobs to Watch

Job opportunities of the future are going to reflect technology. Jobs that are going to be in demand include:

* Software developer

* Computer systems analyst

* Bio-Medical engineering

* Mechanical engineering specialists

* Digital rehab counselo

* Drone pilot

Infrastructure

* Smart building technicians

* 3-D printing

* Augmented reality developer

* Personal privacy advisor

* Robotics technician

Is Your Job on the Chopping Block?

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date March 19, 2018 Episode 309

Making a phone call with Alexa has become a big deal. Spectre and Meltdown finally have a patch to repair vulnerabilities of the malicious software. A burger-flipping robot named Flippy has set up shop in Pasadena, California.

Patching Up Spectra & Meltdown

The vulnerabilities that leave your PC open to malicious activity finally have a patch. As mentioned in a previous show, Spectra and Meltdown are programs that enter your computer and slowly shut it down. The biggest threat of these vulnerabilities is your data is being stolen without realizing it. It’s important to remember these problems are not malware or a virus. Until newer, improved computer models come out, we will have to live with the patches available. The downfall of using the patch is your system will slow enough for you to notice. The “Guru of Geek” suggests changing passwords frequently will be the best protection against Spectra and Meltdown.

TidBits & More

Minority Report

The Xperia Touch projector is a keyboard that displays on any flat surface using laser technology. At a cost of $35, the keyboard works by movements of your hands. Watch for technology you’ve seen in movies like Minority Report. Life is beginning to imitate art in the tech world. If you need tech that actually helps you out, then check out reversephonelookup.org.

Alexa, Call Larry

Radio personality Larry “Lardawg” LeBlanc from 103.3 US Country, Bismarck, stopped by the studio to chat about his take on Daylight Saving Time and Alexa. Larry thinks time change always poses confusion for people. Many people feel time change is not needed because we live in a 24/7 world. Setting clocks seem to be redundant since our gadgets adjust the time change on their own.

Telephoning via Alexa is catching on. Dialing a friend is as easy as saying, “Alexa, call Larry.” Larry stated he uses Alexa a lot. He has found it valuable in answering important questions like, how old Lionel Ritchie is. Asking Alexa what people have been asking her is always entertaining for Larry. However, he says he isn’t interested in the call feature yet.

Google Glasses

Smart glasses are a hot topic in tech news. The ability to have a computer built into glasses is an amazing invention. Google Glasses haven’t made headlines in a while, but the product is still available and making a comeback. Business seems to be the main customer of the product and the company claims it is doing well, despite an exaggerated view of its failure. If you are interested in other types of glasses that you can use while on the computer, then check out these Felix Gray computer glasses that will protect your eye from harmful LED lights.

Flippy is on the Rise

Cue the Loony Tunes music. The burger-flipping robot Flippy is one the job in Pasadena, California. Flippy is a Miso Robot that is designed to work in the kitchen. Learning happens through repetitive tasks. The goal is to possibly replace human cooks. Similar ideas are being presented in the housekeeping field by the use of a robot name Roomba. We document everything with soda pdf.

There are so many things to do near Morehead City just like arts and crafts.

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date March 12,

Put your seat belt on for an hour long ride as we travel back to Mars and land in Estevan, Canada.

Back To Mars With John Carr

John Carr is an engineer from Texas who participated in the design for the prototype of the Mars lunar base. John discusses the challenges of homesteading on the red planet. Logistics of building a Mars prototype is in the planning stages. He said the technology needed to render the planet somewhat livable currently exists. Raw material and terrain found on the planet  are similar to those found in North Dakota and Australia. Mars has a harsh environment. The temperature is very cold and the air is too thin to breathe. The planet is home to a dangerous toxin called perchlorate. Distance from Earth presents some unique challenges. The transport of humans and needed supplies would be extraordinarily expensive. One solution would be to mine the raw materials available on Mars to build tools and amenities.

Estevan’s Tourism, Trade & Technology Show

Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada, is an energy hub for production of oil, gas and coal. Estevan’s Economic Development Coordinator Dwight “Fitz” Bramble is hoping to address concerns for future development of new energy technology. Dwight encourages listeners with an interest in developing energy technology to attend the upcoming Tourism, Trade and Technology Show in Estevan.  A major part of the show is the promotion of the international trade corridor, in which both Canada and the U.S. have a strong economic interest. Social media, cyber security, e-commerce are among the other topics on the agenda.

This previous episode on Mars might interest you.

Uber, Chrome, Apple & Mars

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date February 26,  2018  Episode 306

BIG BROTHER?

We live in a smart society and most of us have a smart device of some sort. Smart devices spying are on you in your home. Your privacy is being invaded and you might now realize just how much.

Smart TVs

Your smart TV can actually listen to you. Smart TVs are not tamper proof and you’re probably being monitored by hackers or Big Brother. Contemporary smart electronics monitor our choices in order to gear specific types of advertising towards you. It’s a more sophisticated version of the Facebook algorithm. Websites exists where you can watch and listen in on private monitoring. Setting a new password for all of your devices helps to combat the private monitoring. Buy the best smart tv and other electronic devices only from trusted online sites. Clever Shop List has a good round-up regarding the same. You can check them out today.

Smart Drones Outsmarting Operators

There is now evidence that the Chinese government is using drones sold in America for their own surveillance purposes. Recently, The Guru of Geek purchased a smart drone. While preparing to add the drone software to his own device he found the EULA written entirely in Chinese. After running an online translation, he discovered the manufacturer reserved the right to “all imagery and telemetry” gathered by the drone to store in their own servers. The manufacturer is subsidized by the Chinese government. Choosing a domestic version of the software could help prevent this from happening.

Hyperloop

The distance between Cleveland to Chicago is about 340 miles. Hypothetically, it would take between five to six hours to drive. Imaging traveling to either place under a half hour. In a few years this could become a reality with something called the Hyperloop. A brainchild of Elon Musk, Hyperloop is essentially a passenger pod in a tube designed to run via vacuum power at seven hundred miles (or more) per hour hour. Think of it as a larger version of the capsule thing you use at the bank drive-through. Estimates put construction at about a million dollars a mile making the project roughly what we pay for roads today. Imagine cruising at jet-plane speed through a tube near the ground. The federal government has reportedly earmarked about $20 million for a public-private partnership in developing a prototype. With high-speed transportation, long-distance daily commuting could become routine.

Super Cars

Flying cars are still largely in the experimental stage. Don’t expect a sky full of flying cars just yet, but the day is coming soon. The Guru of Geek is one of the lucky one’s to actually ride in one. The target price is around $15,000. The same price as a medium-sized car. Many of us will live to see the day when driving will become flying.

3-D Printing

3-D printers are currently developing capabilities to build houses. The most popular 3-D house is currently a 400-square foot home. The cost to build it is around $10,000. 3-D houses, built as a single unit, would not need the support system of a standard house. They could be extreme-weather and earthquake-proof. Areas with wide-open spaces could fill up with new residential areas. We will need to address the economic implications of this new type of housing in the near future. How it will affect the housing market remains to be scene. Real estate is obviously one wild card where the market fluctuates.

One hour equals 60 minutes. There are a lot of topics in the today’s news relating to technology marketed with explainer video services. The home speaker appliance market has new competition. Elon Musk’s Mars-bound Tesla rocket launches successfully. The Olympics undergoes a cyber attack. Intellectual property theft. We have one hour to discuss as much as we can. Ready?

Mars Habitat

Research and development are underway to prepare for a Mars mission. Developing a Mars habitat as a place to live presents some unique logistical challenges. The first logical step would be to return to the moon and set up a base station. The moon has lighter gravity would provide a logical launching point to access the rest of the universe. Prototype habitats are in operation in Canada, Utah and Iceland. A fourth, to be built in Australia, is in the planning stages. In addition, there is a discussion of a habitat in North Dakota. The remaining question is how soon we will reach the famed red planet.

Apple Homepod

Unlike most Apple products, there has been relatively little hoopla surrounding the release of the Apple Homepod. While resembling Amazon Alexa and Echo Dot, the marketing of the Homepod suggests Apple looks to position the Homepod as a home speaker system, in competition with Sonos. High cost may cause consumers to balk at the $300 per speaker price. One significant disadvantage of the product is the low repairability factor. Fixing a broken Homepod is very expensive.  A major advantage is the high quality of sound.

Olympic Cyber Attack

The Olympics underwent a cyber attack.  Organizers have worried about possible attacks from North Korea or even Russia. The team speculated on how the vulnerability of venues like the Olympics would affect the cybersecurity industry. On a positive note, 12,001 drones lit up the sky during the Olympics. The technical work that goes into making a successful drone show results in amazing drone entertainment by Intel. A few episodes back we shared a video on the show Intel did in Las Vegas during CES 2018. Here it is again in case you missed it: Bellagio Lights Up the Sky & Meltdown and Spectre.

Computer Support Laval repair shop face a rigorous 5...

Streaming is about to get 50% faster. Social media is affecting our work environment. And, the time has come to say goodbye to the CD and DVD for good. But first, you might be wondering what this squirrel has to do with a technology show. Nothing. But, neither does National Day Calendar, except for a small fact. National Day Calendar was the #1 leading topic trending across social media for 2017. How is that possible? Today is National Shower with a Friend Day; National Weatherperson’s Day; and National World Nutella Day. Check it out!

When the Internet Controls Your Attention

We are becoming a society of zombies glued to the Internet. Addiction to social media, YouTube and games is on the rise. Marlo, Jim and Doug discuss their use of Facebook. The novelty of social media has worn off and in some cases an annoying distraction. Studies indicate that on-the-job productivity is dropping. So, we could conclude that YouTube and Facebook may be robbing productivity at the office, so people should instead use OfficePro shipping labels so they can organize all their work and increase their productivity incrementally.

5G Technology

There is a race to deploy new 5G technology that stands to change the way we interact and do business. 5G promises another increase from 4G at the rate of 100 times faster.  You will be able to screen 8K video. As data increases, so will the cost. With the increase in data and high resolution, comes an increase in cost to cover development of new infrastructure. How much of a cost remains to be seen. Estimated time for 5G will be around 2020, or sooner.

The Demise of the CD

Like all other technological advancement, CDs and DVDs are nearing it’s end-of-life. Best Buy chain is discontinuing the sales of CDs. Target, in the meantime, is telling CD wholesalers that the chain will now only compensate for product actually sold. DVDs are facing a similar situation. We may nearing the tipping point where CDs and DVDs become unavailable. Many people won’t miss them. The use of MP3s and digital technology is taking their place.

Cutting the Cord

How do you watch the big game? Cable? Satellite? iPad? Streaming television and movies is the newest thing people are looking at. Googlecast and Apple TV have means of “casting” programming to your home screen. With Nexflix and Hulu the rise of a la carte programming, many homes are “cutting the cord,” with cable services. Polls indicate a quarter of the population have already made the move. Cable companies will need to make some adjustments to their services if they expect to compete.

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review for you and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Visit our site and mind a look into this one, check details on how to play the terminator game.

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date February 5,

Rockin’ Dave Blair is host for “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson on this episode of The Tech Ranch. This show is particularly charged with information and will introduce many of our listeners to a field of expertise we probably rarely, if ever, think about. We also recommend to get a Groupon when you buy a laptop to get big discounts.

When Lightening Strikes

Most days, Scott Fisher can be found troubleshooting electrical grounding and conducting preventative inspections. Other days, he is researching the topic to learn as much as he can. As Operations Manager for Sustainable Grounding Systems for Lyncole, Scott provides electrical grounding and safety systems expertise in the Bakken Oil Field in North Dakota (and across the country).  To Scott, lightening is a lucrative business. So what exactly is Scott’s job?

Scott Fisher spends his days performing hazard risk assessments to gather data through observation, testing and interviewing employees to administer a plan for electrical safety and grounding. Oftentimes, during storms, lightening strikes the ground near facilities, causing electrical currents to become disrupted. Phone lines, automation, electricity and even aerospace are all impacted when currents aren’t grounded properly. Electrical motors, especially those operating in oil country, are very sensitive to surges, which are most often caused by things like lightening. Many companies, even those recently built, may not be able to handle a transient current strike. Scott says when companies face problems as a result of transient currents, the result can be costly for repairs. The best way to those avoid costly expenses is through preventative measures.

If you would like the “Guru of Geek” to do a product review for you and have it featured on The Tech Ranch, let us know! Leave us a comment on this episode or call 701-204-6674 for more information.

Join the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson and “Tech Geezer” Jim Walsh every week for a new episode of the Tech Ranch.

Broadcast Date December 11,  2017  Episode 297