So when I mean here, I mean we can expect it to be on car showrooms by fall 2020. This week, Musk himself revealed it. It is an all-electric car and looks eerily similar to his Model 3. Don’t let the size fool you, because it can fit seven people, or so they say. If the electric car and good room isn’t enough, then maybe the panoramic car roof will entice you.
But wait. There is more. It has a 15-inch touchscreen interface. The Model Y can go for 300 miles without a fill up…I mean…charge up. It reaches speed of up to 130mph. This model goes from o-60mph in about 5.5 seconds. The starting price for this model will be $47,000. That’s cheaper than most luxury cars, and not much more expensive than an average new car. However, you can secure a Model Y with a minimum down payment for $2,500. But I must tell you I’m just describing the Long Range model. Others will be out between 2020-21. Of course, prices and features will vary.
The Tesla Model Y is almost here. In recent years, Musk sold around 500,000 of his Tesla models. While the Model Y has it’s differences, it also has a lot of similarities. Also, a lot of people are getting environmentally conscious. People in the computer repair game sure is. So it has that going for it. Not to mention the see-saw gas prices. How will the Tesla Model Y do? Will this be a hit of flop for Musk?
We at Computer Geeks would like to extend our thoughts, prayers and condolences to the victims and their friends and families of the senseless mass shooting/terrorist attack that occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand today.
So I have another merger to talk about. But this isn’t what you think. Because this is less about big money and more about IT support functions. Alexa and Roku are compatible: Should we rejoice?
So now, through Alexa, consumers can now control their Roku account. This means Alexa will do things like play their favorite shows and search their account for shows. Furthermore, Alexa will do practical things for Roku, like turn on/off the TV. Alexa’s services apply only those with Roku 8.1. or higher. Also, they have to link their Amazon account with their Roku account. In anticipation for move, Roku already came up with voice-controlled equipment just for this.
Roku already works with Google based equipment. So with Amazon just being Amazon, this shouldn’t surprise anyone. Roku will work with any Amazon voice system, no matter how budget or expensive. Yes, you will be able to control Roku by telling Alexa what to do. Already, some bloggers are giving it the advantage. Because with Google, one has to say, “Hey Google…”. But with Alexa, you just say, “Alexa…”. Some people say this alone gives Alexa the advantage. Come on, people. It’s just a one word difference. And that word is, ‘hey’. The word ‘hey’ is often a first word for one-year-olds.
However, this is one point. If we’re going to choose a voice system just to save us from saying one small word, then something is wrong with us. I remember when I was a kid, I was the remote. I was told to change the channel, until we finally got a remote. Now, the IT service/voice does it for you. As a business move, this is good for Roku and Amazon. For consumers, this gives us more convenience, as we need any more. Alexa and Roku are compatible: Should we rejoice?
So far, things are not boring at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress (MWC). First, there is the controversy surrounding China smartphone company Huawai. Then, we have the public display of a technology you wear…inside your skin. Man shows off their RFID Chip: stunt or new reality?
So actually, several people took the stage here. The first man shows off their RFID chip. One was Edger Pons, who publicly got the chip inserted under his skin. He testified how he had an ‘automatic’ house. That means your doors and other openings are keyless. You have to have either a password or device to open them. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice. He says not only will it make it easy for him to access his house, but he can take it out anytime he wants.
The second man, who is now an RFID chip veteran, goes by the name of Pau. This man shows off their RFID chip by putting his smartphone under the chip’s skin entry. This was to show how easy it is to pay for goods simply by using his chip and/or smartphone. Sabadell, is the Spanish bank chain that sponsor this. And Sabadell executives looked on and bragged with pride. Then there’s the third person, name an engineer and curator for Alpha. That’s a Barcelona IT support firm. While this was going on, he assures the chip will NOT degrade in your skin, and bragged on other features.
But what is to make of this?? Well, they don’t tell you that you can be tracked 24/7 with if you get this RFID chip. They also don’t tell you you basically sell your privacy, what little we have left, for a little bit of convenience. Yes, Pons says he can take it out anytime he wants. But do you want to be your own surgeon every time you want to take this chip out? In this crazy IT service and tech business, I learned years ago to look at what they’re not saying. Is this a stunt or new reality?
So Back in November 2018, China’s state media made news history and computer technology history. Because they put an AI robot in charge of broadcasting the news. Then, last week, they made news again. They hired a female robot to broadcast the news. These are China’s AI news anchors. Is this a media trend?
So let’s go back to November 2018. The robot’s name is Qui Hao. It will deliver the news tirelessly, and it can do so all day every day. However, the scary thing is how human it looks. It wears a suit and tie, just like real (when I say real, I mean human) anchors do. It also nods it’s heads, blinks, and makes other human movements. Chinese IT support company Xinhua is the one who put this together. Qui Hao can also speak perfect English.
Then they bring in their second robot. It is a female they name Xin Xiaomeng. The same IT service company that created Qui also created Xin. This includes the help of some search engines. Like Qui, Xin has human movements and can speak perfect English. It wears a professional pink dress and has very well done hair, like a real woman news anchor would. In fact, Qui and Xin are often seen broadcasting the news together. They do it in record time. For instance, 3,400 news reports in less than 10,000 minutes. That averages to one news story about every three minutes.
This is what is scary. It’s scary enough that robots are taking up other jobs. The creepier thing is some are taking robots as lovers. Look, I know many people are fed up with the media today. I’m fed up with it. But hiring robots instead of human reporters is not the way. China’s AI news anchors aren’t going to make it better. Or are these robots a source of mind control? Who control these robots? Think about who programs these AI machines. Civil rights leader Malcolm X used to say, “The media is the most powerful thing on Earth”. The Chinese government knows this. Human anchors have their own feelings. Robots don’t. So are they using robots to further control the masses in way human journalists can not?
So what is 5G technology? It’s hard for even IT service and IT support experts to explain. But they expect 5G technology to move so fast that even machines will connect with other machines, with no effort. We’re talking speeds of 20 G/bps. However, these guys can explain it better than me.? That sounds great, right? But some say not really. Because they worry about the physical and medical consequence this may have. Is 5G technology dangerous, or even deadly?
So members of the medical community ask questions about great health risks. These risks are mostly about radiation, and too much of it. Also, this radiation comes from the phones as well as the cell phone towers. Furthermore, keep in mind the massive increase of signals not just to cell phones, but smart devices. We’re talking about things from smart security systems, smart voice speakers like Alexa, and that smart self-driving car that’s coming. Some studies even talk about a cancer risk from 5G. They did a study with lab rats. They gave the rats daily radiation doses for two years. The researchers were alarmed at the increase of brain and heart tumors in these lab rats.
Yes, I know how controversial it is to use lab rats. But I want to look at the bigger picture. Some will say there is no harm in 5G. They will say things like, “We used cell phones for 30 years. We’re still good”. But look at how often we’re using cell phone technology today. And it’s not just our phones, either. Smart technology is in about everything we use: radios, TVs, voice devices, security systems, and soon, it will drive our cars for us. Also, keep in mind there will be more cell towers to facilitate this 5G technology. They bring with them their own radiation. It adds up. Is 5G technology dangerous, or even deadly?
So yesterday, I talked about President Donald Trump signing an AI initiative. This will promote AI in the workplace, and other areas of life. You would think IT service companies would be happy. But not so much. Google warns of AI.
So in an annual report, Google/Alphabet says AI could have negative impacts on their business. They really worry about ethics. Yes, obviously there is still a very high demand for their services and goods. That’s why Alphabet is still the biggest and most far-reaching corporation in the world. However, Google leaders fear that AI things like machine learning could raise ethical and legal concerns. Could those concerns cause Google to lose business?
But they know trying to avoid AI controversy can be a slippery slope. It already is. For example, take the Pixel 3. It’s a smartphone that prides itself on machine learning, but that machine learning got them in trouble. It’s machine learning created issues of privacy invasion. As a result, sales went down. Then there was Project Maven. That built this AI system for military drones. But the outcry from privacy rights and human rights groups was loud and intense. Google backed down. In fact, in June 2018, they pledged they would no longer support AI that threatened human rights.
Now, they face controversy over handling China’s lack of human rights. But now Google/Alphabet says they won’t participate in their censorship ways. Now, Google warns of AI. You know what? I’m proud of Goodle/Alphabet. It’s because of people like you and me, who are raising awareness about AI, and put the pressure on. Google seems to be getting the message. Please don’t think I’m anti-AI. I’m not. In it’s place, it can do a world of good. However, when people, corporations and governments abuse AI, it can lead to disaster. That’s the concern. I’m glad Google warns of AI, and it’s learning from their past experiences. Wouldn’t it be great if other IT support corporations do the same?
