The Week's Funniest and Most Intriguing News (week starting October 3)

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 07 Oct 2016

As the weekend gets closer and closer, your productivity goes out the window. You don’t feel like working and you’re not really willing to go over serious news about serious topics.

So, just like the weeks before, I invite you to check out 10 news that will put a smile on your face, make you laugh, and probably even say 'wow' or 'what the f...'

1. Unhappy Apple customer goes on a rampage

A guy walks into an Apple Store in Dijon, France and, using a steel ball, starts busting things up. Why? Because Apple refused to reimburse him.



The devices he broke add up to about €50,000.


2. Bought an iPhone 7? You’re fired!

The BBC reports that a Chinese company sent out a memo to its employees, explicitly telling them not to buy Apple’s iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. If you ignore the memo, you should just go ahead and resign.



Turns out that the Nanyang Yongkang Medicine Company doesn’t hate the iPhone 7. The memo’s purpose was to encourage employees to spend time and money on family, not expensive Apple products.


3. Germany’s using drones to save people from drowning

When you have to rescue someone’s life, every second counts. That’s why Germany’s national lifeguard association is testing drones for rescue situations.



"An adult drowns in approximately 60 seconds and a child in only 30. All too often, this is not enough time for the victim to be reached by a lifeguard," explained Christopher Fuhrhop, founder and CEO of RESTUBE. "Flying over the water is a much quicker way to reach the victim. By combining UAVs and RESTUBE flotation devices, we are able to buy the drowning person valuable time that could very well mean the difference between life and death."


4. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is working on a VR space exploration game

Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the renowned astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator is working on Space Odyssey, an online multi-player game that offers an immersive virtual reality experience and focuses on galactic exploration and colonization. You’ll get to create your own celestial civilizations and compete with others in an intense game of strategy.



Learn more about Space Odyssey.


5. This BMW is a real-life Transformer

Letvision, a research and development startup in Turkey, thought they’d start a unique and futuristic project. So they came up with Letrons.



Turning a car into what’s basically a real-life Transformer takes around 90 days. Letvision hopes to cut it down to 30.


6. NoomiNoomi, for parents who need an extra hand

Can’t do anything because your baby needs to be rocked constantly? Say hello to NoomiNoomi, portable-electrical rocker that latches securely onto strollers, imitating the rhythmic rocking motions that babies experienced within the womb.



Learn more about NoomiNoomi on Indiegogo.


7. Panasonic just showed off a transparent TV

At CEATEC Japan, Panasonic showed off some pretty cool stuff, including a futuristic TV that’s completely transparent when turned off. When you’re not using the TV, it looks like a transparent piece of glass.



Jump to 0:58 if you don’t want to watch the whole video.


8. Toyota will sell this compact and cuddlesome robot next year

Starting in 2017, Toyota will start selling a scaled-down version of the robot it sent to the International Space Station three years ago. I’m talking about Kirobo Mini, a little robot that fits in the palm of your hand. Its purpose is to talk to you and offer humanlike interaction.



The downside is that Kirobo Mini will be sold in Japan only. And speaking about things that you can only get in Japan...

9. Nintendo unveiled a second miniature console

The first pint-sized console that Nintendo has to offer is the NES Classic Edition; unveiled this summer, it goes on sale on November 11. The second pint-sized console that Nintendo has to offer is the recently unveiled Nintendo Mini Classic Family Computer, which is based on Nintendo’s 1983 Famicom.



It rolls out in Japan, one day ahead of the NES Classic Edition.


10. Mafia III reminds us why we shouldn’t pre-order games

The good news is that Mafia III just launched for PC, Xbox One and PS4. The bad news is that the PC version is locked at 30FPS.



But 2K Games plans to release a patch that includes 30, 60, and unlimited frames-per-second options in the video menu.



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