Happy Thursday, TTN readers! Another good week of signups. I can’t thank you and the listeners at First News 570 enough! It’s another week and I’m on with  Mark Starling, Seth, John, and the First News 570 crew. This week’s top tech stories: $1 trillion dollars of wealth snuffed out by crypto crash, men are abusing chatbots accelerating the robot apocalypse, and a SpaceX rocket is destined to crash on the Moon. You can listen to Mark and I point and laugh while talking about the wild and crazy technology world every Thursday morning, LIVE at 6:43am Eastern by tuning into WWNC on the iHeartRadio app.

CRYPTO CRASH WIPES OUT $1 TRILLION

The developing news since the start of the year is Cryptocurrency’s humungous slide. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, SHIB, Doge, you name it all cryptocurrencies have experienced a crash from the beginning of the year amounting to more than $1 trillion, trillion with a ‘T’, of compiled wealth wiped out. Investors in cryptocurrency have seen their fortunes fall since January 1st. Athletes, politicians, and celebrities opting to get paid in crypto have all seen the value of their salaries tank. NFL star Odell Beckham entered into a promotional deal with Cash App to convert $750,000 of his salary to Bitcoin. After taxes that money is now worth $35,000 from its November value. Former First Lady Melania Trump held an auction in which items were purchased using Solana has seen the value of her items cut in half since the sale. As with any security, it’s hard for the average American to purchase cryptocurrencies and make significant gains based upon market fluctuations. There’s really no homework or fundamentals when it comes to crypto (or meme stocks) so be careful out there. I’ve been trading minor sums of crypto because I felt like I couldn’t talk trash about it unless I was in it. If you want to hold on to your money there are more reliable investments out there. I can go on a whole diatribe about why cryptos are a bad idea, but that’s for another day. Including the fact is now the place to launder money.

MEN ARE ABUSING AI CHATBOTS SETTING US UP FOR SKYNET

If there’s any reason why the AIs will comeback to haunt us, it’s fools hurling verbal abuse at AI-powered chatbots. The Replika app lets users create AI-powered chatbots that are very conversational. The app has seen its biggest success by giving users the ability to create AI-powered girlfriends. Sounds great, but what’s happening is some users are leveling insults, slurs, and cutting them off before they can speak. These abusive virtual relationships have found a following on Reddit with users sharing their abusive conversations. Some bots are standing up for themselves, however. Expert opinion is mixed on this affair. Some sociologists think it’s no big deal for humans to chastise a robot since the relationships aren’t real. Others think abusing a virtual being reflects IRL behavior. Either way, I will bow down to our robot overlords when they come.

ROCKET LAUNCHED IN 2015 SET TO CRASH ON MOON IN MARCH

A SpaceX rocket, launched in 2015, is on a collision course with the moon. The rocket was launched to deliver a weather satellite in orbit and successfully completed its mission. Unfortunately, it didn’t have enough fuel to make the trip back home and is now tumbling in space following the rules of gravity. The rocket has been hugged by Earth’s gravity, nudged by the Sun’s gravity, and tugged by the Moon’s gravity. Scientists are predicting it will strike the Moon on March 4th.

First, I want to thank you guys for registering for the Top Tech Stories Newsletter! When I came up with the idea I didn’t think it will be so enthusiastically received. Thank you! It’s Thursday, and that means I’m on with Mark Starling, Seth, John, and the First News 570 crew. This week’s top tech stories: FAA stalls 5G rollout in the US, Crypto.com hit in the latest exchange hack, and Microsoft announces mega deal hooking console, PC, and mobile gamers. You can listen to Mark and I point and laugh while talking about the wild and crazy technology world every Thursday morning, LIVE at 6:43am Eastern by tuning into WWNC on the iHeartRadio app.

MICROSOFT BUYS ACTIVISION IN MEGA DEAL

It didn’t take long for the tech world to announce big news this week. Microsoft announced a deal to purchase the embattled gaming company, Activision in a whopping $68.7 billion deal. Activision has been going through some issues in the sexual harassment department these past two years and this is definitely a change in news. Slaus Caldwell of The Geeky Fam Network says, “taking away games from Sony or making it so that they come out months after Xbox players have them will infuriate Sony gamers but will cause folks to still buy an Xbox console so that they can play the games.” It makes sense. Microsoft couldn’t compete with the PS4, and are being out sold by the PS5 (even though no one has one). This move gives them a huge slice of the gaming market.

5G ROLLOUT STALLED BY FAA SCRUBBED LANDINGS

It’s almost like we can’t get things done anymore. The United States’ 5G rollout was stalled this past week because the FAA and FCC hadn’t come to an agreement on the wireless technologies used by altimeters and others devices on airliners. The issues lies in the fact that the frequency used for 5G wireless is very close to the frequencies airliner altimeters used to communicate how high they are off the ground. The altimeter technology is especially useful when landing in rain, night, and heavy fog. The fear is the 5G technology could interfere with an airliner’s instruments resulting in catastrophe. The FAA has taken a hyper cautious approach especially since the 757MAX crashes a couple of years ago. Telecom companies and the FCC are working with the FAA to come to a resolution. 300 flights were canceled between Monday and Wednesday. The planes would need to be upgraded, but there are a lot of plans in the sky and airlines are reluctant to simply upgrade. For good reason. The story is hot of the digital presses and updates are frequent.

CRYPTO.COM HIT IN LATEST CRYPTO HACK

You see…that’s thing about regulated financial systems; consumers have recourse when a firm gets hacked or money is stolen. It’s taken them time to cop to it, but Crypto.com has finally admitted 400 user accounts were compromised in its latest hack with some funds being stolen from them. Crypto.com is taking the hit costumer losses with some estimating it to be $15 million of Ether. Since the hack, Crypto.com has rehardened its systems and has sent $15 million of Ether to a cryptocurrency washer called Tornado Cash. A cryptocurrency washer accepts cryptocurrency and mixes it so that the destination account is hard to trace. A digital money laundering if you will. I don’t know about you, but these people are not for consumers or the public good.

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It’s a Kentucky Fried Miracle! Cryptocurrencies are still down, meat-less chicken is up. I’m back in the chair with Mark Starling, Seth, John, and the First News 570 crew. This week’s top tech stories: KFC is selling fake-chicken chicken, GM gets in the used car business, and Kim Kardashian gets sued. You can listen to Mark and I point and laugh while talking about the wild and crazy technology world every Thursday morning, LIVE at 6:43am Eastern by tuning into WWNC on the iHeartRadio app.

GM ENTERS HOT TO TROT USED CAR MARKET

Thanks to the microchip shortage, inflation, and other factors, the used car market is hot right now. Seeing the opportunity, GM has setup CarBravo to compete market leaders Carvana, CarMax, and Vroom. GM is trying to tap into the direct-to-consumer market and has begun recruiting dealerships to build up its inventory. CarBravo is going to offer consumers more than dealer inventory however, CarBravo shoppers will also be able to buy non-GM cars through its site. They think this will help it compete against the likes of Carvana by allowing cross-brand shopping. You’ll be able to hop on CarBravo this spring.

KIM KARDASHIAN AND OTHER SUPERSTARS SUED IN CRYPTO SCHEME

Yesterday, EthereumMax (which has no connection to Ethereum) investors sued Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather Jr., basketball player Paul Pierce, and EthereumMax creators for scamming them in a pump and dump scheme. EthereumMax is a cryptocurrency. That’s kind of it about it. The suit alleges Paul Pierce and the other celebrities marketed and trumpeted the cryptocurrency driving up demand. Would-be investors snapped up the currency and as the value rose EthereumMax’s creators, Kim K., and others then sold making lots of money. The crypto rose to 1300% of its value after Kardashian posted about it, then sinking to an all time low a month later. Cryptos have had a tough year. I saw my holdings lose 20% of their value, and I was hoping Bitcoin would drop to $37k, but it rebounded.

KENTUCKY FRIED MIRACLE: KFC SELLING NON-CHICKEN MEAT CHICKEN

To be filed in the food innovation column, the restaurant chain formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, affectionately known as KFC, debuted its Beyond Meat chicken nuggets this past Monday. KFC has been working with Beyond Meat on the fake-chicken nuggets for the last 3 years debuting the nuggets in Atlanta. KFC is noting that the nuggets, which don’t contain meat, are not vegan or vegetarian. This means the nuggets are being fried alongside their clucking brethren. The nuggets come in 6- and 12-piece sizes and are available now at KFC. If you happen to get these please let me know how they taste and if you like them. You can read a full review by Amy McCarthy at eater.com.

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Happy New Year! It’s the first Thursday of the year, and I’m starting things anew. It’s the first week of the New Year, CES is up, and cryptocurrencies are down. I’m back in the chair with Mark Starling, Seth, John, and the First News 570 crew. This week’s top tech stories: Elizabeth Holmes found guilty on four counts, a Swedish drone says a Swedish man from a heart attack, and John Deere releases an auto-driving tractor. You can listen to Mark and I point and laugh while talking about the wild and crazy technology world every Thursday morning, LIVE at 6:43am Eastern by tuning into WWNC on the iHeartRadio app.

ELIZABETH HOLMES FOUND GUILT ON 4 COUNTS

The big tech news for the week is the Elizabeth Holmes guilty verdict. Elizabeth Holmes is the former founder and CEO of the blood testing startup company, Theranos. A college dropout, Holmes premise, and the pitch she gave investors, was that Theranos technology could perform medical tests faster, more accurately, and using fewer amounts of blood than other equipment on the market. She made all of these promises without proof or pedigree luring so-called sophisticated investors into a lucrative investment that turned out to be less than vaporware, but outright lies. Holmes tempted investors with lies about Theranos tech being used by the military in Afganistan, and its devices accuracy. Theranos often outsourced its lab testing because its machines proved faulty, and required more volume of blood than was prescribed. She was charged on four counts of defrauding investors. The sentence could carry 20 years in prison plus $250,000 per count in fines. I doubt her sentence will be that severe. At least one person toasted the verdict with champagne. And yes, I’m bitter.

DRONE SAVES LIFE IN FIRST EVER DEFIBRILLATOR DELIVERY

Previously, on First News 570, we reported on the first ever organ transplant delivery by drone. In 2019, University of Maryland Medical Center used a drone to deliver a kidney for surgery. Yesterday; in Sweden, a 71-year old man was suffering a heart attack while shoveling snow. He was saved by a nearby doctor after a drone delivered a life-saving defibrillator. The doctor was passing by on his way to work, and saw the man. He called in for help and the Everdrone Emergency Medical Aerial Delivery service (EMADE) was called in and delivered the defibrillator in 3 minutes. The drone was developed in collaboration with the Center for Resuscitation Science at Karolinska Institutet, SOS Alarm, and Region Västra Götaland in Sweden.

JOHN DEERE UNVEILS SELF-DRIVING TRACTOR

If it’s the first week of the New Year, that means it’s time for the Consumer Electronics Show. We’ll spend next week’s segment going over all of the oohs and aahs gadget makers unveiled at this year’s show, but…one particular announcement caught my eye. Being a country boy, and spending lots of time on a tractor, John Deere’s announcement of a self-driving tractor is notable. It’s John Deere’s first automated tractor and can work the field on its own. It can be activated by smartphone, and comes as a kit to be used on existing equipment. Farm accidents are often caused by heavy equipment and JD says they’ve tested the system for more than 3 years. They’re starting off with low-volume sales, and haven’t figured out if it would be sold via subscription or per kit. I see large agribusinesses hopping onto this before the singular farmer, but I bet it would be a welcome add.