Worries remain over major security flaw in chips
The industry has been reeling since last week’s disclosure of flaws affecting processing chips built by Intel and other chipmakers. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich attempted to tamp down worries during an opening keynote Monday, but questions remain.
Even those whose products are peripherally affected are taking pains to explain their response.
At a media event Wednesday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said his company’s bread-and-butter graphic processing units are “immune” to the bugs, contrary to reports suggesting otherwise. He says confusion arose because of software fixes the company and many others are making to address the vulnerabilities.
A $5,000 ice cube maker might seem wasteful when your freezer could make ice, too.
But instead of being made with water, ice cubes from this machine are made entirely out of vodka or whiskey.
The machine, Beyond Zero, cools to a point where high-alcohol liquor freezes — much colder than the freezing point of water.
Its inventor, Jason Sherman, says it solves the age-old bartending problem of ice diluting drinks with water. Instead, ice merely melts into more alcohol.
The machines sell for about $5,000. But if you’re a serious drinking, you’ll probably want to add ice storage for about $5,000 more.
The high-priced freezer was on display at the CES tech show, which runs through Friday in Las Vegas.
Today’s vision of a smart home has more to do with what’s technologically possible than what people really need.
Thus an endless parade of internet-connected wine openers, water bottles and refrigerators, and a dearth of automation that would clean and fold our laundry, pick up things around the house or assist aging people as their physical strength wanes.
Not that some tinkerers aren’t trying to come up with life-changing tools. The annual CES gadget show that opened in Las Vegas on Tuesday is a showcase of the latest innovations from big corporations and tiny startups.
Some of these inventions could soon be useful to consumers. Others look outlandishly impractical — or maybe it’s too soon to tell. (AP)
