MicrowaveOven
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No, Kellyanne, microwaves cannot turn into cameras
Everyone's paranoid about cybersecurity and surveillance these days, and rightly so. Thanks to the increase in connected devices in our homes, there are more and more gadgets that can be hacked to spy on you. But though things like security cameras and smart speakers can be hijacked to eavesdrop on your conversations or watch you, basic laws of physics still apply. Yesterday, President Trump's senior counselor Kellyanne Conway told the Bergen County Record's Mike Kelly that microwave ovens can turn into cameras for surveillance. In case you were wondering, that is pretty much impossible.
Smart microwave suggests meals based on your cooking habits
It's not hard to find microwave-friendly recipes, but it's another matter to both find the right recipes and cook them properly. However, SectorQube may just take care of all of those challenges at once if its crowdfunded MAID (Make All Incredible Dishes) smart microwave takes off. The 1.3 cubic foot oven gives you access to a crowdsourced recipe store and will automatically prepare many dishes at the right time and temperature, but its real highlight is a recommendation feature that suggests meals and activities based on your cooking habits and fitness. It may offer a dinner that complements your diet, or suggest a run if you've been indulging in a lot of calorie-rich food. There will be gesture and voice commands if you'd rather not touch the 6-inch screen with sticky fingers, and a smartphone app will let you know when the cooking is done.
Let the turkey power your Christmas tree lights
No one's attempted this in a commercial product before, but Nihon Dengyo Kosaku Co has reportedly developed a device that makes it achievable: a 'rectenna' that can fit inside a microwave oven and recycle unused wave energy. The palm-sized gadget combines both an antenna for catching waves and a rectifier for converting them into DC current, with a maximum output of 100 watts. Foods with a low water content have the worst heating efficiency, which means they offer the best opportunity for reclaiming energy -- so stodgy Christmas cuisine would be perfect.
Combi Chef 6 microwave has a USB port, nothing else matters
Apparently these combi-ovens are all the rage in Europe, thanks to their terrific versatility and obvious good looks. So what's got our gadget-craving attention this time? Why, it's a bona fide USB port, replete with menu-creating software too! We can feign excitement all day long about this, but in actuality it's rather a neat option to be able to program the mode and time of cooking for your favorite meals -- porridge, three minutes; grilled cheese sandwich, till melty -- and then store them on a USB drive. Hell, the intended audience of restaurant chains might find that even more useful. Our only remaining question before June is, will it have the power to charge an iPad? [Thanks, Darryl]
Stupid netbook tricks: DIY microwave shield testing
So, we're guessing that at some point in your life you've wondered whether or not your microwave oven has sufficient shielding. Well, we certainly haven't -- but maybe we're the fools for trusting the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Then again, in Russia they don't even have a "United States Consumer Product Safety Commission" (for obvious reasons). Clearly, someone over there was nagged by the thought that this appliance was scattering radiation where it didn't belong, so he got this bright idea: as microwave ovens operate at 2.45 MHz, and 802.11d WiFi operates on a 2.4 GHz frequency, any netbook placed in a closed microwave should be woefully un-pingable. And you know what? When he placed his netbook in a closed microwave, it couldn't be pinged. Clearly relieved that his microwave oven was amply shielded, the author has one final piece of advice for any of you who might be thinking about conducting this test for yourself: "Don't try to turn your microwave on, while experiment." Action photos after the break.
