Geek Weekly: Our top weird tech stories for 16 April

Technology Decisions’ weekly wrap of IT fails, latest tech, new must-have gadgets, ‘computer says no’ moments and more.

That’ll be $43 million please. A US woman has been told a computer glitch is to blame for an erroneous tax bill she received, which said that she owed the government US$43 million. “I know there had to be obviously some kind of crazy something going on. Because I mean who owes that kind of taxes? I bet Donald Trump doesn’t even pay that much money, you know?” the woman, an adjunct history professor, told 18actionnews.com. Not unless Trump has been over-claiming for hairdressing expenses.

All right, yes, you can use your phones. This is the biggest piece of parliamentary news you’ll hear all year. A 48-page report titled ‘Use of electronic devices in the Chamber and Federation Chamber’ - the result of a year-long study - says that “Members may use electronic devices in the Chambers and committees provided that their use does not interfere with proceedings”, and that this includes the sending and receipt of emails and messages, checking the news and betting on the races. Well, perhaps not that last one. If you want something to read to put you to sleep, here it is.

Meanwhile, in Washington. US pollies were forced to go home early after a computer problem messed up listings of testimonies for legislation concerned with the ability to openly carry guns. The glitch also held up (no pun intended) more than 100 other pieces of legislation.

Elon, you have a problem. Another attempt by Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company to soft-land a booster rocket, post-launch, on a barge at sea has come to naught, with the rocket touching down but then tipping over. To be fair, it’s only the third time they’ve tried this, and Musk has always said it’s a bit of a long shot. A successful landing would mean they could re-use the rocket, so it makes sense to give it a go - otherwise, the launch vehicle will end up burning up in the atmosphere or sinking on splashdown.

The grass is greener in space. You’ve seen those round, Roomba vacuum cleaners that slowly prowl around the house sucking up dust and dirt? You might even have one. Well now, it seems they’re aiming for a similar beast that will mow the lawn. Unlike the indoor variety, which feels its way around by touch, the outdoors kind will use a radio beacon. But the frequency the company wants to use has brought them into conflict with radio astronomers, who use it to study methanol in space. (Yes, there is methanol in space.) You can read the arguments for and against, here.

You babbling booby. We’re sure we saw this robot on Lost in Space decades ago. What next - the Jupiter 2 finally reaching Alpha Centauri?

Image courtesy SpaceX.