The Electronic Frontier Foundation has obtained documents showing that the FBI and Best Buy's Geek Squad have maintained a rather cozy relationship over the past decade. Memos and other records released through FOIA requests confirm reports from last year of Geek Squad members serving as paid FBI informants. They also reveal new details about how closely federal agents and Geeks communicated with one another. We first learned of a possible working relationship between the two groups last April during the child pornography trial of a gynecological oncologist named Mark Rettenmaier in California, who had taken his computer in for a repair at Best Buy. The customer service representatives there sent the computer to the main Geek Squad City facility in Brooks, Kentucky, where technicians discovered evidence of child porn and reported it to the FBI.

Hundreds of millions of dollars can go into the school bus-sized satellites that blast into orbit above Earth and provide services including broadband internet, broadcasting or military surveillance. But if a part breaks or a satellite runs out of fuel, there's no way to send help. Commercial industry and government agencies believe they're getting to close having an answer: robot repairs. The idea is to extend the lives of satellites through on-orbit satellite servicing, in which robotic spacecraft essentially act as the AAA roadside service trucks of space, traveling from satellite to satellite to refuel them and fix problems. On a spring day earlier this year in Greenbelt, Md., 30 companies gathered at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to learn about the technology and view hardware for on-orbit satellite servicing. They ranged from spacecraft makers to purveyors of robot arms and even insurance brokers.

Echo Plus is one of the latest Alexa-enabled devices. You'd like to say "Alexa, turn off the lights," or "Alexa, lock the door," and have it all happen without you having to get up out of your lounge chair. No question, but it will cost you. Based on the costs of purchasing items, trying to install them and then giving up and then paying someone else for installation, USA TODAY estimates a figure of at least $2,200 to get started with smart lighting, doorbell, lock, thermostat and security. Compared to the options a few years ago, that's a bargain.