Anyone who works as a freelancer these days has to be at least a bit familiar with techie things. But it isn’t just that. When I was a kid and those vaguely SF puppet shows were on the television and all the other kids wanted to be Greg Gogetem or Steve Savetheuniverse, I wanted to be the guy in a white coat and glasses called Doc or Brains. Here are some technology-related feeds I find useful and/or entertaining.
Slashdot » Waves Spotted On Titan
minty3 writes "Planetary scientists believe they have observed waves rippling on one of Titan's seas. The findings, presented on March 17 at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, describes how the Cassini spacecraft captured images of sunlight glinting off the Punga Mare (abstract), suggesting they are not reflective sunlight but waves." The Planetary Society recently posted a nice breakdown of … [Link]
Mashable » Before Astronauts Go to Space, a Bouquet for Those Who Never Came Home
When the space shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, it shook the space exploration industry to its core. Ever since that flight, two Dallas, Texas, families have sent roses to NASA's mission control in Houston every time an astronaut is about to head into space. On Tuesday, another bouquet arrived. The families always include a rose of a similar color … [Link]
Mashable » Can Nike Buy Its Way to the Final Four?
In the big business of college basketball, one question is paramount: Will Nike blow it again? Last year's NCAA tournament saw Adidas maneuver through the bracket to have its gear on the backs of Louisville's championship team, while Nike's hometown Oregon Ducks got washed out in the Final Four. This time around, however, the odds are heavily stacked in Nike's favor. … [Link]
Slashdot » Java 8 Officially Released
darthcamaro writes "Oracle today officially released Java 8, nearly two years after Java 7, and after much delay. The new release includes a number of critical new features, including Lambda expressions and the new Nashorn JavaScript engine. Java 8, however, is still missing at least one critical piece that Java developers have been asking for, for years. 'It's a pity … [Link]
Mashable » The Tiny Satellites That Could Have Found the Missing Plane Within Hours
VANCOUVER, Canada — Had Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared just a few weeks later, we may have been able to find it in a matter of hours. A company called Planet Labs is in the process of activating a squadron of tiny satellites that they released from the International Space Station last month. These compact satellites will orbit Earth, snapping images … [Link]
Mashable » The Force of March Madness: Inside the Ultimate Star Wars Tournament
There wasn't a whole lot Lucasfilm could talk about on the record in the early months of 2013. Behind the scenes, the company was scrambling to get itself in gear for Episodes VII, VIII and IX plus spinoff movies and the animated TV show Rebels, but it couldn't even reveal that. The games department was being axed, the animation department slashed, … [Link]
Mashable » Latest 'Maleficent' Trailer Reveals Angelina Jolie's Darkest Role Yet
The third trailer for Disney's Maleficent was released Tuesday, and it takes the deepest look yet at Angelina Jolie in her role as the Mistress of All Evil. The clip also reveals more of Elle Fanning's role as the young Princess Aurora and her distrustful relationship with Maleficent. This modern take on Sleeping Beauty tells the fairy tale through the … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » Today in APIs: Neurotechnology Launches New SDKs & APIs, and 7 New APIs
Neurotechnology updates biometric SDKs and APIs. Microsoft launches OneNote cloud API for apps. Plus: Thief’s Mantle update today, Android 4.4 APIs released, and 7 new APIs. Neurotechnology Biometrics APIs are for more than face recognition Biometrics is about more than saving face and recognizing it. As Neurotechnology Biometrics shows with its new SDKs and APIs, the field now encompasses fingerprint, iris … [Link]
Slashdot » GOG.com To Add Linux Support
jones_supa writes "More great news for Linux gamers: following the footsteps of Steam, GOG.com is preparing delivery of Linux games. They expect to start doing so this autumn. The officially supported distributions will be Ubuntu and Mint. Right now, they are performing testing on various configurations, training up their teams on Linux-speak, and generally preparing for the rollout of at … [Link]
Mashable » Apple CEO Tim Cook Rips New Book as 'Nonsense'
In a rare public rebuke, Apple CEO Tim Cook has made a statement that slams the new book Haunted Empire by former Wall Street Journal reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane The statement was obtained by CNBC's Becky Quick, who asked Cook for a reaction to the new book, which characterizes him as tough, unapproachable and "relentlessly frugal." See also: Apple CEO Tim … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Neil deGrasse Tyson Discusses Asteroid Destruction with 9-Year-Old Kid [Video]
If there’s just one video you should watch today, this is the one. Also, be ready to have your mind blown by this kid at 3:22. [antonioyo | Via] [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Java 8, now what?
There was recently a thread on the London Java Community mailing list about when people should think about adopting Java 8. Lambdas, an improved collections library, new date and time support, and a host of under-the-hood tweaks, add up to … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Pay TV Numbers Drop Year-On-Year
The American pay-TV industry as a whole has had an overall drop in subscribers for the first time. But even if it’s evidence of “cord-cutting,” the firms involved haven’t really lost out much. There have been a few cases before where individual cable firms have had a quarterly decline in pay-TV subscribers. Now Leichtman Research Group has put together figures … [Link]
Slashdot » Firefox 28 Arrives With VP9 Video Decoding, HTML5 Volume Controls
An anonymous reader writes "Mozilla today officially launched Firefox 28 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Additions include VP9 video decoding, Web notifications on OS X, and volume controls for HTML5 video and audio. Firefox 28 has been released over on Firefox.com and all existing users should be able to upgrade to it automatically. The full release notes are available. … [Link]
Mashable » Opposition Newspaper Editor Accuses Venezuelan Official of Censorship
The editor of a Venezuelan newspaper accused the number two official in President Nicolas Maduro's government of trying to censor his publication with an illegal defamation suit. Teodoro Petkoff, the editor of the independent newspaper Tal Cual, and a known critic of the current government led by President Maduro, as well as his predecessor Hugo Chavez, asked the country's prosecutors to … [Link]
Mashable » iHeartRadio to Stream Pharrell's 'Happy' on Endless Loop for 13 Days
After a radio station in San Francisco played Nelly's "Hot in Herre" on an endless loop for three days, iHeartRadio plans to do the same with Pharrell's hit song "Happy" for 13 days. The streaming service told Mashable that the Oscar-nominated song from the film Despicable Me 2 will be playing non-stop on a dedicated iHeartRadio station, starting Tuesday at 9 … [Link]
Slashdot » NSA Can Retrieve, Replay All Phone Calls From a Country From the Past 30 Days
An anonymous reader sends this news from the Washington Post: "The National Security Agency has built a surveillance system capable of recording '100 percent' of a foreign country's telephone calls, enabling the agency to rewind and review conversations as long as a month after they take place, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by … [Link]
Mashable » Found Dead With Signs of Torture, Missing Crimean Tatar Man Is Buried
The body of a Crimean Tatar man, found on Sunday with signs of a violent death in Crimea's Zemlyanyche village, has been buried The discovery of the man's body came nearly two weeks after he had disappeared. He was last seen on his way to visit a military registration and enlistment office on March 4, a State Department spokesperson tells Mashable, … [Link]
Mashable » Online Memorial Planned for Joel Green, Who Inspired 'That Dragon, Cancer'
On March 13, 2014, Ryan Green, one of the developers behind the heartbreaking adventure game That Dragon, Cancer, announced on Twitter that his 5-year old son Joel, who had been battling cancer since age 1, had passed away My son Joel took his last breath at 1:52 am this morning. — Ryan (@ryangreen8) March 13, 2014 Ryan Green and his co-developer … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » Wise.io Leverages RESTful APIs to Deliver Machine Learning Applications
One of the more intriguing aspects of RESTful APIs is that they make all kinds of computing platforms more accessible to developers than previously thought possible. Case in point is the machine learning platform (based on a math engine) that is being developed by Wise.io. Fresh off raising another $2.5 million in funding, Wise.io CEO Jeff Erhardt says Wise.io created a … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » JUST WHAT WE NEEDED: Sequels to ‘Incredibles,’ ‘Cars’
In case you can’t tell, my headline was meant to be sarcastic. So, provided it’s good, I wouldn’t mind a sequel to The Incredibles. But Cars?! Pixar already made a sequel and it flopped. We already got three (stellar, admittedly) Toy Story movies, a decent Monsters, Inc. prequel, and a Finding Nemo sequel will be here soon. Pixar will also … [Link]
Slashdot » Fly an Aerobatic Quadcopter with Curtis Youngblood (Video)
It goes up, it goes down, it goes upside down and keeps on flying. We're talking about Curtis Youngblood's latest quadcopter prototype, but as his website says, "Curtis has been flying and competing with RC Helicopters since the early 1980s and is a Multi-time World Champion and Multi-time 3D Champion." This lucky dog has managed to turn his hobby into … [Link]
Mashable » March Meow-ness: Bodega Cat Bracket Is the Only One That Matters
For those who call New York City home, the small neighborhoods shops that occupy nearly every block are known as bodegas. (No, not "convenience stores" or "groceries.") Terminology aside, one other thing sets our corner stores apart: bodega cats See also: Homeless Animals Feel the #Love at SXSW Aside from being adorable, these feline friends have the important responsibility of keeping … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » Samsung Asks Devs To Start Coding Watch Apps
Samsung and the Tizen Association recently made the Tizen Software Development Kit for Wearables available from the Tizen developer web site. The SDK supports any wearable running Samsung’s Tizen operating system, but that’s an extremely limited number of devices at the moment, with just the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches filling the space. Samsung debuted the two smartwatches … [Link]
Mashable » Mick Jagger Mourns Online: 'I Will Never Forget' L'Wren Scott'
Rock star Mick Jagger mourned the death of his longtime girlfriend, fashion designer L'Wren Scott, in a short yet emotional letter on Facebook and his website on Tuesday, just one day after she was found dead of an apparent suicide in her New York City apartment. "I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her … [Link]
Mashable » How Cloud Technology Could Have Tracked the Malaysia Airlines Plane
As the biggest ever hunt for a missing plane continues, many are beginning to wonder if we will ever know what happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. If the plane has crashed, it has been suggested that it could take up to two years to find its wreckage. But if MH370 had been fitted with technology that made use of the … [Link]
Slashdot » Google Unveils Android Wear
mrspoonsi tips news that Google has announced 'Android Wear,' their effort to bring the Android mobile operating system to wearable devices. Android Wear provides an interface to control other devices through a smartwatch, adds support for Google Now's voice commands, and lets wearables integrate with various apps. Google has made a developer preview available for download immediately. Google's Motorola division … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Tom Hiddleston as the Voice of Young Captain Hook [Video]
Listen to Tom Hiddleston as he sings as the voice of young Captain Hook for Disney’s The Pirate Fairy. This is going to break the Internet! [Disney Fairies | Via Buzzfeed | Via] [Link]
Mashable » A Guide to Boston's Startup Scene
Boston is brimming with entrepreneurial success, as many startup founders have strategically chosen this urban hub for their small business' homeMayor Marty Walsh recently declared his utmost confidence that Boston will become the "tech capital of the world," and judging from the city's current startup surge, Walsh's prediction may come to fruition Whether you're interested in following in the footsteps of … [Link]
Mashable » Sonos Adds Universal Search to Its Music App
Sonos announced it will be rolling out a major update to its music controller app in the coming weeks. The latest version of the iOS and Android app will include a simplified design and universal search that finds your music across all streaming services. Sonos, of course, is the whole-house music system that distributes digital music throughout your home. The controller … [Link]
Slashdot » New Facial Recognition Software May Detect Looming Road Rage
cartechboy writes "Well, since we have license plate readers tracking drivers, and GPS breaking down we're you're headed — its probably time for someone to know what mood you're in when you're driving. (Quick hint: often not a good one). Researchers at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have prototyped a dashboard camera that tracks facial movements and expressions to … [Link]
Mashable » Beastie Boys Settle Dispute With GoldieBlox Over 'Girls' Copyright
The Beastie Boys finally settled a months-long lawsuit with GoldieBlox, a toy company that parodied their song "Girls" in a viral ad. The video, which was first released in November and has since been made private on YouTube, features an elaborate Rube Goldberg device, set to a cover of the group's song with alternate lyrics like, 'cause all our toys look … [Link]
New Scientist – News » New York asteroid eclipse will be visible to millions
An asteroid will make a bright star vanish for seconds this week – from the point of view of New Yorkers. An occultation specialist explains 
[Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Adorable Parents Perfectly Lip Synch to “Love Is An Open Door” [Video]
These parents are so adorable, they look like live-action Disney characters. And their disinterested, “not again!” daughter in the backseat makes this priceless. [via Gizmodo] [Link]
Mashable » This Short Horror Film Will Make You Sleep With the Lights On
Be warned: If you're afraid of the dark, you might want to skip this one. Lights Out is a short horror film that follows a woman readying herself for bed, only to find that something may be lurking in the shadows. At just under three minutes, this short video has us wanting to leave the lights on full time. See … [Link]
Slashdot » New Stanford Institute To Target Bad Science
ananyo writes "John Ioannidis, the epidemiologist who published an infamous paper entitled 'Why most published research findings are false', has co-founded an institute dedicated to combating sloppy medical studies. The new institute is to focus on irreproducibility, waste in science and publication bias. The institute, called the Meta-Research Innovation Centre or METRICS, will, the Economist reports, 'create a "journal watch" … [Link]
Mashable » 2 Reported Killed in First Bloodshed of Russia-Ukraine Crisis
KIEV, Ukraine — Shots were fired and two people were reportedly killed during an assault by armed men on a Ukrainian military facility outside the Crimean capital Simferopol on Tuesday. It was the first bloodshed since Russian troops seized the Black Sea peninsula in late February. Vladyslav Selezniov, Ukrainian Defense Ministry's head of communications for Crimean region, reported on Facebook that … [Link]
Mashable » Disney Confirms 'Incredibles' and 'Cars' Sequels
Pixar is working on a sequel to 2004's The Incredibles, the popular computer-animated superhero movie from Walt Disney Pictures, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed on Tuesday during the company's annual shareholders meeting in Oregon. Iger said The Incredibles 2 as well as Cars 3 are both in development, with Incredibles director Brad Bird formulating the sequel's plot. No timeline was given … [Link]
Mashable » Star Wars Episode VII: Mystery Trio to Start Filming in May
Lucasfilm has been releasing details about the upcoming (and still untitled) Star Wars Episode VII on the slowest of drip feeds — and the latest news is practically a tidal wave by comparison The Disney-owned company announced Tuesday that Episode VII will feature a "trio of new young leads along with some very familiar faces." The movie will commence principal photography … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » HP Moves Application Testing Tools into the Cloud
Hewlett-Packard is looking to make its application testing tools more accessible than ever via implementations that are hosted in the cloud. Developers can access these tools via RESTful APIs. Kelly Emo, director of product marketing for HP Software, says that by making HP LoadRunner 12 and HP Performance Center 12 available as a cloud service, HP is making a concerted effort … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » MYOB API Developer Program Enjoys Massive Growth
The MYOB AccountRight Live API just celebrated its first anniversary. As MYOB looks back at the API’s first year, it must be pleased with the results. Its API developer program grew from 65 developers to over 800. The add-ons have increased to 70 and the total number of members in the program now sits at over 1,200. 
MYOB Chief Technology Officer, … [Link]
Mashable » The First Android Wear Devices Are the Moto 360 and LG G Watch
Earlier this afternoon, Google officially unveiled Android Wear, its new platform for wearables. Now both Motorola and LG have announced Android Wear smartwatches. Motorola, Google's former-subsidiary apparently has big plans for Android Wear. It's calling its watch the Moto 360. The device is notable because it has a round face — something we haven't seen before in a smartwatch. See also: … [Link]
Mashable » 4K vs. HD: Here's the Difference
There's been a lot of talk and controversy about 4K televisions and cameras. We got our hands on the Canon EOS 1D C and shot some comparative footage. The video above illustrates the differences between 4K and HD video. Because you're viewing this on YouTube (and probably not a 4K monitor), the visual differences will be superficial. But we've zoomed … [Link]
Mashable » No, Twitter Didn't Change Its Refresh Feature — It's a Bug
Twitter's refresh button is leaving users wanting more — but not in a good way That's been the feeling Tuesday from people who noticed that hitting refresh doesn't always surface the most recent tweets in the timeline. If you follow lots of people or have lots of tweets stored up, it may take multiple refresh attempts before you get to … [Link]
Geek Culture » Superman with a GoPro
via John! Note: Worm-Man's GoPro camera isn't as entertaining. 😛 [Link]
New Scientist – News » Today on New Scientist
All the latest on newscientist.com: guinea-pig twins, outrageously unlikely coincidences, multiverse gets real, evolutionary traps and more 
[Link]
Slashdot » Flash Is Dead; Long Live OpenFL!
First time accepted submitter lars_doucet writes "I am a 15-year Flash veteran and nobody hates to say this more than me: Flash is dying, and the killer is Adobe. Where to now? HTML5 doesn't help me with native targets, and Unity is proprietary just like Flash was — 'don't worry, we'll be around forever! And so sorry about that neglected … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Multiverse gets real with glimpse of big bang ripples
The first direct signs of a cosmic growth spurt that set space-time rippling means that we may live in just one of an infinite number of universes 
[Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Augmented Reality Helmet Wins ‘Wearable Tech’ Award at SXSW
Wearable technology is no longer this vague idea we think of from sci-fi films. While walking around downtown Austin during SXSW, I stopped noticing how many people were outfitted with their Google Glasses or Samsung Smartwatches anymore. It was just as commonplace an accessory as a hat or sunglasses. These devices, which create a deeper, more inter-connected experience for the … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » Google Updates Play Services APIs
Google has begun distributing a new release of Google Play Services to all Android devices, and along with it made a new SDK available to developers with a handful of new APIs. The main additions include a Google Analytics API, Tag Manager, Address API, Google Drive API, and updated support for Google Play Games. Google Play Services 4.3 is being pushed … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Missing Malaysian jet can be found, even in deep ocean
The hunt for flight MH370 covers a vast swathe of land and sea, but technology is focusing the hunt and dispelling rumours surrounding its disappearance 
[Link]
Mashable » Create Your Own Interactive Sheet Music on the Web
Soundslice, a web app that makes learning guitar easier by syncing tablature with YouTube videos, has launched a new DIY sheet music creator that could change the way musicians collaborate. The new version syncs chord charts, tabs and sheet music, allowing for ultimate clarity and usability. The simple interface, which was designed with JavaScript and HTML5, allows you to loop … [Link]
Mashable » Edward Snowden: The Biggest Revelations Are Yet to Come
VANCOUVER, Canada — Edward Snowden on Tuesday said the biggest revelations have yet to come out of the estimated 1.7 million documents he acquired from the National Security Agency In a surprise appearance via satellite robot at the 2014 TED conference in Vancouver, Snowden said there is still a lot of reporting to be done, including diving deeper into the accusation … [Link]
Mashable » Malaysia Airlines Flight Officially Longest Disappearance in Modern Aviation
It has been 11 days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished from the skies, officially making it the longest disappearance in modern aviation history. Adam Air Flight 574, which went missing for the first 10 days of 2007, was the previous record-holder of the grim feat after it vanished off the coast of Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province. Authorities said on Tuesday … [Link]
Mashable » Man Described as 'Russia's Bin Laden' Reported Dead
A Chechen militant who has been called "the Kremlin's worst nightmare" and "Russia's Bin Laden" is reportedly dead Doku Umarov, a Chechen separatist leader who had encouraged terrorists to attack the Olympic Games in Sochi earlier this year, "became a martyr" according to an insurgency website, NPR and The BBC are reporting. The news comes by way of the Kavkaz Center, … [Link]
Mashable » Mt. Gox Lets Users Log In and Check Their Bitcoin Balances
The Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox is finally allowing users to check their online wallet balances, nearly a month after its abrupt shut down. Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy after its collapse, arguing it had lost nearly 850,000 bitcoins (more than $500 million) in a years-long cyber heist. Mt. Gox users can now check how many bitcoin they have left in their … [Link]
Mashable » Android Wear: Google's Wearables Platform Is Here
Google is going all in on wearables. The company announced Android Wear on Tuesday, a new version of Android designed specifically for wearable devices. Although Android Wear will ostensibly extend to all kinds of wearable devices, Google explains on its blog that it's starting in the area that makes the most sense: the smartwatch. See also: 25 Best Free Android … [Link]
Mashable » Pollution Is to Climate Change as Smoking Is to Cancer, Report Says
Climate scientists have tried nearly every possible tactic in their arsenal to get the public to both recognize the reality of manmade climate change, and act to prevent the worst potential consequences. Yet public opinion polls continue to show that Americans view this issue near the bottom of their priorities. Scientists have written voluminous technical research reports, aimed at influencing policy … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » ClickSoftware Gives Contextual Localization New Meaning
ClickSoftware is offering a library of more than 500 APIs that can be used as part of its ClickButler service, enabling businesses to create automated productivity workflows for remote staff and field service workers. Gil Bouhnick, vice president of mobility at ClickSoftware, spoke with ProgrammableWeb about the future of business use of localization and contextual data. 
While there is much hype, … [Link]
Mashable » Lyft Announces Happy Hour, the Opposite of Surge Pricing
Lyft, the ridesharing app that connects available drivers with those in need of a ride, is taking a closer look at supply and demand The San Francisco-based startup announced Happy Hour, a feature that will offer Lyft passengers a 10% to 50% discount on standard ride costs during times when demand for drivers is low See also: 10 Startups to Watch … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » OFFICIAL FEATURETTE: ‘Transcendence,’ Starring Depp, Freeman
I’m intrigued by the movie Transcendence, but judging from this featurette, there seems to be a lot going on here: The Lawnmower Man (movie, not the short story), The Matrix, William Gibson novels, Terminator… Transcendence hits theaters April 18 and stars JohnnyDepp, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, and Rebecca Hall. [JoBlo Movie Trailers] [Link]
Slashdot » Church Committee Members Say New Group Needed To Watch NSA
Trailrunner7 writes "In a letter sent to President Obama and members of Congress, former members and staff of the Church Committee on Intelligence said that the revelations of the NSA activities have caused 'a crisis of public confidence' and encouraged the formation of a new committee to undertake 'significant and public reexamination of intelligence community practices.' In the letter sent … [Link]
Mashable » School Bans Bullied Boy From Wearing 'My Little Pony' Backpack
When 9-year-old Grayson Bruce told his mom that he was being bullied at his school for wearing a My Little Pony backpack, she did what most parents would: informed the school of the abuse. Instead of addressing the bullies, though, the North Carolina school told Noreen Bruce that her son was no longer allowed to bring his bag to school. Noreen … [Link]
Mashable » How to Watch March Madness From Your Desk at Work
March Madness, America's annual college basketball bonanza, is finally here. As usual, though, almost all the opening-round games on Thursday and Friday occur during working hours The mission is clear: Figure out how to watch March Madness online. Luckily, we're here to help See also: Do Yourself a Favor: Ditch the March Madness Bracket There is only one legal way to … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Virtual clone: A guinea-pig twin will keep you healthy
A medically accurate digital double will allow doctors to diagnose complex conditions, test treatments before cutting you open – and show you your future self (full text available to subscribers) 
[Link]
Slashdot » Microsoft Releases Free Edition of OneNote
yakatz writes "Microsoft announced that OneNote, including the full desktop program, will be free for anyone who wants to use the program. A version of the program for Mac also appeared in the app store yesterday. This means that a native edition of OneNote is available for most platforms (including iPad, iPhone and Android, but not Linux or Blackberry). Microsoft … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Mashable Asks Bill Nye 4 Questions at SXSW [Video]
Mashable approached Bill Nye the Science Guy at this year’s SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival in Austin, Texas and asked him a few questions. A few of his answers may surprise you, especially the movie answers! [Mashable] [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » AirPair{}Me Provides On-Demand Access to Elite Software Engineers
You have a major development project launching next month and your team needs help. Perhaps it’s a vexing problem related to the Ruby on Rails ActiveRecord API. Or an optimization issue with the AngularJS $animate service. What do you do? You could ask Google in the hope that somebody else has published the information you need. If that isn’t the case, … [Link]
Mashable » Lando Returns in Billy Dee Williams' Weird 'Star Wars' Dance
Everyone's favorite intergalactic con man has returned to steal your heart with some fancy footwork. Even Han Solo doesn't have moves like this Billy Dee Williams, a.k.a. Lando Calrissian, dusted off his old cape to dance the cha-cha on Dancing with the Stars on Monday night. His sassy routine was complete with stormtroopers, R2-D2 and his partner, Emma Slater, dressed … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Madonna Cosplayed as Daenerys Targaryen for Purim [Pic]
From the queen of pop to the mother of dragons, Madonna can really be anything she wants, especially when it comes to celebrating Purim, a Jewish festival where people wear costumes to “commemorate the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire.” [Via Buzzfeed | Instagram] [Link]
New Scientist – News » No coincidence? Statistics and the outrageously unlikely
In his superlative The Improbability Principle, David J. Hand makes sense of bizarre patterns in Bible codes, lightning strikes and even drug trials 
[Link]
Mashable » America's Most Social Small Business Is…
For those of you who have followed along with our America's Most Social Small Business challenge, you know that it's been a fierce competition from the get-go, with 32 small businesses all over the country duking it out to claim the title of the most socially savvy. See also: How to Bridge the Gap Between Online and Offline Marketing After some … [Link]
Slashdot » A Call For Rollbacks To Previous Versions of Software
colinneagle writes "In a blog post, Andy Patrizio laments the trend — made more common in the mobile world — of companies pushing software updates ahead without the ability to roll back to previous versions in the event that the user simply doesn't like it. iOS 7.1, for example, has reportedly been killing some users' battery power, and users of … [Link]
Mashable » Woman With Cancer Moved to Tears When Her Friends Shave Their Heads
When Gerdi McKenna learned she had breast cancer, one devoted friend decided to organize a photo shoot for McKenna surrounded by her closest friends Unbeknownst to McKenna, her friends were planning more than just a few simple photos; they each decided to shave their heads in solidarity with their ailing friend See also: The Cutest Grandma on Instagram Is Battling Cancer … [Link]
Slashdot » Brazil Blocks Foreign Mobile Phones
First time accepted submitter fabrica64 writes "The Brazilian government has today started blocking mobile phones not sold in Brazil (Portuguese-language original), i.e. not having paid sales taxes here. The blocking is based on IMEI, and if you come to Brazil for the World Cup in June and think of buying a Brazilian SIM card to call locally at lower rates, … [Link]
Mashable » Report: Microsoft to Unveil Office for iPad Next Week
Microsoft will host a press event next week to unveil a version of Office for iPad, according to a new report. The event will also mark the first time new CEO Satya Nadella speaks publicly to the press. The Verge reports Microsoft is sending invitations to some members of the press for an event in San Francisco on March 27. Nadella … [Link]
Slashdot » Russian Army Spetsnaz Units Arrested Operating In Ukraine
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from The Examiner: "The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed March 16 the arrest of a group of Russians in the Zaporizhzhia (Zaporozhye) region of Ukraine. The men were armed with firearms, explosives and unspecified 'special technical means'. This follows the March 14 arrest … of several Russians dressed black uniforms with no … [Link]
Mashable » First 3D 'Peanuts' Trailer Will Make You Feel All Warm and Fuzzy
More than 30 years have passed since your favorite black-and-white beagle, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang graced the big screen — which may be hard to believe. But that changes next year. Based on the comic strip created by the late Charles Schulz, Peanuts has lived on largely through newspaper comics, MetLife commercials, reruns of classic TV … [Link]
Mashable » Scientists Revive 1,500-Year-Old Moss and Other News You Need to Know
Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening around the world. Today, we're looking at five important stories Scientists have revived 1,500-year-old moss as part of "resurrection ecology" research. They took core samples from the layers of frozen moss on an island off the coast of … [Link]
Slashdot » Lit Motors, Danny Kim, and Changing How Americans Drive
Nerval's Lobster writes "In early March, Lit Motors founder Danny Kim hit the road to meet investors. The Portland native needed to keep the momentum growing for his small firm, which builds the two-wheeled C-1. His modest lab, located in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood, could accommodate another 12 employees—but he needed the money to fund them, and to build a … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Amazon Deal of the Day: 39% Off Kinivo ZX100 Mini Portable Speaker with Rechargeable Battery and Enhanced Bass Resonator – $18.99
For today’s edition of Deal of the Day, Amazon has the Kinivo ZX100 Mini Portable Speaker with Rechargeable Battery and Enhanced Bass Resonator for just $18.99. That’s 39% off on the ZX100′s regular list price of $30.95. The Kinivo ZX100 Mini speaker with rechargeable battery is engineered to deliver a superior full-bodied, 360-degree sound. The compact, portable speaker is the … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » OFFICIAL TRAILER: The Maze Runner
I have to admit that I’ve never even heard of The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner until this trailer was released, but it definitely looks interesting. According to the YouTube summary: When Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange … [Link]
Mashable » Google and Viacom Settle YouTube Lawsuit
Google and Viacom have announced the end of a seven-year copyright violation lawsuit centered around YouTube with an agreement to settle out of court. Viacom, which operates a variety of media properties including Comedy Central, MTV and Paramount Pictures, filed a lawsuit in March 2007 that sought $1 billion in damages from Google. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. See … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » #Ebook Deal/Day: Make: AVR Programming: Learn to Write Software for Hardware – $14.99 (Save 50%) Use code DEAL
Get "Make: AVR Programming" today using code DEAL and save 50%!This sale ends at 2:00 AM 2014-03-19 (PDT, GMT-8:00). [Link]
Slashdot » St. Patrick's Day, March Madness, and Steve Jobs' Liver
Many Americans are probably rubbing their temples and wandering around with a bit of a post-St. Patrick's day hangover. Reader theodp writes with a sobering statistical consequence of traditional heavy-drinking holidays: "Keep in mind that this time of year has traditionally been very good to those awaiting organ transplants, including the late Steve Jobs, as Walter Isaacson explained in Jobs: … [Link]
Mashable » RT's YouTube Page Experiences Temporary Blackout
The primary YouTube channel for Russian English-language news channel RT experienced a temporary outage on Monday night into Tuesday morning. RT claimed its account was down for about eight hours due to a glitch that YouTube acknowledged. YouTube did not immediately return a request for comment. Its page has more than 1.2 million subscribers. See also: Russia's English-Language TV Channel: We're … [Link]
Mashable » A New App Turns Your Instagrams Into Nail Art
Your next selfie could turn into your next manicure. Nail art enthusiasts will be able to indulge their wildest design dreams with NailSnaps, an app to lets users create nail polish stickers using their personal photos. See also: 21 Amazingly Nerdy Nail Art Designs Users position a photo on a set of digital nails to preview the final product; it … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » School Bans Boy From Wearing ‘My Little Pony’ Backpack; Even Glenn Beck Joins Internet Support [Videos]
Grayson Bruce, 9, would be considered a “Brony” — a male fan of the series “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” a show which is usually attributed to a young female demographic. Instead of wearing a Spider-Man or Iron Man backpack to school, he wears a “My Little Pony” one, but officials in Buncombe County said that he was no … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Superman With a GoPro [Video]
Superman offers a very special gift to a man who lost his camera. [Corridor Digital] [Link]
Slashdot » Camera Module Problems May Delay Samsung's Galaxy S5
concertina226 writes "There's less than a month to go before Samsung launches its new flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone worldwide on 11 April, and the new device has still not gone into mass production due to camera module manufacturing problems. The 16 megapixel camera module consists of six plastic pieces, one more piece than in the existing 13 megapixel camera modules … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Wearing the future
In aninterviewat SXSW, Google’s Sundar Pichai said something about wearables that I’ve been waiting to hear. Wearables aren’t about Google Glass; they aren’t about smart watches; they’re much, much more, and these technologies are only scratching the surface. I’ve tweaked … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Podcast: thinking with data
Max Shron and Jake Porway spoke with me a few weeks ago about frameworks for making reasoned arguments with data. Max’s recent O’Reilly book,Thinking with Data, outlines the crucial process of developing good questions and creating a plan to answer … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Cute but deadly furball launches death attack
With their massive eyes, tarsiers are the epitome of cuteness. But it comes at a price: each eyeball is as big as the primitive primate's brain 
[Link]
Mashable » Putin: 'Crimea Has Always Been an Integral Part of Russia'
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Crimean leaders signed a treaty to make Crimea and the city of Sevastapol part of Russia on Tuesday. This followed Putin's initial steps to annex Crimea, which he announced during an address to both houses of Russia's parliament on Tuesday morning. They were his first remarks following Sunday's referendum, during which about 95% of Crimeans voted … [Link]
Mashable » 9 Ways to Make Extra Cash From Spring Cleaning
Spring is near, which means it's time to grab the cleaning tools and usher in the season with a thoroughly tidied home After cleaning up the clutter, you're bound to gather some goods that you no longer want. So what should you do with your old items? Sell, sell, sell. See also: 10 Weirdest Things for Sale on eBay With help … [Link]
Slashdot » Famous Breast Cancer Gene Could Affect Brain Growth
sciencehabit writes "The cancer gene BRCA1, which keeps tumors in the breast and ovaries at bay by producing proteins that repair damaged DNA, may also regulate brain size. Mice carrying a mutated copy of the gene have 10-fold fewer neurons and had other brain abnormalities, a new study (abstract) suggests. Such dramatic effects on brain size and function are unlikely … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Facebook almost as good as humans at recognising faces
The social network's researchers have built DeepFace, an algorithm that can pick a face out of a crowd with 97.25 per cent accuracy 
[Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Choosing a Templating Language in Clojure
One thing that is striking when working in the Clojure ecosystem is the breadth of options available to tackle any given task. The community strives to write simple, interoperable libraries and what results is a daunting number of choices, all … [Link]
Mashable » Man Takes Selfies for Proof to the IRS
People usually take selfies for themselves, not the government. Anne Jarvis' father, Andrew, is an architect that splits his time between his firm's branches in New York City and Philadelphia. The commute became so overwhelming that he began to rent an apartment in NYC to improve his quality of life. Upon further inspection of tax laws, Andrew learned that in order … [Link]
Mashable » The African Version of Amazon Will Emerge From Nigeria
When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced the company's plans for 30-minute delivery drones with Amazon Prime Air in December, it became clear that ecommerce has exciting days ahead. But Amazon isn't the only company ramping up digital business, nor is the U.S. the only region in the game. In fact, Africa may have already stolen a march on personal delivery from … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 18 March 2014
On Managers (Mike Migurski) — Managers might be difficult, hostile, or useless, but because they are parts of an explicit power structure they can be evaluated explicitly. Big Data: Humans Required (Sherri Hammons) — the heart of the problem with … [Link]
Mashable » 5 Ways to Boost Your Resume Over Spring Break
Spring break is traditionally the time for beaches and comically large cocktails, but it precedes a more stressful seasonal occasion—the end of the year intern-rush, when students return to their hometowns looking for meaningful summer work. As companies continue to cope with budget constraints and entry-level workers stumble into a painfully slow-to-recover job market, employers not only see unpaid or low-paid … [Link]
Mashable » 7 Gadgets You Can Buy With Your Tax Refund
It's tax season, which means you're probably digging through receipts and forms, trying to figure out which deductions you qualify for and wondering if you should just hand over your paperwork to a professional. But just remember — the prize at the end of the road, of course, is the tax refund check, providing a little extra cash in your … [Link]
Mashable » Apple Retires iPad 2, Replaces It With Fourth-Gen Retina iPad
After launching the 8GB variant of the iPhone 5C, Apple has finally retired the ancient iPad 2, replacing it with the fourth generation, Retina-equipped iPad This is somewhat of an odd reappearance of the fourth-generation iPad. When the company introduced the iPad Air, it fully retired that version, but it left the iPad 2, originally launched in March 2011, as the … [Link]
Slashdot » Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight Relaunches As Data Journalism Website
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "After a parting of ways with the New York Times after calling 50 out of 50 states right in the 2012 elections, Nate Silver has relaunched FiveThirtyEight as a website dedicated to data journalism under the auspices of ESPN. Silver has expanded his staff from two full-time journalists to 20 and instead of focusing on … [Link]
Mashable » Apple Launches 8GB iPhone 5C
Apple has released a cheaper variant of its iPhone 5C, with only 8GB of storage memory, in Europe The device, which has appeared on the website of UK carrier O2, as well as some of Apple's European stores, is otherwise the same as the 16GB and the 32GB iPhone 5C variants. It sports a 4-inch Retina display, 8-megapixel camera, and an … [Link]
Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: Can an Old Programmer Learn New Tricks?
An anonymous reader writes "I have been programming in some fashion, for the last 18 years. I got my first job programming 15 years ago and have advanced my career programming, leading programmers and bringing my technical skill sets into operations and other areas of the business where problems can be solved with logical solutions. I learned to program on … [Link]
Mashable » 3D Companies Push the Gaming Industry Forward With New Alliance
Soon you won't simply play your video games — you'll be your video games. That's the idea behind immersive 3D and gesture-based games that put the player deep into the action, a trend that some in the video-game industry are trying to nurture See also: 35 Insanely Realistic 3D Renderings A group of 3D companies are joining forces to push … [Link]
Mashable » Less Tragic Superhero Origins Make a Lot More Sense
With great power comes great responsibility — and more often than not, great tragedy. Every superhero starts out with their own deeply troubled childhood trauma, usually involving their parents. The funny folks over at Dorkly wondered what it would be like if things were a little less bleak for Bruce Wayne, Kal-El and Peter Parker. See also: 10 Superheroes Who … [Link]
Slashdot » Is Analog the Fix For Cyber Terrorism?
chicksdaddy writes "The Security Ledger has picked up on an opinion piece by noted cyber terrorism and Stuxnet expert Ralph Langner (@langnergroup) who argues in a blog post that critical infrastructure owners should consider implementing what he calls 'analog hard stops' to cyber attacks. Langner cautions against the wholesale embrace of digital systems by stating the obvious: that 'every digital … [Link]
Mashable » It's Not Just Tesla: Why Dealers Are Wary of Electric Cars
For a guy who is supposed to be selling electric cars, Mike Kelly isn't a big fan. Kelly, a car dealer in Erie, Pa., who also happens to represent his district in Congress, said in a 2011 hearing on fuel efficiency ratings that he fired a guy at his Chevy dealership who ordered the electric Volt. Kelly claimed the Volt sells … [Link]
Mashable » Amazon's Set-Top Box Might Look Like Chromecast
Amazon’s long-rumored set-top box/game console might look less like an Apple TV and more like Google's Chromecast. The living-room device, which will reportedly debut as early as this month, won't be a box, but instead an HDMI dongle, according to TechCrunch. See also: Is This Amazon's Game Controller? The dongle form factor is quickly gaining traction. In addition to the Chromecast, … [Link]
Mashable » These Shure Earphones Are Actually Worth Your $1,000
Shelling out $1,000 for earphones might sound like a lot — even crazy — but trust us, Shure's in-ear headphones are worth your paycheck The Shure SE846 earphones are in a class of their own in terms of both audio quality and fit. In fact, the product delivers true sound isolation, similar to custom-made in-ear monitors. See also: 6 Creative Hacks … [Link]
Mashable » 10 Buzzer Beaters That Will Get You Pumped for March Madness
March Madness, that beautiful time of year, is upon us once again. Die-hard hoops fans and casual office pool participants alike will be checking their phones and computers frantically as the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship kicks off this week. See also: March Madness: The 15-Minute Guide With office-wide bragging rights at stake and the (near-impossible) shot to win … [Link]
Slashdot » Is DIY Brainhacking Safe?
An anonymous reader writes "My colleague at IEEE Spectrum, Eliza Strickland, looked at the home transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) movement. People looking to boost creativity, or cure depression, are attaching electrodes to their heads using either DIT equipment or rigs from vendors like Foc.us. Advocates believe experimenting with the tech is safe, but a neuroscientist worries about removing the … [Link]
Mashable » Apple Concept Design Shows Touch ID on Larger iPad
Rumors about a larger iPad that began early last year are still swirling, with fans and analysts envisioning what Apple's next-gen tablet might look like A designer in Germany tackled this speculation head-on by creating a convincing concept design of an iPad Pro. See also: This 'iPhone Air' Concept Looks Like the Real Thing Created by Curved Labs, the concept device … [Link]
Mashable » Do Yourself a Favor: Ditch the March Madness Bracket
Every spring, the same scourge rises anew, threatening to dull March Madness's glorious shine. We speak not of incompetent refs, nor of inexplicable seedings. We're not even talking about the fact that the opening orgy of games conflicts with what is commonly referred to as "job," or "work." No, we gather here today to stand up to a threat that's much … [Link]
Mashable » Microsoft Launches OneNote for Mac, Makes Windows Version Free
Microsoft released a Mac version of its cloud-based note taking platform OneNote, Monday. The company also announced it would be offering both Mac and Windows versions of the software to users for free. See also: The Year in Microsoft: 10 Defining Milestones Previously, the full Windows version of the app was only available to users who paid for the full Office … [Link]
Slashdot » Kaspersky: Mt. Gox Data Archive Contains Bitcoin-Stealing Malware
itwbennett writes "An archive containing transaction records from Mt. Gox that was released on the Internet last week also contains bitcoin-stealing malware for Windows and Mac, say researchers at Kaspersky Lab who have analyzed the 620MB file called MtGox2014Leak.zip. The files masquerade as Windows and Mac versions of a custom, back-office application for accessing the transaction database of Mt. Gox. … [Link]
Mashable » It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman With a GoPro
The Internet has a barrage of GoPro videos. Some people may use the versatile camera for thrilling stunts or seeing the world from their pet's point of view, but nobody does a GoPro video like the Man of Steel. Internet video production company Corridor Digital used drones to capture high-flying footage that mimics what Superman might see. The superhero soars … [Link]
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