John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons

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Geekish

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.

Mashable » 'Better Call Saul' Renewed For a Second Season, But Debut Pushed

Thursday 19 June 23:55:55 UTC 2014

Saulgoodman1Feed-tw Feed-fbAMC is already placing a call for more Saul. The network announced Thursday that it has picked up the Breaking Bad spin-off starring Bob Odenkirk for a second season, even before the show has debuted. SEE ALSO: Top 10 TV Shows on Twitter in Past Year: 'Breaking Bad' Treads Heavily “Production on Better Call Saul is underway and we could not … [Link]

Slashdot » Mt. Gox CEO Returns To Twitter, Enrages Burned Investors

Thursday 19 June 23:54:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes Mark Karpeles doesn't seem to understand how much anger and trouble the $400 million Mt. Gox fiasco caused his customers. According to Wired: "After a long absence, the Mt Gox CEO has returned to Twitter with a bizarre string of tone-deaf tweets that were either written by a Turing test chat bot, or by a man … [Link]

Mashable » Iran Doles Out Prison Sentences to Tech Bloggers, or 'Enemy Cyber Activists'

Thursday 19 June 23:44:27 UTC 2014

Ayatollah-ali-khameneiFeed-tw Feed-fbIran has sentenced a group of tech bloggers to a combined 36 years in prison for espionage and working with foreign media. A court sentenced the group, who all worked for the tech gadgets site Narenji, to prison terms ranging from 1.5 to 11 years, a source close to the bloggers told Mashable. News of their sentencing was first reported by … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 19 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 23:34:22 UTC 2014

odyssey.js — storytelling tool to assemble interactive stories from narrative, pictures, maps. Our Work Here is Done: Visions of a Robot Economy (NESTA) — free downloadable ebook containing pieces from a variety of authors covering economics, engineering, history, philosophy and … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Cloud security is not an oxymoron

Thursday 19 June 23:33:22 UTC 2014

I just ran across Katie Fehrenbacher’s article in GigaOm that made a point I’ve been arguing (perhaps not strongly enough) for years. When you start talking to people about “the cloud,” you frequently run into a knee-jerk reaction: “Of course, … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 19 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 23:15:16 UTC 2014

odyssey.js — storytelling tool to assemble interactive stories from narrative, pictures, maps. Our Work Here is Done: Visions of a Robot Economy (NESTA) — free downloadable ebook containing pieces from a variety of authors covering economics, engineering, history, philosophy and … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Cloud security is not an oxymoron

Thursday 19 June 23:14:16 UTC 2014

I just ran across Katie Fehrenbacher’s article in GigaOm that made a point I’ve been arguing (perhaps not strongly enough) for years. When you start talking to people about “the cloud,” you frequently run into a knee-jerk reaction: “Of course, … [Link]

Slashdot » Chinese Vendor Could Pay $34.9M FCC Fine In Signal-Jammer Sting

Thursday 19 June 23:10:00 UTC 2014

alphadogg writes A Chinese electronics vendor accused of selling signal jammers to U.S. consumers could end up leading the market in one dubious measure: the largest fine ever imposed by the Federal Communications Commission. The agency wants to fine CTS Technology $34,912,500 for allegedly marketing 285 models of jammers over more than two years. CTS boldly—and falsely—claimed that some of … [Link]

Mashable » Unraveling American Apparel CEO's Fall From Grace

Thursday 19 June 23:01:46 UTC 2014

Dov-charney-am-apparelFeed-tw Feed-fbAmerican Apparel is one of the oddest amalgams of brand attributes the marketing world has ever seen. One part ethical, one part sleaze, the brand has carved a unique niche When the company's board voted to remove its CEO Dov Charney on Wednesday, though, some doubt was cast on that formula. Like Steve Jobs at Apple or Richard Branson at Virgin, … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » RAMEN MADNESS: The History and Culture of Ramen

Thursday 19 June 23:00:26 UTC 2014

From PBS Foodbuzz: Ramen, an instant snack once reserved for the starving college student has become the latest it noodle. This week’s Food Buzz brings everything you need to know about ramen, including its 4000-year-long history and its legendary accomplishment of saving a nation. [PBS FoodBuzz | Via TMS] [Link]

Mashable » Snapchat Lures Brands With New Customized Photo Filters

Thursday 19 June 22:50:45 UTC 2014

Evan-spiegelFeed-tw Feed-fbSnapchat has discovered a new way to entice brands to its service — customizable photo filters The ephemeral messaging app is testing a new feature that allows brands to add their logo to images or videos they send out to followers See also: The 11 Types of Snapchat Users Everyone Knows Mashable first noticed the new watermark on a couple of … [Link]

Mashable » Here's How England Can Still Advance in the World Cup

Thursday 19 June 22:40:07 UTC 2014

193533029_00fb2d0717_bFeed-tw Feed-fbIt won't be a huge amount of consolation to England fans after Thursday's 2-1 defeat by Uruguay, but there is still a chance the team could qualify — and it's actually more likely than you might think. That wouldn't be the case but for the fact that Costa Rica, the Central American team nobody expected to advance, beat Uruguay last week. … [Link]

Mashable » 13 World Cup GIFs That Sum Up Uruguay vs. England

Thursday 19 June 22:32:42 UTC 2014

Uruguay-suarez-world-cupFeed-tw Feed-fbRelive the horror and delight (depending on your team of choice) of the World Cup match between England and Uruguay — in GIFs Uruguay topped England 2-1 in an intense 90 minutes that included the post-surgery return of Uruguayan star striker Luis Suarez and the first World Cup goal by the possibly cursed Wayne Rooney. See also: The 21 Most Dedicated … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Radar gets a refresh

Thursday 19 June 22:31:08 UTC 2014

Today we’re excited to roll out a number of important updates that refine Radar’s content and freshen up the site’s design. A new approach The most notable change is also the least obvious. In the months ahead, Radar’s editorial mission … [Link]

Slashdot » How Secret Partners Expand NSA's Surveillance Dragnet

Thursday 19 June 22:25:00 UTC 2014

Advocatus Diaboli (1627651) writes It has already been widely reported that the NSA works closely with eavesdropping agencies in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia as part of the so-called Five Eyes surveillance alliance. But the latest Snowden documents show that a number of other countries, described by the NSA as "third-party partners," are playing an increasingly important … [Link]

Mashable » Coldplay Surprises Sydney Fans in Impromptu 'Sky Full of Stars' Video

Thursday 19 June 22:10:12 UTC 2014

Coldplay-sky-starsFeed-tw Feed-fb Coldplay's beautiful "A Sky Full of Stars" song just got the wacky music video treatment. Unlike the levitation-infused music video for Coldplay's previous single, "Magic," this one shows the band sporting weird musical contraptions while marching through the streets of Sydney, Australia See also: Nailed It: Demi Lovato Slays 'Give Me Love' Bridge in Duet With Ed Sheeran The instrument-laden … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Radar gets a refresh

Thursday 19 June 22:09:23 UTC 2014

Today we’re excited to roll out a number of important updates that refine Radar’s content and freshen up the site’s design. A new approach The most notable change is also the least obvious. In the months ahead, Radar’s editorial mission … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » How Sony’s Betamax lost to JVC’s VHS Cassette Recorder

Thursday 19 June 22:00:54 UTC 2014

After being away from his channel for almost 2 years, Bill Hammack, the engineer guy, is back with a new series of videos featuring various technological products that failed to grab hold of the market even though they were great devices. Here’s the story of how Sony’s Betamax lost to JVC’s VHS Cassette Recorder. In 1976 Sony introduced the Betamax … [Link]

Mashable » NASA Might Be Sending a Balloon to Mars' Biggest Moon

Thursday 19 June 22:00:12 UTC 2014

QuadcopterFeed-tw Feed-fbNASA is looking into the possibility of sending a quadcopter to explore Titan, the largest of Mars' moons, according to the space agency. NASA agreed to put $100,000 toward a preliminary study of the aircraft. The quadcopter, also known as a quadrotor helicopter, would be carried by a giant balloon in order to travel quickly and unobtrusively to Titan's surface to … [Link]

Slashdot » After 47 Years, Computerworld Ceases Print Publication

Thursday 19 June 21:44:00 UTC 2014

harrymcc (1641347) writes "In June 1967, a weekly newspaper called Computerworld launched. Almost exactly 47 years later, it's calling it quits in print form to focus on its website and other digital editions. The move isn't the least bit surprising, but it's also the end of an era–and I can' t think of any computing publication which had a longer … [Link]

Mashable » 'Gotham' Teaser Cues Up Arrival of Iconic Villains

Thursday 19 June 21:37:15 UTC 2014

Gotham2Feed-tw Feed-fb Fox's Gotham doesn't even have a premiere date yet, but the show is already drumming up excitement for the introduction of iconic Batman villains like Penguin and Catwoman, along with newcomer Fish Mooney. In the latest brief teaser for the show, Ben McKenzie, who plays a young Detective Jim Gordon before his Commissioner Gordon days, cues up the villain's arrivals, … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Kii and Weaved Join To Bake APIs Into IoT Devices

Thursday 19 June 21:21:53 UTC 2014

Mobile back-end-as-a-service (MBaaS) provider Kii has announced a partnership with network provider Weaved aimed at speeding up the connectability of the Internet of Things. At the heart of the partnership is an approach that bakes an API into an IoT chip. [Link]

Mashable » Future NASA Mothership Will Disperse Data Collecting Microchips

Thursday 19 June 21:15:55 UTC 2014

EuropaFeed-tw Feed-fbSuppose you're a planetary scientist. You operate an unmanned spacecraft, surveying a distant moon in our solar system. Years of funding, engineering work, and long-distance space travel have all come together and at last this machine — to which you have devoted so much of your life — is in place. And it's just made an incredible discovery. Maybe it's a … [Link]

Slashdot » It's Not a Car, It's a Self-Balancing Electric Motorcycle (Video)

Thursday 19 June 21:01:00 UTC 2014

Two gyros under the seat keep this vehicle standing up at a stop, which is easier on the driver's legs than putting a foot down the way you do while riding most motorcycles. And no vroom-vroom sound, either. This is an electric motorcycle. The prototype you see in the video gets up to around 20 MPH, but production models are … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » 7 Facts About The Dark Knight You (Even You!) Probably Didn’t Know [Video]

Thursday 19 June 21:00:51 UTC 2014

From CineFix: You know the Dark Knight was one of the most complex superhero movies ever. But did you know these seven surprising behind-the-scenes factoids? [CineFix] [Link]

Mashable » Steam's Summer Sale Is Back to Clean Out Gamers' Wallets

Thursday 19 June 20:35:17 UTC 2014

Steam-logo-largeFeed-tw Feed-fbWere you thinking about saving up for a nice, tropical summer vacation? Too bad. Steam is determined to ruin all your plans by launching its annual summer sale on Thursday. This summer sale lasts 11 days, and PC, Mac and Linux games are discounted anywhere from 25% to 80% off their original prices, allowing gamers to scoop up titles they may … [Link]

Mashable » Fish-Eating Spiders Found on Every Continent But Antarctica, Study Says

Thursday 19 June 20:30:35 UTC 2014

Fishing-spiderFeed-tw Feed-fbNot all spiders catch their prey by spinning webs; a surprising number of arachnids quite literally fish for their meals, snatching scaly animals sometimes twice their size. In fact, a new scientific review found that fish-eating spiders lurk near rivers, ponds and swamps on every continent except Antarctica. They've lifted small catfish out of marshes in Ecuador; grabbed killifish out of nets … [Link]

Mashable » 'Saved by the Bell' Behind-the-Scenes Drama to Be Subject of Lifetime Movie

Thursday 19 June 20:22:36 UTC 2014

SavedbythebellFeed-tw Feed-fbLifetime is taking us all back to Bayside High School for a behind-the-scenes look at the TV show that made every girl in America fall in love with Zack Morris The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story will follow the experiences of the six stars of the show — Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Mario Lopez, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley and Lark … [Link]

Slashdot » 2 US Senators Propose 12-Cent Gas Tax Increase

Thursday 19 June 20:20:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes There are several proposals on the table to stave off the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (which pays for transit, biking, and walking projects too) in two months. Just now, two senators teamed up to announce one that might actually have a chance. Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have proposed increasing … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Gravity as Explained by a Brain Parasite (Voiced by Alan Tudyk) [Science Video]

Thursday 19 June 20:00:26 UTC 2014

Deep inside an astronomer’s head, a parasite (voiced by Alan Tudyk) taps into his brain to learn about… science! Specifically, about why astronauts appear weightless in space. Wil Wheaton co-stars. [NASA Spitzer | Via IO9] [Link]

Mashable » The Fight for a Hot Dog Emoji Is Heating Up

Thursday 19 June 20:00:22 UTC 2014

OscarmeyerFeed-tw Feed-fb Hot dog fans are still waiting for an emoji of their relished food item, and Oscar Mayer wants to do something about it. On Monday, Unicode released a list of over 250 new pictographs destined to be added to the emoji keyboard. While a wide array of additions are coming to everyone's smartphones, including the highly anticipated middle finger emoji, … [Link]

Mashable » Brands GIF All Over Themselves on Twitter

Thursday 19 June 19:58:45 UTC 2014

Red-bullFeed-tw Feed-fbTwitter finally added support for GIFs on Wednesday. Well, to be more accurate, Twitter supports GIFs that are converted into MP4 files See also: How to Post GIFs on Twitter Whatever the case, you can see looping videos on Twitter now! But only if you post them from Twitter.com first. And they don't actually start playing automatically. Ok, so GIFs on … [Link]

Slashdot » First Movie of an Entire Brain's Neuronal Activity

Thursday 19 June 19:49:38 UTC 2014

KentuckyFC (1144503) writes "One of the goals of neuroscience is to understand how brains process information and generate appropriate behaviour. A technique that is revolutionising this work is optogenetics–the ability to insert genes into neurons that fluoresce when the neuron is active. That works well on the level of single neurons but the density of neurons in a brain is … [Link]

Mashable » Hips Don't Lie: Colombia Has the Best World Cup Celebration

Thursday 19 June 19:41:00 UTC 2014

ColombiadanceFeed-tw Feed-fbColombia danced its way to a World Cup win on Thursday against the Ivory Coast After Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez scored a beautiful header to put the team up 1-0, the South American squad assembled to celebrate. The World Cup announcers basically sum it up: "Move over, Shakira. There's a new Colombian No. 1." See also: World Cup Stars: 20 Electrifying … [Link]

Mashable » iWatch Production Could Start in July for October Release

Thursday 19 June 19:33:41 UTC 2014

Iwtchcnptnw098780aFeed-tw Feed-fbAnother day, another iWatch rumor. The latest news comes courtesy of Reuters, which reports that Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc. will be mass producing Apple's long-rumored smartwatch this July. According to Reuters, the smartwatch will have a 2.5-inch display and will be "slightly rectangular." The Reuters source says that the face will "protrude slightly from the band," have a touch screen (natch) … [Link]

Mashable » Airbnb vs. New York: A Fight Over What It Means to Share

Thursday 19 June 19:30:59 UTC 2014

Nyc-from-empire-stateFeed-tw Feed-fbThese days, when Ken Podziba answers his phone and it's a stranger on the other line, he has a pretty good idea of what they're calling about before they start talking. The owner of an eight-unit apartment building in Manhattan, Podziba is search-engine famous in New York for how he dealt with a tenant who sublet her apartment via Airbnb, and … [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: How To Bequeath Sensitive Information?

Thursday 19 June 19:27:00 UTC 2014

New submitter UrsaMajor987 (3604759) writes I recently retired after a long career in IT. I am not ready to kick the bucket quite yet, but having seen the difficulty created by people dying without a will and documenting what they have and where it is, I am busy doing just that. At the end of it all, I will have … [Link]

Mashable » Google Glass Could Replace Audio Guides at Some Museums

Thursday 19 June 19:18:07 UTC 2014

Google-glass-museumFeed-tw Feed-fbSome museums may soon offer Google Glass-enabled tours: GuidiGO announced it will be partnering with museums around the world to offer virtual tours optimized for Google Glass. The partnership is the result of Google's Glass at Work program, which certifies companies that make Glass apps specifically for businessesGuidiGO was among the first five companies to be selected for the program earlier … [Link]

Mashable » Where the Hell Are All These Ducks Going?

Thursday 19 June 19:15:09 UTC 2014

DucksFeed-tw Feed-fb Just when you thought cicadas were the only swarm you needed to worry about, a flock of ducks waddles its way into the streets. We're not just talking about a couple of ducks. A video clip released this week shows thousands of ducks stampeding through the streets, stopping traffic in the Bang Len district in Thailand, a rural area about … [Link]

Mashable » England World Cup Fans Reportedly Attacked in São Paulo

Thursday 19 June 19:05:19 UTC 2014

England-fansFeed-tw Feed-fbRIO DE JANEIRO — A crowd in São Paulo attacked England fans before the team's World Cup Group D match against Uruguay there this afternoon, according to news reports and photographs from the scene The British-Consulate General in São Paulo did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for more information, but an official diplomatic account on Twitter said no fans had … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Star Wars: The Musical [Video]

Thursday 19 June 19:00:52 UTC 2014

A fun parody that collides the worlds of Disney and Star Wars into a musical [gsmaestro] [Link]

Mashable » What the Great Barrier Reef Looks Like After a Monstrous Cyclone

Thursday 19 June 19:00:48 UTC 2014

Great-barrier-reef-damagesFeed-tw Feed-fbAreas of the lovely Great Barrier Reef are missing. In April, Tropical Cyclone Ita, a Category 5 storm with 105 mile per hour winds, hit northern Queensland in Australia. Just off the coast of Queensland lies the Great Barrier Reef, which also experienced Ita's wrath See also: Google Maps Dives Into World Oceans for Underwater Street Views On Monday, the Catlin … [Link]

Mashable » Professor BooBoo Is Here to School the Internet

Thursday 19 June 19:00:43 UTC 2014

BooboothumbFeed-tw Feed-fbForget everything you know about cute animals on the Internet. Photographer Megan van der Elst, also known as lieveheersbeestje on DeviantArt, takes pictures of her 2-year-old, blonde guinea pig Professor BooBoo to the delight of online fans everywhere. See also: Marutaro the Hedgehog Is the Internet's Prickliest Star "She's the perfect model, cooperative, versatile and very relaxed," van der Elst says … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Manhunt to bug hunt: Cop skills track nature's killers

Thursday 19 June 19:00:00 UTC 2014

The geographical profiling that catches serial killers can track bats to their roosts or sharks to their lairs – and could close in on deadly diseases too (full text available to subscribers) [Link]

Mashable » John Stamos Kisses Vine Superstar, Homophobia Erupts

Thursday 19 June 18:55:05 UTC 2014

Flag-vineFeed-tw Feed-fbVine celebrity Jerome Jarre played his beloved Kiss Prank on actor John Stamos on Tuesday. But instead of flailing with shock and confusion, Stamos returned the favor by planting a big smooch on Jarre's mouth Jarre posted the Vine video to his 6.1 million followers, expecting the usual delighted and jocular responses from fans. Turns out, those expectations were too high. … [Link]

Slashdot » SpaceX Falcon 9R Vertical Take-Off and Landing Test Flight

Thursday 19 June 18:51:00 UTC 2014

schwit1 (797399) writes "The competition heats up: SpaceX [Wednesday] released a new video of the most recent Falcon 9R vertical take-off and landing test flight. The flight was to test the deployment and use of fins for controlling the stage during its return to Earth. Watch them unfold and adjust themselves beginning at about 1:15 into the video. In the … [Link]

Mashable » Upfront Ventures Looks for Next Maker Studios in Latino YouTube Network

Thursday 19 June 18:42:00 UTC 2014

YtFeed-tw Feed-fbUpfront Ventures, the first investor in Marker Studios, is taking another stake in a YouTube network startup. The VC firm has led a $10 million round for MiTú, a popular YouTube network focused focused on Latino audiences. MiTú's has more than 40 million combined subscribers across its channels and logs over 400 million monthly views, according to the company's press release … [Link]

Mashable » Obama Says U.S. Will Send Up to 300 Military Advisers to Iraq

Thursday 19 June 18:34:10 UTC 2014

Obama-iraqFeed-tw Feed-fbFacing a crisis in Iraq that is threatening to pull the country apart, President Barack Obama took to the White House briefing room on Thursday to announce his latest decisions: He said he was dispatching up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to assist the government in its fight against the radical militant group ISIL. He left open the option of … [Link]

Slashdot » Research Project Pays People To Download, Run Executables

Thursday 19 June 18:33:00 UTC 2014

msm1267 (2804139) writes Incentivized by a minimal amount of cash, computer users who took part in a study were willing to agree to download an executable file to their machines without questioning the potential consequences. The more cash the researchers offered, capping out at $1, the more people complied with the experiment. The results toss a big bucket of cold … [Link]

Mashable » The 21 Most Dedicated World Cup Fans in Brazil

Thursday 19 June 18:15:40 UTC 2014

Mexico-mask-fan-world-cupFeed-tw Feed-fbSoccer isn't just the most popular sport in the world — it's a religion to millions of people. The devout followers who made the pilgrimage to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup came decked in their best gear to celebrate the tournament, and — most importantly — to cheer their home squads to victory See also: The Most-Followed FIFA World Cup … [Link]

Mashable » Jimmy Kimmel's iPhone P Isn't Pulling Any Punches

Thursday 19 June 18:08:25 UTC 2014

Iphone-pFeed-tw Feed-fb We can text fart smells to our friends, but there's no cure for cancer? Get your priorities straight, science. In response to the oPhone, a phone that transmits scent, Jimmy Kimmel has shared his idea for another useless invention. It's called the iPhone P, and its key selling point involves Mike Tyson delivering a swift punch to the face. See … [Link]

Mashable » New iPhone Might Have a Built-In Barometer

Thursday 19 June 18:07:28 UTC 2014

Apple-healthFeed-tw Feed-fb Apple has already stepped into the health and fitness tracking market with its Health app for iOS. Now, the company could be upping the ante with its upcoming iPhone New code spotted by developers who spoke with 9to5Mac indicates the iPhone 6 could have a barometer built in. See also: 10 Better Alternatives to Your iPhone's Native Apps An integrated … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Commercial quantum computer still awaits ultimate test

Thursday 19 June 18:00:00 UTC 2014

Today more inconclusive tests of D-Wave's quantum computers came to light – why is it so hard to tell if its machines are the real deal? [Link]

New Scientist – News » Neanderthals evolved their teeth before big brains

Thursday 19 June 18:00:00 UTC 2014

Ancient skulls found in Spain reveal how the earliest Neanderthals differed from their ancestors, suggesting their jaws changed shape to grip objects [Link]

Mashable » Zachary Quinto Set for 'Girls' Season 4 Guest Spot

Thursday 19 June 17:58:49 UTC 2014

ZacharyquintoFeed-tw Feed-fbGirls is beaming up Zachary Quinto for a guest spot in Season 4. The Star Trek star and American Horror Story alum is set to appear in one episode of the HBO comedy's upcoming new season, Mashable can confirm See also: 'Mean Girls' Emoji Is the Closest Thing to Texting Regina George Details on his character were not made available by … [Link]

Mashable » 20 Actors Up for Multiple Emmy Nominations in Stunningly Different Roles

Thursday 19 June 17:58:33 UTC 2014

Stephen_moyerFeed-tw Feed-fbWith the June 20 deadline for Emmy nomination ballots approaching, the pressure is on Television Academy members to pour through hundreds and hundreds of pages of names and pick out the ones who deserve some accolades come Aug. 25 We've done a bit of combing ourselves, in fact. And in our perusing the well-lit photographs of this year's potential Emmy nominees, … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Big Bang breakthrough team back-pedals on major result

Thursday 19 June 17:56:00 UTC 2014

For the first time, the BICEP2 team – hailed for their gravitational wave discovery earlier this year – have dialled back on the certainty of the result [Link]

Slashdot » Intel To Offer Custom Xeons With Embedded FPGAs For the Data Center

Thursday 19 June 17:52:00 UTC 2014

MojoKid (1002251) writes For years, we've heard rumors that Intel was building custom chips for Google or Facebook, but these deals have always been assumed to work with standard hardware. Intel might offer a different product SKU with non-standard core counts, or a specific TDP target, or a particular amount of cache — but at the end of the day, … [Link]

Mashable » 23 Memes That Made Spain's World Cup Loss So, So Much Worse

Thursday 19 June 17:47:58 UTC 2014

SpainsadFeed-tw Feed-fbIn times of great adversity, there are memes. Defending World Cup champion Spain left the field, dejected, after losing 2-0 to Chile on Wednesday. The team that was predicted to compete for the tournament's trophy didn't take it very well See also: How the World Cup Works, for the Soccer Newbie As though crushing failure didn't hurt enough, World Cup fans … [Link]

Mashable » 9 Essential Questions About Iraq, Answered

Thursday 19 June 17:42:50 UTC 2014

Iraq-militia1Feed-tw Feed-fbPresident Barack Obama told reporters in a White House briefing on Thursday that he is prepared to send up to 300 military advisors to Iraq. The president also said the U.S. is ready to take “targeted and precise" military action, if needed. But he added that there is “no military solution inside Iraq – certainly not one that is led by … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » MapLight to Release Voter’s Edge API for Access to 2014 Election Information

Thursday 19 June 17:41:24 UTC 2014

MapLight, nonpartisan research group focused on money’s influence on politics, plans to release an API for its Voter’s Edge offering. The Voter’s Edge API will give developers programmatic access to a massive database of 2014 election data. [Link]

Mashable » Harrison Ford Broke His Leg, Not an Ankle, on 'Star Wars' Set

Thursday 19 June 17:39:22 UTC 2014

Harrison-ford-legFeed-tw Feed-fbHarrison Ford broke his left leg on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII last week, Mashable has confirmed with Ford's publicist, dispelling earlier reports that the 71-year-old actor broke an ankle in the accident. "His surgery was successful and he will begin rehab shortly," said publicist Ina Treciokas. "He's doing well and looks forward to returning to work." See also: … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 11 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 17:33:21 UTC 2014

UK Copyright Law Permits Researchers to Data Mine — changes mean Copyright holders can require researchers to pay to access their content but cannot then restrict text or data mining for non-commercial purposes thereafter, under the new rules. However, researchers … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » The role of Wi-Fi in the Internet of Things

Thursday 19 June 17:32:21 UTC 2014

This article is part of a series exploring the role of networking in the Internet of Things. In my previous post we evaluated a point-to-point networking technology, specifically Bluetooth, to determine its applicability to our building monitoring and energy application. … [Link]

Mashable » CIA Made an Osama bin Laden Toy to Spook Children and Parents

Thursday 19 June 17:31:58 UTC 2014

Osama-bin-ladenFeed-tw Feed-fbThe CIA has a history of getting innovative in attempts to counter enemy propaganda. In 2005, the intelligence agency began working on creating an "evil" Osama bin Laden action figure made from heat-dissolving material that would pull back to show a devilish red-face. The figurine's code name was, appropriately, "Devil Eyes," as The Washington Post revealed on Thursday. See also: Uncovered: … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 12 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 17:31:21 UTC 2014

Norbert Weiner (The Atlantic) — His fears for the future stemmed from two fundamental convictions: We humans can’t resist selfishly misusing the powers our machines give us, to the detriment of our fellow humans and the planet; and there’s a … [Link]

Mashable » Endangered Razorback Sucker Fish Return to Spawn in Grand Canyon

Thursday 19 June 17:30:24 UTC 2014

Razorback-sucker-fishFeed-tw Feed-fbAfter returning to the lower Colorado River in 2012 after a 22-year absence, the endangered razorback sucker fish is now spawning in Grand Canyon National Park, scientists announced on June 18. Biologists discovered larval razorback suckers in April and May at nine spots along the iconic Colorado River, which is home to several critically endangered fish species found nowhere else in … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » From the network interface to the database

Thursday 19 June 17:30:21 UTC 2014

From the beginning, the Velocity Conference has focused on web performance and operations — specifically, web operations. This focus has been fairly narrow: browser performance dominated the discussion of “web performance,” and interactions between developers and IT staff dominated operations. … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Streamlining feature engineering

Thursday 19 June 17:20:20 UTC 2014

Why do data scientists spend so much time on data wrangling and data preparation? In many cases it’s because they want access to the best variables with which to build their models. These variables are known asfeatures in machine-learning parlance. … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 16 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 17:19:20 UTC 2014

Quick DT — open source (Java) decision tree learner. Revealing Hidden Changes to Supreme Court Opinions — WHEREAS, It is now well-documented that the Supreme Court of the United States makes changes to its opinions after the opinion is published; … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Where did the issue of health data exchange disappear to?

Thursday 19 June 17:18:20 UTC 2014

On the first morning of the biggest conference on data in health care–the Health Datapalooza in Washington, DC–newspapers reported a bill allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to outsource more of its care, sending veterans to private health care providers … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 17 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 17:17:20 UTC 2014

Eris — a platform which allows developers and users to deploy consensus driven applications which rely on decentralized architecture and a consensus driven blockchain database backend. Open source (modified MIT). The Disruption Machine (New Yorker) — long detailed critique of … [Link]

Mashable » Jack White Breaks Vinyl Sales Record Set by Pearl Jam in '94

Thursday 19 June 17:16:51 UTC 2014

Jack-white-vinylFeed-tw Feed-fbBlunderbuss singer-songwriter Jack White just scored his second No. 1 solo album on the Billboard 200 chart with his sophomore effort Lazaretto, but more notably, he also broke the longstanding record for highest first-week vinyl sales in the United States in more than two decades His Lazaretto LP — containing a hand-etched hologram of a floating angel — sold more than … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 13 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 17:16:21 UTC 2014

Mapping the Decentralized Movement (Jon Udell) — the pendulum is about to swing back toward a more distributed Web. John Ioannidis: Reproducible Research, True or False? (YouTube) — his talk at Google. (via Paul Kedrosky) Tessel — a microcontroller that … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Expect no, but fight for yes

Thursday 19 June 17:13:20 UTC 2014

Editor’s note: this is the transcript of DJ Patil’s commencement address to the 2014 graduating class at UC Santa Cruz’s Jack Baskin School of Engineering; it is published here with permission. Thank you, Dean Ramirez and the distinguished faculty here … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 18 June 2014

Thursday 19 June 17:12:20 UTC 2014

Javascript Cryptography Considered Harmful — tl;dr: “don’t”. If you don’t trust the network to deliver a password, or, worse, don’t trust the server not to keep user secrets, you can’t trust them to deliver security code. The same attacker who … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » AIs dueling definitions

Thursday 19 June 17:11:20 UTC 2014

Let me start with a secret: I feel self-conscious when I use the terms “AI” and “artificial intelligence.” Sometimes, I’m downright embarrassed by them. Before I get into why, though, answer this question: what pops into your head when you … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Open teaching stacks help us teach at scale

Thursday 19 June 17:09:20 UTC 2014

Elliott Hauser is CEO of Trinket, a startup focused on creating open sourced teaching materials. He is also a Python instructor at UNC Chapel Hill. Well-developed tools for teaching are crucial to the spread of open source software and programming … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Game of Thrones Title Sequence You Didn’t Know You Were Waiting For [Video]

Thursday 19 June 17:00:30 UTC 2014

A new Game of Thrones title sequence done “Brady Bunch” style by “The Wil Wheaton Project.” [Wil Wheaton] [Link]

Mashable » Dubai Is Now Home to the World's Busiest International Airport

Thursday 19 June 16:59:03 UTC 2014

DubaiFeed-tw Feed-fbFor the first time, Dubai has outranked Heathrow as the world's busiest airport for international travel. Dubai received 67.3 million international passengers from February 2013 to February 2014, while Heathrow received 66.9 million, according to Airports Council International (ACI). See also: One Man's Night 'All By Himself' at the Airport Becomes Hilarious Music Video Dubai's growth has been rapid. Only a … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » The role of Wi-Fi in the Internet of Things

Thursday 19 June 16:54:55 UTC 2014

This article is part of a series exploring the role of networking in the Internet of Things. In my previous post we evaluated a point-to-point networking technology, specifically Bluetooth, to determine its applicability to our building monitoring and energy application. … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Streamlining feature engineering

Thursday 19 June 16:42:55 UTC 2014

Why do data scientists spend so much time on data wrangling and data preparation? In many cases it’s because they want access to the best variables with which to build their models. These variables are known asfeatures in machine-learning parlance. … [Link]

Slashdot » Malware Posing As Official Google Play Store Evades Most Security Checks

Thursday 19 June 16:42:46 UTC 2014

DavidGilbert99 (2607235) writes Mobile malware on Android is nothing new, but now security company FireEye has discovered in the Google Play store a sophisticated piece of malware which is posing as….the official Google Play store. Using the same icon but a different name, the malware is not being detected by the vast majority of security vendors, is difficult to uninstall … [Link]

Slashdot » IRS Recycled Lerner Hard Drive

Thursday 19 June 16:42:39 UTC 2014

phrackthat (2602661) writes The Senate Finance Committee has been informed that the IRS recycled the hard drive of Lois Lerner, which will deprive investigators of the ability to forensically retrieve emails which were supposedly deleted or lost in a "crash." This news comes after the IRS revealed that it had lost the emails of Lois Lerner and six other employees … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Where did the issue of health data exchange disappear to?

Thursday 19 June 16:41:55 UTC 2014

On the first morning of the biggest conference on data in health care–the Health Datapalooza in Washington, DC–newspapers reported a bill allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to outsource more of its care, sending veterans to private health care providers … [Link]

Slashdot » 3D Windowing System Developed Using Wayland, Oculus Rift

Thursday 19 June 16:40:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes Developed as part of a university master thesis is this "truly 3D" windowing system environment. The 3D desktop was developed as a Qt Wayland compositor and output to an Oculus Rift display and then controlled using a high-precision Razer mouse. Overall, it's interesting research for bringing 2D windows into a 3D workspace using Wayland and the … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Man Wearing a MENTOS Suit Gets Dropped in a Tub of Coke [Vine Video]

Thursday 19 June 16:38:15 UTC 2014

Don’t forget to unmute the video! This was apparently filmed for EpicMealEmpire, a show by Epic Meal Time that will soon air on FYI. I’m just sad it’s so short! 🙁 [Harley Morenstein on Vine] [Link]

Mashable » Russia Is Moving Thousands of Troops Back to Ukraine Border, NATO Says

Thursday 19 June 16:36:50 UTC 2014

Nato-secretary-general-anders-fogh-rasmussen-londonFeed-tw Feed-fbKIEV, Ukraine – NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday that Russian military forces were again amassing at the country’s border with Ukraine in an apparent move to intimidate Kiev, which he called “a very regrettable step backward.” “We now see a new Russian military build-up around the Ukrainian border. At least a few thousand more Russian troops are now … [Link]

Mashable » Designers Finally Found a Useful Purpose for Comic Sans

Thursday 19 June 16:36:07 UTC 2014

Comic-sans-thumbFeed-tw Feed-fbHere are two terms that have probably never shared a sentence before: Comic Sans and cancer. The font your elementary school teachers used to "spice up" curricula — you know, the one everyone loves to hate — is now helping to raise funds to fight cancer. See also: A New Version of Comic Sans Actually Looks Pretty Cool Comic Sans for … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Open teaching stacks help us teach at scale

Thursday 19 June 16:30:55 UTC 2014

Elliott Hauser is CEO of Trinket, a startup focused on creating open sourced teaching materials. He is also a Python instructor at UNC Chapel Hill. Well-developed tools for teaching are crucial to the spread of open source software and programming … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Today on New Scientist

Thursday 19 June 16:30:00 UTC 2014

All the latest on newscientist.com: power trilemma, reverse-engineering NSA tech, crossing brain's ultimate barrier, gravitational wave doubts and more [Link]

Mashable » The Uncanny Valley: Everything You Need To Know in 2 Minutes

Thursday 19 June 16:28:49 UTC 2014

Post_thumbFeed-tw Feed-fb Computer animation technology has made huge leaps in the last decade. Animators can create characters almost indistinguishable from real humans ..almost. And these achievements are having unexpected consequences. In the latest video of our Mashable Explains series, we explain the bizarre "uncanny valley" phenomenon. The uncanny valley is a problem in both animation and robotics. It's that "creep factor" you … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Doubts about big bang breakthrough won't kill inflation

Thursday 19 June 16:09:00 UTC 2014

Cosmic inflation is sound whether or not we have found primordial gravitational waves, says the theory's co-founder Andrei Linde [Link]

Geek Culture » "Dancing in the Street" with no music….

Thursday 19 June 16:04:21 UTC 2014

tnx for the heads up Woz! [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Popping Giant Soap Bubbles in Super Slow Motion [Video]

Thursday 19 June 16:00:22 UTC 2014

Watch as Gav and Dan, also known as the Slow Mo Guys online, pop giant bubbles 100 times slower that what you usually see with your eyes. [The Slow Mo Guys] [Link]

Mashable » Congrats, Your Facebook Relationship Survived Another Year!

Thursday 19 June 16:00:15 UTC 2014

Fb-anniversaryFeed-tw Feed-fbFacebook wants you to share good news with your friends A new feature on the platform congratulates users on relationship or wedding anniversaries, and users can then share that story alongside a collection of photos with their Facebook friend groups. See also: 12 Facebook Statuses You Need to Retire anniversary Image: FacebookFacebook will automatically surface photos that both parties in the relationship … [Link]

Slashdot » US Supreme Court Invalidates Patent For Being Software Patent

Thursday 19 June 15:58:00 UTC 2014

ciaran_o_riordan (662132) writes The US Supreme Court has just invalidated a patent for being a software patent! To no fanfare, the Court has spent the past months reviewing a case, Alice v. CLS Bank, which posed the question of "Whether claims to computer-implemented inventions … are directed to patent-eligible subject matter." Their ruling was just published, and what we can … [Link]

Mashable » BlackBerry Earnings Show Signs of Stabilization Under New CEO

Thursday 19 June 15:45:08 UTC 2014

Blackberry.jpgFeed-tw Feed-fbFinally, some good news for BlackBerry. The Canadian smartphone maker reported its earnings results for the first-quarter for fiscal year 2015 on Thursday. To the surprise of many analysts, the company managed to report a small profit — $23 million (or $0.04 a share), thanks to accounting adjustments under GAAP (General Accepted Accounting Principles). Take those adjustments — which were non-cash … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Solving spider mysteries in the Peruvian Amazon

Thursday 19 June 15:38:00 UTC 2014

In the Amazon rainforest, spiders are building spider-shaped decoys in their webs. Nadia Drake goes to the jungle to learn more about these strange critters [Link]

Mashable » The California Drought Just Got Worse

Thursday 19 June 15:37:00 UTC 2014

6_19_14_cadroughtFeed-tw Feed-fbThe state of California is in the midst of its third straight year of drought, mired in a water supply rut after a meager wet season during the winter. The entire state is in some stage of drought, with 77% of the state suffering from "extreme" to "exceptional" drought conditions, the two worst categories according to the newest U.S. Drought Monitor … [Link]

Mashable » U.S. Government Has Been Reforming Washington's NFL Team Since 1960s

Thursday 19 June 15:30:46 UTC 2014

Washington-redskins-nixonFeed-tw Feed-fbThe decades-long controversy over the Washington Redskins' name has hit a climax. On Wednesday, June 18, the United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled six federal trademark registrations for the team's name and logo, calling the name "disparaging to Native Americans." The office can't stop the team from using the name, but it can (at least pending a court reversal) bar the right to registration … [Link]

Mashable » Remembering New Yorker Cartoonist Charles Barsotti

Thursday 19 June 15:24:30 UTC 2014

Charles-barsottiFeed-tw Feed-fbA man should be remembered for his work, his wit and his ability to make dogs seem human. The great New Yorker cartoonist Charles Barsotti died on Monday at his home in Kansas City, Missouri. In his career spanning 50 years, Barsotti produced more than 1,000 cartoons that often featured his signature bleak businessmen and dogs dealing with very human problems. … [Link]

Slashdot » Google and Microsoft Plan Kill Switches On Smartphones

Thursday 19 June 15:18:00 UTC 2014

itwbennett (1594911) writes "Responding to more than a year of pressure, Google and Microsoft will follow Apple in adding an anti-theft "kill switch" to their smartphone operating systems. In New York, iPhone theft was down 19 percent in the first five months of this year. Over the same period, thefts of Samsung devices — which did not include a kill … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Cat Sings Rebuttal to Schrödinger’s Cat Theory [Music Video]

Thursday 19 June 15:02:32 UTC 2014

Watch as singer/songwriter Sarah Donner impersonates a cat to sing a fun rebuttal to the Schrödinger’s Cat Theory. [Sarah Donner | Via TMS] [Link]

Mashable » 'Tonight Show' Charms 'Harry Potter' Fans With Magical Rap

Thursday 19 June 15:00:45 UTC 2014

Harrypotter_tonightshowFeed-tw Feed-fb Accio, Jimmy Fallon! Fallon packed up his Tonight Show bags and headed to Universal Studios in Orlando, visiting Harry Potter World for the week. So naturally, everyone got into the wizarding spirit, including his in-house band The Roots See also: 'Harry Potter' Minimalist Posters Will Cast a Spell on You When a "Suggestion Box" request asked for a Harry Potter … [Link]

Mashable » An App That Only Lets You Say 'Yo' Just Topped Facebook's Slingshot on iOS

Thursday 19 June 14:57:30 UTC 2014

U7a8859-edit-2Feed-tw Feed-fbYo Facebook, watch out. The big news in the social messaging space this week was supposed to be Facebook's release of Slingshot, its latest attempt to take on Snapchat. Then something unexpected happened: Yo. See also: Top 25 Free iPhone Apps of All Time Hours after Facebook released Slingshot on Tuesday afternoon, the Financial Times published an article about a new … [Link]

Slashdot » TrueCrypt Author Claims That Forking Is Impossible

Thursday 19 June 14:37:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes On a request from Matthew Green to fork the TrueCrypt code, the author answers that this is impossible. He says that this might be no good idea, because the code needs a rewrite, but he allows to use the existing code as a reference. "I am sorry, but I think what you're asking for here is … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Selfie' Helps Doctors Diagnose Mini-Stroke

Thursday 19 June 14:34:00 UTC 2014

OakDragon (885217) writes A Toronto woman had the presence of mind to record herself, using her smartphone, as she suffered from a bout of semi-paralysis. She had suffered the same symptoms two days earlier, and had gone to the hospital; but by that time the condition had passed, and doctors sent her home. However, using the smartphone video, doctors later … [Link]

Mashable » Miss the Amazon Fire Phone Debut? Watch It All Here

Thursday 19 June 14:30:02 UTC 2014

Amazon_seattle-1-4Feed-tw Feed-fb Amazon's unveiling of the much-hyped Fire Phone on Wednesday has drawn a great deal of attention. See also: Amazon Fire Phone vs. iPhone 5S vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8 If you didn't catch all the details about the Fire Phone's 3D display, built-in Amazon shopping cart and five cameras, you can watch it in Amazon's full YouTube video … [Link]

Mashable » Harley-Davidson Debuts Electric Motorcycle

Thursday 19 June 14:26:16 UTC 2014

Harley-electric-motorcycleFeed-tw Feed-fbMILWAUKEE — Harley-Davidson will unveil its first electric motorcycle next week, and President Matt Levatich said he expects the company known for its big touring bikes and iconic brand to become a leader in developing technology and standards for electric vehicles. Harley will show handmade demonstration models Monday at an invitation-only event in New York. The company will then take several … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Poppy the 3D-printed robot comes to life super-fast

Thursday 19 June 14:26:00 UTC 2014

Watch this incredible time-lapse of the world's first 3D-printed, open-source humanoid robot leap into life from starter parts [Link]

Mashable » Chelsea Handler Signs Deal for Talk Show With Netflix

Thursday 19 June 14:14:52 UTC 2014

HandlerFeed-tw Feed-fbChelsea Handler has signed a deal with Netflix for a new talk show to begin in early 2016, the on-demand streaming video company's first foray into late-night programming territory. The deal also includes a new one-hour standup special to air on Oct. 10 based on her recent "Uganda Be Kidding Me" tour. She will also make four "docu-comedy" specials in which … [Link]

Mashable » Terrorists May Have Control of Iraq's Largest Oil Refinery

Thursday 19 June 14:02:17 UTC 2014

Iraq-oil-refineryFeed-tw Feed-fbBAGHDAD — Sunni militants hung their black banners on watch towers at Iraq's largest oil refinery, a witness said Thursday, suggesting the vital facility had fallen to the insurgents who have seized vast territories across the country's north A top Iraqi security official, however, said the government still held the facility. Iraq oil min. has issued a statement criticising Reuters, AFP … [Link]

Mashable » T-Mobile CEO: AT&T and Verizon Are 'Raping You'

Thursday 19 June 14:01:07 UTC 2014

Ap333084782203Feed-tw Feed-fbT-Mobile CEO John Legere is known for his frank talk about the telecommunications industry and his company's competitors. At the company's event on Wednesday, he took it to new heights. Legere likened AT&T and Verizon's treatment of their customers to rape during his keynote at the company's Uncarrier 5.0 event. See also: 5 Phone Charging Myths, Debunked "These high and mighty … [Link]

Slashdot » X Window System Turns 30 Years Old

Thursday 19 June 13:56:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes "One of the oldest pieces of the Linux desktop stack still widely in use today is the X Window System that today is commonly referred to as X11 or in recent years the X.Org Server. The X Window System predates the Linux kernel, the Free Software Foundation, GCC, and other key pieces of the Linux infrastructure … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Activity trackers boosts fantasy footballer's success

Thursday 19 June 13:54:00 UTC 2014

Players' success in fantasy sports games could hinge on the amount of exercise they do in the real world – earning them bonus points [Link]

Mashable » How to Post GIFs on Twitter

Thursday 19 June 13:53:39 UTC 2014

Twitter_gifsFeed-tw Feed-fbTwitter now supports GIFs — better late than never. Users of the social network have long requested the ability to tweet the endlessly looping animations. They got their wish on Wednesday, when Twitter announced the update via a tweet from its support team (it's your move now, Facebook). Starting today, you can share and view animated GIFs on http://t.co/wJD8Fp317i, Android and … [Link]

Mashable » Yep, This Guy Is the Smoothest Referee at the World Cup

Thursday 19 June 13:47:18 UTC 2014

WorldcuprefFeed-tw Feed-fbTo World Cup athletes, referees may just be the guys doling out red cards, but deep down, these bros are the coolest dudes on the pitch Case in point: this guy. Canadian referee Joe Fletcher played off an awkward moment with a FIFA official before Chile's match against Spain like a true pro on Wednesday. See also: The 12 Most Painful … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Mock recoil gives your gun real kick in virtual worlds

Thursday 19 June 13:41:00 UTC 2014

Designed to help train soldiers, a new gun-based controller for the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset brings a new sense of realism to gun play [Link]

Mashable » Twitter to Acquire Live Video Platform SnappyTV

Thursday 19 June 13:36:22 UTC 2014

Ascani_twitteripo-9Feed-tw Feed-fbTwitter has agreed to acquire SnappyTV, a live video platform, to boost its Twitter Amplify program, the company announced early Thursday. Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed. SnappyTV, founded in 2010, is a cloud-based platform that allows users to edit and share clips from TV broadcasts quickly. The platform is used by many brands and some of Twitter's media … [Link]

Mashable » 40+ Events in Social Media, SEO and More

Thursday 19 June 13:20:39 UTC 2014

June19_finalFeed-tw Feed-fbThe Mashable Events Board is a great place to find leading conferences in your industry, whether it's advertising, technology, media or public relations. This week, we're highlighting five events that we think can help move your career forward, from those in California to Amsterdam. If you don't find something that's right for you, check out more than 40 events featured in … [Link]

Slashdot » IRS Recycled Lerner Hard Drive

Thursday 19 June 13:14:00 UTC 2014

phrackthat (2602661) writes "The Senate Finance Committee has been informed that the IRS recycled the hard drive of Lois Lerner, which will deprive investigators of the ability to forensically retrieve emails which were supposedly deleted or lost in a "crash." This news comes after the IRS revealed that it had lost the emails of Lois Lerner and six other employees … [Link]

Mashable » LinkedIn Unveils New App Dedicated to Job Searches

Thursday 19 June 13:12:44 UTC 2014

Linkedin_appFeed-tw Feed-fbLinkedIn added another new app to its collection on Thursday. The professional network unveiled the LinkedIn Job Search app, its sixth standalone app and the fourth unveiled in the last 18 months. The app is intended to do one thing very well: help users find and apply for new jobs See also: 10 Creative Social Media Resumes To Learn From The … [Link]

Mashable » The Hooded Sweatshirt That Protects the Homeless

Thursday 19 June 13:06:54 UTC 2014

Joe-nailFeed-tw Feed-fbAnders Hsi thought the alley was perfect. The one-story building next door shadowed the long dusty walls stamped with graffiti. It was just past 6:30 p.m. The Albuquerque sun lowered, expanding the shadow on the wall even more. A biting breeze whistled in from the street. Hsi (pronounced "she") was shooting a promotional video for a hoodie called The Visor, a … [Link]

Mashable » 8 Picturesque Coastal Escapes in France

Thursday 19 June 13:00:23 UTC 2014

Saint-jeanFeed-tw Feed-fbSummertime means it's time to hit the seaside and France is a beach-lovers paradise. From the northern coasts of Brittany and Normandy to the southern Mediterranean and Corsica, France has endless coasts to discover. 1. Wander the Waterfront of La Rochelle La Rochelle is a bustling seaside town in Northwest France. It's well worth spending a relaxed day wandering the streets … [Link]

Mashable » Why It Matters That Netflix Closed Its Public API

Thursday 19 June 12:45:35 UTC 2014

Netflix-developers2Feed-tw Feed-fbOn June 13, Netflix's VP of Edge Engineering, Daniel Jacobson, sent the following letter to the service's third-party developers: Netflix API Developers, As Netflix continues to grow internationally, the emphasis of our engineering efforts is to satisfy a growing member base and a growing number of devices. To better focus our efforts and to align them with the needs of our … [Link]

Slashdot » Former FCC Head: "We Should Be Ashamed of Ourselves" For State of Broadband

Thursday 19 June 12:32:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes A group of internet industry executives and politicians came together to look back on the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and to do a little crystal-ball gazing about the future of broadband regulation in the United States. Former FCC commissioner Michael Copps was among the presenters, and he had sharp words for the audience about the "insanity" … [Link]

New Scientist – News » The five most likely ways to beat dementia

Thursday 19 June 12:26:00 UTC 2014

Today the UK prime minister David Cameron announced a global push to defeat Alzheimer's by 2025. These are the most promising routes to success [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Amazon’s Own Phone Brings Gesture Tracking And Easy Buying

Thursday 19 June 12:10:55 UTC 2014

Amazon has confirmed it’s releasing its own smartphone. It’s not quite the 3D spectacular originally rumored and another of its key features is as much about Amazon’s bottom line as user benefit. The 32GB edition of the Fire phone is available exclusively on AT&T for $199 with a service plan, or you can buy it without a plan for $649. … [Link]

Mashable » 'Halt and Catch Fire's' Cameron Screws Up — And Will Probably Pay for It

Thursday 19 June 12:00:28 UTC 2014

Halt-and-catch-fireFeed-tw Feed-fb Cameron, what have you done now? In this exclusive sneak peek from Halt & Catch Fire's new episode on Sunday, airing at 10 p.m. ET on AMC, the young rebellious programmer makes a possibly devastating mistake that leaves the team scrambling — and their entire operation under scrutiny. SEE ALSO:'Halt and Catch Fire' Episode 1 Recap: Keep Your Stories Straight … [Link]

Mashable » World Cup Players' Diets: Carbs, Water and Chocolate Milk

Thursday 19 June 12:00:16 UTC 2014

Brazil-plays-mexicoFeed-tw Feed-fbYou are what you eat. And in sports like football this is particularly true. Consuming the right or wrong foods and drinks can be the difference between winning and losing a match. It's easy to think that sports nutrition is just about what you eat when you're playing, but in reality the planning will have started a long time ago. Before … [Link]

Mashable » The New Ronald McDonald Hits the Slopes in Malaysia

Thursday 19 June 11:53:48 UTC 2014

Ronald-mcdonaldFeed-tw Feed-fb Back in April, Ronald McDonald got a new look and got reintroduced in social media. Now, he's hitting the slopes, in Malaysia. This video shows the McDonald's clown mascot helping set up an indoor ski slope in Kuala Lumpur on a 95-degree day. Environmentalists won't be amused, but kids were, apparently See also: What's Up With This Green Coca-Cola? This … [Link]

Mashable » 11 Glasses Tricks Every Four Eyes Should Know

Thursday 19 June 11:30:00 UTC 2014

GlassesFeed-tw Feed-fbAlthough glasses have their benefits — like, you know, seeing — they can also put a burden on your daily life. People who wear glasses face annoyances and struggles that people with perfect sight just don't understand: a misty rain coating your freshly wiped spectacles, a greasy smudge in a dark movie theatre or showering blind. See also: 17 DIY Office … [Link]

Mashable » Is the Fire Phone Doomed?

Thursday 19 June 11:11:03 UTC 2014

Amazon-fire-phone-thumbnailFeed-tw Feed-fb Amazon's new Fire Phone has got 5 cameras and a 3D display, but do we really need those? Elliott Morgan takes a look at some of the biggest fails in tech and tries to figure whether the Fire Phone falls into that category On Wednesday, Elliott looked at some really terrifying ads Read more…More about Amazon, Social Media, and Youtube … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Amazon Deal of the Day: Up to 52% Off on “Avatar: The Last Airbender” Series

Thursday 19 June 11:02:39 UTC 2014

For today’s edition of Deal of the Day, Amazon offers up to 52% Off on “Avatar: The Last Airbender” Series. Get all four box sets for just $10.99 or $10.49 each. [Up to 52% Off on "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Series] [Link]

Mashable » Garmin's Approach S6 Golf Watch: Like Having a Digital Caddy On Your Wrist

Thursday 19 June 11:01:20 UTC 2014

Grmin9870adFeed-tw Feed-fb Garmin, the brand best known for its in-car mapping systems, is set to make another major inroad into the wearable technology space with the introduction of a new golf analytics device The Approach S6 looks like a normal digital watch, but inside it contains technology designed to improve your golf swing while guiding you through a myriad of golf courses … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » ‘Prometheus’ Writer to Script ‘Doctor Strange’

Thursday 19 June 11:01:17 UTC 2014

Meet Jon Spaihts. Now, before you freak out about how less-than-awesome Prometheus may or may not have been, allow me to clarify: Screenwriter Jon Spaihts wrote the early draft for the film — a draft that later got rewritten by Damon Lindelof. Spaihts has also been hired to write the reboot for The Mummy (which I don’t think anyone asked for) … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » LEGO Star Wars – No Life Forms Aboard [Short Film]

Thursday 19 June 11:00:22 UTC 2014

A much more logical conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy. In a desperate move, R2-D2 and C3PO flee from Princess Leia’s bedieged vessel in an escape pod. Unfortunately, a few imperial gunners have learned to think for themselves. [BrotherhoodWorkshop] [Link]

Mashable » As Halo Universe Comes Under One Roof, Expectations Rise

Thursday 19 June 11:00:16 UTC 2014

Master_chiefnessFeed-tw Feed-fbAs all things Halo are creatively consolidated, fans should expect more: better acting, writing and production for the new digital series, more depth and characters in the books — and of course a totally blown-out gaming experience when Master Chief Collection brings the first four numbered Halo under one title. Bonnie Ross, head of game studio 343 Industries, said Halo has already established itself as a leading genre … [Link]

Mashable » Hubble Will Help Scientists Decide Next Stop For Pluto-Bound Probe

Thursday 19 June 10:30:42 UTC 2014

New-horizons-probeFeed-tw Feed-fbA NASA spacecraft's historic flyby of Pluto is more than a year away, but researchers are already thinking about where the probe will go next. Scientists will use the space agency's Hubble Space Telescope to search for another faraway object that could be visited by the New Horizons probe after its Pluto encounter, which is scheduled to take place in July … [Link]

Mashable » The Top 10 Greatest Landmarks in the World

Thursday 19 June 10:15:27 UTC 2014

Bayon-templeFeed-tw Feed-fbThe world is full of mysterious monuments, each brimming with hundreds (maybe even thousands) of years of history. Ancient stone walls, mosaic-tiled floors and ornately painted ceilings adorn some of the most fascinating places around the globe. Though each offers a unique experience, it's impossible to visit them all. So, which wanderlust-worthy landmarks should adventurous travelers add to their bucket lists? … [Link]

Mashable » Netflix vs. Cable: How Viewers Watch TV in the Summer

Thursday 19 June 10:05:18 UTC 2014

RemoteFeed-tw Feed-fbSummertime TV is here and we have one question: Will you be reaching for your remote, or your laptop? In the summer, audiences consume shows in different ways. The hot few months affect how, when and what we watch on many levels, especially when it comes to Netflix versus cable TV. See also: It's Season Finale Time; Here's What to Binge-Watch … [Link]

Mashable » Facebook Back at 100% After a 30-Minute Outage

Thursday 19 June 10:04:14 UTC 2014

Facebook_crashFeed-tw Feed-fbFacebook is fully operational after a 30-minute outage which affected the social network's web and mobile site as well as connected apps. Users who tried to access the site early Thursday were greeted with a message saying "Sorry, something went wrong. We're working on getting this fixed as soon as we can." See also: Facebook Briefly Goes Down for Some Users … [Link]

Mashable » 3 Ways to Answer 'What's Your Greatest Strength?' in an Interview

Thursday 19 June 10:00:57 UTC 2014

Interview_tactictsFeed-tw Feed-fbAmong the other dreaded interview classics — like "Tell me about yourself," "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" and "What are some of your weaknesses?" — "What are your greatest strengths?" seems like a pretty innocuous question. But that doesn't mean you can skip preparing for it it. In fact, answer it well, and it’s one of the best … [Link]

Mashable » Lego Fusion Blends Virtual and Physical Gameplay

Thursday 19 June 10:00:24 UTC 2014

Lego_fusion_resort_designerFeed-tw Feed-fbLeave it to Lego to use the word “fusion” correctly. The construction-toy company's new Lego Fusion analog-to-digital game sets are a true blend of real-world Lego building and tablet-app play. Announced on Wednesday, and shipping in August and September, Lego Fusion boxes each come with 200 Lego pieces. They let you build and play in app-based virtual worlds that include a … [Link]

Slashdot » Elon Musk: I'll Put a Human On Mars By 2026

Thursday 19 June 10:00:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes Elon Musk says that he'll put the first human boots on Mars well before the 2020s are over. "I'm hopeful that the first people could be taken to Mars in 10 to 12 years, I think it's certainly possible for that to occur," he said. "But the thing that matters long term is to have a … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Hail hackers for reverse-engineering NSA bugs

Thursday 19 June 8:00:00 UTC 2014

To protect ourselves from the snooping of overbearing intelligence agencies, we need to understand how it is done – hackers are well placed to find out [Link]

Slashdot » The Game Theory of Life

Thursday 19 June 7:39:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes In what appears to be the first study of its kind, computer scientists report that an algorithm discovered more than 50 years ago in game theory and now widely used in machine learning is mathematically identical to the equations used to describe the distribution of genes within a population of organisms. Researchers may be able to … [Link]

Mashable » Mid-Century Postcards Reveal the Summers of the Past

Thursday 19 June 7:00:01 UTC 2014

Atlantic-cityFeed-tw Feed-fbHow will the future look back at the summer of 2014? What activities will seem strange? What locations will seem archaic and fascinating? Besides New Jersey, we mean. See also: Nature's Rainbow Proves Earth Needs No Filters Thanks to the Digital Public Library of America and the Boston Public Library, we can catch a rare glimpse at what the summers of … [Link]

New Scientist – News » New European rules on biotech crops please no one

Thursday 19 June 7:00:00 UTC 2014

Both backers and opponents of genetically modified crops in Europe are objecting to new rules governing their growth [Link]

Mashable » See All of Clayton Kershaw's Dazzling No-Hitter in 1 Short Video

Thursday 19 June 6:24:13 UTC 2014

Clayton.kershaw.no_.hitter.dodgersFeed-tw Feed-fbLos Angeles Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw turned in a doozy on Wednesday night, even as no-hitters go: 15 strikeouts — and one unfortunate error away from perfection — in an 8-0 win against the Colorado Rockies. The best part? It was at home, meaning baseball broadcasting national treasure Vin Scully called it — and he called it beautifully. SEE ALSO: How … [Link]

Slashdot » Fish-Eating Spiders More Common Than Thought

Thursday 19 June 6:02:00 UTC 2014

sciencehabit (1205606) writes "Lying in wait at the water's edge, four legs on a leaf and four legs feeling the water for vibrations, the Dolomedes triton spider can catch a fish twice its size in an instant. Holding on tight, it injects its aquatic prey with a deadly dose of venom and drags it to dry land, where it spends … [Link]

Mashable » Pen and Ink Artist Adds Pattern and Texture to Everyday Life

Thursday 19 June 6:00:39 UTC 2014

Kelsey-montague-artFeed-tw Feed-fbPen and ink artist Kelsey Montague knows patterns, and she blends them into her work with stunning attention to detail "Most of my work incorporates images within images, giving another layer of meaning to a piece," she told Mashable. "So basically when inspiration hits, I grab my pen and sketchbook and let the images flow." See also: Fall in Louvre With … [Link]

Mashable » Garfield Should Realistically Be Dead, According to Pete Holmes

Thursday 19 June 5:00:34 UTC 2014

RealisticgarfieldphFeed-tw Feed-fb Here's a fact you may not know: House cats are not actually meant to be served hearty portions of lasagna A recent episode of The Pete Holmes Show produced a video called "Realistic Garfield" that shows how our favorite fat cat would be IRL See also: Comedian Pete Holmes Fires Wolverine From the X-Men The video tries to get to … [Link]

Slashdot » Adobe To Let Third Party Devs Incorporate Photoshop Features

Thursday 19 June 4:57:00 UTC 2014

angry tapir (1463043) writes Third party developers will be able to build mobile applications that tap into the features of Adobe's Creative Cloud, including effects such as Photoshop's "content-aware fill" and PSD file manipulation, thanks to a new SDK the company is releasing as part of a major update to the suite of graphic design products. However, the company has … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Amazon Intros SDKs Alongside Fire Phone

Thursday 19 June 4:26:51 UTC 2014

Amazon today revealed the Fire Phone at a media event in Seattle. [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » App and Service Personalization with the Personality API

Thursday 19 June 4:26:49 UTC 2014

Traitify, formerly Woofound, officially announced the launch of its personality API. The technology combines big data and psychology to create observable patterns, which are then used to make predictions for a customers behavior in App. Through an image-based approach, users select whether the image is “Me” or “Not Me,” allowing the decision making process to reveal an individual personality. From … [Link]

Mashable » American Apparel Ousts Controversial CEO Dov Charney

Thursday 19 June 4:14:01 UTC 2014

Dov-charneyFeed-tw Feed-fbThe board of American Apparel voted Wednesday to fire its controversial founder and CEO, Dov Charney, because of an "ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct," the company said. Charney, who started selling t-shirts as a student at Tufts University in the late 1980s, and grew American Apparel into a major retailer of made-in-USA clothing, has been repeatedly accused of sexual harassment by … [Link]

Mashable » Aston Martin to Equip Race Cars With Solar-Powered Air Conditioning

Thursday 19 June 3:52:43 UTC 2014

Astonmartingt31Feed-tw Feed-fbBritish sports-car manufacturer Aston Martin will soon be keeping race-car drivers cool with solar-powered air-conditioning systems. The company announced a partnership with Hanergy Global Solar Power and Applications Group to equip cars with ultra-thin solar panels that can power auxiliary features, such as air conditioning, without sucking power from the engine. See also: 13 Tech Products That Stood Out in 2013 … [Link]

Mashable » King Of the World's Oceans: Leo DiCaprio Donates $7M to Conservation

Thursday 19 June 3:34:20 UTC 2014

6_18_14_andrew_dicapriooceansFeed-tw Feed-fbLeonardo DiCaprio, whose role in 1997’s Titanic rocketed him to stardom, lent some serious star power to an oceans-policy conference at the U.S. State Department this week. He pledged grants of $7 million over two years from his private foundation to ocean-conservation efforts. “We’re plundering the ocean and its vital resources, and just because we can’t see the devastation from dry … [Link]

Mashable » E-Cigarette Brands Battle to Keep Marketing Rights

Thursday 19 June 3:04:06 UTC 2014

Blu-cigs-take-back-your-freedom-2Feed-tw Feed-fbE-cigarette company executives were forced to defend their marketing campaigns from critics, including U.S. senators, at a hearing on Wednesday that discussed the impact of e-cigarette advertising on children and teens Health advocates said they feel e-cigarette ads target kids in ways similar to old cigarette ads did, using everything from cartoons to sexual innuendo. Ads for combustible cigarettes have long … [Link]

Slashdot » HUGO Winning Author Daniel Keyes Has Died

Thursday 19 June 2:30:00 UTC 2014

camperdave writes Author Daniel Keyes has died at 86. Keyes is best known for his Hugo Award winning classic SF story Flowers for Algernon and the film version Charly. Keyes was born August 9, 1927 in New York. He worked variously as an editor, comics writer, fashion photographer, and teacher before joining the faculty of Ohio University in 1966, where … [Link]

Mashable » Who Controls Emoji Anyway?

Thursday 19 June 2:28:32 UTC 2014

Twitter-emojiFeed-tw Feed-fbAs you might've heard, we potentially have 250 new emojis to play around with That's right, emoji fans, 250 more pictographic symbols are headed to the web and all your devices. These new emoji include everything from pocket calculators, oncoming fire engines and a hand flipping us all offAwesome Now for the buzzkill. Even though the new emoji are part of … [Link]

Mashable » T-Mobile and Rhapsody Launch Streaming-Music Service unRadio

Thursday 19 June 1:54:41 UTC 2014

T-mobile-7Feed-tw Feed-fb SEATTLE — T-Mobile is bringing its "un-carrier" mantra to Internet radio: The company is teaming up with music company Rhapsody to launch unRadio, an ad-free music-streaming service that lets you play music on-demand for as long as you'd like, without running up your mobile bill. While the music-streaming industry is inundated with competition (e.g. Spotify, Pandora and most recently, Amazon … [Link]

Mashable » World Cup Day 7: So What Happened to Spain?

Thursday 19 June 1:29:05 UTC 2014

450837642Feed-tw Feed-fbAnd then there were 29 Wednesday in Brazil saw all the highs and lows we've come to expect from World Cup football: another three fantastic games; another three high scores that keeps the goal average of the 2014 tournament up where it hasn't been since the 1950s. But it also saw the effective ejection of two teams we expected to lose … [Link]

Mashable » T-Mobile Offers Free Week-Long iPhone 'Test Drives'

Thursday 19 June 1:15:59 UTC 2014

Amazon-111Feed-tw Feed-fbT-Mobile is launching a new program that will allow prospective customers to try out their network, with a new iPhone 5S, for a week — completely free of charge. The program, which the carrier is calling Test Drive, is the result of a partnership with Apple. It's meant to give prospective customers a risk-free way to try out a new device … [Link]

Mashable » Hands On: Amazon's Fire Phone Is More Than Meets the Eye

Thursday 19 June 0:37:34 UTC 2014

Amazon-11Feed-tw Feed-fb Amazon unveiled its first smartphone on Wednesday at an event in Seattle near its headquarters, four years after the company started working on the project. On the surface — and even under the hood — the 4.7-inch Fire phone looks like any other Android phone on the market, but Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and team have baked both big and … [Link]

Slashdot » 1958 Integrated Circuit Prototypes From Jack Kilby's TI Lab Up For Sale

Thursday 19 June 0:31:00 UTC 2014

First time accepted submitter Dharma's Dad writes Christie's New York is auctioning off a 1958 prototype microchip, used by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments in his Nobel Prize-winning invention of putting an integrated circuit onto a single chip. Gifted to one of the lab employees by Kilby, the family has decided to sell it. Estimated at $1,000,000 – $2,000,000, this … [Link]

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